《Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls》 Chapter 1: Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall Chapter 1: Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall "No more opportunities." Liu Xing looked at the message on his phone, heaved a helpless sigh, and set it down. Lying back on his bed, he mused, "Studying medicine really does ruin one''s life." Liu Xing, male, 22 years old, a graduate of Rongcheng Traditional Chinese Medicine University, was currently unemployed. About two weeks ago, Liu Xing had a falling-out with the Department Head. Given his youthful impulsiveness, he chose to resign in a fit of anger. Over the past half month, Liu Xing had been applying to various hospitals. But since he had just graduated andcked significant connections, every job hunt always ended with the response: "Please wait at home for news." "Do I really have to go back home?" Liu Xing searched for his father''s number in his contacts. Three generations of Liu Xing''s family had been doctors. They owned three clinics. When Liu Xing first graduated, his father wanted him to help out in the family business. However, Liu Xing declined. He didn''t want to be confined to one ce so young. He wanted to explore the world. "Alright, but I''m only giving you five thousand for living expenses. After that, you''ll need to earn your own keep," his father had said at the time. "If things don''t work out,e back. You can take over any of the clinics." "Forget it, it would be too embarrassing to return after just over two months," thought Liu Xing. He turned off his phone, knowing his father''s teasing nature. If he returned now, he''d be the butt of jokes for a lifetime. "I only have a thousand left. That means in about a month, I''ll be out of funds," Liu Xing took out thest of his savings, staring despondently at the ceiling. "Ah, why am I thinking so much? Time for a round of League of Legends. Time to lift my spirits by trouncing some kids." With that, he sat up and turned on hisputer. An hourter, a frustrated Liu Xing put down his mouse and stared at his monitor in disbelief. "Is it really just a Monday? Why are there so many kids ying today?" Exasperated, Liu Xing closed League of Legends and decided to watch some new episodes on the country''srgest website, bilibili. "Grandpa must be downloading those small circr files again," Liu Xing mused, stroking his chin. "Forget it. I''ll just go tease some girls in the group chat." With that, he opened QQ. Ping, ping, ping. The moment he logged in, a pop-up dominated most of Liu Xing''s screen. "Seriously, Tencent? Advertising this tantly?" Liu Xing was taken aback by the enormous pop-up. "Join now and get 100,000 RMB!" Liu Xing stared at the bold red letters on the advertisement, speechless. He had seen countless online game ads. As someone born in the 90s, there wasn''t a slogan he hadn''t encountered. But this was the first time he had seen an ad making such a bold im of hundred thousand yuan. Thinking this over, Liu Xing muttered to himself, "This is quite tempting. A hundred thousand yuan? Fine, just for that ad, I''ll give it a click. What''s the worst that can happen?" And with that, he clicked on "Join the game." Ding. Following a soft chime, Liu Xing''sputer screen went ck. "Damn it!" Liu Xing roared. Just as a distraught Liu Xing was about to reboot, hisputer returned to normal. However, he noticed a new game icon on his desktop. "That was close." Liu Xing hastily opened a hidden folder, relieved to find all its files intact. "So, the game auto-installed?" Liu Xing examined the strange new game icon. It looked oddly familiar ¡ª it was the visage of Cthulhu. Cthulhu is a malevolent entity from the Cthulhu Mythos created by the American novelist, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, often abbreviated as H.P. Lovecraft. Cthulhu is described with a head resembling an octopus, a face full of countless tentacles, massive ws on its hands and feet, and bat-like membranous wings on its back. If one is familiar with the game World of Warcraft, they would recognize the boss, C''thun, as a tribute to the Cthulhu myth. The first time Liu Xing encountered the Cthulhu Mythos was when a close friend invited him to a tabletop gaming room to observe a Cthulhu role-ying session. Liu Xing''s eyebrows raised when he looked closer at the title under the game''s icon, and indeed, it matched what he had thought. "Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall?" The Cthulhu role-ying game can be simply described as a tabletop game that''s immensely popr in Western regions. Unlike China''s popr games like "Werewolf" and "Three Kingdoms Kill," Cthulhu role-ying belongs to the role-ying game category. What''s special about this game is that yers can immerse themselves in their characters. Within the game''s rules, yers'' actions lead to various open-ended story developments. For instance, in other games when you confront an enemy, you might have only a simple option like defeating them to advance the plot. But in Cthulhu role-ying games, you can choose to avoid, bribe, persuade, or even ally with the enemy. However,bat isn''t the main focus in Cthulhu role-ying games. Generally,bat means a total party wipeout, as yers, role-ying as explorers, confront mythical creatures! These games draw from a series of novels by H.P. Lovecraft, collectively referred to as the Cthulhu Mythos. After Lovecraft''s death, many authors wrote fanfiction based on these myths, further evolving the mythos into a unique pantheon¡ªthe Cthulhu Mythological System. Within this system, Cthulhu serves as the iconic figure and is a significant deity among the Old Ones, representing the element of water. It is currently sealed by a powerful opposing force called the Elder Gods, lying dormant beneath the ocean city of R''lyeh in the South Pacific. Under certain cosmic influences or external factors, Cthulhu''s seal can be broken, and it emerges from the sea. However, as the seal isn''t fully released, Cthulhu cannot leave R''lyeh. When cosmic conditions change and the seal''s power is restored, Cthulhu returns to its deep slumber. The day Cthulhu fully breaks free, it will undoubtedly devastate the world. From Cthulhu''s description, it''s evident that it possesses world-ending power. Still, Cthulhu isn''t the most potent entity in the mythos. In the game setting, Cthulhu can unconditionally kill a random number of yers, acting much faster than them, making an encounter with it almost certain death for yers. Naturally, as a boss-level entity, Cthulhu won''t appear randomly. Beneath it are various mythical creatures, with the weakest being entities like Ghoul and Deep One (essentially fish-men, albeit with some differences). But even these beings areparable in fighting prowess to world boxing champions or martial arts masters. The then-newbie Liu Xing once asked the friend who introduced him to the game, pointing out that even a martial arts master could be taken down with a single gunshot. His friend chuckled and told Liu Xing that he was overthinking. In Cthulhu role-ying games, yers typically portray ordinary individuals, or at most detectives or police officers, armed with just a handgun. Although the game is very open-ended, every action must follow established rules. Commoners wouldn''t possess assault rifles, nor would they casually roam with weapons. Additionally, creatures like Ghouls and Deep Ones are fundamentally superior to average humans. Generally, humans stand little chance against these mythical beings, though there are some exceptions. Given the game''s freedom, some sessions might opt for customized rules or add peculiar skills. The Cthulhu role-ying game can be divided into Tabletop and Online Game Groups. Tabletop refers to yers gathering physically, while Online Game Groups mean ying viamunication apps like QQ and other tools. These games require considerable time andmitment. A session couldst from a few hours to several years, unlike quicker games like "Werewolf" and "Three Kingdoms Kill." Hence, not many yers in China delve into Cthulhu role-ying games. Moreover, unlike other games, the Cthulhu role-ying game doesn''t have dedicated online tforms or mobile apps. This has often left enthusiasts feeling lost after sessfully introducing friends to the game, as they can''t find an appropriate venue to y. Liu Xing faced this challenge, wanting to try the game butcking the chance. Organizing a tabletop session isn''t easy, as all participants must find several hours to dedicate simultaneously. Online groups also suffer from the absence of a professional tform. But now, staring at the "Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall" on hisputer desktop, Liu Xing couldn''t help but smile. He hadn''t expected to find a dedicated tform for the Cthulhu role-ying game, a pleasant surprise indeed. Chapter 2: The First Role-Playing Session (I) Chapter 2: The First Role-ying Session (I) After all, the audience for the Cthulhu tabletop role-ying game in China is rtively small. As a result, no developer is willing to invest time and capital to establish a tform specifically for the Cthulhu RPG. Moreover, all yers need for the Cthulhu RPG is a piece of paper, a pen, a set of dice, and their voice. There''s no in-game purchase or microtransaction, so following the principle of "no profit, no early rise," the game has never had its dedicated online tform. The Cthulhu RPG''s Online Game Groups typically rely onmunication tools like QQ or the only dedicated web-based tform in China, Duo Dong Doufu. Now, Liu Xing was stunned to discover a tform dedicated solely to the Cthulhu RPG. Naturally, he was overjoyed, as this was something enthusiasts of the game had long dreamt of in China. Liu Xing nced at the bottom right corner of hisputer screen. It was only around 6 pm, leaving him ample time to try out a short session. With a hint of self-interest, he nned to y first on this Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and then rmend it to his friends. After all, if the tform turned out to be a rip-off, any premature promotion by Liu Xing would surely invite criticism. Curious, Liu Xing clicked on the desktop icon. Suddenly, a ck hole appeared in the middle of theputer screen, and an avatar of ''Ke Zong'' (a nickname used by Cthulhu fans for Cthulhu) emerged. "How clich¨¦d," remarked Liu Xing, who had mentally prepared himself for something of the sort. Next, a registration page appeared, asking only for Liu Xing''s identification and phone number. "Don''t they need a username and password? Or is it directly linked to my Teng Xun ount?" Though puzzled, Liu Xing provided his genuine details, finding it too cumbersome to fabricate any. "Registration sessful. Wee to the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall," the Ke Zong avatar disyed in blood-red letters, then vanished. Impressive effects. Liu Xing nodded, now even more intrigued by the game hall. Or more urately, by the people running it. To him, it seemed they were running the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall at a loss. The ck hole in the center of the screen didn''t disappear with the Ke Zong avatar. Instead, it expanded to cover the entire screen until the interface of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall finally emerged. Around the borders of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall were Ke Zong''s iconic green tentacles interspersed with a few skeletons. It gave Liu Xing an indescribable sense of awe¡ªvery Cthulhu. "Please enter your game ID." A synthesized voice of a young woman suddenly rang out, and the interface automatically switched to the user''s profile. "I''ll just use my old ID," Liu Xing mused, being notoriously indecisive with names. As a result, all his game IDs were virtually the same. "Wee, Old Chinese Medicine Doctor, to the game. Please im your newbie package." That''s right, Liu Xing''s game ID was "Old Chinese Medicine Doctor" because he had been learning traditional Chinese medicine from his grandfathers since childhood, making him quite an expert by now. "I wonder what goodies are in the newbie package," Liu Xing thought as he clicked to open it. "Congrattions, you''ve received 10 points!" Liu Xing stared nkly at theputer screen, at a loss for words. "Are you kidding me? Just 10 points for the newbie gift pack?!" Liu Xing eximed in disbelief. Suppressing the urge to curse out loud, Liu Xing clicked on the shop, hoping that these 10 points could fetch something worthwhile. Upon ncing at the shop''s first section, Liu Xing instantly felt the game was exceptionally generous. The points were redeemable for yuan, with one point equating to ten thousand yuan. No wonder the previous advertisement had imed, "y and get a gift of one hundred thousand yuan." With this revtion, Liu Xing, on a whim, thought, "Why not give it a shot?" and promptly chose to redeem, converting all his 10 points into yuan. However, something felt off. He didn''t remember entering his bank card details. Would the redemption even work? Before Liu Xing could process his thoughts, his phone, which was lying next to him, began to vibrate insistently. "100,000.00 yuan has been credited to your bank ount today." Liu Xing scrutinized the sender''s details and confirmed it wasn''t some scam message. "It''s legit! Teng Xun is really stepping up their game," thought Liu Xing. He recalled linking his bank card to his QQ Wallet, which led him to believe that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall must be under Teng Xun''s umbre. Yet, what Liu Xing failed to notice was an additional app that had mysteriously appeared on his phone. "Since I''ve taken their money, I might as well see how this game hall is set up," said Liu Xing, still slightly befuddled but following the principle of reciprocation. ted, he set his phone aside, gearing up for his first Cthulhu role-ying adventure. "I wonder how many yers are online in this game hall right now," pondered Liu Xing, clicking on the start button in the game hall. Sessfully navigating to the second interface, he noticed it was segmented into four areas: Ghoul, Shub-Niggurath''s servants, Tindalos Hounds, Cthulhu, and Azathoth. Clearly, these five levels corresponded to beginner, intermediate, advanced, epic, and hellish difficulties. Ghouls were basic mythological creatures, while Shub-Niggurath''s servants were of a higher rank, evolved and more powerful than some ordinary mythological entities. The Hounds of Tindalos were relentless pursuers of those who traveled through time, often termed as a time-traveler''s nemesis. Cthulhu, a primary deity of the Old Ones, needed no introduction. Azathoth, the origin of all things in the Cthulhu mythos, had power beyondprehension. "Do I have to enter to select a specific room?" Liu Xing wondered. Out of the five areas, only the Ghoul section was unlocked. With no other option, Liu Xing clicked on it. "Since it''s your first time in the game, you will automatically join a newbie room." The synthesized female voice echoed again. Liu Xing joined the so-called newbie room, which had four slots. Three other yers were already marked as ready. "This seems to be a four-yer group. Being a beginner room, it shouldn''t take long," Liu Xing reasoned, stretching leisurely. Clicking ''ready'', he thought, "This looks intriguing. My first Cthulhu role-ying experience should be quite memorable." "The game willmence shortly. Please be prepared, and we hope you make it back alive," the same electronic voice intoned, but Liu Xing felt an odd sense of schadenfreude in it. "Why do I get this weird feeling?" Liu Xing pondered, rubbing his nose. The game begins! Chapter 3: The First Role-playing Session (2) Chapter 3: The First Role-ying Session (2) "Where am I?" Liu Xing''s vision blurred momentarily, and when he refocused, he found himself seated in an enclosed room. He was at a wooden table, sharing it with three strangers. The only source of light was a solitary white candle that flickered softly. "Wee, Old Chinese Doctor, to the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s Beginner''s Room. I''ll now exin the basic rules of this game hall. Please pay close attention," a voice suddenly said near Liu Xing''s ear. It was that same synthesized voice of a young woman he had heard before, but now with an even more mocking tone. Liu Xing realized this was not his imagination. "Firstly, since you''ve chosen to participate in the Cthulhu role-ying game, you should have a basic understanding of its rules. But, out of kindness, I will exin again. The Beginner''s Room game you''re currently partaking in is not a full-fledged Cthulhu game. However, the system will evaluate your performance here to finalize your character''s stats, creating your first character card. So, give it your best." "Secondly, every Cthulhu role-ying session has a Main Objective and Side Objectives. But there are also various Hidden Side Objectives and even concealed main tasks. It''s up to you whether to explore these hidden quests, which can bring unimaginable benefits. Yet, while exploring, your risk of death may multiply many times over. Remember, fortune favors the brave." "Thirdly, in each Cthulhu game with a simr historical setting, yers will use the same character card. yers can possess multiple character cards. If a yer''s character dies or gets eliminated (due to injuries or other reasons, making them unable to continue), they''ll lose the card used in that game. If you lose all your cards, you will be eliminated entirely." "Fourthly, all items, spells, rtionships, and skill point enhancements acquired during a game will be recorded on your character card and settled after the session." "Fifthly, during gamey, you must not reveal any information about this game hall to NPCs. Also, refrain from actions or words that transcend the setting''s time period. Overstepping these rules twice in a single session will have penalties: the first infraction deducts all your points and randomly removes a stat, the second results in the loss of your character card." "Sixthly, the difficulty of the Cthulhu role-ying game is determined by the number of yers. The maximum yer count varies by region. yers can discuss the game privately, but revealing discussions to NPCs is a vition." "Seventhly, uninstalling this game will cost you 10,000 points." "Lastly, a piece of advice: the less you know, the longer you''ll live. Good luck." Years of reading online novels quickly made Liu Xing realize he might have entered a space simr to that of a ''main god.'' He would be forced to undertake various tasks, all set within the Cthulhu mythos framework. "Damn it, I shouldn''t have been so impulsive! Looks like I might die here." Regret consumed Liu Xing. He didn''t believe he had a protagonist''s luck, especially in a Cthulhu role-ying setting. These games typically involve ordinary human characters investigating supernatural events and encountering mythical creatures. Team annihtion is all toomon. Here, there were no weapons or armor, no bloodlines to aid yers against such mythical beings. Although yers could gain spells and old sigils for self-defense, using these magic forms came at the cost of one''s sanity. Once a yer lost too much sanity, madness would set in, followed shortly by death. Thus, the biggest distinction of Cthulhu role-ying games from others was the extremely high chances of team annihtion. A session without a few deaths seemed iplete. Regardless, Liu Xing knew escape was impossible. He had to face reality, perform well in this Beginner''s Room session, and properly create his first character card. The Cthulhu role-ying game, like other role-ying games, requires character cards before ying to determine the character''s attributes. Liu Xing wasn''t sure which edition of character cards the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall was using, whether it was the sixth or seventh edition. (Like other games, the Cthulhu role-ying game continually releases new rulebooks. Currently, both the sixth and seventh editions of character cards are used in the gamingmunity, with some differences between them. Please search online for specifics, as exining is cumbersome and lengthy). However, it seemed that this "Beginner''s Room" game has already set up the process of "car card" (in which random numbers obtained from dice rolls determine a character''s attribute points). Therefore, Liu Xing needs toplete this Beginner''s Room challenge perfectly to get a better character card, since, after all, the character card essentially represents his life in the game. "Transmitting game information to the yer." An electronic voice paused for a moment before resonating in Liu Xing''s ear again. Cthulhu Role-ying Beginner''s Room Temte - Haunted Mansion. Difficulty: Easy. Background: You are now in a century-old mansion. Years ago, a family of three who lived here was wiped out, and since then, rumors of the house being haunted have spread. Many im to have seen ghostly figures wandering around the mansion. Today, you and three online friends decided to spend the night in this mansion. However, once inside, the doors and windows were sealed shut, and suddenly, a candle on the table was lit. Your Identity: An average office worker. Objective: Before the game time ends, ensure the candle on the table remains lit. Hint: The candle can only be extinguished by yers, but it takes a continuous blow for five seconds to put it out. If the candle is extinguished, it means the mission has failed. Game Duration: One hour. Clearly, the focus of this mission is the candle in front of him. However, Liu Xing didn''t find many elements of Cthulhu in the task hints. Probably because this is a Beginner''s Room challenge, meant to determine the attributes of his first character card. If it had too many Cthulhu elements, Liu Xing feared he''d either die or go mad... "Based on the mission hint, if my objective is to ensure the candle remains lit, then among the three remaining yers, one might have the objective to blow it out." Liu Xing contemted. In the Cthulhu role-ying game, there are roles like the "cultist", members of cults that worship evil gods like Cthulhu and are antagonists to regr yers. So, the game''s backdrop might be that a cultist has luredizens here to offer them as sacrifices to a dark god. So, among these three people, who could be the cultist? Liu Xing observed the three people around the table, two men and a woman. To his left was a middle-aged man with a friendly appearance, looking in his forties, dressed in a ck shirt. A corner of a handkerchief peeked from his shirt, slightly yellowed under the candlelight. To his right, a young man in his twenties, average-looking with a baseball cap and noticeable red-dyed hair. Across from Liu Xing sat a good-looking girl, head slightly lowered, seemingly deep in thought. She wore a school uniform with "Magic City Seventh High School" written on it. Liu Xing also nced at his attire: a standard office suit with a tie. "The game''s attention to detail is impressive; they even changed my outfit," Liu Xing remarked sarcastically. Chapter 4: The First Role-playing Session (2) Chapter 4: The First Role-ying Session (2) "The game will officially start in ten seconds." Only now did Liu Xing realize that he seemed to be locked in some way. He could move his eyes, but his body waspletely unresponsive, and he couldn''t speak. Ten seconds passed. "The game begins!" It felt as if his soul had returned to his body. Liu Xing regained control over himself. Silence. The four people seated around the table eyed each other. None seemed eager to speak. After all, faced with such an inexplicable situation, they were fortunate not to be undergoing a sanity check. (In the Cthulhu RPG Game, "SAN value" is a critical yer attribute, representing one''s sanity. Encountering shocking or horrifying events, like gruesome bodies, mythical creatures, or magic, would prompt a sanity check. A failed check results in a permanent decrease in SAN value. If the value drops to zero, the character goes permanently insane, equivalent to death. Specific details can be searched online, as delving deep into these mechanics could fill an entire chapter.) Who in their right mind would want to chat with strangers now? But Liu Xing was not one to sit idly. Rather than wait in anxiety for the game''s one-hour duration to end, he decided to take the initiative and try to identify the cultist among the other three yers. To identify the cultist, he needed to start a conversation. While Liu Xing had never yed a Cthulhu role-ying game, he had yed simr online board games like "Werewolf." He believed he could identify any telltale signs in the cultist''s speech. "I am Old Chinese Doctor, just an average office worker in reality." Given the game''s background where all four yers met online, Liu Xing revealed his online gaming ID and the role he was assigned in this game. "I''m Shan He, a college student," said the man to his right, wearing a hat. "I am Wu Gen Cao, the owner of a small business," said the older man to his left, nodding with a smile. "My name is Bai Wan, the initiator of this haunted house exploration. I am a student at Magic City No. 7 High School." The young woman didn''t raise her head, her voice slightly quivering. Liu Xing looked at her, puzzled. The name "Bai Wan" didn''t seem like something a girl would choose. "Oh, Bai Wan, as the initiator, you must know some details about this old mansion," Liu Xing said, convinced she held essential clues. Every yer would receive unique information based on their game roles, and Bai Wan, as the exploration''s organizer, would undoubtedly have more insights. Meanwhile, his own character, an average office worker, only knew the game''s basic background. Furthermore, he began to suspect Bai Wan might be the cultist. Given that she initiated the exploration, the likelihood seemed high. Suddenly, Wu Gen Cao interjected, "I probably know more than her because I witnessed the tragedy that urred in this mansion ten years ago." He paused, lost in thought, then continued, "Ten years ago, I lived next door. One night, I heard screams from this mansion. I immediately called the police, but it was toote. A family of three had been brutally murdered. The culprit was eventually caught¡ªa high school ssmate of the family''s younger son. The motive was apparently a romantic dispute." From Wu Gen Cao''s description, Liu Xing surmised that he had yed the Cthulhu RPG Game in reality. The game emphasizes immersion, requiring yers to narrate third-party information from a first-person perspective. The young woman, Bai Wan, nodded after hearing Wu Gen Cao''s story. Liu Xing glimpsed what seemed like a red ne on her neck. Bai Wan added, "Yes, both the suspect and the victims were seniors from our school, Magic City No. 7 High School. This incident became a popr urban legend. Some ssmates recently mentioned several strange details about the case, and rumors that the mansion is haunted. That''s why I initiated this exploration online." A notification sounded, "Side Quest activated. Discover the true story behind this tragedy. Sessfulpletion will end the game and grant additional rewards. No penalties for failure." Liu Xing was surprised to trigger a Side Quest so quickly. He was relieved that there was no penalty for failing. "I also read about this online and found supposed crime scene photos. There are three of them, but I can''t vouch for their authenticity," Shan He said, producing a smartphone. He handed it to Liu Xing to examine. Liu Xing saw a slightly blurred image of a corpse lying face-up in a kitchen, its face concealed by pixtion. Arge hole, also pixted, was visible in its abdomen. The next image depicted a body in a bedroom, a pool of blood around its head suggesting a fatal blow. Thest showed a corpse seated in a chair in what looked like the room they were in. A gruesome tear was evident in the neck, the head lolling at an impossible angle. Though obscured by a mosaic, Liu Xing still noticed that the body had long hair and wore clothing simr to a school uniform. Coupled with its slender stature, it seemed to be that of a young woman. Does this mean that the family of three annihted ten years ago consisted of two men and a woman? Liu Xing passed his phone to Wu Gen Cao, gaining a clearer picture of this gruesome incident. "These photos are genuine," Wu Gen Cao remarked after a brief nce, heaving a deep sigh. "Even though it has been ten years, I am certain these are them." After speaking, he stood up. A thought shed across Liu Xing''s mind. Could Wu Gen Cao be the fanatic who wishes to blow out the candle? However, he quickly dismissed this notion. Extinguishing the candle would require a full five seconds - ample time for Liu Xing to prevent any such action. Unless Wu Gen Cao was willingly walking into a trap, he wouldn''t choose to extinguish the candle at this moment. "Here, have your phone back," Wu Gen Cao said, bending slightly to hand the phone to Shan He. "It''s fine," Shan He replied as he stood and epted the device. Everything felt so ordinary. Liu Xing pretended to adjust non-existent sses, gazing intently at the candle, his thoughts racing. Being someone who relished challenges and had a touch of obsessivepulsive tendencies, Liu Xing feltpelled toplete any task presented to him, especially after triggering a Side Quest in the Beginner''s Room. From the game''s context and data provided by the other three, he inferred a few things: First, this ancient mansion likely housed three mythical creatures. However, their powers seemed limited since a single candle could restrict their movements. Second, based on the main task, guarding this candle shouldn''t pose any significant challenge. Yet, since the Side Quest was triggered so easily, merely guarding the candle would likely yield a low evaluation. Thus, the crux of this game hinged on the Side Quest. To ensure a better card rating and longer survival in future Cthulhu RPG games, Liu Xing knew he had toplete it. Third, if the other three yers held clues about the Side Quest, why didn''t he? Had he missed something? With this thought, he began searching his pockets, finding only a wallet and a phone. This phone was a ssic Nokia 5230, a model Liu Xing remembered using during high school. "It seems I''m a bit out of touch, using such an outdated phone. But it looks brand new. I wonder where one even finds such antiques nowadays," Liu Xing mused silently. He awkwardly powered on the phone to find basic pre-installed Nokia apps with nowork signal, ruling out online research. Checking the contacts, he found unfamiliar names. However, the call log showed thest call was from Shan He, made an hour ago,sting 12 seconds. "Shan He, we spoke on the phone an hour ago. What did we discuss? I can''t recall," Liu Xing inquired, suspecting something. "Oh, I remember asking why you hadn''t arrived. You were already ten minuteste, while Wu Gen Cao, Bai Wan, and I waited outside," Shan He replied without hesitation. "That exins the 12-second call," Liu Xing said with a chuckle, continuing to search for clues on his phone. In the messages, hundreds of texts from over ten contacts awaited him. Believing these messages held crucial information, Liu Xing began meticulously reading each one. Sure enough, he found a message from a contact named "girlfriend" from two days ago: "Dear, I''ve ced the protective amulet I prayed for at the Draken Temple inside your wallet. Please don''t lose it. I''ve heard it''s potent and can fend off all evil." Opening his wallet, Liu Xing indeed found an amulet, its design bearing a familiar symbol - the Elder Sign! Chapter 5: The Truth Chapter 5: The Truth The Elder Sign is a peculiar existence within the Cthulhu Mythos. To put it simply, the Elder Sign has a mysterious power over most mythological creatures. In the eyes of these beings, the Elder Sign is akin to something vile, simr to the byproducts of human sustenance. However, for most of these mythological beings, especially the Eldritch Gods, they don''t differentiate between good and evil towards humans, just as humans treat ants ¨C swatting them away without much thought. Thus, many Eldritch Gods typically won''t harm humans possessing the Elder Sign, fearing to dirty their hands. Because of this, the Elder Sign is known as one of the three sacred artifacts within the Cthulhu RPG Game. In many cases, it can save one''s life. However, some mythological creatures don''t mind getting their hands dirty, so don''t always expect the Elder Sign to be effective against them. Furthermore, the Elder Sign can bebined with another of the three sacred artifacts in the Cthulhu RPG Game to form a powerfulbo. But for now, let''s keep it a secret until Liu Xing acquires the other artifact. "This amulet seems to be a valuable item," Liu Xingmented, taking out the amulet with the Elder Sign and cing it in his suit pocket, ready for use. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, possessing the Elder Sign significantly increases one''s chances of survival. Liu Xing then checked his messages but didn''t find any further useful information, so he pocketed his phone. Although he had the Elder Sign, Liu Xing hadn''t found much information relevant to the Side Quest, making him sigh in frustration. Still, with time on his hands, he began to inspect the secret room he was in. The room was about twenty square meters, with a table at the center where four people sat. Behind Bai Wan, there was a poster of a beautiful warrior, stained with dark red blood spots. It reminded Liu Xing of thest photo he saw on Shan He''s phone, leading him to deduce this room was one of the crime scenes from a past massacre. Additionally, behind Wu Gen Cao, there was a small cab with a weathered calendar on top. Liu Xing had a bold guess in his mind. He felt he was getting closer to the truth. Just two more pieces of evidence, and he''dplete the Beginner''s Room challenge. With this thought, he started to act. "What do you think is inside that cab? Should we open it and check?" Liu Xing asked the group. "There''s probably nothing inside," Wu Gen Cao replied skeptically, eyeing Liu Xing. Seeing the skepticism, Liu Xing grinned, "How will we know unless we look?" As Liu Xing approached the cab, he felt all eyes on him. "Why are you all staring at me? Come, let''s see what''s inside," he said with a chuckle. The others remained silent, reinforcing Liu Xing''s suspicions. Upon opening the cab, Liu Xing found a single item - a household registration booklet. Liu Xing smirked internally; this booklet was precisely what he was looking for. This Beginner''s Room task is really straightforward. "Old Chinese Doctor, bring that booklet over, let''s take a look together," Wu Gen Cao suddenly said. "I''m familiar with this family. I can verify its authenticity." "Oh?" Liu Xing chuckled, examining the calendar carefully. "Perhaps I won''t need your help." The calendar disyed the date: November 2000. Now, Liu Xing saw all the clues aligning, and the truth was nearly in his grasp. "This Side Quest is really easy. It''s making me a bit too confident," heughed, returning to his seat. Liu Xing ced the booklet on the table, sped his hands, and said with a smile, "Guess I don''t need to open this booklet now, do I?" At Liu Xing''s words, Shan He and Wu Gen Cao''s expressions shifted, while Bai Wan kept his head lowered. Liu Xing, confident in his deductions, decided it was time to end this game. "I''m not pointing fingers, but none of you here are living humans, are you?" Liu Xing pushed up his non-existent sses, stating confidently. Infuriated, Shan He mmed the table, "Who are you calling non-human? Dare to say that again!" Wu Gen Cao also stood up, ring menacingly at Liu Xing. Unfazed, Liu Xingughed, "Seems I was right. You three are the ghosts, aren''t you?" Turning to Bai Wan, he added with a hint of regret, "Such a shame that the cute ones always turn out to be boys." Bai Wan, who had been silent and looking down, finally raised his head, his pale face staring intently at Liu Xing. Shan He and Wu Gen Cao looked equally shocked. "It seems I was right," Liu Xing said, picking up the household register. "This must be your family register. Here you go." At this point, Wu Gen Cao could onlyugh resignedly, settled back down, took the register and asked with a calm tone, "How did you figure all of this out?" Liu Xing straightened up, smiling, "From the very beginning, something felt off." "After the game started, I observed all of you. I noticed that none of you seemed bothered by my observation. A regr person would show some reaction when being observed so openly by a stranger, but you all didn''t." "Then, there was the peculiar attire you wore, especially Shan He. Even indoors, he''s still wearing that cap." Liu Xing pointed to Shan He''s baseball hat. "When you showed me those photos, I wondered about the significance of such attire. It struck me, perhaps you wore them to hide the scars from when you died. Shan He, the second photo must be of you, isn''t it?" Shan He, hearing this, helplessly shook his head, "So, I gave us away?" "No, I only had my suspicions then," Liu Xing continued. "I became truly suspicious when Bai Wan triggered the Side Quest." Liu Xing stood up, stretching, "Usually, in any game, quests are assigned by NPCs to yers. But when Bai Wan uttered just one sentence and it triggered a Side Quest, it felt off. So, I started to question Bai Wan''s identity." At that point, Bai Wan looked up, revealing what Liu Xing had thought to be a red ne, but in reality, it was a scar with meticulous stitches. "And then, when Wu Gen Cao told me about the family massacre from ten years ago, I realized all of you had clues rted to that tragedy, and I didn''t. At first, I thought maybe I missed something. That''s when I found an Amulet and a mobile phone on me," Liu Xing said, cing the phone on the table. "It''s a Nokia 5230. I don''t know its exact release date, but I used one in high school around 2010. I initially thought my character was some down-and-out office worker still using this old-fashioned phone," Liu Xing remarked, fiddling with the phone. "I was about to put away the phone when I noticed it didn''t disy an exact date. There was no specific time mentioned in the messages either. When this caught my attention, I realized that the timeline could be crucial." Liu Xing set the phone down, addressing Shan He, "I remembered your smartphone when you showed me those photos. I hadn''t given it much thought, but when I pondered over the timeline, I wondered: what year is it now?" Shan He smiled at Liu Xing without a word. "That''s when I was almost sure ¨C all three of you had issues!" Liu Xing confidently stated. "But I still had two questions: the exact year we were in and Bai Wan''s gender." Liu Xing looked at Bai Wan with a trace of disappointment, "Initially, the clues you gave suggested the family consisted of two males and one female. However, I remembered Wu Gen Cao mentioning that the killer was the ssmate of the youngest son. Logically, there should be an older son too. So, the person in the third photo, who I assumed to be a girl, is actually a boy." Wu Gen Cao shook his head and sighed, "That seems to be my mistake." Liu Xing got up again, walking to a cab. "When I saw this calendar, I realized I could confirm my suspicions." He waved the desk calendar at the trio. "It''s dated 2000. So, the massacre happened ten years prior, making this 2010. Shan He''s smartphone is obviously not from this era." Cthulhu RPG Game values realism, and there are strict rules about items from each era. Shan He''s smartphone shouldn''t exist in 2010 unless Shan He is part of some grand hacking race. "So, my first question was satisfactorily answered," Liu Xing, ncing at the household register in Wu Gen Cao''s hands, continued, "Your reactions when I got the register told me all I needed to know about the second." Shan He pped, "Impressive deduction. You''ve passed, Old Chinese Doctor." Chapter 6: The First Character Card Chapter 6: The First Character Card Though Liu Xing was unsure why Shan He made such ament, he responded politely with a chuckle, "Thank you for thepliment." What Liu Xing hadn''t anticipated was Shan He suddenly waving his hand, causing everything around Liu Xing to vanish. It felt as though only he and Shan He existed in the universe, sitting face to face. "Congrattions onpleting the novice task, Old Chinese Doctor. I am Shan He, the in-charge of the Ghoul region." Shan He then removed his hat and, to Liu Xing''s surprise, transformed into a refined middle-aged man. However, Liu Xing was certain that Shan He must be a mythical creature. Shan He''s appearance rating in the Cthulhu RPG Game was exceptionally high¡ªfar surpassing that of any human. Liu Xing, always one to judge by appearances, was so focused on this that he overlooked Shan He''s impressive transformation. "Oh, what''s my evaluation then?" Feeling rtively at ease, Liu Xing looked at Shan He and inquired with a smile. "Congrattions! As you''vepleted the Side Quest, the game ended early. You''ve received an A-grade evaluation, granting you 50 points and an Elder Sign Amulet. Please collect it from your personal storage after exiting the game," Shan He stated in a formic manner. Having delivered the standard lines, Shan He continued with a smile, "Since the highest evaluation for the Beginner''s Room mission is an A-grade, you are the 22nd newbie to receive it. Thus, you have a special reward¡ªan additional character card." Liu Xing''s heart leaped with joy. This was an incredible bonus. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, every character card was akin to a life. Now, with two character cards, Liu Xing felt more secure about his in-game survival. However, Shan He continued, "I should rify that this card can only be used in team-y games. If you die in-game, you can use this card to revive anytime before the current Cthulhu RPG Game ends. But if you don''t revive before the game concludes and don''t have another card, you''ll be considered dead and terminated." Hearing this, Liu Xing''s enthusiasm dampened. The limitations of this card seemed extremely stringent, reducing its value by more than half. Every game''s final stages were always the toughest, and given the usual challenging nature of the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers would inevitably confront mythical creatures. Thus, even if Liu Xing managed to revive at the end, his fate might still be sealed. Curiously, Liu Xing asked, "What about the previous twenty-one A-grade neers? How are they faring now? Did any of them quit the game?" Hearing this, Shan He chuckled, "All of them failed their missions, lost all their cards, and consequently, had their ounts forcibly terminated." Liu Xing tensed upon hearing this response, sensing that he may have unwittingly jinxed himself. "They all thought they were the protagonists of some novel. With an extra life in hand, they became reckless and met their demise," Shan He remarked coldly, his gaze piercing into Liu Xing. "How long do you think you''ll survive in the game?" Feeling uneasy under Shan He''s intense scrutiny, Liu Xing mustered courage and replied, "I believe I''ll make it to the grand finale." Clearly amused by Liu Xing''s jest, Shan He said, "You''re promising. I have high hopes for you." Walking over, Shan He patted Liu Xing on the shoulder, "You can rest now. But remember, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall deducts maintenance points daily. You must start a new game within fifty days. If your points are negative at the start of any day, your character will be eliminated. Also, our store has special packages for sale during traditional holidays. You might want to umte 100 points before Qingming Festival. Consider this a tip from me." If Liu Xing''s memory served him right, today was March 20th, leaving him just about half a month till Qingming Festival. With his current 50 points, he''d need toplete at least one more team-y game to umte the requisite 100 points to redeem the special package mentioned by Shan He. Pondering over this, Liu Xing nodded in gratitude, "Thank you for the heads-up. May I leave now?" Shan He waved his hand with a smile. Everything went dark for a moment. When Liu Xing regained his senses, he found himself back in his room, heaving a sigh of relief as he leaned back in his chair, gazing intently at hisputer. The screen disyed the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s Beginner''s Room interface, but now, a notification box popped up in the center. "Congrattions, Old Chinese Doctor, onpleting the novice task. Wee to the grand family of the Horror Hall." Liu Xing dismissed the prompt and exited the Beginner''s Room. His screen automatically redirected to the character card interface. Name: Liu Xing upation: Doctor Education: Graduate student ce of Birth: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Background: Pending (To be determined by the yer''s first multiyer role-ying game) Strength: 55 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 50 Appearance: 70 Build: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education score: 87 Knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos: 0 Sanity points: 80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage bonus: None Clearly, Liu Xing recognized this as a seventh edition character card since all data were multiples of five. The character stats are typically determined by rolling 3d6 dice (i.e., how many six-sided dice are thrown), and then multiplying the result by five. Furthermore, there might be additional adjustments based on age. At 23 years old, Liu Xing''s education was subject to a bonus check, which only required rolling a percentile die. If the result exceeded his current education score, then he would add 1d10 points to his education attribute. Clearly, Liu Xing passed the education bonus check, so his education score increased by two or seven points. In Liu Xing''s view, the character card''s stats were impressive, except for his rtively weak physique and low damage potential. However, there was one thing he was slightly unsatisfied with: his inspiration was a tad too high. While inspiration affects information gathering in the game, a higher inspiration usually leads to earlier encounters with mythical creatures or anomalies, resulting in a forced deduction of sanity points. Thus, inspiration is a double-edged sword. Sanity points are determined by one''s willpower, so the initial value of sanity points is equivalent to willpower. But since things have reached this point, Liu Xing couldn''t alter his character card''s data. He navigated to the skills interface, which disyed his remaining professional Skill Points as 348, calcted by multiplying his education score by four. A doctor''s professional skills include first aid, othernguages, medicine, psychology, biology, pharmacology, and any two other skills rted to the medical profession, such as psychoanalysis for a psychiatrist. Liu Xing could distribute his Skill Points among these skills as he saw fit. Moreover, apart from professional skills, Liu Xing also possessed some hobby skills. Everyone has some leisure interests, after all. His Interest Skill Points, calcted as twice his intelligence score, amounted to 170, which he could allocate to any skills he desired. Another unique attribute on the character card was Credit Rating. Credit Rating is a crucial attribute in the Cthulhu RPG Game. It affects the amount of money a yer has in-game, the items they can carry, their initial living conditions, and even NPCs'' perception of them. After all,pared to a ragged beggar, people would be more inclined to heed the advice of a well-dressed doctor. Thus, a higher Credit Rating is always preferable. However, only professional Skill Points can be allocated to Credit Rating, and every profession has a maximum and minimum Credit Rating. For a doctor, it ranges from 30 to 80, and since Credit Rating is mandatory, Liu Xing had to allocate at least 30 of his professional Skill Points to it. Chapter 7: The Society Chapter 7: The Society After examining his first character card, Liu Xing had no intention of allocating his points right away and deciding on his skills. After all, he knew he was still a novice when it came to Cthulhu RPG Game. Acting rashly might expose his shorings, because in the Cthulhu RPG Game, any skill can be divine if used correctly. So, Liu Xing decided to seek external help to perfect his character card''s skills. Naturally, the external aid he referred to was the friend who introduced him to this game. That friend was currently in Rong City, just a ten-minute journey from Liu Xing''s residence. Temporarily setting aside his first character card, Liu Xing chose to enter his personal inventory to check out his additional rewards, including the character card with usage restrictions. The personal inventory interface was very clean. At the top, it disyed Liu Xing''s current points¡ª50. Below that were storage slots,mon in online games. They contained Liu Xing''s amulet with the Elder Sign and an unactivated character card. Liu Xing first examined the amulet with the Elder Sign. The Elder Sign was especially potent against lower-tier mythological creatures. At least in the Ghoul Zone of the game, Liu Xing believed this amulet could save his life. The amulet wasbeled: Amulet with Elder Sign (low quality). Crafted by someone knowledgeable in the Cthulhu Mythos, its power is limited. Don''t expect too much. This amulet can be materialized into the real world at the cost of some points. "It can be exchanged into the real world?" Liu Xing was taken aback. The air around him seemed colder, and he felt as though Cthulhu was calling him from the distance. Even though Cthulhu was sealed under the sea, it could sometimesmunicate with the outside world through telepathy, inducing nightmares,pulsive thoughts, or sometimes even imparting spells and iprehensible knowledge. But because of the vast mental difference between humans and Cthulhu, those who mentally interact with it might go insane. Could mythological creatures really exist in the real world? If the surreal tform of Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall could exist, then surely a few mythological creatures wouldn''t be too unusual? Liu Xing consoled himself with this thought. However, to be safe, he decided to exchange the amulet into reality. After carefully cing it in his wallet, Liu Xing felt much more at ease. After settling this, he checked his phone. He had received a bank notification. It reminded him of the 100,000 yuan that had just been deposited into his ount. This money was almost like a life-saving boon for him. "Well, I guess I''m lucky. I found a great job with a signing bonus of 100,000 yuan and earned another 500,000 from a single deal," he joked. With 50 points left, enough to sustain him in the real world for over a month, Liu Xing wasn''t eager to re-enter the terrifying game hall. No one would willingly embrace death, after all. He closed hisptop and considered visiting home to leave a message, just in case. Given the high mortality rate of the Cthulhu RPG Game, he wouldn''t be surprised if he died during the next session. But, on second thought, he decided against it, fearing he might inadvertently reveal the existence of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. ncing at his phone, Liu Xing noticed it was gettingte. He took a bath and went to bed, burying his head in the sand, so to speak. The next morning, at 10 o''clock sharp, Liu Xing groggily turned on hisputer. The icon for the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall was still there. "It wasn''t a dream after all," he muttered, pping himself lightly. Liu Xing tried to delete the game, but couldn''t find the instation program for the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. He felt that even if he did manage to remove it, it would make no difference. "Since it''se, let''s ept it." Liu Xing took out his phone, preparing to call a few friends to chat about life and lift his spirits. "Huh?" Liu Xing suddenly noticed a new app on his phone ¡ª Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall mobile version. Liu Xing was at a loss for words. He hadn''t expected the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall to have a mobile version. It was truly keeping up with the times. Curious, Liu Xing opened the app to see what this mobile version had to offer. After tinkering for a while, he realized that the mobile version had the same functionality as the PC version. However, it allowed yers to start the game anytime and anywhere. And the best perk for Liu Xing was that his phone would always be fully charged and have a full signal, with ultra-fast WiFi. He tested it, and the inte speed reached 10Gbps. "Now I don''t need to top up my phone bill." Liu Xing chuckled. It seemed he was now inseparable from this Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Just as Liu Xing was about to exit the app, he received a private message notification. "Are there scammers in this game too?" Liu Xing didn''t think anyone in the game would recognize him. "Hello, I am the Ghoul area manager of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s An Family. If you don''t want to fight alone in the horror hall, please join our society." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn''t realized you could form societies in the Cthulhu RPG Game. However, he remembered that in the Cthulhu Mythos, there were many secret societies devoted to recruiting followers for the Eldritch Gods... or should he say, sacrifices. There was a link attached to the message. After some thought, Liu Xing decided to click on it. Although the difficulty of the Cthulhu RPG Game wouldn''t decrease with more yers, being part of a group was certainly better than being alone. Especially since individual strength in the Cthulhu RPG Game was significantly suppressed. Liu Xing clicked on the link in the message and was automatically redirected to the society''s page. Due to his current level, Liu Xing could only view societies in the Ghoul area. He quickly found the An Family''s Ghoul branch, which was ranked first out of only twelve factions in the Ghoul region. "It seems the An Family is quite powerful. Looks like it''s a suitable ce for a talented neer like me," Liu Xing mused, scratching his chin, and clicked to join. "Ding! You have joined the Ghoul branch of the An Family." Theputer screen changed, revealing an interface resembling a QQ group chat. "Wee, neer," greeted an administrator named Du Liu. Liu Xing replied politely, "Hello, I''ve justpleted the beginner''s quest." He nced at the society''s member list. There were over 500 members, but only two or three were online. Then again, who would be idle enough to stay logged into the Cthulhu RPG Game tform? "Oh, in this group, over a hundred members have justpleted the beginner''s quest. You''ll likely join the same game, so when you''re about to start the second game, mention it in the group. That way, everyone can look out for each other," Du Liu advised in a long message. "Oh," Liu Xing''s eyes brightened. After all, a willing coborator is more useful than anything else. "That''s good. I hope you can progress to the next region soon. We also have a branch of the An Family there," Du Liu concluded, then promptly went offline. Chapter 8: Finalizing Skills Chapter 8: Finalizing Skills Liu Xing checked the club''s internal postings but found no information that would be of any help. The notices mostly detailed schedules, specifying which dates and times society members would y the game and the agreed upon times for synchronized matchmaking. After a brief scan, Liu Xing switched off his phone, preparing to head out and meet the friend who had introduced him to the deep rabbit hole that is the Cthulhu role-ying game. This friend of Liu Xing''s was named Wu Lei. A native of Rongcheng like Liu Xing, both were students at Rongcheng Traditional Chinese Medicine University, sharing the same ss and dormitory. Hence, Liu Xing and Wu Lei had always maintained a close bond. Yet, after his internship, Wu Lei didn''t choose to continue working in a hospital but instead opened a board game store, bing a small business owner. Conveniently, Liu Xing''s residence was a mere ten-minute walk from Wu Lei''s board game store. Hence, Liu Xing would often visit to hang out, enjoy some tea and snacks, and chat with Wu Lei. Of course, Liu Xing would also watch Wu Lei y the Cthulhu role-ying game online with others. On this asion, Liu Xing hoped Wu Lei could help him determine the distribution of Skill Points on his character card. After all, Wu Lei''s proficiency in this regard was leaps and bounds above Liu Xing''s. Arriving at Wu Lei''s store, he found Wu Lei tidying up the ce. A board game store, like a restaurant, should offer a weing ambiance, which is why Wu Lei cleaned the store thrice daily. At that moment, he had just opened and was setting things up for the day''s business. Stepping inside, Liu Xing casually greeted Wu Lei and, without being asked, picked up a cloth and began assisting with the cleaning. Shortly after, the store was spick and span. Wu Lei grabbed a can of c from the fridge and handed it to Liu Xing, asking with a smile, "Liu Xing, how did your interviews go these past few days?" "How do you think they went? Who would hire a fresh graduate like me? These damn hospitals mostly hire postgraduates now." Liu Xing epted the c, sighing in resignation. If he had passed the interviews, he wouldn''t have joined that cursed Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Wu Lei had anticipated Liu Xing''s response. He too had faced rejection after several hospital interviews post-internship, which led him to open a board game store instead of tolerating such setbacks. "So, what''s your n? Are you thinking of going back home?" Wu Lei knew that Liu Xing''s family ran a clinic and wondered if he was considering bidding farewell. Taking a sip of his c, Liu Xing shook his head, "No, no, I''m not nning on heading back home in defeat just yet. A friend found me an online part-time job that pays decently, enough to sustain me." "Online part-time work, is that reliable? Don''t get scammed," Wu Lei said, casting a teasing look at Liu Xing. Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing retorted, "What do you mean by that? Do you think I, Liu Xing, would be easily duped? They''ve already transferred my first month''s sry." Shrugging with a smile, Wu Lei then moved the sign to the front of the store, "Good to hear. If you''re ever short on cash, let me know. My store might be small, but the ie''s substantial. I can definitely support you." "Buzz off! As if you could even dream of having me rely on you. By the way, I came here today with a purpose. On a whim, I created a character card. Can you help me allocate the Skill Points?" While yfully scolding, Liu Xing produced a sheet of paper detailing the attributes of his character card. Wu Lei looked at Liu Xing, somewhat surprised, "What? You finally made a character card? Hand it over, let me have a look." Wu Lei had been trying to introduce Liu Xing to the Cthulhu tabletop role-ying game for about three years. However, Liu Xing consistently made various excuses and never managed to produce his own character card. Without a character card, one cannot participate in the Cthulhu game sessions. Over the years, Wu Lei had never stopped nagging Liu Xing about this matter, persistently urging him to get his character card ready. Once he did, the experienced Wu Lei could then guide Liu Xing through the Cthulhu gaming sessions. One day, Wu Lei took a look at Liu Xing''s character card andmented, "Are you sure you didn''t just randomly fill in these stats? They''re pretty impressive." Rolling his eyes, Liu Xing replied sarcastically, "Are you questioning my integrity? If I remember correctly, there was someone who, during an Online Game Group session, rolled the dice a few extra times for his character card stats." That had been some days ago. Liu Xing had observed Wu Lei ying in the Online Game Group. Wu Lei, being unsatisfied with one of his character card attributes, had rolled the dice multiple times until he got a result he was pleased with. Yet, he imed in the Online Game Group that he had only rolled once. Due to the unpredictable game settings of the Online Game Group, one session might take ce in the 1920s Lighthouse Nation (where most of the original Cthulhu mythos stories ur), while the next could be set in a 21st-century ind nation (since many online videos about Cthulhu role-ying sessionse from the Japanese tform "n-site"). Given these significant time shifts, yers generally need to create a new character card for each game. As the Online Game Group doesn''t have the real-life oversight to ensure fair y, many choose to "cheat" by rolling dice multiple times until they get satisfactory numbers. Even the author admits to asionally doing this. Wu Lei''s face turned red upon being called out, mumbling that "rolling the dice a few extra times during an Online Game Group session isn''t cheating." After a while, under Wu Lei''s guidance, Liu Xing decided on the distribution of his character card''s Skill Points. Firstly, there was the ''Credit'' attribute. Liu Xing allocated 50 professional Skill Points to it. A credit score of 50 would make him wealthy in the Cthulhu RPG, allowing him to purchase items that low-credit yers couldn''t, such as bulletproof vests and handguns. He could also hire private investigators or bodyguards. Next was the essential skill for a doctor: First Aid. As First Aid can be used to treat injured yers duringbat, healers are indispensable in any game. Liu Xing set this at 80 points, essentially ensuring sessful healing checks. Then came Medicine, used to diagnose diseases, poisonings, and injuries, providing better out-ofbat healing than First Aid. Liu Xing assigned 78 professional Skill Points here. Liu Xing allocated 70 points each to Psychology and Psychoanalysis. Psychology helps determine if someone is lying¡ªa crucial ability in the Cthulhu RPG since a single piece of misinformation can lead to the group''s downfall. In contrast, Psychoanalysis is a powerful skill that can potentially snap yers out of madness¡ªa primary cause for a group''s failure. For his hobbyist Skill Points, Liu Xing ced 60 in Persuasion, 40 in Investigation, and the remaining 70 in Jumping. Yes, he chose "Jumping", a skill considered god-tier in the Cthulhu Mythos. Persuasion and Investigation are pretty self-exnatory and essential for most yers. However, Jumping is an entric skill, useful inbat for dodging and during exploration to reach ces that are typically inessible. Chapter 9: Cthulhu Is Handing Out Goodies! Chapter 9: Cthulhu Is Handing Out Goodies! After confirming his skills, Wu Lei said with satisfaction, "How is it? How do you feel about the skills I''ve allocated for you? Now, Liu Xing, you can serve as the most vital doctor in the Cthulhu role-ying group. You''ll gain protection from your teammates. It''s a shame that your size and strength stats are so low. Your HP and damage are too low; basically, you''re the type that would die if left alone. However, you have 50 credits now. At the start of the game, try to get some weapons and equipment. That shouldpensate a bit for the innate shorings of your character card." Liu Xing nodded. Wu Lei was spot on. The strengths and weaknesses of his character card were evident. The strengthy in the fact that Liu Xing could act as an indispensable doctor in every Cthulhu role-ying team. He also had critical skills like psychoanalysis. Unless in dire situations, Liu Xing would be protected by teammates. But the drawback was his low HP and damage. Typically, a single attack from a Ghoul could potentially wipe him out instantly. That''s why Liu Xing chose the ''Jump'' skill, and his offensive capabilities were almost negligible. Thus, Liu Xing''s character card dictated he would be a team-oriented character. He began to hope he''d encounter reliable teammates. Liu Xing and Wu Lei chatted a bit longer. Naturally, Liu Xing tried to glean as much personal experience about Cthulhu role-ying from Wu Lei as possible. And being a seasoned yer, Wu Lei imparted a wealth of knowledge. After politely declining Wu Lei''s lunch invitation, Liu Xing returned home. He logged into the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and finished allocating his Skill Points on his character card. Once done, Liu Xing fell into deep thought, contemting how he should spend the next few days to live without regrets. Bored, Liu Xing decided to browse the in-game store. He wondered what he could purchase with his 50 credits. Well, 49 credits now. The Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s store resembled other game stores. There were scrolling featured items at the top, and various items and gift packs mentioned by Shan He below. To Liu Xing''s delight, the gift packs were affordable, ranging from 10 to 200 credits. But after reading their descriptions, he felt they should be renamed ''Lucky Bags''. They resembled the random draw pools in mobile games. Each pool had a fixed set of items, and there was no guaranteed draw. Like the ''Newbie Gift Pack'' Liu Xing was considering ¨C it allowed a draw of over fifty items, from a 5-credit Elder Sign trinket to a 1,000-credit character card. For 20 credits, Liu Xing could purchase this pack and randomly obtain two items. And he could only buy it once. In theory, the least he could get from this pack were two Elder Sign trinkets worth a total of 10 credits, resulting in a 10-credit loss. But the odds of drawing each item were the same. Hence, getting two Elder Sign trinkets was highly unlikely, making the pack almost a guaranteed gain, unless one was exceptionally unlucky. Considering his character card had a high luck stat of 80, Liu Xing took the plunge and purchased the Newbie Gift Pack. He went out of his way to wash his hands, then lit some leftover mosquito repellent incense fromst summer. After these "purifying rituals", he sincerely prayed to the great Cthulhu, hoping for some favor. After all, this was the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Paying homage to Cthulhu was only natural. Ding. Following the crisp sound, Liu Xing opened the beginner''s gift package. Upon seeing the two items he had drawn, Liu Xing heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed his luck was fairly good. The first item was a bottle of green tea from a certain brand. However, this wasn''t any ordinary green tea. It had the ability to restore sanity points. It could be used up to three times, and each use would recover 1d6 sanity points. Moreover, there was a 50% chance it could snap the yer out of madness. In the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, it was a miracle potion. Typically, sanity doesn''t recover on its own. Only when a yer''s particr skill surpasses 90 points (based on the Cthulhu RPG Game''s settings, a skill exceeding 90 points means the yer has achieved a master level in that domain, much like Mr. Yuan''s mastery in the field of hybrid rice) can they earn a sanity restoration reward. Alternatively, yers could undergo special psychological treatments. Thus, having this bottle of green tea was like an insurance policy for one''s sanity. The market value of this green tea in the game''s store was as high as 200 points. Merely obtaining this bottle meant Liu Xing''s beginner''s gift package was already worth much more than its cost. However, the second item was even more valuable. It was the Cthulhu''s Candy, a piece of candy that promised unexpected results and was valued at 999 points. Liu Xing was rendered speechless, he hadn''t expected such a twist! "Cthulhu''s Candy" was a y on words. In a song about Cthulhu, there''s a line, "I''a I''a.Cthulhu Fhatgn!" which essentially means "Long live Cthulhu". But when it was introduced to China, due to a humorous misinterpretation, the cute trantor changed the lyrics to "Yiya, Yiya, Cthulhu is giving out candy". Hence, the joke "Cthulhu''s Candy" became popr among Chinese Cthulhu enthusiasts. Liu Xing had never imagined that even the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall would adopt this joke. It appeared the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall wasn''t as serious as he thought. "We''re a game hall with a higher wipeout rate than the Main God Space. Can''t we have a little fun?" Liu Xing mused, rubbing his forehead with exasperation. However, the candy given by ''Cthulhu'' left Liu Xing puzzled. The so-called "unexpected results" - could it transform him into a Deep One? Considering this, Liu Xing decided to stash the candy away, vowing not to use it unless absolutely necessary. Thest thing he wanted was to inexplicably turn into a Deep One. After browsing the store for a while, Liu Xing exited, primarily because he was short on virtual currency. However, this time he didn''t leave the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall but went to the society page to check the announcements. These announcements not only detailed which yers would start the game on which day but also highlighted their strengths. For instance, Liu Xing was categorized as a support yer. Thus, Liu Xing marked his calendar for his next Cthulhu RPG Game session, which was in ten days. On that day, twelvebat-oriented society members would start the game. Chapter 10: The Beginning! Chapter 10: The Beginning! After confirming the time for his next Cthulhu RPG Game, Liu Xing sought out the administrator from the society he had spoken to previously¡ªLu Zi. "Oh, you''ve already decided on the time for the next game?" Although they weren''t conversing face-to-face, Liu Xing could sense the surprise in Lu Zi''s words. Liu Xing scratched his head. He understood why Du Liu might think this way. After all, ying the Cthulhu RPG Game was a life-risking endeavor. No one knew if they''d survive the next game, so most yers opted to dy their participation, cherishing their remaining days. They wouldn''t join until the veryst moment. Furthermore, by noting the time when yers joined the society from the announcements, Liu Xing inferred that yers who passed the Beginner''s Room challenge typically earned between twenty to twenty-five points. He believed there wouldn''t be many yers "rushing to their dooms" like him¡ªprobably only a handful. Regarding the 10 bonus points given upon registering for the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, Liu Xing suspected that everyone had likely converted them directly into cash. Considering this, he typed a response, "Well, the end is inevitable. Why prolong it? Plus, I need to gather funds to buy the beginner''s gift pack." He told a white lie here. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, teammates always existed in a state between trust and distrust. No one could be sure if a teammate might secretly be a fanatical devotee or even a Ghoul or a Deep One¡ªentities from the Cthulhu Mythos. Ghouls and Deep Ones in their younger years resembled humans. Hence, while trusting teammates, one always had to be wary of a backstab. While observing Wu Lei y the Cthulhu game, Liu Xing had witnessed teammates betraying each other more than once, or even Wu Lei betraying his teammates with a sly grin. "Better them than me" seemed to be Liu Xing''s life principle. After all, in the reality of the Cthulhu RPG Game, the overly altruistic wouldn''t survive long. Aware of the risks, Liu Xing was naturally cautious and refrained from revealing that he had already purchased the beginner''s gift pack to Lu Zi. "Ah, so you also exchanged those initial 10 points for cash. The beginner''s gift pack is a good investment. With a bit of luck, you could get two life-saving items. yers with a positive attitude, like you, usuallyst longer than those with a negative one. I have stats that show yers who dy until thest day or two have only a 20% survival rate. In contrast, proactive yers like you have an 80% survival rate. All the yers I''ve seen progress to the next level possess your positive mindset," Lu Zi sent a lengthy reply after a moment. Liu Xing agreed wholeheartedly with Lu Zi''s sentiments. It was akin to cancer patients: those who actively seek treatment and maintain a positive outlook tend to live longer than those resigned to their fate. "Alright, I''ll add your name to the announcement. Remember, at 5 pm on the game day, I''ll pull all participants into a discussion group. In the game, yer names won''t be disyed, so you''ll need a secret code to identify each other," Lu Zi stated. Shortly after, Liu Xing saw his name appear in the announcement. Ten dayster. Liu Xing returned to his residence at 3 pm. Over the past ten days, he had thoroughly enjoyed himself. Currently, he had 100,000 in cash. He deposited half into a bank ount, the password to which his family knew. If he were to perish in the Cthulhu RPG Game, they''d receive this 50,000 as pensation". He spent the remaining amount, fulfilling some of his wishes¡ªdetails of which he considered too personal to share. After a refreshing shower, Liu Xing logged into the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and entered the society page. He saw that all eighteen society members participating today were already in the discussion group set up by Lu Zi. Upon Liu Xing''s entrance to the discussion group, the members quickly established a code. The protocol involved one individual inquiring if the other''s birthday fell on November 3rd, 1994. The person being questioned would respond that their blood type was "A," and the original inquirer would then reveal their zodiac sign as Scorpio. Completing this sequence confirmed association with the group. Once the code was set, it was only four o''clock. Members of the discussion group felt that it was best to address challenges head-on, and they decided to start the game immediately. Liu Xing took a deep breath, clicked his mouse, and subsequently entered the "Ghoul Region''s Game Matching Interface." Three secondster, with a soft "ding," Liu Xing''s vision blurred, and he found himself seated in a car. Scenario: Castle Lord Difficulty: Easy yer Count: Five Background Story: In 21st century Ennd, many ancient and majestic castles still stand. Old-time nobles continue to reside within these fortresses. In a fictitious town named Eins, located near Manchester, there lies one such castle. However, none of the town''s residents, save for the innkeeper, have ever met the lord of the castle. yer''s Character Card Name: Liu Xing Profession: Doctor Education: Graduate ce of Birth: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Backstory: Liu Xing, hailing from a family with generations in traditional Chinese medicine, started learning about it from a young age. Despite his youth, he''s skilled in the medical arts. While in college, he also self-taught psychology. Though Liu Xing''s physical fitness is somewhatckluster, he possesses an extraordinary jumping ability, dominating the men''s high jump event in his college''s athletic meet. Connection to the scenario: During his hospital internship, Liu Xing finally got a week-long break. Being a Manchester United fan, he traveled to Manchester to watch the Manchester Derby. After the match, he heard from a fellow fan about a town called Eins, located thirty kilometers west of Manchester. It boasts a castle open for foreign tourists. However, since there isn''t a direct passenger route from Manchester to Eins, Liu Xing had to take a taxi to visit the town. Character Attributes Strength: 55 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 50 Appearance: 70 Body Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos: 0 Sanity Points: 80 HP (Health Points): 8 MP (Magic Points): 16 Damage Bonus: None Skills: First Aid 80, Medicine 78, Psychology 70, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuasion 60, Investigation 60, Jump 70. Chapter 11: The Unreliable Teammate Chapter 11: The Unreliable Teammate Liu Xing nced at his attire and, sure enough, found himself dressed in a Manchester United jersey, which fit perfectly with the story''s backdrop. More importantly, Liu Xing was a Manchester United fan in reality, which led him to suspect that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall might be capable of reading his inner thoughts. Could it be that it knew he was a fan and made such an arrangement? If that were the case, it was a terrifying prospect. After all, if the Game Hall had insight into his personal secrets, it could easily use those to craft scenarios that could lead to his demise within the game. Nevertheless, Liu Xing tried tofort himself by thinking it might just be a coincidence. Liu Xing also noticed the time on his wristwatch was around eight in the morning. He spected that although there was no announced time limit for the game, it would probably span about a day, and the boss of this Cthulhu run-through was likely the lord of the Castle. A little whileter, the game officially began. Liu Xing instantly felt a surge of momentum, finding himself seated in a rapidly moving taxi. He managed to maintain his bnce and began to scrutinize the taxi driver, only to discover that the driver was Chinese! While most foreigners might find it difficult to distinguish between Asians, particrly those from East Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea, Liu Xing was confident in his ability to identify their nationalities at a nce. Therefore, Liu Xing concluded that the taxi driver must be Chinese, and most likely, just like him, a yer in the game. yers were drawn to the incident location for various reasons, much like Liu Xing himself had been drawn to the town of Eins because of his interest in the Castle. This yer, disguised as a taxi driver, might havee to the town of Eins for his own reasons and, due to certain circumstances, might end up stranded in Eins, eventually joining Liu Xing on his journey to the Castle. Liu Xing felt quite persuaded by his analysis. Just to be safe, however, Liu Xing decided to test the taxi driver with a code phrase. He chuckled and then said in Chinese, "Master, you must be Chinese, right?" The taxi driver nodded, "Yes, I immigrated here a few years ago. Luck wasn''t on my side, and I couldn''t find a good job, so I had to resort to driving a taxi. After I drop you off at Eins, I have to go back for a board game organized by friends, hopefully around four-thirty." Hearing this, Liu Xing was certain the taxi driver was a yer like himself, as the driver mentioned a board game. In Western regions, the Cthulhu RPG game was very popr, and the time Liu Xing had entered this Cthulhu RPG game was also around four-thirty. Liu Xing understood that the taxi driver was hinting at him. After all, this was a real Cthulhu RPG game, not like a Tabletop or Online Game Group where you know who the yers are. Initial probing was necessary because if you identally revealed too much to an NPC, it could be considered "leaving the game" and the penalties for that were unbearable. After a warm exchange, Liu Xing was thrilled to discover that the yer behind the taxi driver was actually a member of his own club. This yer''s online name was Sansi, and the character card he was using was named Chen Ling. Chen Ling was precisely thebat-type yer Liu Xing had hoped to partner with, since the character''s backstory indicated that Chen Ling was a retired soldier. Upon learning that they were both members of the same organization, Chen Ling warmed up a few degrees toward Liu Xing, especially after discovering that Liu Xing was a doctor. Chen Ling beat his chest in assurance, taking upon himself the responsibility for Liu Xing''s safety, and they agreed that unless under special circumstances, they would act together. Thus, Liu Xing had inadvertently acquired a bodyguard. However, Liu Xing soon began to regret teaming up with Chen Ling, for Chen Ling was a typical chatterbox. He could turn a mundane incident into an epic tale full of twists and turns¡ªa trait Liu Xing could still tolerate. But Chen Ling had another bad habit: getting so carried away in his excitement that he would gesticte wildly, which nearly led to a car ident when his hands left the steering wheel just moments ago... Liu Xing looked at Chen Ling with an expression that was beyond words, starting to ponder the likelihood of Chen Ling leading him to his demise... After driving the taxi for more than ten minutes, Chen Ling arrived at the main stage for this session of the Cthulhu RPG Game¡ªEins Town. Eins Town was much like any other English town, with its "minor differences" being the Castle to the west of the town. Of course, to Liu Xing, the Castle didn''t seem all that grand. He estimated that the main structure was only about seven or eight meters tall, probably just two stories, but it did cover a broad area¡ªabout the size of two football fields, indicating to Liu Xing that it likely came with a sizable backyard. After alighting from the car, Liu Xing handed over a hundred pounds to Chen Ling, which was the pre-agreed taxi fare before their arrival. Liu Xing had to honor "his" word. Chen Ling epted the money as if it were the most natural thing in the world and helped Liu Xing retrieve a suitcase from the taxi''s trunk. Clearly, it belonged to Liu Xing. ording to the game hints, the bottle of green tea that could restore SAN value, the sugar given by General Ke, and the amulet with the Elder Sign were all inside. As for what else was in the suitcase, Liu Xing would have to find an opportunity to open it and see. Following the plot''s flow, when Chen Ling was about to leave Eins Town, Liu Xing witnessed all four tires of the taxi burst simultaneously... Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn''t help butment on how the plot seemed a bitckluster¡ªwho has ever seen a stationary taxi suddenly have all four tires burst at once? Chen Ling, with an "I-knew-this-would-happen" expression, got out of the car and said to Liu Xing, "It seems I can now apany you around Eins Town and meanwhile look for a garage to fix this." Liu Xing nodded, and together they entered Eins Town. Eins Town wasn''trge, and it didn''t take long for Liu Xing and Chen Ling to find a closed garage; next to it was a small tavern that had already opened for business. In any game, taverns are always a good ce to gather intelligence. So, Liu Xing invited Chen Ling into the tavern for a drink under the pretense of "fellow vigers meeting each other," hoping to gather some information while there. Since it was still morning and Eins Town was not heavily popted, the tavern was quiet, with only the owner and one customer who was enjoying the English specialty¡ªfish and chips. Just as Liu Xing and Chen Ling approached the bar to inquire some information from the owner, amotion erupted outside, and two men and a woman entered the tavern. The moment these three walked in, Liu Xing heard that familiar synthesized electronic voice. "All yers have reached the plot trigger point. The guidance phase is over, and the official storyline begins!" Chapter 12: Even Less Reliable Comrades Chapter 12: Even Less Reliable Comrades "Main Quest: Stay in EinsCastle for over 12 hours in one go, then leave Eins Town to clear the level. If a yer leaves EinsCastle prematurely, they will be considered dropped out. However, if a yer discovers the secret of EinsCastle, they may leave Eins Town immediately, clear the level, and receive a bonus to their clearance evaluation." "It should be mentioned that I am kp004, the keeper of this Cthulhu campaign (in other words, the host during a Cthulhu role-ying game session, responsible for advancing the plot based on the yers'' choices, akin to a GM in regr games). When yers need to make a skill check, they can mentally summon me by thinking of ''004'' to proceed with the roll. At that time, yers can choose to make an open roll, whose result will be revealed to all yers, or a secret roll, whose result will only be told to the yer making the check. Typically, a secret roll will produce a sound effect to notify all yers." As kp004 exined this, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice hitting the ground near his ear. It was soft yet unmistakably clear, almost impossible to ignore. "Additionally, when multiple yers are in a rtively enclosed space, they canmunicate with me to initiate a ''private room'' session where they can converse in their yer personas. Each ''private room'' session canst up to five minutes and will run concurrently with real-world time." "Of course, as a friendly kp, yers who are interested might try to persuade me to open a back door for them. But convincing me is no easy task, heh heh." Liu Xing realized that he might have encountered a kp with a rather wicked sense of humor. As the host of a Cthulhu RPG Game, the kprgely dictates the direction of the plot. Most kps in reality tend to assist yers in advancing the story correctly, and they are inclined to favor yers in deadly situations. Of course, there are unscrupulous kps who enjoy leading yers into traps, but the most troublesome are those like kp004, whose whims you can never predict¡ªis the path they''re pointing to a shortcut or a dead end? At this thought, Liu Xing felt as if his future were shrouded in darkness... "Enough chit-chat, let''s officially start the game. I hope everyone performs well and gives me a good show." After kp004 finished speaking, Liu Xing regained control of his body. He exchanged a nce with Chen Ling, and both instinctively turned their attention to the three neers who had just entered the tavern. Two men and one woman. The men appeared to be in their early twenties, while the woman looked to be in her thirties. Their appearances were average, blending into the crowd. The noisymotion Liu Xing had overheard was made by the two men. The one in a white shirt was still babbling incessantly, while hispanion in a ck T-shirt sighed in helpless resignation, asionally responding with a word or two. As for the middle-aged woman, she seemed indifferent, hanging back and paying no attention to the two men beside her. Although Liu Xing recognized these three as yers, since their storylines had not intersected yet, he simply nced at them and approached the tavern''s innkeeper. "Innkeeper, do you have any breakfast avable? My friend and I could use something to eat." As Liu Xing spoke, he pulled out his wallet and generously handed over a hundred pounds to the Innkeeper. Seeing Liu Xing''s liberality, the Innkeeper''s eyes lit up. He immediately took the hundred pounds and said cheerily, "Oh, my dear friend from Huaxia, I''ll arrange some of our local specialties for your breakfast right away. By the way, are you here to sightsee in Eins Town? If so, you must not miss the chance to visit EinsCastle." Liu Xing nodded with a smile and replied, "Certainly, but my friend''s car has some issues, so I wanted to inquire how soon the garage next door will open." After pondering for a moment, the innkeeper replied, "Are you referring to the auto repair shop run by Old John? If so, you''re out of luck today. He''s gone to Manchester to stock up and probably won''t be back until three or four in the afternoon." Liu Xing''s brow furrowed. ording to the main quest this time, leaving the town of Eins was required toplete the level. The boundary of Eins epassed more than just the streets of the town where Liu Xing stood; it was the entire jurisdiction of Eins. Hence, Liu Xing realized that a car would be an essential vehicle for yers to leave the town. Thus, it was imperative that Chen Ling''s taxi be repaired before they could depart from Eins. With this in mind, Liu Xing feigned a troubled expression and said to the innkeeper, "Boss, we might need to head back to Manchester tomorrow, so could you please let Old John know as soon as he returns to help us fix our car? It''s parked right at the entrance of Eins. It needs a new set of tires at the very least, but we''re open to negotiating the price." As he spoke, Liu Xing pulled out a thousand pounds from his wallet andid it in front of the innkeeper. The advantages of Liu Xing''s high credit were undeniably evident at this juncture. Although he hadn''t counted the money in his wallet, by his estimate, there should be around two thousand pounds. Since the game''s duration was only about a day, Liu Xing didn''t hesitate to use the money to "persuade" the innkeeper with a mary incentive. In the wickedly capitalistic society, the power of money was amplified. No judgment was necessary; Liu Xing had already "persuaded" the innkeeper. With a heartyugh, the innkeeper took the money and assured Liu Xing, "Rest assured, as soon as Old John is back, I''ll see to it that he fixes your car. It''ll be ready and waiting right outside my tavern, all fueled up for you!" Satisfied, Liu Xing nodded and then sat down with Chen Ling at a table, waiting for their breakfast. Meanwhile, the other three yers seated themselves at the next table and began speaking in deliberately loud voices. Clearly, they intended to share their backstory with Liu Xing and Chen Ling. After all, the introductory story was crucial. It exined why the yers hade to this ce. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers had considerable freedom, but their actions still needed to make sense. For instance, Liu Xing hade specifically to visit Eins Castle, so it wouldn''t be logical for him just to turn around and leave without good reason. Soon enough, Liu Xing learned why the three hade to Eins. The man in the white shirt was named Bai Hecheng, a student from a prestigious university in the capital, who hade to Ennd to prepare for his studies abroad. The man in the ck T-shirt was named Wang Qi, and the woman was Wang Siyi, Wang Qi''s aunt. Wang Qi''s parents hade to Ennd for a trip with Wang Siyi but had to return to their country due to workmitments, leaving Wang Siyi and Wang Qi to continue their travels together. After settling his study affairs, Bai Hecheng had met Wang Qi and Wang Siyi in a restaurant and helped them pay their bill when they forgot their money. Grateful, Wang Qi invited Bai Hecheng to join them, and thus, the three began traveling together. However, they had taken a wrong turn on their way to Manchester and ended up in Eins because Wang Qi had forgotten to refuel the rental car, forcing them to search for petrol in town. What made Liu Xing somewhat speechless was Bai Hecheng''s over-immersion in the role, constantly nagging about Wang Qi''s forgetfulness to refuel. It was just part of the storyline, not something Wang Qi had actually forgotten, which had led to a quarrel between him and Bai Hecheng just moments before... As for Wang Siyi, she remainedpletely detached, as if none of this concerned her. Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that these three teammates seemed... not very reliable. Chapter 13: To the Castle Chapter 13: To the Castle Liu Xing resignedly discovered that his teammates were indeed unreliable. Chen Ling was a chatterbox, Bai Hecheng a drama king who relished adding extra flourishes to his role, and Wang Siyi seemed the lone wolf type, unpredictable in his willingness to cooperate with the team. As for Wang Qi, although not as entric as the other three, Liu Xing could tell he was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any provocation from Bai Hecheng... In short, the future looked bleak. Grumbling aside, the plot must go on, and Liu Xing felt it was time to "get acquainted" with Bai Hecheng and the others. So, feigning surprise, Liu Xing turned towards Bai Hecheng andpany, "Oh, did your car break down too? My friend and I got a t tire while driving here." Wang Qi was about to speak when Bai Hecheng interrupted, "So the taxi at the entrance of the town was yours? I was wondering who would park their car so inconsiderately, blocking half of the entryway and making it difficult for the rest of us to park." Liu Xing was at a loss for words¡ªBai Hecheng was not just a drama king, but apparently had a talent for sarcasm as well. Chen Ling, somewhat embarrassed, scratched his head and said helplessly, "I parked it because as I was trying to reverse back to Manchester, all four tires blew out at once, so I had no choice but to leave it there." Wang Qi nodded, about to say something, when Bai Hecheng cut in again, "I see, you guys have terrible luck. But that was an ident; ours was sheer folly¡ªWang Qi here forgot to refuel the car. Can you believe that? How silly can you get?" Liu Xing noticed Wang Qi clenching his fists, veins bulging on his forehead¡ªclearly enraged by Bai Hecheng''s words. However, Wang Qi remembered they were in the midst of a Cthulhu role-ying game and restrained fromshing out to avoid any mishaps. Liu Xing mused that if this were the real world, Wang Qi would have definitely given Bai Hecheng a thorough thrashing... Wang Siyi, as always, appeared indifferent to the entire scene, silently eating his breakfast. At that moment, the Innkeeper approached with another breakfast and set it before Bai Hecheng, "Did your car run out of gas? When Old John returns, I''ll have him fill it up for you, but you''ll need to pay for the fuel first." Liu Xing was about to reach for his wallet to cover the fuel cost, but Bai Hecheng, nonchntly pulling out his own wallet, took out a card, "Can I pay by card?" The room filled with a palpable awkwardness. In an English vige like Eins, Liu Xing and Chen Ling had practically traversed the entire town looking for an auto repair shop and had not spotted even an ATM, let alone expect a small tavern to ept card payments. Realizing his mistake, Bai Hecheng retracted his bank card back into his wallet, took out his mobile phone, and asked, "Then, can I use Alipay?" The awkwardness intensified. Unable to bear it any longer, Liu Xing drew a hundred-pound note from his wallet and handed it to the Innkeeper, "Please, help them fill up their car as well." The Innkeeper epted the money with a nod, gave Bai Hecheng a baffled sigh, and departed. Liu Xing felt certain that in the eyes of the Innkeeper, Bai Hecheng had been thoroughly categorized as a fool. Regarding Bai Hecheng, he continued to grumble at this juncture, "What kind of shabby ce is this? It''s bad enough that you can''t swipe a card, but to not even ept Alipay¡ªthis ce really is the back of beyond." The people present, including Wang Siyi, who had been silently eating, all looked at Bai Hecheng with speechless expressions. After exchanging nces, they reached a unanimous conclusion: if someone were to die first during this expedition, it would undoubtedly be Bai Hecheng. Since Liu Xing had struck up a conversation with Bai Hecheng and his twopanions, he naturally assumed the role of an old hand and joined their table. They chatted about this and that, casually revealing some of their background in the process. Unfortunately, after some probing, Liu Xing discovered that Bai Hecheng and hispanions were not from the same association as him. However, fortunately, Wang Qi and Bai Hecheng''s skill sets were bothbat-oriented. Wang Qi was a physical education university student with over a decade of wrestling experience, while Bai Hecheng, a philosophy student, had cultivated his own taunting ability since childhood. Often offending people and even sparking conflicts, Bai Hecheng had taken it upon himself to learn various fighting techniques, including Muay Thai. Wang Siyi, on the other hand, was simr to Liu Xing in being support-oriented, but with a stronger inclination towards exploration. This was due to Wang Siyi''s profession as a journalist, particrly one working in Hong Kong. Together with Chen Ling, a former soldier, Liu Xing felt that the teamposition was rather well-assembled: three frontliners handlingbat, a journalist gathering ample intelligence, and himself responsible for replenishing health and SAN values. With a steady and firm strategy, they should be able to... Well, Liu Xing didn''t actually believe his teammates would proceed with such caution, especially since he suspected Bai Hecheng might prematurely taunt a mythological creature. Just then, the Innkeeper brought over five small ques, saying, "My dear friends, these are passes for the Castle, entrusted to me by the Castle''s master himself. If there are visitors who wish to tour the Castle, it''s my job to hand these to them. Since you can''t leave Eins Town today, why not visit the Castle? I believe the Castle''s master would be most weing and willing to have you share some stories of your journey in exchange for lodging at the Castle." Liu Xing and the others epted the small ques from the Innkeeper and noticed to their surprise that the design on them was the Elder Sign! Frowning, Liu Xing thought that if the Castle''s master used the Elder Sign as a symbol for the passes, it was likely that the walls of the Castle were also inscribed with it, indicating that the master knew of mythological creatures and intentionally kept them at bay. Therefore, Liu Xing conjectured that the Castle''s master might be a magician or something of the sort, rather than the mythological entity he initially suspected¡ªthe Castle first struck him as a haven for vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and the like. However, returning to reality, sometimes humans could be more difficult to deal with than mythological creatures! After fiddling with the pass for a while, Bai Hecheng suddenly said with excitement, "I''ve never stayed in a Castle before; let''s hurry up and finish our meal, then go for a visit!" For the first time, everyone agreed with Bai Hecheng''s suggestion. It was only half-past nine in the morning, and they estimated that they would arrive at the Castle before eleven. After staying in the Castle for over twelve hours, it wouldn''t even be midnight yet. And in the world of Cthulhu after midnight, the danger level rose exponentially. So, they quickly finished their breakfasts, and, after unanimously rejecting Bai Hecheng''s request to pack another meal, they headed towards the Castle under Wang Siyi''s lead. The reason Wang Siyi took charge was due to his navigational skills. Simply put, Wang Siyi could find the shortest route to the Castle and also memorize it, which would be much more convenient for Liu Xing and the others when the time came to leave, or rather, to flee from Eins Town. Chapter 14: Bai Hechengs Mischief Chapter 14: Bai Hecheng''s Mischief The Castle was perched on a small hillside. Except for the front where the main entrance was situated, the other three sides of the Castle abutted sheer cliffs. In front of the main entrancey a moat, now parched and dry, with a stone bridge spanning across it leading to the grand doors of the Castle. As expected, upon arriving at the entrance, Liu Xing and hispanions noticed a massive Elder Sign emzoned upon the Castle''s main gate. Even with Liu Xing''s decent eyesight, he could make out that the not-so-towering walls were densely packed with Elder Signs. He spected that perhaps every brick and stone of this Castle bore an Elder Sign. To the eyes of mythical creatures, this Castle might as well be a cesspool... What on earth had the lord of this Castle been through? Liu Xing couldn''t help but fall into deep contemtion. The main gate of the Castle was a tall, sturdy wooden door that seemed almost impossible to open by mere human strength. Thus, Liu Xing figured that this door might be the first significant obstacle to leaving the town of Eins. After all, the walls appeared to be about seven or eight meters high, and the cliffs on the other three sides were even taller, at about twenty meters. The likelihood of descending from these walls was slim to none without a rope, and even then, one would have to be prepared for a deadly fall. Therefore, Liu Xing felt that if they wanted to leave the EinsCastle within twelve hours, they had to find a way through this main entrance. At the lower left of the Castle''s great door was a small iron door, with a little red button on it¡ªpresumably the doorbell. Wang Siyi, who was leading the group, had just made the first roll of the dice for this session¡ªa Navigation check, scoring 49 out of 70, a sess. Wang Siyi had opted for an open roll, so the result wasmunicated to every yer by the game master, kp004. Liu Xing looked at Wang Siyi in surprise. As a journalist, she had invested an unexpected number of Skill Points into the Navigation skill, a revtion indeed. "This path we''ve taken is the shortest and safest from the Castle to the town," said Wang Siyi, speaking for the first time in this session. Liu Xing nodded and prepared to press the doorbell. After all, the main quest required them to stay in the Castle for at least twelve hours straight; the sooner they entered, the sooner they could leave. Just as Liu Xing was about to press the doorbell, Bai Hecheng suddenly darted over, elbowing his way past Liu Xing. With a puzzled tone, Liu Xing asked, "Bai Hecheng, what are you doing? Why did you push me aside?" With a sly grin, Bai Hecheng pulled out a piece of wire from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, and began to fiddle with it. Liu Xing watched, bbergasted, as Bai Hecheng, a mere university student, demonstrated his lock-picking skills. It was unexpected, and Liu Xing couldn''t help but think it mighte in handyter. However, Liu Xing''s contemtion was short-lived as he heard the oue of Bai Hecheng''s attempt¡ªLockpicking, 45 out of 1, a failure. When a yer attempted to use a skill they hadn''t learned, there was a base value for the roll. For example, Liu Xing''s Jump skill had a base of 20 points because anyone not disabled could jump, and Wang Siyi''s Navigation had a base of 10 points. However, a specialized skill like Lockpicking had a mere base of 1... Thus, with no points invested in Lockpicking, Bai Hecheng''s attempt was doomed from the start, leaving Liu Xing at a loss for words. "Bai Hecheng, what the hell are you doing?" Liu Xing hadn''t voiced his exasperation, but Wang Qi couldn''t contain his temper and pushed Bai Hecheng aside. But it was toote. Bai Hecheng''s failed lockpicking attempt had triggered the Castle''s rm mechanism, and suddenly, a shrill rm red out. As the instigator of the chaos, Bai Hecheng wore a face of innocence as he exined, "I was merely trying to see if the door could be opened directly. Why the fuss?" The mere attempt, even with a one percent chance, made Liu Xing see Bai Hecheng as a harbinger of group destruction. Wang Qi, now barely containing the urge toy hands on Bai Hecheng, found himself separated by Chen Ling who stepped forward between the two, in a bid to prevent further idents. Chen Ling first parted them and then tried to calm Wang Qi down. Wang Siyi, on the other hand, continued to watch from the sidelines. Liu Xing looked on at the chaos unfolding before him and could not help but shake his head in dismay, fearing that their group could not continue. At that moment, the small iron door of the Castle swung open, and an elderly man who seemed to be the butler emerged. "I am the butler of this Castle. You may call me Old Wayne," he said, turning off the rm and furrowing his brow. "May I ask who you all are?" Since Liu Xing was standing in front of Wayne, it fell upon him to step forward and, albeit reluctantly, he spoke up, "My apologies, Mr. Wayne. We are foreign tourists referred by the Innkeeper. My friend here was overly curious. Having seen in movies and TV shows how Castle doors could be effortlessly picked with a wire, he wanted to try it out, inadvertently triggering the rm. We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience." As he spoke, Liu Xing pulled out the Castle pass given to them by the Innkeeper, with Wang Qi and the others doing the same. Old Wayne took the passes from everyone and briefly examined them, his expression finally easing. "I see. Since you alle rmended by the old drunkard, we at EinsCastle are indeed happy to wee you. However, please refrain from engaging in any more nonsensical actions." With that, Old Wayne threw a pointed re at Bai Hecheng, who responded with an unrepentant smile towards the butler. Anthropology, 22/50, sess. A notification from kp004 suddenly resounded in Liu Xing''s ears, and he hadn''t expected that among them was someone who had actually invested in such an underwhelming skill like anthropology. The primary use of anthropology was to discern whether NPCs or a certain corpse were human, or to study the customs and traditions of a particr area¡ªwhich required a substantial amount of time. However, opportunities to employ anthropology were exceedingly rare, rendering it somewhat of a superfluous skill. Apart from a few yers with professions as university professors who might choose it, other yers generally did not. In all the ythrough videos Liu Xing had seen, less than one percent of yers opted for anthropology, making it a surprise for Liu Xing to encounter a teammate who had chosen this skill in their current team. "Please follow me; we shall proceed to the main building of the Castle," said Old Wayne, bowing genteelly to Liu Xing and the others, who then followed him to the principal edifice of the Castle. Chapter 15: Multiple Verifications Chapter 15: Multiple Verifications Under the guidance of Old Wayne, Liu Xing and the others arrived at the main building of the Castle, and unsurprisingly, a huge Elder Sign was etched on the walls of the main building. "Mr. Butler, what exactly does this symbol represent? Why do I see it everywhere in the Castle?" Bai Hecheng stepped forward with a face full of curiosity stirring trouble, yet this question was also on Liu Xing''s mind. Old Wayne remained unppable, calmly exining, "This symbol is the lord''s family crest, passed down through several generations. ording to legend, in ancient times, the lord''s ancestors repelled a demonic invasion using this crest. That''s why the lord has had so many of these symbols engraved throughout the Castle." Liu Xing nodded, but in his mind, hemunicated with kp004, "kp, I want to make a psychology check." Psychology, 22/70, sess. After a sessful assessment, kp004 provided Liu Xing with intelligence, "You can sense that Old Wayne is not lying." Liu Xing looked thoughtfully at Old Wayne''s retreating figure, concluding that Old Wayne likely did not know the function and origin of the Elder Sign and was probably just an ordinary NPC. Upon entering the living room, Liu Xing received a message from kp004, "The interior of the main building has a typical two-storyyout. The first floor consists of the living room and guest rooms, along with one locked door, while the second floor contains the lord''s family rooms and a study. The two floors are separated by a finely crafted wooden door, which looks like it could be forcibly dismantled if necessary." Old Wayne led everyone to the guest rooms, "Here we have three guest rooms, onerge and two small. Friends, please allocate them amongst yourselves. I will go and meet the lord now; please wait here for a moment." Having said that, Old Wayne left for the second floor. Liu Xing and the rest entered the same room, as if by an unspoken agreement, "kp, we need to open the Private Room." kp004 chuckled, "Alright, the Private Room is now opening, please hurry and discuss among yourselves." As kp004''s voice faded, Liu Xing felt an odd sensation of weightlessness, as if the room had been severed from the world. "Who just made the anthropology roll?" Chen Ling was the first to speak up. Bai Hecheng immediately raised his hand, eximing with excitement, "That was me!" Wang Siyi frowned and asked in a low voice, "So, what information did you get?" kp told me that this Old Wayne should be a normal human being," Bai Hecheng said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded, "I just made a psychology roll and found out Old Wayne wasn''t lying, so I think Old Wayne is probably just an ordinary NPC, unaware of the true identity of the Castle''s lord." Everyone agreed with Liu Xing''s deduction. "So, what should we do next? Should we try to go upstairs or explore the first floor?" Wang Qi asked the group. Bai Hecheng immediately showed the propensity for stirring things up that a mischievous boy should have, "Of course, we go upstairs and confront that Castle lord directly." "Shut up!" Everyone said to Bai Hecheng in unison. "I think we don''t need to rush to the second floor for now because to get there, we need to pass through that wooden door. Unless we get the key to this door, our only other entry would be to break in by force," Wang Siyi pondered for a moment, reluctantly concluding. Liu Xing nodded in agreement, "Sister Wang is right; unless we have a falling out with the lord of Castle, we can''t just destroy that wooden door. Hence, we have no way to enter the second floor..." Suddenly, Liu Xing remembered that he seemed to have acquired a jumping ability... Liu Xing recalled the shortest distance between the first and second floor, which seemed to be only about two meters, with a wooden railing nearly half a meter high. With this in mind, Liu Xing immediatelymunicated inwardly with kp004, "kp, can I make a jump check to leap directly onto the second floor?" After a moment of silence, kp004 replied, "Merely passing a jump skill check is insufficient. However, you can attempt a multiple check involving jumping, climbing, and luck. The jump check determines if you can reach the second floor, the climb check if you can grasp onto the railing, and luck to see if the railing will break under the strain." A multiple check is required when the action a yer intends to perform is tooplex, necessitating several skill checks. Failure in any one of these skill checks would result in the failure of the entire action. Liu Xing had a jump rating of 70 and luck of 80, which seemed simple enough to pass the checks, but he hadn''t acquired any climbing skills, leaving him with a base level of only 20. Liu Xing shared his conversation with kp004 with everyone. Bai Hecheng immediately responded, "Don''t be a coward, just do it." Everyone once again ignored Bai Hecheng''s presence. Wang Qi said helplessly, "All the other skill checks are fine, but your climbing skill is too low, Liu Xing. A one in five sess rate is a bit too risky." Chen Ling also nodded, agreeing with Wang Qi''s view. However, Wang Siyi had a different opinion, "It really depends on the situation. If the climbing check fails, you''d just fall. Falling from the second floor shouldn''t cause much harm, and as long as Old Wayne or anyone else from Castle doesn''t see it, there shouldn''t be any problem." Liu Xing actually agreed more with Wang Siyi''s perspective, "I think so too. Just wait for the right opportunity, and I''ll give it a try. After all, the second floor is where the lord''s family rooms are, including a study, which I believe should contain quite a bit of information." At this point, Bai Hecheng couldn''t stand being left out, "I said we should just go straight up." Liu Xing was now seriously considering giving Bai Hecheng a psychoanalysis, convinced that there must be something amiss with Bai Hecheng''s mental state! After dismissing Bai Hecheng''sment, Liu Xing and the others decided to first gather intelligence on the first floor and then wait for an opportunity for Liu Xing to explore the second floor. "The private room session is over. Please be mindful of your speech and behavior," kp004 announced. No sooner had kp004 finished speaking than a knock was heard from outside, "My friends, may Ie in now?" It was Old Wayne. "Pleasee in." Once again, Bai Hecheng was the first to respond. Old Wayne entered the room, apologizing slightly, "I am sorry, my friends, the lord is about to meet an old friend in town and won''t be able to join you for lunch today. However, the lord hopes you will stay the night at Castle and have dinner with him this evening." Liu Xing and the others nodded, realizing this was good news. With the Castle lord away from Castle, it would be much more convenient to gather intelligence, especially for exploring the second floor. "That''s settled then. I''lle to disturb you again shortly to join you for lunch. For now, you may rest in your rooms," said Old Wayne, and after that, he left the room. Chapter 16: Past Events at the Castle Chapter 16: Past Events at the Castle While idle, the group began to assign rooms. As the onlydy, Wang Siyi naturally upied a small room by herself. Since no one was willing to share a room with Bai Hecheng, he ended up alone as well, leaving therge room to be shared by Liu Xing, Wang Qi, and Chen Ling. However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Liu Xing and the others had no intention of spending the night in the Castle. Their n was toplete the main quest and find a way to leave the Castle and the town of Eins as soon as possible. After the rooms were distributed, Wang Siyi, finding nothing else to do, went to rest in her own room. Bai Hecheng, under the adamant insistence of Liu Xing and Chen Ling, along with the persuasive (physical) encouragement of Wang Qi, unhappily retreated to his own room. The Castle''srge guest room was about fifty square meters, furnished with simple decor and tworge beds, from which one could view the Castle''s rear garden through the windows. That said, calling it a rear garden might be too generous; it was more of a neglected courtyard, overgrown with weeds, clearly untended for a long time. This state of affairs made sense to Liu Xing, who since entering the Castle had only seen Old Wayne, the butler, and no other servants. It seemed the lord of the Castle was either concerned about having too many prying eyes, potentially discovering his secrets, or he was economically constrained and thus could not afford more staff. Liu Xing felt thetter was more likely; the guest room''s sparse furnishing was hardly befitting the indulgent and vanity-prone English nobility. Even the garden was long neglected, and the Castle was maintained by a single elderly butler, suggesting the lord was indeed facing a financial crisis. Rubbing his chin, Liu Xing began to ponder whether there was an opportunity for him to exploit. If his previous conjectures were correct, the lord of the Castle might be a human with knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos, possibly versed in some spells or able to summon lower-level mythological creatures. However, as long as one''s SAN (Sanity) value wasn''t rmingly low, Liu Xing felt he could still employ his persuasive skills on the Castle''s lord, perhaps by pretending to be a Wealthy Young Gentleman offering economic aid. It seemed like a decent n. "yer Old Chinese Doctor, because you have been observing the Castle''s rear garden for an extended period, your vision blurs suddenly, as if something is hiding deep within the underbrush. Please make an Idea roll." Out of nowhere, KP004''s voice rang in Liu Xing''s ear. Liu Xing''s brow furrowed; he hadn''t expected to trigger an Idea roll. In situations like this, passing an Idea roll could likely lead to an encounter with mythological creatures or supernatural phenomena, ultimately reducing one''s SAN value¡ªone of the least desirable oues for a yer in a Cthulhu role-ying game. Yet, with Liu Xing''s Idea being as high as 90, failing the roll would be a challenge. Resigned, Liu Xing could only say, "KP, let''s proceed with the Idea roll." Idea, 95/90, failure. (The author swears upon their integrity that the roll of 95 was what they themselves cast, with no maniption of the dice whatsoever.) ... Liu Xing and KP004 fell into a stunned silence, not expecting a roll with a 90% sess rate to fail. KP004 spoke with a hint of resignation, "I didn''t expect your luck to be so good that even this could fail. However, since it ended in failure, it means you''ve discovered nothing. You probably just thought you saw something that wasn''t there." Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it was a stroke of luck that the intuition check had not been sessful; he had been fully prepared to lose some sanity points. However, upon reflection, Liu Xing noticed that Wang Qi and Chen Ling hadn''t looked his way; it was as if they were unaware of the intuition check he had just experienced. With this in mind, Liu Xing contacted KP004, "KP, was the result of that intuition check not shared with the other yers?" KP004, perhaps still sulking from the failed intuition check, didn''t respond to Liu Xing immediately. "Ah, right, the yers can make either open or secret rolls, and we, the KPs, decide whether to have yers roll in secret based on the circumstances. The results of these hidden rolls, along with their urrence, are only known to the yer making them. Other yers receive no notifications or hints about them. Of course, it''s up to the yer to decide whether to share this information with others." Liu Xing nodded silently, understanding the intent of KP004. It was akin to a yer triggering a personal storyline, so only the yer who triggered it would carry out the relevant checks and receive messages about the plot. Liu Xing felt that had his intuition check been sessful, he would likely have triggered a side quest. Whether this was a stroke of luck or a curse, he couldn''t tell. Nheless, Liu Xing decided to inform his teammates about this, urging them to be wary. Losing sanity points was one thing, but triggering unnecessary storylines or, worse, summoning a mythological creature, was not desirable. Just then, a new check began. Library Use, 70/70, sessful. The skill of Library Use was, in essence, an information-gathering skill. It didn''t require the yer to physically be in a library; instead, it was used when a yer sought information through books, newspapers, the inte, etc., allowing for faster and moreprehensive intelligence gathering. It was indeed a very practical skill, which Liu Xingmented not having enough interest Skill Points to acquire. Liu Xing surmised that it must have been Wang Siyi who used this Library Use skill, for if he remembered correctly, it was a professional skill of journalists. Shortly after, Wang Siyi entered the room with a book, followed by Bai Hecheng, who had hurried over. "I found this book in the room. It contains records of various events that have happened in this Castle, and reveals that the owners are the Raphael Family," Wang Siyi exined, cing the book on the table. "The three main incidents recorded are as follows: The first took ce a thousand years ago when the founder of the Castle, Marquis Raphael I, chose the location in the town of Eins to construct the Castle. During the construction, there were idents leading to worker casualties, with thirteen recorded deaths and more than ten disappearances. Later, Raphael I discovered a Demon beneath the foundations of the Castle and defeated it." "The second event urred about three hundred years ago when a Secret Society that worshiped the Demon emerged in Eins. The then lord of the Castle led his troops to eradicate this Secret Society. In the garden behind the Castle, they shattered the statue of the Eldritch God that the society worshipped and buried it in the ground." "The third event happened a century ago when a hundred well-equipped English Soldiers took refuge in the Castle during a storm. After a night of torrential rain, this group of English Soldiers mysteriously vanished. Officials from Manchester came to hold the then lord ountable, but left without any evidence to press charges." Chapter 17: Gazing Upon the Starry Sky Chapter 17: Gazing Upon the Starry Sky Having listened to the three past ounts rted to Castle, Liu Xing felt that he had finally grasped the true backstory of this game. The first master of Castle must have been a noble Wizard who, during the construction of the castle, encountered a mythical creature. He then used the Elder Sign to expel the mythical being. Furthermore, it''s highly probable that this initial master was already studying these mythical creatures and had a certain knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos. Seeding generations of Castle''s masters, though they did not continue the study of the Cthulhu Mythos, likely inherited the research notes of the first master. Thus, three hundred years ago, a secret cult worshiping the Great Old One emerged in the town of Eins. After the then master of Castle had led troops to annihte this secret society, it was quite possible that, aside from the Great Old One''s statue that was shattered and buried in the Castle''s garden, other Mythos-rted artifacts were also found. Having witnessed these wondrous items, the Castle''s master recalled the stories of his ancestors. He thus unearthed his forebear''s notebook and set out toplete the unfinished endeavors of his lineage, delving deeper into the Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, passing it down through the generations. A hundred years ago, a troop of English soldiers, dyed by a severe rainstorm, took refuge in Eins Castle, only to vanish without a trace overnight. Liu Xing surmised that this detachment of English soldiers was very likely sacrificed by the Castle''s master at the time to a certain Great Old One. "Now, we can be pretty certain that we are about to face a Wizard with a Sanity (SAN) in the single digits," Liu Xing spoke forthrightly because Bai Hecheng had entered without closing the door. Facing the door, Liu Xing saw Old Wayne busily cleaning the hall and felt no need to worry about breaking the game''s immersion. Chen Ling and the others nodded in agreement. They were all veterans of the Cthulhu RPG Game and were quite familiar with it. They knew that a Wizard who engaged with the Cthulhu Mythos would typically have a SAN in the single digits. A single-digit SAN value indicated that the person had be intermittently psychotic, acting without any regard for consequences... Liu Xing thought this and couldn''t help but nce at Bai Hecheng. If it weren''t for the fact that Bai Hecheng was still a teammate, Liu Xing might indeed have considered conducting a psychoanalysis check on Bai Hecheng to ascertain his exact SAN value. But now, Liu Xing realized that, had he passed the earlier inspiration check, he would have seen either a statue or a projection of a Great Old One, which certainly would have jeopardized his own SAN value. "By the way, I just triggered a hidden roll. When I looked toward the garden, the keeper (KP) had me make an inspiration check. Luckily, I failed and didn''t see anything. But now, after what Wang has said, it must have been the Great Old One''s Statue buried in the garden," Liu Xing shared the incident that had just urred. Upon hearing this, Bai Hecheng disyed a keen interest and nced toward the garden. Chen Ling and the others were well aware of what Bai Hecheng was pondering. Chen Ling immediately stepped forward to pull Bai Hecheng back, diverting his gaze away from the garden. Wang Qi, standing by the window, also seamlessly drew the curtains closed. Everyone knew all too well the potential repercussions of engaging with the plotline of the Great Old One''s Statue. If it were merely Bai Hecheng losing some SAN value, it would be one thing, but if it resulted in summoning a mythical creature or triggering a certain spell, that would be far worse. A group SAN check would be the least of their worries; they might even be wiped out entirely. Therefore, Wang Qi kept a vignt eye on Bai Hecheng, ready to intervene at a moment''s notice, should Bai Hecheng show any sign of erratic behavior. The implication was clear: if Bai Hecheng stepped out of line, Wang Qi would be there to ''teach him a lesson.'' At that moment, Old Wayne entered, "Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me to the lounge for lunch." Noticing the curtains were drawn, Old Wayne spoke with a hint of unease, "Er, the Castle''s original gardener left abruptly, so the garden hasn''t been tended to for some time." Catching the nervous tone in Old Wayne''s voice, Liu Xing reached out to KP004, "KP, I want to perform a psychology check on Old Wayne." Psychology, 44/70, sess. "You notice that Old Wayne is clearly lying, and it seems he is concealing some fact." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing Old Wayne was not as simple as he appeared, for from the information KP004 provided, he knew Old Wayne had a certain understanding of the back garden. An aplice to a tiger. This phrase crossed Liu Xing''s mind first; Old Wayne was likely privy to the secrets of the Castle''s master, and was coborating on some unspeakable deeds. However, it wasn''t yet time for confrontation, so Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, "Oh no, I simply enjoy living in dimly lit environments, hence the drawn curtains." "What, Liu Xing, are you a vampire?!" Just as Liu Xing finished speaking, Bai Hecheng''s voice rang out in surprise. Liu Xing was at a loss for words, about to apologize to Old Wayne when he caught a fleeting expression of shock on Old Wayne''s face. Liu Xing quickly thought to himself, "KP, I need another psychology roll!" Psychology, 56/70, sess. "You noticed that upon hearing the word ''vampire'', a look of surprise, followed by suspicion and wariness, crossed Old Wayne''s face." Liu Xing had an epiphany. Led by Old Wayne, Liu Xing and the others arrived at the grand living room''s dining table, where everyone took their seats casually, while Old Wayne skillfully served up dish after dish from a nearby cart. However, as Liu Xing gazed at the dish in front of him¡ªa renowned British Empire delicacy called "Stargazy Pie"¡ªhe felt utterly dismayed. A fish head stood erect on the te, its eyes emitting a strange glow. Around it were some potatoes and beans, with fish soup as the base, but the color of this fish soup resembled muddy water... Liu Xing seriously doubted whether eating this would result in a loss of SAN points. As for the rest of the food on the table, only bread and mashed potatoes were left. Liu Xing felt the pressure; the cuisine of the British Empire truly lived up to its reputation... Of all those present, except for Bai Hecheng, no one dared to touch the "Stargazy Pie," which looked as though it might drain one''s SAN points. They silently smeared their bread with mashed potato, while Bai Hecheng happily indulged in the dish, earning Liu Xing''s respect for the first time. Thus, lunch concluded in silence, the four untouched tes of "Stargazy Pie" on the table contrasted sharply with the empty te in front of Bai Hecheng. "...Due to yer Bai Hecheng having finished the British Empire''s renowned ''Stargazy Pie,'' a bonus of +1 to Will is awarded. However, yer Bai Hecheng is now required to make a SAN check of 0/1." In a daze, Liu Xing felt like he could hear a hint of resignation and puzzlement in KP004''s tone. A sound of dice hitting the table echoed; Bai Hecheng had opted for a secret roll. "Phew, that was close, so close," Bai Hecheng eximed with relief. Chapter 18: The Dice Goddesss Mischief Chapter 18: The Dice Goddess''s Mischief Liu Xing nced at the untouched dish of "Stargazing" in front of him, contemting whether he should finish it for the sake of a single point of Willpower reward... After a moment of silence, Liu Xing shook his head quietly and sighed. Indeed, it was too much to handle... As for Wang Qi and the others, like Liu Xing, they gave up after a psychological struggle. After all, willpower is precious, but SAN points are worth even more. To consume "Stargazing," both could be cast aside... Once lunchtime ended, Liu Xing and hispanions returned to therge guest room. Everyone looked at Bai Hecheng with respect, for only a true warrior would dare to finish the "Stargazing." Bai Hecheng expressed his regret: "Ah, why didn''t any of you eat the ''Stargazing''? I thought it tasted quite good, and it even boosts your Willpower attribute." Everyone tacitly shook their heads. After resting for a while and cleaning up the dining ware, Old Wayne entered the room and spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, I''m going to retire to my room for some rest now. You may choose to rest or visit the Castle on your own. However, as the second floor houses the lord''s and his family''s bedrooms, it is not open for exhibition, so I ask for your understanding." With that said, Old Wayne deliberately nced at Bai Hecheng, who had a known history of mischief. Chen Ling, who was sitting by the door, immediately responded, "Understood. We definitely won''t go to the second floor. As for our curious friend here, we''ll keep a close eye on him to prevent any wandering off!" Wang Qi, sitting nearby, nodded silently, casting a stern look at Bai Hecheng. After receiving Chen Ling''s assurance, Old Wayne smiled, nodded, and then departed. Waiting for a moment, Chen Ling slipped out to confirm that Old Wayne was indeed out of the main building beforeing back to notify everyone. They then started their exploration as originally nned. Firstly, Liu Xing and his group came to a locked room on the first floor and discovered that its door was made of iron, unlike the wooden doors of the other rooms in the Castle''s main building. There''s something fishy when things deviate from the norm. The trouble was, among Liu Xing''s group, only Chen Ling, due to his background as a retired scout, had a Lockpicking Skill of 30 points. The others had not invested in that skill and thus only had a base value of 1 point in Lockpicking... It was time to rely on luck once again. "Okay, everyone needs to pass a lockpicking check." Liu Xing, 1/1, a great sess. Bai Hecheng, 88/1, failed. Chen Ling, 47/30, failed. Wang Siyi, 14/1, failed. Wang Qi, 65/1, failed. Unexpectedly to Liu Xing, it was as if he had been blessed by the Dice Goddess herself, having achieved a critical sess. "You casually poked at the keyhole with your fingernail, and to your surprise, the door opened. Moreover, the rm mechanism linked to the door, due to years of neglect, failed to sound an rm," KP004 said in a resigned tone, clearly not anticipating Liu Xing''s incredible stroke of luck in achieving such a sess. When a 1 is rolled during a check, it signifies a critical sess. In addition to the expected oue, this usually grants additional rewards. Now, not only did Liu Xing manage to unlock the door, but he also did not trigger the rm mechanism, which should have required the lockpicker to pass a difficult Luck check (a difficult check is one where the yer''s relevant value is halved for the test; there''s also an extreme check, where only one-fifth of the value is used) to avoid setting off the rm. Had the check failed, Old Wayne would have heard the rm ande to investigate. Beyond that, as Liu Xing''s Lockpicking Skill check this time was based on a basic value, he earned a skill growth marker. After the current Cthulhu campaign concludes, Liu Xing will roll a 1d100. Provided the roll is above 1, he will get another roll, this time a 1d20 (the rulebook originally stiptes a 1d10 for growth, but the book modifies it to 1d20 for narrative purposes, with other simr changes following suit). The number rolled will be added to Liu Xing''s Lockpicking Skill. For the first time, Liu Xing discovered that he might just have the blood of the "European King," a term for the incredibly lucky. "Liu Xing, your luck is simply too good," Chen Ling said enviously. In other games, luck is just part of one''s strength, but in a Cthulhu RPG Game, luck could very well be everything. Liu Xing chuckled and shook his head. "Just a fluke, let''s go inside." The locked room was filled with misceneous items and covered with a thickyer of dust¡ªit seemed it hadn''t been cleaned in a long time. Due to the abundance of dust, a clear footprint would be left with every step, so Liu Xing and the others didn''t dare to carelessly enter the room. They could only observe from the doorway, thus finding nothing of value. However, it was now time for a check. "KP, I want to make a Spot Hidden roll," Liu Xing said to KP004. Spot Hidden, 83/60, failure. Thew of conserving luck wasn''t just a joke; failure came just as quickly as sess. "After a thorough observation of the room, you find nothing," KP004 said, somewhat gleefully. Chen Ling and the others also began their Spot Hidden checks. Bai Hecheng, Spot Hidden, 55/40, failure. Chen Ling, Spot Hidden, 84/75, failure. Wang Siyi, Spot Hidden, 91/79, failure. Wang Qi, Spot Hidden, 68/65, failure. ... Complete team failure. Even KP004 seemed at a loss for words momentarily; these were supposed to be simple checks, given the yers'' not-insignificant Spot Hidden skills. Yet, they all failed. "Uh, you all feel there is nothing unusual about this room; it''s just an ordinary storeroom," KP004 quickly finished the sentence and then fell silent, leading Liu Xing to believe KP004 was pondering the next plot development. Clearly, this locked room was unlikely to be a mere storeroom, especially since storerooms aren''t typically fitted with rm systems. Moreover, if things were as expected, this room could very well house a private chamber, pivotal to the main storyline. But now, as all yers failed their Spot Hidden checks, there was no reason to continue the search, and thus this plotline came to an abrupt halt... Liu Xing couldn''t help thinking that this might just be a jest from the Dice Goddess. Shaking his head, Liu Xing led the group away from the room to conduct a search in the lobby on the first floor. Upon reaching the lobby and after a cursory nce that revealed nothing of interest, Liu Xing moved to a spot suitable for a Jump check. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, there''s a limit to how high humans can jump¡ªabout 2.4 meters, as Liu Xing vaguely recalled. So if a height exceeded 2.4 meters, one couldn''t make a Jump check.` Chapter 19: The Parchment Chapter 19: The Parchment Liu Xing looked up at the second floor, estimating it to be around two meters high. As for the wooden railing on the second floor, it appeared quite sturdy¡ªhopefully, it wouldn''t sustain any damage from his pull... hopefully. As Liu Xing somewhat doubtfully scrutinized the railing, pondering the posture he should adopt for his jump, Bai Hecheng, ever the enthusiast for stirring up excitement, chimed in, "Hey, Liu Xing, listen to me, don''t be a wimp, just go for it. With your kind of luck, passing a one percent check is a breeze for you, so a twenty percent check should be a walk in the park, right?" Liu Xing was at a loss for words; it seemed Bai Hecheng had conveniently forgotten about Liu Xing''s recent failed scouting check. But as the saying goes, better a short pain than a long one. Liu Xing couldn''t be bothered to mull over it any longer and directlymunicated with KP004, "kp, I''m going for a multiple check, jumping up to the second floor." KP004 responded promptly, "No problem." Jumping, 63/70, sess. Climbing, 23/20, failure. Indeed, Liu Xing''s climbing skill check failed, prompting KP004 not even to offer a luck roll to Liu Xing. Consequently, Liu Xing leaped up, soaring two meters high, but his hands failed to grasp the railing, and, unsurprisingly, he began to free-fall. However, Chen Ling and Wang Qi were already prepared below. They both reached out to catch Liu Xing and, given Liu Xing''s low constitution and size stats, there was no need for a resistance check. Under certain conditions, a resistance check is necessary, like the situation Liu Xing just encountered. If Liu Xing''s constitution and size statsbined exceeded a certain threshold, he would need to pass a resistance check against the strength of Wang Qi and Chen Ling. Failure to do so would mean they couldn''t catch him, and there might even be a risk of injury. Liu Xing''s stats only added up to a bit over eighty, which was roughly equivalent to Chen Ling''s strength alone. Plus, considering the fall was only about two meters, KP004 assumed Chen Ling and Wang Qi sessfully caught Liu Xing. After a while, Liu Xing decided to attempt another multiple check. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, some actions cannot be reattempted under normal circumstances without a special reason, like the failed Investigation Skill check by Liu Xing and hispanions in the locked room earlier. That failure was treated as the yers losing interest in exploring the room further. Unless they could present a convincing reason to KP004, they would not be allowed to investigate the room again. But in cases like Liu Xing''s, multiple checks are permitted. Motivated by a spirit of not giving up until achieving his goal to reach the second floor, Liu Xing contacted KP004 once more, "kp, I want to make another multiple check!" "Alright. Since the yer has failed once but has gained some understanding of the railing''s position and height, the yer will receive a bonus of 20 to the climbing skill in this next multiple check," KP004 added. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, bonus and penalty values can apply, such as in Liu Xing''s case. Although he failed his initial climbing check, he learned from his mistake. Thus, on his next attempt at climbing, he would receive a bonus. As for penalty values, had Liu Xing injured his leg in the fall, his jumping skill would have suffered a penalty, decreasing in value for a certain time. Jumping, 31/70, sess. Climbing, 12/40, sess. Luck, 59/80, sess. Liu Xing leaped high once again. This time, he sessfully grabbed onto the railing. It creaked ominously, but to his relief, no mishap urred¡ªLiu Xing had sessfully made it to the second floor. Liu Xing finally exhaled in relief and nodded towards Bai Hecheng and the others downstairs, who dispersed to their pre-arranged positions to keep watch. Naturally, Wang Qi was tasked with closely guarding Bai Hecheng, ready to execute a "humane destruction" should Bai Hecheng make any unexpected moves. Standing in the corridor on the second floor, Liu Xing began to scrutinize the three rooms. ording to the information provided by KP004, from left to right, the rooms were the Castle Lord''s bedroom, the study room, and the Castle Lord''s daughter''s bedroom. The staircase connecting the first and second floors was located at the far left. Following the principle of "men on the left, women on the right," Liu Xing decided to try his luck with the Castle Lord''s bedroom first, convinced that the Castle Lord was the boss of this role-ying game. Now was the perfect time to collect valuable intelligence from the boss''s room while he was out. However, standing before the Castle Lord''s bedroom, Liu Xing sighed in frustration upon finding that a fingerprint lock had been installed on the door. Truly a boss who kept up with the times. The fingerprint lock meant that even if Liu Xing used his Lockpicking Skill, KP004 would automatically deem it a failure. Abandoning the struggle, he turned towards the study room. Just then, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling, but no oue ensued. He asked KP004, "Is that you rolling in secret?" KP004, ever the honest one¡ªor perhaps not even human¡ªreplied, "Yes, I was rolling for your luck check to decide if the study room door is locked." Liu Xing nodded silently and approached the study room, only to find the door slightly ajar. Yet what unsettled him was the pure ckness he could see through the crack; a darkness that seemed to swallow all light, rendering his vision utterly void. It was clear there was something amiss with this study room. Hesitant, considering he was now alone and not abat-type character, Liu Xing feared that any mishap in the study room could well be his undoing. After a moment of silence, he steeled himself to enter, reasoning that he still had a character card to revive himself with. Besides, the more dangerous the ce, the greater the potential for valuable information and rewards. With this in mind, Liu Xing pushed the study room''s door open, and several lights suddenly turned on, illuminating the room. Clearly, the lights were connected to the study room door. "This is a modestly sized study room, furnished with over a dozen bookshelves housing a variety of books, all appearing to be of historical value, and among them, you even spot a scroll of parchment," described KP004 as Liu Xing observed his surroundings. "KP, I need to make a detection check, focus on that parchment scroll," Liu Xing instructed, eyeing the scroll mentioned by KP004. Detection check: 58/60, sess. "You''re in luck, just narrowly avoided failure. Here''s what you''ve learned: there''s nothing particrly unusual about the room, but the parchment scroll appears ancient and emits an aura that is decidedly ufortable to you," KP004 informed. Liu Xing knew then that the parchment scroll was an important item in this role-ying game. Chapter 20: Can You Even Do That? Chapter 20: Can You Even Do That? Liu Xing gazed at the scroll of parchment, almost certain that it contained magical incantations, or perhaps a method to summon an Eldritch God. It seemed likely that this was the very scroll obtained by the lord of the Castle three centuries ago, acquired from a Secret Society. However, Liu Xing was now faced with a dilemma: to take the parchment or not. It was almost guaranteed to be an essential item in this Cthulhu RPG Game, possibly a key prop that could significantly alter the course of the narrative. But there was something ominously unsettling about the parchment¡ªit practically onlycked a sign next to it saying, "Take at the cost of SAN," such was the foreboding aura it exuded. Consequently, Liu Xing felt a pang of apprehension. With zero knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos, meddling with such an artifact would undoubtedly result in the loss of SAN points. The fear was that the scroll might also inflict additional mdies, such as blindness, skin lesions, or loss of speech. After all, acquiring power beyond the mundane often demanded a hefty toll, and Liu Xing had no desire to be a blind monk on the spot. Yet, the campaign was clearly progressing into its middle tote stages, and it wouldn''t be long before Liu Xing and the other yers confronted the BOSS, likely a Wizard. The scroll could well be part of the BOSS''s equipment, as the difference in a Wizard''s spellcasting with or without a spellbook was stark in the context of the Cthulhu Mythos. Hence, by taking the scroll, Liu Xing would effectively weaken the BOSS''sbat abilities. With that thought, Liu Xing gritted his teeth and resolved to take the parchment in hand. The moment Liu Xing lifted the scroll, a chilling cold invaded his body, causing an involuntary shudder. At this juncture, the somewhat schadenfreude-fueled KP004 spoke up, "As you grasp the parchment, a bone-chilling cold emanates from it, sweeping through your entire being. You are paralyzed with an indescribable numbness, reducing all your attributes by 10 points temporarily for 1d10 hours. Furthermore, this utterly unforeseen event has dealt a severe blow to your psyche, thus a SAN check is in order. Sess will cost you two points of SAN, but failure will result in a loss of 1d6+2 SAN points! Let us proceed with the delightful SAN check¡ªI am quite looking forward to the possibility of your insanity!" A loss of more than five SAN points at once could plunge a yer into temporary madness, choosing randomly from among ten symptoms including hysteria, amnesia, or a catatonic state. Clearly, Liu Xing was going to lose at least two SAN points, and at most eight. "So, let us begin," Liu Xing said with a resigned tone. The familiar sound of rolling dice ensued, and Liu Xing anxiously awaited the oue. Time check, 1d10, 3. The first roll determined the duration of Liu Xing''s temporary attribute reduction; the oue was rtively favorable¡ªjust three hours. Given that the time was around half-past one, Liu Xing would regain his full capabilities before the Castle lord''s return and the evening banquet. But now came the critical part. Willpower, 69/70 (temporarily reduced by 10 points), sess. I offer my gratitude to the Dice Goddess for her favor (certainly not any furtive maniption by the author!). Liu Xing let out a long sigh of relief, nearly having tasted defeat. KP004 spoke with a tone of frustration bordering on disappointment, "What kind of lousy dice are these? Once this session is over, I''m getting a new set, maybe even lead-weighted ones." Liu Xing felt as though he had overheard something monumental. KP004 realized the slip of the tongue and quickly followed up with a smile, "Ah, you''re quite lucky, despite being caught off-guard by the supernatural urrence. Your extensive reading of supernatural novels has paid off, allowing you to quicklye to terms with the situation. You only lost two SAN points but gained two points in Cthulhu Mythos knowledge (which is usually not directly obtainable but rather acquired through encounters with mythic creatures, artifacts, or events, with the loss of SAN points equal to the knowledge gained ¡ª though there are exceptions, which I won''t detail here). However, you also experienced an auditory hallucination, leading you to suspect that the chill you felt was perhaps nothing more than a figment of your overstressed mind. Therefore, please proceed with a psychoanalysis check. If sessful, you could recover 1d2 SAN points." Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing was intrigued by KP004''s approach. To divert attention from those explosive remarks, a psychoanalysis check was offered to recover SAN points. Normally, sess in psychoanalysis would suggest that there was no hallucination and that the chills were not illusions, thus no SAN points would be restored. However, Liu Xing''s psychoanalysis skill was at 70 points, suggesting a higher probability of sess than failure. KP004 must be making this unusual check to seal Liu Xing''s lips. This, nheless, was a favorable turn for Liu Xing; after all, the fewer SAN points lost, the better. Seeing no objection from Liu Xing, KP004 promptly proceeded with the check. Psychoanalysis, 29/70, sess. Recovery of SAN points, 1d2, resulted in 2. Liu Xing''s luck was as good as ever; not only did he secure the parchment, but he also managed to avoid losing any SAN points. "You analyze your mental state and conclude that sneaking into this study room has strained your nerves. You''vee to believe that the recent experiences were mere hallucinations. But because your SAN has been restored, you have not gained any Cthulhu knowledge," KP004 said in an almost threatening tone towards the end. Liu Xing clearly understood the subtext in KP004''s words, nodding with a chuckle to acknowledge the unspoken agreement they had reached. Carefully, Liu Xing ced the parchment in his pocket and looked around the study room once more. Finding nothing else worth investigating, he left the room. Of course, Liu Xing did not forget to restore the door to its original state as much as possible, ensuring that the returning Castle lord would not immediately notice anything amiss. Now, with time to spare, Liu Xing decided to visit the room of the Castle lord''s daughter. He had a hunch that the Castle lord''s daughter might be an important NPC, and considering the lord had gone to visit a friend, it stood to reason he would have taken his daughter with him. Thus, Liu Xing found himself standing outside the room of the Castle lord''s daughter. Chapter 21: The Girl Chapter 21: The Girl Liu Xing approached the room at the far right of the second floor, which, ording to the information provided by KP004, belonged to the Daughter of the Castle Lord. Here, KP004 didn''t require Liu Xing to perform a luck check; the door to the room was ajar, although the light inside was somewhat dim. Seeing this, Liu Xing surmised that the Castle Lord''s daughter must still be inside the room. Therefore, he decided to first conduct a reconnaissance, cautiously peering into the room to observe the situation. "There''s no need to be so cautious. Although the room is dimly lit, you can still clearly see everything inside, so consider your reconnaissance automatically sessful," KP004 said to Liu Xing with a disdainful tone. "Then, you notice a girl who appears to be in her teens sitting on the big bed. With her back turned to you, you can only see her waist-length golden hair, but you have a premonition that this girl must be extremely beautiful." Liu Xing silently nodded, contemting whether or not to strike up a conversation with the girl. He was certain that given the girl''s current demeanor, she was undoubtedly a key NPC¡ªafter all, she was the Castle Lord''s daughter and likely privy to important information. But how could he extract such information from her? While Liu Xing was pondering how to approach her, a faint sigh emanated from the room. Liu Xing was startled, thinking he had been discovered by the girl. However, he soon realized the girl in the room had not turned to look at him, leading him to believe that her sigh was not directed at him. With this thought, Liu Xing decided to go in and start a conversation, feeling a hunch that a sensitive young girl like her wouldn''t pose any danger (a statement the author seriously bluffed). After all, Liu Xing had once been a poetic (and somewhat adolescent) youth himself. Thus, Liu Xing knocked on the door and asked, "Hello, may Ie in?" As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, the girl in the room turned around to face him. Upon seeing the girl''s visage, Liu Xing had only one thought¡ªAPP (Appearance) 18! In the settings of the Cthulhu mythos, the highest a human''s appearance could score was 18 points. So, the only line that came to Liu Xing''s mind was, "Such ady is meant for the heavens; rarely seen by mortals below." But Liu Xing quickly snapped back to reality, realizing now was not the time to be admiring beauty, especially since the girl''s pupils were an unusual shade of red. Of course, to call them red was an understatement; Liu Xing felt it would be more urate to describe them as the color of blood. It was clear that if the girl was not wearing colored contact lenses, just the sight of those blood-colored pupils was enough to make Liu Xing feel his SAN (Sanity) points were in jeopardy. Despite the uncertainties, Liu Xing steadfastly clung to his belief that the girl posed no threat to him, especially considering her striking beauty. Of course, if Liu Xing had even a smattering of anthropological skills, he would have certainly conducted an anthropological assessment on the girl to confirm her humanity. The reason was simple: she was exceedingly beautiful. In the setting of the Cthulhu Mythos, the creatures'' Attractiveness (APP) generally exceeds that of humans. Even those considered abhorrent, like the Deep Ones and Ghouls, possess a youthful APP of around sixteen or seventeen, ensuring they can find mates or sacrifices within the human world for propagation. However, Liu Xing was in the dark about the girl''s specific APP value. He could only infer that her APP was at a minimum of 18, unable to determine whether it exceeded that threshold. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to consult KP004, "KP, is there any way for me to determine this girl''s exact APP, or at least know if it exceeds 18?" KP004, fully aware of Liu Xing''s thoughts, responded with a sly chuckle, "Certainly, there''s a way. You could choose to roll an Anthropology check." At a loss for words with KP004, Liu Xing knew hecked the necessary anthropological skills; yet KP004 suggested it anyway, despite the base chance of sess being a mere one percent¡ªdid KP004 really think he had the luck of the gods? Resigning himself to the futility, Liu Xing decided not to struggle. A failed Anthropology check in front of the girl, knowing KP004''s personality, would undoubtedly lead toplications. Thus, ignoring KP004''s suggestion, Liu Xing resolved, "KP004, I will attempt a Persuasion check to convince her of my benign intentions." KP004 pondered for a moment before replying, "That is possible." Persuasion, 8/40, sess. With the sessful persuasion, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at the girl, "Hello, I''m a visitor to the Castle, invited by the Lord. My name is Liu Xing, and I happened to be touring the ce. I didn''t realize this was your bedroom, and if I''ve intruded, I sincerely apologize." Despite the holes in Liu Xing''s exnation, the girl epted it, "Hello, I''m Isabe. Pleased to meet you. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen a visitor like you, or even my father for that matter." Liu Xing detected a tone of loneliness in Isabe''s voice and noted an important piece of information¡ªthat the Castle''s lord hadn''t seen Isabe in quite some time. The lord''s room was merely seven or eight meters away, yet Isabe said she hadn''t seen him for a long while. This was indeed quite peculiar. But that was a personal matter, and Liu Xing didn''t feel it was his ce toment further. So, he nodded with a gentlemanly smile, "Oh, Miss Isabe, you seem quite bored here on your own. Would you care to chat with me?" Upon hearing this, Isabe immediately nodded, a trace of a smile crossing her face. Thus, Liu Xing entered the room and sat beside Isabe. Next to Isabe, Liu Xing caught a strange scent. He sniffed carefully and recognized it as the fragrance of some herb. Realizing this, he wished to pass a Pharmacology check, but then Liu Xing suddenly realized he had no skill in Pharmacology. Raising an eyebrow, he queried KP004 inwardly, "KP, can I use Medicine in ce of Pharmacology to determine the nature of this herbal scent?" Chapter 22: Fhtagns Whisper Chapter 22: Fhtagn''s Whisper Under normal circumstances, one''s Medical skill can substitute for Pharmacy skill in checks, but depending on the specific situation, the Medical skill might suffer a penalty or one may have to undertake a difficult or even an extremely difficult check. At present, KP004 thus spoke, "Alright, since the yer''s Medical skill has reached 78 points, it is barely eptable to use medical knowledge to perform a pharmacology check. However, it must pass a difficult check." Medicine, 47/39, failed. "Although you desperately want to identify the essence of this herb''s fragrance, you can''t make a determination because you have never encountered this scent before," KP004 said with a sinister chuckle, and continued, "At the same time, you feel a wave of dizziness, and your thoughts slow to a crawl, muddled in confusion. As a result, your inspiration will drop to 10 for the next hour!" As soon as KP004''s voice fell, Liu Xing''s vision blurred. He involuntarily copsed onto Isabe''s bed, his head throbbing painfully. His mind felt like mush, cluttered with haphazard thoughts, rendering him incapable of coherent thinking. It was clear to Liu Xing that the herbal scent he had just inhaled was very likely a hallucinogenic substance affecting human cognition, which exined his current predicament. Isabe noticed Liu Xing''s distress. She grew anxious, for Liu Xing was one of the rare individuals willing tomunicate with her. She hade to regard Liu Xing as a friend, and now to see her friend in such agony on her own bed was distressing for Isabe. Suddenly, Isabe remembered Grandpa Wayne¡ªthat is, the old butler Wayne¡ªwho had once given her some painkillers to take when she had a headache. Observing Liu Xing''s pained expression and his hands clutching his head, she deduced he must be experiencing a headache and thought it appropriate to offer him those painkillers. Therefore, Isabe retrieved a small, ubeled bottle from beneath her pillow, poured out a capsule, and hurriedly handed it to Liu Xing. Liu Xing, having lost the capacity for thought, did not ponder the nature of the medicine Isabe handed him and swallowed it directly. As he swallowed the capsule, thest vestiges of Liu Xing''s rationality prompted a grim thought¡ªif this capsule was poison, his life would be over. Fortunately, the capsule was not toxic and effectively alleviated Liu Xing''s painful symptoms. While a faint headache lingered, he was at least able to think clearly again. "Because the yer has taken the painkiller given by Isabe, the symptoms of headache and dizziness were immediately relieved. However, there''s still some mental confusion, so the yer''s inspiration is now at 60 and will continue for an hour," KP004 stated with a hint of regret. Having regained his cognitive abilities, Liu Xing managed to summon a weak smile and thanked Isabe, "Thank you, Miss Isabe, for your assistance. Otherwise, I would''ve been in pain for much longer." Seeing Liu Xing return to normal brought relief to Isabe. She smiled and responded, "It''s good to see you''re alright. I''m grateful that Grandpa Wayne had prepared this bottle of painkillers for me." Proudly, Isabe picked up the small bottle, unting it yfully in front of Liu Xing. It was only then that Liu Xing noticed that the bottle bore nobel, which led him to suspect that this so-called "painkiller" might hold some hidden secret. After all, Liu Xing was well aware that his headache was due to the peculiar scent of some herb, and he was certain that it was a herb with a potent hallucinogenic effect. Isabe, who had been living here for a long time, had shown no adverse reactions like his own, which suggested she might have developed a resistance to this hallucinogenic herb. However, the painkiller Old Wayne provided to Isabe hinted that she might also suffer from frequent ailments. With this in mind, Liu Xing decided to inquire about this hallucinogenic herb from Isabe herself. "Miss Isabe, what kind of incense are you burning in your room? It smells quite soothing," Liu Xing asked with a smile. Isabeughed softly and pointed to a strange-looking nt in the corner of the room. The nt was about half a meter tall, somewhat resembling a diolus, but it bore only a single red flower at its tip. "This flower was a gift from my father; I believe it''s called Fhtagn''s Whisper, and it''s supposed to have a calming effect," Isabe exined to Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded silently, recalling that the full name of this ''Kurt'' was Cthulhu¡¤Fhtagn! So, might as well call this nt Cthulhu''s Call! As for the calming effect, Liu Xing could only scoff. Just moments ago, he might have inhaled the pollen of this nt, resulting in a rapid decline in his creative inspiration, not to mention a splitting headache and aplete loss of the ability to think. Could such effects truly be described as calming? But since Liu Xing currently had no knowledge of the Cthulhu mythos, he had no way to counter this and could only respond with a chuckle, "I see, the fragrance is indeedforting, it eases my mind quite a bit." Isabe, with a proud smile, nodded and said, "Of course, it''s a birthday gift from my father; how could it not be wonderful?" Liu Xing echoed Isabe''s words with ttery, yet his mind was filled with questions. Still, due to the ongoing influence on his inspiration, he couldn''t settle down to ponder them thoroughly. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to discuss this information and his questions with Chen Ling and the others when they met upter. Liu Xing wanted to chat more with Isabe, but he suddenly heard a series of urgent and loud coughsing from downstairs. This was the signal agreed upon with Chen Ling and the others; if they spotted Old Wayne or the Lord of the Castle returning to the main building, they would cough like this, and Liu Xing would have to leave the second floor immediately. Thus, Liu Xing said to Isabe, "Miss Isabe, it seems my friend visiting the Castle with me is ill again; I must go down quickly to help him take his medicine. So, I must take my leave from you for now, Miss Isabe. Let''s meet againter." Isabe nodded understandingly, smiling as she said, "Then Mr. Liu Xing, please go ahead with your matters, but if you could, would youe back and chat with me a little moreter?" Liu Xing nodded without hesitation. How could he refuse an opportunity to chat with such a beautiful girl? Chapter 23: Bai Hecheng Goes Mad! Chapter 23: Bai Hecheng Goes Mad! Liu Xing had not forgotten to caution Isabe with a few parting words. "Miss Isabe, if possible, it would be best to keep our meeting a secret from others. After all, Butler Wayne had previously instructed us visitors not to casually venture to the second floor. My own curiosity got the better of me after wandering around the other areas, which is why I sneakily came up to see. So, I worry if Butler Wayne finds out about our meeting, he might forbid me from seeing you again." Isabe quickly nodded in agreement, promising to keep their secret. However, as a condition of this exchange, Liu Xing must find another opportunity toe up and chat with her. Liu Xing readily agreed, and after bidding Isabe farewell, he left her room. At that moment, Liu Xing saw Bai Hecheng and the others on the first floor, waving at him to hurry down. Without hesitation, Liu Xing took a leap from the second floor down to the first. Given the modest height between the two floors and Liu Xing''s impressive jumping ability¡ªrated at 70¡ªhe didn''t even need to check his leap; sess was assumed, and thus he safelynded on the first floor. As Liu Xingnded safely, Old Wayne entered the main building, expressing his confusion, "Uh, did I just hear a loud thud?" Just as Bai Hecheng was about to speak, Wang Qi gave him a fierce re, and he promptly shut his mouth. Then Chen Ling stepped forward with a smile, addressing Old Wayne, "Butler Wayne, you know how curious my friend here is, and he likes to y pranks. So, he downloaded some scary sound effects on his phone app. He just yed one of a heavy object falling to give us a fright." "Really?" Old Wayne asked, still somewhat skeptical. "Would yer Chen Ling choose to use a persuasion roll now, or opt for fast-talk?" KP004 chimed in at the right time. Chen Ling quickly responded, "I''ll go for a fast-talk." Persuasion and fast-talk both serve to make the other party trust one''s words, but they are applied in different scenarios; some situations specifically require persuasion. Chen Ling, fast-talk, 46/70, sess. "Alright, then. While you''re here at the Castle, try not to y such scary sound effects again. I do have a heart condition, you know." Old Wayne said with a chuckle, choosing to believe Chen Ling''s words due to the sessful fast-talk. Chen Ling immediately went along with it, assuring Old Wayne in various ways that he would keep a close eye on Bai Hecheng and not give him the chance to cause trouble. After Old Wayne had left, a disgruntled Bai Hechengined, "Hey, hey, hey, why are you all so quick to throw me under the bus without even asking for my opinion?" Liu Xing and the others looked at Bai Hecheng with amused smiles. Wang Qi, with a clenched fist, said, "Oh, and do you have an opinion?" Wang Qi, 1/99, persuasion (by force), great sess. Bai Hecheng immediately shrank back, smiling apologetically, "No objections, no objections at all. I am more than happy to take the me if you all wish it so." Having dealt with (suppressed) Bai Hecheng''s dissent, Liu Xing and the others returned to therge room and approached KP004 to initiate the Private Room. Liu Xing first ced the scroll of parchment he had obtained from the second-floor study room on the table. Then he said, "This is the parchment I found in the study room upstairs. You should be able to feel it too¡ªthis parchment exudes a very eerie presence. The moment I touched it, I felt a chill prate my body, reducing all my attribute values by ten points. Moreover, this debuff will persist for over two hours. Fortunately, my psychoanalysis was sessful, and I didn''t lose any SAN points." "It''s quite clear that this parchment could very well contain magical spells or perhaps a kind of sacrificial rite, a mythological artifact. So I decided to take it down, preemptively stripping the BOSS of an item of its gear. If ites to a battle, the BOSS''sbat strength should be significantly reduced." After hearing Liu Xing''s words, even Bai Hecheng looked at him with admiration in his eyes. After all, knowing full well the risk of losing SAN points, Liu Xing had resolutely brought back the parchment. What kind of noble spirit was that? However, just at that moment, Bai Hecheng, seizing a time when others were not paying attention, swiftly grabbed the parchment and opened it without hesitation. "yer Bai Hecheng, for opening the parchment, must now make an Inspiration check, a Will check, and a Luck check. The results of these three checks will have decisive impacts!" KP004 stepped forward decisively, speaking with evident excitement. It was obvious that these checks would be perilous, which exined KP004''s thrill at the prospect. Bai Hecheng, Inspiration, 75/70, failure. Bai Hecheng, Will, 42/70, sess. Bai Hecheng, Luck, 52/50, failure. "At the moment Bai Hecheng opened the parchment, he felt a wave of cold sweep over his entire body, his limbs instantly frozen stiff. Therefore, all your attribute values will be halved,sting ten hours." "When Bai Hecheng recovered from the cold, he was captivated by the content inscribed on the parchment. It detailed a ritual of sacrifice to an Eldritch God. Because he encountered such an evil sacrificial rite, Bai Hecheng must make another Inspiration check, sess would reduce 2 SAN points, failure would reduce by 1d6+3 SAN points." Liu Xing watched as a visible chill appeared on Bai Hecheng''s hand, swiftly enveloping his entire body. Even at a distance of about a meter away from Bai Hecheng, Liu Xing could feel a piercing coldness. Bai Hecheng, Will, 82/70, failure. SAN check, 1d6+3 = 5+3 = 8. 8 SAN points! When a yer loses more than 5 SAN points at once, they fall into a state of temporary insanity. There are ten different symptoms of this madness, and the afflicted yer will roll a dice to determine the specific symptom and another 1d10 time dice to decide how long this temporary insanity willst. Bai Hecheng, Madness check, 2, psychosomatic disability (to be understood as a cognitive disorder, believing oneself to be blind, deaf, or to have lost sensation in a part of the body). Bai Hecheng, Time check, 5. "Due to a profound inner turmoil, Bai Hecheng lost 8 SAN points, sumbing to a state of temporary madness¡ªpsychosomatic disability, which will persist for five hours," kp said, barely containing hisughter. [I <3 this chap]< p> Chapter 24: The Contents of the Parchment Chapter 24: The Contents of the Parchment That was a close one. Liu Xing heaved a sigh of relief upon confirming the temporary bout of madness afflicting Bai Hecheng. Under the rules set by the Cthulhu Mythos, there were ten potential temporary madness symptoms, with pseudoparalysis being one of the least severe. It only affected the person experiencing it, unlike other symptoms that could imbue the afflicted with a dangerous aggression. Thus, in the misfortune that befell him, Bai Hecheng was lucky in an unlucky situation; he had neither sumbed entirely to misfortune at home nor brought excessive damage to the team. However, the ordeal wasn''t over just yet. "The rest of the yers, having witnessed Bai Hecheng emanating an eerie chill, have suffered a great shock to your spirits. Please proceed with a 1d3 SAN check directly. Of course, since yer Liu Xing has already encountered a simr situation, he will only lose 1 SAN point. Moreover, all yers will gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge equal to the SAN points deducted." Predictably... Liu Xing couldn''t help but internally criticize Bai Hecheng''s reckless actions, which led to the team''s reduced SAN. But this was within the bounds of reason and expectation. And so, the SAN check began. Chen Ling, 2 points. Wang Qi, 2 points. Wang Siyi, 1 point. Liu Xing, 1 point. The others, including Chen Ling, were rtively fortunate, not rolling the maximum value of 3. Nevertheless, this unwarranted disaster was a cause of irritation for them. Bai Hecheng''s folly had inadvertently caused a drop in their SAN points¡ªa matter of great annoyance for anyone, especially in a life-or-death Cthulhu RPG game where SAN points are tantamount to life itself! Enraged beyond restraint, Wang Qi stood up, ready to throw a punch at Bai Hecheng! Luckily, Chen Ling, who was more rational, stood up to block Wang Qi, and Liu Xing quickly stood as well, grabbing Wang Qi and trying to pacify him: "Wang Qi, calm down. Things have alreadye to this; let''s not fight amongst ourselves and risk more idents. Besides, Bai Hecheng is already miserable enough, having received his due punishment." Liu Xing''s words cooled Wang Qi''s anger. With a snort, he sat back down, sulking in his seat. At that moment, Bai Hecheng solemnly re-rolled the parchment, his tone more serious than ever: "This parchment details the ritual for summoning the projection of Cthulhu!" Hearing this, Liu Xing was immediately taken aback. Although Cthulhu might not be the strongest among the Great Old Ones and had its embarrassing weaknesses¡ªreferred to disdainfully as ''feeble ships''¡ªits power was not to be underestimated. Even a mere projection was enough to annihte thempletely... Therefore, Liu Xing immediately questioned Bai Hecheng, "Did the parchment mention if the ritual must use this parchment as a medium?" Typically, to perform a ritual to an Eldritch God, certain specific mediums were required. Like the parchment detailing the summoning of Cthulhu''s projection, it was likely essential to the ritual. Without the necessary medium for the ceremony, even if you followed the correct ritual process and sacrificed a sufficient quantity and quality of offerings, it would be to no avail. Therefore, whether this scroll of parchment was essential for the ritual became a matter of great importance. After all, Liu Xing had no desire to confront the formidable Kro''zun so soon... or, to put it another way, to be annihted by Kro''zun. Regrettably, Bai Hecheng shook his head silently. "No, this parchment is not necessary for the ritual. It''s actually the shattered Eldritch God statue from three hundred years ago!" Liu Xing felt a jolt of realization. He hadn''t expected the Eldritch God statue buried in the backyard to be a depiction of Kro''zun. If that spiritual connection had been sessful, the SAN points he would have lost would have been substantial. ording to the rules of the Cthulhu RPG Game, witnessing a Great Old One of Cthulhu''s caliber directly would result in a 1d10 SAN loss on a sessful check, and a devastating 1d100 SAN loss on a failure. Even viewing a statue of Cthulhu would cost at least 1d6 on a sess, and up to 1d10 on a failure! Liu Xing felt he was a hair''s breadth away from going mad before Bai Hecheng. What perplexed Liu Xing was that this was supposed to be an easy-level Cthulhu RPG session. How could they have brought out a deity as mighty as Kro''zun to dominate the scene, even if it was just a projection? It was not something Liu Xing and the other yers could hope to tackle. This was puzzling to Liu Xing. Suddenly, Wang Siyi spoke up, "If I remember correctly, the locked room is also near the back garden, so it stands to reason that the undiscovered Private Room, or should I say the basement, is likely located beneath the garden." Wang Siyi''s theory won the group''s approval, as the locked room''s most probable extension, geographically, would indeed be beneath the back garden. Liu Xing pondered whether he could excavate the garden directly to find this Private Room. "If you really want to do that, you might try your hand at an extremely difficult Luck roll," KP004 suddenly suggested to Liu Xing. A trap¡ªit had to be a trap! Unsolicited favors imply a hidden agenda, be it malicious or thievish. Liu Xing did not believe KP004 was so kind as to offer him a tip out of goodwill. Moreover, an extremely difficult Luck check meant that Liu Xing had to roll a 16 or less to seed. And KP004 had not mentioned what would happen if he failed this arduous Luck check. But truth be told, Liu Xing felt he had already guessed the oue. After all, he was contemting disturbing the ground above Kro''zun''s resting ce, which was thrilling to even think about... Hence, Liu Xing decisively abandoned the idea. Just then, KP004 announced, "Okay, your Private Room time is over. Please adjust your mindset andnguage, and continue with the role-ying." As soon as KP004 finished speaking, the effect of the Private Room ended. Liu Xing immediately adopted a look of surprise and said to Bai Hecheng, "What''s happened to you, Bai Hecheng?" What Liu Xing didn''t expect was Bai Hecheng''s still cheerful demeanor as he responded, "Nothing much. It seems I triggered some mechanism when I opened this parchment, and I''ve be a bit numb, and... I suddenly can''t see anything." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Bai Hecheng''s feigned disability to manifest as blindness, rendering himpletely incapable of independent action. Thus, after discussing with Wang Qi and others, they decided to have Chen Ling assist Bai Hecheng. After all, Wang Qi was currently so annoyed with Bai Hecheng he felt like giving him a beating, while Wang Siyi refused physical contact with Bai Hecheng on the grounds of "impropriety between men and women." Chapter 25: A Successful Reconnaissance Chapter 25: A Sessful Reconnaissance Certainly, Liu Xing thought Wang Siyi''s so-called "principle of not receiving items from the opposite gender" was merely an excuse. In reality, it boiled down to nothing more than disdain for Bai Hecheng. ncing at his phone, Liu Xing noted it was only around three-thirty in the afternoon, still early, with several hours to spare before the evening banquet. Thus, Liu Xing decided to take a stroll around the main building, of course, with no intention of wandering into the back garden. "Chen Ling, you look after Bai Hecheng for now. I want to step out for a breath of fresh air. Anyone care to join me?" Liu Xing stretchednguidly, standing up as he spoke. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, being alone was never a good idea. The notion that one could handle all troubles, crises, and enemies single-handedly was something reserved for fantasy novels. Wang Qi, well aware of this fact, and understanding that among the five yers in this gaming group, only Wang Qi and Chen Ling were thebatant types (with Bai Hecheng already categorized as a troublemaker), recognized Liu Xing''s invitation as a call to gather intelligence outside the main building. Consequently, Wang Qi also stood, stretching, and said with a smile, "Then I''ll apany you. After being cooped up in the Castle for so long, I''m keen to stretch my legs as well." Chen Ling, cognizant of his duty to protect (and surveil) Bai Hecheng, nodded in agreement. "Sure, go on and get some exercise. I''ll take good care of Bai Hecheng. Nothing unexpected should ur." As for Wang Siyi, ever a person of few words, simply nodded, indicating his awareness of the n. As Liu Xing and Wang Qi were leaving the main building, they encountered Old Wayne, who was busy cleaning. "Butler Wayne, we''re nning to walk around outside for a bit. Is there anywhere in the Castle off-limits that we should avoid?" Old Wayne chuckled and responded, "This isn''t a movie set. How could our Castle possibly have forbidden areas? However, I wouldn''t rmend visiting the back garden since it hasn''t been tended for quite some time. There could be dangerous insects or snakes lurking, and since the doctor in Eins Town passed away recently, any idents would mean a trip to Manchester for treatment." Liu Xing nodded, agreeing to return to the main building within two hours to prepare for the dinner. After bidding farewell to Old Wayne, Liu Xing led Wang Qi away from the main building to a fountain situated at its fore. "Wang Qi, let''s head over to the Castle''s main gate. I want to see how it opens. Does it really work like in the movies, opened by a winch?" Liu Xing gazed at the distant Castle gate, posing the question to Wang Qi. As mentioned before, there were essentially two ways to leave the Castle: either through the main gate or by jumping off the Castle walls. Thetter option was far too risky, considering the walls were about seven or eight meters high - roughly equivalent to the height of a four-story building - and the ground below was concrete. A fall from such a height would send anyone straight to a German orthopedic clinic. Thus, that method was summarily dismissed. Liu Xing was now contemting how their party could leave through the Castle''s main gate. Of course, the main gate itself was actually divided into two different doors: the main wooden gate and a smaller iron door intended for individuals to pass through. The small iron gate was clearly secured with an electronic lock, the key to which was naturally in Old Wayne''s possession. While Liu Xing and hispanions could choose to obtain the key from Old Wayne by various methods¡ªsuch as persuasion through skill, persuasion by force, persuasion with money¡ªor they could simply opt to take it by force, considering Old Wayne was just an ordinary elderly human. However, Old Wayne was backed by the imposing figure of the Castle Lord, a formidable boss in his own right. Liu Xing did not believe the Castle Lord would idly watch his key be taken, so passing through the small iron gate to exit the Castle would undoubtedly be a long and arduous journey. As for the wooden door, Liu Xing had taken note of its thickness¡ªabout ten centimeters¡ªwhen he first entered the Castle through the small iron gate. Given its five-meter height, the weight of such a door could be easily surmised. Yet Liu Xing remembered seeing various vehicles leaving tracks on the road from Eins Town to the Castle, and next to the main building within the Castle grounds, an old-fashioned car was parked. It was clear that these vehicles could not have passed through the small iron gate, so the wooden door must be openable. Considering Old Wayne''s frail physique, Liu Xing doubted that he could open the wooden door with a winch single-handedly. Thus, Liu Xing was now certain that the Castle''s wooden door must be equipped with an electric opening device! Now, Liu Xing wanted to find the exact location of this electric door opener to prepare for their eventual escape from Eins Castle. Wang Qi obviously understood what Liu Xing was thinking and nodded decisively. Together, they headed to the Castle''s main gate. KP004 spared Liu Xing and Wang Qi the task of reconnaissance and directly provided intelligence: "Upon reaching the Castle''s main gate, you discover a small room on the wall of the Castle, housing the electric door opener for the main gate." Looking up, Liu Xing and Wang Qi could see a wooden room perched awkwardly on the wall, an obvious anomaly that even KP004 didn''t bother having them scout for. Thus, Liu Xing and Wang Qi ascended the staircase to the wall and entered the small room. Inside, Liu Xing saw an old-fashioned wooden winch connected to a length of chain. It had been retrofitted to be operated by the electric door opener¡ªa detail fabricated on the fly, for even I don''t know exactly how such a device works. Liu Xing also noticed a small tag hanging from the plug of the electric device¡ªMADE IN CHINA. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, at a loss for words momentarily. "Then now, you may choose to conduct a reconnaissance." KP004 stepped forward again. Was there even a choice to be made? Of course, they would proceed. Liu Xing, 4/60, a major sess. Wang Qi, 21/65, sessful. "Uh, so you''ve discovered a booklet, which contains instructions on how to use the electric door opener. Fortunately, the booklet is written in Chinese," KP004 finished, exhaling a sigh. Clearly, had Liu Xing''s reconnaissance not been a major sess, it was very likely that the manual for the electric door opener would have been in English, or they might have needed to pass another luck check. Chapter 26: The Elder Sign Wallpaper Chapter 26: The Elder Sign Wallpaper As the thought crossed Liu Xing''s mind, he couldn''t help but tease KP004 slightly, "KP, just be honest with me, are you annoyed? If we hadn''t achieved a great sess in our investigation, would you have turned this manual into an English version?" Through their time together, Liu Xing hade to realize that KP004 was not just rigid programming code, but a genuine entity¡ªwith a slightly twisted sense of humor, or rather, a very twisted one. But Liu Xing felt that KP004 was like those in reality who hosted Cthulhu RPG Games¡ªthey were capable ofmunication. So now, he tried to initiate a dialogue with KP004. "Well, to be frank with you," KP004 responded with a sullen tone, "you''re right, that was my initial thought. But you still had the chance through a luck check to decide if this booklet would be in Chinese or English. And you seeded remarkably." "Also, I can give you an extra piece of intelligence. As you should already be aware, in the lower-level areas, the role-ying games are conducted withoutnguage barriers, allowing you tomunicate with Old John and Old Wayne without any trouble. However, in certain special cases, like if this booklet were in English, even if you passed Level 4 or 6 in English in the real world, you would still need to pass a check using the ''Other Languages'' skill to understand its contents," KP004 continued, "Consider this a piece of advice from me. During the interlude growth (where a character card, if it survives the current game session, can grow in attributes and skills due to the experiences gained, and may also undergo certain activities to increase these stats, like attending an Englishnguage course to gain the ''Other Languages: English'' skill), it would be wise for you to arrange for your character card to learn a foreignnguage. Because starting from the next area,nguage barriers will appear. If youe to an area where your mother tongue is not spoken, you might encounter all sorts of difficulties due tomunication problems. Naturally, this is also the kind of trouble you''ll only encounter when you''re ready to advance to the next area." Liu Xing thought if a luck check were needed now, he would surely triumph, as he not only confirmed his spection about KP004 but also extracted important intelligence from KP004''s own mouth! Liu Xing had passed Level 6 in English in the real world, but he had never allocated points to the ''Other Languages'' skill on his character card. He also reckoned that Wang Qi and the others likely hadn''t either. So if this booklet was in English, they would be at a disadvantage, potentially unable to operate the electronic door mechanism. Moreover, from the next area on, Liu Xing surmised that they were likely to encounter foreign yers. If neither party had learned the other''snguage, they would have to rely solely on eye contact formunication. Therefore, Liu Xing silently resolved to heed KP004''s advice and use the interlude growth to let his character card thoroughly learn a foreignnguage. "That''s all I have to say. Now, let''s continue the game. First, you two need to decide who will open this booklet. The moment it is opened, a 1d30+10 check will be made, which will determine how many minutes it will take for the electronic door mechanism to fully open the gate. Of course, you''ll be able to walk out through the gate after roughly half that time," KP004 coughed to draw Liu Xing and Wang Qi''s attention before continuing. Liu Xing and Wang Qi exchanged nces. Without hesitation, Wang Qi handed the booklet to Liu Xing, "You should do it. After all, you''ve had two great sesses already, and your luck is much better than mine." Although Liu Xing wanted to say that hisst great sess had led to a sessful check, it had outright failed this time... At that thought, Liu Xing immediately shook his head, casting aside the messy ideas and reminding himself not to be so superstitiously feudal; he should trust in his own imperial European lineage. Thus, Liu Xing, with a determined expression, opened the small booklet. Time check for opening the door: 1d30+10, 9+10=19. "So, after reading through the manual for the electric door opener, Liu Xing understood that by pressing the switch of the electric door opener, it would warm up for ten minutes before it could start working, and after neen minutes, it could be fully opened," KP004mented, without his usual snide remarks this time. Ten minutes was, after all, an eptable amount of time. "Indeed, it''s always your good fortune, Liu Xing. If it were me deciding the time to open the door, I''d probably have to..." Wang Qi began excitedly, but suddenly, he realized something and abruptly stopped speaking. Clearly, Wang Qi recognized that he might have overstepped, as they hadn''t activated the "Private Room" status. Luckily, KP004 was in a rtively good mood, "Although it''s only you and Liu Xing here, since you didn''t activate the Private Room, you are still in character. Wang Qi, what you just said was a clear breach of role-ying. However, let''s not dwell on this. Just this once, I''ll turn a blind eye and not count it as a breach." Wang Qi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing KP004''s words, as the penalty for breaching was exceptionally severe. To put it simply, such a punishment could instantly turn a burly, robust man into a baby who was still learning to walk. After ensuring there were no other oversights, Liu Xing and Wang Qi returned the booklet to its ce and nned to go straight back to the main building to discuss the matter with Bai Hecheng and the others. However, as Liu Xing was descending the city wall, he slipped identally. Fortunately, he managed to brace himself against the wall with his hand in time, preventing a fall. "Liu Xing, are you okay?" Wang Qi asked with concern from behind. Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, about to say he was fine when he noticed something odd about the sensationing from his hand that was braced against the wall¡ªit felt like touching stic wrap. Puzzled, Liu Xing looked closely at the city wall emzoned with the Elder Sign and carefully felt around with his hand, only to arrive at a shocking conclusion: the wall was actually covered with wallpaper, and the dense Elder Sign symbols were just patterns on it. Now, Liu Xing was utterly bewildered, with only one thought in his mind: was there really such a breathtaking tactic?! Chapter 27: The Escape Route Chapter 27: The Escape Route Liu Xing was now certain that the walls of the Castle were indeed covered with wallpaper, and the Elder Signs were nothing more than patterns on it! Liu Xing was initially baffled, but he quickly came to realize that such a situation was to be expected. After all, for the Elder Sign to have its intended effect, it must be drawn by a professional well-versed in the Cthulhu mythos, using magic and their own sanity to craft the Elder Sign. Only then would the symbol be effective, offering "protection" against the Eldritch Gods and mythical creatures. For an ordinary person like Liu Xing, even if he knew what the Elder Sign looked like (and they were quite easy to replicate, significantly simpler than the talismans of Taoism), without the knowledge of the Cthulhu mythos, any Elder Sign he drew would be but an empty gesture, with its effectiveness being all too predictable. Moreover, even for someone with specialized knowledge, drawing so many Elder Signs was impractical. After all, even the most powerful wizard remains human, and each drawing of an Elder Sign would diminish their sanity. Since human sanity is limited, at most, one might manage to draw a few dozen Elder Signs before sumbing to utter madness. Thus, if the Elder Signs on this Castle''s walls were genuine, Liu Xing could only remark that the walls might as well be renamed "the Walls of Madness"; it would be impossible to create so many Elder Signs without driving tens of thousands of wizards to insanity. Now, Liu Xing had to admire the ingenuity of the Castle''s lord, who had thought of such a cunning tactic. To print the pattern of the Elder Sign and make it into wallpaper before affixing it to the walls was a stroke of genius, creating the grand illusion of a formidable wall of Elder Signs. Wang Qi, who stood nearby and saw Liu Xing lost in thought, couldn''t help but be curious. He mimicked Liu Xing and carefully felt the walls, also discovering the truth about the wallpaper. He was about to express his amazement when he remembered the close call he had with an extraordinary punishment. He promptly closed his mouth, pondered for a moment, and then finally organized his thoughts. "Liu Xing, the lord of this Castle is quite trendy, isn''t he? Nowadays, we only wallpaper our homes, and yet he has started wallpapering the castle walls. It''s indeed a colossal undertaking," Wang Qi said with augh. Liu Xing came back to his senses and nodded in response to Wang Qi''s words, remarking with some emotion, "You''re right. The walls of EinsCastle must be nearly a kilometer long, with an average height of about eight meters. That would require at least sixteen thousand square meters of wallpaper. Applying such a vast amount of wallpaper to the walls is indeed a massive project." Liu Xing had wallpapered his own home and even had Wu Leie over to help. It took nearly two hours for the two men to cover an area of about four square meters. Liu Xing found it hard to imagine the amount ofbor and resources needed to apply such a vast expanse of Elder Sign wallpaper! Yet, Liu Xing hade to another conclusion: the lord of EinsCastle must havepletely lost his mind; otherwise, he wouldn''t undertake such a thankless task. It was evident that the Elder Sign wallpaper was entirely ineffective, but still, the lord had gone to great lengths to apply it perfectly on the walls. If Liu Xing hadn''t identally touched the wall, he would never have discovered that it was wallpaper! After muttering a fewints under his breath, Liu Xing returned with Wang Qi to therge room in the main building. Wang Siyi was engrossed in a nameless book, while Bai Hecheng and Chen Ling were nowhere to be seen. Liu Xing greeted Wang Siyi before asking, "Sister Wang, where did Bai Hecheng and Chen Ling run off to? When Wang Qi and I went out to keep watch, we stumbled upon something quite intriguing." Wang Siyi''s eyes remained fixed on her book. "Oh, them. Bai Hecheng wanted to use the restroom, so Chen Ling escorted him¡ªconsidering Bai Hecheng''s current state, he can''t be left unattended. It''s been nearly five minutes; they should be back any moment now. You guys sit down and rest for a bit." No sooner had Wang Siyi finished speaking than a visibly irked Chen Ling returned with Bai Hecheng. Clearly, Bai Hecheng had been up to his usual antics in the restroom, causing mischief yet again. Sure enough, after Liu Xing inquired about the matter, Chen Ling, on the verge of a breakdown, ryed to Liu Xing that Bai Hecheng, under the pretense of being blind and paralyzed, not only had Chen Ling ce him in the correct position but also insisted on Chen Ling helping him with his trousers. Chen Ling, a straightced man, had never performed such a service for anyone before, and was dismayed that his first experience was for someone like Bai Hecheng. Fortunately, this time it was just a minor affair for Bai Hecheng, or else Chen Ling feared he might have ended up having to do even more for him. After hearing Chen Ling''s rant, Liu Xing became even more convinced of one thing: it was best to stay as far away from Bai Hecheng as possible. Once everyone was assembled, Liu Xing contacted KP004 to reopen the Private Room, then shared the intelligence he and Wang Qi had gathered. "To determine our escape route from the Castle, we scouted the main gate and found that escaping through the small iron gate is unrealistic without the keys. Forcing it open would require an axe or a simr tool, not to mention triggering the rm system at the gate. So, I was wondering if we could open therge wooden gate through proper means. After all, we''ve been in the Castle for some time and have only seen Old Wayne as a servant, and there are tire tracks outside¡ªindicating that the gate can indeed be opened." "I and Wang Qi found a little cabin on the castle walls with a domestically made electric gate opener inside. The manual states that after a ten-minute preheating and calibration period, the gate will slowly begin to open, and after nine more minutes, the gate will be fully open. I believe this is our best, and perhaps only, escape route." Wang Siyi and the others in the main building of the Castle, having heard the sound of dice hitting the floor, knew Liu Xing was making a check but were unaware of its nature. Now, with Liu Xing''s exnation, they finally understood. Putting down her book, Wang Siyi spoke seriously, "Then, if everything is as you say, Liu Xing, do we really have no other escape route from EinsCastle than this one?" Liu Xing nodded affirmatively and said, "That is indeed the case, unless we can find a secret passage leading out of the Castle or a sufficiently long and sturdy rope. Otherwise, our best option would be to use the method of opening the wooden gate." Chapter 28: The Great Success That Shouldnt Have Been Chapter 28: The Great Sess That Shouldn''t Have Been Chen Ling and Wang Qi both nodded in agreement, signaling their approval of Liu Xing''s n. As for Bai Hecheng¡­ he had lost his right to speak at this point, his role reduced to simply running along when the time came. "Alright, we''ve settled on our escape route from the Castle. When the timees, if possible, Wang Qi will head to the gate first to activate the electric gate opener. The rest of us will try to distract the BOSS and Old Wayne. After all, unless there''s a surprise, the noise from the electric gate opener, which I believe is powered by a diesel generator, won''t be subtle. If we were to all wait at the Castle gate, it''s likely we''d be caught in one fell swoop by the BOSS," Liu Xing added another strategic suggestion. Everyone nodded earnestly, acknowledging the validity of the point. After all, they were no strangers to horror movies and games, and understood that the tools required for the final escape often made significant noise when activated, invariably drawing the attention of countless monsters and the BOSS. The Cthulhu RPG Game was no exception. After tentatively deciding on the escape route and process, Liu Xing ryed KP004''s friendly tip about the ''Other Languages'' skill to Bai Hecheng and the others, inquiring if they had allocated any points to this skill. Unsurprisingly, Bai Hecheng and the rest admitted they hadn''t invested in the ''Other Languages'' skill... Liu Xing felt a renewed sense of relief upon hearing this. Had it not been for his own ''great sess'' in reconnaissance, which had tranted the operation manual into Chinese, they would have been at a loss, unable to understand it, given their "illiteracy". After discussing these matters, KP004 once again stepped forward at the right moment, "Alright, the Private Room time has ended. Just a reminder, you have onest chance to use the Private Room in this campaign, so please use it wisely." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Without the Private Room, the exchange of information between yers would be severely impacted. However, that wasn''t the real issue at hand. The problem was... the Lord of the Castle had returned. Liu Xing heard the sound of a car horn outside the Castle, followed by the rumble of a diesel engine starting up ¨C clearly, the electric gate opener was in operation. "The noise is quite loud indeed. If it were to sound off in the middle of the night, it would truly disturb one''s dreams," Chen Lingmented with an insinuation. Unless something unexpected urred, Liu Xing and his group nned to escape from the Castle around eleven o''clock at night. Liu Xing nodded and made a suggestion, "It seems the Lord of the Castle has returned. Should we go out to greet him?" Upon hearing this, Wang Siyi shook his head and declined, "Let''s not. I think we''d better stay in the room and take good care of Bai Hecheng. Once he''s improved, it wouldn''t be toote to meet with the Lord of the Castle." Liu Xing understood Wang Siyi''s intention to wait until Bai Hecheng recovered from his feigned disability before they all confronted the Lord of the Castle. This time, Wang Qi and the others also sided with Wang Siyi, opting for caution. Thus, the minority yielding to the majority, Liu Xing had no choice but to stay in the room, continuing to chat about this and that with Bai Hecheng and the others. After a while, Liu Xing heard footsteps ascending the stairs; it was likely the Lord of the Castle returning to the second floor. Meanwhile, Old Wayne also arrived at the door and announced, "My friends, the Lord has returned. In half an hour, he will host a banquet for you all in the great hall. I hope you will be punctual in your attendance." Liu Xing smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, saying, "We understand, Butler Wayne. We will be sure to arrive on time." Old Wayne chuckled softly before turning and leaving. Liu Xing nced at Bai Hecheng and sighed, "Given Bai Hecheng''s current condition, it''s unlikely he''ll recover in half an hour. We need to concoct a usible excuse. We can''t let the Castle''s Lord know we''ve taken his scroll of parchment, or we''ll be in trouble." Chen Ling nodded and suggested, "How about we say Bai Hecheng has contracted a strange illness that causes intermittent numbness and blindness? Would that excuse suffice?" "That''s a good idea, but who should present it? We need to choose someone suitable, someone who won''t be seen through by the Castle''s Lord at first nce," Wang Siyi said earnestly, tapping on the table. In the Cthulhu RPG game, apart from the yers, important NPCs and mythic creatures possess their own attributes and skills. Clearly, Wang Siyi was suspecting that the Castle''s Lord might possess a psychology skill. As the only yer in the group with a psychology skill, Liu Xing naturally volunteered, "Let me do it. I audited some psychology courses in college and I''m quite confident about my knowledge in that area. I should be able to prevent the Castle''s Lord from seeing through our ruse." Knowing Liu Xing''s psychology skill was at 70 points, everyone agreed to let him handle the dialogue with the Castle''s Lord. Should the Castle''s Lord also have psychology skills, Liu Xing would be ready to engage in a battle of wits. After some more conversation and sensing that the time was about right, the group headed to the living room. Since Bai Hecheng had not recovered yet, Chen Ling escorted him to the end of the dining table, farthest from the Castle''s Lord, to prevent immediate detection of Bai Hecheng''s unusual state. Once seated, they saw Old Wayne pushing a serving cart into the living room, followed by a middle-aged man in a red suit who appeared to be in his forties. However, what made Liu Xing ufortable was that the Castle''s Lord''s eyes, like Isabe''s, were blood-red. But in Liu Xing''s view, Isabe''s eyes were as wless as rubies, while the Castle''s Lord''s seemed filthy and malevolent. "The moment youy eyes on the Castle''s Lord, you find his gaze deeply unsettling, like a pool of blood drawing in your consciousness. yers, please roll for inspiration here. Sess will reduce one SAN point," KP004 interjected, seizing the opportunity to target Liu Xing, whose inspiration was as high as 90! Liu Xing, 74/90, sess. Wang Qi, 11/70, sess. Wang Siyi, 61/60, failure. Chen Ling, 37/60, sess. Bai Hecheng, 4/70, critical sess. The moment the results were in, all eyes turned to Bai Hecheng, who against all odds, had rolled a critical sess! But then, Liu Xing was struck by a sudden realization¡ªwasn''t Bai Hecheng supposed to be blind?! Chapter 29: The Clash of Psychologies Chapter 29: The sh of Psychologies If you were to ask a yer of the Cthulhu RPG Game what they least desire to achieve a critical sess in, the answer would certainly be - inspiration. In most cases, a sessful inspiration check means one is bracing for a drop in SAN points, especially when the sess is critical - that''s when the real ''fun'' begins. For instance, a critically sessful inspiration roll might lead a yer to see a mere ordinary model of an eyeball as Yog-Sothoth - due to its appearance as arge eyeballbined with bubble-like features, which has affectionately earned it the nickname "Yog-Bubble" among Chinese Cthulhu enthusiasts. Yog-Sothoth is one of the mighty Pir Gods, a being that transcends Cthulhu itself, symbolizing the essence of space and time, and the mere sight of it can drive one to madness. Thus, Bai Hecheng, having critically seeded on an inspiration check, was undoubtedly in for some serious trouble. Or rather, Liu Xing and the others were about to share in Bai Hecheng''s impending doom... However, in this critical moment, Liu Xing, quick-witted as ever, suddenly posed a question to KP004, "KP, isn''t Bai Hecheng currently in a state of simted disability? Shouldn''t that mean he is unable to see the lord of the Castle?" After a brief silence, KP004 replied somewhat awkwardly, "Ah, that seems to be the case. Bai Hecheng indeed cannot see the lord of the Castle''s eyes, and thus, he doesn''t need to make this particr check. He automatically fails..." Upon hearing this, everyone silently breathed a sigh of relief. Bai Hecheng was already an unstable element; had his inspiration been critical, he might well have turned into a ticking time bomb. It was a good thing, then, that Bai Hecheng was blind. Liu Xing nced at Bai Hecheng, who continued to sit there with a grin, his expression mocking, almost begging to be punched. Despite the awkwardness caused by KP004''s oversight, KP004 did not forget to deduct SAN points from Liu Xing and the others, "So, with the exception of Bai Hecheng and Wang Siyi, the rest of you, upon seeing the lord of the Castle, feel as if his eyes are pools of blood, revolting to behold, which decreases your SAN points slightly. However, you have not gained any knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos this time." Hearing that he lost SAN points without gaining Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, Liu Xing realized his earlier spection was correct - the lord of the Castle was indeed a Wizard, not a mythical creature. Perhaps it was the frequency of SAN points loss, but Liu Xing felt no difort this time. It just goes to show - lose SAN points often enough, and you get used to it, though, of course, you might also go insane. "Our esteemed friends from afar, I am the master of EinsCastle, Gary Raphael. You may simply call me Gary," announced the Castle lord, or rather, Gary. As he spoke, Gary took his seat at the head of the dining table, "I imagine you''ve all been waiting for some time. Now then, Butler Wayne, we can begin serving the meal." Liu Xing''s eyebrows rose. He was aware that Isabe had not yet arrived, and Gary''s prematuremencement of the dinner clearly indicated his reluctance to have Isabe present at such an asion. Liu Xing pieced together what he had witnessed in Isabe''s room and was certain that Gary must have done something to Isabe¡ªlikely turning her into some kind of conduit! A wizard looking to cast spells or perform a certain ritual might use inanimate objects like parchment or statues of Eldritch Gods as a medium. However, in most cases, humans themselves are ideal conduits. They can be offered as sacrifices to summon the descent of Eldritch Gods or act as vessels to contain certain powers. In short, under the Cthulhu Mythos, humans are considered prime conduits (amidst a great fog of uncertainty). Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that Isabe had been cultivated by Gary to serve as a medium. That''s why Gary was so indifferent to her, having not seen her for several years and forbidding her from meeting outsiders! Although Liu Xing felt enraged by this, he didn''t let his blood heat in rashness, well aware that the hot-blooded youths in Cthulhu RPG Games hardly ever make it to the finale. Old Wayne quietly finished serving the dishes, and fortunately, this dinner did not feature any more of those gazing-at-the-stars-type English dishes, which gave Liu Xing a sigh of relief. Seeing too much of such dark cuisine could certainly cost one''s SAN points. "Our esteemed guests from afar, you must have heard from Butler Wayne, due to various reasons, I must remain within EinsCastle and seldom have the chance to travel far. Thus, I always enjoy inviting travelers passing by to visit and rest at the Castle. Moreover, I delight in hearing their stories of adventure. So, if you don''t mind, after dinner, please follow Butler Wayne one by one to my study room on the second floor and share your tales with me, alright?" As the appointed spokesperson, Liu Hao Nan¡ªoops, Liu Xing¡ªwith a smile replied, "Lord, it is our pleasure. You have graciously invited us to tour your Castle and provided a sumptuous meal. Naturally, we are very willing to share our journey''s stories with you, Lord." Gary chuckled, nodded, and said, "That''s good to hear. However, I''d prefer if you wouldn''t address me as ''Lord.'' Although I am still the owner of EinsCastle, a century ago, my ancestors were stripped of their nobility due to a certain mishap, so I am no longer truly a lord. Please, just call me Gary." Liu Xing was well aware of the ''mishap'' Gary referred to that happened a hundred years ago, giving him insight into the aftermath of the mass disappearance of soldiers¡ªa case that eventually went unresolved. Still, the Queen of Ennd stripped the Castle''s lord of his title. After all, so many soldiers vanished overnight within EinsCastle, and yet its lord remained unscathed¡ªa clear sign of trouble, warranting some form of punishment. Just as Liu Xing was about to respond, Gary''s gaze suddenly rested on Bai Hecheng, and Liu Xing knew that Gary had noticed something off about Bai Hecheng. "Er, what''s with your friend''s eyes? They seem fine, don''t they?" Gary asked, looking puzzled at Bai Hecheng. Liu Xing quickly nodded with a smile, saying, "My friend has a peculiar hereditary family illness that asionally causes temporary blindness, but it usually restores itself in a few hours." "Oh, is that so?" Gary turned his attention back to Liu Xing. "Gary is using psychology on you. Do you wish to counter his psychology? This check will be made in secret," KP004 said to Liu Xing. Chapter 30: The Ultimate Escape Plan Chapter 30: The Ultimate Escape n A contest of rolls, simply put, is when both parties roll the dice simultaneously. If both seed or fail, the one with the higher attribute or skill value triumphs; if the one with the higher value rolls a failure while the one with the lower value rolls a sess, then the underdog prevails. Thus, the hierarchy of victory in these contests is as follows: a critical sess beats a sess, a sess beats a failure, and a failure beats a critical failure. Therefore, Liu Xing felt quite confident about his psychology skill of seventy points, but a question arose¡ªwhat could Gary''s psychology skill possibly be? "So, the psychology contest begins now," KP004 dered with fervent excitement. Liu Xing, 5/70, a critical sess (certainly not rigged, as our group friends can attest). Gary, ??/??, a sess. ... Liu Xing hadn''t expected to roll another critical sess. No matter what Gary''s psychology skill score was, Liu Xing had already won this psychological contest against him. "You''re quite lucky there. Not only have you seeded in besting Gary in psychology, but because Gary''s skill value is higher than yours, your psychology skill has grown. Now, please roll a 1d5," KP004 conceded defeat and had nothing to say against Liu Xing''s luck. Hearing this, Liu Xing''s eyebrows raised in surprise, thinking to himself how fortunate he was. Gary''s psychology skill was even higher than his own; if not for the critical sess he''d rolled, he would have been the one to fail this challenge. More importantly, Liu Xing''s psychology skill could now grow further. He happily decided to roll the dice. Liu Xing, 1... Indeed, thew of conservation of luck seemed to apply¡ªas he had just rolled a critical sess, now he could only manage the lowest possible value. Liu Xing was at a loss for words. "Ha, your luck really is a mixed bag, isn''t it? After this session, your psychology skill will increase by one point," KP004 said with augh. Then, Gary stared intently at Liu Xing, trying to discern something from his face, but Liu Xing just looked back with a cheerful grin. After a moment, Gary, having gained nothing from Liu Xing, chose to give up. KP004''s revtion eased the tension for Bai Hecheng and the others, as Liu Xing''s contest with Gary had been done in secret, and they had not known the oue until now. "Indeed, there are many strange diseases in this world, particrly hereditary familial ones which are incredibly diverse. Take my own family''s gic condition, for instance; you''ve seen that my eyes have been red since birth, yet it hasn''t affected my vision at all. Strange, isn''t it?" Gary chuckled, pointing at his eyes. Liu Xing also smiled and nodded, "That''s true. I am actually a doctor and have encountered many peculiar diseases in the hospital." And so, Liu Xing and Gary engaged in somewhat awkward small talk, with Wang Qi and the others asionally chiming in. Overall, the atmosphere at the dinner was fairly pleasant. Most importantly, Liu Xing finally had his fill for the evening, which was a relief since the ordeal of ''gazing at the stars'' at noon had halved his SAN value. With his spirits dampened, Liu Xing hadn''t been in the mood to eat at all... Only after a full meal can one have the strength to make a getaway. Liu Xing nced at his phone; it was already eight o''clock in the evening. In just two or three hours, Liu Xing and hispanions would be able to leave Castle. "So, Mr. Liu Xing," Gary said, wiping his mouth with a smile, "we''ve had a delightful conversation at dinner. Would you pleasee to the study room on the second floor first and share your story with me?" Liu Xing nodded with a smile, "It would be my pleasure, but do you need me to go to the second-floor study room right now?" Gary shook his head, somewhat apologetically, "Uh, sorry Mr. Liu Xing, could you wait just a little while longer? Wait for Butler Wayne to lead you to the study room. Since it''s been a long time since anyone visited the Castle, my study room might be a bit messy. I need to tidy it up." Liu Xing nodded and returned to the room with Bai Hecheng and the others, taking advantage of the final use of the Private Room in this role-ying game session. "Alright, this should be thest scene. After we each have our chat with Gary, we can prepare to leave the Castle. Let''s make the final task assignments now," Liu Xing said, not wasting the precious Private Room time, getting straight to the point. Wang Siyi nodded, taking the lead, "I think we should have someone prepare to open the Castle''s grand door when Gary invites thest person to the study room. We all have our mobile phones, right? Let''s exchange numbers and keep in touch via text." Everyone nodded and took out their phones. Bai Hecheng, however, touched his head awkwardly and pulled out a pager... yes, a very old-fashioned pager! There was a silent moment as everyone looked at Bai Hecheng. However, Wang Qi straightforwardly remarked, "It''s not a big deal. After all, we can''t let Bai Hecheng go open the door by himself, can we?" Wang Qi''sment hit the nail on the head, and Liu Xing and the others agreed. If Bai Hecheng went alone to open the door, who knows what idents might ur. Thus, after a brief discussion, they decided that Wang Qi would go to the Castle''s main gate. Upon receiving a text from Liu Xing and the others, he would start the electronic door-opening device. Then, Liu Xing remembered something else, "If I''m not mistaken, there''s a garage next to the main building with at least two vintage cars. Shouldn''t we try to drive one out? After all, our main mission is to leave the town of Eins, and it''s much more convenient to have a car. Plus, if we open the gate and walk away, the BOSS, unless he has teleportation spells or the like, will surely choose to chase us by car, and then it will be hard for us to escape." Chen Ling nodded, raising her hand, "Then I''ll take responsibility for driving. I have the driving skills, and even if there are no keys, I can start the car." "Right, we can also sabotage the tires of the other vehicles, so the BOSS won''t have any cars to use," Wang Qi added as a supplementary suggestion. Finally, before the Private Room time ended, Liu Xing and the others devised their escape n. Once thest person was invited to the study room, Wang Qi (with Liu Xing as the second option) would find a way to leave the main building and wait by the electronic door opener for a signal. Meanwhile, Chen Ling (with Wang Siyi as the second option) would also go to the garage to pick out a suitable car. When thest person returned to the room, they would send a text to Wang Qi, who would then activate the electronic door opener. Everyone in the room would head to the garage, drive to the Castle''s gate to pick up Wang Qi, and prepare to leave EinsCastle! Chapter 31: Conclusion (1) Chapter 31: Conclusion (1) After Liu Xing had discussed the escape n from Eins Castle with everyone, theirst Private Room session also came to an end. They all knew that the final act of this role-ying game was about to unfold. Everyone took their ces. Liu Xing didn''t wait long in the room before Old Wayne entered, "Mr. Liu Xing, the lord has made all the necessary preparations. Please follow me to the study room on the second floor right away." Liu Xing smiled and nodded, then followed Old Wayne to the study room upstairs. The study was already lit, with Gary sitting at the desk. "Mr. Liu Xing, please take a seat," Gary said, the very picture of a gentleman. Liu Xing responded with a smile and a nod, taking a seat opposite Gary. After Old Wayne served Liu Xing a cup of coffee, he left the study room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him. Thus, only Liu Xing and Gary remained in the study room. "So, Mr. Liu Xing, could you please start by telling me what brings you to Eins Town this time?" Gary asked with a cheerful smile. Liu Xing took a sip of coffee. Initially, he had been wary that the coffee might be drugged, but then he thought better of it. After all, he was the first one toe up and talk with Gary; if Gary had chosen to take action against him immediately, it would surely raise the rm among Bai Hecheng and the others. Unless Gary was confident he could take down all five of them in one fell swoop, such a move would be more loss than gain. Thus, Liu Xing believed that Gary was unlikely to harm him first. "The thing is, I came to Eins Town because I''m a fan of Manchester United. I took advantage of the holiday to watch their game, and then I heard about the Castle in Eins Town. The owner of the Castle, Mr. Gary, you''ve been so kind as to open it to the public, so here I am," Liu Xing reiterated the backstory assigned to him for the role-ying game. Gary listened to Liu Xing''s ount without much reaction, still smiling: "I see, that seems to echo the widely known verse from your country, China. If I''m not mistaken, it goes something like ''Fate brings people together no matter how far apart they may be''?" Liu Xing smiled and nodded, thenplimented Gary, "Mr. Gary, you are truly erudite to even know this verse." Gary chuckled, then pointed to a bookshelf and said, "Oh, where do I begin? It''s simply because I often find myself bored in the Castle and like to read books, especially the ssic masterpieces from China, which I have read over and over again..." As Gary''s gaze shifted to the bookshelf, Liu Xing knew trouble was imminent because the very conspicuous roll of parchment that had been there was now in his possession! Sure enough, Gary''s conversation came to an abrupt halt, his eyes fixed on the spot where the parchment had been. Gary''s expression darkened, and he walked over to the spot where the parchment had been, lost in thought. While Liu Xing was contemting whether he should seize the opportunity to slip away, Gary turned around and spoke, "Mr. Liu Xing, please return to your room for now. It seems I''ve encountered some problems here, and I need to verify a few things." Liu Xing decisively nodded, a smile on his face as he said, "Uh, alright then, I''ll head back to my room. If Mr. Gary would like to hear my story after he''s finished with his business, he can just send Wayne to fetch me." Gary mustered a strained smile. "Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Liu Xing. I shall take my leave first. You can go back to your room on your own." After saying this, Gary hurriedly left the room. However, Liu Xing noticed that Gary seemed to be heading in the direction of Isabe''s room! Liu Xing immediately stood up, ready to go to Isabe''s room and prepared to make a quick escape by jumping out of the building if necessary, since he wasn''t sure if Isabe would inform Gary of his presence on the second floor. If Isabe did tell the truth, Liu Xing felt he would have no choice but to flee. Thus, Liu Xing arrived outside Isabe''s room and noticed the door was open. He listened intently to the sounds within. "Since Isabe''s door is open and neither Gary nor Isabe seem to intend to whisper, your listening automatically seeds," Liu Xing thought to himself. He felt KP004 sounded rather bored, which relieved him somewhat. When faced with danger, KP004''s tone would usually be schadenfreudic, so this current tone suggested that Liu Xing wasn''t in immediate peril of being exposed. "Isabe, did anyonee to the second floor while I was out?" Gary''s voice was tinged with anger. "No, nobody has been here today, except for Grandpa Wayne," Isabe replied, her voice filled with confusion. Just then, the sound of dice hitting the floor echoed through the room. Liu Xing knew this was likely Gary employing psychology on Isabe. "Damn it, Isabe, stop lying to me! I already know you''re deceiving me. I''m giving you one more chance¡ªtell me the truth! I know you have excellent hearing; you must know who came to the second floor!" It was clear that Gary''s psychology had worked; he had caught Isabe in a lie, and his tone grew even more furious. Just when Liu Xing thought Isabe would confess the truth, having been caught by Gary, she persisted with her previous statement. "I''ve said I don''t know, and I don''t. You should leave now, Gary, I don''t want to see you anymore." With those words, a heavy silence fell in the room. As Liu Xing was contemting whether to go in or not, a loud p rang out¡ªGary had struck Isabe. Liu Xing, ovee with a rush of blood to the head, barged into Isabe''s room, "Mr. Gary, what are you doing?" Gary turned around, anger written all over his face as he said to Liu Xing, "Mr. Liu Xing, please do not interfere with our family affairs. You should leave right now!" With a coldugh, Liu Xing pointed at Isabe and angrily said, "Mr. Gary, as a man, why would you hit a child? What wrong has the child done?" Furious, Gary marched up to Liu Xing and shoved him hard. Before Liu Xing could regain his footing, Gary pulled out a handgun from his embrace and pointed it straight at Liu Xing! A sheen of cold sweat instantly covered Liu Xing''s forehead. The dark barrel of the gun was aimed directly at him, and the unique sheen of the metal was a stark reminder that this was no mere toy. With the gun in his hand, Gary advanced, step by step, while Liu Xing could only retreat. Ultimately, Gary backed Liu Xing out of the door and up against the railing on the second floor. Chapter 32: The End (2) Chapter 32: The End (2) Liu Xing leaned against the second-floor balustrade, his hands involuntarily raised in surrender. For a moment, he was at a loss for words, after all, this was the first time...well, possibly thest time, a gun was pointed at his head. However, at that moment, Liu Xing noticed that Gary had, unbeknownst to him, put on a pair of sunsses thatpletely hid his blood-red eyes. "What do you understand, or rather, what do you actually know!" Gary''s voice had settled into a chilling calm as he spoke to Liu Xing. Liu Xing realized that persuasion was the only card left to y. "KP, I need to use persuasion on Gary!" KP004, recognizing the urgency, skipped the usual formalities and jumped straight to making the determination. Persuasion, 15/20 (This really isn''t any underhanded maniption; even I did not expect the protagonist to be this lucky¡ªI was ready for the failure narrative), sess. In this emergency situation, coupled with Gary''s full-blown suspicions towards Liu Xing, a difficult persuasion check was made. The oue took Liu Xing by surprise; he hadn''t expected his luck to carry him through a mere twenty percent sess rate check. However, now was not the time to rejoice. Liu Xing hastily marshaled his thoughts and said to Gary, "Mr. Gary, please, there''s no need for agitation. If possible, put down the gun. I was just leaving the study room when I heard strange noisesing from this one, so I thought to check it out. That''s when I saw what you were doing. I can''t stand to watch someone hit a child, so I wanted to stop you. I never imagined you would react so vehemently and draw a gun." Because of the sessful persuasion, Liu Xing knew that as long as he didn''t misspeak or trigger Gary''s sensitive nerves, Gary would not point the gun at him again. Thus, Liu Xing''s tone became much more rxed and natural. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, the oue of a check is akin to divine will, irrefutable by any. Liu Xing recalled a joke he''d heard from Wu Lei about such a check¡ªa desperate investigator, cornered by a fanatical NPC, is about to be killed but manages a highly sessful persuasion roll. He convinces the fanatic that he is the investigator''s son¡ªeven though the investigator is only in his twenties and the fanatic over thirty. So, even though Liu Xing''s statement might be full of holes upon close scrutiny, Gary had believed him and hence holstered his gun, chuckling at Liu Xing, "Mr. Liu Xing, I didn''t mean to rm you. I was just ying a joke on you, sir. This gun is nothing but a lighter." Liu Xing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied with a wry smile, "Uh, Mr. Gary, you really scared me this time. You know, in our China, guns are only seen on TV or in movies. If you hadn''t told me, I would have thought the gun in your hand was real." Of course, Liu Xing had to keep up with Gary''s pretense. It wouldn''t do to outright say he knew the gun was real. Yet, having narrowly escaped danger, Liu Xing couldn''t help but inwardly scoff, Aren''t you supposed to be a Wizard BOSS? Then why resort to a gun? That''s not very magical! "Attention all yers, the Main quest of this role-ying game session has been altered. All yers may now leave EinsCastle. However, the mission is only deemedplete once you are ten kilometers away from Eins Town!" KP004 suddenly announced. Liu Xing''s eyebrows arched slightly, realizing that his actions had altered the Main quest. It was a well-understood principle that while yers had a high degree of freedom in the Cthulhu RPG Game, each action had to be "reasonable." For instance, although the announcement from KP004 stated yers could choose to leave EinsCastle, currently, everyone except Liu Xing¡ªlike Bai Hecheng and otherscked a valid "reason" to do so. However, Liu Xing had the excuse of being threatened with a gun by Gary, worrying for his own safety, which was now a legitimate reason to leave EinsCastle. Therefore, while Liu Xing now had the option to depart EinsCastle alone, he had no intention of betraying his teammates... well, unless it was just Bai Hecheng. After multiple provocations from Bai Hecheng, Liu Xing''s patience had reached its limit, and he had resolved that if necessary, he wouldn''t hesitate to sacrifice Bai Hecheng. "Mr. Liu Xing, please return to your room for now; I have some matters to attend to," Gary said, before hurrying off once again. "Liu Xing, here you can choose to listen in," KP004 suggested to Liu Xing as Gary descended the staircase. Naturally, Liu Xing wouldn''t refuse, as it was clearly an opportunity for intel from KP004. However, Liu Xing hadn''t invested Skill Points in listening, so his basic listening skill was only at 20. Listening, 42/20, failure. Liu Xing shrugged indifferently¡ªit was expected. But to his surprise, KP004 still offered him a tidbit of intel: "Even though you didn''t catch what Gary was muttering, you vaguely made out words like ''childish,'' ''foolish,'' and ''ridiculous.''" It seemed to Liu Xing that his attempt at eavesdropping had indeed failed, and the words he caught were likely Gary mocking his recent actions. Liu Xing had nned to return to his room and inform Bai Hecheng and the others of the events, providing them with a reason to leave EinsCastle with him. However, as he prepared to head back, he suddenly thought of Isabe. Opening the door, he found her sitting on the bed, crying. Liu Xing hurried to her side, offeringfort: "Miss Isabe, are you alright?" Upon seeing Liu Xing, Isabe quickly wiped away her tears and forced a smile, "I''m fine, Mr. Liu Xing." Seeing Isabe''s tear-streaked face, Liu Xing, without knowing why, blurted out, "Miss Isabe, would you like to leave this ce with me? Mr. Gary''s behavior towards you is truly reprehensible." Liu Xing felt as if he had awakened some incredible trait within himself. After a brief pause, Isabe smiled and nodded, "Yes, if it''s with Mr. Liu Xing, I''m willing." Liu Xing couldn''t help but think that he had sessfully "abducted" a little lolita. Chapter 33: Conclusion (2) Chapter 33: Conclusion (2) Liu Xing had always considered himself a fan of mature beauty, with a particr penchant for ck stockings and long white legs, which he thought were the pinnacle of appeal. However, today, Liu Xing felt as though he had awakened a startling new predilection¡ªa fondness for younger, doll-like girls! At this thought, Liu Xing couldn''t help but steal another nce at Isabe, then started to repeatedly convince himself internally that he wasn''t really into younger girls. It was just that Isabe was exceptionally beautiful... Um, why did that make him feel even more like a beast? Liu Xing shook his head fiercely, casting all those muddled thoughts to the back of his mind. He then said to Isabe, "Miss Isabe, I will go and inform my friends, and then we can all leave together." Isabe nodded with a smile, replying, "Mhm, I will wait here for Mr. Liu Xing. But I hope you can do me another favor. There is a photograph of me in the lobby on the first floor. I would be grateful if Mr. Liu Xing could bring it to me on your return." "That''s no problem at all. I''ll make sure of it," Liu Xing assured with a smile, then rose and left Isabe''s room. Though unsure of where Gary had gone, Liu Xing knew there was no time to waste; they had to make a swift escape from EinsCastle, from Eins Town, and ultimately, aplish their mission! So, without a moment''s hesitation, Liu Xing bypassed the stairs altogether, jumping directly from the second floor to the first. The noise of hisnding alerted Bai Hecheng and the others, who emerged from their rooms with concern etched on their faces. "Everyone, Mr. Gary seems to have discovered that we''ve taken his sheepskin scroll. He was furious, brandishing a handgun at my head. I have no idea where he''s gone now, but I feel that we need to devise a way to leave this castle as soon as possible, to avoid a fatal encounter with an enraged Mr. Gary," Liu Xing earnestly yed his part. Wang Qi immediately nodded in agreement, "Yes, since Mr. Gary has already drawn his gun, it shows that he''s truly angered. If he finds out it was us who took the scroll, he might actually kill us. We should make our move. It''s best to flee this remote ce. If we were to die here, it would probably just be chalked up to a disappearance. I''ll go and open the castle''s main gate now. If I''m not mistaken, there should be a garage next to the main building. Chen Ling, go and see if you can find a suitable car." After hearing Wang Qi''s words, Chen Ling promptly nodded and left with Wang Qi¡ªone to open the castle gate and the other to search the garage for vehicles. Wang Siyi pondered for a moment before speaking, "I''ll go and help Chen Ling. After all, there are five of us, and the vintage cars in the castle seem to be two-seaters. We might need to drive two cars." "Right, I still need to go upstairs to escort Miss Isabe down. She has agreed to leave the castle with us. After all, Mr. Gary has ced the me for our wrongdoings on Miss Isabe, and we can''t just leave her behind," Liu Xing nodded, then turned to Bai Hecheng, "Bai Hecheng, wait for me in the room. After I bring Isabe down, I''ll take you to the garage. By the way, how are you feeling now?" Bai Hecheng responded with his usual jovial demeanor, "The numbness in my body has subsided, but my vision isn''tpletely restored. I can barely make out shapes and objects, though." "Well then, please don''t wander off and get into more trouble. I''ll be back shortly," Liu Xing said with a trace of concern, then left the room with Wang Siyi, heading for the living room. "Come now, you may proceed with a reconnaissance," KP004 said somewhat listlessly after Wang Siyi had left. Reconnaissance, 23/60, sess. The moment the reconnaissance seeded, Liu Xing sensed a sh of light in the southwest corner of the living room. He immediately walked over and spotted an upside-down photo frame on a small table. Liu Xing picked up the frame, and sure enough, it contained a picture of Isabe. KP004''s voice echoed once more, "Liu Xing, you are now permitted to undertake an inspiration check." Liu Xing''s brow arched; if KP004 had prompted any other kind of check, he would have proceeded without hesitation. However, this was an inspiration check. Nevertheless, after examining the photo and finding nothing amiss, Liu Xing decided to go ahead with the inspiration check. Inspiration, 42/90, sess. "The photo frame is heavier than you anticipated," KP004 said with a sardonic chuckle. "You may choose to open this frame, but I must warn you, once opened, it cannot be restored to its original state." A trap, indeed, it was a trap! Liu Xing realized he had fallen for KP004''s sessive schemes, and now faced a dilemma¡ªwhether to open the frame or not. Clearly, something was concealed within. Yet, opening the frame would likely mean losing Isabe''s trust¡ªan oue Liu Xing didn''t wish to see. He feared that losing her trust might lead Isabe to betray him to Gary,plicating his departure from EinsCastle. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to return the frame intact to Isabe on the second floor. Isabe received the frame joyously and opened it in front of Liu Xing, retrieving a ne. Evidently, retrieving the ne had been her purpose all along. Isabe put on the ne and said with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Liu Xing. This ne was left to me by my mother, so I must take it with me." Although puzzled why Isabe didn''t fetch the ne herself, Liu Xing didn''t dwell on it, seeing her happy expression. "Miss Isabe, let us depart; my friends have already initiated their move," Liu Xing said, hearing the roar of an engine from the direction of the Castle''s gate, knowing that Wang Qi had activated the electric gate opener. Isabe nodded and followed Liu Xing downstairs. To Liu Xing''s surprise, Bai Hecheng was already sitting in the living room. "Bai Hecheng, why didn''t you wait for me in your room?" Liu Xing asked, frowning and somewhat displeased. "Heh, didn''t I hear that Wang Qi had opened the door? Plus, I''ve regained some mobility, so I decided toe down and wait for you here. It saves time," Bai Hecheng said, standing up with a smile. With a resigned shake of his head, Liu Xing realized this wasn''t the time to squabble with Bai Hecheng. Time was of the essence, so without further ado, he led Bai Hecheng and Isabe out to the car parked outside the main building. Chapter 34: The Escape Chapter 34: The Escape Liu Xing, apanied by Isabe and Bai Hecheng, arrived at the garage outside the main building of the Castle... Of course, it would be more apt to call it a carport than a garage, sheltering two vintage cars and a van beneath it. The vintage cars were those two-seater types without a trunk, while the van seemed ratherpact, presumably used for hauling goods. Now, with Isabe''s inclusion, the fleeing party had grown to six people. In theory, the three vehicles in the garage should have been more than sufficient. However, there was a non-negligible issue: only Chen Ling possessed driving skills. As mentioned before, this setting was the Cthulhu RPG Game. Even if Liu Xing had a driver''s license in the real world, an experienced driver at that, his character card in the game did not include driving skills. Therefore, Liu Xing attempting to drive was almost certain to result in a crash. This was simr to the situation with Wang Qi, who,cking driving skills, had an ident at the very beginning of the game. Thus, the only person eligible to drive was Chen Ling. He and Wang Siyi chose the van, which could carry the most passengers. Employing their lock-picking (physical) skill, which in this case meant forcibly shattering the van''s ss, they gained ess to the vehicle. Fortune favored them as Chen Ling passed a luck check, and to their relief, they found the keys on the driver''s seat. Of course, Wang Siyi didn''t forget to check the van''s fuel level, wary of the game master KP004''s potential mischief¡ªlike running out of gas midway. Meanwhile, Chen Ling sabotaged the tires of the other two vintage cars to prevent pursuit. With preparationsplete, Chen Ling and Wang Siyi took their ces in the driver and passenger seats, waiting for Liu Xing and Bai Hecheng to arrive. Liu Xing, supporting Bai Hecheng with one hand and holding Isabe with the other, quickly ran to the van. However, at this juncture, KP004 sought to assert his presence again: "Heh heh, as this van is officially registered to carry four people, only four of you may board." The group was left speechless. This was another of the Cthulhu RPG Game''s "features": a rigid adherence to certain specifics. Just like now, despite the van''s real-world capacity to squeeze in ten people, the game limited them to four. Such was the rule. Yet, another hallmark of the Cthulhu RPG Game was that the rules were set by the game master (kp). If you could persuade the kp, then changing a rule wasn''t impossible. Therefore, Liu Xing addressed KP004 with a beaming smile: "KP brother, look at how small Isabe is. If Wang sister holds her, they''d only take up one seat, right? What do you think?" It was unclear whether Liu Xing''s persuasion or ttery worked, but eventually, KP004 grudgingly conceded: "Ah, fine then, do as you suggested. As long as you hold Isabe, consider it only one seat taken." The group exhaled in relief. Yet, Liu Xing quickly realized another problem¡ªWang Qi was still at the Castle''s main gate. Weren''t they still one seat short? Although there is always a way when one reaches the mountain, Liu Xing had no time to ponder over the multitude of concerns. He hurriedly signaled Wang Siyi to pick up Isabe, then crammed Bai Hecheng into the van before finally taking his own seat in the vehicle. Chen Ling, seeing that everyone was aboard, started the van and drove towards the gates of the Castle. Thanks to the swift actions of Liu Xing and hispanions, they arrived at the Castle''s gates within about three minutes after Wang Qi had activated the electronic gate-opening mechanism. This meant that Liu Xing and his group would have to wait five minutes at the gates of the Castle. As for the initial n of a diversionary tactic, it had be unnecessary since no one knew where Gary had gone. Moreover, under the current circumstances, no one dared to draw Gary''s attention, for fear of provoking him and potentially getting a bullet to the head. Wang Qi had already been waiting at the gates for Liu Xing and the others. However, just as the van pulled up in front of Wang Qi, he received a message from KP004 indicating that there was no longer room for him in the vehicle. Wang Qi''s face turned pale, as no one wants to be abandoned, especially not in a life-or-death situation like this. "Wang Qi, don''t worry, we won''t leave you behind. We''re all good friends here. If we go, we''ll go together," Liu Xing reassured him upon noticing Wang Qi''s change in expression, aware that his emotions might be unstable. Liu Xing''s words had their intended effect, and Wang Qi''splexion returned to normal, although his tone still carried a hint of tension. "What should I do now? The gate will open in five minutes." Liu Xing frowned, realizing it was impossible to tell KP004 to let Wang Qi squeeze into the back seat. They needed another n. It was at this moment that Bai Hecheng pulled a hemp rope from under the seat and suggested with augh, "Isn''t it simple? Just tie Wang Qi to the roof of the van with this rope." The group was speechless... Shortly after, everyone stepped out of the van. If Gary were to chase them down, being inside the vehicle would be like trapping themselves in a jar, making escape impossible. It was better to be outside, ready to flee. Naturally, Bai Hecheng, having offered such a "constructive" suggestion, was assigned to the "premier seat" on the roof of the van. KP004 confirmed there was no issue with this arrangement. Of course, Bai Hecheng strongly condemned this, but to no avail. Although Bai Hecheng continued to make a fuss while tied to the roof, Liu Xing and the others paid him no mind. They were all tensely watching the main building of the Castle, hoping that Gary would not appear. And so, amid the anxious waiting, five minutes passed, and the gate finally began to open slowly. Liu Xing and Wang Qi decisively rushed forward, pushing on the gates from either side, striving to open a passage wide enough for the van to slip through. Meanwhile, Chen Ling had already started the engine, Wang Siyi once again held Isabe in the passenger seat, and Bai Hecheng on the roof was still mumbling nonsensical things. Another three minutes went by, and with the efforts of Wang Qi and Liu Xing, the van was finally able to pass through the gate. They didn''t have time to tend to their sore and numb hands; they immediately boarded the van. The moment the van left EinsCastle, Liu Xing couldn''t help but look back, but Gary''s figure was still nowhere to be seen. "First step of the main quest, escape from EinsCastle sessfullypleted. Please persevere and leave Eins Town as soon as possible," KP004 said with a tone of regret. Chapter 35: Mission Accomplished Chapter 35: Mission Aplished After departing from EinsCastle, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was telling that Gary, when angered, reached for his gun rather than resort to magic, suggesting that even as a Wizard, his abilities were likely mediocre at best¡ªhe probably couldn''t perform advanced spells like teleportation. But on second thought, that made sense. This was, after all, merely a novice-level Cthulhu RPG Game. How could an overly powerful Wizard possibly appear here? With this in mind, Liu Xing felt more at ease. Unless something unexpected urred, he could consider this Cthulhu RPG Gamepleted without a scratch. Under Wang Siyi''s skilled navigation, Chen Ling didn''t even need to pass a driving test. The van caught a favorable wind, gradually leaving EinsCastle¡ªand the small town of Eins¡ªfar behind. The sessful escape from EinsTown put everyone in high spirits, and they began to chat amiably, especially about Isabe. Wang Qi and others were filled with curiosity and fondness for her, as Isabe was such an endearing little girl. Prior to this, in EinsCastle, only Liu Xing had interacted with Isabe. While they were waiting for the gate to open, and with the looming concern that Gary might suddenly make an appearance, everyone was on high alert, leaving no opportunity to converse more with Isabe. Wang Siyi, cradling Isabe, couldn''t help but stroke her head and asked, "Miss Isabe, are you truly willing to leave EinsCastle with us? Won''t Mr. Gary worry about you?" "No, he won''t," Isabe replied, shaking her head with conviction. "He''s too busy with his own affairs to worry about me." Household affairs are the most difficult to judge for an outsider. Liu Xing decided to skirt around this slightly awkward topic and voiced his own question to Isabe, "Miss Isabe, do you know where Mr. Gary went just now? We made such a noise opening the door, why didn''t hee out to check?" As Liu Xing mentioned, the loud noise from the door opening would have been heard by Gary unless he was deaf. Yet more than ten minutes had passed without any sign of him, which was undeniably odd. Isabe pondered for a moment before responding to Liu Xing, "Mr. Liu Xing, unless I''m mistaken, I believe Gary must have gone to the basement. Apart from the study room and his bedroom, he spends most of his time there, tinkering with who-knows-what. asionally, I hear a shrill roar from the basement¡ªan eerie sound that seems both human and animalistic." Liu Xing''s eyebrows rose as he continued, "Miss Isabe, is this basement you speak of behind the locked door on the first floor?" "Yes," Isabe nodded, "That''s the entrance to the basement. Only Gary has the key to that lock, which he always keeps in his room. He forbids anyone from entering that private room. I remember, several years ago, a group of travelers like yourselves became curious and tried to enter. They triggered an rm while attempting to pick the lock, and Gary expelled them from the Castle. On their way back to EinsTown from the Castle, it''s said they were attacked by a pack of wolves. They all perished in the wilderness, their bodies found mangled and iplete." Isabe''s words left everyone exchanging nces in dismay, haunted by the afterthought of danger. The fate of those travelers expelled from the Castle, as described by Isabe, was undoubtedly the doomed oue had Liu Xing and his party failed in their mission. However, what concerned Liu Xing more was what exactlyy within the basement. ording to Isabe''s description, it was very likely guarded by a mythological creature. Had Liu Xing and the others been sessful in their reconnaissance, they would have faced this mythological being head-on. This realization made Liu Xing feel fortunate. After all, as the saying goes, even the weakest mythological creatures have attributes that can reach the pinnacle of human strength, withbat abilities on par with boxing champions or martial arts masters. Against ordinary humans like themselves, unarmed and unprepared, such a creature would find it all too easy. This was indeed a testament to the adage in the Cthulhu RPG Game: the more you know, the closer death approaches. It was fortunate that Liu Xing and his party had failed in their collective investigation; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable, with the best-case scenario likely leaving behind a corpse... Nevertheless, Liu Xing was deeply puzzled. Even if in the basement, Gary should have been able to hear anymotion¡ªso why had Gary not left the basement to pursue Liu Xing and hispanions? As Liu Xing pondered this question, Bai Hecheng, tied to the roof of the car, tapped on the window. This was the prearranged signal between Liu Xing and Bai Hecheng: if anything unexpected happened to Bai Hecheng on the roof, he would knock vigorously on the window. Liu Xing hurriedly opened the window, and Bai Hecheng poked his head inside, speaking up: "When I heard Wang Qi activating the electronic door opener, I thought to exit first and meet up with you, Liu Xing. But since my vision hadn''t fully recovered, I identally stumbled and came upon a locked room with its door ajar. Curiosity got the better of me, and I peered inside to discover an open entrance to a basement, from which a foul stench and strange noises emanated. So, I closed that entrance and relocked the room''s door before heading to the living room to wait for you." Bai Hecheng''s exnation finally made it clear why Gary had note after them. By a stroke of serendipity, Bai Hecheng had trapped Gary in the basement. Isabe had mentioned that only Gary had the key to the room, and now with Gary confined within, it would be exceedingly difficult for Old Wayne to rescue him, given his condition. Even if Old Wayne knew of Gary''s location, breaking down the door would be no small feat. During this time, Liu Xing and his group had made their escape from EinsCastle without harm. Liu Xing had to admit, despite Bai Hecheng''s usual antics, he proved to be crucial in a critical moment. If there were to be an MVP yer for this Cthulhu RPG Game session, Bai Hecheng would be the undisputed choice. Just as Liu Xing was about to praise Bai Hecheng, KP004 suddenly announced, "Congrattions onpleting the main quest of this Cthulhu RPG Game. In five seconds, you will lose control of your characters and enter the ending sequence. After the ending sequence finishes, you will proceed to the game settlement and return to the real world." As soon as KP004 finished speaking, Liu Xing felt a powerful centrifugal force rip his soul from his body. Unhindered, he passed through the roof of the car and floated in mid-air! Chapter 36: The Ending Screen and Rewards Chapter 36: The Ending Screen and Rewards Suspended mid-air, Liu Xing nced around but didn''t see Bai Hecheng or the others¡ªit seemed everyone''s ending was experienced in solitude. To Liu Xing, it was like watching a movie sped up tenfold; he watched as the van hurried into the city of Manchester, only to be stopped by traffic police. After all, there was a person tied to the roof of the van, which clearly spelled trouble. At this point, KP004 took on the role of a narrator, "Upon arriving in Manchester, Liu Xing and his group were stopped by the traffic police for questioning. Liu Xing recounted the events that transpired in EinsCastle, including how Gary had threatened him with a handgun. It was during this interrogation that Isabe suddenly revealed to the police that Gary was in fact a serial killer who preyed on foreign tourists visiting the Castle. His modus operandi was to murder the tourists while they slept and then feed their bodies to the beasts he kept in the basement." "The police believed Isabe''s usations and took Liu Xing, the group, and Isabe to the police station. The Chief of Police, Chris, gave the matter his immediate attention. Over the past decade, Manchester had seen over a hundred cases of missing foreign tourists that had remained unsolved. So, Chief Chris quickly mobilized a police force to search EinsCastle, where they discovered the dismembered corpses of Gary and Old Wayne in a locked room, along with the opened entrance to a basement. The coroner''s assessment concluded that both had been attacked and killed by a beast, which had since vanished without a trace." "In the end, the police found a massive pile of human bones in the basement, alongside copious amounts of human blood and formalin-soaked human organs, and an indistinct magic circle. The police finally determined that Gary was the mastermind behind the disappearance of the hundreds of foreign tourists over the past decade, and his motive was to use their blood and organs in vile magical rituals." "However, there was a peculiar discovery: in the northeast corner of the basement was a small room resembling a bedroom, showing signs of human activity, but in extreme disrepair, likely untouched for over a decade. Scattered about were copious amounts of hair, clearly not human, leading the police to suspect this was where Gary kept the beast." As KP004 narrated, Liu Xing witnessed all that was described, especially the corpses of Gary and Old Wayne. Even as a medical student ustomed to cadavers, the sight was enough to make Liu Xing feel queasy; their deaths were too gruesome, the bodies left in a state of violent disarray... And in the basement of the Castle, the mountainous pile of human skeletons was staggering; Liu Xing estimated that they could form at least a thousand skeletons, clearly including the mysterious army that had vanished a century ago. On an adjacent rack, hundreds of jars of various sizes contained human organs preserved in formalin. Liu Xing noticed some of the organs were iplete, as if gnawed on by beasts, leading him to surmise that this so-called beast could very well be a Ghoul. In the Cthulhu Mythos, Ghouls are not what one might find in other novels and games. Ghouls here possess human intelligence, exhibiting a high degree of sociability and organization. In their youth, they can have star-level appearances, allowing them to live, reproduce, and seek food within human society. However, once they reach a certain age, the appearance of an average Ghoul deteriorates rapidly, aging and turning hideously ugly¡ªa sight so disturbing that it could erode one''s sanity (SAN). At that point, they tend to withdraw from the human world and return to their secluded settlements, often located beneath graveyards. Presently, Liu Xing had never anticipated that Gary could actually tame a Ghoul to serve him. However, in the end, Gary was killed by the very Ghoul he controlled. Old Wayne, after great effort in uncovering the entrance to the basement, met the same fate at the hands of the Ghoul. Isabe, having sold EinsCastle, used the proceeds topensate the victims'' families. By chance, Chief Chris and his wife, who were childless, decided to adopt Isabe. Liu Xing and the others, being semi-victims themselves and having rescued Isabe, assisted the police in solving hundreds of missing persons cases. As a result, they earned the friendship of the Manchester Police Department and the gratitude of Chief Chris. Subsequently, Liu Xing and hispanions prepared to return to China. As Liu Xing''s vision blurred, he found himself in the airport''s waiting lounge, "himself" bidding farewell to Isabe and Chief Chris. Liu Xing, observing his own interactions with others from a detached perspective, felt there was something peculiar about it. While Liu Xing watched "himself" and "Wang Qi" among others heading to the boarding gate, Isabe suddenly turned around, looked at Liu Xing, and with a smile said, "Thank you, you fool." Before Liu Xing could grasp the situation, everything around him vanished as if erased by a giant eraser. Suddenly, a man in a gue Bird Mask and ck attire appeared before Liu Xing. "Hello, Liu Xing. Congrattions on sessfullypleting the Cthulhu RPG Game and achieving the Hidden Ending. With a team contribution rate of 42%, you have be the MVP of this Cthulhu RPG Game. Thus, I am personally here to conduct your reward settlement." Liu Xing recognized from the voice that this person was KP004. "Now, let''s proceed with the basic reward settlement of this Cthulhu RPG Game. First and foremost are the points. You will receive 120 points, of which 60 are the basicpletion points, 30 are the MVP reward points, and thest 30 are for aplishing the Hidden Ending." "Next is thework reward associated with your character card. You have obtained the personal contact details of Isabe and Chris (the Chief of the Manchester Police and Isabe''s current foster father). When using this character card, after a sessful Luck Check, you may contact Isabe or Chris for assistance. The sess rate of such help will be determined by the favorability between you and them. Currently, Isabe''s favorability towards you is at 20, while Chris''s is at 50." "Lastly, your skill growth within this Cthulhu RPG Game. Your psychology skill has increased by 1 point. Now, please roll a 1d20 dice to determine the growth of your Lockpicking Skill." As soon as KP004 finished speaking, a twenty-sided die appeared in Liu Xing''s hand. Without overthinking, Liu Xing tossed the die¡ªa 10. Chapter 37: Gary and Isabellas Character Cards Chapter 37: Gary and Isabe''s Character Cards "OK, your Lockpicking Skill will increase by 10 points," KP004 dered with a grand gesture, making the dice vanish into thin air. "Now, as the MVP of this Cthulhu RPG Game, you may ask me three questions. However, these questions must pertain to the content of this Cthulhu RPG Game. Plus, you get a bonus¡ªyou''ll be privy to the questions other yers have asked, as well as their answers." After finishing his statement, KP004 snapped his fingers, and sofas appeared before him and Liu Xing, along with a small table set between them, bearing two cups of tea and an assortment of fine pastries. Without any hesitation, Liu Xing took a seat on the sofa, sipped the tea, and then addressed KP004, "KP, may I take a moment to think about what questions I want to ask?" KP004 nodded with a smile, shrugged in a nonchnt manner, and replied, "Of course. You can take all day to ponder if you wish¡ªI''m here to apany you through the process. Just a friendly reminder though, you are currently in the Ghoul area, and each Cthulhu RPG Game session consumes a fixed hour of real time. The settlement time we are in now will resynchronize with real time. You understand what I mean, right?" Liu Xing nodded andmenced pondering, or rather, organizing his thoughts about the doubts that had arisen from this session of the Cthulhu RPG Game. Firstly, he pondered why Gary and Old Wayne were killed by the Ghoul. Liu Xing had some theories¡ªinitially, Gary had left the second floor and proceeded to the locked room, then entered the basement, possibly to check if it had been discovered by his party. However, he was identally locked in the basement by Bai Hecheng. Upon hearing the electric door mechanism, Old Wayne realized that their group was nning to leave EinsCastle and went looking for Gary, only to find him trapped. Old Wayne then managed to rescue Gary, but shortly thereafter, they were both killed by the Ghoul. What Liu Xing couldn''t understand was why the Ghoul, which Gary, a Wizard, had supposedly tamed and controlled for decades ording to Isabe, would suddenly go berserk and kill Gary and Old Wayne. His second quandary was about the game''s ending scene¡ªwhy did Isabe suddenly turn around and speak those words in his direction? Considering Isabe and Chris''s favorability towards him, Isabe, with only 20 points of favorability, seemed to harbor little affection for him, perhaps even... Liu Xing had an inkling that he had been used by Isabe! Moreover, Liu Xing''s current feelings towards Isabe were nowhere near as intense as they had been during the game. In the game, Liu Xing felt like a lover in the throes of passion, eager to stay by Isabe''s side forever, even at the risk of beingbeled a "lolicon" (through the fog), whereas now, Liu Xing merely thought of Isabe as a nice little girl, someone approachable and likeable. Why was there such a discrepancy in his feelings towards Isabe? Suddenly, an idea struck Liu Xing, and he turned to KP004, "KP, I would like to see Gary and Isabe''s character cards. Is that possible?" KP004 stroked his chin and responded, "That''s possible, but it''ll count as two questions!" Liu Xing nodded in agreement, knowing that by viewing Gary and Isabe''s character cards, he would be able to uncover the truth. "OK, here are the character cards for Gary and Isabe." KP004 produced a tabletputer, and on its screen were disyed the character cards for Gary and Isabe. Name: Gary upation: Wizard ce of Birth: Eins Vige, Ennd Gender: Male Age: 125 years old Strength: 60 Constitution: 60 Willpower: 80 Luck: 60 Dexterity: 60 Appearance: 80 Size: 50 Intelligence: 80 Inspiration: 99 Education: 99 Knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos: 35 Sanity Points: 10 (Locked) HP: 11 MP: 35/99 Skills: Psychology 85, Spot Hidden 70, Listen 60, Persuade 65, Handgun 50, ult 99. Special Skills: Eternal Bloodline 90, Summoning/Banishing Cthulhu''s Projection 70, Sealing Magic 80. Personal Items: Handgun (7 bullets), Pocket Watch, Sunsses. Rtive: Isabe (Sister) Name: Isabe upation: Wizard (Seal Breaker) ce of Birth: Eins Vige, Ennd Gender: Female Age: 113 years old Strength: 30 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 90 Dexterity: 50 Appearance: 100 Size: 30 Intelligence: 99 Inspiration: 99 Education: 99 Knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos: 55 Sanity Points: 50 HP: 7 MP: 10/99 Skills: Listen 99, Spot Hidden 60, Charm 99, Persuade 80, ult 99. Special Skills: Eternal Bloodline 99, Control Ghoul 90. Personal Items: Ne for Breaking Seals, Bewitching Incense. Rtives: Chris (Foster Father), Mary (Foster Mother) Upon reviewing the character cards of Gary and Isabe, Liu Xing finally understood everything. Firstly, Gary and Isabe''s family has a lineage of Wizards, and three hundred years ago, their ancestors acquired a scroll of parchment detailing the spells for summoning and banishing the projection of Cthulhu. A century ago, Gary learned the spells from this parchment, and together with Isabe, they used missing English soldiers as sacrifices to summon the projection of Cthulhu. In return, they received the boon of the Eternal Bloodline spell from Cthulhu''s projection. This is why Gary and Isabe have lived until now without significant changes in their appearance. Additionally, they both acquired a new spell each ¡ª Sealing Magic for Gary and Ghoul Control for Isabe. Moreover, Isabe was granted a beauty beyond human limits (as the maximum human attribute is 99). At some point, for reasons unknown, a conflict may have arisen between Gary and Isabe, resulting in Gary sealing Isabe in her own room. The item that could break the seal was the ne inside the picture frame. However, it seems Gary''s Sealing Magic could only confine Isabe within the room without stripping away her powers. Thus, Isabe, from somewhere, managed to control a Ghoul, making Gary believe that this Ghoul was loyal to him. Consequently, he nurtured the Ghoul, relying on its help for more efficient murder. After all, the Eternal Bloodline spell clearly required human blood to cast, and presumably not in small amounts. Chapter 38: Return to Reality Chapter 38: Return to Reality Isabe, however, was no fool. With an intelligence that had reached the human pinnacle of 99, she was well aware that if she manipted the Ghoul to kill Gary, she would be trapped in the room due to Gary''s sealing spell, ultimately facing a grim fate of starvation. Thus, Isabe decided to employ seduction against Gary. After all, her charm surpassed human limits, her every word and gesture naturally imbued with an enthralling effect. Coupled with her seduction skills, also at the height of 99, beguiling an ordinary human like Liu Xing was a trifle, not even requiring a check to automatically seed. But Gary was no ordinary human; he was a Wizard. And he had always been on guard against Isabe''s charms. Hence, whenever he went to see Isabe, he would choose to wear sunsses. By not gazing directly upon Isabe''s visage, her seduction became futile (in the setting of the Cthulhu RPG Game, many spells require face-to-face interaction to seed, a point much worthy of critique). Stripped of her seductive powers, Isabe was powerless before Gary. Therefore, the only option left for Isabe was toy low, feign weakness, and by doing so, Gary, always mindful of their sibling rtionship, sustained Isabe with the blood of eternal life. Of course, Isabe never revealed her ability to control Ghouls. Gary had always believed that the Ghoul was drawn by his charismatic charm, opting to serve him, thus keeping this ticking time bomb at his side, which eventually led to his downfall. Finally, Isabe''s opportunity came when Liu Xing and his group arrived at EinsCastle. With a listening skill at 99 points, Isabe could discern the movements of Liu Xing''s party by sound alone, which was why Gary said to Isabe, "I know you have excellent hearing; you must know who has been to the second floor." Hence, the sound of Liu Xing ascending to the second floor did not escape Isabe. As Liu Xing approached her door, Isabe had already devised a n, a n to break free from her shackles! And so, Liu Xing was greeted by a pitiable figure, Isabe ying the part of a little girl, which,bined with her bewitching potion, ensnared Liu Xing the moment heid eyes upon her in the room. Isabe''s words led him to believe she was Gary''s daughter, and his own mind conjured up numerous details to persuade himself of this narrative. Isabe''s n proceeded smoothly. She had Liu Xing fetch a ne that could lift the seal, and upon leaving EinsCastle, shemanded the Ghoul to kill both Gary and Old Wayne. She then sessfully shifted the me for the deaths of foreign travelers onto Gary, clearing her own name and attaining her freedom. Liu Xing, upon reflection, felt his conjectures were near the mark. Yet now he felt a stifling frustration, realizing he had been merely a tool for Isabe''s use, which exined why her favorability towards him was a mere 20. After all, who would feel grateful towards an instrument of their own maniption? Liu Xing felt an immense pressure as he thought back on how he had been proudly convinced of his heroic act, saving a lovely little girl, only to realize he had been taken for a ride by an old witch over a century old. Overwhelmed, he found himself at a loss for words. Indeed, the truth is always more brutal than a lie. Liu Xing let out a resigned sigh, deciding to ask KP004 his final question, "KP004, may I take a look at Bai Hecheng''s character card?" Liu Xing had always sensed that something was off with Bai Hecheng. After all, in a life-or-death Cthulhu RPG Game, Bai Hecheng acted carefree to the point of recklessness, causing trouble everywhere without any concern for his own survival. His behavior went beyond optimistic to the point of suspicion. Liu Xing was convinced there had to be an issue! Moreover, if Liu Xing remembered correctly, Bai Hecheng''s inspiration was also quite high, reaching 70. It is well-known within the Cthulhu RPG Gamemunity that yers have developed a strategy which suggests that, unless you''re extremely unlucky, an attribute or skill around 70 points almost guarantees sess in checks. However, KP004 shook his head and replied, "I''m sorry, but you can only choose to view two pieces of information from another yer''s character card." Liu Xing nodded in understanding, aware that character cards were a yer''s trump card, and nobody would be willing toy theirs bare for all to see. "Then, KP, please tell me Bai Hecheng''s SAN value and identity." After thinking it over, Liu Xing concluded these two details about Bai Hecheng were what he wanted to know the most. KP004 smiled and nodded, "Good thinking. I''ll tell you, Bai Hecheng''s SAN value is currently 5, and his identity is that of a zealot. Moreover, I can offer you an additional piece of intelligence - Bai Hecheng has already begun the process of ghoulish transformation!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise; Bai Hecheng was even more deranged than he had imagined¡ªa zealot with a single-digit SAN value undergoing ghoulish transformation! Who knows what Bai Hecheng had been through. Yet Liu Xing reckoned he probably would not see Bai Hecheng again (the g was already raised), because he had heard from an administrator named Du Liu within the club that the team wipeout and mortality rates in the Cthulhu RPG Game were extremely high. Furthermore, with a vast yer base in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, it was nearly impossible to meet again with yers you''ve previously adventured with. Therefore, Liu Xing figured that, given Bai Hecheng''s current state, it was likely that in the next Cthulhu RPG Game, he would either die or go mad, especially since Bai Hecheng, with only 5 points of SAN left, was hardly distinguishable from a madman. What surprised Liu Xing, however, was that after he had lost a point of SAN value himself, he had felt a certain loss, yet Bai Hecheng, who joined this Cthulhu RPG Game with just over ten SAN points, managed to act almost like a normal person. Could it be that Bai Hecheng was acting purely on instinct? Since he could not continue to question KP004, Liu Xing could only bury his doubts deep within his heart. "Well then, let me tell you the questions and answers of the other yers, and then you can return to the real world," KP004 stood up, stretchingzily, "Bai Hecheng''s question was about what happens if a yer''s SAN value drops to zero, the answer is they will go mad permanently and remain in the Cthulhu RPG Game; Wang Qi asked if there would be any penalty for attacking or even killing a teammate, the answer is there are no real ''teammates'' in the Cthulhu RPG Game, and as long as you have a valid reason, you can attack or even kill other yers without penalty; Chen Ling asked if it''s possible to modify a character''s background, the answer is that a character''s background will change with each Cthulhu RPG Game''s setting; as for Wang Siyi, she had no questions." Once KP004 finished speaking, Liu Xing''s vision blurred, and he found himself once again back in reality. Chapter 39: Interlude of Growth Chapter 39: Interlude of Growth Once a stranger, twice familiar. Liu Xing returned to reality once more, stretchingzily ¨C it felt so good to be alive. Theputer screen disyed the current data of Liu Xing''s character card. Name: Liu Xing upation: Doctor Education: Graduate ce of Birth: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Background: An ordinary doctor who, during a vacation in Ennd, assisted the police in solving over a hundred cold case disappearances. Not only did he receive a substantial reward, but he also gained coverage in the domestic media, bing quite famous back home. Strength: 55 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 50 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 1 Sanity Points: 78/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit Rating: 50+10 (Temporary buff forpleting the Hidden Ending,sts for three sessions of the Cthulhu RPG Game) Skills: Medicine 78, First Aid 80, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Jump 70, Spot Hidden 40, Persuade 60, Lockpicking 11. Personal Items: Cellphone, a bottle of ancestral green tea, candy given by Director Ke. Rtionships: Isabe (20), Chris (50) Assets: 500,000 Cash: 50,000+10,000 (Reward from Manchester Police) Points: 139 Liu Xing examined his character card. There wasn''t much difference from the beginning, except for the loss of two Sanity Points, the addition of a Lockpicking Skill, and a slight improvement in Psychology. Of course, because Liu Xing achieved the Hidden Ending by helping Isabe kill Gary and regain her freedom, he managed to pin the me for the hundred-plus disappearances, or rather murders, on Gary. As a result, he received a reward from the Manchester Police and coverage in the domestic media, which led to a sudden spike in reputation, hence the +10 temporary buff to his Credit Rating. The 139 points made Liu Xing raise his eyebrows in relief ¨C after all, it meant he could spend over four months in real time before having to return to this damned Cthulhu RPG Game to face death once more. However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something ¨C what about the promised interlude of growth? He had thought it would take ce within the game itself. After closing the character card, Liu Xing was greeted with a new window brimming with a myriad of options¡ªapparently, the interface for interlude growth. Liu Xing had three opportunities for interlude growth, allowing him to select three options from the jumbled array to enhance his character during these breaks. A cursory nce at the choices confirmed the game''smitment to realism¡ªnearly nine out of ten options for interlude growth were tied to money. For instance: Enrolling in an Englishnguage course required 5000 cash, providing the skill ''Other Language: English'' with a value of 5d6 and a 10% chance of an unexpected oue. Attending a driving school demanded 10000 cash, awarding a driving skill valued at 5d8, with a 20% ident rate. Joining the New Western Cooking School cost 3000 cash, granting cooking skills with a 6d6 value and a 20% ident rate. These types of interlude growth were akin to purchasing skills by spending a substantial amount of cash from one''s character card, reminiscent of buying skill books in other games. Besides these, there were advanced training options, which cost less cash but required meeting certain prerequisites to enhance existing skills on the character card, like: Overseas hospital training programs, costing 1000 cash and requiring a Medical skill of 70, could boost the Medical skill by 1d6, with a 25% chance of an incident. Joining an emergency medical department with a First Aid skill of 70 could increase the skill by 1d6, with a 20% incident rate. Self-taught public speaking required 500 cash and a Persuasion skill of 40, enhancing Persuasion by 1d4, with a 5% incident rate. Beyond these two categories, there were special interlude growth options, which left Liu Xing speechless: Arranged marriage required 50000 cash, with prerequisites of 500000 in assets and a formal upation, granting a spouse but with a 50% mishap rate. Inheriting an overseas fortune needed 10000 cash, with the next Cthulhu RPG Game taking ce abroad, providing assets worth 1d1000000, but with a 50% mishap rate. Changing careers cost 20000 cash, with a prerequisite of reaching 50 in other upational skills to switch careers, with a 0% mishap rate. Psychological therapy required 10000 cash, with a prerequisite SAN value of 50 points or above, restoring 2d3 SAN points, with a 0% mishap rate. Despite the dubious nature of options like arranged marriage, the guide revealed its critical importance for yers; a married yer could recover 1d3 SAN points during each interlude growth, gain a random skill point increase, and, in certain special modules, choose to bring the spouse along, effectively gaining an assistant. However, the death of a spouse would cost the yer 2d6 SAN points. Apart from special growth like arranged marriages, yers could also romance and marry NPCs in-game to acquire a spouse. As for inheriting foreign estates, it was essentially gambling, which, besides the risk of losses, necessitated participating in a Cthulhu RPG Game abroad, potentially in a random country. The stakes increased if the location was a remote African country like Equatorial Guinea or a war-torn nation like Syria. The incident rates mentioned at the end of each growth option represented the likelihood of triggering unexpected events¡ªgood or bad. For instance, a fortunate event during English training might reveal a remarkable talent, leading to an ''Other Language: English'' skill valued at 10d6. Conversely, a bad event could mean enrolling in a fraudulent course, resulting in nonguage acquisition at all. After careful consideration, Liu Xing decided to y it safe and chose "Joining an emergency medical department," "Enrolling in an Englishnguage course," and "Attending driving school" for his interlude growth. As a doctor by trade, enhancing his primary skill of First Aid was paramount¡ªthe higher, the better, with the added bonus of a SAN reward for reaching a 90-point mastery. In the Cthulhu RPG Gamemunity, it''s widely epted that achieving a skill level of 90 denotes mastery in that field, which naturally bolsters one''s confidence and SAN. While Liu Xing had always been skeptical of this notion, it was so universally espoused that he too hade to ept it as true. Chapter 40: Reflection Chapter 40: Reflection After confirming the interlude growth of his character card, Liu Xing nned to exit the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. However, at that moment, he received a message from someone named "Boys are True Love" (a newly promoted manager making a cameo from the book club group). A chill went down Liu Xing''s spine upon seeing this ID¡ªcould it be that someone had taken an interest in him? Despite his trepidation, Liu Xing opened the message, as he didn''t expect to receive any spam in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. He quickly realized that the ID belonged to Chen Ling. Since both Liu Xing and Chen Ling were members of the same club, Chen Ling had gotten hold of Liu Xing''s ID through an administrator named Du Liu. Chen Ling''s message to Liu Xing was a simple request: to give him a heads-up before starting the next session of the Cthulhu RPG Game, offering them another chance to coborate. After all, Chen Ling had witnessed Liu Xing''s capabilities firsthand. In thisst game, Liu Xing had almost single-handedly driven the narrative forward, making him the uncontested MVP of the session. Liu Xing also recognized Chen Ling as a valuable teammate. First and foremost, Chen Ling''s profession as a veteran made him a ssicbat role, perfectlyplementing Liu Xing''s support role. Moreover, Chen Ling''s character wasmendable, willing to make sacrifices for the team (such as taking care of Bai Hecheng). The only thing that gave Liu Xing pause was Chen Ling''s ID, which made him somewhat wary since Liu Xing was straight. Nevertheless, Liu Xing responded to Chen Ling, expressing that he had greatly enjoyed their cooperation and agreed to notify him before the next Cthulhu RPG Gamemenced. After responding, Liu Xing closed the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and, following a shower,y in bed to mull over the details of the gaming session, assessing his gains and losses. This habit of reflection, influenced by his grandfather, led Liu Xing to review and contemte the lessons learned from significant events, especially in the quiet of the night. For instance, Liu Xing recognized that at the beginning of this Cthulhu RPG Game, he maintained a high level of vignce. He even suspected the tavern owner might try to sabotage him, given the owner''s possession of an EinsCastle pass¡ªclearly indicating some unspeakable connection with the lord of the Castle. Thus, after leaving EinsCastle, Liu Xing opted not to let Chen Ling drive back to the Eins vige. Instead, they took the highway back to Manchester, fearing an ambush possibly orchestrated by the tavern owner at the behest of someone named Gary. However, as the game progressed and everything seemed to go smoothly, Liu Xing let his guard down. Thispse in vignce urred when they ascended to the second floor of the Castle''s main building, leaving him utterly unprepared for Isabe''s charm. Of course, Liu Xing mused that no matter how cautious he might have been, resisting Isabe''s allure would have likely been impossible. Reflecting on Isabe''s enchantment, Liu Xing thought he should have recognized something was amiss, considering his preference for mature women. How could he have so easily betrayed his beliefs and fallen for the charms of a younger girl? Just kidding, in actuality, when Liu Xing passed the inspiration check and realized there was something off about the picture frame, he should have suspected that something was amiss with Isabe. After all, at that time, Liu Xing was unaware that Isabe had been sealed in the room by Gary. Therefore, when Isabe did not leave the room with him at first and instead asked him to bring the picture frame up to her, Liu Xing feels that he should have harbored some doubts. Such suspicions might have led him to uncover Isabe''s odd behavior. Regrettably, he was too eager to leave EinsCastle at that time and didn''t think too much of it. By the time it came to leave EinsCastle, Liu Xing failed to notice the locked room twice, the door of which was ajar. Fortunately, Bai Hecheng''s fool''s luck came through when he closed the basement entrance, because if Gary had left the basement and pursued them, even with Isabe controlling a Ghoul to attack Gary, they likely would have suffered a loss of some SAN points. Liu Xing even suspects that with Isabe''s sly and malicious nature, it''s quite possible she would havemanded the Ghoul to kill them all! In summary, although he safely got through the Cthulhu RPG Game this time, many issues were revealed, and on several asions, he nearly met his demise. The reason was his ownck of caution, forgetting that he was in the Cthulhu mythos world where his life could be snatched away at any moment. Moreover, Liu Xing realized another problem: in the Cthulhu RPG Game, he had overlooked the threat posed by his own teammates. Bai Hecheng is a prime example¡ªa yer with a SAN value just above ten is undoubtedly a ticking time bomb for the team. Although Bai Hecheng didn''t "explode" this time, he still caused quite a bit of trouble for Liu Xing and the others. This made Liu Xing remind himself that in the next Cthulhu RPG Game, he must be wary of his teammates. After reflecting on these events, even though it was just past seven in the evening, Liu Xing chose to go to sleep, considering he had "spent" over ten hours in the Cthulhu RPG Game and was mentally exhausted. April 1st, April Fool''s Day. Liu Xing had just gotten out of bed when he received a call from Wu Lei, "Liu Xing,e to the board game store and rescue me; I''m trapped here by a group of Ghouls!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn''t actually seen a Ghoul¡­ well, he hadn''t truly seen one, but he had seen a body bitten by one. So, Liu Xing responded, "Hey Wu Lei, I''ve found a real Cthulhu RPG Game where you can y like in the Main God Space. Want to give it a try?" "Cut it out, your April Fool''s joke is way too fake. Anyway, I''ve got to go back to my hometown for ancestor worship now, bye." With that, Wu Lei hung up. Liu Xing put down his phone, smiling helplessly. What he had said was actually true. However, it indeed was only three days until the Qingming Festival, and Liu Xing had to return to his hometown for the ancestral rituals as well. Thus, Liu Xing packed a few clothes and returned home. This time, bringing home a few thousand yuan and gifts for his parents, he imed it was his sry from the new hospital, so his father didn''t have any moreints. April 4th, Qingming Festival. After paying homage to his ancestors, Liu Xing returned to his rented apartment. After all, the Qingming Festival gift package had just beenunched at the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Chapter 41: Qingming Festival Gift Pack and Promotion Game Chapter 41: Qingming Festival Gift Pack and Promotion Game Liu Xing powered on hisputer, navigated to the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, and headed straight to the main section to ess the Shop Interface. Upon entering the Shop Interface, a pop-up advertisement immediately caught his eye, promoting the "Cthulhu Qingming Festival Gift Pack" that Shan He had mentioned before. After reading about the "Cthulhu Qingming Festival Gift Pack," Liu Xing realized that it was not like the typical starter packs with random item pools. Instead, it guaranteed three items for the price of 100 points. Liu Xing checked his points bnce; he had 135 points left. Purchasing the "Cthulhu Qingming Festival Gift Pack" would leave him with only 35 points, which was just enough for him to linger in the real world for a little over a month. However, Liu Xing had no ns to stay in the real world that long. After all, the saying goes ''the sooner you die, the sooner you reincarnate...''¡ªno, that was not it. Liu Xing was coerced into this situation! Just two days ago, while ying Overwatch at home, his phone had started vibrating intensely. In the midst of a group fight, he ignored the phone, thinking it was malfunctioning due to the persistent vibration. But when he finally checked it, to his surprise, it was a message from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. "Congrattions to yer Old Chinese Doctor for your outstanding performance in the scenario¡ªCastle Lord. You''ve earned the right to Advance to the Shoggoth Region. Please begin your three promotion games within the next half month. After sessfullypleting two of these promotion games, you will ascend to the Shoggoth Region. Should you die or drop out in your first promotion game, your card will not be torn. If you fail toplete your promotion games within half a month, this will be considered passive gaming, and your Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall ount will be suspended for one year." It was a best-of-three promotion match, but Liu Xing hadn''t anticipated that just one session of Cthulhu RPG Game could propel him towards advancement. However, it made sense. Cthulhu RPG Game was unlike other games¡ªit didn''t require umting gear or experience. For a dice maiden, skill improvement was trivial. Even with all skills at 99, a roll of 100 could still spell doom... The half-month time limit imposed made Liu Xing ufortable. Regardless of whether he advanced or not, failing toplete the promotion games meant facing a one-year ban, which, Liu Xing felt, was essentially a covert penalty of 365 points. Such a punishment was uneptable to Liu Xing. So, after purchasing the "Cthulhu Qingming Festival Gift Pack," he decided to start his first promotion game. As for telling Chen Ling before running the group, Liu Xing figured it could be skipped this time, since yers in promotion games probably wouldn''t be matched with those in ordinary Cthulhu RPG Games. With that thought, Liu Xing didn''t hesitate any further and clicked to purchase the "Cthulhu Qingming Festival Gift Pack." "Qingming Rain can inflict 1d3 points of damage on a mythical creature with physical immunity effects and has a chance to reduce the mythical creature''s movement speed by 50%." "Qingming Festival offerings serve as a universalponent for any Summoning Ritual required." "Upon opening a Qingming oil-paper umbre, there is a 50% chance that a mythical creature will overlook your presence for the duration of 2d6 minutes. The duration is inversely proportional to the level of the mythical creature; the higher the level, the shorter the duration. After the time expires, the Qingming oil-paper umbre will self-immte." Liu Xing''s eyes lit up, and he thought to himself with satisfaction, ''Shan He has indeed been truthful to me; this "Cthulhu Qingming Festival Gift Pack" is truly remarkable, with three incredibly useful items.'' First, there''s the Qingming Rain, a fragile-looking bubble containing a droplet of water - clearly a throwable weapon capable of inflicting damage on mythical creatures immune to physical harm! For ordinary yers who can only resort to physical means tobat mythical creatures, those immune to physical damage are virtually invincible since so few yers are adept at spellcasting. Thus, Liu Xing regards Qingming Rain as a talisman, ensuring he stands a fighting chance against creatures like the Formless Son (a subordinate of Azathoth, known as Azathoth''s ''Spawn'', an amorphous slime monster that attacks with tentacles). And the Qingming offerings are even more precious. In the world of Cthulhu RPGs, rituals for the summoning of Eldritch Gods are frequent, and virtually every game involves some ritual, such as the one at EinsCastle, intended to summon a projection of Cthulhu. These rituals always require specific offerings, and yers might lose or miss them during certain quests. Without the proper offerings, rituals could fail, potentially leading to a total annihtion ending or forcing yers to have a "face-to-face exchange" with a formidable foe. In such cases, the Qingming offerings could be a game-changer. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but criticize the gruesome appearance of the Qingming offerings, which, put bluntly, resemble a bloody lump of flesh... As for the final item, the Qingming oil-paper umbre looks like an ordinary umbre but is adorned with peculiar patterns that grant it the power to confer temporary invisibility upon its bearer. Contentedly, Liu Xing decided to ce all three items in his character card''s personal inventory to ensure their avability during the tabletop game sessions. After purchasing the "Cthulhu Qingming Festival Gift Pack," Liu Xing took a deep breath, clicked to start the game, and embarked on his first promotion game, reassured by the fact that a failure wouldn''t result in his character being torn apart. However, it seemed that few were participating in the promotion game, as Liu Xing waited over ten minutes without the game starting... Just as Liu Xing was grumbling about the game''s sluggishness, it officiallymenced! But before delving into the game, Liu Xing was directed to a growth settlement page of the intermission. "Entered the Emergency Department, no incidents urred, First Aid skill increased by 3 points." "Attended an English training ss, no incidents urred, acquired skill¡ªOther Language: English 22." "Underwent car driving training, an unexpected event¡ª''Veteran Driver Takes You for a Spin''. Since your driving instructor used to shuttle on Qingcheng Mountain with a Mitsubishi Delica, your driving skills are now exceptional, hence you''ve acquired the Driving skill at 50." Looking at thest entry of his intermission growth, Liu Xing found himself caught betweenughter and tears. Chapter 42: Unforeseen Circumstances Chapter 42: Unforeseen Circumstances Overall, Liu Xing was extremely satisfied with his interim development this time around. His First Aid skill and proficiency in English had grown impressively, and his driving ability had surged to a score of 50 ¡ª a respectable level within the Cthulhu RPG Game that would, at the very least, ensure he wouldn''t lose control of a vehicle. After concluding his interim growth, Liu Xing formally entered his first promotion game. Scenario: The Harvest Festival Difficulty: Moderate Number of yers: Six Story Background: In a county town of Shudu, the once-a-year Harvest Festival was being celebrated at the town center''s Crane Pavilion. The town''s popce gathered together for the festivity, but amongst the older generation of the town, the Harvest Festival was shrouded in mythological hues... yer''s character card: Name: Liu Xing upation: Doctor Education: Graduate ce of Birth: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Background: Born into a family with a legacy in traditional Chinese medicine, Liu Xing was immersed in the study of the field from a young age. As a result, even at a tender age, he possessed notable medical skills and pursued knowledge in psychology during his university years. Although Liu Xing''s physical constitution left something to be desired, hepensated with an exceptional ability to jump, dominating the high jump events in his university athleticspetitions against his male peers. Connection to this scenario: After returning to China from Ennd, Liu Xing became a media sensation and was soon recognized andmended by the oblivious hospital director. As a means of rxation, the director granted Liu Xing a half-month paid leave. During his paid leave, Liu Xing took the opportunity to enroll in Englishnguage and driving sses. In thest three days of his holiday, Liu Xing, along with five friends he met online, decided to attend the Harvest Festival in a county town near Rongcheng ¡ª their first offline meet-up. Character Attributes: Strength: 55 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Dexterity: 50 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos: 1 Sanity Points: 78/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Skills: First Aid 83, Medicine 78, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuasion 60, Spot Hidden 40, Jump 70, Other Languages: English 22, Driving 50. It was the familiar blurring before his eyes, and when Liu Xing regained his senses, he found himself right in the midst of the bustling Harvest Festival. Greetings, yers, I am the KP Cao for this promotion game (making a guest appearance as the designated daredevil in the group chat). As a KP who enjoys pleasure, I expect you to please me with your actions. Naturally, I''m not unreasonably demanding; if you can persuade me, certain rules can be overlooked." A sly male voice reached Liu Xing''s ears, giving him the impression that this person was somewhat perverse. "Additionally, a little reminder: our promotion game takes ce in summer. Hence, I would advise you to discard any cumbersome personal items now. Should you insist on carrying any inappropriate items, I will need to perform a necessary check when wemence the story, and you will bear the consequences," KP Cao finished, and all of Liu Xing''s personal belongings appeared before him, along with a trash bin. Clearly, this was the "removal" in action. After some thought, Liu Xing decided to discard his Qingming paper umbre and Qingming festival offerings in the trash bin. After all, it was awkward for a man to carry a paper umbre during the summer festival, and the offerings were not exactly ttering to look at. Without a backpack to store the offerings and considering the possibility of rming the well-meaning public to call the police, it seemed wise to let them go. However, he chose to keep the bottle of ancestral green tea, which was only about 100 milliliters, in his pocket. Given the moderate difficulty of this promotion game, Liu Xing believed his SAN value was in grave danger and needed to be ready to restore it at any moment to avoid slipping into madness. Shortly thereafter, Liu Xing''s belongings and the trash bin vanished, and KP Cao''s smirking voice returned, "OK, time''s up. It seems one yer is ready to take a gamble. I shall indulge you. We now begin the lead-in to the story. You have twenty minutes before the scheduled meeting at the entrance to the festival, so feel free to roam. A friendly tip: the mission in this promotion game is triggered by events, so I hope you''ll trigger our mission while enjoying the festival." After KP Cao''s instructions, Liu Xing regained control of his body, now dressed in summer attire. In his left pocket was the ancestral green tea, while his right pocket held his phone, Cthulhu candies, and Qingming Rain. With twenty minutes of free time, Liu Xing surveyed the bustling festival crowd, taking in the Harvest Festival''syout. The Harvest Festival was divided into two areas: one was the Xianhe Guan on the hill, requiring a climb of hundreds of stairs ¡ª apparently a ce for incense and prayer; the other was the myriad of street stalls at the base of Xianhe Guan, with food stalls selling stir-fried noodles and Toffee Apples to the left, and game stalls offering air rifle balloon shooting and goldfish scooping to the right. Liu Xing reasoned that since the scenario was named after the Harvest Festival, Xianhe Guan should hold information about the festival and was likely the ce to trigger the mission. Thus, Liu Xing decided to head to Xianhe Guan first. Blending in with the tourists, Liu Xing ascended to Xianhe Guan. Xianhe Guan turned out to be a small Taoist templeprising two structures. Inside the main temple, Liu Xing discovered, to his dismay, a deity statue with a decidedly Cthulhuesque appearance ¡ª a face full of tentacles. In the temple, Liu Xing also noticed a stone tablet inscribed with the origin of the Harvest Festival. Just as Liu Xing was about to examine the stone tablet, the sound of dice hitting the floor echoed through the air, followed by a scream from outside the temple doors. Liu Xing knew then that a fellow yer had encountered trouble. He hurried outside the temple to find a young man in his twenties lying in agony on the steps, bloodied and still. And at the foot of the steps, Liu Xing saw a bloodstained scalpel. Liu Xing had a hunch about the unfortunate event that had befallen the yer... Chapter 43: The Origin of the Harvest Festival Chapter 43: The Origin of the Harvest Festival Liu Xing had already surmised how this yer had gotten injured. After all, KP Cao had just mentioned that in this promotion game, certain items were prohibited. Clearly, this included the blood-stained scalpel lying on the ground. If one insisted on carrying the knife, they would have to pass a corresponding check. The mantra remains: Cthulhu RPG Game is a game that prides itself on realism. The premise for this promotion game was set; all yers were inte acquaintances who had decided to meet up and attend this Harvest Festival. Therefore, there was no legitimate reason to bring a scalpel along. Moreover, there are various types of scalpels, and this particr one was of the longer variety. Given that KP Cao had decreed the game to take ce in summer, this yer, like Liu Xing, had been forced to "change attire" into shorts and short sleeves. Hence, to conceal the scalpel, the yer had no choice but to clip it at their waist. Just moments ago, this yer, sharing the same thought as Liu Xing, had intended to enter the temple to gather intelligence. Presumably, KP Cao had allowed the yer a chance at a lucky check, but the check failed. The yer likely slipped and fell, and the scalpel, being unsheathed and razor-sharp, naturally carved off that indescribable, unspeakable entity under KP Cao''s twisted sense of humor... In Cthulhu RPG Game, a keeper''s authority is immense, which allows multiple scenarios for KP Cao to choose from. For example, the scalpel could have merely wounded the leg, or it could have fallen out entirely. However, KP Cao opted for the most horrifying turn of events, suggesting that this yer''s character card might very well be altered in the future to reflect a change in gender to that of a eunuch... As Liu Xing pondered whether to administer first aid to the yer, several individuals dressed as doctors and nurses rushed out from behind the temple of the Crane Pavilion with a stretcher, quickly taking the injured yer away. Of course, they didn''t forget to collect the unnamable, indescribable object from the ground, likely to stitch it back together. "Well, yer Kite, due to carrying forbidden equipment and after failing two Luck Checks due to severe injuries, has indeed bad luck. How audacious to tempt fate in the Cthulhu RPG Game, young man, you are quite daring. Therefore, Kite has been taken by the medics, who were already prepared for the Harvest Festival, to the hospital for emergency treatment. As a result, yer Kite can no longer continue in this promotion game. I hereby announce yer Kite''s elimination from the game, and hope the rest of you will redouble your efforts and put on a good performance," KP Cao dered, not missing the chance to mock the yer named Kite as he was carried away, pronouncing his drop-out as a failure. Liu Xing stroked his chin, concluding that one certainly can''t afford to act recklessly in the Cthulhu RPG Game; a reckless act could indeed lead to real death. And this yer named Kite was truly unfortunate, having failed two Luck Checks, he was worse off than Bai Hecheng in terms of luck. As Liu Xing finished hismentary, ready to return to the temple to continue studying the stone tablet, KP Cao''s snide voice suddenly rang in his ear, "Liu Xing, seeing the terrible state of Kite and as you are both men, please make an inspiration check. If sessful, reduce one SAN point; if not, there''s no reduction." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in disbelief, wondering if the game master was indeed serious about this. To think that such a trivial matter could cause a loss of SAN points seemed a bit too harsh. Yet, as Liu Xing pondered, he realized there might be some truth to the game master''s words. After all, he did feel a chill run down his spine when he witnessed the gruesome fate of Kite just moments before. However, Liu Xing wasn''t prepared to lose SAN points over something so absurd, especially not in such a bizarre way. He quickly retorted to the game master, "Look, I''m an Emergency Room Doctor, and in thest Cthulhu RPG game, I''ve seen corpses mangled by Ghouls. I''m quite seasoned by now, so surely this shouldn''t cost me SAN points, right?" In a Cthulhu RPG game, the background on a character card isn''t just for show. Liu Xing''s character card noted his experience in the emergency department, where he routinely encountered all sorts of horrific injuries, including mangled flesh and severed limbs. Furthermore, in hisst Cthulhu RPG game, Liu Xing''s character had witnessed the remains of Gary and Old Wayne after a Ghoul attack. Armed with this logic, Liu Xing made apelling case that such a trivial scare shouldn''t result in a SAN loss. After a moment of contemtion, the game master conceded to Liu Xing''s argument, "Alright then, since you put it that way, I''ll let you off this time. Continue with your action." Relieved, Liu Xing acknowledged that the game master, while somewhat mischievous, was reasonable. It seemed that in this promotion game, he too could wield the art of persuasion against the game master. Liu Xing returned to the temple and approached the stone tablet, studying its inscriptions that detailed the origins of the Harvest Festival. "Long ago, this small county, limited by its insufficient and infertilends, could not sustain arge poption. Natural disasters such as droughts and locust gues would often result in a drastic reduction in food production, sometimes decimating the poption by more than half within a year. Thus, the area was known as a barrennd." "Over a thousand years ago, an official was assigned to govern this county, apanied by a Taoist friend, right when a severe drought had caused all the rivers to dry up." "After learning of the dire circumstances, the Taoist imed he had the means to alter their fate. He could not only bring rain to end the drought but also enrich thend, ensuring it would yield abundant harvests year after year." "Consequently, the official ordered the construction of the Crane Temple for the Taoist. Based on the Taoist''s design, the local carpenters carved a peculiar deity statue, a god long forgotten by the world. The Taoist had received the legacy of this deity in a dream, gaining the knowledge of a ritual for praying for favorable weather¡ªthe Harvest Festival." "Upon thepletion of the Crane Temple, the Taoist conducted the Harvest Festival. Suddenly, the clear skies turned overcast, and a deluge followed, just as the Taoist had promised. The drought ended, and miraculously, fertilend appeared after the heavy rain. Since then, the county has held the Harvest Festival annually, and each year brought a bountiful harvest." Chapter 44: Rendezvous Chapter 44: Rendezvous Clearly, the god named Suru mentioned in the stone tablet was none other than Cthulhu. As for the so-called "Dream Transmission," it was simply Cthulhu''s call. After a mentalmunion with the Taoist, Cthulhu imparted the ritual of the Harvest Festival, the price being that the residents of the small county town had all be followers of Cthulhu. For an Eldritch God of Cthulhu''s caliber, the presence or absence of worshippers was inconsequential, as his strength was not swayed by faith. However, no one would find being worshipped troublesome, and to Cthulhu, his followers were equivalent to a feast¡­ Yet, what puzzled Liu Xing at the moment was theck of detail on the stone tablet regarding the specific offerings required for the Harvest Festival. In Liu Xing''s opinion, the task for this promotion game would undoubtedly involve the offerings needed for the Harvest Festival, which now made him regret not bringing the Qingming Festival offerings with him. "Beep beep beep." Liu Xing''s phone suddenly rang. Opening it, he saw a message from someone named Akira Akashi, which suggested that this person was likely another yer. "Old Chinese Doctor, it''s time for our rendezvous. Hurry to the entrance of the Harvest Festival for the gathering." Liu Xing turned off his phone and headed towards the entrance of the Harvest Festival. In no time, Liu Xing arrived at the entrance, where the other four yers had already gathered¡ªtwo men and two women. He couldn''t help but notice that the two female yers were exceptionally beautiful, estimating that their app ratings would be around 80. However, to Liu Xing''s surprise, one of the women, who had a more mature appearance, seemed to be from Eastern Europe. Could it be that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall has reached international waters and gone global? Considering that the Cthulhu Mythos originated overseas and would naturally have arger audience there, Liu Xing felt it wasn''t strange to encounter foreign yers, which was bing increasinglymon. The other female yer, who appeared to be a high school student, was dressed in a kimono. Liu Xing figured she must be Akira Akashi, the one who had sent him the message, likely a person from the archipgo. Reflecting, Liu Xing recalled the Kite that had fallen away, who also seemed to be a foreigner. Liu Xing hadn''t expected to partake in this promotion game with internationalpanions. As for the two male yers, they seemed to bepatriots. One of them appeared to be injured, leaning on a crutch, while the other had an honest and simple demeanor, seemingly a trustworthy teammate. Jogging over, Liu Xing greeted the four with a smile, "Sorry, sorry, I was dyed by some matters at the Xianhe Guan. My name is Liu Xing, online alias Old Chinese Doctor." The girl who looked like a high school student shook her head with a smile, "No worries, we just got here too. I''m Akira Akashi, the one who texted you earlier. Although I''m from the archipgo nation, I''ve grown up in China, so my Chinese is pretty good." The male yer who seemed to be injured also greeted Liu Xing, "I''m Li Ming. I had an ident during a trip a while back and hurt my leg. I hope you guys won''t leave me behind. Please make sure to include me in the game." The implication in Li Ming''s words was clear to Liu Xing. In this promotion game, should they encounter any mythical creature, given Li Ming''s current mobility, he would likely end up as nothing more than prey. "Of course, we''re friends after all. How could we possibly go on without you? By the way, my name is Tian Dao. I''m delighted to meet you all." Tian Dao patted Li Ming''s shoulder, saying with augh. "I''m Tina, Ukrainian, and I''ve been living in China for seven or eight years. Just to mention, my online alias is DecapitatorDice Goddess''s EmbodimentMaster of the Tortoise FistThe cker." Tina chuckled, somewhat embarrassed as she announced her impressively enigmatic online name. "Ha-ha, except for Tina, I suppose the rest of you are new to the Title System, right? Let me enlighten you," KP Cao suddenly chimed in,ughing. "The Title System is a distinctive feature of our Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Afterpleting a game, a yer may be awarded a title based on their performance. Of course, these titlese without any added attributes, but they do let other yers know about one''s previous game achievements. A yer who owns a title must reveal it to the others when the storyline is introduced." Originally, Liu Xing only felt puzzled by Tina''s username, but now he looked at Tina with a bit of concern, especially since her first title was "Decapitator"! As soon as KP Cao finished speaking, Liu Xing and the others instinctively stepped back, distancing themselves from Tina. Tina just looked helplessly resigned to her fate. "Ha-ha-ha, don''t be like that," KP Cao said,ughing. "I was the one who gave Tina her first title ''Decapitator'' because, in a game I hosted, she went temporarily mad and beheaded more than a dozen chickens, all with clean cuts to the head." Hearing this, Liu Xing finally rxed. It seemed that Tina wasn''t as threatening as he had imagined. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that KP Cao was somewhat unreliable. After the minor incident with the titles, everyone continued to y their roles. "By the way, does anyone have Alger''s phone number? I''ve called him a few times, but he hasn''t answered. You guys try to call him too," Tina said, waving her phone in frustration. Alger was the character card for Kite. Although everyone knew that Kite was out of the game, their character cards did not¡ªso they had to keep ying as such. As a witness to Kite''s departure, Liu Xing naturally stepped forward, "Uh, if I''m not mistaken, Alger might have gone to the hospital. I think I saw a foreigner being taken there because of an injury at the temple." With that, Liu Xing shared the grim details of Kite''s condition with everyone... Although the others knew that Kite had been taken to the hospital due to injuries, they were unaware of the exact cause, so the truth left everyonepletely baffled. Clearly, everyone was stunned by Kite''s breath-taking maneuver! Chapter 45: Identifying Key Props for Success Chapter 45: Identifying Key Props for Sess "Er, since Alger has been hospitalized, it seems there''s no way he can join the gathering now. Let''s start ying then," Tina said, putting down her phone with a suppressed smile. Akira Akashi nodded, reaching into the small bag he carried and took out several flyers. "I got these from the staff at the entrance, promotional flyers for the Harvest Festival. They include a map of the venue, which I thought could be useful, so I took a few copies. Everyone should take one." As Akira Akashi spoke, he distributed the flyers to everyone present. Liu Xing took a flyer and studied it carefully. The front of the flyer introduced the origin of the Harvest Festival and its schedule. Since Liu Xing already knew this, he flipped to the back. The back featured the festival venue map. Taking the entrance where Liu Xing and the others were as the starting point, there weremercial zones on both sides formed by various stalls. Notably, on the right side of themercial zone, there was going to be a performance rted to the Harvest Festival. Liu Xing checked his phone; the performance would start in ten minutes. On the left side of themercial area, the map marked a grape arbor. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, there are usually no irrelevant clues, so Liu Xing felt this specifically marked grape arbor was definitely a location worth exploring. Additionally, Liu Xing noted that at the midpoint up the mountain towards the Crane Pavilion, there were bamboo groves on both sides. Behind the Crane Pavilion''s temple, there were several peach trees, and the map specifically indicated that these peach trees were nted by a certain Taoist. Therefore, the offerings used in each Harvest Festival included peaches picked from these trees. Liu Xing silently nodded, concluding that he would need to find a way to obtain a peach. "Alright, has everyone finished looking? I think we should head to themercial zone on the right and check out the Harvest Festival performance. It seems interesting," Tian Dao suggested with a p of his hands and a smile. The group agreed without objection and began to move towards the right-sidemercial zone... However, because of Li Ming''s leg injury, the journey that would have taken one minute took them five. After all, the Harvest Festival was bustling with NPCs, and without the escort of Liu Xing and the others, Li Ming would have found it extremely difficult to walk. "Er, sorry everyone for wasting your time because of me," Li Ming said, touching his head in embarrassment. "It''s no problem at all; we''re all friends here," Tian Dao replied with his usual beaming smile, patting Li Ming''s shoulder without a care. Liu Xing also smiled and nodded, adding, "Yeah, we''re all friends now. How could we possibly abandon a friend to go have fun on our own?" But inwardly, Liu Xing made a resolute decision: when the time came to let go, he would let go. Given Li Ming''s limited mobility, Liu Xing really had no way to assist him. With Liu Xing''s own strength and build not being substantial, he doubted he could carry Li Ming, and even if he could, he felt his agility would be halved as a penalty. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, the mythical creatures are far faster than humans. Therefore, in any chase, Li Ming would stand no chance, and to attempt to aid him would likely result in sharing his doomed fate. "The show is starting," Tina dered, observing the stage ahead that was now encircled by an impassable crowd, with all the actors in ce. Consequently, the group ceased their discussions, preparing to watch the harvest festival performance attentively in hopes of gathering vital information about the ritual. The performance on stage was a reenactment of how the Taoist of ancient times would conduct the harvest festival. Naturally, Liu Xing was focused on the items disyed on the offering table. "KP, I''d like to determine the exact items on the offering table, will that require a scouting roll?" Liu Xing reached out to the game master, KP Cao, since his position was too far from the stage to see clearly, even with his good eyesight. KP Cao considered this and said, "It''s possible. All yers, let''s roll for a scouting check to ascertain what''s on the table." Liu Xing, 33/40, sess. Tian Dao, 61/70, sess. Tina, 77/50, failure. Akira Akashi, 47/40, failure. Li Ming, 56/55, failure. At the moment of a sessful scouting check, Liu Xing''s vision seemed to enhance miraculously, allowing him to discern the peaches, grapes, and bamboo shoots on the offering table. Liu Xing and Tian Dao, who had also seeded in their checks, exchanged knowing nces. It was likely that these three items were the necessary props for passing this segment of the harvest festival ritual. After the performance concluded, Liu Xingmented with a smile, "Did you see? The required items for the festival aren''t the traditional three sacrifices but peaches, grapes, and bamboo shoots. It seems this Taoist has quite the entric taste." Tian Dao added, "I don''t think it''s the Taoist''s peculiar taste. It''s more likely that the original Taoist was simply using what was avable locally. After all, didn''t the map on the back of the flyer mention that the surrounding area of Xianhe Guan has grape trellises, bamboo forests, and peach trees?" Liu Xing chuckled. Tian Dao was indeed a reliable teammate, perfectly in sync with him. "Right, I also agree with Tian Dao''s view. Liu Xing, making up stories about the Taoist isn''t nice," Tina said with augh, while Li Ming and Akira Akashi, though silent, looked on at Liu Xing with smiles. Liu Xing could only shrug in feigned helplessness and replied, "Alright, alright, my bad for speaking out of turn. But now that the show''s over, why don''t we head over to themercial district on the left and check out the grape trellises? We might even get to taste some fresh grapes." The group understood Liu Xing''s intention. Tasting grapes was just a pretext; the real aim was to procure them, as they were one of the essential items forpleting their quest, and getting them now should pose no challenge. Just as Liu Xing was about to head towards themercial district, he noticed a little girl crouched by the roadside, crying, ignored by the NPCs passing by. Liu Xing knew that it was time to trigger the main quest of this module. Chapter 46: Led Astray by the Game Master Chapter 46: Led Astray by the Game Master The little girl appeared to be about six or seven years old, her hair styled into twin ponytails, donned in a dress, and holding a small bag adorned with cartoon characters. Liu Xing had a premonition that this little girl would be key to triggering the main quest of this module. Of course, while Liu Xing had not forgotten the psychological shadow that Isabe had cast upon him, he was not one to shirk away from confronting his issues. So, he approached and squatted down in front of the little girl, revealing a kindly smile, "Little sister, why are you sitting here crying all by yourself? Have you lost your way from your family?" The girl nced at Liu Xing, nodded her head, and said softly, "Yes, I got separated from my mom." No sooner had the little girl finished speaking than KP Cao couldn''t wait to interject: "Alright, congrattions to the yer Old Chinese Doctor for initiating the first phase of this promotion game. All yers must help the little girl find her mother within half an hour. Failing toplete the task within the time limit will lead to an elimination oue. And as for what that oue is, well, I might as well tell you now¡ªit involves the little girl crying because she can''t find her mom, and then the bystanders around will start to see you as the bad guys, ultimately forcing you to leave the Harvest Festival venue." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that this promotion game imposed a time limit on the task, which was also multi-staged. With time of the essence, Tina immediately came over and, with a smile, said to the little girl, "Youngdy, what''s your name, and how did you get separated from your mother?" The little girl looked at Liu Xing, then at Tina, and replied to Tina, "My name is Nan Xiaoniao (the harbinger of doom in the readers'' group is now online). I got separated from my mom while we were here to watch a performance, and now I don''t know where she is..." Liu Xing suddenly felt as if he had just lost to Tina in a battle of appearances. It really was a superficial world. At this moment, Akira Akashi and the others also approached and, upon learning about the little girl''s situation, Li Ming offered a suggestion, "For an event of this scale, the organizers would likely have set up a lost children center. Perhaps we should take Nan Xiaoniao there first. With so many people attending the Harvest Festival today, it''s impossible to find her mother quickly with just the few of us. We will have to rely on the organizers'' help to find Nan Xiaoniao''s mother." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and said, "Li Ming is right. I remember when Alger was injured, a medical team immediately came to take him to the hospital. So there must be a lost children center set up at the Harvest Festival venue. Maybe Nan Xiaoniao''s mother is also on her way there." No sooner had Liu Xing finished speaking than KP Cao, with a smile, said, "Indeed, worthy of being yers who can participate in the promotion game, your logic is clear and you''ve found the optimal solution quickly. So I won''t make it difficult for you. I''ll assume you know that the lost children center for this Harvest Festival is set up next to the main hall." With this hint from KP Cao, everyone knew they had to act fast. Tina took charge of leading Nan Xiaoniao, and they all started heading toward the main hall. However, there was still the issue of Li Ming, who, unsurprisingly, was slowing down the group due to his injured leg. With a hint of resignation, Li Ming sighed and said, "How about you all go ahead without me and take Nan Xiaoniao to find her mother? I''ll catch up with you as soon as I can." Akira Akashi nodded, but with a hint of concern, he said, "Li Ming, given your current condition, climbing up to the Xianhe Observatory alone to meet us could be troublesome. If by any chance you were to lose your footing halfway up the mountain and tumble down, it could be life-threatening. After all, we''ve already seen what happened to Alger." Upon hearing Akira Akashi''s words, everyone nodded in agreement, as if on cue. After all, it wouldn''t be out of character for KP Cao to pull off something like that... "Hey, hey, hey, don''t you start ndering me with such malicious thoughts," KP Cao retorted indignantly. "Am I that sort of KP with a nasty disposition?" It was at this moment that Tian Dao spoke up, "Let''s do this then, I''ll take responsibility for escorting Li Ming. That way, there shouldn''t be any issues." Liu Xing nodded. That seemed like a good n. So, Tian Dao stayed behind to apany Li Ming at a slower pace, while Liu Xing and the others, with the little bird in tow, continued towards the great hall. Before long, Liu Xing and hispanions arrived outside the grand hall of the Xianhe Observatory, where they noticed a small, shaded pavilion erected to one side, bearing a sign that read "Children''s Lost and Found Center." However, Liu Xing couldn''t shake the feeling that something was off. The first phase of the mission seemed too smooth, with hardly any checks passed, and they were about toplete this initial task. Moreover, KP Cao''s behavior was strange. Logically, he wasn''t supposed to provide information directly. At the very least, an inspiration check or questioning a passerby would be expected. Instead, KP Cao had directly disclosed the location of the Children''s Lost and Found Center to the party, which seemed as if... KP Cao was deliberately leading them here! Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing they had been duped by KP Cao. Considering the Harvest Festival venue was not extensive, one could walk its entirety in fifteen minutes, so a half-hour timeframe seemed pressing but was, in fact, ample. Thus, Liu Xing thought the party could easily, within half an hour, first head to themercial district on the left under the pretext of looking for Nan Xiaoniao''s mother, seize the opportunity to acquire the grapes, then send someone to dig up a bamboo shoot in the bamboo grove while ascending the mountain, and finally, upon reaching the Children''s Lost and Found Center next to the great hall, figure out a way to pick peaches from behind the hall. Wouldn''t that gather all the items needed to clear the stage? Overall, Liu Xing felt they had been led astray by KP Cao''s pace. Although KP Cao provided correct information, it constrained their thinking and guided them down the path of least resistance, yielding no gains. They might have missed many clues. But it was all hindsight now, as they had already reached the Children''s Lost and Found Center. It wasn''t as if they could just go back down to look for Nan Xiaoniao''s mother and then climb back up if they failed to find her, right? With this realization, Liu Xing finally understood the wisdom in Wu Lei''s words ¡ª never fully trust what the KP says! Chapter 47: Secret Rumors Chapter 47: Secret Rumors In the realm of the Cthulhu RPG Game, the game master, known as the "kp," assumes a god-like stature, ying a crucial role in the advancement of the plot. However, being human, each kp interprets their role differently, leading to two distinct types. The first type is the benevolent andwful kp, who ensures the story progresses smoothly, providing urate information to yers when necessary to guide them on the right path. On the other hand, there are kps like KP Cao, who embody chaos and malevolence. While they cannot openly sabotage the yers, due to the rules of the Cthulhu RPG Game, they employ various tactics to mislead yers into the least beneficial narratives, just as KP Cao had done earlier by revealing a piece of truthful information that tempted Liu Xing and others to choose the path with the lowest rewards. Once on this path, there''s no turning back. The chaotic and evil kps particrly revel in feeding the yers ambiguous information, leading them astray while stealthily absolving themselves of me. Liu Xing recalls a kp with the username "4" who was especially fond of this tactic. Thus, amon joke has spread throughout the Cthulhu RPG Gamemunity: a kp tells the yers to simply follow their lead, to which the yers respond with skepticism, suggesting that the kp''s guidance is often a ploy to bring about their demise. Therefore, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers must confront not only various mythical creatures and supernatural phenomena but also be wary of the kp''s deviousness at every turn! Considering this, Liu Xing has resolved to take KP Cao''s words with a grain of suspicion. Liu Xing, along with Tina and Akira Akashi, apanied by Nan Xiaoniao, arrived at the Child Discement Center and met its director. "Hello, this child has been separated from her mother. Could you please use the broadcast to alert her mother?" Akira Akashi stepped forward and asked. The director of the Child Discement Center nodded with a smile and turned to Nan Xiaoniao, "Of course, we can do that. But first, youngdy, what is your mother''s name?" Nan Xiaoniao thought for a moment before answering, "Um, my mother''s name is Li Xue." The director smiled and spoke a few words to an employee who promptly left the room, "Our broadcast station at the Crane Viewing Pavilion is just in the back. I''ve arranged for someone to handle the announcement. Please, feel free to sit and rest here for a while. I''m sure the youngdy''s mother would be very eager to thank you in person." After exchanging nces, Liu Xing and hispanions took a seat, recognizing this as an excellent opportunity to gather information. "By the way, you can call me Ray. Judging by thisdy''s appearance, it seems you are tourists from out of town, right? After all, our small county doesn''t usually have foreign residents," said the director of the Child Discement Center, bringing over some tea and offering it to Liu Xing and the others with a smile. epting the tea, Liu Xing replied cheerfully, "Ray, you have good intuition. We''vee all the way from Rongcheng, drawn here by the lively Harvest Festival that we''ve heard so much about." Tina, capitalizing on her status as a foreigner, looked at Ray with eager anticipation and said, "Ray, I''ve been fascinated with Chinese culture since I was a child, especially with such festivals. Could you share with me some stories or legends about the Harvest Festival?" Ray naturally wouldn''t deny the request of Tina, the foreign beauty. "Of course, I can. You might already be aware of the origins of the Harvest Festival, so let me tell you a secret tale associated with it. This is a secret known only to a few insiders, and even the locals of this county town are scarcely aware of it now. I was lucky enough to hear it from an elderly person." Liu Xing, observing Ray''s mysterious demeanor, couldn''t help but internally scoff, wondering if Ray was just boasting to impress Tina. After all, we live in a world where appearances matter so much... Although that''s what Liu Xing thought, his face showed great expectation as he urged, "Ray, stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what this secret is." Ray chuckled and began, "To be honest, I can''t vouch for the authenticity of this tale, as it happened around forty or fifty years ago. It was during the Harvest Festival. That day, the weather turned severe unexpectedly, with lightning, thunder, and a torrential downpour, leading the then master of the Xianhe Temple to suspend the festival until after the storm had passed." "As a result, themon folk who hade for the festival all went back to their homes. The temple master instructed his disciples to gather the incense burners and the offering tables from the ceremony and bring them back into the temple. The youngest disciple, known for his mischievous nature¡ªand perhaps driven by hunger or just a sweet tooth¡ªtook advantage of the moment when no one was looking to steal a peach from the offerings and bit into it." "In front of everyone, that young disciple who ate the peach suddenly withered into skin and bones and died on the spot without uttering a single word. The master of Xianhe Temple examined the boy and concluded that he had died of starvation!" "The temple master believed this to be divine punishment for the disciple''s theft of the offerings meant for the gods. However, to avoid chaos, he instructed all the Taoists who had witnessed the event to keep silent. Then, they secretly took the disciple''s body to be buried in the mountainside and imed publicly that the disciple had left the monastic life to find work in the provincial city." "Fortunately, since the boy was an orphan taken in by the master of Xianhe Temple, his abrupt departure didn''t cause much of a stir in the small county, and the incident was quietlyid to rest. The old man who told me this secret was one of the Taoists of Xianhe Temple who had witnessed the event. Honestly speaking, I find this secret hard to believe¡ªit''s too steeped in feudal superstition." After finishing his story, Ray seemed to suddenly remember something else, "However, there is another peculiar thing that the old man mentioned. In every cycle of the Harvest Festival, there seems to be a mysterious case of a child disappearing. As a police officer, I''ve reviewed the records and, indeed, this pattern holds true." Chapter 48: The Dramatic Murder Chapter 48: The Dramatic Murder "Moreover, I saw a name in the files that should not have been there. I didn''t expect, well..." Ray paused, furrowing his brow and sighing deeply, as if he were recalling something painful. The atmosphere turned heavy in an instant. Seeing this, Liu Xing quickly signaled to Tina with his eyes. Tina immediately understood, and with a cheerful smile said to Ray, "Ray, it''s not nice to keep us on tenterhooks like this. Can you please continue and tell us what exactly happened?" No sooner had Tina spoken than the sound of dice hitting the table filled the room. Tina, quick conversation, 39/70, sess. Tina, persuasion, 23/55, sess. Liu Xing looked at Tina, somewhat surprised. He hadn''t expected her to roll so high in quick conversation and to also seed in persuasion. Was this a new strategy? Nheless, due to the double sess of quick conversation and persuasion, Ray nodded and began, "If you want to know about this matter, you must promise not to disclose it to anyone else. After all, this is an internal secret, and speaking of it could have undesirable consequences." The three of them nodded immediately, knowing full well that the information Ray was about to divulge would be of great significance. "The thing is, when I first started working, I was assigned to oversee the security of the Harvest Festival. Given that there weren''t many events in our small county town, the Harvest Festival was always as lively as the New Year celebrations. Thus, it attracted a veryrge crowd every year." "I was on patrol when I found a little boy who had been separated from his family, so I brought him here. The missing children''s center has always been set up here during the Harvest Festival, so parents whose children have gone missing woulde here to search." "When I asked the boy his name, he said it was Ji Lei. Just as I was about to inquire about his parents, he pointed behind me, towards the peach trees, and said his dad was there," Ray exined, gesturing towards the peach trees behind the temple. Liu Xing looked at the peach trees but didn''t notice anything particrly unusual about them; they were just significantly thicker than ordinary peach trees. "Ji Lei ran towards the peach trees, and as I turned to look, I saw a man smiling and waving at Ji Lei. The boy was gleefully running towards the man, appearing very close, so I assumed Ji Lei had found his father. I thought my job was done and left to continue maintaining order at the festival." "After that Harvest Festival, I was sent to Rongcheng for a criminal investigation training program and stayed there for a few years before returning to this county town. Having transferred to be a detective, I was no longer in charge of security at the Harvest Festival." "Untilst year, when a child went missing during the Harvest Festival. The prime suspect was the child''s father, as the parents were divorced, and the child was under the mother''s custody. The child was attending the festival with his mother when she suddenly realized he was missing. While searching, she saw her ex-husband taking the child up the stairs towards Xianhe Temple. She immediately gave chase, but when she arrived at the temple, both the child and his father had vanished without a trace." So it was that the child''s mother reported to the police, and as the case fell under my jurisdiction, I came here seeking any clues that might shed light on the matter. In my search, I chanced upon an old man who divulged a secret. He urged me to review the files on children gone missing in recent years. I discovered a peculiar pattern: every cycle, which is to say, every twelve years, there was a bizarre case of a child''s disappearance. Each time, a family member of the child vanished simultaneously, with the final trace leading back to this Crane Watch Pavilion. Among these was Ji Lei, the child I had just mentioned to you, and his father." By the end of his ount, Ray''s mood had once again sunken. "Ray, you mustn''t me yourself for this..." Akira Akashi wanted to offerfort, but found himself at a loss for words. At that moment, Liu Xing''s mind was struck by a phrase¡ª"to be the ghostly minion of a tiger." There is an old legend that those devoured by tigers be their ghostly underlings, luring others to the tiger''s maw. Clearly, the adults in these child disappearance cases were these ghostly minions, like Ji Lei''s father, who lured away his own son! As for the "tiger," Liu Xing was certain it must be a mythical creature, and it resided within this very Crane Watch Pavilion! What puzzled Liu Xing, however, was why this "tiger" wouldplicate matters so. After all, as a mythical creature, capturing a child would be effortless; why then go to the trouble of first creating ghostly minions? In Liu Xing''s view, creating these minions must surely take more time and effort than it was worth, so why would the "tiger" engage in such an unrewarding act? Mystified, Liu Xing nced again at the peach trees but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, he couldn''t shake the premonition that something was amiss with these trees. Nevertheless, Liu Xing could now be certain of one thing¡ªthat Nan Xiaoniao''s mother had most likely be one of these ghostly minions. At this time, Li Ming and Tian Dao finally made their ascent to the Crane Watch Pavilion, reaching the child disappearance center to join Liu Xing and the others. "Uh, why are you all sitting here? Where has the little bird gone? Did you find her mother?" Tian Dao asked, surprised. Tian Dao''s words jolted Liu Xing and the others out of their reverie. They had been so engrossed in Ray''s tale that they had neglected to keep an eye on Nan Xiaoniao. A plot twist! That was Liu Xing''s immediate thought, because while initially listening to Ray''s secret revtions, he would intermittently check on Nan Xiaoniao, monitoring her movements. But as Ray continued, Liu Xing gradually forgot about her presence. He was certain this was a narrative device¡ªa plot twist orchestrated by KP Cao to advance the story by forcibly removing Nan Xiaoniao from their control. Liu Xing had witnessed such tactics before when he was a spectator at Wu Lei''s gaming sessions. At the time, yer Wu Lei had stubbornly refused to explore a cer that would trigger the next event, forcing the KP to deploy a plot twist¡ªsuddenly an earthquake shattered the ground beneath Wu Lei, causing him to fall... But this was not the time for excessive thought. Liu Xing and the others immediately stood up and began to search for Nan Xiaoniao, and seeing their urgency, Tian Dao and Li Ming realized that Nan Xiaoniao might have been lost by them. "There!" Liu Xing was the first to spot Nan Xiaoniao. Chapter 49: Update?! Chapter 49: Update?! Liu Xing noticed that at the periphery of the peach grove, Nan Xiaoniao was squatting there, seemingly holding something in her hand. Suddenly, Liu Xing saw a mirror materialize at the center of the peach trees! And the moment the mirror appeared, Nan Xiaoniao, as if bewitched, started walking slowly towards it. Liu Xing suddenly felt a loss of control over his body and "he" dashed towards Nan Xiaoniao without hesitation. Tina and Akira Akashi did the same. As for Li Ming, Tian Dao scooped him up in a princess carry and ran towards Nan Xiaoniao. At this moment, every yer had the same thought¡ªthis must be a scripted event in the story! Although in Liu Xing''s eyes, Nan Xiaoniao was moving very slowly, and he could feel "himself" running with all his might, he always remained about a meter away¡ªjust out of reach of Nan Xiaoniao. Tina and Akira Akashi were close on Liu Xing''s heels, while Tian Dao and Li Ming, who had been the furthest away, now arrived beside Liu Xing. Just as Liu Xing was about to catch up to Nan Xiaoniao, her small hand touched the mirror, and then a sh of white light was seen, and Liu Xing lost consciousness instantly. When Liu Xing came to, he found that control over his body had finally returned, and Nan Xiaoniao was now standing quietly to the side. "Where is this?" Akira Akashi asked, somewhat confused. Liu Xing also sensed that something was amiss. The Xianhe Pavilion, normally bustling with the Harvest Festival, was now eerily silent. Aside from the breathing of hispanions, Liu Xing could no longer hear any other sounds. Liu Xing turned his head to look at the Children''s Disappearance Center, but there was nothing there. However, Liu Xing suddenly realized something and turned to look in the opposite direction. Indeed, the little tent of the Children''s Disappearance Center was there, but Ray and the other staff were nowhere to be seen... And beyond the confines of the Harvest Festival venue, visibility was reduced to zero by an epassing fog, clearly marking zones that yers were not permitted to enter. "So that''s how it is." Liu Xing was now certain that he was in a mirrored world, which exined the disorienting reversal of directions. Furthermore, Liu Xing understood why the "tiger" created the spirits. Since the "tiger" could only move within this mirrored world, it went to the trouble of transforming the rtives of children into spirits to lead the children into the peach trees, and then used the mirror to transport the children into this mirrored world. Here, the "tiger" could enjoy its favorite delicacy, the children, in a sumptuous feast... "Heh, congrattions to all the yers forpleting the first phase of the mission. Now, let''s proceed to the second phase, which is also your final task in this promotion game: escape the world within the mirror!" After a long disconnection, KP Cao finally came back online. "Now, yers can use Private Room time in the mirror world without worrying about being overheard by Nan Xiaoniao, as she lost her hearing upon entering this world." "However, since you have all discovered that you''ve entered the mirror world and been stunned by such a supernatural scene, please proceed with the delightful SAN check. Furthermore, there''s no need for an inspiration check before this one because I''ve just received news that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall has undergone a major update. From now on, SAN checks will no longer require inspiration checks. Instead, inspiration will only be used for obtaining intelligence clues and foreseeing dangers, except in certain special events. The determination of SAN checks will now be solely based on the current SAN value." KP Cao changed the tone and dropped a bombshell¡ªthe Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall had been updated! This groundbreaking news momentarily distracted Liu Xing, who then realized that what was once a double-edged sword of high inspiration, costing dearly for each victory, had transformed into an unmatched weapon of excellence. After all, Liu Xing''s high inspiration had made him feel like he was bing a SAN-draining fiend, as nearly all SAN-draining incidents had been triggered by his high inspiration. Liu Xing considered that, in the lower-level areas of the Cthulhu RPG Game, triggering some SAN-draining events was eptable, since they usually only deducted a point or two of SAN value; but in the high-level areas, where a single event could result in a loss of more than ten SAN points, it was a minor scene, and Liu Xing doubted his own sanity in these high-stake games. But now, with this update from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, the edge of the sword that was inspiration had been blunted. The negative effects of inspiration had been greatly reduced, almost ensuring that Liu Xing wouldn''t go mad over something as trivial as the shadow of a stic mannequin in future games. "Alright, regarding the update to the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, you will receive a notification when you return to the real world. You can study it at leisure then. For now, let''s continue with our game. So, dear yers, please roll your dice for the SAN check. If sessful, you lose 1 SAN point; if failed, you lose 1d4+1 SAN points," KP Cao reminded everyone, seeing that they were lost in thought due to the announcement and had forgotten that they were in the midst of a game. Liu Xing, 24/88, sess. Tian Dao, 81/80, failure. Li Ming, 99/76, failure. Tina, 38/72, sess. Akira Akashi, 12/77, sess. As the results of the SAN checks were revealed, everyone instinctively turned to look at Li Ming, as a catastrophic failure on the SAN check assuredly meant temporary madness was imminent... Tian Dao, 1d4=1+1=2. "Heh, so Liu Xing, Tina, and Akira Akashi will each lose 1 SAN point and gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, while Tian Dao will lose 2 SAN points and gain 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. As for Li Ming, due to a significant failure on the SAN check, 5 SAN points will be deducted, and 5 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge gained," KP Cao announced with a sense of schadenfreude. "Since Li Ming has lost 5 SAN points at once, he now enters a state of temporary madness. Let''s proceed with the check for temporary madness." Li Ming, 9, Fear! "A fine state of madness indeed. Now, it''s time to select the source of the fear," KP Cao chuckled with a hint of glee. Li Ming, 46, fear of fog! Chapter 50: Combat Techniques Chapter 50: Combat Techniques "Damn it," muttered Liu Xing under his breath when he learned that Chen Ming''s source of fear was the fog. Li Ming was indeed lucky¡ªnow that the entire Harvest Festival venue was shrouded in mist, which meant that Li Ming''s source of fear was omnipresent, plunging him inevitably into a state of fear. "Let''s now determine the duration of Li Ming''s descent into temporary madness," KP Cao said with a coldugh. "However, due to the peculiar nature of this mirror world, the time unit has shifted from hours to five-minute increments. I might as well be blunt with you¡ªif you can''t escape the mirror world within an hour, your chances of passing this promotion game are slim to none. So, I urge you all to carry on with your roles after this throw, and seek the path to escape." Li Ming rolled a six¡ªthe duration of his temporary insanity would be 30 minutes! As the dice settled, Liu Xing saw Li Ming''s pupils dte instantly, his breathing be rapid, and his limbs start to tremble. Just as Liu Xing was about to conduct a psychological analysis on Li Ming, Tian Dao, who stood beside him, suddenly delivered a chop to Li Ming''s neck. Without any need for a check, Li Ming copsed, unconscious... "We need to open a Private Room," dered Tian Dao, immediately requesting private time from KP Cao after knocking Li Ming out. Although KP Cao did not respond, Liu Xing was familiar with the unique sense of spatial dislocation that urred when a Private Room was initiated, and thus knew it had been activated. "My profession is that of a martial artist; the technique I just used is one of mybat moves," exined Tian Dao. "Li Ming''s will has already copsed, allowing me to knock him out with ease. It''s currently our best option." As Tian Dao had mentioned, Li Ming, in a state of fear, would either run around in panic, freeze in ce, or attack and scream randomly. Thus, incapacitating Li Ming was indeed the best choice to prevent him from identally harming himself or alerting the ''tiger'' lurking within the mirror world. However, what captured Liu Xing''s attention even more was the fact that Tian Dao possessedbat techniques. In the Cthulhu RPG Game,bat techniques hold a unique ce as they are not quantified as skills with numerical values subject to dice checks for sess. Instead, they are crafted through detailed descriptions and sequences of actions, which the KP then assesses to determine their effectiveness. Of course, if abat technique is overlyplex or difficult, checks might still be required. In the real world, the sess of abat technique hinges on the yer''s ability to describe it in detail. For instance, the simplest way Tian Dao could describe his move is "I chop Li Ming with my hand." A more borate description would be "Taking advantage of Li Ming''s frightened state, I aim for his cervical vertebra number X and execute a chop with seventy percent of my strength." Therefore, when faced with a simply describedbat technique, the KP might opt for a certain level of dice check from the yer, whereas a thoroughly detailed technique could be deemed an automatic sess. However, these were the regtions forbat skills in the real world. Liu Xing was very curious about what the requirements would be like in this authentic Cthulhu RPG Game. Although Liu Xing''s character card categorized him as a support role, it didn''t mean he was incapable of usingbat skills. Adhering to the principle of asking whenever in doubt, Liu Xing inquired of Tian Dao, "Tian Dao, how are the standards forbat skills determined here?" "Well, how should I put it? The requirements here are actually quite simr to those in the real world. Before you use abat skill, you must provide the keeper with a necessary description. However, there is an additional criterion here¡ªproficiency. When you use abat skill for the first time, the initial level of proficiency is determined by the effectiveness of the skill. Moreover, a section forbat skills will be added to your character card. You can name yourbat skills, and each time you use them, your proficiency will increase. There will also be options to enhance your skill proficiency during interlude growth. Ultimately, the sess of yourbat skills depends on both the detail of the description and your level of proficiency," Tian Dao exined thoroughly after giving it some thought. Liu Xing nodded, realizing that it was time for him to train in a fewbat skills so that he wouldn''t bepletely powerless when facing an enemy alone. "By the way, Tian Dao, do you know how long it will be before Li Ming wakes up?" Akira Akashi asked, pointing at Li Ming, whoy on the ground. Tian Dao felt a bit embarrassed as he scratched his head, "Uh, becausebat skills are different from abilities, the effects they can cause aren''t described in detail. Moreover, there is no check for how long Li Ming will remain unconscious, so I can''t guarantee when he will wake up..." Tina frowned slightly, speaking helplessly, "That means we can only carry Li Ming with us for now. After all, we can''t just leave him somewhere hidden and continue our exploration, can we?" Tian Dao sighed reluctantly and nodded, "Tina, you''re right. We can''t just abandon a teammate. So, let me carry Li Ming. My strength and build are considerable, and carrying Li Ming will only reduce my agility by 15 points." Liu Xing observed the robust Tian Dao, then looked at his own unimpressive strength and stature, and finally nced at Li Ming lying on the ground. Eventually, he abandoned the idea of taking turns with Tian Dao to carry Li Ming. After all, Liu Xing suspected he might not even manage to lift Li Ming... "Moreover, we can now be fairly certain that there''s a mythical creature within this mirror world, and it might have already taken control of Nan Xiaoniao''s mother. So, Tina, it would be best if you either held on to or simply carried Nan Xiaoniao to prevent her from wandering off. Also, while the mission doesn''t explicitly state whether we need to rescue Nan Xiaoniao, sessfully doing so will definitely affect our clearance rating. Hence, I suggest we try our best to save Nan Xiaoniao," Liu Xing said, looking over at Nan Xiaoniao. Tina nodded, as among those present, she had the best rtionship with Nan Xiaoniao. "Another thing, I have a question. Tina and Akira Akashi, are you both foreign yers?" At that moment, Tian Dao curiously asked a question that Liu Xing also wanted to ask but felt too embarrassed to voice. "No, I''m also from our country," Tina and Akira Akashi said in unison. Chapter 51: Spoken Check Chapter 51: Spoken Check Tina and Akira Akashi exchanged nces, both surprised to discover they were of the same kind. "Let me start," Tina began, "When I entered the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, I happened to be traveling in Ukraine. So, my Beginner''s Room task was to inherit an estate from a distant rtive in Ukraine. What I didn''t expect was that my character card turned me into a Ukrainian, though my mother tongue remained Chinese." She shrugged and smiled. "My case is simr to Tina''s," Akira Akashi chimed in. "I was studying abroad in the ind nation, so my task in the Beginner''s Room took ce there. I had to figure out who was tailing me, thus my character card also turned into an inder, yet my mother tongue stayed Chinese. Based on this, I believe Liu Xing and Tian Dao''s beginner tasks must have taken ce domestically, and you are likely in the country right now. So, I think our actual locations probably determine our character card''s nationality." Akira Akashi shared his insight. Liu Xing and Tian Dao nodded in agreement. Liu Xing felt that meeting a real foreigner might have to wait until he advanced to the next area, asnguage barriers would arise due to yers from various countries joining the game. An idea struck Liu Xing about the pricey character cards in the marketce. Should he save up to buy one and venture abroad, acquiring a foreign nationality character card to infiltrate the foreign yers'' circles? "Alright, it''s about time," Liu Xing said, "Tian Dao, carry Li Ming on your back. We think we can first take a look inside the temple. But speaking of which, the deity called Sulu must be referring to Boss Cao, especially with that beard..." Liu Xing couldn''t help but mock the deity statue he had seen in the temple. Time was of the essence, especially since KP Cao had mentioned that the second phase of the task had to bepleted within an hour, or the consequences would be dire. Liu Xing nced at Nan Xiaoniao, who Tina held in her arms. ording to KP Cao, Nan Xiaoniao had lost her hearing, but Liu Xing didn''t notice anything amiss about her. He suspected that, like Li Ming, upon entering the mirror world, Nan Xiaoniao had entered a temporary state of madness, exhibiting a pseudo-disability simr to Bai Hecheng, thus the loss of hearing. With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn''t resist addressing KP Cao, "KP, Nan Xiaoniao is in a temporary state of madness, right? Can I use psychoanalysis to try to treat her?" "Oh, you''ve guessed it," KP Cao said with some surprise. "You''re right, Nan Xiaoniao is indeed in a temporary state of madness. You can try to treat her with psychoanalysis, but I don''t rmend it. The reason is simple: this is a plot device. By making Nan Xiaoniao lose her hearing, you yers can confidently use the Private Room time with her around. If Nan Xiaoniao''s hearing was restored, you''d need to arrange for someone to take her aside to use Private Room time. So, whether to use psychoanalysis or not is up to you." Liu Xing nodded silently, lost in thought. From the current situation, whether to use psychoanalysis on Nan Xiaoniao was an unknown trade-off. With her hearing gone, they could use the Private Room time to discuss freely at any moment; but without her hearing, Nan Xiaoniao had lost her ability tomunicate, bing like a doll cradled in Tina''s arms, almost a "burden" to the yers. "Hey, Liu Xing, what are you thinking about?" Akira Akashi asked, looking at Liu Xing, who had fallen deep into thought. Liu Xing turned around with a quick, reassuring smile, shaking his head. "It''s nothing, just something that suddenly came to mind. Let''s not dwell on that; we should head to the temple." In the end, Liu Xing decided to y it by ear and wait for the right moment to use psychoanalysis on Nan Xiaoniao, if necessary. Thus, Liu Xing and hispanions arrived at the entrance of the temple, at the very spot in the real world where Alger had been gravely wounded. Their reason for not entering was not to observe a minute of silence for Alger, but rather because the temple doors were firmly sealed, stered with countless talismans. Naturally, as one of the three great artifacts of the Cthulhu mythos, these talismans were, of course, Elder Signs... "Is this... the Elder Sign? I never imagined I would see it here," Tina suddenly remarked, prompting Liu Xing to momentarily suspect that Tina was veering into metagaming territory. However, KP Cao said nothing, which made Liu Xing realize that "Tina" was indeed aware of the Elder Sign''s existence! This wasn''t all too surprising, given "Tina''s" numerous titles indicating that she had yed many a Cthulhu RPG game. Therefore, her knowledge of the Cthulhu mythos would naturally be extensive, making her awareness of the Elder Sign fairly expected. Hence, Tina''s mention of the Elder Sign would not be considered metagaming. Moreover, Tina''s mention of the Elder Sign was clearly an attempt to inform herpanions about its existence. In the future, Liu Xing, armed with the ultimate bination form" from the Cthulhu RPG game, might just be able to merge two of the great artifacts into a super artifact. With this in mind, Liu Xing feigned confusion, "Elder Sign, what''s that?" "The Elder Sign is a talisman that can be used to ward off mythical creatures. I heard about it from a mystic in Ukraine, andter, I witnessed the mystic drawing an Elder Sign on a in piece of paper, repelling a ferocious mythical creature," Tina exined with a furrowed brow. "That being said, this ce might also harbor mythical creatures, which is likely why there are so many Elder Signs here." Liu Xing put on an astonished expression; after all, "Liu Xing" had not yet encountered a mythical creature. "What, do mythical creatures really exist in this world?" Upon hearing Liu Xing''s exmation, Tina understood that "Liu Xing" had not yet experienced a mythical creature. She patiently exined, "Of course they exist, Liu Xing. Look at where we are now. It''s clear we''re not in the real world anymore, so the presence of mythical creatures shouldn''t be so surprising. I have seen one with my own eyes." "Heh, seems like Tina''s words have shaken your worldview, triggering a sanity check. Let''s proceed with the SAN check¡ªsess means no loss, failure means a 1d3 SAN loss. Of course, this is also an opportunity to gain knowledge of the Cthulhu mythos," KP Cao suddenly interjected. Chapter 52: SAN Value Attack Chapter 52: SAN Value Attack "What''s a ''vocal check''?" Liu Xing asked, looking utterly confused at KP Cao. KP Cao chuckled and exined, "A vocal check, as the name implies, is when a yer conveys some information rted to the Cthulhu Mythos to another yer. If the receiving yer has not previously been exposed to such information, they must perform a vocal check. It''s simr to a SAN value check, except that no matter how explosive the Cthulhu-rted information is, the result of the check always leads to a fixed oue: sess means losing 0 points of SAN value, while failure means losing 1d3 points of SAN value. Moreover, the yer gains corresponding Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Of course, this is also one of the new features in ourtest Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall update." Having heard KP Cao''s exnation, Liu Xing got the gist of the vocal check. In essence, it was a form of persuasion, except the check didn''t depend on the persuasiveness of the speaker but on the SAN value of the listener, to see if they would believe the information about the Cthulhu Mythos provided by the speaker. If the listener passed the vocal check, they would believe the information and lose a certain amount of SAN value to gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. If they failed the vocal check, they would treat the information as just a mythological story, neither losing SAN value nor gaining any Mythos knowledge. This made perfect sense. No problem there. Liu Xing suddenly remembered a story Wu Lei had shared about a previous gaming session, where yers had the choice to look through a window. The sight of a gruesomely deceased body was guaranteed to reduce SAN value. Logically, the first curious yer who chose to look and was discreetly informed of the oue by the KP should have warned the others not to repeat his mistake. However, this yer did the exact opposite, driven by the thought of not being the only one to lose SAN value, he convinced his teammates to look through the window, diminishing their SAN values as well. It was a cycle of mutual retribution¡ªexcept for the yer with the lowest initiative, who steadfastly refused to look through the window but was forcibly brought to it by the others, and inevitably lost SAN value as well... This was the essence, the most sophisticated tactic in the Cthulhu RPG Game¡ªthe attack on SAN value through mutual harm. Now, with the introduction of the vocal check, Liu Xing knew that in future Cthulhu RPG games, verbal persuasion could indeed drive someone mad! "Alright, since the vocal check is influenced by the environment the yers are in, Liu Xing, having just arrived in this strange mirror world, you believed what Tina said, so this vocal check will automatically seed. Start rolling." Liu Xing rolled a 1d3=2! The moment the roll result appeared, Liu Xing felt his mind suddenly flood with knowledge about the Elder Sign. However, as he lost 3 points of SAN value in just a few minutes, he began to feel his concentration waver and his mood became irritable and uneasy. Liu Xing''s odd behavior was making Tina and the others somewhat anxious. After all, Li Ming had already lost his sanity, and if Liu Xing were to lose his mind as well, this promotional game was likely to end in total annihtion unless Tian Dao and the other two decided to forsake both Liu Xing and Li Ming. Despite his trembling mind, Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten his skill in psychoanalysis. He immediately contacted KP Cao, "KP, I need to perform psychoanalysis on myself now!" "Oh, so you know psychoanalysis," KP Cao responded. "Well, I must remind you that whether sessful or not, psychoanalysis requires you to spend five minutes on the process. You can interrupt it voluntarily, but you need a convincing reason to persuade me. Of course, you might also be interrupted by external events, like a ne crashing down on you from the sky. So, are you certain you want to proceed with psychoanalysis, knowing that your throw will be secret and your teammates will not know the oue?" Liu Xing hadn''t anticipated that in this real Cthulhu RPG Game, psychoanalysis would require casting time and a ritual process, and it would be a hidden roll. This meant he couldn''t count on his teammates to interrupt the process should his psychoanalysis fail. Nheless, Liu Xing trusted his own luck and his teammates, so he resolutely chose to proceed with psychoanalysis. Liu Xing, psychoanalysis, 51/70, sessful. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. However, he immediately realized he had lost control of his body again. With closed eyes, he began muttering to himself, initiating the psychoanalysis on himself. Because it was a hidden roll, Akira Akashi and the others knew Liu Xing was undergoing psychoanalysis but didn''t know the result, so they hesitated to act rashly. But Tina, with her experience in numerous Cthulhu RPG Games and many titles to her name, was well-versed in such matters. As a seasoned ''Keeper'', she understood what was happening. She reassured Akira Akashi and Tian Dao, "Liu Xing must be stunned by the information I just shared. He''sforting himself right now, so let''s not disturb him. He shoulde around in a few minutes." Akira Akashi and Tian Dao nodded in agreement, showing no objections. Tina, however, couldn''t help her curiosity, "By the way, you all seem to be aware of the Elder Sign and mythical creatures. You don''t look surprised at all. Do you know about them?" "Ah, yes, I am aware of the Elder Sign and mythical creatures," Tian Dao shared. "It was about half a year ago. I went camping with some friends I met online on an unnamed mountain. One of them, an archaeology professor, brought out a sleeping bag marked with an Elder Sign and exined its significance and function. It was during that camping trip that we encountered a creature resembling a zombie. Fortunately, we were lucky. First, we used the terrain to our advantage, breaking one of the creature''s legs with a rock, which slowed it down. In the end, we managed to kill it. The professorter told us that the creature was a Ghoul, one of the mythical creatures." Tian Dao recounted how he came to know about the Elder Sign and his encounter with the Ghoul attack. Chapter 53: Two Great Successes Chapter 53: Two Great Sesses Akira Akashi nodded in agreement and began to share his story, "My experience was simr to Tian Dao''s. It happened not long ago, when I went to the seaside with ssmates. As it was the peak travel season, the hotel room we had reserved was given away when we arrived two hourste. With no other choice, we had to find a new ce to stay and ended up being introduced to a guesthouse." "The next day, while ying on the beach, we helped an elderly man who was suffering from heatstroke. He gave me a bracelet that bore the symbol of the Elder Sign and shared local legends about the Deep Ones with us. At first, we didn''t take it seriously. But, in the middle of the night, we discovered that the owner of the guesthouse we were staying in was actually a Deep One. Fortunately, we realized just in time and managed to escape." After finishing his story, Akira Akashi showed the bracelet on his left wrist. It was made of an unknown ck metal, etched with the Elder Sign. Liu Xing, though he had lost control of his body, his sight and hearing were still sharp. Listening to the conversations of Akira Akashi and the others, he couldn''t help but remark internally that Ghouls and Deep Ones, typical beginners'' monsters in the Cthulhu RPG Game, seemed to be everywhere. But even for beginners, these creatures weren''t something just any yer could kill. Thus, most yers, like Akira Akashi, would seize any chance to flee. yers like Tian Dao, who managed to clear the game by ying mythical creatures, were exceedingly rare. Liu Xing surmised that Tian Dao''s team must have had an excellent setup, acquiring weapons that suited their story''s background and, most importantly, luck on their side, which allowed them to ultimately kill the Ghoul. However, the reason Tian Dao and his team engaged in battle with the Ghoul, Liu Xing reckoned, was likely due to the recklessness of the archaeologist in their group. In the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, roles like archaeologists, ultists, and zealots were disasters waiting to happen ¡ª engines of team annihtion, with a propensity for getting into deadly situations, often having stats maxed out at 99. "Alright, the question now is whether we should enter this temple to take a look," Tina suggested, looking at the temple''s door. "I think it''s necessary. After all, these Elder Sign charms are affixed on the outside, meant to prevent mythical creatures from entering. And as we can see, there''s no sign the temple''s door has been opened, so it''s likely safe inside, and there might be something very important stored there, something that could perhaps help us leave this ce and return to the real world." Akira Akashi and Tian Dao nodded in agreement with Tina''s idea. However, Tian Dao appeared troubled as he looked at the temple''s door, "That''s true, but how do we open this door? After all, one of us has to stay behind to look after Li Ming and the others. For the remaining two to open such a sturdy and tall door seems quite troublesome." As Tian Dao pointed out, the temple door was about three meters high, sheathed in iron with no rings or handles on the outside. It seemed likely that it was meant to be opened from the inside, making the task of opening it from the outside no easy feat. Akira Akashi furrowed his brows and said, "Tian Dao is right. This temple door is not easy to open, especially without a proper leverage point." "Sigh, it doesn''t matter. Isn''t there a saying that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth? No matter what we think, we have to try to know whether it works or not. So, Tian Dao, youe with me to give it a try, and Akira Akashi, you take care of Nan Xiaoniao and the others." As Tina spoke, she began to roll up her sleeves... Ah, it was then she remembered that due to the time setting of this scenario, her spring attire had been swapped for summer wear. To avoid breaking character, Tina could only make do with an awkward rub of her arm, which resulted in a somewhat embarrassing moment. "Damn, I thought I could dere Tina as out of character, but you managed to awkwardly smooth it over," KP Cao said somewhat disinterestedly. "However, now Tina, Akira Akashi, and Tian Dao, the three yers, may proceed to inspect the temple''s main gate." Tina, inspection, 82/55, failed. Akira Akashi, inspection, 6/70, sessful. Tian Dao, inspection, 54/60, sessful. "So, Akira Akashi and Tian Dao have discovered that a few of the Elder Sign glyphs on the temple''s door differ in style from the rest. Therefore, you can now have an inspiration," KP Cao continued. Akira Akashi, inspiration, 2/75, great sess. Tian Dao, inspiration, 1/75, great sess. "Damn it, these Europeans, how could they both achieve a great sess? Then the trap I prepared is useless," KP Caoined, somewhat speechless. "So Tian Dao and Akira Akashi simultaneously feel that tearing off a certain Elder Sign glyph might work wonders. You both should have seen by now which one it is." Akira Akashi and Tian Dao nodded, then Tian Dao stepped forward, peeled off an Elder Sign glyph, and the temple''s main doors silently swung open! Tina, having contributed nothing to this effort, and relying on her rapport with KP Cao, cheerfully said to him, "Cao, what kind of trap did you design? Tell your sister here so I can have a goodugh." KP Cao sighed resignedly and said, "I''m quite a bit older than you, Tina, so you should be calling me ''Brother Cao.'' And besides, it''s not a trap I designed¡ªit''s how the scenario is arranged. If your inspiration checks pass, you''ll uncover one of the three Elder Sign glyphs which could open the temple''s door. However, only one glyph has that effect; if you peel off the others, they will seal one skill of the yer who chose it until the end of this scenario. If a yer achieves a great sess, one incorrect option will be canceled. But I didn''t expect two great sesses toe up, leading you directly to the right answer." Akira Akashi and Tian Dao shared a smile, as the saying goes, those who smile are often the luckiest. "Wow, Tian Dao, how did you know that peeling off this Elder Sign glyph would open the temple door? That''s pretty amazing," Tina exaggeratedly "yed" her role. Tian Dao rubbed his head, chuckling, "Maybe it''s just a man''s sixth sense." Chapter 54: The Condition for Success Chapter 54: The Condition for Sess At this moment, the guidance process of Liu Xing''s psychoanalysis finally came to an end. "Because you''ve sessfully performed psychoanalysis on yourself, you''ll lose half the amount of SAN points in this check. Thus, you''ve only lost 1 point of SAN, and you''ve gained 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." Liu Xing let out a sigh of relief, not expecting psychoanalysis to be so potent, directly halving the loss of his SAN points. "Liu Xing, are you alright now?" Akira Akashi, seeing Liu Xing returning to normal, asked with concern. Liu Xing nodded with a smile, somewhat embarrassed, "Sorry for worrying everyone. The impact of Tina''s words was just too strong, which made me lose myposure for a moment." Akira Akashi simply smiled and shook his head, "It''s fine, as long as you''re okay. After all, with Li Ming in his current state, our troubles would be much greater if something were to happen to you as well." At this point, Tian Dao came back, hoisting Li Ming onto his back again, "As long as you''re fine, Liu Xing, we shouldn''t waste any more time. Let''s hurry and check inside the temple." Calcting the time, Liu Xing and hispanions had already spent about ten minutes in the mirrored world. Up until now, they hade up empty-handed, so it was crucial to make haste. Thus, Liu Xing and his group prepared to enter the temple. Upon opening the doors, they found the interior fully illuminated, leaving no ce for shadows to hide. Tina, leading the charge, wasn''t worried about traps and walked straight in. Seeing that Tina had entered without incident, Liu Xing and the others followed. After all, this was still the lowest level of the Cthulhu RPG Game, essentially a novice''s dungeon, so it was unlikely for there to be any traps. Besides, in Cthulhu RPG Game, it was rare for modules to contain trap mechanisms. After all, if the intention was to ensnare the yers, it would be much more straightforward and efficient to throw a few mythical creatures into the mix. Thus, Liu Xing and hispanions unobstructedly made their way into the depths of the temple, where arge mirror stood before them. "This must be the mirror that brought us here, right?" Tina said, unsure. Looking at the mirror, Liu Xing confidently stated, "That''s right, it must be this mirror that brought us here. If I''m not mistaken, we must use this same mirror if we wish to leave!" Liu Xing was so sure because the mirror reflected the real world inside the temple, where a stream of people were kneeling before the mirror¡ªor rather, the deity statue behind it. What caught Liu Xing''s attention, however, was that while the real-world altar in the mirror wasden with offerings, the altar in this mirrored worldy bare. With an epiphany, Liu Xing spoke to Akira Akashi and the others, "Look, there are so many offerings on the real-world altar, but none here. I believe we need to ce offerings on the altar in this world to possibly return to the real world." This theory was unanimously agreed upon by the group, as the clue seemed rather obvious, short of KP Cao outright stating it. So, Tian Dao pondered before saying, "That means we now need to find grapes, peaches, and bamboo shoots, right?" Liu Xing nodded, but with a hint of uncertainty, he said, "However, that being said, we probably don''t need to find as many offerings as this, do we? The quantity of offerings in the real world seems excessivelyrge." Indeed, as Liu Xing had mentioned, there were far too many offerings in the real world; there were over a dozen peaches alone. If Liu Xing remembered correctly, there seemed to be only a few peaches on the tree in the mirror world. After some thought, Tian Dao spoke up, "That''s true. For now, I''ll go and see how many peaches I can pick from that tree." Tian Dao was a man of action. After speaking, he put down Li Ming and jogged away from the temple, too quickly for Tina to even remind him to be careful. "This guy really is in a rush," Tina frowned and said to Liu Xing, "Why don''t you go keep Tian Daopany? I''m worried he might encounter danger on his own." Liu Xing nodded; after all, being alone in a Cthulhu RPG Game was not advisable. Thus, Liu Xing also left the temple, heading towards the peach trees. But just outside the temple doors, he saw Tian Dao standing on the staircase, as if gazing into the distance. Liu Xing approached and patted Tian Dao on the shoulder, "Hey, Tian Dao, what are you doing?" Tian Dao turned around, looking puzzled, and said to Liu Xing, "When I left the temple, I heard a strange noise from below, so I came here to see what was going on. Then, it seemed like I saw a figure running at high speed toward themercial district on the right." Liu Xing understood this was another plot twist. After all, Tian Dao was an experienced yer to be involved in this promotional game; he wouldn''t likely act alone under such circumstances. The figure Tian Dao saw was almost certainly Nan Xiaoniao''s mother! With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn''t help butin to KP Cao, "KP, where do you keep finding these plot twists?" KP Cao responded with an innocent look, "These plot developments are all part of the scenario''s design. How can you me me? That''s not fair." "Really? Why do I feel like you''re deceiving me?" Liu Xing said skeptically. "Eh, how should I put this... It''s for your own good, helping you to advance the plot more quickly. So, I just triggered the plot twist a bit sooner, that''s all," KP Cao said with a forcedugh. Liu Xingughed; KP Cao indeed liked to stir things up. But, as KP Cao had said, his actions indeed moved the plot forward. At least Liu Xing now knew that Nan Xiaoniao''s mother would be in the right side of the... No, that''s not right, because this is the mirror world, she should be on the left side of themercial district, or rather, at the Grape Gallery! Liu Xing''s brow furrowed; the Grape Gallery was a necessary destination. After all, the grapes needed as offerings could only be found there, and Nan Xiaoniao was bound to meet her mother. As for what would happen when Nan Xiaoniao met her mother, Liu Xing didn''t know, but he was certain it wouldn''t be a perfect reunion with tears of joy. And besides, it was about time for "the tiger" to make an appearance. Chapter 55: Time Limit Chapter 55: Time Limit Having crossed the midpoint of the plot, it was time for the boss known as "The Tiger" to make an appearance. However, Liu Xing and Tian Dao''s immediate goal was still to visit the peach orchard behind the temple, to pluck some peaches as offerings. "Let''s go pick some peaches first, then we''ll head back to the temple to meet up with Tina and the others and discuss our next move," Liu Xing suggested, patting Tian Dao''s shoulder to signal him to follow. Tian Dao nodded but couldn''t hide his confusion. "But if that shadow really was Nan Xiaoniao''s mother, her speed was unbelievable. She covered more than ten meters in the blink of an eye. So, I suspect that Nan Xiaoniao''s mother might have already..." Though Tian Dao did not finish his sentence, Liu Xing understood his implications and shook his head. "Ipletely share your thoughts; it''s very likely that Nan Xiaoniao''s mother isn''t human anymore. We''ll have to be even more cautious from now on. Given your description, Tian Dao, we definitely won''t be able to outrun her. If she catches us, there''s no escape." Acknowledging Liu Xing''s point with a nod and a sigh, Tian Dao took the lead towards the peach trees. Since there were only seven trees in the orchard, it didn''t take long for Liu Xing and Tian Dao to spot the peaches. However, as Liu Xing had predicted, they found only two peaches in total. "As expected, the offerings in this mirrored world are far too scarce. We need to be careful not to drop and damage them," Liu Xing said, gingerly cradling a peach in his hand. Knowing their game master was someone who liked to stir up trouble, he couldn''t help but suspect that if he carelessly carried the peach back to the temple, the GM, KP Cao, might force a Luck Check halfway through. Failing the check could result in identally dropping and ruining the peach. Tian Dao agreed wholeheartedly. As "Veteran Drivers" of the Cthulhu RPG Game, they were well aware that with a game master like KP Cao, who belonged to the chaotic evil alignment, it was better to be cautious than sorry. They couldn''t afford to give him any opportunity for mischief. Thus, Liu Xing and Tian Dao moved with bated breath, carefully escorting the two peaches back to the temple. Under Tina and Akira Akashi''s resigned gazes, they sessfully ced the peaches on the altar. The moment the peaches touched the altar, KP Cao''s voice suddenly emerged, "Hehehe, since the yers have ced the first offering on the altar, they have triggered its mechanism. The altar has begun guiding the sacrifice process. Now, yers, you have forty minutes to ce the other two offerings on the altar. If you can assemble all three offerings within the allotted time, you canplete the sacrifice and leave the mirrored world for the real world. Fail to do so within forty minutes, and you shall remain in this mirrored world forever." KP Cao paused, a sly smile in his voice as he added, "Of course, you could also try to defeat the mythical creature of the mirrored world to clear the game, but having seen your inventory, I doubt that defeating that mythical creature is a task you can aplish." The group exchanged bewildered nces, momentarily unsure of what to do next. It was then that Liu Xing stepped forward. "KP, it''s time to initiate ''Private Room'' time." KP Cao chuckled, "Ah, the ''Private Room'' time is indeed upon us. However, I must remind you all¡ªyour time is limited." "Now, everyone, we only have forty minutes left, so we must act quickly. If no one objects, allow me to give a brief overview of our current situation and propose a n. Afterward, we can put it to a vote. How does that sound?" Liu Xing said, his face etched with seriousness. Akira Akashi and the other two remained silent, merely nodding in agreement with Liu Xing''s suggestion. "Good," Liu Xing continued, "First of all, the reason Tian Dao went off alone to pick peaches was due to a plot-driven necessity. He saw a figure dashing at high speed toward themercial district on the left, presumably heading to the Grape Promenade. Tian Dao and I believe that this figure is likely Nan Xiaoniao''s mother. However, there''s an eight out of ten chance that she''s no longer human and has possibly be a mythical creature." "Therefore, I suggest we split up. Although we can''t predict what might happen when Nan Xiaoniao and her mother reunite, it''s unlikely to be anything good. Hence, one person must remain in the temple to watch over Nan Xiaoniao and Li Ming." "Next are the remaining two offerings. Clearly, the grapes are in the Grape Promenade, and the bamboo shoots are in the bamboo forest halfway up the mountain. I rmend sending one person to the bamboo forest in search of bamboo shoots. Given the hints from the plot, the danger surely lies at the Grape Promenade, so the bamboo forest should be rtively safe, and exploring alone should pose no problem." "As for the remaining two, naturally, they will head to the Grape Promenade in search of grapes and to confront Nan Xiaoniao''s mother, though it''s more likely they''ll face a mythical creature. The chances of collecting both grapes and bamboo shoots in one go are slim, so we mustn''t linger in battle. Should anything seem amiss, we must retreat here immediately to discuss further." Liu Xingid out his hastily devised n. Tian Dao nodded, adding, "I agree with Liu Xing''s n, and I think I should stay and guard the temple. There are no ropes here to restrain Li Ming, and should he awaken, I can subdue him immediately. Plus, if something unexpected happens here, I can take Li Ming and Nan Xiaoniao out with me." "Well then, I''ll go to the bamboo forest to look for bamboo shoots. Given that my investigative skills are probably the highest among us, and an environment like the bamboo forest will certainly require Investigation Skill," Akira Akashi volunteered for his task. As for Tina, she smiled at Liu Xing and said, "It looks like it''s you and me working together this time. Please take good care of me, Liu Xing." Liu Xing responded with augh, "Not at all, let''s not dy any further. Let''s get moving." No sooner had Liu Xing finished speaking than KP Cao interjected, "Now that you''ve all settled on a n, it''s time for everyone to make a Constitution check." Chapter 56: Formless Offspring Chapter 56: Formless Offspring "Physique check?" Liu Xing expressed his confusion. He hadn''t expected KP Cao to conduct such an obscure test on their physiques. Liu Xing, 52/40, failed. Tina, 64/50, failed. Akira Akashi, 15/50, seeded. Tian Dao, 47/80, seeded. "Those who failed the physique check suddenly feel a growing hunger..." KP Cao hadn''t finished speaking when Liu Xing suddenly felt as if he hadn''t eaten for an entire day, his stomach hollow and ufortably hungry, distracting him from KP Cao''s words. At that moment, Liu Xing caught the scent of sweet fruit, drawing his attention to the altar. "Now, the yers who failed the physique check, please undergo a willpower test," KP Cao said, sounding almost delighted. Liu Xing, 45/80, seeded. Tina, 39/70, seeded. "Thank goodness," Liu Xing sighed in relief, knowing that if he had also failed the willpower test, he would have pounced like a starving tiger on the peaches on the altar, especially since there was one for both him and Tina. A failure here would have prematurely ended their promotion game. ording to information Liu Xing obtained from Ray, in the real world, humans who stealthily ate offerings would die suddenly, appearing as if starved to death. Liu Xing had reason to believe that eating the offerings in the mirror world could lead to a simr fate. Liu Xing was grateful for his strong willpower, resisting the temptation of the "delicious food." "Cut, I didn''t expect your physique to be average, but your willpower is quite high. Although Tina and Liu Xing feel very hungry, their strong willpower convinces them not to eat the peaches on the altar. The Private Room time is now officially over; please continue your roles," KP Cao said casually. Despite oveing his appetite with willpower, Liu Xing still felt an annoying hunger, which would intensify with strenuous activity. Tina was in the same boat, frowning and holding her stomach. "What''s wrong with you two?" Akira Akashi asked knowingly. Liu Xing shook his head, "I don''t know why, but I suddenly felt very hungry, as if I hadn''t eaten anything all day. For a moment, I wanted to eat the peaches on the altar, but then I remembered Ray''s story about the curse of the gods on those who eat the offerings, so I resisted." "Yes, I feel the same as Liu Xing. Moreover, I think if we ate the food here, we might not be able to return to our world," added Tina. Tian Dao frowned with concern, "With your current condition, can you still go to the Grape Gallery? What if something happens there? Can you two still run?" Tian Dao''s concern was not unfounded. Given Liu Xing and Tina''s current state of hunger, if they encountered a mythical creature in the Grape Gallery and a chase ensued, KP Cao would definitely reduce their agility. Even at their best, running from themercial district under Crane Temple back to the temple would leave Liu Xing and Tina gasping for breath, let alone now in their weakened state. Liu Xing nced at Tina, who nodded to indicate she was alright. So, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Don''t worry, Tina and I will be careful. If we notice anything amiss, we''ll immediately return here. There shouldn''t be any idents." "Alright, we must act without dy. Tian Dao, you must take care of Nan Xiaoniao and Li Ming. If anything happens, go find Akira Akashi first, thene to us. But thinking about it, if Tian Dao yells from up there, we should be able to hear him in this mirror world," Tina said. After all, the vertical height of Crane Temple was less than twenty meters, and in this mirror world, apart from their own voices, there were no other sounds. With no noise pollution, a shout from Tian Dao at the temple should be heard throughout the mirror world. This mirror world seemed to embody the jokemunication relies on shouting, travel relies on walking. After discussing their n, Liu Xing, Tina, and Akira Akashi left the temple. Halfway down the mountain, Akira Akashi went alone to the bamboo forest to look for bamboo shoots, while Liu Xing and Tina continued down to themercial district. Upon reaching themercial district, Liu Xing and Tina heard faint sounds, like... someone eating! They exchanged nces, knowing it must be Nan Xiaoniao''s mother eating something. In this mirror world, the only thing to eat was grapes! Liu Xing and Tina quickened their pace, arriving beside the Grape Gallery. They saw a young-looking woman squatting there, surrounded by grape skins. "Damn, what do we do now? Is this woman Nan Xiaoniao''s mother? She looks so eerie. I''m a bit scared to approach her," Tina whispered to Liu Xing. Frowning, Liu Xing said helplessly, "We have no choice but to ask her. We can''t let her finish all the grapes. If she does, we won''t be able to gather enough offerings to return to the real world." After saying this, Liu Xing walked ahead and asked the woman, "Hello, are you Nan Xiaoniao''s mother?" Upon hearing Nan Xiaoniao''s name, the woman squatting on the ground began to tremble unnaturally, then slowly stood up. Liu Xing and Tina sensed something was wrong and silently stepped back, distancing themselves from the woman. After a moment, the woman stopped trembling. Just when Liu Xing thought they couldmunicate with her, something unexpected happened! The woman''s body suddenly inted, turning into a toad-like mass of wrinkled flesh. But on this mass grew hundreds of underdeveloped, slender tentacles, writhing unconsciously, creating a deeply unsettling sight. This was the Formless Offspring, the embryonic form of Sathogua! Chapter 57: Formless Offspring, Youre Out of the Group Chapter 57: Formless Offspring, You''re Out of the Group The Formless Offspring, a subordinate servant of Sathogua, belongs to the same camp as Cthulhu, the Great Old One, and is thus also known as the Embryo of Sathogua. The most notable characteristic of the Formless Offspring is its immunity to physical attacks. Essentially a slime monster, it is impervious to damage from swords, spears, clubs, and the like. Liu Xing, observing the Formless Offspring, finally understood why KP Cao said their group couldn''t defeat the boss throughbat. The boss was this impervious Formless Offspring! Although the Qingming Rain in Liu Xing''s pocket could harm it, the effect would be like a drop in the ocean. Being a lower servant of the Great Old One, the Formless Offspring''s strength was iparable to that of Ghouls or Deep Ones. Its expected HP ranged between 13 to 22 points (since each mythical creature''s attributes differ, KP would decide their characteristics in advance by rolling, or simply use the expected value). Therefore, Liu Xing could only think of one strategy ¨C the best n is to retreat. However, KP Cao certainly wouldn''t let Liu Xing and Tina leave so easily, especially since they had witnessed a person transform into a Formless Offspring. "Hehe, now Liu Xing and Tina, since you have witnessed Nan Xiaoniao''s mother turn into a Formless Offspring, please undergo a SAN (Sanity) check. Seed, and you lose 3 SAN points; fail, and you lose 3 plus 1d6 SAN points," KP Cao chuckled. "Begin, I bet at least one of you will go insane." Liu Xing, 76/76, seeded. Tina, 38/71, seeded. "You''re quite lucky, Liu Xing. Both of you lose 3 SAN points and gain 3 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge," KP Cao said, somewhat surprised. As soon as KP Cao finished speaking, Liu Xing felt an indescribable fear surge within him, his heart racing. But this was normal, anyone who witnessed such a horrific scene and didn''t go mad was already fortunate. Liu Xing couldn''t help butment that in just over ten minutes, he had already lost 5 SAN points. This was indeed a promotion game. However, Liu Xing thought it was time to drink some ancestral green tea. When a yer loses too much SAN within a certain time, they could enter a state of temporary insanity. In such a state, Liu Xing doubted KP Cao would allow him to drink green tea to recover his SAN and escape temporary madness. So, to preempt the situation, Liu Xing quickly took out the bottle of ancestral green tea from his pocket, opened it, and took a sip. After drinking the green tea, Liu Xing felt his mind clear significantly. The original sense of fear vanished, and his heartbeat returned to normal. "Oh, I didn''t expect you to have such a good thing, Liu Xing. You''re quite lucky. Now, make a secret roll," KP Cao said with interest. SAN recovery, 1d6=6! Liu Xing felt fortunate about his luck in this promotion game. Almost every crucial check he needed to seed at, he did, and now he had just restored 6 SAN points, exactly the amount he had lost so far! "Er, Liu Xing, you really are lucky. So, your SAN value has returned to its maximum of 80 points," KP Cao said somewhat gloomily. "Well then, Liu Xing and Tina, continue your roles." No sooner had KP Cao finished speaking than the Formless Offspring began to... sluggishly move towards Liu Xing and Tina! Indeed, the Formless Offspring was closing the distance between itself and Liu Xing and Tina at an excruciatingly slow pace, best described as a crawl. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. The agility expected value of this Formless Offspring was around 95 points, equivalent to the sprinting speed of the world-ss runner Usain Bolt. But the one in front of them now could hardly be considered to have an agility of even 5 points... "Well, let me exin then," KP Cao said somewhat awkwardly. "ording to the scenario, this Formless Offspring, being suppressed by the mirror world, has its agility matched to that of the yer with the lowest agility who entered this world." Liu Xing chuckled. The yer with the lowest agility in the mirror world was undoubtedly Li Ming, who was currently knocked out by Tian Dao. So, even if Li Ming''s agility hadn''t dropped to zero, it was at best around 5 points. That''s why this Formless Offspring was moving so slowly... it was indeed a disgrace to mythical creatures. A picture popped into Liu Xing''s mind ¨C "So embarrassing, you should leave the group.jpg". Since Liu Xing and Tina had maintained a distance of about ten meters from the Formless Offspring, they were not at all troubled by its turtle-like approach, even finding it somewhat amusing. However, Liu Xing and Tina had to continue ying their roles, so Liu Xing feigned terror and said to Tina, "Tina, we must run!" Tina nodded. Although the Formless Offspring was moving very slowly, its huge size and the long tentacles ¨C some estimated to be about two meters ¨C were not to be underestimated. If Liu Xing remembered correctly, the Formless Offspring preferred to capture its prey with its tentacles, and its skill level in doing so was as high as 90 points. Being within its reach meant a high chance of being captured and bound, making escape almost impossible. To break free from the entanglement of its tentacles, one would have to contest in strength against the Formless Offspring, whose strength expected value exceeded 100 points, surpassing human limits. Furthermore, as a lower servant of the Great Old One ¨C Sathogua, the Formless Offspring might possess some kind of long-range attack spell, making Liu Xing and Tina wary of it. Therefore, Liu Xing and Tina decided to retreat first and return to the temple to n their next move. Since there was no worry of being caught by the Formless Offspring, Liu Xing and Tina chose to jog back to the temple. Although the Formless Offspring seemed to be making a valiant effort to chase Liu Xing and Tina, the distance between them only grew wider. By the time Liu Xing and Tina reached the temple, the Formless Offspring had only managed to reach the center of the twomercial districts... Chapter 58: The Substitute Chapter 58: The Substitute Liu Xing and Tina returned to the temple, where they found Akira Akashi had already arrived, while Li Ming remained in aa. Nan Xiaoniao was biting her finger, deep in thought. "How did it go on your end? Did you encounter any problems?" Akira Akashi and Tian Dao, having heard KP Cao''s alert, knew that Liu Xing and Tina had encountered a mythical creature, but were unaware of the specifics. "We need to initiate Private Room time," Liu Xing said, choosing to request KP Cao to facilitate a private discussion space for sharing intelligence. "Okay, Private Room time is now active. Just a friendly reminder, you have about half an hour left. Please hurry up to avoid failing the mission," KP Cao advised, subtly pressuring Liu Xing''s group. Tina briefly recounted their encounter: "Liu Xing and I met Nan Xiaoniao''s mother in the grape arbor. She was incessantly eating grapes. Liu Xing tried to stop her to save some grapes for offerings. At that moment, she transformed into a Formless Offspring, and we had no choice but to retreat." Frowning, Tian Dao said resignedly, "If I''m not mistaken, Formless Offspring are immune to physical damage, meaning we can''t harm it." "True, but did you buy today''s newly released Qingming Festival gift pack? It contains an item called Qingming Rain, capable of damaging mythical creatures immune to physical attacks. It also has a 50% chance of slowing them down," Liu Xing inquired. Even with Qingming Rain, they knew it was impossible to kill the Formless Offspring. However, the item could potentially reduce its speed by 50%, making the normally turtle-paced creature as slow as a snail. "I just spent my money on a white character card, so I couldn''t afford the Qingming Festival pack. Had I known about it, I would have saved my points," Tian Dao regretted. White character cards, the lowest tier in the shop, limited initial attributes and skills to under 40. Even with multiple upgrades, attributes could only reach 60, and skills 50. They allowed freedom in choosing profession and birthce, costing 500 points. Despite the severe limitations and their cannon fodder status, white character cards offered a chance at redemption. Liu Xing was also saving points for one, as his character card from the Beginner''s Room would be used immediately upon tearing it in a certain Cthulhu RPG Game, allowing him to continue the game with a new identity but no guarantee of survival. Tina and Akira Akashi shook their heads, indicating they too couldn''t afford the Qingming Festival pack after purchasing other items. Unlike Liu Xing, theycked insider information about the valuable contents of the pack. "Well, the speed of the Formless Offspring can now be described as tortoise-like. Slowing it down further wouldn''t really affect us much," Tina said with a sense of eptance. After all, it''s like a race. Making a world champion slow down to the pace of a primary school student is significant. But reducing the speed of a baby who is just learning to walk by half doesn''t make much sense." "Uh, shouldn''t the speed of the Formless Offspring be fast?" Akira Akashi asked, somewhat puzzled. Liu Xing pointed at Li Ming, who was still in aa, and said with a smile, "We have Li Ming to thank for that. In this promotion game, the speed of the Formless Offspring is consistent with the slowest among us." Hearing this, Akira Akashi and Tian Dao couldn''t help but chuckle. They could now imagine the Formless Offspring moving at a snail''s pace. "However, because of the Formless Offspring, we couldn''t get the grapes, so we had toe back and think of another way. How about your side, Akira Akashi?" Liu Xing noticed that there were still only two peaches on the altar, which meant Akira Akashi hadn''t found the bamboo shoots. Akira Akashi shook his head and said helplessly, "There were no bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest. I''ve checked several times, and it seems that either the bamboo shoots are located somewhere else, or they don''t exist in this mirrored world at all. We might have to use something else in their ce, and I''m more inclined to believe thetter." After all, even though the Cthulhu RPG Game has a high annihtion rate, it wouldn''t present an unsolvable puzzle. "A substitute, then it must be something that either looks like or symbolizes bamboo shoots. But here, we need a substitute for a ritual offering. It''s like how Zhuge Liang once used steamed buns instead of human heads for a ritual. We probably just need to find something that resembles bamboo shoots," Liu Xing suggested. Akira Akashi nodded and said seriously, "That''s what I was thinking. But I''ve already looked around the temple and haven''t found a suitable substitute. Were the stalls still there when you and Tina went to themercial district?" "No. Those stalls have already disappeared," Tina confirmed. Liu Xing frowned, finding this strange. Usually, such key props are ced in significant locations, like the temple andmercial district in this mirrored world. Unless... The key prop is in the hands of an NPC! Liu Xing suddenly remembered that before entering the mirrored world, Nan Xiaoniao seemed to have picked something up from the ground! He then looked at Nan Xiaoniao, or more precisely, the small bag she was holding. Seeing Liu Xing suddenly turning his gaze to Nan Xiaoniao, Tina and the others followed his gaze and understood his thought. "Leave it to me. Nan Xiaoniao''s favorability towards me is quite high," Tina volunteered eagerly. Chapter 59: Unique Trait Chapter 59: Unique Trait Tina, squatting in front of Nan Xiaoniao with a smile, began to gesture to her. Since Nan Xiaoniao was temporarily deaf, she couldn''t hear what Tina was saying. Tina''s gestures were effective, however, as Nan Xiaoniao obediently handed over her small bag to Tina, who couldn''t resist giving Nan Xiaoniao a kiss, causing her cheeks to flush red. Tina took the bag and opened it to find only a bamboob inside, shaped exactly like a sliced bamboo shoot. The group nodded silently; it seemed they had found the second sacrificial item. cing theb on the altar, KP Cao announced with a smile, "OK, you''ve found the second sacrificial item, so you get an extra thirty minutes in the Mirror World. You now have an hour to find the third item ¨C grapes. Keep up the good work. Considering you''ve already crippled the Formless Offspring, finding the grapes should be easy." "Easy, my foot," Tina retorted. "The Formless Offspring might be slow now, but its other attributes and skills are still intact. As long as it guards the grapevine corridor, we can''t bypass it to get the grapes." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, adding, "Tina''s right. The Formless Offspring''s attack range is too broad, probably over ten meters. Given that the path to the grapevine corridor is only seven or eight meters wide, attempting to rush in will inevitably trigger a battle with the Formless Offspring!" "We''d surely lose such a fight," he continued. "Apart from Liu Xing''s Qingming Rain, we have no means to harm the Formless Offspring. ording to the rulebook, it has five attack methods. The first is to bind and capture its prey with tentacles. Although it doesn''t inflict damage, escape is nearly impossible. This attack has a 90% sess rate, so we can only hope for a lucky dodge." "The second method," he went on, "is devouring the prey, an instant-death skill. Thankfully, its sess rate is only 30%, but if it gets to that point, we''re as good as dead, caught and unable to escape." "As for the third method, it''s whipping its prey with tentacles, dealing 1d6 plus bonus damage. The Formless Offspring''s bonus damage is also 1d6, with a maximum of 12 points, enough to kill us instantly. It can attack up to three targets simultaneously with this method, preventing us from overwhelming it in a battle of attrition to buy time for someone to dash into the grapevine corridor. However, this attack has only a 60% sess rate, so perhaps we could take a chance on it?" "Next, we have the Formless Offspring''s fourth method of attack: pounding. When the Formless Offspring employs this attack, its base damage is its damage bonus. However, there''s a 20% chance of receiving an additional 2d6 damage bonus. This attack is particrly effective in causing severe injuries to its prey, although the sess rate is only about 20%. As long as we''re not terribly unlucky, we should be fine." "As for the Formless Offspring''s final attack method, it''s a spell attack. But no one knows what spells this particr Formless Offspring can cast. Personally, I think this is just a low-level regional promotion game, so it''s unlikely that the Formless Offspring will have very powerful spells," Akira Akashi analyzed, leaving Liu Xing and others bewildered. "Akira Akashi, did you memorize the entire rulebook or something?" Tian Dao asked,pletely baffled. Akira Akashi shook his head with a smile, "Not really. I just did some research on the lesser servants in the Cthulhu Mythos before participating in this promotion game. I thought they might be set as the final bosses in this game. Knowing your enemy as well as yourself ensures victory, so I thoroughly studied these lesser servants." Hearing Akira Akashi''s exnation, Liu Xing couldn''t help feeling a bit embarrassed. During the past few days of rest, he had only casually read a few pages of the rulebook, thinking he had understood enough, and hadn''t looked at it since. So, when facing the Formless Offspring, Liu Xing could only remember some expected values of the Formless Offspring''s attributes, but had totally forgotten its skills. Thus, Liu Xing felt his preparation for the game was rather perfunctory. If he encountered a mythical creature he was unfamiliar with and knew nothing about, he would be perilously close to death. So, Liu Xing decided that after this promotion game, he needed to return to the real world and thoroughly memorize the rulebook, especially deepening his understanding and knowledge of these mythical creatures. "In that case, our only option seems to be luring the Formless Offspring away from the grape corridor, so we can have a chance to search for the grapes," Tina said somewhat dejectedly. "But, considering the Formless Offspring''s speed, we don''t need to worry too much about being caught. However, it seems we can only use Nan Xiaoniao as bait to distract the Formless Offspring." "No, I won''t allow you to do that," Akira Akashi sighed helplessly. The "I" she referred to was her character card. "My character card acquired a trait in the first two Cthulhu RPG Games due to certain events. The trait is ''protecting children'', so I can''t just watch you put Nan Xiaoniao in danger, unless you can convince me otherwise." Traits, simr to titles, are acquired by yers after a Cthulhu RPG Game if they trigger certain specific plotlines. Unlike titles, traits impose certain restrictions on the yer''s character card. For instance, Akira Akashi''s trait of ''protecting children'' prevents her from acting in a way that harms children and from ignoring others who might harm children. Chapter 60: Li Ming Awakens Chapter 60: Li Ming Awakens Of course, the traits obtained from character cards, although they limit some actions and behaviors of the yers, even forcing them to do certain things, even if it means facing death... However, these traits are not entirely without benefits. When they perform checks rted to protecting children, they receives certain bonuses. Thus, traits are more like a game of Russian roulette than a double-edged sword. Whether they are good or bad depends on your luck. As for why Liu Xing knew about the traits, he had logged into the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall a few days ago during his free time, browsing through themunity''s discussion forum. Despite the frequentings and goings of society members, maintaining a number of about a thousand, the forum was always bustling. yers shared their experiences there, and Liu Xing learned about the existence of traits from these discussions. At that time, Liu Xing wondered, if Isabe hadn''t used her charm on him and he still had helped her escape with all his might, would KP004 have given him a "Lolicon" trait... It was strange, though, that Liu Xing hadn''t seen any other administrators besides Du Liu. "It''s going to be tough, but when my Private Room time is over, I''ll try to convince you," Tina said with a shrug of resignation. "Let''s try that. First, we''ll try to lure the Formless Offspring aside. If that doesn''t work, we''ll have Akira Akashi and Nan Xiaoniao draw its attention," suggested Tian Dao. Liu Xing nodded, agreeing with Tian Dao''s excellent suggestion. He was also concerned about the Formless Offspring''s reaction upon seeing Nan Xiaoniao, as it was transformed from Nan Xiaoniao''s mother. There was a chance that the motherly bond might restore some consciousness to Nan Xiaoniao''s mother, turning her into an ally... Fat chance! In this mirror world, aside from the Formless Offspring, there were no traces of the other missing people. As a mythical creature, the Formless Offspring needed to feed, so the missing people had likely be its meals. To the Formless Offspring, Nan Xiaoniao was just delicious food, and Liu Xing''s group were viins stealing its meal. If these viins paraded their coveted food in front of it, the Formless Offspring might not tolerate such provocation and could explode in rage, doubling its speed. Moreover, Nan Xiaoniao was a child. Though temporarily deaf, her sight was unaffected. Seeing the Formless Offspring would be a tremendous shock to her fragile mind, potentially driving her into a temporary state of madness,plicating matters. Thus, Liu Xing preferred not to use Nan Xiaoniao to attract the Formless Offspring. "I also agree with Tian Dao''s opinion. Let''s wait and see..." As Liu Xing spoke, a strange moan sounded. Li Ming, who had been lying like a corpse, finally woke up. Calcting the time, Li Ming''s temporary madness had passed. "Ugh, Tian Dao, you really hit hard. My neck feels like it''s broken,"ined Li Ming, rubbing his neck. Tian Dao chuckled, scratching his head, "Don''t me me. You were possessed by bad luck, encountering the fear of mist in a ce surrounded by it. You would have been scared to death, so I actually saved your life." Tian Dao''s persuasive sess left Li Ming speechless. "Uh, well, I guess I should thank you, Tian Dao. But I lost consciousness when I passed out. Can you tell me what''s happening now?" Li Ming moved his body a bit and spoke. Consequently, Tian Dao informed Li Ming of all the events that had transpired in the past half hour, leaving Li Ming in astonishment. "What the heck, the BOSS of this promotion game is the Formless Offspring? We really can''t fight that." Li Ming said somewhat relieved, "Luckily, I was injured in thest team game, which temporarily reduced my agility. It''s a fortunate misfortune that it also reduced the Formless Offspring''s agility." Tina nodded, jokingly suggesting, "In that case, should we also break your other leg, Li Ming? That could further decrease the Formless Offspring''s agility." Li Ming vigorously shook his head at Tina''s suggestion. In a real-life Cthulhu RPG Game, he would have chosen to do so without hesitation. But this was a genuine Cthulhu RPG Game, where pain was as real as it gets. Li Ming still asionally remembered the agony of having his leg broken in thest game. "Alright, Private Room time is over. Please, yers, get ready to continue ying your roles," KP Cao suddenly announced. "Also, Li Ming, now that you''re awake, roll for constitution." Li Ming, 52/60, sess. "Tch, you all have pretty good luck. So, waking up from the unconsciousness, you don''t feel anything unusual, just a bit hungry," KP Cao said somewhat speechlessly. "Uh, where are we right now? Why did I pass out earlier?" Li Ming, who had just woken up from unconsciousness, pretended to be very confused. Again, it was Tian Dao who exined the current situation to Li Ming, but this time the exnation was surely from a character''s perspective. "What, we encountered a monster, and it''s upying the grape arbor?" Li Ming eximed in "surprise," "So, what do we do now? Without grapes, we can''tplete the ritual to return to the real world." "Let''s do this. Tina and I will go check where the monster is. You three stay in the temple and watch over Nan Xiaoniao, and wait for our good news," Liu Xing suggested. Liu Xing felt that the most important thing now was to determine the Formless Offspring''s location to decide how to bypass it and reach the grape arbor for the grapes. "Yes, after all, we''ve already been scared by that monster. We shouldn''t be afraid of it now," Tina agreed, nodding. Chapter 61: The Cunning Formless Offspring Chapter 61: The Cunning Formless Offspring In most cases, for a lower-tier servant like this mythical creature, one encounter is enough to develop an "antibody." Subsequent face-to-face encounters with this creature result in a lesser reduction of SAN (Sanity) points, or possibly none at all. This is why Liu Xing suggested that he and Tina should take charge of scouting the Formless Offspring''s location. They aimed to prevent Akira Akashi and others from seeing the Formless Offspring, thus preserving their SAN. After all, Liu Xing and Tina, upon encountering the Formless Offspring, could lose 3+1d6 SAN points if they failed the SAN check. This risk was partly due to witnessing the transformation of Nan Xiaoniao''s mother. Liu Xing spected that seeing the Formless Offspring would cost at least 1+1d6 SAN points, which meant a high risk of Akira Akashi and others falling into a temporary state of madness. Moreover, Li Ming had just recovered from a temporary madness state and was in atent phase of insanity. Losing even 1 point of SAN would plunge him back into madness. The fact that the 1d10 madnesstency check hadn''t urred suggested that KP Cao was nning a secret roll. Therefore, for safety, Li Ming should avoid encountering the Formless Offspring until the promotion game ends. Li Ming understood this and said, "That''s for the best. You''ve seen my current state. If that creature finds me, I''m surely doomed. Let me stay here and take care of Nan Xiaoniao." Tian Dao and Akira Akashi nodded in agreement, deciding to stay inside the temple. They would be ready to join Liu Xing and Tina if needed. Liu Xing and Tina left the temple, looking down from Crane Temple at the foot of the mountain. They didn''t spot the Formless Offspring but noticed the traces it left behind. Given its massive size, the Formless Offspring''s weight was substantial, and its slime-like body left behind depressions and ck, unknown liquid along its path... "Did that creature go to the bamboo forest?" Liu Xing pondered, noticing the trail of the Formless Offspring disappearing into the bamboo grove on the mountainside. Tina nodded but remained silent, lost in thought. Liu Xing shared her contemtion. The Formless Offspring''s behavior was abnormal. It should have headed straight for the temple, so why divert to the bamboo forest? It made no sense. Liu Xing looked disheartenedly at the dense bamboo grove, unable to spot the Formless Offspring. "Wait, Liu Xing, that creature''s body is like slime, simr to the slimes and slime monsters in games. I think it might beposed of liquid. So, it could probably pass through narrow gaps!" Tina suddenly spoke up. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Tina was right. The Formless Offspring could liquefy itself to move through narrow passages. This meant that its purpose in entering the bamboo forest was to deceive, using crevices within to infiltrate the temple! After all, the intelligence of the Formless Offspring was on par with that of a normal human. Realizing its pitifully slow speed, it knew it couldn''t just barge into the temple. So, the Formless Offspring decided to exploit its racial talent and enter the temple by transforming into a liquid state and sneaking through a crack in the bamboo forest. Truly, a cunning Formless Offspring. With this in mind, Liu Xing and Tina exchanged a look and immediately returned to the temple. "Uh, why are you back so soon? Has that creature already made its way up here?" Akira Akashi was surprised to see Liu Xing and Tina return, as they had left the temple less than three minutes ago. Liu Xing nodded, exining, "Yes, that creature is likely on its way up. We noticed its trail leading to the mid-mountain bamboo forest, which seemed odd. Tina then realized that its body structure resembled the slimes from some games, and surmised that the creature might have already transformed into liquid to infiltrate the temple. So, we rushed back." Hearing Liu Xing''s exnation, Akira Akashi and others frowned, amazed at the Formless Offspring''s cunning tactics ¨C akin to a strategy of openly repairing the nk road while secretly crossing the Wei River. "Let''s leave this ce now," Tian Dao suggested, frowning and ready to evacuate the temple. At that moment, Li Ming shook his head, saying, "Then you go. I''ll stay here. My mobility is limited due to my leg, and my mental state isn''t great. I suspect that seeing that mythical creature would drive me insane. I can''t be a burden to you anymore." Liu Xing and others silently nodded in agreement. As Li Ming said, he was of no use at the moment. However, Liu Xing believed that the Formless Offspring''s primary target must be Nan Xiaoniao. If Liu Xing''s group took Nan Xiaoniao away, the Formless Offspring would likely follow Nan Xiaoniao and not trouble Li Ming. Therefore, Li Ming stayed behind in the temple alone, while Liu Xing and others, with Nan Xiaoniao, went to the grape arbor. They nned to find grapes and then return to offer this final tribute at the temple. Without lingering in the temple, Liu Xing''s group, with Tina carrying Nan Xiaoniao, promptly left. "Tina, remember to cover Nan Xiaoniao''s eyes with your handster. Don''t let her see that creature," Liu Xing said, leading the way. But just as he mentioned it, as if on cue, the Formless Offspring burst through the ground at the temple''s entrance, where Alger had fallen, writhing its massive body. "Damn it, run! And don''t look back!" Liu Xing shouted in anger. Tian Dao and Akira Akashi, aware of the Formless Offspring appearing behind them, kept moving forward without turning back to avoid losing SAN. Despite their apparent panic, they were calm inside, knowing the Formless Offspring, despite its desperate efforts, couldn''t possibly catch up with them due to its slow movement. Chapter 62: The Formless Offspring Blocking the Way Chapter 62: The Formless Offspring Blocking the Way Tina acted without hesitation, holding Nan Xiaoniao in one arm and covering her eyes with the other, continuing to walk downwards. Meanwhile, Liu Xing served as the observer, closely watching the movements of the Formless Offspring to provide Tina and the others with firsthand information. Just as Liu Xing had anticipated, the Formless Offspring''s primary target was Nan Xiaoniao. It pursued them directly, and its speed had increased somewhat since Li Ming had awakened. The speed of the Formless Offspring had evolved from snail-like to that of a turtle. "The monster''s speed has obviously improved a notch, but it''s still very slow, so we don''t need to hurry," Liu Xing reminded everyone. Thus, what should have been a tense and intense chase scenepletely changed its tone. The Formless Offspring, a mythical creature, now seemed like a pitiful puppy being led on a walk by these "evil humans." However, Liu Xing remained concerned that the Formless Offspring might possess long-range attack spells, frequently looking back to monitor its actions. After all, the spells in the Cthulhu RPG game usually required noticeable pre-casting movements. Liu Xing hypothesized that the Formless Offspring''s spells might allow it to parasitize or transform into humans. This would exin why it could masquerade as Nan Xiaoniao''s mother, leading to the terrifying transformation scene in the grape arbor. While not entirely certain, Liu Xing felt there was an 80% chance of this being true. Moreover, it seemed unlikely that the Formless Offspring had any long-range attack spells, as its choice to ambush suggested a level of intelligence that would have surely led it to use such spells if it had them. Relieved by this thought, Liu Xing led the group confidently to themercial district. Looking back, the Formless Offspring was still far behind, not even halfway up the hill. Ignoring the slow-moving Formless Offspring, the group reached the grape arbor, finding only grape skins and seeds, with no grapes in sight. "Wow, how much can this creature eat? Did it finish all the grapes here?" Tian Dao said, somewhat dismayed. Liu Xing nodded, but internally he confirmed that the Formless Offspring indeed parasitized Nan Xiaoniao''s mother. After entering the mirror world, she retained some consciousness. Like Liu Xing, she felt hunger due to failing a physical constitution check and began eating grapes here, as grapes and peaches were the only avable food in this mirror world. Considering the current situation, it was time for a round of investigation. "KP, should we conduct an investigation now?" Liu Xing asked. KP Cao chuckled and replied, "Oh, I didn''t expect you to be so eager. Yes, you can now perform an investigation check. If you pass, you''ll get a grape." Liu Xing, 51/40, failed. Tian Dao, 45/70, seeded. Tina, 60/50, failed. Akira Akashi, 67/40, failed. It was a close call. The group, including Liu Xing, exchanged nces, simultaneously heaving a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Tian Dao''s reconnaissance was sessful. Had there been no sessful scouting this time, they would have had no grapes to offer as a sacrifice. The trouble, however, was that they only had one grape left as the sole survivor. Tian Dao, treating it with extra care, picked up the grape from the ground and said, "Uh, I''m a bit rough around the edges and not good at handling delicate things. If I damage this grape, we won''t be able to leave this cursed ce and return to the real world. My fault would be too great, so it''s better you keep it safe." "Alright then, let''s put the grape in Nan Xiaoniao''s small bag. It should be safe there and even if it falls, it won''t get damaged easily," Tina suggested. Thus, Tina took the grape from Tian Dao and carefully ced it in Nan Xiaoniao''s small bag, entrusting Akira Akashi with the responsibility of carrying it. After securing thest of the sacrificial items, Liu Xing and the team felt urgency. They promptly returned to the temple to offer the sacrifice and return to the real world. But Liu Xing suddenly remembered something important ¨C where had the Formless Offspring gone? Logically, this ''disabled'' Formless Offspring, although slow, should have reached themercial district by now. But Liu Xing saw no trace of it. Could it be... Thinking this, Liu Xing turned to Tina and the others, "Where has that monster gone? Has it stopped chasing us?" Liu Xing''s question furrowed the brows of Tina and the rest, who shared his concerns. They all pondered why the Formless Offspring hadn''t appeared. However, they soon found their answer. The Formless Offspring had learned to lie in wait, blocking their path to the Crane Temple halfway up the mountain. Using its massive form and tentacles, it effortlessly barricaded the only route to the temple. As Liu Xing watched the Formless Offspring''s undting tentacles, he couldn''t shake off the feeling that it was mocking them ¨C "No matter how fast you run, you still have to return right into my grasp. Let''s see how you''ll get past me now." Faced with this obstacle, both Akira Akashi and Tian Dao were at a loss and had to confront the Formless Offspring directly. Given the situation, their SAN (Sanity) values were bound to decrease. "So, as Akira Akashi and Tian Daoy eyes on the Formless Offspring for the first time, it''s time for a SAN check. A sess means a decrease of 2 SAN points, a failure results in a loss of 1d6+1 SAN points, and you''ll gain equivalent knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos." Tian Dao, 84/78, failed. Akira Akashi, 33/76, seeded. Chapter 63: Forceful Breakthrough Everyone turned their attention to Tian Dao, surprised by his streak of bad luck. Since entering the mirror world, Tian Dao had failed both of his SAN (Sanity) checks. Tian Dao''s roll: 1d6+1 = 2+1 = 3. Sighing in relief, Tian Dao was d to have avoided a temporary descent into madness. "This time, Tian Dao loses 3 SAN points, and Akira Akashi loses 1," announced KP Cao, somewhat regretfully. His regret seemed to stem from Tian Dao not going insane this round. "Damn, that monster haspletely blocked our way back," KP Cao said. Liu Xing, continuing his role-y, added, "The creature looks creepy, and it might have long-range attack abilities, so we should get out of its sight first." After all, staring down a Formless Offspring wasn¡¯t a solution. Liu Xing felt a discussion was necessary, hence he reminded his teammates with his words. Understanding Liu Xing''s hint, Tina spoke up, "Liu Xing is right. Since the creature can turn into a liquid to slip through narrow cracks, it might throw or spit its bodily fluids at us, like slimes in video games. Let''s hide first and discuss how to get past this blockade and return to the temple." Nodding, Tian Dao said, "Okay, I''ll keep watch. If the creature does anything unusual, I''ll alert you immediately. But you need to discuss quickly; I feel like dying might cause problems." So, leaving Tian Dao to watch the Formless Offspring, Liu Xing and the others retreated to the grape arbor, beginning their ''Private Room'' time. "Tough situation, this Formless Offspring is ying a waiting game. We might have to force our way through," Tina said, setting down Nan Xiaoniao. After all, Nan Xiaoniao wasn''t a toddler and weighed quite a bit. Plus, Tina had to keep covering Nan Xiaoniao¡¯s eyes to prevent a panic upon seeing the Formless Offspring. Her arms were starting to go numb. Liu Xing nodded, feeling helpless, "You''re right, Tina. The Formless Offspring has totally blocked the path. If it doesn''t move, our only option to return to the temple is a risky push. But logically, the Cthulhu RPG Game shouldn¡¯t set such a deadly trap, forcing us into a death march. There must be another way." "Exactly, my thoughts align with yours, Liu Xing," Akira Akashi chimed in. "Aside from the path blocked by the Formless Offspring, there must be another way to the temple, like a side path or tunnel. After all, the Crane Temple couldn''t have relied on just one path." "Right, right, Akira Akashi makes sense. I recall a temple on a mountain back home with four paths leading up to it," Tina agreed, then contacted KP Cao, "KP, can we maybe perform a reconnaissance or inspiration check now to find a small path leading to the temple?" KP Cao paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really possible under normal circumstances unless you cancel your Private Room time. However, since the plot has now reached its final stage, and you still have two Private Room sessions left, I¡¯ll make an exception. You can either opt for a difficult investigation or try your luck. But remember, this leaves you with only onest Private Room session.¡± Liu Xing and his twopanions exchanged silent nces. Tina then addressed KP Cao, ¡°Okay, let''s roll the dice. I¡¯m going for luck.¡± Liu Xing and Akira Akashi simultaneously dered, ¡°Me too.¡± After all, Tina¡¯s investigation skill was 50, while both Liu Xing and Akira Akashi¡¯s were 40. Therefore, if they were to undertake a challenging investigation check, their chances of sess wouldn¡¯t exceed 30%. Meanwhile, Tian Dao, keeping watch, overheard their conversation and shouted, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go for an investigation.¡± The results were as follows: - Liu Xing, Luck, 46/40, Failed. - Tina, 84/35, Failed. - Akira Akashi, Luck, 62/30, Failed. - Tian Dao, Investigation, 76/35, Failed. Liu Xing and hispanions looked at each other in dismay, not expecting that all three would fail the Luck Check. Tian Dao was equally unlucky, failing even in his strongest skill, investigation. ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯ve all discovered nothing, so you haven¡¯t found the path to the Crane Temple,¡± KP Cao said, taking pleasure in their misfortune. ¡°Well, it seems we have no choice but to find another way,¡± Liu Xing sighed in resignation. ¡°Our only option now is to charge through. After all, the Formless Offspring can only attack 1d3 individuals at a time, and its sess rate is only 60%. Plus, with our agility advantage, we might be able to further reduce the sess rate of the Formless Offspring. We also have the option to dodge, so our chances of getting through sessfully are quite high.¡± Akira Akashi and Tina nodded reluctantly in agreement with Liu Xing¡¯s n. However, Liu Xing could tell they were still very worried, given the immense pressure exerted by the Formless Offspring. Getting caught by it would certainly spell doom. But, they had no other alternatives. Tina clenched her teeth and said, ¡°It seems we have to take a gamble today. But I hope you guys can go first to draw the Formless Offspring¡¯s attention. After all, its first target is surely Nan Xiaoniao. Now that I¡¯m holding Nan Xiaoniao, the Formless Offspring will definitely switch its target to me. Holding Nan Xiaoniao will surely reduce my agility. Moreover, charging uphill will likely decrease it further, so my request isn¡¯t too much, is it?¡± Liu Xing and Akira Akashi exchanged nces, then nodded in agreement. As Tina said, holding Nan Xiaoniao would significantly reduce her agility, making her highly vulnerable in a swift confrontation with the Formless Offspring. Chapter 64: Entering the Battle Rotation Chapter 64: Entering the Battle Rotation "Alright, that settles it. I and Tian Dao will lead the charge, followed by Akira Akashi covering Tina as she moves up." Liu Xing pped his hands, making the final, summarizing statement. "Mm, no problem on my end," Akira Akashi nodded and spoke up. Tina also nodded, then picked up Nan Xiaoniao, "Mm, let''s head out. We have only about half an hour left. We should return to the temple as soon as possible to present the offerings, lest KP Caoes up with more tricks." After ending their Private Room time, Liu Xing went over to Tian Dao and said, "Tian Dao, we have no choice but to force our way through now. This monster seems hell-bent on waiting for us, and we don''t have the luxury of time to keep waiting. So, it''s up to us men to lead the way and create time and space for them." "Mm, let''s get ready then. But I have a suggestion: we should attack from two different directions, one left and one right. This might just put the monster in a tough spot, increasing our chances of breaking through," Tian Dao nodded, but proposed his own idea. However, Liu Xing knew that Tian Dao''s suggestion was just a part of their role-y. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, a Formless Offspring wouldn''t be caught in such a dilemma since it could attack several people at once, with the oue determined by the Dice Goddess. Nevertheless, Liu Xing yed along with Tian Dao''s strategy. "You''re right, Tian Dao. So, I''ll take the left side, and you take the right, how about that?"Finnd ??ew chapters on n??ve/lbi??(. At this moment, Tina and Akira Akashi also came over and heard Liu Xing and Tian Dao''s discussion. "So, when that monster chooses to attack one of you, Akira Akashi and I will follow the other and rush forward. Is that okay?" Tina said with interest. Akira Akashi just nodded indifferently. The specifics of their run didn''t matter much, as the final oue wouldn''t be significantly affected as long as Tina and he could keep up with Liu Xing and Tian Dao without falling behind. This would prevent KP Cao from deciding that they should have separate battle checks. Akira Akashi had experienced a simr situation in a previous gaming session. A teammate, fearing for his own safety, deliberately slowed down, letting Akira Akashi and the others take the lead. As he wished, he wasn''t included in that attack check. But because of his slower pace, he faced a separate attack check and ended up tearing his card... So, Akira Akashi decided to remind Tina, "Tina, we can''t wait too longter on, lest the monster reacts and targets us specifically. After all, Nan Xiaoniao is in your hands, and that monster''s primary target is definitely Nan Xiaoniao." Tina nodded, showing she understood Akira Akashi''s point. Tian Dao then said with a smile, "Mm, let''s decide on this. Everyone needs to put in their best effort. We must all return to the real world together." Liu Xing felt that Tian Dao might have just set a significant g. "OK, everyone''s ready, let''s get moving. For now, we''ll try to get close to the monster, leaving enough space for a sprint," Liu Xing once again took the lead, moving to the front. As Akira Akashi had hinted earlier, the order of approaching the Formless Offspring had little impact on the final check, provided Akira Akashi and the others didn''t betray him. Moreover, as a normal human, Liu Xing naturally had his own motives. After all, the yers'' performance in this Cthulhu RPG Game determined the MVP, and the benefits of being MVP were obvious. Thus, Liu Xing yed his role as best as he could, striving to be an important figure, even a leader, within the team. Akira Akashi and the others, of course, wouldn''t betray their teammates. They followed Liu Xing''s lead, stopping about ten meters from the Formless Offspring. The creature''s tentacles had a reach of about five meters, so the remaining five meters served as a buffer zone. This distance allowed them to guard against sudden attacks from the Formless Offspring and also provided enough room to start their sprint. "If everyone''s ready, then shall we start?" Liu Xing looked at Tian Dao to his right, then at Tina and Akira Akashi behind him, and finally at Nan Xiaoniao in Tina''s arms, asking seriously. "We''re ready," Tian Dao and the others replied softly. Taking a deep breath, Liu Xing said, "Then, I''ll count down from three, and we''ll sprint. I wish everyone good luck, and I''ll see you in the temple." "Three." "Two." "One, charge!" At Liu Xing''smand, everyone charged towards the Formless Offspring. Just as Liu Xing and Tian Dao took the lead and entered the Formless Offspring''s attack range, Liu Xing suddenly felt the air around him stagnate, as if everything around him slowed down. It was like the bullet time seen in movies, where everything seemed incredibly slow. Of course, in a different setting, like the Main God Space, Liu Xing might have thought he was experiencing a breakthrough in the face of danger, unlocking the legendary gic lock, enabling him to overpower the Formless Offspring and send it back to where it belonged. Usually, as lower servants, mythical creatures wouldn''t die outright. They''d be sent back to their original ce after sustaining certain damage, especially since Eldritch Gods protected these creatures, making it not so simple for mere humans to deal with them. Unfortunately, Liu Xing was in a Cthulhu RPG Game setting, where no gic lock existed. The reason for the current situation was that Liu Xing had entered the battle round. In a typical Cthulhu RPG Game, battle rounds could be resolved sequentially with a few checks, but in this real version of the game, things were not that simple. "Hehe, now yers Liu Xing, Tina, Akira Akashi, Tian Dao, and NPC Nan Xiaoniao have all entered the battle round. Since some yers haven''t experienced a battle round before, I, KP Cao, will take this opportunity to exin how a real Cthulhu RPG Game battle round works," Liu Xing realized, hearing KP Cao''s sleazy voice, that KP Cao was about to stir up trouble. Chapter 65: Preparing for Battle Chapter 65: Preparing for Battle "Actually, our real-life Cthulhu RPG Game''sbat round is quite straightforward. yers begin by making various checks, and the results of these checks determine their next actions and the subsequent impact." "Let me give an example. Suppose Tina faces an attack check from a Formless Offspring''s whip and fails her dodge check. After calcting the damage, it''s determined she''ll lose 5 HP. If Tina''s description of her actions is detailed and logical, she might reduce the HP loss to 4, 3, or even 1 point. On the contrary, if a yer''s description is average or they choose not to describe their actions, the damage calcted initially will apply. Of course, there''s also a special scenario called ''All or Nothing.''" "In situations where a yer faces an attack that could be fatal, they can opt for an ''All or Nothing'' description. Here, yers can describe actions that might not align with their character''s background or logic. For instance, Tina, who normally doesn''t have the agility to perform aplex series of acrobatic moves like a front flip with a 360-degree twist followed by a roll, can attempt it under ''All or Nothing.'' This can be seen as unleashing the human body''stent potential, but it requires fulfilling a precondition and passing a special ''All or Nothing'' check." "Firstly, the precondition: the game master (kp) will assess your ''All or Nothing'' description and determine how much more agility you need toplete the action. For example, if Tinacks 50 agility points to perform the action I just described, she can''t proceed to the ''All or Nothing'' check without bridging this gap. The missing agility points can bepensated for with other attribute points." "At this stage, yers can ''spend'' other attributes to gain the missing 50 agility points. However, it''s important to note that the attributes used for this ''purchase'' will be permanently lost, whether the ''All or Nothing'' check seeds or not." "After meeting the precondition, we move to the special ''All or Nothing'' check. It''s unique because its sess rateprises two parts. The first part is a base value determined by the yer rolling a 1d50 dice. The second part is an additional value, converted from the yer''s luck points, where each point of luck is worth one additional value. However, for every 10 luck points spent, you get an extra 5 points. Once spent, these luck points are also permanently deducted." "Finally, the ''All or Nothing'' value is the sum of the base and additional values. If the check is sessful, the yer performs the extraordinary action and achieves the intended effect. If it fails, however, there are consequences. Taking Tina''s example again, if she fails, she might cramp up during the jump, fall, and temporarily lose the ability to move." "Lastly, I must mention that going all-in doesn''t always lead to great sess or failure. It can only be used during defense and evasion, so it''s not possible during an attack. The reason you can''t go all-in while attacking is because, before thest update of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, a yer used this tactic, sacrificing 450 attribute points, to instantly kill a Ghoul Elder with just 20 HP left..." KP Caomented, "That Ghoul Elder was even more embarrassing than the Formless Offspring you are facing now." KP Cao''s lengthy discourse was immensely enlightening for the newbie, Liu Xing, rifying the nuances ofbat rounds. Of course, what intrigued Liu Xing the most was this concept of going all-in, essentially trading attribute points for a chance at survival, ast resort of sorts. In the real-world Cthulhu RPG Game, descriptions usually just add ir and enhance immersion. Surprisingly, in this true-to-life Cthulhu RPG Game, the role of descriptions is significantly magnified. A good description can directly sway the oue of a battle. Liu Xing now felt somewhat fortunate that he had a solid foundation in literature. Having grown up reading wuxia novels andter exploring web novels, he felt quite confident about his descriptive skills required for thebat rounds. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help butin about KP Cao''s close rtionship with Tina, frequently taking jabs at her. It was a good thing that Tina couldn''t speak now, or else they would have witnessed a fiery exchange of words between her and KP Cao. Of course, if this were a tabletop game, Tina might have resorted to using ''persuasion (physical)'' on KP Cao. "Now, let''s officially enter thebat round, starting with the check phase. Since the agility of the Formless Offspring matches the yer with the lowest agility, its agility will now be 20. The yers'' agility will each decrease by 10 points due to sprinting, and Tina, carrying Nan Xiaoniao, will lose an additional 15 points of agility. Now, for every 2 points your agility exceeds that of the Formless Offspring, your chance of sessfully evading its attack increases by 1 point, though any fractions will be disregarded," KP Cao stated seriously. After hearing KP Cao''s exnation, Liu Xing began to calcte. His agility was 50 points, which would decrease to 40 after the reduction, 20 points higher than that of the Formless Offspring. This meant his evasion value would increase by 10 points. Since evasion value is half of the agility, Liu Xing''s final evasion value would be 30. He realized that if he were to be attacked, his situation would be quite precarious. KP Cao paused for a moment before continuing, "Next, I will roll a 1d3 to determine the number of yers the Formless Offspring will attack this round." Chapter 66: Battle Settlement Chapter 66: Battle Settlement Formless Offspring''s attack count, 1d3=3 times! "Damn, why is my luck so bad?" Liu Xing sighed helplessly. If the result of his previous roll had been only 1, Liu Xing could have breathed a sigh of relief. Since Nan Xiaoniao, or more precisely, Tina, was already targeted by Formless Offspring, the creature would surely use its single opportunity to attack Nan Xiaoniao, and by extension, the Tina embracing her. Therefore, now that KP Cao had rolled for Formless Offspring to attack three times in this battle round, aside from itspulsory targets¡ªTina and Nan Xiaoniao¡ªthe remaining two attacks would randomly select two from Liu Xing, Tian Dao, and Akira Akashi. This meant that Liu Xing now had a two-thirds chance of being attacked by Formless Offspring. Liu Xing felt he should take a gamble and see whose luck would prevail, his or Formless Offspring''s. "OK, for obvious reasons, Formless Offspring will definitely attack Nan Xiaoniao and her protector, Tina. But rather than an attack, it''s more akin to a capture, so this round of attacks from Formless Offspring will not cause damage. However, if the attack is sessful, it will bind you, and with your strength, it''s impossible to break free from Formless Offspring''s grasp. Simply put, if Formless Offspring catches you, it''s as good as death," KP Cao said with a sinister smile, clearly pleased to have rolled three attacks. Fortunately, because Formless Offspring had to attack three targets at once and bind each with its tentacles, it used a multi-attack. Its base sess rate was 60, but as it was distracted by attacking three targets, the sess rate dropped by 10 points, thus only a 50% chance remained. Moreover, since Tina was positioned between Liu Xing and Akira Akashi, the difficulty of attacking her further reduced Formless Offspring''s sess rate by 10 points, leaving it at just 40. KP Cao summarized Formless Offspring''s attack sess rate. "By the way, since Formless Offspring has two more attacks, I''ll number Liu Xing as 1, Tian Dao as 2, and Akira Akashi as 3, then roll a 1d3 dice. The yer whose number is rolled will not be attacked." KP Cao began the roll while speaking. 1d3=3! "Oh, looks like our Miss Akira Akashi is quite lucky. She won''t be attacked by Formless Offspring in this battle round. So, Miss Akira Akashi, please carefully choose your actions. You can either rush out of Formless Offspring''s attack range or choose to help your teammates. Everything depends on your decision. Now, let''s begin the damage settlement for this battle round. First, Formless Offspring''s attack on Tina, with a 40% sess rate, and Tina''s 45% evasion rate." Formless Offspring, attack, 86/40, failed. Tina, dodge, 23/45, sessful. Tina breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this result. Formless Offspring''s attack was ridiculously off-mark; even without dodging, it couldn''t have hit her. "Tch, so Tina, you can start nning yourbat narrative forter. Now it''s Liu Xing''s turn. Formless Offspring''s attack sess rate on you is 50, and your evasion sess rate is 30. Let''s start your battle settlement." Formless Offspring, attack, 53/50, failed. Liu Xing, evading, 54/30, failed. Liu Xing sighed in relief as the battle results appeared. Although his evasion attempt failed, the Formless Offspring''s attack still missed. Liu Xing knew that his life was saved this time. "It''s unbelievable how unlucky this Formless Offspring is, failing its attacks twice," he muttered. "Now it''s your turn, Tian Dao. The Formless Offspring has a 50% sess rate in attacking you, and your evasion rate is also 50%. Let''s proceed with the final battle resolution." Formless Offspring, attacking, 99/50, massive failure. Tian Dao, evading, 54/50, failed. ... After a moment of silence, KP Cao spoke with a tone of disappointment, "I can''t believe it. This Formless Offspring is so disgraceful, even managing to score a massive failure. It''s lost all dignity as a Formless Offspring. It might as well just transform into a Ghoul." Aftermenting the Formless Offspring''s luck, KP Cao turned to Tina, "Alright, Tina, you can describe your action now, followed by Liu Xing, Tian Dao, and Akira Akashi." Since Tina had enough time to think, she immediately replied after KP Cao finished speaking, "So, I just need to grab Nan Xiaoniao and run forward, slightly bending down to dodge the Formless Offspring''s uing attack." "Not aiming for glory, but to avoid mistakes. Your choice is very smart, Tina. You''ll narrowly escape the Formless Offspring''s attack. Now, Liu Xing, it''s your turn to describe," KP Cao said with a smile. Liu Xing had already prepared his description, "Then, I keep running upwards but remain alert to the Formless Offspring''s movements. At the instant the Formless Offspring attacks me, I decide to use a jump to evade!" "What, are you sure you want to use jump? Wait, why did you choose such a high jump?!" KP Cao eximed in surprise. "Well, if your jump is that high, then your evasion will be automatically adjusted to sessful. I was nning to trick you into falling while evading the Formless Offspring, causing you to lose 1 HP, but it seems I won''t get the chance." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, pleased that his high jump points saved him from KP Cao''s scheme. "Er, I will also charge forward recklessly, and when I realize the Formless Offspring''s attack ising at me, I''ll just sidestep to evade," Tian Dao added his description. KP Cao had initially nned to trick Tian Dao too, but considering the Formless Offspring''s massive failure against him, he abandoned the idea. "Alright, since the Formless Offspring''s attacks have been dodged twice by its prey, it bes enraged and confused. While attacking Tian Dao, it uses multiple tentacles and gets them tangled, resulting in a failed attack." Chapter 67: A Close Shave Chapter 67: A Close Shave In the aftermath of the battle, Akira Akashi, who had maintained the lowest profile, finally spoke up. "So, I''ll just follow Tina closely, running forward with her. After all, the Formless Offspring didn''t attack me." After hearing everyone''s ounts, KP Cao concluded, "Alright, this battle round is over. The result is that all three attacks by the Formless Offspring missed their mark, and you have narrowly escaped their interception. You''re now out of the Formless Offspring''s attack range. Next, we''ll move to thebat visuals of this round." As KP Cao''s voice faded, Liu Xing felt time returning to its normal flow. A long tentacle lunged towards him, seemingly aiming to entangle his legs and immobilize him, targeting his lower body. Meanwhile, the tentacle targeting Tina and Nan Xiaoniao swooped down from above towards Tina, or rather, aimed straight at Nan Xiaoniao. The situation seemed more perilous for Tian Dao, as three tentacles simultaneously charged at him. Had Liu Xing not known that the Formless Offspring''s attacks would be a grand failure, he might have genuinely feared for Tian Dao''s safety. Liu Xing then realized he had a 360-degree unobstructed view, and it wasn''t the third-person perspective from the previous Castle Lord''s scenario conclusion. This was a first-person view with adjustable zoom, highlighting the significant difference between thebat and conclusion visuals. Despite losing control over his body, Liu Xing could still feel his movements, as if he were performing them himself, devoid of the numbing sense of helplessness typical of such loss of control. This sensation was surprisingly tolerable, as nobody enjoys feeling like a puppet. Just as the tentacle was about to bind his legs, Liu Xing felt a lightness in his body and leapt nearly two meters high, effortlessly dodging the Formless Offspring''s strike andnding smoothly, continuing his run towards the Crane Temple. For Tina, though she seemed to be recklessly running forward while clutching Nan Xiaoniao, she deftly dodged the tentacle spiraling towards Nan Xiaoniao''s head ¨C a mere ten centimeters away. Tina''s swift maneuver, akin to evading a mythical creature, left the Formless Offspring dumbfounded. The tentacle, maintaining its momentum, plunged half a meter into the staircase, indicating the grave oue had it ensnared Nan Xiaoniao''s head: either Tina would let go, resulting in the Formless Offspring abducting Nan Xiaoniao, or she would hold on, leading to Nan Xiaoniao''s decapitation and solidifying Tina''s title. At Tian Dao''s location, just as KP Cao had described, the Formless Offspring''s previous attack failures led to its evident agitation. The three tentacles, hastening their pace, collided in aical mishap at the very moment they were about to strike Tian Dao. This entanglement, resembling a braided rope, was a ludicrous spectacle one might only expect in pstick animations. Akira Akashi, whose presence was incredibly subtle, encountered no obstacles and silently continued to run forward. As Akira Akashi, running at the back, also moved out of the attack range of the Formless Offspring, Liu Xing realized he had regained control of his body. "Keep running, let''s head straight to the temple!" Liu Xing said, turning to Tina and the others. After all, they were just one step away frompleting their mission. All they needed to do was ce the grape from Nan Xiaoniao''s small bag on the altar, and then Liu Xing and hispanions could leave the mirror world through the mysterious mirror. Tina and the others understood this as well, so without further words, they continued running silently. Soon, Liu Xing and his party finally made it back inside the temple, where Li Ming had been anxiously waiting. As for the Formless Offspring, it had given up on pursuing them, standing still and silently watching the fading figures of Liu Xing and hispanions. The creature realized it could no longer catch up. Perhaps, yearster, the Formless Offspring would reminisce about this day, seeing the retreating figures of Liu Xing and his group as a symbol of its lost youth... No, more like a cooked duck that had flown away. "How are you? Did you find the grape? Were you hurt?" Li Ming, who had been waiting inside the temple, immediately approached with concern upon seeing Liu Xing''s group enter. Li Ming, having stayed inside the temple the whole time and only hearing the constant dice rolls outside, was unaware of the exact situation. He had thought several times about checking outside the temple but was too afraid of encountering the Formless Offspring, so he remained inside. Tina took out the intact grape from Nan Xiaoniao''s small bag, "Yes, everything went smoothly. Although we only found one grape, its symbolic value is significant. It should be fine as an offering. Fortunately, that monster seemed a bit foolish; it failed to harm us in all three attacks, so our return was ultimately uneventful." As Tina exined to Li Ming, she ced the grape on the altar. "Congrattions, yers, you have gathered all the offerings needed to return to the real world. The passage to leave the mirror world and return to the real world is now open. You may pass through the mirror to return. However, I must say, your exploration of the mirror world is only about thirty percentplete. There are many more things to discover, even a Dragon-ying Sword, just a click away! Would you like to use the remaining half-hour to continue exploring?" KP Cao, like a cunning merchant, kept enticing Liu Xing and the others to explore more of the mirror world, even resorting to the ludicrous im of offering a Dragon-ying Sword. However, everyone knew that risk and reward coexisted. Even if there really was a Dragon-ying Sword in the mirror world, it would undoubtedly be guarded by a powerful mythical creature. Chapter 68: The Elderly Taoist Chapter 68: The Elderly Taoist So, whoever believes KP Cao''s tall tales and stays in this mirror world to continue exploring is surely out of their mind, as if a Ghoul had devoured their brain. Thus, Liu Xing and hispanions unanimously ignored KP Cao and headed straight for the mirror without hesitation. Due to the offering of a sacrifice, the mirror had opened a passage between the real world and the mirror world. The mirror surface, which originally reflected the scenes of a temple in the real world, had now turned into a dense fog, imprable and mysterious. Although Liu Xing knew KP Cao wouldn''t lie ¨C passing through this mirror would indeed take them back to the real world ¨C the eerie fog reminded him of a movie called "The Mist", which involved the Cthulhu Mythos. In it, a dense fog filled with various monsters relentlessly ughtered humans who ventured into it. Shaking his head, Liu Xing cast aside these chaotic thoughts and bravely stepped into the dense fog of the mirror, only to ckout abruptly. When Liu Xing regained consciousness, he was surprised to find that KP Cao hadn''t announced thepletion of their task, nor had he experienced another "out-of-body" moment. Wondering if there was more plot toe, he thought he should already be back in the real world. Could the Formless Offspring possibly follow them from the mirror world? Puzzled, Liu Xing propped himself up, only to realize he was lying amidst peach trees, with Akira Akashi and others scattered around, still unconscious. Rubbing his throbbing temples, Liu Xing struggled to his feet, his insatiable hunger unabated. The urgency in the mirror world had momentarily made him forget his hunger, but now, rxed, the gnawing emptiness dominated his thoughts, making him feel as if he hadn''t eaten or drunk for three days and nights. His only thought was to eat. Suddenly, Liu Xing smelled the aroma of food and followed it to find a kind-eyed old man approaching with a tray of meals sufficient for six people. "Young man, have some food. You must be starving from your time in the mirror world," the old man said as he ced the tray on the ground, sitting cross-legged without minding the dirt. He handed a bowl to Liu Xing with a smile. Though Liu Xing sensed something amiss, his overwhelming hunger took over, and he eagerly epted the food, savoring each bite. For the first time, he realized the sheer bliss of being able to eat. Meanwhile, Tina and others gradually woke up. Attracted by the smell of the food, they rushed over and eagerly grabbed bowls for themselves, eating as if reborn as starving ghosts. Even the adorable little girl, Nan Xiaoniao, was no exception. After all, even those like Tian Dao, who had passed the physical test, were not as famished as Liu Xing. The long-awaited feeling of satiety finally brought Liu Xing back to his senses. He turned his attention to the old man who had been standing by with a gentle smile. It was then Liu Xing noticed that this elder had the appearance of a youthful sage, his hair as white as a crane''s, yet his face bore the innocence of a child. He was d in a pristine Taoist robe, his head crowned with a traditional Taoist headdress, exuding an air of celestial grace. Had Liu Xing not been certain that he was still on the set of the Cthulhu RPG Game, he might have believed he had crossed into a mythical world of immortals and encountered a powerful and benevolent figure straight out of a fantasy novel - the archetype of the wise old grandmaster. "Thank you, venerable Taoist, for saving my life. I was so famished that I couldn''t walk or speak. I apologize for not expressing my gratitude sooner," Liu Xing respectfully addressed the old Taoist. The elder Taoist chuckled softly and humbly dismissed the praise, "Think nothing of it. The simple meal I offered is hardly worthy of such thanks. There''s no need for such formality, young man." Liu Xing was about to further express his gratitude, but suddenly he recalled the elder mentioning something about a ''Mirror World''. Frowning in contemtion, Liu Xing earnestly inquired, "Master, did you mention the Mirror World earlier? Is it the same bizarre realm we just escaped from?" With a nod and a smile, the elder Taoist confirmed, "Indeed, you and yourpanions are fortunate to have escaped unscathed from that Mirror World, without any loss. You must have seen how terrifying the creature known as the Formless Offspring is." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, his curiosity piqued, "Master, from your words, it seems you have also been to this Mirror World?" Hearing this, the old Taoist sighed, his voice tinged with reminiscence, "Certainly, how else would I know of the Mirror World and the Formless Offspring? You must have heard about it from Ray, I presume." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that this old Taoist was the very person Ray had spoken of. "Let me share a new story with you," the elder began. "After my junior disciple was punished by the great Sulu deity for stealing offerings, peace returned to the Crane Temple. One day, while clearing weeds near the peach trees with my fellow disciples, we saw my junior disciple waving at us. Believing he had been resurrected and forgiven by the great Sulu, we were overjoyed. But in a blink, we found ourselves in the Mirror World, where my junior disciple transformed into the Formless Offspring and began to chase us. In the end, I was the only one fortunate enough to return to the real world." The elder Taoist shared his harrowing experience with Liu Xing. Liu Xing understood that the junior Taoist who had stolen the offerings was likely the true form of the Formless Offspring in the Mirror World. This elder Taoist was the NPC responsible for feeding and reviving yers, as well as providing background information. In the straightforward scenario of the Castle Lord, yers could easily deduce the backstory without explicit guidance from an NPC. However, the scenario of the Harvest Festival was different, offering limited clues and leaving no time for yers to uncover them. Thus, an NPC was introduced to narrate the backstory and, in a way, reward the yers. Now, "Liu Xing" had learned the name of the Formless Offspring. Chapter 69: Adopting Nan Xiaoniao Chapter 69: Adopting Nan Xiaoniao "Liu Xing, what are you thinking about?" At this moment, having satisfied his cravings, Tian Dao curiously addressed Liu Xing. From Tian Dao''s perspective, Liu Xing had abruptly set down his bowl and fallen into deep thought for no apparent reason. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, puzzled, and responded to Tian Dao, "Well, I just heard this Taoist describe the Mirror World, the eerie ce we were just in, and it sparked some thoughts in my mind..." Before Liu Xing could finish, Tian Dao looked at him with a strange expression, "Wait, what Taoist? Besides us, there''s no one else here!" Tian Dao''s emphatic tone left Liu Xing somewhat dumbfounded. Wasn''t the old Taoist just sitting in front of him? How could Tian Dao possibly not see him? Suddenly, Liu Xing realized something and turned to look where the old Taoist had been seated, only to find it now empty. Liu Xing understood that this old Taoist truly came to bestow a blessing, but the fortune was meant for only one person ¨C himself, the first yer to return to the real world. However, Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten to continue ying his part. So, he immediately feigned great surprise, exaggerating his expression as much as possible, "What? That Taoist was just here, where did he go now?" Tian Dao naturally believed Liu Xing, but as the "Heavenly Path," he still expressed his doubts, "Uh, Liu Xing, you''re not going crazy, are you? Ever since I regained consciousness, I haven''t seen any Taoist you''re talking about." Tina and others who had finished their meal nodded in agreement, indicating they, like Tian Dao, hadn''t seen any Taoist either. Determined to keep up the act, Liu Xing pointed to the tray on the ground and the six empty bowls, "Weren''t these dishes brought by that Taoist? You all have finished eating them." "What? Weren''t these meals prepared by you, Liu Xing?" Tian Dao asked, surprised. Havingid the groundwork, Liu Xing then shared everything he had seen after regaining consciousness with Akira Akashi and the others, making them aware of the existence of the Mirror World and the identity of the Formless Offspring. "So, this creature called the Formless Offspring is actually the transformation of that little Taoist who stole the offerings years ago," Akira Akashi mused thoughtfully. Just then, a group of people dressed as police officers rushed over, led by Ray. "Thank heavens, you''re finally back," Ray eximed, visibly relieved to see Liu Xing and his group. "Uh, how long have we been missing?" Liu Xing, seeing the situation, knew that the time they had spent in the mirror world was not short. After some exchanges, Liu Xing finally learned that they had been missing for a whole seven days. Ray, who had witnessed Liu Xing and his party suddenly disappearing, became the person in charge of this disappearance case. Although Ray knew that their disappearance was a supernatural phenomenon, as a detective, he couldn''t possibly report the truth to his superiors. Hence, Ray had to pretend to investigate with his team while secretly seeking the old Taoist. He discovered that the old Taoist had passed away, leaving a will instructing Ray toe to this peach tree at this specific time today to find Liu Xing and his group. So, Ray arrived on time. This made Liu Xing even more curious about the identity of the old Taoist. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, the concept of ghosts doesn''t really exist, so the old Taoist Liu Xing met couldn''t have been a ghost. He was likely a mythical creature, or even an incarnation of an Eldritch God! "Alright, we''re about to enter the final scene, but there''s onest roll to make ¡ª a 1d2 roll that will determine whether Nan Xiaoniao has any other family members. If she doesn''t, Liu Xing will adopt her. Tina and Akira Akashi are foreign tourists, and Tian Dao and Li Ming don''t have enough credibility. This will be a secret vote, and the results will be revealed in the final scene," KP Cao said with a smile. "Now, let''s begin the ending scene." As the dice rolled, Liu Xing felt his soul leave his body once again, floating in mid-air. This time, however, he calmly watched as ''he'' and his party, following Ray, went to the police station to file a report and then visited Alger at the hospital, who had fortunately undergone a sessful surgery without any lifelong disability, which was a cause for celebration. Then, the scene shifted. Liu Xing saw ''himself'' holding Nan Xiaoniao and returning to Rongcheng with Tina and others in a car, andter ''he'' and Nan Xiaoniao sent Tina and the others off at the airport. Perhaps KP Cao was toozy, as he didn''t provide a narration like KP004, making Liu Xing feel like he was watching a silent film. However, the final scene seemed a bit monotonous and was about to end in just a few minutes. To Liu Xing''s delight, he ended up sessfully adopting Nan Xiaoniao, the cute little girl, filling the void left by Isabe''s betrayal. Just when Liu Xing thought the ending scene was over, the style suddenly changed. The scene shifted from the sunny Rongcheng airport back to the foggy mirror world. There, Liu Xing saw the embarrassing Formless Offspring... and the old Taoist who suddenly appeared and disappeared! Liu Xing''s eyebrows raised in intrigue. The old Taoist was no ordinary figure. Upon seeing him, the Formless Offspring respectfully bowed, deliberately controlling its normally aimlessly waving tentacles, keeping them close to its body. The old Taoist, ignoring the Formless Offspring, suddenly conjured a ck cloud under his feet and flew into the mist-covered hills. As the old Taoist approached, the dense fog parted, creating a pathway. Liu Xing noticed that more than a dozen Formless Offspring appeared on this path, leading him to suspect that countless Formless Offspring lurked within this boundless fog. It was fortunate that they did not recklessly venture into it. Chapter 70: Rlyeh! Chapter 70: R''lyeh! Liu Xing suddenly realized something crucial. If this mirror world was teeming with Formless Offspring, then "the Tiger" should not be merely one of them. It was more likely that this old Taoist was the true identity. But who exactly this old Taoist was remained unclear to Liu Xing. Observing the old man''s demeanor, Liu Xing deduced that he was at least a projection or an incarnation of an Eldritch God. Liu Xing strongly suspected that if this old Taoist was indeed an incarnation, it would most likely be that of Nyathotep. Nyathotep belonged to the Outer Gods faction, a group considered the most powerful amongst Eldritch Gods in the entire Cthulhu Mythos. However, H.P. Lovecraft himself never explicitly used the term ''Outer Gods''. This concept, akin to Elemental Theory, was a secondary creation, attributed to Lovecraft''s sessor, Dres, who developed these concepts to establish the Cthulhu Mythos. During his lifetime, H.P. Lovecraft published only foundational stories of the Cthulhu Mythos, without formally conceptualizing it. As an ardent fan and friend of Lovecraft, Dres, also a novelist, engaged in lengthy and detailed correspondence with Lovecraft, discussing various aspects of the Mythos. This included the hierarchy of the Formless Offspring and their superior, Tsathoggua, elements that Liu Xing encountered in his promotion game. With Lovecraft''s blessing, Dres authored numerous Cthulhu Mythos stories. Following the news of Lovecraft''s death, Dres resolved to establish the Cthulhu Mythos in honor of Lovecraft. He began integrating scattered Mythos stories, infusing new elements like Elemental Theory and a faction system. These additions, however, attracted criticism for being "un-Lovecraftian" andcking theoretical grounding, such as Yog-Sothoth''s ssification under the earth element. Nevertheless, as Lovecraft''s chosen sessor, Dres made indelible contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos, elevating Lovecraft''s legacy and works to a status akin to Greek and Norse mythologies, widely recognized and revered in the West. Liu Xing was aware that distinguishing between the Great Old Ones and the Outer Gods was often challenging. In domestic and Japanese Cthulhu Mythos fan circles, the Outer Gods were frequently ssified under the Great Old Ones. Liu Xing believed that the Outer Gods were essentially more powerful Great Old Ones, representing the physical manifestations of cosmic forces, entities far beyond the universe whose powers dwarfed those of the Great Old Ones. The primary ruler, "the Blind Idiot God" Azathoth, represented the primordial chaos of the universe''s origin, with many considering Azathoth as the universe itself. Following Azathoth, the "ck Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young" Shub-Niggurath, "the Unifier of All Things" Yuggoth, and "the Crawling Chaos" Nyathotep emerged as the three principal deities, central to the heart of the Cthulhu Mythos. The Outer God known as Nyathotep, a prominent figure in the Cthulhu Mythos, is notorious for stirring up trouble. Unique among his kind, he freely interacts with the human realm in numerous guises without diminishing his power. Notably, Nyathotep is one of the few Eldritch Gods who demonstrates a rational understanding of humanity. His human avatars typically appear as tall, slender men with dark skin and cheerful smiles. This has led to yfulments about Nyaruko entering politics, especially during Aughra''s presidency. Nyathotep delights in deceiving and tempting humans, finding his greatest joy in their terror and despair. He also has a charming female persona known as Nyaruko. Consequently, Nyathotep often emerges as the hidden antagonist in many Cthulhu RPG games, earning him the nickname "Scapegoat." Whenever a game''s narrative encounters a dead end, bringing in Nyathotep as the disruptive force is amon resolution. Liu Xing initially suspects the old Taoist he meets to be an avatar of Nyathotep. However, he soon doubts this theory, reasoning that Nyathotep would more likely join the game as a yer, not as a mere extra exining the plot. Thus, Liu Xing remains uncertain about the Taoist''s true identity. During Liu Xing''s contemtion, he follows the old Taoist to a mystifying pce at the heart of a dense mist. The structure''s alien dimensions and spatial configuration evoke an unexinable repulsion in Liu Xing, as if the entire pce radiates an ominous aura. He notes that the pce is built of an unbelievablyrge, unearthly green stone, not of this world. Suddenly, Liu Xing realizes he is gazing upon R''lyeh ¨C the underwater city and resting ce of the Great Old One, Cthulhu. ording to the Cthulhu Mythos, R''lyeh is destined to rise from the ocean depths when the stars align, awakening Cthulhu to bring about world destruction. Amidst his shock at witnessing R''lyeh, the scene vanishes. In its ce appears a man, casual yet peculiar with toad-shaped sses. His T-shirt bears the image of Nyathotep''s infamous incarnation, Nyaruko. This man is none other than KP Cao. With a mischievous voice, KP Cao exims, "Surprised, aren''t you? Witnessing the ancient city of R''lyeh is a rarity. In the entire Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, few yers have ever seen it." Chapter 71: Doubts Chapter 71: Doubts Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that KP Cao was so straightforward in revealing that the strange city they discussed was indeed the lost ancient city of R''lyeh. This revtion led Liu Xing to further suspect the old Taoist. Could he be an incarnation of Cthulhu? However, KP Cao didn''t give Liu Xing much time to ponder. Smiling, he said, "Congrattions, yer Old Chinese Doctor, forpleting the scenario ''Harvest Festival'' and achieving the perfect ending with no yer deaths. You alsopleted the Hidden Quests, safely escorting Nan Xiaoniao back to the real world. Thus, you''ve earned a total of 450 points: 200 as a basic reward forpleting the scenario, 100 for the perfect ending, and 150 for the Hidden Quests." Liu Xing nodded, pleasantly surprised by the generous rewards of this promotion game. Indeed, greater risk brought greater points. "Next is the character rtionship reward. As the police couldn''t find Nan Xiaoniao''s family for various reasons, Liu Xing has adopted her. Thus, in your character rtionships, you gain a foster daughter, Nan Xiaoniao, with a friendliness level of 80. In certain special scenarios, you can bring Nan Xiaoniao along," continued KP Cao. "However, since yer Old Chinese Doctor didn''t earn any growth marks this time, we''ll skip that part and move to the question phase. As you and Tina are the MVPs, each of you can ask two questions. Though, you''ll also be privy to the questions and answers of other yers." Liu Xing nodded and without hesitation asked, "OK, then I want to know, who exactly is that old Taoist?" KP Cao was momentarily stumped by Liu Xing''s question. After a brief silence and a somewhat awkward response, he said, "Uh, that''s a bit beyond the scope of the game. The old Taoist wasn''t supposed to appear in this scenario. I don''t know why the higher-ups suddenly introduced him, and even let you see the ancient city of R''lyeh... But since you insist, I can only reveal his rank. I, as the KP, am not privy to his true identity. I can only see his level." Liu Xing frowned, realizing that the old Taoist was not originally part of the ''Harvest Festival'' scenario, but an intrusion from another ''set.'' Moreover, his identity was so ssified that even the KPcked clearance. This indicated that the old Taoist was likely an incarnation of either Nyathotep or Cthulhu, both high-level entities. epting this, Liu Xing nodded and requested, "Alright, KP, just tell me about the old Taoist''s level then." "Very well," KP Cao conceded. "Judging by his attribute strength, he''s at least on par with an incarnation of a Great Old One. However, without ess to his skills, I can''t be certain. After all, skills are the true measure of a mythical creature''s strength." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. KP Cao''s words made perfect sense. Beings like the Great Old One possessed skills that could instantly kill yers with a hundred percent certainty. The only difference was whether it would instantaneously kill 1d6 or 1d10 yers. However, KP Cao''s response also confirmed Liu Xing''s suspicions. The old Taoist must be an avatar of Cthulhu, as R''lyeh, the ancient city, was the resting ce of Cthulhu. Ordinary avatars of the Great Old One would not dare to enter R''lyeh casually, but the old Taoist strolled in as if it were his home. Yet, Liu Xing quickly thought of another question and hurriedly asked KP Cao, "So, my second question is quite simple. This R''lyeh, it''s not the real R''lyeh, is it?" KP Cao nodded and replied, "You are correct. This R''lyeh is not the actual one, but a projection of the city in the mirror world. Furthermore, I can share a not-so-secret piece of information with you. The entire mirror world is a scenario of a promotion game, a necessary step for yers advancing to the Cthulhu region. The birthce of yers in the mirror world is determined by the special scenarios they previously encountered. For example, Liu Xing, if you participate in the mirror world''s scenario, you''ll be born inside that temple, giving you another chance to meet your old friend, the Formless Offspring." KP Cao''s revtion left Liu Xing somewhat bewildered. He hadn''t expected the mirror world to be a critical scenario in the promotion game. Therefore, the current Harvest Festival scenario was just a minor event, with the real challenge still toe. The thought of thousands of Formless Offspring in the dense fog sent a chill down Liu Xing''s spine. "Can one actually y this game?" he wondered. However, his curiosity was piqued about why the KPs seemed to favor him with extra information. Was it because of his good looks or some protagonist''s aura he possessed? With this thought, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask KP Cao, "Do all of you KPs like to provide extra information to yers? The three KPs I''ve met have all given me quite a bit of information." KP Cao chuckled and replied, "It''s better for you not to know too much. Simply put, we KPs see great potential in neers like you. KP004, who you must know, is a person I greatly respect. He mentioned you a few days ago, saying you have a good chance of advancing to the Cthulhu region. It''s a coincidence that this promotion game brought me to you, a kind of fate, I suppose." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn that KP Cao was KP004''s junior. This was indeed a rare coincidence. It made Liu Xing realize that the KPs of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall were interconnected. Therefore, Liu Xing tentatively said to KP Cao, "So, all of you KPs¡­" Before he could finish, KP Cao shook his head vigorously and interrupted, "Friend, some things are not for you to ask. You understand what I mean, right?" Liu Xing nodded, indicating he understood KP Cao''s point, but his curiosity about the KPs only grew. Chapter 72: Acquiring a Trait Chapter 72: Acquiring a Trait KP Cao noticed Liu Xing''s thoughtful expression and understood what Liu Xing was pondering. With a chuckle, KP Cao said to Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, don''t overthink it. There are things you can''t possibly know right now. But, who knows, you might find out in a few days. And you should be aware of the rtionship between KP and PC in the real-world Cthulhu RPG Game." KP Cao stopped at that, saying no more. However, KP Cao''s hint instantly sparked a terrifying thought in Liu Xing''s mind: what if the KPs were also yers! In the real-world Cthulhu RPG Game, many PCs, after being driven to despair by the KPs, would eventually join them due to the game''s rules. The KPs, akin to gods for the PCs, were untouchable, leading many defeated PCs to adopt the mindset, "If I can''t beat you, I''ll join you," thus transitioning from PCs to KPs. Most KPs, who were former PCs, harbored thoughts of treating the current PCs the way they had been treated by their KPs. ording to Liu Xing''s knowledge, over 60% of the KPs in the Cthulhu RPG Gamemunity, both domestically and globally, belonged to a chaotic and evil alignment. However, what mattered more was KP Cao''s implication. Liu Xing was now almost certain that both KP Cao and KP004 were originally yers who, for some reason, had be KPs. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. The mysteries of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall seemed ever moreplex. Liu Xing had pondered the origins of this Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. It bore striking simrities to the Main God Space in certain novels, with the only difference being the rules of the games yed. Aliens? Cutting-edge technology from a certain country? Or was Cthulhu''s existence real? These questions caused Liu Xing immense headache. Eventually, he leaned towards thetter belief ¨C Cthulhu truly existed. ording to the lore, the sealed and slumbering Cthulhu wasn''t in a state ofplete sleep but was continuously transmitting brainwaves to the human world, influencing human thoughts, making some believe in Cthulhu''s existence. These believers became Cthulhu''s disciples, spreading his cult. Secret cults venerating Cthulhu existed in various sizes all over the world. So, there are some who even believe that Cthulhu truly exists. They argue that H.P. Lovecraft was influenced and guided by Cthulhu to start writing the Cthulhu Mythos, thereby formally announcing the existence of Cthulhu to the world. This revtion increased the number of Cthulhu''s followers. Even now, it is spected that some authors who write about the Cthulhu RPG Game are also called by Cthulhu,pelling them to write (said somewhat humorously). If the Eldritch Gods in the Cthulhu Mythos really exist, then Liu Xing strongly suspects that Nyathotep, an Outer God with maximum trouble-making ability, is the creator of the Cthulhu RPG Game Hall. However, Liu Xing still doesn''t understand the purpose of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s existence. After pondering for a long time, Liu Xing couldn''t figure it out. After all, in the face of Eldritch Gods who can effortlessly destroy the world, humans are nothing but insignificant ants. Except for Nyathotep, who enjoys toying with humans for fun, the other Eldritch Gods don''t care about humans at all. Could it be that this Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is an arena created by Nyathotep, who wants yers like himself to entertain him with their lives? But now, Liu Xing suddenly has a premonition that the existence of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is far moreplex than he initially thought. "Okay, Liu Xing, you have used up your two questions. Now I will tell you the questions and answers of the other yers," said KP Cao, snapping his fingers and pulling Liu Xing back to reality. "First is Li Ming. His question was about how long it will take for his leg injury to heal. The answer is it''s up to fate. After a character is injured, there will be a specific healing option in the Interlude Growth. The recovery depends on the time interval between two RPG sessions. When the recovery reaches one hundred percent, it''s fully healed. By the way, there are items in the Shop that can speed up recovery, but they are quite expensive." "Next is Akira Akashi. Her question was whether it''s possible to change nationality. The answer is simple: you can choose to change nationality during Interlude Growth, but it requires a certain level of credit." "Then there''s Tian Dao. His question was rather odd. He asked if the Formless Offspring eats Li Ming, would its speed change? The answer is yes, because the speed of the Formless Offspring is consistent with the slowest living yer." "Then there''s Tina. One of her questions, like Akira Akashi''s, was about changing back to Chinese nationality. After all, if she advances to the next area, there would benguage barriers. This is linked to Tina''s second question: whether the scenario of the RPG sessions yers participate in will be based on the nationality on their character card. The answer is yes. There''s a sixty percent chance that the scenario will take ce in the country of the yer''s character card nationality. The remaining twenty percent happens in the yer''s actual nationality country, and thest twenty percent is random." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Tina''s question was very helpful to him. It seems that the scenario of the RPG sessions he will participate in has an eighty percent chance of urring domestically and twenty percent internationally. This relieved Liu Xing, as the home ground, would definitely offer certain advantages, likenguage. "Alright, that''s it. I will now send you back to the real world. However, because of your excellent performance in these two Cthulhu RPG Games, you have gained a trait¡ªTeam yer. When you act in a team, some of your skills will be enhanced. Therger the team, the greater the bonus. However, your actions should prioritize the team." Chapter 73: A Special Interlude of Growth Chapter 73: A Special Interlude of Growth As soon as KP Cao''s words faded, Liu Xing experienced a brief blur before he found himself back in the real world. "Team yer?" Liu Xing pondered over his newly acquired trait. It was clear that this trait was a double-edged sword. For a support character like himself, it indeed enhanced his importance within a team, allowing ess to more team resources. However, when alone, this trait became utterly useless. Moreover, this traitpelled Liu Xing to put others before himself, to prioritize the team over individual gains. At times, he had to forsake personal benefits for the sake of the team. The semipulsory nature of this trait made Liu Xing feel somewhat constrained. Yet, what intrigued Liu Xing most was whether this "team" referred solely to yer teams, or did it include NPCs as well? If NPCs were included, then Liu Xing felt the benefits of this trait would outweigh the drawbacks. Stretchingzily, Liu Xing began to examine his character card. Name: Liu Xing upation: Doctor Education: Graduate ce of Birth: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Trait: Team yer Background: An ordinary doctor, Liu Xing became famous in China for helping the police solve numerous unsolved missing persons cases during a vacation in Ennd. He received a substantial reward and media attention. However, during a paid leave, he experienced a supernatural event and adopted a young girl. Strength: 55 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 50 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 6 Sanity: 80/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit Rating: 50+10 (temporary buff frompleting the Castle Lord''s Hidden Ending,sting two more Cthulhu RPG Games) Skills: First Aid 83, Medicine 78, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuasion 60, Investigation 40, Jump 70, Lockpicking 10, Other Languages: English 22, Driving 50. Personal Items: Mobile phone, a bottle of family heirloom green tea (2/3 full), candy from Boss Ke, Qingming Rain, Qingming Festival offerings, Qingming oil-paper umbre. Rtionships: Isabe (20), Chris (50), Nan Xiaoniao (80) Assets: 500,000 Cash: 45,000+5,000 (professional sry) Compared to his previous character card, Liu Xing''s current one showed little change, as he had not acquired any growth markers. The only notable differences were the 5 points gained in Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge and the change in cash. Liu Xing, due to his enrollment in English and driving training courses, spent a total of 15,000 cash at Interlude Growth. To his surprise, his sry also arrived, maintaining his cash bnce at 50,000. Had it not been for adopting Nan Xiaoniao, Liu Xing would have spent this cash on matchmaking and marriage, given the powerful effects of a spouse: restoring SAN value, enhancing skill levels, and providing assistance in certain modules. Now, however, with Nan Xiaoniao as his adopted daughter, Liu Xing receives her benefits on his character card. Before each Interlude Growth, she restores 1d2 SAN value to Liu Xing, randomly increases a skill point, and can join him in special scenarios. Yet, Nan Xiaoniao also brings a debuff to Liu Xing. If he chooses to engage in matchmaking and marriage during Interlude Growth, the cash required increases by 10+1d10 percentage points, and the asset requirement by 5+1d10 percentage points. More troubling, the previously certain sess rate of matchmaking and marriage drops to 80%. In simple terms, Liu Xing, now a single father with Nan Xiaoniao, faces higher demands and potential failure in matchmaking due to his adopted daughter. Liu Xing also noticed two special exclusive Interlude Growths in Nan Xiaoniao''s notes. The first, "Three Years Minimum, Death Penalty at Most," resets his credit to zero, with a 50% chance of direct elimination and a 50% chance of triggering a special module ¨C Prison Storm. The second option, "Terminating the Adoption," permanently costs 10 credit points and severs his rtionship with Nan Xiaoniao, reducing her favorability towards him to zero. Upon seeing these exclusive options, Liu Xing shivered and quickly closed the character card interface, keen to avoid identally triggering these special options, especially the first. Of course, Liu Xing didn''t forget to select the right Interlude Growth, vital for enhancing his character card. First, he chose "Joining an Ind Nation Language ss." Given that the real-world Cthulhu RPG Game modules primarily focus on the West and Ind Nations, acquiring the skills "Other Language: English" and "Other Language: Ind Nation Language" before advancing to the next area is undoubtedly beneficial. The Ind Nation Language ss costs 8,000 cash, granting the skill "Other Language: Ind Nation Language" with a 5d8 value and a 15% ident rate. Liu Xing''s second Interlude Growth choice was "Physical Training," a small cash expenditure to enhance physical fitness. Currently, his physical condition barely meets human standards in the Cthulhu Mythos role-ying world, not even qualifying as cannon fodder. Hence, improving physical fitness is essential for survival. Physical Training costs 2,000 cash, enhancing 1d6 attribute points randomly distributed across strength, agility, constitution, and size, with a 20% ident rate. For the final Interlude Growth, Liu Xing found a unique and interesting option: "Bing an Online Novel Author." This grants him a side job as an online novel writer. The most intriguing part is that this side job is categorized into four levels: Street Writer, Ordinary Author, Advanced Author, and Master Author. Except for the lowest level, the other three provide different amounts of additional ie and credit values. Bing an Online Novel Author costs 500 cash, granting the side job of an online novel writer with a 60% chance of bing a Street Writer, a 35% chance of being an Ordinary Author, a 4% chance of bing an Advanced Author, and a 1% chance of being a Master Author. Chapter 74: Various News (Consider it a Two-in-One) Chapter 74: Various News (Consider it a Two-in-One) After choosing Interlude Growth, Liu Xing prepared to exit the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. That''s when he noticed a ck star next to his gaming ID, a clear indication that he had passed a promotion game. Just then, Liu Xing received a friend request from a yer named "Perfect Future." Liu Xing, thinking this yer was from hisst promotion game, epted the request, considering his only friend in the game was Chen Ling. The rapid "metabolism" of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall maintained a vast yer base. With no team-up feature, yers like Liu Xing never bothered adding friends, adhering to the "we''ll meet again if fate allows" philosophy. Upon epting the request, Liu Xing received a message: "Hello, I am the administrator of the An Family in the Shoggoth area, Perfect Future. You can call me Future." Surprised, Liu Xing realized this message was from the next area''s An Family administrator. Wondering why Future contacted him, he asked what the matter was. Half a minuteter, Future replied, "Here''s the thing: Du Liu, the robot managing the Ghoul area, rmended you. Your eligibility for a promotion game after just one official Cthulhu RPG Game proves your strength. I''ve also noted your sess in your first promotion game. Representing the An Family, I invite you to join us upon advancing to the Shoggoth area. We''ll focus on developing your skills." Liu Xing was intrigued. The news was substantial, especially about Du Liu being a robot. His interactions with Du Liu, characterized by immediate, formic responses, now made sense. "So, Du Liu isn''t human? And can I join other clubs after reaching the Shoggoth area?" he replied. Future then exined in detail. Du Liu was indeed a robot, a special tool provided to club leaders in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall for managing affairs. Depending on the price, their abilities varied, and Du Liu was top-tier, capable of independently managing a club with AI to answer most questions and identify promising neers. Clubs in the Ghoul area didn''t have human administrators but robots, as these clubs served mainly as message-sharing tforms and rarely invested in yers who often didn''t survive long enough to advance to the Shoggoth area. The Shoggoth area was different, offering additional functions like item trading, enabling clubs to cultivate neers. yers like Liu Xing, entering the Shoggoth area, were considered true neers, unlike those in the Ghoul area, who were merely cannon fodder. Talents like Liu Xing would receive practical items at minimal cost from clubs, ensuring they weren''t helpless against most dangers. This wasn''t free due to the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s rule requiring a minimum price for all yer-to-yer item trades. Upon advancing to a new area, yers left their current clubs and received numerous invitations to join new ones in the next area. After all, although they are considered new recruits, yers who can enter the Shoggoth area are essentially veterans of the Cthulhu RPG Game in reality. Aside from possibly having fewer items, they are not much different from the seasoned yers who mingle in the Hounds of Tindalos area. This is a distinctive feature of the Cthulhu RPG Game. Even after hundreds of gameys, a yer''s overall strength doesn''t increase significantly. This minimizes the gap between veterans and new yers, making the Cthulhu RPG Game quite friendly to neers, heh. Liu Xing, pondering over a series of messages from Future, stroked his chin, wondering whether to agree or not. However, Liu Xing''s deliberation didn''tst more than half a minute. He decisively agreed - why wouldn''t he seize the opportunity to obtain certain items at the lowest price? Thus, Liu Xing promptly replied to Future, indicating his definite intention to join the An Family''s branch in the Shoggoth area after advancing. After receiving Liu Xing''s affirmative response, Future provided additional information. The second promotion game Liu Xing was about to participate in would be the most challenging among the three, with a sess rate of less than one in ten thousand. This was a deliberate hurdle set by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, meant to expose yers to the game''s brutality. Simply put, this second promotion game intentionally heightened the difficulty, shifting from a single-thread narrative to multiple storylines. The task process might extend to a month or more, and yers wouldn''t meet at the storyline''s introduction. Importantly, yers might receive vastly different tasks, potentially aligning them with opposing factions, leading to conflict andbat. Thus, Future advised Liu Xing to utilize the promotion game mechanism wisely. A failure wouldn''t result in a card tear, so in this toughest promotion game, it was best to avoid wasting too many items. If things turned awry, finding an opportunity to drop out would spare one from enduring madness and the agony of death, preserving their state for the final promotion game. Indeed, as a game emphasizing "reality," Cthulhu RPG Game begins with actuality. When yers descend into madness, they trulyprehend the sensation of insanity. Liu Xing had experienced this, having fallen into a state of mental chaos in the Castle Lord scenario, a memory still vivid and distressing. As for death, it also starts from a ce of reality. Although Liu Xing hadn''t experienced it (and if he had, the book would have concluded), he could infer its horror - arguably more terrifying than madness. In reality, an ident or tragedy can drastically alter a person''s nature. yers who experienced madness or death in the game and returned to reality were often deeply affected. ording to Future, about 30% of such yers never logged back into the Cthulhu RPG Game, eithermitting suicide or being eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall due to insufficient points. About 60% showed signs of mental issues. Those who had experienced death and returned were even more affected, with 70% never reappearing in the game hall, and the remaining 30% typically suffering mental issues. Therefore, falling into madness or dying in the second promotion game, though not resulting in a card tear, would severely impact one''s performance in the third game, leading to failure and, without a spare character card, elimination by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Hence, Future kindly reminded Liu Xing to prepare a spare character card, offering a chance for a redo in case of failure in advancing. After reading Future''s message, Liu Xing felt fortunate for having the ancestral green tea, which possibly saved him from madness in the Harvest Festival scenario. So, Liu Xing resolved that in the second promotion game, he would find an opportunity to drop out if things went south, focusing on the third game instead. ording to Future, the difficulty of this third game would be slightly lower than the first. After ending his conversation with Future, Liu Xing opened the Shop to purchase a spare character card. However, to Liu Xing''s frustration, he was short by 15 points, with only 485 points, insufficient to buy even the lowest-level character card. He could only hope to earn enough points in the second promotion game, even if he failed. Having closed the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, Liu Xing nned to chat with Wu Lei, a Veteran Driver, to learn more about the Cthulhu RPG Game. Chapter 75: Meeting (1) Chapter 75: Meeting (1) After closing the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall for the day, Liu Xing casually freshened up and headed out to Wu Lei''s board game store to meet him. Before returning here from his home, Liu Xing had arranged on QQ to meet Wu Lei. Liu Xing wanted to seek Wu Lei''s advice and learn from his experiences with the Cthulhu RPG Game. After all, Liu Xing was at best a novice in running the game with decent theoretical knowledge, whereas Wu Lei was a seasoned Veteran Driver with extensive practical experience. Most importantly, Wu Lei was an experienced old PC, who had long been outwitting the game masters. His insights and experiences were exactly what Liu Xing needed, prompting him to seek Wu Lei''s guidance. Wu Lei, who had returned to Rongcheng ahead of schedule, readily epted Liu Xing''s invitation. However, he changed the meeting ce from a hotpot restaurant to his board game store. ording to Wu Lei, this was like "keeping the good stuff within the family." Since the store was already equipped with pots, pans, and an induction cooker, they could easily have a small hotpot there, and the money Liu Xing would have spent on hosting could go towards buying board games. Liu Xing, seeing Wu Lei''s point, no longer insisted on formalities. He ordered some ingredients online to be delivered to Wu Lei''s store. After notifying Wu Lei of his imminent arrival by text, Liu Xing took a taxi straight to the store. Wu Lei had everything prepared at the board game store. The ingredients were already in the pot, and drinks filled the sses. Liu Xing casually locked the door of the store and hung up a "Closed" sign, grinning at Wu Lei, "Hey, little Lei, you''re quite proactive, getting everything ready like this." Wu Lei nodded with a smile, responding in a ttering tone, "Of course. Since our great Liu Xing has paid, it''s only right for me, Wu Lei, to contribute my efforts and serve you well. Maybe then I''ll have the chance to enjoy the good life following you." Liu Xing and Wu Lei shared augh, perhaps signifying the essence of friendship. After some yful banter, Liu Xing asked, "By the way, howe you came back early this time? I remember you saying your hometown is in a rural area near Rongcheng." Taking a sip of beer, Wu Lei shrugged helplessly, "As you know, my hometown is quite rural, and I''m the only college graduate from my vige. My parents used to love showing me off to rtives, but this year, they started arranging blind dates for me. So, I made up an excuse and rushed back here." "Ah, that makes sense," Liu Xing remarked, recalling his own experience of being pressured by his parents into several blind dates during the New Year. He had concluded he''d rather retake college entrance exams than go on another blind date. Upon seeing Liu Xing in such a state, Wu Lei instantly understood that Liu Xing, like himself, had been pressured by his family into going on a blind date. Chuckling, he raised his ss and suggested, "Let''s not talk about this. How about we discuss something else? You said you had something to discuss with me, even inviting me for a meal. It must be something significant." When Liu Xing had initially asked Wu Lei to dine together, he mentioned having something to discuss but didn''t go into specifics. "The thing is, I''ve been unemployed and bored, so I thought of writing a novel on a certain tform to earn some pocket money for gaming," Liu Xing began, exining his sudden inspiration. "I want to write something unique, avoiding clich¨¦d stories. So, I''ve decided on a novel about Cthulhu RPG Game, a genre not yet explored on that tform. I''ve even thought of a title, ''The True Cthulhu RPG Game''. What do you think?" He revealed, sharing the inspiration he found from a previous ''Interlude Growth''. Wu Lei raised an eyebrow, looking at Liu Xing skeptically. "You writing a novel? Are you joking? You know how niche Cthulhu RPG Game is in our country. Your novel might struggle even to get a contract." Liu Xing raised his eyebrow, admitting to himself that Wu Lei''s frankness was not off the mark. The Cthulhu RPG Gamemunity was indeed small in China, with even fewer interested in reading novels about it. But for Liu Xing, writing a novel was just an excuse, so he didn''t dwell much on this aspect with Wu Lei. "Sigh, can''t you ever say something positive? Anyway, let''s drop it. I''m here to ask you about some tips in Cthulhu RPG Game, especially on how a PC can survive till the end. After all, the protagonist in my novel is a PC, and if they fail the group game and get their card torn, they''d actually die," Liu Xing spoke, unaware of the subtle change in Wu Lei''s expression. "How did youe up with such a bizarre idea? It sounds quite interesting," Wu Leimented, trying to conceal his serious expression behind the steam rising from the hot pot. "Oh, I''ve been reading a lot of ''infinite flow'' novelstely," Liu Xing casually sipped his beer and shared his prepared reasoning. "I thoughtbining Cthulhu RPG Game with Main God Space would be a great idea. By the way, turn down the heat; the water''s almost boiled away." "Okay," Wu Lei replied, smiling and shaking his head as he adjusted the induction cooker, and the steam quickly dissipated. Seeing Wu Lei suddenly smiling, Liu Xing asked in confusion, "What are youughing at, Wu Lei? Don''t you like the idea?" "No, no, I think it''s a great idea. And your writing isn''t bad either," Wu Lei replied, raising his ss. "I believe your novel could be a hit. Remember to support your brother here and make me an important side character. When you be famous, I can boast about being a key character in Liu Xing''s legendary work." Liu Xingughed and raised his ss, "Of course, even if you hadn''t mentioned it, I''d have written a role for you. But it''ll be the kind of character who, in a bid to survive, tries to backstab the protagonist, only to be counter-killed by the protagonist. How about that?" Wu Lei clinked sses with Liu Xing and retorted yfully, "So, that''s how you see me? If that''s the case, we''ve got nothing more to talk about. You''re out of the group." Chapter 76: Meeting (2) Chapter 76: Meeting (2) After finishing his beer, Liu Xing spoke up, "Alright, let''s be serious. As an experienced yer, do you have any suggestions for my novel, especially regarding the protagonist''s character development and how to keep them alive longer? I can''t just kill off the protagonist within a hundred thousand words and end the book, can I?" Wu Lei smiled and nodded, addressing Liu Xing seriously, "Based on what you want, writing a good novel is quite straightforward. The Cthulhu RPG Game emphasizes immersion. Haven''t you seen many mental simtion groups online? So, for your novel, Liu Xing, you could start with a module, either finding one or writing it yourself. First,plete the module yourself, then revise the ythrough records, adding some informative content to help neers and pad the word count. It''s better if the novel''s early part is more joyful to attract more readers. As the story progresses, introduce events that lead to the protagonist''s dark transformation, fitting the Cthulhu theme." "As for character development, isn''t that simple? Just model the protagonist after yourself. It will be more immersive for you as the writer. Remember to include me too. As per your idea, during a gaming session, I''ll meet you, then plot against you to save myself, leading to your discovery and retaliation. This naturally leads to the protagonist''s dark transformation. After all, if their close friend betrays them for survival, who else can they trust?" Wu Lei spoke confidently, leaving Liu Xing stunned and almost tempted to actually write such a novel. "As for the protagonist being a yer character, to realistically extend their survival, the protagonist must learn not to trust the game master too easily. Nowadays, few game masters are genuinely benevolent; nine out of ten are looking for opportunities to kill off yer characters. You should design a plot where the protagonist realizes the game master''s sinister and evil true nature," Wu Lei said, taking a bite of his food and continuing. Liu Xing nodded in agreement, having already realized this point, "Hmm, are there any other things to be mindful of?" "Of course," Wu Lei chuckled. "You haven''t forgotten the three great artifacts of the Cthulhu RPG Game, have you?" "Of course not. The three great artifacts in the Cthulhu RPG Game are the Elder Sign, friends, and a crowbar," Liu Xing replied with augh. Wu Lei nodded and continued, "Exactly. As long as your protagonist possesses these three artifacts, their survival rate in the Cthulhu RPG Game could increase from one in a thousand to one in a hundred. So, you should find a way for your protagonist to acquire these three artifacts as soon as possible. They can use them to escape danger when necessary." Liu Xing sipped his beer, nodding in agreement. He already had the Elder Sign and friends; he just hadn''t found the crowbar yet. "Then, the key is not to let your protagonist overly trust his teammates, or other yers. As you know, Liu Xing, the modules in the Cthulhu RPG Game are mainly of two types: cooperative andpetitive. The former is somewhat safer, with all yers sharing amon mission objective, so betrayal is unlikely unless in dire circumstances. However, inpetitive modules, if the yers are clearly divided into two opposing factions, it''s manageable. The real fear is having a traitor among your teammates. Therefore, I suggest your protagonist learns from experience to be cautious of his teammates. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, the naive and innocent have probably all perished. The survivors are the cunning ones, adept at betrayal. I''ve been betrayed by teammates several times myself, as you''ve seen," Wu Lei said with a sigh, taking a sip of beer. Liu Xing nodded. Although the teammates in his past Cthulhu RPG Games had been decent, he understood that such harmonious and amicable teammates would be rare in future games, as inevitable conflicts of interest would arise. "However, while you need to be wary of teammates, you can''t just avoid seeking help and go solo. That''s a major taboo in the Cthulhu RPG Game. The game master can easily eliminate you from the story. So, your protagonist shouldn''t recklessly act alone. Try to stick with the team," Wu Lei advised, eating and speaking simultaneously. "After all, the Cthulhu RPG Game is a team game at its core. Even inpetitive modules, all yers'' missions ultimately converge to confront the same boss. At times, it''s wise not topletely annihte an opposing force, as that''s not always the best choice." Liu Xing nodded seriously, raising his ss, "Wu Lei, you truly are a veteran driver, so knowledgeable. Do you have any other advice?" Wu Lei smiled, nodding as they clinked sses. "Of course, I''ve been through hundreds of Cthulhu RPG Games as a veteran driver. I''ve seen it all, be it European, American, or Ind Nation modules. I''ve observed a pattern; want to know it? Understanding this will significantly increase your survival rate in the Cthulhu RPG Game." Liu Xing eagerly nodded and smiled, "Of course, I''d love to hear your insights, Brother Wu." Wu Leiughed heartily, then spoke earnestly, "It''s quite simple, actually. Just stick to the main storyline. Your survival rate will be much higher than others. As long as the game isn''t designed with an inescapable death ending, the main storyline won''t have too many pitfalls. Just navigate through those few, and you''ll sessfullyplete the game. While side quests might offer tempting rewards, they also mean more pitfalls. And you know, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, any small mistake can be fatal. So, more pitfalls mean a higher risk of death. You get what I''m saying, right, Liu Xing?" Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully. Wu Lei''s advice was straightforward¡ªfollow your heart! Chapter 77: A Meeting in Reality Chapter 77: A Meeting in Reality In essence, Liu Xing understood he was being timid, but sometimes timidity can carve out a new path in the skies. Liu Xing agreed with Wu Lei''s assessment, especially in the perilous realms of the Cthulhu RPG Game. It was only by being cautious that one could survive longer, possibly evenpleting the game without directly confronting any mythical creatures. Reflecting on this, Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully. It seemed he too needed to adopt a more cautious approach. For instance, during the Castle Lord scenario, he shouldn''t have been so impulsive as to jump straight to the second floor... Now, whenever Liu Xing thought of Isabe, he felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness. After all, being manipted by a centenarian was not a pleasant experience for anyone. "By the way, Liu Xing, if you really want to write a novel, remember to set some ''vige rules.'' The official rulebook as it stands isn''t really suitable for storytelling¡ªit''s too rigid. ''Vige rules'' make things more interesting," Wu Lei suggested, opening another beer with a chuckle. ''Vige rules'' in the Cthulhu RPG Game meant adding or modifying rules beyond the official rulebook. For example, while the official rules deemed only a roll of 1 as a critical sess, most yers preferred to consider 1-5 as such. Also, some skills in the official rules were too monotonous, like jumping being used solely as a movement skill and not for evasion... Jumping was unbeatable! Liu Xing was grateful that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall used these ''vige rules'' instead of the rigid official ones, which would have undoubtedly increased the death rate. "Speaking of which, Wu Lei, what do you think a protagonist should do when facing a deadly module? After all, in the real Cthulhu RPG Game, sensations like pain are realistically simted, making death even more unpleasant. I''m thinking of letting the protagonist find an opportunity to bail out," Liu Xing brought up the main question he had for Wu Lei. Liu Xing had been pondering how to strategically withdraw from the game. Obviously, he would avoid Alger''s method, which to him was worse than death. However, Liu Xing was at a loss for a solution. After all, every action in the Cthulhu RPG Game had to be logical and realistic, especially fitting the character card. For instance, Liu Xing''s character, a stable and respectable doctor, couldn''t just engage in petty theft and end up in jail as a way to ''drop out.'' The idea of dropping out due to injury was even moreplicated. Being a doctor, Liu Xing could easily treat minor injuries, making hospitalization¡ªand thus dropping out¡ªunlikely. Severe injuries were another matter: not only were they extremely painful, but they could also jeopardize his third promotion game. Unless he encountered the embarrassing Formless Offspring again, it would likely spell certain death. Therefore, Liu Xing had no choice but to seek answers from Wu Lei, the Veteran Driver. "Ah, if your protagonist is a doctor, that does indeed pose some challenges," Wu Lei mused after a moment of thought, offering his advice. "It''s practically impossible for them to drop out due to injury or criminal acts. So, I think you should cleverly use the plot for dropping out. As you know, Liu Xing, the modules in the current Cthulhu RPG Game circle are mostly set against European, American, and Ind Nation backdrops, often in cities or towns. This means there are plenty of NPCs. You can have your protagonist actively interact with these NPCs and use them for dropping out. For example, you could have your protagonist try to charm a female NPC, then find an excuse to slip away on a date; or make an enemy of a local gang NPC, using it as a pretext toy low and leave; or even cause an internal dispute with teammates and leave abruptly. These methods of dropping out are still somewhat usible." Liu Xing nodded in agreement; the three methods suggested by Wu Lei indeed seemed viable and worth trying. "Of course, if the module''s setting is in a remote area or plunges directly into some strange ces, then you won''t have a way to drop out," Wu Lei added with augh, sipping his drink. "In such modules, there''s no chance for dropping out." After discussing his questions, Liu Xing spent another hour eating and drinking with Wu Lei before saying goodbye and heading home. Having consumed a fair amount of beer, Liu Xing felt dizzy. He washed up briefly and then fell asleep on his bed, snoring loudly. The next morning, he was awakened by the ring sunlight. "Headache..." Liu Xing rubbed his temples, threw on some clothes, and decided to go downstairs to buy some breakfast. "Liu Xing?" While queuing at a familiar bun shop, Liu Xing suddenly heard a stranger calling his name. Looking in the direction of the voice, he was surprised to see Wang Qi, a former teammate from the Castle lord game. Liu Xing looked at Wang Qi in astonishment, marveling at how small the world was to encounter Wang Qi in the real world. Having once shared life-and-death experiences as teammates, Liu Xing had a generally positive impression of Wang Qi. Despite Wang Qi''s asional impulsiveness, he was capable of listening to others and considering the bigger picture. "Ha, I didn''t expect to meet you here," Liu Xing chuckled, and they found a nearby Kending Chicken to sit down, eat, and chat. Wang Qi, also from Rongcheng and a student at the Rongcheng Sports School, had been in Magic Capital on a trip when he entered the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, hence his residence registration was in Magic Capital. Unlike Liu Xing, Wang Qi hadn''t yet qualified to start promotion games. During this period, he participated in a standard Cthulhu RPG Game, narrowly escaping being "card-torn" by a group of fanatical NPC believers. In a moment of crisis, surrounded and cornered, Wang Qi rolled a lucky critical sess, reducing the number of fanatical NPCs chasing him to one, and an unarmed weakling at that. Wang Qi defeated this believer NPC inbat, sessfully clearing the level. Liu Xing, with a mindset of always being on guard, did not reveal to Wang Qi that he had started participating in promotion games. Chapter 78: The Second Promotion Game Chapter 78: The Second Promotion Game After concealing the details about the promotion game and the old Taoist, Liu Xing shared the process of the Harvest Festival with Wang Qi. "Ha, Liu Xing, your role-ying game is really interesting and fortunate. Although encountering the Formless Offspring, a rather powerful mythical creature, its limitations rendered it ineffective," Wang Qi said with augh. Liu Xing smiled, nodding in agreement. He then informed Wang Qi about the vocal checks andbat skills. After all, this wasn''t a well-guarded secret, and he hoped Wang Qi would continue to survive in the Cthulhu RPG Game. For Wang Qi, learning about thebat skills was vital, especially given his physical prowess. If he could perform well inbat skill checks, his chances of sess would be high, greatly enhancing hisbat strength and survival odds. "Liu Xing, thank you for sharing this crucial information. I''ll immediately choose my Interlude Growth and start familiarizing myself with thebat skills," Wang Qi said excitedly. yers needed to decide on their Interlude Growth before the next Cthulhu RPG Game began. If not, the system would "kindly" randomize three types of Interlude Growth for them. Waving his hand nonchntly, Liu Xing said, "It''s nothing. The fact that we could meet again is a great fate, especially in a ce as bizarre as the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall." "Yeah, I just couldn''t control my hands, which led me to this situation," Wang Qi said, nodding with regret. Hearing this, Liu Xing felt a sense of resonance. He too had ended up in the fearsome Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall because he hadn''t controlled his actions. After chatting for a while, Liu Xing and Wang Qi exchanged phone numbers and then returned to their respective homes. Back home, Liu Xing pondered over his life and recalled his meeting with Wu Lei, especially the advice given. He then unhesitatingly turned on hisputer, clicked on the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, and started matching for the promotion game! He was mentally prepared, deciding to focus all his efforts on the third game, preferring a short pain over a long one. Due to it being morning, the matching for the promotion game was incredibly slow. After using the bathroom, washing his face, and drinking a bottle of ice-c he bought from downstairs, the game... still hadn''t started. Touching his chin, Liu Xing wondered whether to cancel this match when he finally entered his second promotion game. The start was the usual Interlude Growth settlement. "Bing an online novel author, without any incidents, gained the side job of online novel author, level ''Bottom-Tier Writer'', earning an extra 1 credit point and 600 in additional ie." "Attending Ind Nation Language training, without any incidents, gained the skill - Other Language: Ind Nation Language 39." "Exercising, without any incidents, improved four attribute points in total, Agility +3, Strength +1." This Interlude Growth didn''t bring any unexpected events. Fortunately, the "Attending Ind Nation Language Training" could reach a maximum of 40 points, and Liu Xing scored 39 points, a stroke of incredible luck. This made him somewhat conceited¡ªperhaps he should try to pass this second promotion game after all? Scenario: Ancient Vige Secret Difficulty: Medium Number of yers: Five Story Background: A sudden earthquake in the northwestern region of China brings national attention to an ancient mountain vige. Beneath this old vige lies a colossal secret... Name: Liu Xing Profession: Doctor Education: Postgraduate Birthce: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Trait: Team yer Background: An ordinary doctor who, during a vacation in Ennd, helped the police solve hundreds of unresolved missing person cases. This not only earned him a substantial reward but also media coverage back home, making him quite famous in China. During a paid leave, he experienced a supernatural event and adopted a young girl. Connection to this Scenario: After returning to work from his paid leave, Liu Xing spent his free time learning thenguage of the Ind Nation and keeping himself physically fit. By chance, he published his own online novel titled "The Real Cthulhu RPG Game" on a novel website. Due to a niche audience, numerous bugs in the story, and influences from the doctrine of numerology, Liu Xing only managed to be an unsessful writer, barely making ends meet while relying on welfare. At this time, a bizarre, small-scale earthquake urred in the northwestern region of China. Liu Xing, as a member of the medical aid team, went to the affected area to meet with other team members, preparing to visit an ancient vige known as Earth Dragon Vige. Character Attributes: Strength: 56 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 53 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 6 Sanity: 80/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit Rating: 51+10 (Temporary buff frompleting the Castle Lord Hidden Ending in a previous Cthulhu RPG Game, willst for two more games) Skills: First Aid 83, Medicine 78, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuasion 60, Investigation 40, Jumping 70, Lockpicking 10, Other Languages: English 22, Driving 50, Other Languages: Ind Nation Language 39. Personal Items: Mobile phone, a bottle of ancestral green tea (2/3 full), sugar given by Ke, Qingming Rain, Qingming Sacrificial Offerings, Qingming Oil-paper Umbre. Interpersonal Rtionships: Isabe (20), Chris (50), Nan Xiaoniao (80) As usual, the surroundings blur for a moment, and Liu Xing finds himself in a small dormitory, sitting on a steel wire bed. "Greetings, yers, I am your dear friend, MC... uh, I mean KP Xiehong Tianzun. Of course, you can also call me Snail. It''s incredibly lucky for you to encounter me in your second promotion game. Unless it''s a matter of great importance, I tend to be lenient with yers. However, I hope you yers don''t mess around too much with nonsensical tricks; otherwise, don''t me me for not giving you a chance." This KP sounds amiable and, if not lying, is one of the rare easy-going KPs in the Cthulhu RPG Game circle! Chapter 79: The Legend of Earth Dragon Village Chapter 79: The Legend of Earth Dragon Vige Upon hearing KP Snail''s introduction, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn''t expected to encounter such a cooperative KP in his second promotion game. Typically, most KPs are transformed from PCs who have suffered oppression. These KPs often join the ranks of evil and chaos, harboring a mindset of perpetuating revenge, thus creating a vicious cycle. So, Liu Xing considered KP Snail to be a good person, at least probably. KP Snail began the background briefing. "All of you yers, though of different identities, have be members of the same aid team due to various reasons. You are dispatched to Earth Dragon Vige for earthquake relief efforts. To assist, I''ve provided each of you with a backpack containing enough food and water for three days. yers with a doctor profession will also have an emergency medical kit, usable twice, enhancing your First Aid skill by 10. If youplete this promotion game, the medical kit is yours. So, give it your all," KP Snail said in a rxed tone. Liu Xing nced at the bedside, noticing a backpack and an emergency medical kit. He wasn''t overly pleased though, realizing the three-day supply of food and water implied the promotion game couldst three days or more, potentially leading to a wilderness survival scenario. Otherwise, they could have easily dined at some local''s house in Earth Dragon Vige. Liu Xing was also suspicious of Earth Dragon Vige. The initial story mentioned a terrible secret hidden there, and the earthquake seemed peculiar. He suspected the vige might be a congregation site for zealots, with the earthquake resulting from their ritual. Thus, Liu Xing had some idea of the troubles he might face in the storyline. "OK, you can now decide which personal items to carry. Whatever you choose will appear in your backpack," KP Snail announced. As soon as the words were spoken, Liu Xing''s chosen items materialized in front of him, floating in mid-air. After pondering, Liu Xing decided to bring nothing. While he felt he might seed in the game, he didn''t want to gamble, especially knowing the scenario''s boss. From the clues of the earthquake and Earth Dragon Vige, it was likely a mythical creature, more powerful than a Formless Offspring. Liu Xing doubted he could escape unscathed from such a creature. Therefore, Liu Xing chose to forfeit this promotion game, bringing nothing to avoid waste. Liu Xing couldn''t help but grumble about the second promotion game. True to its reputation as a formidable challenge, it had introduced a terrifying mythical creature as the boss. He mused that only if yers could bring armed helicopters and tanks might they stand a chance after encountering this beast. Otherwise, in any other scenario, they would be mere prey. "Now, let''s proceed with the storyline integration. All yers, please leave your dorms and gather in the lobby on the first floor," announced kp Snail. With that, Liu Xing regained his ability to move. Loosening up his body, Liu Xing packed an emergency medical kit into his backpack for easy carrying before heading downstairs. In the lobby, he saw a young man in mountaineering gear holding a sign that read "Earth Dragon Vige Rescue Team." Approaching the man, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Hello, I''m a member of the Earth Dragon Vige Rescue Team. My name is Liu Xing, and I''m a doctor." The young man, Wang Wei, a private detective and a viger of Earth Dragon Vige, greeted him in return. Wang Wei had left the vige over a decade ago but rushed back upon hearing of the disaster. He would lead the team to Earth Dragon Vige. Liu Xing chuckled to himself, realizing Wang Wei must be an NPC. yers typically wouldn''t y such pivotal roles or possess extensive knowledge. Like himself, they knew little beyond their immediate mission. "By the way, Wang Wei, could you tell me why your vige is named Earth Dragon Vige? I assume there must be a legend behind such a name," Liu Xing asked casually. After a moment''s thought, Wang Wei began, "Ah, the name ''Earth Dragon Vige'' does have a history. When I was a child, I heard from the elders that our vige, originally named Gao Shi Vige, was once terrorized by a dragon. This dragon, unable to fly but incredibly powerful underground, caused earthquakes and devoured livestock and even humans. It was known as the ''earth dragon''. Fortunately, a highly enlightened monk subdued it and taught the vigers a sacrificial ritual to keep the dragon sealed. However, my parents told me the vige hadn''t performed the ritual in decades, so I always thought it was just a legend. How could earth dragons exist in our world?" Liu Xing nodded, his suspicions about the identity of the mythical creature growing stronger. After chatting a bit more with Wang Wei, Liu Xing noticed a handsome man in a suit approaching. The man introduced himself as Xue Ba, a government spokesperson for the earthquake and a member of the rescue team. Liu Xing noticed the Patek Philippe watch on Xue Ba''s wrist, hinting at his wealthy background. Chapter 80: The Latest Tactic in Dropping Out Chapter 80: The Latest Tactic in Dropping Out Liu Xing was most surprised to find that Xue Ba''s profession was that of a spokesperson. A spokesperson, as the name implies, is a profession that represents an organization in public speaking. Xue Ba was a government spokesperson, and Liu Xing could only imagine how powerful the backstory of this "Xue Ba" character card must be. Moreover, Xue Ba''s credibility was likely at its maximum. Thus, Liu Xing was now wondering if Xue Ba could simply make a phone call and summon an armed helicopter for support. After all, Liu Xing remembered watching a video on B Station about a superhero group, where a wealthy youngdy, a yer, had called in a team of armed bodyguards with just one phone call and wiped out a Ghoul''s nest. At this moment, the remaining three yers also arrived one after another. The most conspicuous among them was a foreigner, appearing to be in his early thirties. He greeted everyone with a smile, "Hello, friends, I am Edmond Dant¨¨s, from Ennd, an international volunteer. I''m honored to coborate with you all." To Liu Xing, Dant¨¨s, despite his smiling face, seemed somewhat insincere. Liu Xing started to doubt if he had been fooled by Wu Lei, as now everyone seemed untrustworthy. Beside Dant¨¨s was a young doctor, identifiable to Liu Xing instantly because of the emergency medical bag in his hand. "Hello, everyone, I am Shi Ying, a doctor who has also studied psychology. I joined a detective club during my university days, so I am quite confident in my reasoning skills. I hope to cooperate well with you all," Shi Ying said with a smile. What caught Liu Xing''s attention, however, was therge cross hanging around Shi Ying''s neck, the kind often worn by priests in movies. Liu Xing stroked his chin, deducing that Shi Ying must be a Christian, but it was unclear if he was as fanatic as Bai Hecheng. Thest yer was dressed like a socialite, wearing sunsses and smoking a cigarette. "Hello, everyone. My name is Mo Jin. My identity might sound unpleasant - I''m just a social idler. But since we are all here for disaster relief, I trust you won''t hold it against me, heh." Liu Xing chuckled, surprised that Mo Jin had chosen the profession of a gangster. But, as he always said, every profession in the Cthulhu RPG Game had its use. For instance, gangsters were good for dirty work, capable of using force and more conveniently dropping out than Liu Xing himself. "Alright, since everyone is ready, let''s get in the car. We''ll try to reach Earth Dragon Vige before dinner. I''m not boasting, but the specialty dishes there are really delicious." Wang Wei Qing counted the heads and began to push the plot forward like a standard NPC. Naturally, Liu Xing and the others had no objections and nodded in agreement. Thus, Liu Xing and the group approached a minivan. "Uh, everyone, could I sit in the passenger seat?" Xue Ba looked at the somewhat damaged minivan and said with difficulty. At this moment, Mo Jin also took advantage of his professional skills, stepping forward to stir things up. "Yo, pretty boy, we''re off to a disaster relief, not strutting down a red carpet. Why dress up so formally? Once we reach Earth Dragon Vige, we''ll all be covered in dust anyway. Why fuss over your appearance now?" Just as Liu Xing was about to step forward to mediate, he saw Xue Ba frown and pull out his phone. "Buddy, think carefully. If I make this call and you''ve got a dirty background, the consequences might not be pleasant," he warned. The atmosphere froze instantly. No one expected such a serious conflict to erupt between Xue Ba and Mo Jin. As Liu Xing stepped forward to intervene, he saw Xue Ba wink at him. Understanding Xue Ba''s intent, he stopped and stood aside to watch the drama unfold. As a thug, Mo Jin wouldn''t easily cower to Xue Ba''s few words. He retorted with a stiff neck, "Heh, you think you can scare me? Go ahead, make that call." Xue Ba, with a smile of satisfaction, dialed the number. "Hello, County Chief Yuan? I''ve run into some trouble here. Could youe over? Yes, right here in the parking lot." Mo Jin knew Xue Ba wouldn''t go to such lengths over a trivial matter, but he couldn''t help feeling intimidated. "Uh, maybe¡­" "Hehe," Xue Ba chuckled, cutting off Mo Jin''s words. Left with no choice, Mo Jin turned his pleading gaze to Liu Xing and the others. However, as outsiders, they had already figured out Xue Ba''s n and simply ignored Mo Jin. Realizing something was amiss, Mo Jin finally understood what Xue Ba was up to. Relieved, he even looked forward to Xue Ba''s next move, hoping for his help. Soon after, a middle-aged man dressed as an official hurried over, smiling at Xue Ba. "Mr. Xue, are you alright?" Xue Ba shook his head, pointing at Mo Jin. "County Chief Yuan, this man has been targeting me. I really can''t join him on the trip to Earth Dragon Vige for the relief effort." County Chief Yuan red at Mo Jin, then said with a forced smile, "Mr. Xue, I''ve told you before that you need not go to the front lines for disaster relief. After all, a gentleman doesn''t stand under a copsing wall. You insisted on going, and now¡­" Before County Chief Yuan could finish, Xue Ba nodded in agreement. "You''re right, County Chief Yuan. My previous thoughts were indeed naive. I''ve decided not to go to Earth Dragon Vige. Please arrange another ce for me." County Chief Yuan, baffled, looked at Xue Ba. This was not what they had agreed upon. At that moment, the advantage of high credibility came into y. Xue Ba didn''t give County Chief Yuan a chance to speak and left the parking lot with his head held high. "Wow, I didn''t expect such a move. Learned something new," kp Snail remarked in surprise. "So, because Xue Ba''s credit reached a certain level, it''s assumed that he persuaded County Chief Yuan. Thus, Xue Ba no longer participates in the Earth Dragon Vige relief operation, considering it a drop-out." Liu Xing nodded silently. Xue Ba was indeed smart, adept at using his strengths and team members to quickly seed in his withdrawal. Chapter 81: Nightmare Chapter 81: Nightmare Xue Ba, highly intelligent, capitalized on his high credit status, knowing he could use it to forcefully persuade NPCs. After all, credit represented not just the assets and living standards of a character card, but also, indirectly, their social status. However, due to the "rationality" and "realism" of the Cthulhu RPG Game, Xue Ba couldn''t act unreasonably. He couldn''t just refuse to go to Earth Dragon Vige. Liu Xing felt that before the story integration, Xue Ba had already requested County Chief Yuan to involve him in the earthquake relief at Earth Dragon Vige. Thus, Xue Ba had to find another way to extricate himself. For Xue Ba, encountering Mo Jin, a delinquent teammate, was a stroke of luck. He quickly devised a n. While preparing to board the vehicle, he intentionally provoked Mo Jin, then created a conflict toin to County Chief Yuan. Finally, he took advantage of the situation to dere he would no longer go to Earth Dragon Vige and left abruptly, giving no chance to County Chief Yuan, or rather the game master, to respond or remedy. This seamless maneuver earned Liu Xing''s secret admiration. Xue Ba''s sessful withdrawal left Liu Xing and others exchanging nces. Liu Xing could see a hint of envy in their eyes. It seemed everyone understood the difficulty of the second promotion game and was contemting how to withdraw. Like Liu Xing, however, they found no suitable opportunity to do so. Mo Jin, meanwhile, had a bold idea. His gaze towards County Chief Yuan turned sinister. Without saying much, Liu Xing knew Mo Jin nned to assault County Chief Yuan, then get arrested and taken to the police station, thus achieving his withdrawal. But Mo Jin stillcked a reason to justify assaulting a government official. County Chief Yuan, a seasoned politician, understood Mo Jin''s menacing look and silently turned to leave. Mo Jin sighed in regret, saying, "Ah, I didn''t expect Xue Ba, the pretty boy, to be so uninteresting. A couple of jokes and he runs off. I bet he never nned to go to Earth Dragon Vige for the earthquake relief, using me as an excuse. His political awareness is just too low." Liu Xing chuckled, deciding not to get entangled with Mo Jin, and said, "Alright, let''s not dy any further. Let''s head straight to Earth Dragon Vige." Wang Wei nodded in agreement, checking his phone, "Liu Xing is right. It''s already three o''clock in the afternoon. It will take at least three hours to drive from here to Earth Dragon Vige. Due to the earthquake, the roads might be affected, so we should prepare for an extra hour. We might not reach Earth Dragon Vige until around seven o''clock. And I just called Earth Dragon Vige; their signal is down, so prepare yourselves mentally. We might not get a hot meal until around nine o''clock." "Oh my god, no signal in Earth Dragon Vige means I can''t y on my phone tonight. I haven''t evenpleted my daily tasks in Futago today," Tang Tai spoke in an exaggerated tone. Shi Ying shrugged,ughing, "Hehe, I was more foresighted. I''ve alreadypleted my daily tasks in BL Route and even used up all the fuel." Liu Xing''s mouth twitched at Tang Tai and Shi Ying''s added drama. Eventually, Liu Xing''s group boarded the van. Liu Xing took the passenger seat, while Tang Tai and the others sat together. As the van smoothly progressed, Liu Xing closed his eyes to rest. He figured the plot trigger would undoubtedly be in Earth Dragon Vige, making this four-hour journey rather dull, especially without his phone. Amid the debate between Tang Tai and Shi Ying over Futago and BL Route, Liu Xing gradually fell asleep... After an unknown time, Liu Xing, in his sleep, smelled a foul, pungent odor and instantly woke up... or rather, he didn''t wake up! Opening his eyes, Liu Xing found himself back in the mirror world, sitting on an altar inside the Crane Temple. The source of the foul smell was the gaping maw of a Formless Offspring before him. "Damn it!" Liu Xing couldn''t help but curse, thinking of a ssic movie line, "The gaping maw of the Formless Offspring was only 0.01 centimeters from me, and I knew in the next second, I would be Mamie Senpai." But like being trapped in sleep paralysis, Liu Xing on the altar felt utterly immobile, like a sacrifice for the Formless Offspring. A million Shoggoths seemed to pass through Liu Xing''s heart, leaving him at a loss for words. Just as the Formless Offspring was about to swallow him, Liu Xing suddenly felt someone shaking him. He finally truly woke up to see Wang Wei beside him, looking worried. Liu Xing rubbed his temples and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The terrifying nightmare had left him drenched in sweat. "Liu Xing, are you okay? You''re sweating profusely and pale. Did you have a nightmare? Do you need me to give you some psychological counseling?" Shi Ying, a part-time psychologist, was the first to show concern. Of course, Shi Ying had an ulterior motive. He thought Liu Xing''s disheveled state was due to losing SAN in his dream and wanted to use psychoanalysis to restore his SAN. Liu Xing understood Shi Ying''s intention and forced a smile, saying, "I''m fine, I just had a very strange dream about some things I''ve experienced before. I''m okay now, thanks for your concern, Shi Ying." Hearing Liu Xing''s response, Shi Ying and the others grew solemn, understanding that Liu Xing''s "past experiences" referred to his previous encounters in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Chapter 82: Earth-boring Demon Worm Chapter 82: Earth-boring Demon Worm Liu Xing took a couple of deep breaths, finally regaining hisposure, only to realize that the van had stopped inplete darkness outside. "Uh, Wang Wei, why have we stopped? Have we already reached Earth Dragon Vige?" Liu Xing asked, puzzled. Wang Wei shook his head, pointing ahead and exined, "We''re about five kilometers from Earth Dragon Vige. However, andslide caused by an earthquake has blocked the road ahead, so we can''t drive any further. We''ll have to get out and walk to Earth Dragon Vige, which is why I woke you up." Using the light from the van''s headlights, Liu Xing saw that the road a few meters ahead was blocked by huge rocks and mud, impassable for their van. Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright then, let''s get out and proceed on foot." Thus, Liu Xing and his group, carrying their backpacks, got out of the van, preparing to trek towards Earth Dragon Vige. "Why don''t you eat something first? We can''t park here due to the curve in the road, andndslides are likely here, which could damage the van. I''ll reverse the van a bit for now, and we''ll set off once I return," said Wang Wei, looking up with a hint of worry. The group had no objections, as Wang Wei''s temporary departure gave them an opportunity to initiate their Private Room time. After Wang Wei drove the van back out of sight, Mo Jin eagerly said, "Kp, activate the Private Room time for us." "Sure, I''ve activated it for you. But just a heads up, Wang Wei will be back in three minutes, so make sure you discuss quickly," said Kp Snail with a smile. "Let''s make it quick then," said Tang Tai, seriously. "You all know how tough the second promotion game is, and you''ve probably guessed the final boss, right?" Liu Xing nodded, "Of course, if I''m not mistaken, the boss for this scenario should be the Earth-boring Demon Worm." Everyone nodded in agreement, sharing the same thought. The Earth-boring Demon Worm, a superior species from the Cthulhu Mythos, is a powerful mythical creature, far surpassing the lesser Formless Offspring. It resembles a giant squid living in the soil, its elongated, worm-like body always coated in mucus, and a chant-like sound apanying its presence. These strong Earth-boring Demon Worms can live for a thousand years, fiercely protecting their offspring, making an encounter with a juvenile one rather ominous. Their abilities are unusual; young Earth-boring Demon Wormsmunicate using heart inspiration, allowing them to connect with any member of their species, anywhere. Adult worms can control other species using this ability. Adult Earth-boring Demon Worms can withstand extremely high temperatures, up to 4000 degrees Celsius, usually residing near the Earth''s core. Only wanderers, exiles, or those identally carried to the surface during magma eruptions are seen above ground. A fully mature Earth-boring Demon Worm can cause intense earthquakes, with a limited impact area, leading the group to deduce it as the boss. The leader of the Earth-boring Demon Worms is the Great Old One, Shude Meier, rumored to have broken free and moving around the Earth''s core. Recent major earthquakes are attributed to Shude Meier. Despite their power, Earth-boring Demon Worms have a fatal weakness: extreme sensitivity to water. Their mucus-coated skin can only iste a small amount of water, so submerging them in water can easily kill them. However, Liu Xing doubted their ability to kill the Earth-boring Demon Worm, given its size and the difficulty of sourcing enough water in the arid northwest, especially since Earth Dragon Vige likely doesn''t have running water. Moreover, he suspected the vigers of Earth Dragon Vige might already be under the worm''s control. "Right, I heard from Wang Wei that this Earth-boring Demon Worm was sealed in Earth Dragon Vige centuries ago. So, we''re likely facing a fully matured one, capable of using heart inspiration. I suspect the vigers are already under its control," Liu Xing shared his thoughts. Liu Xing agreed with Tang Tai, who believed the worm must be severely restricted, as a full-grown Earth-boring Demon Worm was too terrifying and typically appeared in higher-level games. "So, our enemy might be the controlled vigers of Earth Dragon Vige. Do we have anyone capable of fighting?" Shi Ying asked, looking at Mo Jin, a brawler withbat skills. Mo Jin, somewhat reluctantly, replied, "I can fight, but we''re outnumbered. If the vigers are controlled and attack us with weapons, we won''t stand a chance." Chapter 83: Acting Skills Chapter 83: Acting Skills Mo Jin spoke with a pragmatic edge. Although the name of the Earth-boring Demon Worm contained the word ''worm'', this didn''t imply it was a mindless insect. In fact, the intelligence quotient of an Earth-boring Demon Worm was significantly higher than humans, calcted as the result of 5d6 multiplied by 5, with a maximum value reaching 150, far surpassing the human average of 99. Hence, unless the Earth-boring Demon Worm from Earth Dragon Vige was intellectually impaired, it would know how to concentrate its superior forces and arm itself to confront Liu Xing and his team. In such a scenario, their only option would be to flee, as fighting would be akin to courting death. "Tang Tai, it seems our actual adversaries are the armed peasants, with the Earth-boring Demon Worm merely making brief appearances tounch SAN value attacks on us," Tang Tai said, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "That''s not necessarily true," Shi Ying countered, shaking his head solemnly. "The seal on the Earth-boring Demon Worm must have been partially broken by now, meaning it has likely gained the ability to attack. I suspect we''ll engage in one or two rounds ofbat with it. More importantly, we''re about five kilometers away from Earth Dragon Vige. To sessfully escape, we must reach this point from the vige, facing potential dangers like earthquakes andndslides along the way." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Shi Ying''s analysis was astute. The mission''s objectives and the scenario set by the Castle Lord seemed eerily simr, both requiring escape from a designated area. Clearly, thendslide was a critical boundary marker. The nearby mountain structure had be unstable. If they were pursued by the Earth-boring Demon Worm, which could potentially trigger another earthquake, they might need to rely on agility or luck checks to survive the falling rocks. "Damn it, the difficulty of this second promotion game is insanely high. It''s almost as if they don''t want us to pass," Mo Jin sighed in frustration, beginning toin. Liu Xing also sighed. "Who designed this scenario? They must be as mentally unstable as Bai Hecheng!" Meanwhile, in another promotion game... "Ah-choo," Bai Hecheng sneezed, touching his nose sullenly. "Isn''t it supposed to be spring in this module? How can I catch a cold? Low constitution really sucks, but that shouldn''t be an issue in the future. After all, the constitution of a Ghoul is quite impressive." Shaking his head, Bai Hecheng unrolled a sheepskin scroll, muttering an arcanenguage. In front of him, four men and womeny unconscious, bound tightly. Back to Liu Xing and his team... Liu Xing suddenly thought of something and urgently addressed the group, "What if Wang Wei has also been controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm?" His theory wasn''t baseless. Wang Wei was a viger from Earth Dragon Vige. Although he imed he hadn''t been back for over a decade, that was just his word. "You''re right, Liu Xing. It''s quite possible that Wang Wei has been controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm and sent out to find sacrifices ¨C us," Tang Tai agreed, nodding. Liu Xing nced at the path they hade on, his expression grave. "If Wang Wei is under the Worm''s control, he might sabotage our car or find a signal to warn the vigers of our arrival." Tang Tai raised an eyebrow, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, along with a wallet. He didn''t bother with the wallet that fell to the ground. "Hmm, but if the Worm controls Wang Wei, it wouldn''t need him to call the vigers. And if not, Wang Wei is just a guide NPC. I''ll use the excuse of something left in the van to check it. Keep Wang Wei busy and don''t let him follow." Mo Jin chuckled, sidling next to Tang Tai and casually kicking the wallet into the roadside bushes. "You''re clever, Tang Tai. With me here, Wang Wei won''t have a chance to follow you to the van." Just then, Liu Xing heard footsteps approaching ¨C Wang Wei was returning. Liu Xing exchanged a knowing look with the others, and they swiftly resumed their ''acting'' roles, chatting idly. "We''re ready to go to Earth Dragon Vige," Wang Wei announced cheerfully upon his return. Tang Tai nodded, smiling. As he put his cigarettes back in his pocket, his expression changed abruptly. "Oh no, where''s my wallet?!" Liu Xing joined in seamlessly, "Are you sure you brought your wallet, Tang Tai? Could it be in the van?" "I''m certain," Tang Tai replied earnestly. "I wanted to smoke earlier but didn''t out of consideration for you all. I felt my wallet then, so it must be in the van." Their acting was wless, leaving Wang Wei puzzled and uncertain. "Let''s go back to the van to check, Tang Tai. But if it''s there, can we leave it in the van? We''ll retrieve it afterpleting our mission in Earth Dragon Vige." Tang Tai immediately shook his head. "No, I need my wallet. It has a photo of my wife, which I must see before sleeping. I must go back to the van to get it." Chapter 84: Falling Out? Chapter 84: Falling Out? Tang Tai''s acting was impressively convincing, leaving Wang Wei with no choice but to nod and agree, "Alright then, let''s hurry to the van to retrieve your wallet, Mr. Tang Tai." As Wang Wei was about to lead the way, Mo Jin caught his shoulder, saying, "Hey, Wang Wei, tell me about Earth Dragon Vige. Didn''t you say the specialty dishes there are delicious? I''m quite a foodie and very interested in culinary delights." While speaking, Mo Jin shot Tang Tai a knowing nce. Tang Tai, understanding the cue, smiled and suggested, "Then Wang Wei, why don''t you enlighten Mo Jin about Earth Dragon Vige''s special cuisine? Just hand me the car keys, I can go to the van and retrieve my wallet by myself." Wang Wei, ncing at Mo Jin, reluctantly handed over the keys to Tang Tai, "Mr. Tang Tai, remember to lock the car after getting your wallet back." Taking the keys, Tang Tai assured with a cheerful grin, "Of course, don''t worry about it, Wang Wei. I''ll be back soon, please wait for me." After saying this, Tang Tai quickly headed to the van. Meanwhile, Wang Wei had no choice but to start describing the special dishes of Earth Dragon Vige to Mo Jin, who nodded along with a smile, though whether he was actually listening to Wang Wei''s exnation was another matter. Soon after, Tang Tai returned, handing the car keys back to Wang Wei, "Thanks, Brother Wang Wei. I''ve got my wallet." Liu Xing noticed Tang Tai''s subtle nod, indicating he was unaware of any tampering Wang Wei might have done to the van. After receiving the keys, Wang Wei nodded and pointed towards Earth Dragon Vige, "Let''s head out. It''s already around seven o''clock, we should hurry to Earth Dragon Vige. I still need to speak to the vige chief about arranging your amodations." Liu Xing and the others nodded, starting their walk towards Earth Dragon Vige. Located at the foot of a mountain, Earth Dragon Vige was a considerable descent from their mid-mountain parking spot. Thanks to their youth and strength, the group reached the vige in less than half an hour. Surprisingly, Earth Dragon Vige seemed unaffected by the earthquake. Lights shone from the houses, and the voices of vigers could be heard, everything appearing normal. As the epicenter of the earthquake, Earth Dragon Vige was expected to be heavily affected, yet its current state seemed eerily untouched, leading Liu Xing to a chilling thought ¡ª ''When things are too strange, there must be demons at y.'' This anomaly provided Liu Xing a chance to escape, "Uh, Wang Wei, doesn''t Earth Dragon Vige seem unaffected by the earthquake? There''s no copsed buildings, nor any casualties. My skills as a doctor seem unnecessary here." Shi Ying, also a doctor, quickly agreed, "Right, it seems Earth Dragon Vige is unscathed and doesn''t need our volunteer rescue efforts. Could you take us back to the county town, Wang Wei? We can be more useful elsewhere tomorrow." Wang Wei, confused by Liu Xing and Shi Ying''s observation, stammered, "Uh, I don''t know why Earth Dragon Vige is untouched. I just, no, earlier when I called the vige chief, he said the vige was severely affected by the earthquake¡­" Hearing this, Liu Xing knew Wang Wei was lying. He had called the vige chief himself while parking the car. This suggested that Wang Wei wasn''t controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm but was misled by the vige chief, who was under the demon''s influence, into bringing Liu Xing''s group to Earth Dragon Vige as sacrificial offerings. Realizing this, Liu Xing proposed, "Ah, Wang Wei, you shouldn''t have kept this from us. How about you give us the car keys, and we''ll drive back ourselves? We can return the car to you tomorrow." Just then, an old man, surrounded by middle-aged vigers, approached them. Without doubt, this was the vige chief of Earth Dragon Vige. "Dear volunteers, don''t me Wang Wei. I instructed him to bring you here, so I fabricated some stories. The reason I lied is that Earth Dragon Vige needs your help with some matters," the vige chief exined as he approached. Liu Xing frowned, puzzled, "Old sir, you must be the vige chief of Earth Dragon Vige. Isn''t your vige at the earthquake''s epicenter? Howe nothing happened?" The vige chief chuckled, pointing to thergest building in the vige, "Here''s the thing. When the earthquake struck, our vigers were participating in a ritual at the Ancestral Temple. Although the temple is centuries old, it''s extremely earthquake-resistant. It wasn''t damaged, so our vigers were safe, and the vige buildings remainedrgely intact." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, continuing, "So, there are no casualties in Earth Dragon Vige? Then we have no reason to stay. We''ll take our leave, vige chief. Other areas need our help more urgently." As Liu Xing made to leave, the vige chief quickly stepped forward, holding him back, "Please wait, volunteer friend. Earth Dragon Vige still needs your assistance with other matters." Shi Ying gently pulled the vige chief away, saying resignedly, "Vige chief, although Earth Dragon Vige was spared, other viges aren''t so fortunate. We must help them as soon as possible. So, please let us go. After all, saving lives is of utmost importance." With that, Liu Xing and the others turned to leave, knowing that if they let the vige chief continue, they might trigger a main quest, making it impossible for them to leave Earth Dragon Vige. Chapter 85: Plot Twists, an Integral Part of the Module Chapter 85: Plot Twists, an Integral Part of the Module "Is it really that easy to break free?" Of course not. As the ultimate BOSS of this module, the Earth-boring Demon Worm had something to say, urging all yers to listen attentively. Thus, Liu Xing, who was about to leave, suddenly heard an indescribable, iprehensible sound. It was the voice of the Earth-boring Demon Worm, and Liu Xing realized he had lost control over his body again. Clearly, the Earth-boring Demon Worm had employed its mind control on the yers, with exceptional effectiveness! Likewise, Tang Tai and others stood frozen, just like Liu Xing. "Damn plot twists!" Liu Xing cursed inwardly. Just when he was about to sessfully escape, a plot twist forced him to enter the Earth Dragon Vige. "Hehe, you yersck a spirit of adventure," remarked the long-silent game master, Snail. "Fleeing at the sight of a minor monster? How dull. And to think you nned a group escape, this would deeply sadden the scenario''s author, not to mention how it affects my performance as a game master." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, intrigued that in this Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, there existed roles like the module author. He pondered whether the game master''s monthly task was to tear up a certain number of cards and achieve a specific party wipe rate... "Are you ying with us on purpose, game master?" Mo Jin asked Snail. "We were about to escape smoothly, and you sic the Earth-boring Demon Worm on us for mind control. Might as well have it take us as sacrifices directly, ending it all with a plot twist." "Hehe, Mo Jin, as a veteran yer, you know we game masters don''t plot against yers. We provide information and direction based on the scenario''s plot points and trajectory. Plot twists are an integral part of the scenario, beyond our control. Now, let me be clear: the scenario has two phases, and before the second phase starts, yers can''t leave the Earth Dragon Vige. Attempting to do so will trigger the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s mind control. So, stop thinking about escaping and just y the game," Snail exined candidly, sharing plenty of information with Liu Xing and hispanions. Liu Xing sighed in resignation. "Alright, game master, continue the story. I''m allid back now; it''s your move." "Okay, let''s proceed," Snail chuckled. "As you were about to leave the Earth Dragon Vige, a strange voice echoed, nting a thought in your minds: you must help the vigers of the Earth Dragon Vige." Liu Xing now suspected Snail''s earlier words. They might have been half-truths, meant to lower their guard before unleashing a plot twist to ensure their demise. Indeed, they hadn''t yet entered the Earth Dragon Vige. Their performance and reasoning were wless, convincing. If Snail really was lenient, it was highly likely he would have allowed them to escape. "Game master Snail is relentless in his pursuit!" Liu Xing grew wary. With the plot reset, Liu Xing decided to embrace the situation. Watching his character interact with others was like watching himself in a movie, a different kind of experience. Thereupon, "Liu Xing" and hispanions turned back to face the vige chief of Earth Dragon Vige. "Liu Xing" took the lead, saying, "Chief, I''ve thought it over. Whether we return a day earlier orter doesn''t matter. Tell us, what does Earth Dragon Vige need help with? We volunteers are duty-bound to assist." "Tang Tai" and others nodded in agreement, echoing Liu Xing''s sentiment. The vige chief chuckled knowingly and exined, "You all are good people, willing to help our Earth Dragon Vige. Our need is simple. We have a thousand-year-old sacrificial ritual. We had to halt it due to an earthquake recently, nning to resume tomorrow. We hope you volunteers can participate, offering your valuable suggestions to transform this ritual into a unique tourist attraction, drawing visitors nationwide." Liu Xing understood the scenario''s plot. The Earth Dragon Vige sought to be a tourist destination, leveraging the Earth-boring Demon Worm sealing ritual gone wrong. The ritual''s ipletion had led to the Demon Worm''s release, causing the earthquake and controlling the vigers. The promotion game''s main quest was undoubtedly tied to this ritual. Liu Xing pondered whether toplete, disrupt, or escape during the ritual. As Liu Xing contemted, "Liu Xing" and hispanions readily agreed to participate in the next day''s ritual. Thus, "Liu Xing" and his group formally entered the Earth Dragon Vige under the chief''s guidance. Chapter 86: "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" Chapter 86: "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" As Liu Xing and hispanions entered the vicinity of Earth Dragon Vige, KP Snail spoke up, "Alright, it''s time to officiallymence the first phase of this promotion game. yers are not allowed to leave Earth Dragon Vige before themencement of the ritual tomorrow, but you are free to move within the vige. Also, I''d like to mention that there is a hidden fragment of an ancient book within Earth Dragon Vige. If a yer manages to obtain this fragment, it will be their personal item, even if they fail toplete the game, as long as they don''t tear their cards. Consider it an extra perk for this promotion game. Feel free to explore, yers." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He couldn''t decide if KP Snail was genuinely helpful or deviously cunning. On the surface, KP Snail had provided valuable additional information, but everyone knew that rewards came with risks. The fragment hidden in Earth Dragon Vige was undoubtedly concealed in a secretive location, not easily found. There might even be traps or guardians guarding it. Liu Xing had already deduced the origin of this fragment ¨C the "Earth-Guardian Summoning Scroll" from "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord." "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" was one of the few Chinese works within the Cthulhu Mythos. The book was authored by the ancient Chinese philosopher Xuan Jun, dating back to around the 2nd century AD. It was originally titled "The Seven Secrets of the Earth," but since the original manuscript had long been lost, only this faithful andprehensive Chinese copy, known as "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord," was known to exist. This ancient text consisted of seven volumes, each serving as a chapter with different themes and contents. However, each volume contained one or more incantations, and among them was a volume that detailed the spell for summoning the "Earth-boring Demon Worm," known as the "Earth-Guardian Summoning Scroll." In Liu Xing''s view, "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" could be considered a summoning grimoire. Apart from summoning the Earth-boring Demon Worm, it could also summon mythical creatures like Ghoul, Hound of Tindalos, Byakhee, and more. The final volume had the ability to directly summon Nyathotep. However, except for controlling Byakhee using the book, the summoning of other mythical creatures was uncontroble. To these creatures, human summoners were delectable prey, except Nyathotep, who saw humans as mere ythings. In addition to summoning various mythical creatures, "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" also contained two volumes with special spells. One was the "Resurrection of the Dead" spell, which could only resurrect zombies. The other was the "Opening of the Gate of Kadath," which could transport you directly to the celestial realm (or mist). In short, there was no return. Hence, "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" was often referred to as the "Book of Certain Doom." However, what puzzled Liu Xing the most was the "Earth-boring Demon Worm" summoning spell. It could summon the Earth-boring Demon Worm but had no means of controlling it. Therefore, the ritual to subdue the Earth-boring Demon Worm must originate from another magical book, suggesting the possibility of another magical book or fragment within Earth Dragon Vige. Yet, Liu Xing suddenly realized it could also be that the expert who suppressed the Earth-boring Demon Worm in the past merely orally conveyed the ritual to the vige residents. With this, Liu Xing began to grasp the essence of the situation. Centuries ago, the residents of Earth Dragon Vige stumbled upon a fragment from "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" that could summon the Earth-boring Demon Worm. They recklessly summoned the creature, but fortunately, a knowledgeable individual intervened and subdued the Earth-boring Demon Worm. This person also orally conveyed the ritual for suppressing the creature to the vigers. Over time, the ritual to suppress the Earth-boring Demon Worm has been lost, leaving only the fragment of "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord." As a result, the Vige Chief of Earth Dragon Vige decided to promote the suppression ritual as a unique attraction, attempting to turn the vige into a folk tourist destination. However, they only found the fragment of "The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord" and mistakenly treated the summoning spell for the Earth-boring Demon Worm as the suppression ritual. This inadvertently loosened the seal on the Earth-boring Demon Worm, granting it a degree of freedom! At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt the return of control over his own body. It seemed he had regainedmand over himself. Since they had triggered the task of this promotion game, the possibility of backing out was virtually nonexistent. So, Liu Xing and his group had no intention of leaving Earth Dragon Vige. Instead, they followed the Vige Chief to a somewhat run-down two-story house, with its door slightly ajar. "I apologize, dear volunteer friends. This is the only ce avable for amodation in the vige. But rest assured, we have cleaned the interior and prepared clean bedding. We''ve also provided some ingredients, and you are wee to cook your own meals," the Vige Chief cheerfully informed Liu Xing and his group. Liu Xing nodded and replied with a smile, "No problem at all. We volunteers are here to assist, not to enjoy ourselves. Having a ce to stay is already a blessing. It''s gettingte, Vige Chief, you should get some rest." The Vige Chief nodded with a cheerful smile and then left, with Wang Wei following suit. Liu Xing''s group exchanged nces and silently shook their heads before pushing open the door to the house. As the Vige Chief had mentioned, the exterior of the house might appear dpidated, but the interior was surprisingly clean and well-maintained. It had electricity and natural gas connections, and the kitchen was stocked with poultry, fish, and seasonal vegetables. "KP, we need to activate Private Room mode," Shi Ying said wearily. After all, Liu Xing and his group had already discussed how incredibly challenging this promotion game was, bordering on inevitable death. At this point, they were halfway into the grave, so Shi Ying had given up the struggle. "Damn it, it looks like we''re all going to die together this time. But if we get swallowed by the Earth-boring Demon Worm, at least it''ll be quick. If we die while fighting those vigers, it could be much more gruesome," Mo Jin remarked as she set down her backpack with resignation. Liu Xing ced his own backpack on the table and spoke, "The ''ancient book fragment'' mentioned by KP is probably the one that summons the Earth-boring Demon Worm from ''The Seven Chapters of the Mystic Scripture of the Enigmatic Lord.'' It seems the ritual to suppress the Earth-boring Demon Worm has been lost." Chapter 87: Discussion Chapter 87: Discussion Liu Xing nodded silently. Since there was no way out now, he had to choose a preferable way to meet his end... preferably a painless one. "Tang Tai, with that white hair of yours, you remind me of a game character ¨C Jelomar from Wizards," Shi Ying, seated in a chair, remarked with a smile, addressing Tang Tai. Tang Tai chuckled and scolded, "Shi Ying, don''t jinx me. By the way, didn''t Jelomar meet his end at the hands of a group of vigers?" "Yes, I believe he was stabbed with pitchforks," Liu Xing nodded, proud to be a devoted fan of the Wizard series. Tang Tai retrieved a water bottle from his backpack and shook his head, saying, "Seems like you all enjoy jinxing me. I remember when I first entered Earth Dragon Vige; I saw a haystack. It looks like I might actually get skewered with pitchforks." "Well, pitchforks might not deliver an instant kill, but they would cause multiple wounds. It''s going to be painful," Mo Jin remarked with a smile. Liu Xing nced at everyone. Even though they all knew that this promotion game was likely a dangerous endeavor with little chance of survival, they were maintaining a positive attitude and making jokes. "By the way, I have a few pills here. I obtained them from the newbie gift pack. They allow yers to be free of pain for five minutes after taking them. However, yers won''t know their current HP value. Each of you should take one; it might make dying a bit easier," Shi Ying retrieved a small porcin bottle from her backpack and suggested. Upon hearing Shi Ying''s words, Liu Xing''s eyes brightened. These pills were a valuable item, especially in this life-or-death situation. Dying painlessly was a fortunate circumstance in itself. Liu Xing reached out and took one of the pills from Shi Ying, and immediately, KP Snail gave him a prompt, "You have obtained an item from yer Shi Ying: Painkiller." Liu Xing ced the painkiller in his pocket and thanked Shi Ying, saying, "Shi Ying, thank you very much." Shi Ying smiled and shook her head, saying, "Don''t mention it. These painkillers only cost one or two points in the Shop and are only useful in situations like this where death is certain. Their effect is quite limited. So, for me, it''s just a trivial item. I''d rather share it with all of you. Who knows, if we have the chance to y a campaign together in the future, I might have some strong yers to rely on." Tang Tai took one of the painkillers and said with a smile, "Heh, Shi Ying, you''re too modest. yers participating in this second promotion game must have some skill. Let''s help each other out." "Speaking of which, should we try to obtain the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord''? After all, it''s the only potential benefit we can gain from this promotion game," Mo Jin suggested after receiving the painkiller. Liu Xing shrugged and said, "Well, personally, I think whether we get that missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' or not doesn''t really matter. Everyone knows how tricky that book is. Apart from the spell that summons and controls Byakhee, the rest of the spells are essentially suicide spells. Take this one, for example, the ''Earth-boring Demon Worm'' summon. It causes an earthquake as soon as it''s summoned, and then who knows how we''ll die." Liu Xing''s words found agreement among the group. Tang Tai nodded and said, "Liu Xing is right. It''s best not to bother with the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.'' The practicality of those spells is too low, and even if it''s just a page from that book, it''s bound to decrease our SAN value. So personally, I''m not nning to pursue it." Shi Ying also nodded, indicating that she had no intention of searching for the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.'' The risks far outweighed the potential gains. As for Mo Jin, he rubbed his chin and said, "Well, since none of you are interested, I''ll give it a try on my own. I don''t likeing back empty-handed, and obtaining this page would also grant me some Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, including information about the Earth-boring Demon Worm. When I face the Earth-boring Demon Worm again, it should help me reduce my SAN loss." Mo Jin''s words stirred some interest in Liu Xing as well. Obtaining Cthulhu Mythos knowledge was challenging in itself, and having some would greatly assist them in tabletop role-ying games. Moreover, as Mo Jin mentioned, the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' likely contained information about the Earth-boring Demon Worm, which would be helpful when facing it again since KP Snail would likely adjust the SAN loss. With a spirit of flexibility, Liu Xing overturned his previous statement, saying, "Well, Mo Jin, you make a good point. I''ll join you in the quest for the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.''" Seeing Liu Xing change his mind, Shi Ying and Tang Tai were convinced by Mo Jin as well and decided to change their minds, opting to join Mo Jin in the search for the missing page. "I believe the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' should be either with the Vige Chief or in the Ancestral Temple. After all, rituals like these are usually overseen by the Vige Chief," Mo Jin, as the initiator of the n, shared his opinion. Liu Xing nodded in agreement and added, "That''s a valid point. But it''s also possible that the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' was left behind in the Ancestral Temple since the ritual took ce there. I suspect that after the ritual, the Earth-boring Demon Worm directly controlled the vigers to leave, which means the missing page could have been left behind in the temple." Tang Tai chimed in, "Yes, Mo Jin and Liu Xing have reasonable spections. But whether it''s the Ancestral Temple or the Vige Chief''s residence, gaining entry won''t be easy. Especially the Ancestral Temple, which undoubtedly houses the Earth-boring Demon Worm. Going there would be walking into certain danger." He continued, "As for the Vige Chief''s home, we don''t even know its location yet. Furthermore, the vigers in Earth Dragon Vige are already under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. If we inquire about the Vige Chief''s residence, the Earth-boring Demon Worm will surely be alert, and we might fall into an ambush. Therefore, we must first figure out where the missing page of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' is located!" Chapter 88: Conclusion Chapter 88: Conclusion Tang Tai''s words hit the mark. To obtain the remaining pages of the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord," our group must first determine their location. Currently, Liu Xing and hispanions have narrowed down the potential hiding ces of these pages to the Ancestral Temple and the Vige Chief''s residence. In Liu Xing''s estimation, the likelihood of finding the pages in the Vige Chief''s house is far greater than in the Ancestral Temple. After all, despite the second promotion game being challenging, it remains the lowest-level area within the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. It is highly unlikely that anyone would go to such extremes as to keep the pages of the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord"pany with the Earth-boring Demon Worm in the Ancestral Temple. "Well, personally, I believe the remaining pages of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' should be in the Vige Chief''s house. Earth-boring Demon Worm is still in the Ancestral Temple, and even though it''s under some level of seal, trying to retrieve the pages from under its control would likely be an impossible task. That''s why KP Snail suggested that we have a chance of obtaining the pages, indicating that the difficulty of acquiring them isn''t high, and they are probably in the Vige Chief''s house," Liu Xing voiced his spection. Tang Tai nodded in agreement with Liu Xing''s thoughts. "Liu Xing is right. The remaining pages of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' should be in the Vige Chief''s house. After all, these pages are utterly useless to the Earth-boring Demon Worm. Besides, they might trigger memories of its past suffering. So, the Earth-boring Demon Worm is unlikely to keep the pages close." Shi Ying and Mo Jin both nodded, reaching a consensus. "Our next objective, then, is to find the Vige Chief''s house before the ritual takes ce. We need to figure out a way to take the remaining pages of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.'' Who knows, we might even be able to dy the ritual." "However, there''s another question: how do we find the Vige Chief''s house when we are unfamiliar with this ce?" Mo Jin sighed in frustration, raising the issue. Liu Xing pondered for a moment before responding, "That''s a valid point. Wang Wei just followed the Vige Chief, and it''s highly likely that he''s now under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. So, we can''t expect to get any information from the vigers here." "Wait a moment, though. There might still be some vigers in Earth Dragon Vige who haven''t fallen under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. After all, while the Vige Chief ims that all the vigers participated in the ritual a few days ago, there''s a possibility that some vigers, like Wang Wei, have only just returned to Earth Dragon Vige. They might not have been subjected to the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s influence yet!" Liu Xing''s words brightened Tang Tai and the others'' outlook. Liu Xing''s reasoning made sense, as the vigers controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm appeared no different from regr people. If Liu Xing''s group hadn''t known about the control, they wouldn''t have been able to tell the difference either. Therefore, those vigers who returned to Earth Dragon Vige after the earthquake are likely unaware of the peculiar behavior of the other vigers. Moreover, the Earth-boring Demon Worm can''t be bothered to exert effort controlling these vigers. However, considering Wang Wei had extensive contact with Liu Xing''s group, the Earth-boring Demon Worm would undoubtedly take precautions and control Wang Wei. "If that''s the case, let''s start separate operations tomorrow morning. We should try to locate the vigers who returned to Earth Dragon Vige after the earthquake, especially focusing on young people, particrly those who appear to be students," Tang Tai suggested as he rapped the table, offering his opinion. Liu Xing nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, in a small vige like this, young people are likely to be studying or working outside. The few vigers brought by the Vige Chief recently all seemed to be middle-aged." "Okay, then tomorrow, as Tang Tai suggested, we''ll split up. I''ll take the eastern part of Earth Dragon Vige, Liu Xing will handle the west, Tang Tai will cover the north, and Shi Ying will take the south. How does that sound?" Mo Jin proposed her allocation n. "Sounds good to me, but if someone gathers information, follow a clockwise order to inform the others. That way, we can quickly regroup. After all, considering the current situation, the ritual should take ce noter than tomorrow afternoon, and we only have one morning for exploration," Shi Ying expressed some concern, as their time was quite limited. Liu Xing sighed and stood up, saying, "Well, the oue of this promotion game is pretty much predictable for all of us. So, we shouldn''t stress too much. Whether we like it or not, it all ends with the same oue. Let''s keep a positive attitude and not let it affect our emotions and state for the next promotion game." Tang Tai lit a cigarette and nodded, saying, "Liu Xing, you''ve got a good mindset. But you''re right. Since we''re already powerless to resist, we might as well enjoy this promotion game. And without any surprises, this promotion game should also be a quick route to gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. After all, KP Snail is willing to let us take the remaining pages of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' in case of failure, which means the Cthulhu Mythos knowledge we gain in this promotion game should be retained." Mo Jin walked up to Tang Tai, asked for a cigarette, and added, "Yes, I remember a friend from our club told me yesterday that even if you fail to clear the second promotion game, as long as you don''t tear your card, the growth marks, Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, and some important items obtained in the second promotion game will be preserved, like the possible ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord'' remaining pages and our current inventory." "In that case, it seems like this second promotion game, despite being a tough challenge, can still help us umte some Cthulhu Mythos knowledge and obtain useful items. It''s like hitting two birds with one stone," Liu Xing shrugged andmented. "Haha, Liu Xing, you''ve got a point there. But on that note, Tang Tai, how''s the situation with the van now? Although our chances of escaping Earth Dragon Vige are less than one in a thousand, if by some miracle, we get a chance to leave, we''ll still rely on that van to evade the pursuit of the Earth-boring Demon Worm," Mo Jinughed as she asked. Chapter 89: From the Heart Chapter 89: From the Heart One should always have dreams. Without dreams, what separates us from mere driftwood? "Well, I''ve checked the van, and there don''t seem to be any issues with it. The parking spot for the van is also rtively safe, so it''s unlikely to be hit by falling rocks. Unless it''s a scripted death, the van should be fine," Tang Tai affirmed. "Um, don''t you guys think our time in the Private Room is a bit too long?" Liu Xing suddenly felt something was amiss. Wasn''t the Private Room time supposed to be five minutes? It seemed like more than ten minutes had passed now... "You guys go ahead and chat. Private Room time isn''t that strict, so you can talk as long as you want. I quite enjoy listening to your analysis," KP Snail said with a smile. However, Liu Xing couldn''t shake the feeling that KP Snail was up to something. After extinguishing his cigarette, Tang Tai suggested, "Well, even though I might be overly cautious, I think it''s better not to touch the food in Earth Dragon Vige. After all, we have enough food in our backpacks." Liu Xing nodded in agreement with Shi Ying''s idea. "Shi Ying is right. Since the scenario has provided us with enough food, it''s like a subtle reminder not to eat anything from Earth Dragon Vige. If there''s something wrong with their food, like it being drugged, then we might be in big trouble." Mo Jin also nodded in agreement, while Tang Tai, outnumbered, simply shrugged and began taking out food from his backpack. So, the group concluded their Private Room time and resumed their role-y. "I think Earth Dragon Vige seems quite impoverished, and we''re here for earthquake relief, so we shouldn''t add more pressure to them. Let''s stick to the food in our backpacks," Liu Xing suggested. "Yeah, let''s quickly finish our food and get some rest. Today has been quite tiring," Tang Tai added with a smile. So, Liu Xing and the others had a light meal and then each found a room to rest in. However, on second thought, this was Liu Xing''s first time spending the night in the Cthulhu RPG Game, and it was quite a peculiar experience... In simple terms, Liu Xing couldn''t fall asleep. After all, Liu Xing had already slept for several hours in the car, so it was understandable that he couldn''t fall asleep now. Liu Xing couldn''t help but sigh. This was indeed the real Cthulhu RPG Game. It even faithfully replicated insomnia. Liu Xing had nothing to say about it. For those who had experienced insomnia, they knew how ufortable it could be... But even if it was incredibly realistic, it was still just a game. So, after tossing and turning in bed for more than ten minutes, Liu Xing decided to contact KP Snail. "KP, is there any way you can help me fall asleep? Insomnia is so annoying," Liu Xingined. KP Snail was always amodating and immediately responded, "Of course, as a KP who is very yer-friendly, I''ll be happy to fulfill this small request for you. However, I should remind you that triggering the first judgment of this promotion game is imminent." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that he had already spent more than ten hours in the second promotion game and hadn''t even had one judgment yet. However, when KP Snail brought up this matter on his own, Liu Xing couldn''t shake the feeling that something was off. It seemed like KP Snail had ulterior motives this time and wanted to manipte him. Although Liu Xing was inclined to refuse outright, he also worried about missing out on crucial clues. So, Liu Xing decided to ask, "KP, can you first tell me what this judgment is about so that I can prepare myself mentally?" KP Snail remained silent for a moment before responding, "Sure, I can do that. I''ll tell you. This time, it''s a Listening judgment, and the rewards definitely outweigh the risks." Liu Xing nodded silently, weighing the pros and cons. Firstly, Liu Xing had already spected about the benefits and risks that KP Snail mentioned. The usefulness of Listening was evident, as the benefits could include information about the Earth-boring Demon Worm or insights into the "Seven Chapters of the Profound Lord" scroll. The risk, on the other hand, was the potential to be affected by the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s mind-altering sounds, which might lead to reductions in certain attributes. Of course, there was one more factor that made Liu Xing extremely hesitant. That was the fact that Liu Xing''s Listening skill was at its base level, and he didn''t think his luck would be that good. So, after careful consideration, Liu Xing decided to heed Wu Lei''s advice, summed up in one word¡ªtrust. "Well, I''ll just go to sleep then. After all, my Listening skill isn''t leveled up, and I don''t want to take unnecessary risks this time. KP, please just let me go to sleep," Liu Xingmunicated with KP Snail. KP Snail fell silent once again and then said, "Um, alright, let''s do that. I won''t pressure you." As soon as KP Snail''s words were spoken, Liu Xing felt his vision darken. After hearing the sound of dice rolling, Liu Xing fell into a deep slumber. Fortunately, this time, Liu Xing didn''t experience any nightmares. After sleeping for what felt like several hours, Liu Xing finally woke up, and it was already daylight. Yawning, Liu Xing got out of bed, left his room, and walked to the living room. He noticed that Tang Tai was already having breakfast, while Shi Ying and Mo Jin seemed to still be asleep. "Good morning, Mr. Tang Tai," Liu Xing greeted Tang Tai and then proceeded to have breakfast. "Yeah, Dr. Liu, did you hear any strange soundsst night when you were sleeping?" Tang Tai nodded and asked. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, recalling that he had heard the sound of dice rolling before "falling asleep"st night. It seemed he wasn''t the only one who had trouble sleeping. "Well, I went to bed quite earlyst night and slept pretty soundly, so I didn''t hear anything strange," Liu Xing said with a furrowed brow. Tang Tai nodded and said somewhat puzzled, "Well, it''s possible I misheard itst night, but that sound was really eerie. It''s still fresh in my memory, and I even have a slight headache." Liu Xing understood that Tang Tai had likely seeded in the Listening judgmentst night, hearing the sound of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. This might have temporarily reduced Tang Tai''s willpower or inspiration, or even deducted some SAN points. However, what intrigued Liu Xing more was what kind of information Tang Tai had gained after a sessful judgment. After all, KP Snail had mentioned that the rewards outweighed the risks. But seeing Tang Tai''s current state, Liu Xing figured that Tang Tai intended to wait until Shi Ying and Mo Jin were present before discussing it further. Chapter 90: Deceived Tang Tai Chapter 90: Deceived Tang Tai After a while, Mo Jin and Shi Ying both emerged from their respective rooms and joined in the living room. Meanwhile, Tang Tai applied for a Private Room time directly with KP Snail. "Everyone,st night, except for me, you all should have gone to sleep without attempting any Listen checks," Tang Tai began. Mo Jin nodded and replied, "Yes, that''s correct. My character card doesn''t have Listen skill points, so I didn''t attempt any Listen checksst night. After all, as KP Snail mentioned, the rewards outweigh the risks, but I''m not guaranteed to receive those rewards. However, I''m definitely taking on the risk. So, I won''t do something as foolish as risking everything and losing." "Well, I''m in the same boat as Mo Jin. My character card doesn''t have Listen skill points, so I simply went to sleep," Shi Ying chimed in. As for Liu Xing, he nodded, indicating that his situation was the same as Mo Jin and Shi Ying''s. Tang Tai rubbed his temples and sighed in resignation, then continued, "You''re absolutely right with your choices. I didn''t expect to be the only one with Listen skill points..." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and asked, "Tang Tai, did you pass your Listen check yesterday? Did you obtain any important information?" Shi Ying and Mo Jin remained silent but wore expressions of curiosity, awaiting Tang Tai''s response. Tang Tai nodded and said with a bitter smile, "Of course, I passed my Listen check. My Listen skill points were set at eighty, but now I regret allocating so many points to it." "First, let me share the information I gathered after my Listen check. In short, the ''Mysterious Lord''s Seven-Chapter Secret Scripture'' is stored in the Vige Chief''s house, and there''s a high probability that one of the vigers hasn''t fallen under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. This particr viger contracted a severe cold on the day of the ritual and stayed home to recover. Moreover, this viger''s residence is located to the north of Earth Dragon Vige." "By the way, I believe that the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s control over these vigers isn''t continuous. It''s likely, just like in scripted murders, that the Earth-boring Demon Worm merely imnted some psychological suggestions in them. So, I think we can stillmunicate with the vigers to some extent." "Lastly, I can only offer my warm regards to KP Snail. That guy knows how to y mind games. He made it sound like the rewards outweighed the risks, making me think that there would only be some risks if the Listen check failed. But in reality, both rewards and risks coexist, and I fell for it." "In simple terms, I heard the voice of the Earth-boring Demon Worm at that time, which ultimately caused me to lose 3 points of SAN (Sanity) and made all my checks in this promotion game be Hard checks. So, from now on, you can''t count on me too much..." Tang Tai exined the whole situation in one breath. After hearing Tang Tai''s words, Liu Xing fell into deep thought. Wu Lei''s teachings were indeed correct ¨C it alles down to one''s mindset. "In that case, we should head to the north of Earth Dragon Vige now and find that viger who hasn''t been controlled. If all goes well, we might gather some additional information from them," Shi Ying suggested after some contemtion. "Most likely, since Tang Tai has paid such a great price, this viger should not be under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. So, it''s necessary for us to find this viger and gather some information. Perhaps this viger can provide us with crucial information, such as the location of an escape vehicle," Liu Xing nodded and said. After all, Liu Xing had reason to believe that in the second stage of the mission, the Earth-boring Demon Worm would continuously pursue them within a certain range, all the way to where Liu Xing and his group had parked. The Earth-boring Demon Worm was not slow, and its speed would definitely surpass that of Liu Xing''s group running on foot. Therefore, it was logical to assume that there should be some vehicles avable in Earth Dragon Vige, like tractors, to facilitate the yers'' escape. This would prevent the yers from being at a significant disadvantage when facing off against the Earth-boring Demon Worm, potentially leading to a fatal oue. With their decision made, Liu Xing and his group decided to head to the north of Earth Dragon Vige after having breakfast. As for the reasons behind their actions, Liu Xing and his group had already discussed them. The Private Room time came to an end. "Oh, by the way, Liu Xing and Shi Ying,st night while I was asleep, I overheard a viger mentioning that there''s a seriously ill person to the north of Earth Dragon Vige. How about we go check on them after breakfast?" Tang Tai took a sip of water and suggested. Liu Xing chuckled and nodded, saying, "Of course, a doctor''s duty is to heal the sick. If someone in Earth Dragon Vige needs our help, we should definitely go and see. What do you say, Dr. Shi?" "Absolutely, then let''s finish our breakfast quickly and head north of Earth Dragon Vige to find that sick person. After all, we can''t afford to miss the ritual that the Vige Chief mentioned," Shi Ying said, following the scenario established during their Private Room time. Mo Jin simply nodded in agreement, as he didn''t have much to add at the moment. Therefore, Liu Xing and hispanions had a light breakfast and then left their lodgings, heading towards the north of Earth Dragon Vige. Of course, Liu Xing didn''t forget to bring the emergency medical kit. As a small mountain vige, Earth Dragon Vige wasn''trge in terms of area, but it had quite a few households, with roughly twenty to thirty households, if Liu Xing''s rough estimate was correct. Considering an average household size of three, Earth Dragon Vige''s poption should be around a hundred people. Factoring in the elderly, children, and those with illnesses or disabilities, the Earth-boring Demon Worm could still muster a "force" of more than thirty people to "besiege" Liu Xing''s group. As Liu Xing thought about this, he couldn''t help but sigh inwardly. Now, Earth-boring Demon Worm didn''t need to personally intervene; it only had to control the vigers to form a force against them. This was a significant advantage with thirty people in their "army." Heading north of Earth Dragon Vige, there was only one household with its gate slightly ajar. Liu Xing approached it and knocked on the door. Shortly after, a middle-aged man with a simple and kind appearance, around forty years old, emerged. "Uh, you must be the volunteers who arrived in the vige yesterday, right? What brings you here?" he asked. Earth Dragon Vige was small, and everyone knew each other. News traveled quickly in the vige, so this viger was aware of Liu Xing''s group''s identity. Chapter 91: The First Drop of Blood Chapter 91: The First Drop of Blood Due to Liu Xing''s higher proficiency in medicine and first aid skillspared to Shi Ying, Tang Tai and the others unanimously chose Liu Xing as the lead physician to head the team. Liu Xing was also elected as the spokesperson for the volunteer team, while Shi Ying assumed the role of assisting Liu Xing. As for Tang Tai and Mo Jin, they yed the role of onlookers, adding a sense of grandeur to the situation. Therefore, Liu Xing, in his capacity as the spokesperson, stepped forward with a smile and addressed the middle-aged viger, "It''s fortunate that you are aware of our purpose here. We''ve heard that someone in your family is unwell, so our volunteer team hase specifically to check on them and offer medical assistance." The middle-aged viger hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a smile, saying, "Ah, I see. My son came down with a severe cold a couple of days ago, and he still hasn''t recovered. If it weren''t for the uing ritual that Vige Chief insists we attend, I would have taken him to the County Town for treatment already. I am truly grateful that you''vee to help my son." As the middle-aged viger spoke, he made way for Liu Xing''s group, indicating that they should enter and talk inside. Without hesitation, Liu Xing and his team entered the house. Upon entering the living room, Liu Xing noticed an array of farming tools neatly arranged along the walls¡ªeverything from hoes to pitchforks. The middle-aged viger served tea and plenty of pastries to Liu Xing''s group, saying, "Dear volunteer friends, please have some refreshments and water first. There''s no need to rush regarding my son''s illness." Liu Xing exchanged a knowing nce with Tang Tai and Mo Jin, then smiled and said, "We had already eaten beforeing, so Dr. Shi and I will go in to see the patient first." Tang Tai then smiled at the middle-aged viger and said, "My friend, I''m a traveler from a foreignnd, and I''m very interested in the customs of your Earth Dragon Vige, especially the uing ritual ceremony. I hope you can share some insights with me." The middle-aged viger hesitated for a moment again, then smiled and said, "Very well, I''ll take these two doctors to see my son first, and then I''ll return to tell you about the customs of Earth Dragon Vige." With that, Liu Xing and Shi Ying followed the middle-aged viger into a small room adorned with various posters. Liu Xing even spotted posters of Cthulhu and Nyaruko¡ªyes, Nyaruko, not Nyathotep. "Please, doctors, take a look at my son''s condition. I''ll step out to introduce the customs of Earth Dragon Vige to our foreign friend," the middle-aged viger said as he left the room. Liu Xing and Shi Ying exchanged nces, and Shi Ying positioned herself at the door to ensure a clear escape route. "Um, who are you?" At that moment, the bedding on the bed in the small room wriggled, and a slightly chubby young man of high school age emerged. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and replied, "I''m a volunteer participating in earthquake relief efforts, and I''m also a doctor. I heard from other vigers that you''re not feeling well, so I came specifically to provide medical treatment for you." "Ah, I see. My name is Tang Zilin, and I''m the only high school student in our Earth Dragon Vige. In the future, I''ll be the first college student from our vige," Tang Zilin said with a hint of pride. Liu Xing nodded and continued to inquire, "Alright, Tang Zilin, you seem full of energy, not like someone who''s sick." Upon hearing Liu Xing''s words, Tang Zilin felt a bit embarrassed. He touched his head and said, "Well, you see, I''m not actually sick. But there''s a reason I pretended to be. Being the only high school student in the vige, I naturally have a higher level of education and awareness than the other vigers. So, in order to avoid participating in that Town Dragon Ritual, I faked illness and stayed at home." Liu Xing now understood that Tang Zilin considered himself a "knowledgeable" individual, which ced him on a different intellectual levelpared to the ordinary vigers. Thus, he came up with the idea of feigning illness to avoid participating in the ritual and being controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm. "By the way, Doctor, please don''t tell my dad about me pretending to be sick. If he finds out, he''ll definitely punish me," Tang Zilin said nervously, thinking that Liu Xing was about to expose him to his father. Liu Xing, upon hearing Tang Zilin''s plea, felt relieved because things were progressing even more smoothly than he had anticipated. "Alright, I won''t inform your father about your feigned illness. However, you need to tell me why you didn''t want to participate in the ritual. I heard from the Vige Chief that this ritual will be an important tourism event for Earth Dragon Vige. As a resident, you should have been willing to participate, right?" Liu Xing chuckled and began questioning Tang Zilin. Tang Zilin furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and finally made up his mind. He began exining, "Well, at first, I did intend to participate in the ritual. But on the day before the ritual, after dinner, my dad forced me to go for a walk to lose weight. As we passed by our Earth Dragon Vige''s Ancestral Temple, which is where the ritual takes ce, I suddenly heard a strange and ufortable sound. Following the sound, I looked inside the Ancestral Temple and saw the Vige Chief tearing up a book. He had lit a brazier in front of him. The Vige Chief seemed like a puppet being controlled by someone, tearing the book methodically. Then, he would toss the torn pages into the brazier. Each page, as it touched the mes, would turn into a purple fireball." "The eerie scene made me feel that something was amiss. So, I left the Ancestral Temple. However, just before leaving, I saw the Vige Chief crumple one of the pages into a ball and throw it behind the Ancestral Temple." As Tang Zilin finished his exnation, Liu Xing suddenly felt the ground violently shaking beneath him. He slipped and fell to the ground. "Alright, now everyone, let''s make a Luck Check!" KP Snail said with a smile. Liu Xing: 42/80, Sess. Shi Ying: 12/75, Sess. Mo Jin: 33/75, Sess. Tang Tai: 100/40 (Difficult), Critical Failure! "Hehe, so Tang Tai is dead!" KP Snail continued to speak cheerfully. As KP Snail''s words rang out, the earthquake subsided. Liu Xing and Shi Ying rushed to the living room, only to find Tang Tai lying on his back on the floor with a pitchfork deeply embedded in his chest. Chapter 92: The True Identity of KP Snail Chapter 92: The True Identity of KP Snail "Darn it, what''s going on here?!" Liu Xing stared at Tang Tai lying motionless on the ground, confirming that Tang Tai was indeed dead and that KP Snail wasn''t joking. "yer Tang Tai met an unfortunate demise due to a stroke of bad luck during the earthquake, while other yers emerged unscathed thanks to their luck. However, since you''ve just lost a newfound friend so suddenly, I''d like each of you yers to undergo a SAN value assessment. Sess won''t reduce your SAN, but failure will deduct 1 SAN point," KP Snail finally dropped the pretense and began gloating. Liu Xing couldn''t help but curse KP Snail silently in his mind. This guy was truly an insidious Game Master. Everything he had said initially was meant to lower the yers'' guard, only to deliver a fatal blow with a single roll. Of course, part of the me alsoy with Tang Tai''s unfortunate roll... "KP, can''t my attributes and title be used to bypass this SAN assessment? After all, I only met Tang Tai for a day, so I don''t have that much emotional attachment," Mo Jin suddenly chimed in. Upon hearing Mo Jin''s words, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Liu Xing wasn''t nning to me Mo Jin forckingpassion. After all, he too intended to persuade KP Snail to let him bypass the SAN assessment directly. Nobody wanted to lose their precious SAN points in such a meaningless manner. However, what caught Liu Xing''s attention was Mo Jin''s mention of titles and attributes. Liu Xing distinctly remembered that titles needed to be disclosed by yers themselves within the narrative, and he couldn''t recall Mo Jin ever mentioning his own title. Moreover, the fact that Mo Jin was willing to use his title and attributes to bypass the SAN assessment suggested that his title and attributes must allow him to disregard the life and death of his teammates, and perhaps... Liu Xing looked at Mo Jin with a wary gaze. "Well, Mo Jin, your title and attributes do indeed allow you to bypass this SAN assessment. But I didn''t expect you to be willing to spend points on this premium service to conceal your title. Heh heh," KP Snail said with a smirk. However, Liu Xing knew that KP Snail was just baiting Mo Jin. After all, a title that was worth spending points to conceal probably wasn''t a favorable one. Mo Jin chuckled awkwardly and said, "Uh, so, KP, I don''t need to undergo the SAN assessment this time, right?" KP Snail thought for a moment, wearing a sly smile. "You can, but you''ll need to publicly reveal one of your titles to prove that I haven''t been biased. Your title and attributes do indeed allow you to bypass this SAN assessment." Mo Jin''s expression changed. While he knew that KP Snail was deliberately making things difficult for him, he had no choice but toply. After all, KP Snail''s demand made sense and was convincing. Mo Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Alright then, my title is ''Spectator of Death.'' Will that suffice, KP?" Liu Xing silently observed Mo Jin, confirming his suspicions. Mo Jin was undoubtedly a staunch egotist, willing to abandon or even betray teammates for personal gain. And, without a doubt, the title "Spectator of Death" was among Mo Jin''s titles that revealed his most sinister nature. With this realization, Liu Xing instinctively took two steps back to distance himself from Mo Jin. He couldn''t help but feel cautious about Mo Jin, as he didn''t want to fall victim to his schemes. Shi Ying, too, followed Liu Xing''s lead, drawing near to him to avoid Mo Jin. Everything was understood without the need for words. Mo Jin''s expression had now turned sour. He was well aware of being isted by Liu Xing and Shi Ying. "Alright, Mo Jin has passed this SAN assessment without losing any SAN points. Next up are Liu Xing and Shi Ying. Do you have anything to say? If not, we''ll proceed with the SAN assessment," KP Snail chuckled, giving off an air of having sessfully orchestrated a conspiracy. "Well, I work in the emergency department as a doctor, and I see all sorts of deaths every day. So, I''ve developed immunity to deaths like Tang Tai''s. Besides, as Mo Jin said, I''ve known Tang Tai for only about a day or so, at most a casual acquaintance. His death won''t overly affect me," Liu Xing exined. "Yeah, I''m from a medical background too. I''ve witnessed my fair share of farewells to the living. Moreover, I''m a Christian, and I believe that Tang Tai, being a foreigner, was likely a Christian as well. So, he must have returned to the embrace of God. I''ll offer my blessings to Tang Tai and won''t grieve excessively," Shi Ying added. After some contemtion, KP Snail spoke, "Shi Ying''s reasons are quite valid, so she can bypass this SAN assessment. But as for Liu Xing, due to your attributes, you can''t ignore Tang Tai''s death. So, Liu Xing, you still need to undergo the SAN assessment. Do you have any objections, Liu Xing?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow. He wondered if KP Snail had somehow heard his innerints. KP Snail was unexpectedly putting him in a tight spot. However, upon careful consideration, Liu Xing realized that KP Snail wasn''t intentionally making things difficult for him. After all, his attribute was "Team yer," and the characters they were all ying were part of the same volunteer team. Liu Xing was even the team leader. It was impossible for him not to be emotionally affected by a teammate''s death. So, with a sigh of resignation, Liu Xing said, "Alright, I''ll go through with the SAN assessment as intended." Liu Xing: 23/80, Sess. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his luck had held, and he didn''t need to needlessly lose SAN points this time. "Harumph, we''re already in the second promotion game, and I can''t believe your SAN value is still so high, Liu Xing," KP Snailined briefly before putting on a mock-serious tone. "Well then, concerning Tang Tai''s death, Mo Jin seems indifferent, Shi Ying is ustomed to it, and as for Liu Xing, the volunteer team''s leader, although he feels somewhat saddened by Tang Tai''s death, he believes there''s no time for dwelling on it now since Earth Dragon Vige has just experienced an earthquake. So, let''s continue the game." As soon as KP Snail finished speaking, Liu Xing feigned disbelief and asked, "What''s going on? How did Tang Tai end up impaled with pitchforks?" After all, KP Snail had only mentioned that Tang Tai had died due to a stroke of bad luck but hadn''t revealed the exact cause of death. Chapter 93: Successful Inspiration and Failed Persuasion Chapter 93: Sessful Inspiration and Failed Persuasion Mo Jin sighed theatrically and began to speak, "Ah, during the earthquake, Tang Tai was joking with us, holding a pitchfork and making that ''Jealousy Falls'' joke. But as you all know, the recent earthquake was incredibly powerful, and that''s when Tang Tai fell to the ground. He identally let go of the pitchfork, and it ended up piercing his heart." "He who lives dangerously dies dangerously," Tang Tai practically yed himself to death. "How coincidental," Shi Ying said with an almost incredulous expression, though deep down, she knew Tang Tai''s luck was truly abysmal. After all, he rolled a 100 in the Luck Check, which, in some vige rules, was the epitome of a colossal failure. So, Tang Tai''s demise was entirely expected. Moreover, Liu Xing thought Tang Tai''s death was rtively merciful. The pitchfork had pierced his heart directly, essentially causing Tang Tai to die instantly with minimal suffering. "Now is not the time to mourn for Tang Tai," Liu Xing sighed once more, addressing Shi Ying and Mo Jin. "Earth Dragon Vige has experienced another earthquake, and there''s a high likelihood of casualties. We need to go help with the relief efforts first and returnter to deal with Tang Tai''s body." Shi Ying and Mo Jin both nodded in agreement. After Liu Xing instructed the middle-aged viger to watch over Tang Tai''s body, the three of them left the house, preparing to assist in disaster relief. However, as they stepped outside, they were surprised to find that the other houses in Earth Dragon Vige appearedpletely unaffected, and the vigers were leisurely strolling and drinking tea as if nothing had happened. "What''s going on? The earthquake we just experienced was at least a magnitude six or higher. How is it that the vige and the vigers seempletely unharmed and unperturbed? This is incredibly unusual," Liu Xing said, his perplexity evident. Shi Ying nodded in agreement and added, "Indeed, what is happening here? Could it be that only our house was affected by the earthquake?" Liu Xing and Shi Ying shared their thoughts,ing to the conclusion that the recent earthquake had been caused by the Earth-boring Demon Worm and had a limited range, affecting only their house. "All of this seems too bizarre. First, there was a massive earthquake, but Earth Dragon Vige, at the epicenter, remains untouched. Now, we have experienced a minor earthquake. I can''t help but feel that there''s more to this situation," Mo Jin pondered, rubbing his chin. "Liu Xing, can we use an inspiration to uncover the mystery behind Earth Dragon Vige and these two unusual earthquakes?" Liu Xing cautiously inquired of KP Snail. KP Snail didn''t hesitate this time and replied, "Certainly, but you''ll need to pass a challenging inspiration check to realize that Earth Dragon Vige is not as simple as it appears." "No problem. Let''s proceed with the inspiration check," Shi Ying suggested. Liu Xing: 44/45 - Sess. Shi Ying: 71/35 - Failure. Mo Jin: 12/30 - Sess. "Alright, then. I''ll provide additional information to Liu Xing and Mo Jin, who sessfully passed the challenging inspiration check. Shi Ying, you sense that something is amiss, but you can''t quite put your finger on it," KP Snail exined. "So, Liu Xing, you suddenly recalled that when we arrived at Earth Dragon Vigest night, you seemed to have heard a strange sound. Coupled with the bizarre earthquake we experienced today, it reminded you of Wang Wei''s stories about Earthworms. You began to entertain the idea that Earthworms might actually exist in this world." KP Snail shared the reward information with Liu Xing after passing the challenging inspiration check. Liu Xing silently breathed a sigh of relief. With this reward information, his actions would be more flexible. Previously, "himself" had no awareness of the existence of the Earth-boring Demon Worm, so there were many actions he couldn''t take, such as refusing to participate in the sacrificial ceremony in the ancestral hall because "he" had no reason to decline. However, now things were different. "Himself" had be aware of the possible existence of the Earth-boring Demon Worm, so Liu Xing could reasonably role-y that "he" was concerned about the creature''s presence and use a mild case of diarrhea as an excuse to decline participation in the ceremony. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, every action required justification, and yers couldn''t y with an all-knowing perspective. It was part of the challenge for yers to guide their characters into the darkness, unaware of the mythical creatures lurking within, until a dramatic ending was reached. Finally, the "Liu Xing" who had realized the danger wouldn''t have to willingly be a sacrifice to the Earth-boring Demon Worm. "So, Liu Xing, you can choose to share this reward information with Shi Ying, but you''ll need to convince ''Shi Ying'' to ept your exnation through persuasion. The choice is yours," KP Snail said with a smile. As soon as KP Snail finished speaking, Liu Xing directly said to Shi Ying, "Shi Ying, I suddenly remembered something. When we first arrived in Earth Dragon Vige, didn''t we hear a strange noise? And with this strange earthquake happening now, do you think it resembles the actions of the Earth Dragon that Wang Wei told us about in legends?" After Liu Xing''s statement, the sound of rolling dice filled the air. Liu Xing: 97/60 - Critical Failure! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting to roll a critical failure himself. This was not good news for Shi Ying. Standing beside Liu Xing, Shi Ying first gave a bitter smile and then mockingly said, "Dr. Liu, can you please stop being so superstitious and backward? Mythical creatures like Earthworms only exist in legends. How could something like an Earth Dragon possibly exist in reality? Dr. Liu, you''re overthinking things." Liu Xing was left speechless, and Mo Jin shrugged, indicating his helplessness. After all, Liu Xing''s critical failure in the persuasion check had caused Shi Ying to reject the idea of the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s existence, so there was no point in attempting another persuasion check. The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward. "Alright, let''s not discuss this for now. Since there''s nothing happening in the vige, let''s go back and prepare Tang Tai''s body. After participating in the ritual, we can take it with us to County Town," Mo Jin spoke up, breaking the silence. Liu Xing and Shi Ying nodded silently. Then, the three of them turned and headed back to Tang Zilin''s house. However, as soon as they entered the living room, they froze in ce. Tang Tai''s body was nowhere to be found! Chapter 94: A Calculated Move Chapter 94: A Calcted Move "What''s going on here? Where''s Tang Tai''s body?" Liu Xing eximed in surprise. Mo Jin walked past the living room and quickly searched through the various rooms, then furrowed his brow and said, "There''s no one here. The viger and his son are both missing. It seems they''ve taken Tang Tai''s body with them." "Why? Why would they take Tang Tai''s body? It doesn''t make any sense for them," Liu Xing said, feeling perplexed. However, while Liu Xing didn''t know why Tang Zilin and his father had done this, he knew very well that they had taken Tang Tai''s body to offer it as a sacrifice to the Earth-boring Demon Worm! What concerned Liu Xing now was whether Tang Zilin had also fallen under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. If Tang Zilin had indeed been controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm, it wouldn''t be good news for Liu Xing. After all, "Liu Xing" had a decent rtionship with Tang Zilin. If the Earth-boring Demon Worm controlled Tang Zilin to seek "Liu Xing''s" help, such as inviting him to participate in the sacrificial ceremony or asking for assistance in escaping Earth Dragon Vige, then Liu Xing wouldn''t have much choice but toply with Tang Zilin''s request. In that case, Liu Xing would once again find himself in a passive situation. If it were the former, he would have to risk his life and participate in the deadly ritual; if it were thetter, he would need to be on guard at all times against Tang Zilin''s potential betrayal. "So, what should we do now? Should we go back to our lodgings first, or should we go directly to find the Vige Chief and seek his help? We must retrieve Tang Tai''s body," Shi Ying sighed and asked. "I think we should go find the Vige Chief first. After all, he''s the leader of the vige and may be able to rally the vigers to help us locate Tang Zilin and his son and recover Tang Tai''s body," Liu Xing reluctantly agreed. So, Liu Xing and his twopanions left the house and headed toward the Vige Chief''s residence. This time, they had a legitimate reason to do so, and Liu Xing easily approached a viger to inquire about the location of the Vige Chief''s house. Upon arriving at the Vige Chief''s house, Liu Xing and hispanions saw the Vige Chief sitting outside, smoking a cigarette. "Hey, my three volunteer friends, did you have a good restst night?" Vige Chief asked with a friendly smile. Liu Xing shook his head and said anxiously, "Vige Chief, our volunteer team''s foreigner just died in the house to the north of the vige due to an earthquake." "Wait, what earthquake? I''ve been sitting here, and I didn''t feel anything. And you''re telling me a foreigner died?" Vige Chief eximed in astonishment. Liu Xing''s words were interrupted by Vige Chief, causing him to hesitate for a moment. After all, "Liu Xing" was not certain if the Earth-boring Demon Worm truly existed, nor did he know if Vige Chief had been influenced by it. Therefore, Liu Xing was unsure how to proceed. "Vige Chief, here''s the situation. We heard that someone in the house to the north of the vige was seriously ill, so we rushed there early this morning to provide medical treatment to the patient. However, a sudden earthquake urred just now, and our foreign friend had an ident. He was impaled by a pitchfork and passed away," Shi Ying stepped forward and exined the sequence of events. Mo Jin, not wanting to fall behind, seized the opportunity and added, "Indeed, due to the earthquake, we thought there might be many injured people in Earth Dragon Vige, so we decided to temporarily leave Tang Tai''s body in that household. But when we returned shortly after, we found that the earthquake had only affected that part of Earth Dragon Vige. So, we had to go back to retrieve Tang Tai''s body. However, within just a few minutes, the father and son from that household had disappeared with Tang Tai''s body. We have no other option but to hope that you, Vige Chief, can assist us in recovering Tang Tai''s body." After hearing Shi Ying and Mo Jin''s ounts, Vige Chief took a couple of puffs from his cigarette and then said, "So, you mean to say that there was a small-scale earthquake just now at Old Tang''s house, resulting in the idental death of the foreign volunteer friend, and then Old Tang and his son took away the body of that foreign volunteer friend?" "Yes, Vige Chief, you''ve got it right. We hope you can help us find Tang Tai''s body," Liu Xing attempted to speak but was preempted by Mo Jin. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. After KP Snail had forcibly revealed Mo Jin''s true nature, he had be increasingly reckless. yers like Mo Jin were more troublesome than Bai Hecheng. Bai Hecheng enjoyed causing mischief, but his actions were driven by his single-digit SAN value. He acted impulsively, but there was only a certain probability of an explosion. Mo Jin, on the other hand, was like a loaded gun at your back, ready to fire at any moment. This constant vignce was necessary due to the constraints of the Cthulhu RPG Game. Liu Xing couldn''t easily rid himself of Mo Jin, leaving him perpetually under threat. Moreover, when Mo Jin did act, it was guaranteed to cause harm, even death! Therefore, Liu Xing was even more wary of Mo Jin, as he didn''t want to be betrayed by him. "Well, I don''t think you volunteer friends would lie to me. I''ll arrange for some help to assist you in finding the body of your foreign volunteer friend," Vige Chief said after some contemtion. He took out an old-fashioned flip phone and made a call. "Hello, Old Li, gather Zhang San and the others ande over to my ce right away. I have something very important that I need your help with. Yes, yes, hurry up." After the call, Vige Chief smiled and said, "Please wait a moment, everyone. I''ve called for assistance, and when they arrive, we can go and search for the body of the foreign volunteer friend." Liu Xing nodded, but he couldn''t shake the feeling that something was off. Vige Chief seemed to ce an unusually high level of trust in their group. A few minutester, Liu Xing saw over twenty male vigers approaching from various directions in the vige. They were carrying various "weapons," including pitchforks, spears, and hoes. Liu Xing''s expression changed, realizing that he and his twopanions had been deceived by Vige Chief! Chapter 95: The Beginning of Phase Two of the Mission Chapter 95: The Beginning of Phase Two of the Mission "Damn it," Liu Xing muttered to himself, not expecting Vige Chief to resort to such underhanded tactics behind his seemingly benevolent facade. "Vige Chief, we''re just here to find someone, not to fight. Why are you having the vigers carry so many weapons?" Liu Xing forced aposed smile and asked. Vige Chief chuckled, extinguished his cigarette, and replied seriously, "Oh, you still don''t want to tell the truth at this point?" Frowning, Liu Xing responded, "Vige Chief, what do you mean? I was just speaking casually earlier. Are you suspecting us?" "Yes, I am suspecting you! I suspect you killed that foreign volunteer and intend to frame Earth Dragon Vige for it," Vige Chief raised an eyebrow and sneered. Hearing Vige Chief''s usation, Liu Xing sighed inwardly, realizing that they had made a grave mistake, putting themselves in a perilous situation. Shi Ying, anxious, stepped forward and questioned, "Vige Chief, we were telling the truth. Why would you doubt us? We have no reason to kill Tang Tai!" Vige Chief scoffed and pointed at Shi Ying, saying, "Your words are just one side of the story. I suspect that you had a conflict with the foreign volunteerst night, killed him in a fit of rage, and now want to me it on us, Earth Dragon Vige. Your excuse is flimsy, and you even mentioned an earthquake, one as small as the size of a single house. Who do you think you''re fooling?" Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces, unable to respond. The events they had experienced were too bizarre, and if someone had told them the same story, they would also find it hard to believe. Seeing their silence, Vige Chief became even more arrogant. He pointed at Shi Ying''s chest and said, "Hmph, now you''re scared, aren''t you? If you don''t want others to know about your actions, you shouldn''t have done them. Tell me honestly now, besides killing the foreign volunteer, did you also kill the father and son from the Tang family? If you only killed the foreign volunteer, we''ll hand this matter over to the police in the County Town to deal with you. But if you also killed the Tang father and son, it bes Earth Dragon Vige''s concern, and we''ll have to resort to our own justice." Liu Xing, realizing the dire situation, had lost his temper. He was surrounded by vigers holding weapons, all strong middle-aged men in their thirties. He knew they stood no chance in a physical confrontation. "Vige Chief, we really didn''t lie. There was indeed a strange earthquake that led to Tang Tai''s idental death, and then Tang Zilin and his son disappeared along with Tang Tai''s body," Liu Xing continued to plead, although he was aware of the futility of his words. As expected, Vige Chief dismissed Liu Xing''s exnation as nonsense. Annoyed, he shook his head and addressed the vigers eyeing them hungrily, "Hmph, it seems you''ve made up your minds not to drink the toast and eat the forfeit. Don''t me me for not giving you a chance. Zhang San, take them to the ancestral hall and then gather the vigers there. I''ll publicly interrogate these three murderers." Upon hearing Vige Chief''s words, Liu Xing, though tempted to resist, understood the futility of it when he saw the eager vigers around him. He realized the situation was beyond their control. So, Liu Xing obediently surrendered. After all, Liu Xing had no desire to engage inbat with so many vigers and risk being beaten to death. Mo Jin and Shi Ying grasped the same understanding and remained in their positions, allowing the vigers to bind their hands with hemp ropes. As for Liu Xing, Vige Chief personally took charge of escorting him, and in Vige Chief''s hand was an added shotgun. "Vige Chief, please handle that shotgun carefully. We wouldn''t want any idents," Liu Xing expressed concern. Vige Chief sneered and retorted, "If you can''te up with a good reason or reveal the whereabouts of the Tang father and son, then you''ll truly face the consequences today. Now, move." Under the escort of numerous vigers, Liu Xing and his group began their journey towards the ancestral hall. Liu Xing understood that the sacrificial ceremony was about to be held prematurely. At this moment, KP Snail''s voice, filled with amusement, echoed in Liu Xing''s ears once more, "Alright, the second phase of the promotion game is officially underway. Those who have realized the dire circumstances, knowing that being taken to the ancestral hall would be a life-or-death situation, now have the opportunity to escape Earth Dragon Vige. yers are free to leave if they can." "Oh, by the way, just a side note, because the Earth-boring Demon Worm has devoured Tang Tai''s body, breaking a quarter of the seal, it will start attacking yers every five minutes, ten minutes from now. However, yers can dy its attacks by driving vehicles. So, good luck to all of you." KP Snail couldn''t resist delivering an even more despair-inducing message to Liu Xing and hispanions. "Vehicles? There are no vehicles here," Liu Xing couldn''t help but mutter to himself. Since entering Earth Dragon Vige yesterday, he hadn''t seen any vehicles. However, as fate would have it, right in front of the ancestral hall, Liu Xing and hispanions spotted a tractor. Liu Xing and hispanions exchanged nces, knowing that this was a life-or-death moment. "KP, I''m going to use the item ''the world'' now," Mo Jin suddenly spoke up. "Hmm, didn''t expect you to be willing to use such a valuable item, but it makes sense. If you can seed in this second promotion game, you''ll receive a significant points reward and numerous additional benefits. So, go ahead. You have two minutes formunication," KP Snail remarked with some surprise. As KP Snail finished speaking, Liu Xing felt that everything around him hade to aplete standstill, including the cigarette ash a viger had just flicked, suspended in mid-air. Time had frozen! Liu Xing hadn''t expected the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall to incorporate JoJo references, naming an item that could pause time "the world." "Alright, without further ado, we only have two minutes formunication now. Since I''ve used this precious item, I naturally intend to make the most of this promotion game," Mo Jin said in a determined tone. Chapter 96: Escape Plan Chapter 96: Escape n "Alright, here''s my n," Mo Jin began. "Once we''re escorted into the Ancestral Hall by the vigers, we should y it cool for now. Considering their sheer numbers, armed with weapons, and the fact that both Shi Ying and I are bound, there''s no chance of us escaping at the moment. So, we''ll have to bide our time and wait for the right opportunity," Mo Jin spoke solemnly. Liu Xing nodded in understanding, grasping Mo Jin''s strategy. He chimed in, "So, Mo Jin, you mean we wait until all the other vigers gather in the Ancestral Hall, and then we make a sudden move, rush into the crowd, and escape amidst the chaos, right? Our chances of sess will indeed be higher then." "You''re absolutely right, Liu Xing," Mo Jin affirmed with a smile. "That''s precisely what I have in mind. When all the vigers are inside, Earth-boring Demon Worm won''t dare to attack recklessly, especially with them armed. But I have one concern. When we do make a break for it, Earth-boring Demon Worm should be able to attack us." Shi Ying, worried and somewhat resigned, added, "However, when we start our escape, Earth-boring Demon Worm should be able to attack us. And if I recall correctly, Earth-boring Demon Worm has two types of attacks that it can use against us, one with its tentacles and the other by crushing us with its body. Both of these attacks are likely to be fatal." Upon hearing Shi Ying''s words, Liu Xing felt a sense of powerlessness deep within him. Just as Shi Ying had described, Earth-boring Demon Worm''s attack frequency and range could easily result in all three of them being killed within a single turn. Moreover, trying to evade Earth-boring Demon Worm''s attacks would require them to endure more than ten rounds of its onught. Mo Jin was well aware of this, but he maintained his confidence and said, "Shi Ying, you''re right, Earth-boring Demon Worm''s attacks are indeed terrifying. However, don''t forget that it has only lifted a quarter of its seal so far. Even if it can attack us, its sess rate should be significantly lower. So, our chances of survival aren''t as low as you might think." "Well, Mo Jin does have a point," Liu Xing chimed in, trying to remain optimistic. "The Earth-boring Demon Worm has only removed a quarter of its seal. It might not be as formidable as we imagine. But don''t you find it a bit strange? After devouring Tang Tai''s body, Earth-boring Demon Worm removed a quarter of the seal, not a fifth." Liu Xing''s question left Mo Jin and Shi Ying momentarily puzzled, and they fell into deep contemtion. Liu Xing was right; this second promotion game was a five-yer scenario, so logically, Tang Tai''s body should have only removed one-fifth of the seal. Unless... It urred to them that in this scenario, Earth-boring Demon Worm might require the consumption of four yers topletely break the seal, leaving thest yer with a high chance of directly clearing the game. After all, for a mythical creature in the Cthulhu RPG Game, humans weren''t exactly a preferred delicacy. Especially for a creature like Earth-boring Demon Worm, which had spent its entire existence thousands of meters underground, humans wouldn''t even be on its menu. So, aside from unsealing itself, Earth-boring Demon Worm might not have any inclination to consume humans. Liu Xing suspected that once it devoured four yers andpletely removed the seal, it might choose to return to its underground home. So, this scenario is not necessarily a total party wipe. If we follow the normal progression, at least one yer should be able to clear the game! However, because of Xue Ba''s immediate exit, this scenario has turned into aplete wipeout. "Ah, there''s no time to dwell on these inexplicable matters now. After all, no matter what, we can''t turn back. So, we need to decide on our n moving forward," Mo Jin sighed and began, "First, let''s stay put inside the Ancestral Hall, observe the escape routes, and wait for an opportunity. In the meantime, Shi Ying and I will try to get them to untie us since having our hands bound will be problematic during the escape. When the other vigers are about to arrive, follow my signal. When I say ''run,'' we charge into the crowd, make our way out of the Ancestral Hall. Since I have driving skills, you should try to help me dy Earth-boring Demon Worm''s attacks as much as possible while I attempt to start that tractor. This way, we can reduce the number of times we''re exposed to Earth-boring Demon Worm''s attacks." Mo Jin''s n was quite good and aligned with Liu Xing''s thoughts. However, Liu Xing couldn''t fully trust Mo Jin, given the potential for him to betray Shi Ying and himself. Liu Xing could even imagine a scenario where, after they bought Mo Jin enough time, he would start the tractor and drive away without waiting for Liu Xing and Shi Ying, leaving them behind as "rear guards." With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing nced at Shi Ying. Naturally, Shi Ying shared Liu Xing''s concerns, and he spoke up decisively to Mo Jin, "Mo Jin, I''ll be frank. Both Liu Xing and I don''t trust you very much, for reasons you are aware of. So, we''re very suspicious that you might just betray us and leave on the tractor by yourself." Facing Shi Ying''s suspicion, Mo Jin didn''t intend to offer much defense. After all, what Shi Ying said was undeniably true, leaving Mo Jin with no valid counterarguments. "As time is running out, let me summarize," Liu Xing stepped forward, speaking confidently. "I also have driving skills. So, when Mo Jin and I reach the tractor, whoever gets there first will be responsible for starting it. The other two will focus on buying us time. At the very least, I can assure you that I won''t abandon my teammates, considering my unique trait. You know I won''t leave you behind." Mo Jin and Shi Ying nodded in agreement, indicating their support for Liu Xing''s n. They fell silent, awaiting the resumption of the game as the pause in time was about to end. "Alright, the time pause is over, and the game continues. I''m really looking forward to your performance," KP Snail''s voice returned as expected, marking the resumption of the game. Following their n, Liu Xing and the others were obediently escorted into the Ancestral Hall. The Ancestral Hall of Earth Dragon Vige, in essence, was just arge room. However, what struck Liu Xing as strange was theplete absence of any objects inside. But upon further thought, it made sense; this Ancestral Hall was previously used for ceremonies to suppress the Earth-boring Demon Worm. Now that the Earth-boring Demon Worm was no longer wee, it wouldn''t want any of the props used in those ceremonies. Chapter 97: Run! Chapter 97: Run! In addition to this, Liu Xing also noticed that right in the center of the Ancestral Hall, there was a massive pit with a radius of three to four meters, and it seemed bottomless. Without further ado, this was the stage where the Earth-boring Demon Worm would make its appearance. Vige Chief requested Liu Xing and his twopanions to stand beside therge pit, while the vigers, armed with their "weapons," gathered around them, maintaining a distance of two to three meters. However, they had all set down their "weapons" and had started chatting with each other. But for Liu Xing and hispanions, this was not good news at all. After all, when they had tried to escape earlier, the vigers had had enough time to react and attack them. So, with a wry smile, Liu Xing said to Vige Chief, "Vige Chief, we really haven''t lied. We didn''t harm Tang Tai or the father and son from the Tang family." Vige Chief smirked coldly and replied, "Heh, then why don''t you bring the old Tang father and son out to testify? They were perfectly fine in the vige yesterday, but now they''ve disappeared, and you im to have seen them. So, who should I suspect if not you?" Liu Xing sighed in resignation and said, "Well, I don''t have much to say now, Vige Chief. What do you want? Are you going to make us pay with our lives for the Tang father and son?" Seeing this, Vige Chief nodded with a cold smile and pointed at therge pit behind Liu Xing, saying, "Of course. There''s an old saying that goes, ''an eye for an eye.'' Since you three killed our foreign friend and the Tang father and son, it''s only fair that one life is exchanged for another. Later, you will have to jump into this pit. Of course, if you can climb out, I might spare you and let you live." Liu Xing and hispanions exchanged nces. Leaving aside the Earth-boring Demon Worm in this pit, just the depth of the pit itself was likely several hundred meters deep. Jumping in would surely mean certain death. "Vige Chief, I''m afraid this pit is several hundred meters deep. Jumping in would be a suicide mission, especially since you''ve tied us up," Mo Jin said, sighing. Clearly, Mo Jin was trying to provoke Vige Chief. Vige Chief raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and said, "Oh, so are you saying that if your hands weren''t tied, you could climb out?" Mo Jin, having sessfully used the provocation tactic, continued, "Of course. I just took a look at this pit, and I noticed that its rock walls are uneven. I''ve had some experience with rock climbing, so I believe I could climb out without any equipment. But now, with my hands tied by you, Vige Chief, it seems impossible." Vige Chief chuckled and said to Zhang San, who was nearby, "Zhang San, go ahead and untie his hands. I''d like to see if he can really climb out." Zhang San nodded and proceeded to untie Mo Jin''s hands. At the same time, Shi Ying approached, and Zhang San also untied her restraints. Mo Jin flexed his wrist and continued, "Very well, Vige Chief, you''ll see soon enough. But let me ask you this, what if, after we jump into this pit, the Tang father and son return and prove that we were telling the truth? Won''t you be punishing innocent people? How about this, Vige Chief, you could first lock us in that room for a couple of days. If the Tang father and son don''t show up by then, we''ll ept our fate, even if it means we die willingly." "Hmph, don''t think I don''t see through your tricks. Do you think I don''t know what you''re nning? I''ve already heard from Wang Wei that you volunteers have daily contact with the county. If you suddenly stopmunicating with them for two or three days, the county will definitely send someone to find you. Then, you can use that as an excuse to shift all the me onto our Earth Dragon Vige. You could say the Tang father and son killed the foreign volunteer, and we, Earth Dragon Vige, imprisoned and controlled you to protect them. We won''t bear that ck mark," Vige Chief said, wearing an expression that seemed to say he had seen through everything, speaking coldly. Mo Jin sighed in resignation and then said, "Alright, since you put it that way, Vige Chief, we have nothing more to say. We''ll ept our fate. But before we do, I have onest question for you. How did this pite to be? It can''t be that your Earth Dragon Vige has been digging it for generations, considering its immense depth, beyond human capabilities." "I can tell you about that. You''ve probably heard Wang Wei mention the legend of our Earth Dragon Vige. This pit was left behind when Earthworm, our elder, burrowed underground. That''s why it''s so unfathomably deep," Vige Chief said, with a proud demeanor. Liu Xing, upon hearing Vige Chief''s words, couldn''t help but think to himself, "This Earth-boring Demon Worm is quite intriguing, actually controlling Vige Chief and making him refer to himself as ''Earthworm elder.''" But upon reflection, it made sense. The Earth-boring Demon Worm''s intelligence,pared to humans, was on a different level, so it possessed human-like emotions, including vanity. So, Mo Jin engaged in a conversation with Vige Chief, or rather, with the Earth-boring Demon Worm, to weaken its vignce. However, in reality, the Earth-boring Demon Worm didn''t seem too concerned about Liu Xing and hispanions since, in its eyes, they were already as good as dead. After a while, more vigers entered the Ancestral Hall. When Vige Chief saw that enough people had gathered, he pped his hands and began detailing the "crimes" of Liu Xing and hispanions. "Dear vigers, these three individuals not only killed a foreign friend but also, in an attempt to shift the me onto our Earth Dragon Vige, they went so far as to murder the elderly Tang father and son. How should we deal with such wicked individuals?" Vige Chief, with his back turned to Liu Xing and hispanions, addressed the vigers. Liu Xing also noticed that, apart from Vige Chief, the vigers had a vacant look in their eyes, appearing lifeless. Clearly, these vigers were under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm. However, because the Earth-boring Demon Worm had only partially released its seal, its power was limited. So, rather than saying the Earth-boring Demon Worm controlled the vigers, it was more urate to say it had hypnotized them. As a result, after the mechanically uttered chants of "sacrifice" from the vigers, Vige Chief turned around, sneering at Liu Xing and hispanions, and said, "Well, are you going to jump on your own, or do you want me toe up?" At this moment, Mo Jin chuckled and said, "Heh, do you really think we''ll surrender like this?" Mo Jin paused for half a second and shouted loudly, "Run!" [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 98: Countdown to Death Chapter 98: Countdown to Death Mo Jin let out a loud roar, and Liu Xing, who had already prepared himself, charged straight ahead, crashing into the crowd. If the Earth-boring Demon Worm hadn''t taken control of these vigers, and if these vigers still possessed their free will, they would undoubtedly have been able to stop Liu Xing''s escape or even kill him. However, at this moment, these vigers, now under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm, moved like zombies, their reaction time painfully slow. Liu Xing had already pushed past them before they lethargically reached out to try to stop him. As for the vigers carrying "weapons," they struggled feebly to drag their "weapons," step by step, in an attempt to chase Liu Xing. As for the Vige Chief, who waspletely under the sway of the Earth-boring Demon Worm, the threat level plummeted because he had handed his shotgun to another viger. After all, the Earth-boring Demon Worm had only controlled the Vige Chief and hadn''t enhanced his physical abilities. Therefore, the Vige Chief remained an ordinary elderly person. Although he sessfully grabbed Mo Jin, Mo Jin easily broke free from the Vige Chief''s grasp without any struggle. As a result, Liu Xing and his twopanions effortlessly rushed out of the Ancestral Hall. Meanwhile, the vigers moved like movie zombies, turning slowly to pursue Liu Xing and his friends. Because Mo Jin had been dyed by the Vige Chief''s embrace, Liu Xing arrived first at the location of the tractor. He immediately addressed KP Snail, saying, "KP, what kind of check do I need to pass right now? Hurry!" "You only need to pass a driving check right now. Once you pass the driving check, you can start this tractor. However, it requires one minute to start, and then you can drive it out of Earth Dragon Vige," KP Snail replied quickly. Liu Xing, 76/50, failed. KP Snail chuckled and said, "It looks like your luck isn''t on your side. Since you didn''t pass the driving check, you haven''t figured out how to start the tractor. Therefore, you can choose to take a difficult luck check. If you seed, you might identally start the tractor. If you fail, well, I''m afraid you''ll damage the tractor. It''s your decision." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. His luck stat was 80, and with a difficult check, it would be reduced to 40. Considering that he had just failed a driving check with a stat of 50, Liu Xing decided not to rely on luck. After all, the consequences of failure would mean certain doom. Therefore, he thought it best to leave it to Mo Jin. At this moment, Mo Jin and Shi Ying closed the doors of the Ancestral Hall tightly and braced themselves against them. They then secured the wooden bars across the doors. The vigers controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm may not have had much strength, but the Earth-boring Demon Worm was no fool. It directed the vigers to use a "human wave" tactic, causing them to fall against the Ancestral Hall''s doors, using their weight to press against them. Mo Jin and Shi Ying felt immense pressure, and the wooden bars began to deform. "Mo Jin, I can''t figure out how to operate this tractor, and I don''t know how to start it. So, I''ll leave it to you to start the tractor," Liu Xing said as he ran to the entrance of the Ancestral Hall and braced the door. Mo Jin had already anticipated Liu Xing''s failed driving check, so she was prepared. "Alright, even though I haven''t driven a tractor before, I''m confident in my driving skills. So, you two hold the door, and I''ll get this tractor up and running in no time." Mo Jin spoke and immediately sprinted towards the tractor. Before reaching the tractor, she made a skill check request to KP Snail, saying, "KP, please let me make a driving skill check now!" Mo Jin, 39/70, seeded. Upon hearing Mo Jin''s sessful driving skill check, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. However, he still worried that Mo Jin might abandon him and Shi Ying and make a run for it alone. But this time, KP Snail was surprisingly humane. He provided a one-minute countdown, with announcements every five seconds. Liu Xing and Shi Ying exchanged nces and silentlymunicated their n. Liu Xing said, "Shi Ying, when I say run, we''ll go to the tractor together. Don''t hesitate." Retreat had to be synchronized; otherwise, if one person left early, the vigers might push open the gate and trap the other person, making escape impossible. Shi Ying nodded without saying much. She feared that speaking would cause her to lose her breath, especially since the pressure inside the Ancestral Hall was increasing. If not for the wooden bar across the door, Liu Xing and Shi Ying would have been unable to hold the door. With thirty seconds left until the tractor''s start, Liu Xing noticed that the wooden bar was beginning to crack. The point of copse was not far off, and the importance of the wooden bar was clear. If it broke, Liu Xing and Shi Ying would have to retreat. Ten secondster, the wooden bar finally gave in to the pressure, copsing. Fortunately, Liu Xing had been closely monitoring its condition. As the wooden bar shattered, he shouted to Shi Ying, "Run!" In response, Liu Xing and Shi Ying turned around simultaneously and sprinted toward the tractor. The vigers at the front of the group, who had pushed down the gate, fell like dominoes when it copsed. However, those behind them were notgging behind and stepped over the fallen vigers, chasing after Liu Xing and hispanions. Since the tractor was right at the entrance of the Ancestral Hall, Liu Xing and Shi Ying reached it in less than five seconds. Now, there were only fifteen seconds left until the tractor would start! For most people, fifteen seconds might pass unnoticed, but for Liu Xing and hispanions, it felt like an eternity. The reason was that the vigers controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm were now less than five meters away! "Damn it!" Liu Xing, who had been keeping an eye on the vigers, suddenly heard Mo Jin''s cursing behind him. He couldn''t help but turn to look at Mo Jin and was shocked to see her pulling out a handgun from her pocket! "Oh, no," Liu Xing swore under his breath because he understood that Mo Jin''s target was not the vigers but himself and Shi Ying! After all, there''s a joke that goes, "When you and your friend encounter a Shoggoth and you don''t have an Elder Sign, how can you escape the Shoggoth''s pursuit? The answer is simple: just run faster than your friend." And now, that''s exactly what Mo Jin was thinking. If she injured or killed Liu Xing and Shi Ying with her gun, the vigers would surely prioritize capturing them, allowing Mo Jin to hold out until the tractor started and escape Earth Dragon Vige. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 99: Death! Chapter 99: Death! Mo Jin noticed Liu Xing''s gaze directed at him and spoke with a menacing tone, "You have three seconds to divert these vigers'' attention, or I''ll start shooting!" Liu Xing understood that Mo Jin meant business. Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket and swallowed the potent painkiller Shi Ying had given him, ensuring at least a painless death. With resolve, Liu Xing rushed towards the Ancestral Hall¡ªor more precisely, towards the rear of the Ancestral Hall. After all, he hadn''t forgotten that Tang Zilin had mentioned the remaining pages of the "Mysteries of Lord Xuan, Seven Chapters" had been thrown behind the Ancestral Hall by the Vige Chief. Since he was on the brink of death, he decided to take onest gamble. If he could find those pages of the "Mysteries of Lord Xuan, Seven Chapters," it would make his journey worthwhile. As Liu Xing sprinted toward the rear of the Ancestral Hall, he heard a gunshot behind him, and then it felt like time stood still. Liu Xing understood that Mo Jin had fired at Shi Ying. "OK, since yer Mo Jin is ambushing yer Shi Ying, Shi Ying cannot attempt to evade. Let''s proceed with yer Mo Jin''s handgun shot determination. Because Mo Jin has chosen to target Shi Ying''s body, the shot determination won''t be affected," KP Snail said with a cheerful tone. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, shooting determination was rtivelyplex, influenced by various factors like whether the shooter aimed (aiming required one action round and increased the chance of a sessful shot), whether the target was in cover, the shooter''s choice of the target area (targeting vital areas reduced uracy but increased damage), shooting distance, and more. However, this time, Mo Jin didn''t intend to kill Shi Ying directly. He wanted to injure him to attract the attention of the vigers. So, Mo Jin chose the most secure option: a direct shot at Shi Ying''s body. Mo Jin, 13/60, Sess! KP Snail smiled again and continued, "yer Mo Jin has sessfully hit yer Shi Ying in the abdomen. Now, let''s determine the damage. Since yer Mo Jin used a low-quality handgun, the damage is 1d6." Shi Ying suffered 1d6=2 damage! "Oh, it seems yer Shi Ying got lucky; he only lost 2 HP. However, due to the abdominal injury, yer Shi Ying''s agility will temporarily decrease by two-thirds. Now, we will enter thebat round with the five vigers. But, let''s face it, yer Shi Ying, you are currently defenseless. Entering thebat round would be meaningless. So, as a kind-hearted GM, I allow you to automatically use that potent painkiller, skip thebat round, and have yer Shi Ying die instantly. How does that sound?" KP Snail said cheerfully. Shi Ying didn''t hesitate and immediately epted KP Snail''s suggestion. After all, as KP Snail had pointed out, entering thebat round would be a sure death sentence. He might not even get a chance to take the painkiller before being brutally beaten to death by the vigers. After the series of determinations involving Shi Ying, the game continued. Liu Xing, upon hearing Shi Ying''s agonizing scream, then heard the sounds of butchers in a meat market chopping pork bones and pig trottersing from behind. It was evident that the Earth-boring Demon Worm had taken control of the vigers, and they began to assail the injured Shi Ying with various "weapons." Of course, Liu Xing had no intention of turning back to witness Shi Ying''s gruesome fate. It was easy to imagine that Shi Ying was being mercilessly beaten, perhaps even dismembered and reduced to a pulp. Turning back now would surely affect Liu Xing''s sanity (SAN value). At that moment, the countdown for the tractor''s activation had ended, and Mo Jin sessfully started the tractor. He drove the tractor toward the outskirts of Earth Dragon Vige. As Shi Ying served as the "bait" and sessfully captured the vigers'' attention, Liu Xing made his way to the rear of the Ancestral Hall and into a small grove. However, in the grove, Liu Xing immediately spotted a familiar face¡ªTang Zilin. But this version of Tang Zilin was already hanging lifelessly from arge tree. Beneath the tree, Tang Zilin''s father, with bloodshot eyes, gripped a cleaver and stared menacingly at Liu Xing. Liu Xing contemted continuing deeper into the woods to escape. However, he noticed that Tang Zilin''s father held a yellowed piece of paper in his hand. Liu Xing knew that this paper was the remaining page of the "Mysteries of Lord Xuan, Seven Chapters!" Taking a deep breath, Liu Xing realized he had to take a gamble. He had to see if he could obtain the remaining page of the "Mysteries of Lord Xuan, Seven Chapters" from Tang Zilin''s hand before being hacked to death by Tang Zilin''s father. Approaching Tang Zilin''s father cautiously, Liu Xing discovered that he, like the other vigers, moved slowly and stiffly. So, Liu Xing decided to exploit the speed advantage and execute a diversion tactic. Sessfully shaking off Tang Zilin''s father, Liu Xing retrieved the "Mysteries of Lord Xuan, Seven Chapters" remaining page from Tang Zilin''s hand. But just then, Liu Xing felt the ground violently shaking¡ªEarth-boring Demon Worm had emerged! "Haha, Earth-boring Demon Worm devoured Shi Ying''s body, unlocking half of its seal. It''s now officially pursuing yer Mo Jin and will attack him every ten minutes. Vigers under the control of the Earth-boring Demon Worm will chase after yer Liu Xing," KP Snail said joyfully. As soon as KP Snail finished speaking, Liu Xing saw the vigers wielding "weapons" charging toward him, led by one viger. Yes, as the seal was once again partially broken, the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s abilities had been enhanced, and the vigers under its control had also been strengthened. They had finally learned to run. Fearing nothing, Liu Xing made a decisive choice and contacted KP Snail, saying, "KP, there''s no way for me to escape now. I''ve already taken the potent painkiller. Just dere me dead; I don''t want to go throughbat rounds." "Alright, let''s do it that way. yer Liu Xing is officially deceased," KP Snail responded nonchntly. With that, Liu Xing only felt his vision go ck. When his sight returned, he found himself seated at a table with Xue Ba, Tang Tai, and Shi Ying. The table was adorned with various tea and pastries. In front of Xue Ba and Tang Tai, there were already plenty of empty melon seed shells. "You''ve finally arrived, Liu Xing! I was just chatting with Tang Tai and the others, telling them you''d be here any moment. Didn''t expect you to hold out for this long," Shi Ying said with a smile. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 100: The Correct Way to Clear Chapter 100: The Correct Way to Clear Tang Tai looked at Liu Xing, who seemed utterly bewildered, and began to exin, "This is the waiting room exclusive to promotion games. In other Cthulhu RPG Games, when yers are eliminated or die, they are immediately torn back to the real world. However, in promotion games, as long as a yer doesn''t tear their card due to failing two promotion games, they will arrive in this waiting room after being eliminated or dying. They wait here until the entire promotion game is over, and the Keeper wille to settle the yers who failed to clear this promotion game. It''s like a debriefing session, in a way." Liu Xing nodded, seeming to grasp the concept. He said, "So, everyone has sessfully cleared their first promotion game." "Of course, otherwise, we wouldn''t have chosen to abandon this promotion game. Everyone knows how difficult the second promotion game is. And the exemption earned in the first promotion game is perfect for use in this second one. But, speaking of which, before I entered this promotion game, I thought we might encounter a vige hidden by a Ghoul or perhaps seal away a lower-level mythical creature like the Formless Offspring. I never expected it would be a big boss like the Earth-boring Demon Worm. So, without hesitation, I chose to be eliminated," Xue Ba nodded, smiling. Shi Ying took a sip of her tea before saying, "Indeed, I didn''t anticipate that the boss of this promotion game would be the Earth-boring Demon Worm. I heard from my seniors in the club that while the second promotion game is very challenging, it should only feature some lower-level mythical creatures. Even if the Earth-boring Demon Worm is still in a sealed state, as an upper-level mythical creature, it could easily overwhelm us. Just the vigers under its control would be formidable opponents if we had to fight them." "Bute to think of it, Tang Tai, you had such bad luck. You ended up with a Lucky Great Failure and died immediately. And I assume you didn''t take any special painkillers at that moment. Can you describe what it felt like to die?" Liu Xing asked with curiosity. After all, Liu Xing and Shi Ying had both been controlled by the Earth-boring Demon Worm and killed after taking special painkillers. So, they didn''t experience any pain; it was as if they had no sensations at all. Tang Tai chuckled and shook his head, saying, "I can''t answer that question because I died after taking special painkillers. The reason I died with a Lucky Great Failure was because I intentionallymitted suicide." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn that Tang Tai''s death had been a suicide. "Here''s what happened. At the time, to prepare for any unexpected situations, I had hidden a special painkiller under my tongue. After all, this special painkiller doesn''t dissolve when held under the tongue, and it only takes effect when swallowed. During the earthquake, I happened to be holding a pitchfork. When the result of the Lucky Great Failure came out, if I had kept holding onto the pitchfork, I would have at most been injured. But I saw it as a golden opportunity, so I deliberately let go of the pitchfork and swallowed the painkiller. As I expected, the pitchfork plunged directly into my heart and killed me," Tang Tai calmly described how he had taken his own life. After listening to Tang Tai''s ount, Liu Xing nodded in understanding. What Tang Tai did could indeed be considered a prudent move to ensure his survival. However, Tang Tai probably didn''t anticipate that his death would trigger a chain reaction, elerating the storyline and advancing to the final act. Just at that moment, Mo Jin also appeared in the waiting room, looking dejected. It appeared that Mo Jin hadn''t managed to escape the pursuit of the Earth-boring Demon Worm in the end. "Hey, Mo Jin, you''re here too. I thought you might be able to breeze through this promotion game, but it turns out you also failed in the end. And judging by the time, Mo Jin, it seems you didn''t even dodge the first attack from the Earth-boring Demon Worm," Shi Ying, showing no sympathy for her "killer,"mented with a touch of sarcasm. Mo Jin paid no attention to Shi Ying, simply sighing quietly and standing in ce, deep in thought. "Shi Ying, don''t kick someone when they''re down here. Mo Jin has suffered quite a loss this time," KP Snail''s voice suddenly chimed in, but it remained unseen. "Oh, KP, why don''t youe out? Don''t be shy. Let us see your true face," Liu Xing, quite satisfied with his gains from this promotion game thanks to the remaining pages of the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord," teased KP Snail. KP Snail chuckled and pretended to be mysterious, saying, "Not this time. After all, we might meet again in the future. When the timees, it won''t be toote to reveal my true identity. Now, let''s settle things first. Although your second promotion game ended in failure, Xue Ba will receive 50 basic points, Tang Tai will get 50 basic points along with a 25-point progress reward, and Liu Xing, Shi Ying, and Mo Jin will each receive 50 basic points and a 50-point progress reward." As Xue Ba had dropped out during the storyline introduction, he could only earn basic points, while Tang Tai had died during the first stage of the mission, hence receiving additional progress reward points for that stage. KP Snail continued after a moment, "Next is the debriefing session. First, let me briefly exin the correct way to clear this promotion game. Actually, the difficulty of this promotion game isn''t as high as you all imagined. You were deterred primarily by the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s reputation. In the correct plot sequence, there''s a fifty-fifty chance you won''t have to face the Earth-boring Demon Worm at all." "Firstly, topletely lift the seal on the Earth-boring Demon Worm, four sacrifices are needed. After that, it will return underground, indicating that if you followed the plot, at least one of you would have survived. If you carried items like the Qingming Sacrificial Offerings, you could have saved even more people. However, you all gave up on clearing this promotion game from the beginning, and Xue Ba even dropped out. Therefore, you were destined to enter the ''wipeout'' storyline." "Once you entered the Earth Dragon Vige area after getting off the vehicle, it meant you couldn''t drop out anymore. Any attempt to leave the Earth Dragon Vige would trigger the Earth-boring Demon Worm''s control." "Inside the Earth Dragon Vige, you could have found Tang Zilin, and through him, you would have learned that something was amiss in the vige, including the whereabouts of the remaining pages of the ''Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord.'' After the earthquake scene, if none of you had been injured or killed, you would have safely arrived at the Ancestral Hall." "Upon reaching the Ancestral Hall, you would have encountered Tang Zilin again, this time heavily wounded. He would have informed you that the vigers had gone mad and were trying to kill you, leading to the start of the second stage of the mission." "At this point, you would have had two choices. The first option would be to continue and participate in the sacrificial ceremony, making yourselves sacrifices for the Earth-boring Demon Worm. However, all yers would roll a die, and the order of being devoured by the Earth-boring Demon Worm would be determined by the dice roll. Of course, when being devoured by the Earth-boring Demon Worm, there would also be a Sanity (SAN) check." "As for the second choice, it would be to escape directly. At this point, you would face attacks from the vigers. You would encounter 1d3+1 waves of vigers in total, with each wave consisting of 1d2+2 vigers attacking you. However, you could choose to flee directly. As long as you evaded the vigers'' attacks, you would make a hidden roll. If the hidden roll seeded, the Earth-boring Demon Worm would chase you and only perform one tentacle attack and one crushing attack on you. If the hidden roll failed, then you would be able to clear the game directly." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 101: The Second Promotion Game, Conclusion (One) Chapter 101: The Second Promotion Game, Conclusion (One) After hearing KP Snail''s exnation, Liu Xing couldn''t help but fall into deep thought... KP Snail''s words sounded easy, but in reality, it was still a trap for the yers. Although the process of this promotion game seemed simple, dangers lurked at every turn. For instance, once entering the range of Earth Dragon Vige, there was no turning back, effectively pushing the yers into a corner. Then, to gather information about Tang Zilin, one must pass a listening test at night. Regardless of sess or failure, yers would be affected by the Earth-boring Demon Worm, with their attributes limited, almost rendering them useless. Next, in the second phase of this promotion game, any sane yer would choose to flee Earth Dragon Vige instead of continuing the sacrificial ritual. However, this would lead to at least two waves of attacks, each by three vigers. Although one could run away, if even one yer was hit, they would inevitably be a sacrifice to the Earth-boring Demon Worm. Once the Earth-boring Demon Worm broke a quarter of its seal, it would definitely pursue the yers. Then, yers would likely lose both their SAN values and their lives... So, Liu Xing felt that his choices in this promotion game were quite reasonable, meeting a deserving end. Apart from Mo Jin, Xue Ba and others shared simr thoughts to Liu Xing, all showing contemptuous expressions. "Hey, why are you all like this? I''m just telling the truth here, but you''re all looking at me as if I''m deceiving you. It''s like a case of ''a dog biting Lu Dongbin and not recognizing a kind heart,''" KP Snail said, feeling wronged. Xue Ba raised an eyebrow and teased KP Snail, "Heh, KP, the way you speak almost had us convinced. But you might have forgotten that yers who can participate in this promotion game are somewhat capable. So, stop trying to fool us." Xue Ba''s words resonated with everyone, and Liu Xing and the others nodded in agreement. KP Snail was stunned for a few seconds, then sighed helplessly, "You cunning PCs, can''t you show some respect to your KP? How can you be so frank?" "Heh," everyone sneered in unison. "Alright, enough with this. Now, each of you can ask one question. After I''ve answered, you''ll enter the ending scene and then return to reality," KP Snail said, deciding to end this reflection session as the situation turned sour. "Then let me ask first. What rewards would we have received if we sessfully cleared this promotion game?" Shi Ying stepped forward to ask, but Liu Xing felt this question was meant to provoke Mo Jin. After all, Mo Jin had paid a heavy price to obtain the rewards of this promotion game, only to end up failing. Of course, KP Snail knew the intention behind Shi Ying''s question, so he chuckled and said, "Interesting question. If you had cleared this promotion game, you would have earned 2000 points, a white character card, and the restoration of the SAN value you lost in this game." Liu Xing''s eyes lit up at the mention of the reward; it was indeed substantial, confirming the old adage: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Liu Xing also noticed Mo Jin shaking his head in frustration upon hearing about the reward. "KP, can the items used in this promotion game be reimed? Since we didn''t tear up the cards this time, we should be able to keep our items, right?" The one who asked this was naturally Mo Jin, who had used the most expensive items in this promotion game. KP Snail chuckled and countered Mo Jin''s question: "My friend, what do you think? Although there''s no card tearing in this promotion game, the items used by all yers are considered normal usage and cannot be returned. Moreover, changes in SAN values and Cthulhu Mythos knowledge will not be restored." Mo Jin received the expected answer and could only sigh helplessly, stepping aside and falling silent. Then, Xue Ba raised his hand and asked with a smile, "KP, could you tell me what the chances would have been if I had used my credit to persuade the mayor to allocate a few armed police to apany me into Earth Dragon Vige?" KP Snail pondered for a while, then replied with some distress, "That''s a tricky question. I''ve never seen a character card with such high credit value as yours. So, if you really did that, I would probably have you make a 50% sess rate roll. If sessful, I would allow the mayor to allocate 1d4 armed police to you." Liu Xing looked at Xue Ba in amazement, not expecting his credit to be high enough to mobilize armed police. After all, in China, credit can be somewhat weakened in certain aspects, so Liu Xing guessed that Xue Ba''s credit score might be over 90 points. "Right, KP, I have a question. How many KPs are there? I know the names of at least ten to twenty KPs," Tang Tai asked curiously. KP Snail replied, "I can answer that. We have more than five digits of KPs. Of course, the number of KPs varies in each game area. For example, in the Ghoul area, which has the most yers, more than half of the KPs are concentrated, ensuring that in every Cthulhu RPG Game, you encounter a different KP. This adds more fun. We at Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall put a lot of emphasis on user experience." Liu Xing chuckled internally, his mind wildly mocking the idea. Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall focusing on user experience? Their ''users'' are literally ying with their lives. Just giving a way out is the best gaming experience. "Alright, it''s just you left, Liu Xing. Do you have any questions?" KP Snail asked. Liu Xing thought for a moment. He had no more questions about this promotion game, so he inquired about something else, "KP, what''s the difficulty level of the third promotion game?" "Uh, that''s a tricky question. Although I can''t give you a clear answer, I can tell you this: it''s not as hard as the one above but harder than the one below. Interpret that as you will," KP Snail replied somewhat awkwardly. Liu Xing nodded. Although KP Snail didn''t spell it out, the hint was clear enough. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 102: The Second Promotion Game, Conclusion (2) Chapter 102: The Second Promotion Game, Conclusion (2) "Alright, now that all your questions have been asked, let''s begin the ending scene. Farewell, everyone." KP Snail said with another smile, speaking out. As soon as KP Snail finished speaking, Liu Xing found himself floating in mid-air. "Quick, someone help!" Liu Xing suddenly heard a chorus of shouts from below. Looking down, he saw a group of firefighters and armed police digging through a mound of earth. The more Liu Xing observed the mound, the more familiar it seemed. Suddenly, he remembered this was the spot where they had gotten out of the car. But, had the mound grownrger? Liu Xing pondered a possibility ¨C were they buried under this very mound? After a while, the mound was finally excavated, confirming Liu Xing''s suspicion. A van appeared from within the dirt, and "himself" along with "Tang Tai" and others were inside it. A bitter, Liu Xing saw his unconscious "self" and the others, including "Tang Tai," being carried into an ambnce and taken to the hospital in County Town. At the County Town hospital, Liu Xing watched as "he" woke up after emergency treatment, fortunately unharmed. After three days in the hospital, "Liu Xing" returned to Rongcheng by car. Everything went dark for a moment, and Liu Xing found himself back in the real world. Standing up, Liu Xing stretched his body, relieved to have returned safely from this harrowing adventure. He grabbed a c from the fridge and sat back at hisputer to check the changes to his character card. Name: Liu Xing Profession: Doctor Education: Graduate Birthce: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Trait: Team yer Background: A regr doctor who, during a trip to Ennd, helped the police solve numerous unresolved missing person cases, earning not only a reward but also domestic media attention, making him quite famous back home. During his paid leave, he experienced a supernatural event, adopted a young girl, became a struggling writer, and then got caught in andslide while assisting in earthquake relief in the northwest. The vehicle he was in got buried under debris, and he fell unconscious but was fortunately rescued quickly without major injuries. Character Attributes Strength: 56 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Dexterity: 53 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 6 Sanity Points: 80/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit Rating: 51+10 (Temporary buff frompleting the Castle Lord Hidden Ending, tost one more Cthulhu RPG Game) Skills: First Aid 83, Medicine 78, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuasion 60, Investigation 40, Jump 71 (Nan Xiaoniao buff), Lockpicking 10, Other Languages: English 22, Driving 50, Other Languages: Ind Nation Language 39. Personal Items: Mobile phone, a bottle of ancestral green tea (2/3 full), candy given by Ke Zong, Qingming Rain, Qingming Sacrificial Offerings, Qingming Oil-paper Umbre, and torn pages from "The Secret Chapters of Xuanjun" (after encountering the Earth-boring Demon Worm). Interpersonal Rtionships: Isabe (20), Chris (50), Nan Xiaoniao (80) Assets: 500,000 Cash: 40,000 + 5,000 (sry ie) + 1,000 (earthquake relief subsidy) + 600 (attendance award) After thest Interlude Growth, Liu Xing spent a total of 10,000 cash, and now he''s starting to feel the financial pinch. Moreover, due to the buff from Nan Xiaoniao, Liu Xing''s Jump skill gained one point, but it was somewhat wasted because Liu Xing did not lose any SAN (Sanity) points in this second promotion game and his current SAN value is already at its maximum. Liu Xing stroked his chin and opened the description of the torn pages from "The Secret Chapters of Xuanjun." Torn Pages of "The Secret Chapters of Xuanjun": Studying these pages will consume one Interlude Growth and require a SAN check. Sess will result in a loss of 1 SAN point, while failure will lead to a loss of 2 SAN points. It will increase Cthulhu Mythos knowledge by 2 points and teach the spell to contact the Earth-boring Demon Worm. "Ah, it seems I can learn a spell during this Interlude Growth, although this spell is a bit tricky." Liu Xing finally decided to study the torn pages of "The Secret Chapters of Xuanjun," seeing a stable gain of 2 points in Cthulhu Mythos knowledge and hoping to pay just 1 point of SAN as the price, given his luck. For the remaining two Interlude Growths, Liu Xing decided to continue with "physical training" and "bing an online novel writer," as these were sustainable developments. "Physical training" wouldn¡¯t require more cash, and "bing an online novel writer" offered a fifty percent chance of upgrading from a struggling writer to a regr author. After sorting out the Interlude Growth, Liu Xing checked his points, which had reached 584. He decided to buy a white character card as a form of "insurance." Arriving at the Shop page, Liu Xing clicked directly into the character card interface and found that it had been updated along with thest tform update. Firstly, the character cards were now categorized into five levels, distinguished by color: white, blue, purple, gold, and rainbow. The white character card was still priced at 500 points. All attributes would be randomly generated, with the highest value not exceeding 60 points, and skill values not exceeding 50 points. The profession on the card would also be generated randomly. However, the updated white character card would also include a randomly chosen item valued at up to 100 points. After reviewing the white character card, Liu Xing couldn''t help but check out the other cards. Even if he couldn''t afford them, it was nice to dream. The blue character card, priced at 1,000 points, would have all attributes randomly generated with maximum values up to 70, skill values up to 60, offer a choice of five randomly selected professions, and include three randomly chosen items valued up to 100 points each. The purple character card, at a steep 2,500 points, had attributes randomly generated between 50 and 75, skill values up to 70, and included three items valued up to 200 points each. The gold character card, priced at 5,000 points, allowed the yer to specify one attribute value up to 85, with other attributes generated between 60 and 80, no limit on skill values, and included one item valued over 1,000 points. Finally, the rainbow character card, costing 10,000 points, came with a description of just two words: "Guess!" Liu Xing was at a loss... [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 103: News, Phone Calls, and Moving Chapter 103: News, Phone Calls, and Moving Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling too drained toment on the asionalck of seriousness at the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. However, for a short, or rather, a long time, Liu Xing didn''t believe he could afford the colorful character card. So, he pragmatically clicked to purchase the white character card. "Congrattions to the yer for purchasing a white character cardx1. This cardes with a bonus item, a special-effect adrenaline shot, worth 50 points. Using it can boost your strength and agility by 3d6 for one minute. After it wears off, your strength and agility will decrease by 1d6 for half an hour." It was the same familiar synthetic voice. "It seems my luck isn''t bad," Liu Xing muttered to himself. "The attributes of the white character card are somewhat low, but this special-effect adrenaline can provide a decent attribute boost for a short time. If used well, it should be quite effective." After buying the white character card, Liu Xing closed the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and opened stm, the world''srgest online entertainment gaming center. A couple of days ago, Wu Lei told Liu Xing about a very popr game on stm, suggesting they y it together when Liu Xing had time. After all, Liu Xing was famously skilled in college: always the sneaky camper in CSLiu Xing, using bizarre formations in FIFALiu Xing, and a sneaky jungler in League of LegendsLiu Xing... So, Wu Lei thought Liu Xing would be perfect for this battle royale game. After trying out the battle royale game, Liu Xing agreed with Wu Lei. It was indeed a perfect fit, as he quickly grasped the essence of the game - stealth tactics. He joyfully led Wu Lei to two victories before logging off to eat. In the living room, Liu Xing switched on the TV, a habit from childhood of watching TV while eating. He didn''t find the programs particrly interesting, but they made decent background noise. As Liu Xing went to cook, a news program yed on the TV. "Howe there''s no meat at home? Looks like I need to go out again," Liu Xing noted, opening the fridge to find it meatless. A meal without meat was unthinkable for Liu Xing, so he cooked what he could and then left to buy meat. Just as Liu Xing closed the door, the news program shifted to a small mountain vige. Had Liu Xing been watching, he would have eximed in recognition of Earth Dragon Vige. "Recently, in our country''s northwest, a worker named Huang returned to his hometown, Earth Dragon Vige, only to find all vigers mysteriously vanished. A strange sinkhole appeared near the Ancestral Hall, where the body of his nephew Tang was discovered. Huang immediately reported to the police, and a special investigation team has been formed..." "Next up, international news. Recently, Manchester police in Ennd announced the solving of over a hundred disappearance cases, all attributed to a single individual, a somewhat famous local castle owner..." After Liu Xing returned home with the meat, he heard the news program ending and casually switched the channel in the living room. Half an hourter, having finished cooking, Liu Xing began to eat with pleasure, considering himself someone who had faced life and death. While enjoying his meal, he suddenly received a phone call from Wang Qi. Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing was surprised to hear from Wang Qi, but he knew that a call at this time must be about something important. "Hello, Wang Qi, what''s up?" Liu Xing asked. "Liu Xing, I was wondering if you''ve joined any clubs in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall?" Wang Qi asked enthusiastically from the other end. Liu Xing frowned, realizing why Wang Qi had contacted him. "Uh, I''m already in a club." Wang Qi paused before speaking, "Then, Liu Xing, would you consider switching clubs? The one I''m in is pretty good, and the leader takes great care of us neers." "No thanks, my current club is quite good to me, so I don''t n on switching. You don''t need to persuade me further," Liu Xing replied, knowing it was crucial to be decisive in these matters to avoid unnecessaryplications. Hearing Liu Xing''s firm response, Wang Qi sighed resignedly, "Alright then, if you change your mind, just call me. Our club may not be high-level, but it''s a local Rongcheng group, and most members are from here. It''s a pity if you can''t join, we could easily meet and interact." Liu Xing understood why Wang Qi had reached out. Wang Qi had joined a local offline club in Rongcheng and was inviting him to join. However, Liu Xing, always cautious, was reluctant to have too much real-life contact with yers from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. After all, yers could bring items from the game into reality, and he feared the offline club could coerce him into handing over his in-game items. "Never harbor ill will towards others, but always be on guard," was Liu Xing''s motto. After refusing another invitation from Wang Qi, Liu Xing decided to move, sensing that Wang Qi wouldn''t give up on inviting him to join the offline club. Knowing Wang Qi might have learned his address, Liu Xing wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario. Being action-oriented, Liu Xing quickly contacted hisndlord, who was an acquaintance and his uncle owning multiple properties in CD. After a brief conversation with thendlord, Liu Xing decided to move from Wuhou District to Qingyang District, not too far from Wu Lei''s board game store. He hade to regard Wu Lei as his mentor and advisor. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 104: The Third Promotion Game Begins Chapter 104: The Third Promotion Game Begins As an action-oriented person, Liu Xing moved to Qingyang District early the next morning, needing only to take some clothes with him. Upon arriving at his new home, Liu Xing tidied up a bit before booting up hisputer, ready to start his third promotion game. Liu Xing always believed in facing challenges head-on, eager toplete these three promotion games and relieve himself of this psychological burden. Thus, Liu Xingunched the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and immediately clicked to match a game. With the experience of two previous game queues, Liu Xing didn''t wait diligently in front of theputer this time, but instead,y on his bed, happily engaging in the BL route... An hourter, Liu Xing started browsing Bilibili... Two hourster, he began contemting life... Three hourster, he started eating lunch... Ten hours passed, and Liu Xing, eating dinner while gazing at the lockedputer screen, pondered whether he had neglected to check the almanac that morning and whether it advised against ying games. Just as Liu Xing finished dinner and was about to close the matchmaking interface to invite Wu Lei for dinner, he suddenly experienced a familiar blurring of vision - the third promotion game had finally been matched! The familiar Interlude Growth interface appeared. "Studying a fragment of ''The Secret Scriptures of Xuanjun,'' no idents urred. Skill learned - Summoning the Earth-boring Demon Worm: Using this spell will cost 5 magic points and 1d3 SAN points, with a 50% chance of sessfully summoning the Earth-boring Demon Worm. The sess rate increases by 30% if used in an area recently hit by an earthquake. This study cost the yer 2 SAN points and gained 2 points in Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." "Physical training, no idents urred, resulting in a total increase of 3 attribute points, with agility increasing by 2 points, and strength by 1 point." "Bing a web novelist, unexpected event - Endorsement by a renowned book list curator. Your novel ''The Real Cthulhu RPG Game'' received a rmendation, marking your rise from obscurity to a recognized author, gaining an additional 5 credit points and 5000 in extra ie." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; this Interlude Growth was better than expected, although he still lost 2 SAN points while studying ''The Secret Scriptures of Xuanjun.'' Scenario: "Good Fortune, Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" Difficulty: Medium Number of yers: Six Story Background: One night, as you were sleeping, you dreamt of a middle-aged ck man resembling the former president of the Lighthouse Country, inviting you to a game... Name: Liu Xing upation: Doctor Education: Graduate Birthce: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 23 Trait: Team yer Background: A regr doctor who, during a trip to Ennd, helped the police solve hundreds of unresolved missing person cases, gaining not only a reward but also domestic media attention. Now somewhat famous at home, he experienced a supernatural event during his paid leave, adopted a little girl, and became a struggling web novelist. During a mission to aid earthquake relief in the northwest, he was trapped in a copsed vehicle, buried under soil and rocks. Fortunately, he was rescued quickly without serious harm. Connection to this scenario: After returning to Rongcheng from the northwest, Liu Xing found a strange spell recorded on a paper in his backpack. Learning this spell greatly impacted him, and recalling past events, he felt an eerie chill... Fortunately, Liu Xing''s initiallyckluster novel gained some recognition after being endorsed by a renowned book list curator, making him a somewhat famous author. That evening, after ying a couple of rounds of a chicken dinner game, Liu Xing went to sleep and unexpectedly found himself invited in a dream by a ck man to participate in a strange game. Character Attributes Strength: 57 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 55 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 6 Sanity Points: 78/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit Rating: 55+10 (temporary buff gained frompleting the Castle Lord''s Hidden Ending in a previous Cthulhu RPG Game, valid for one more game) Skills: First Aid 83, Medicine 78, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuasion 60, Investigation 40, Jump 71, Lockpicking 10, Other Languages: English 22, Driving 50, Other Languages: Ind Nation Language 39 Special Skill: Summoning the Earth-boring Demon Worm Personal Belongings: Mobile phone, a bottle of ancestral green tea (2/3 full), sugar given by Ke, Qingming Rain, Qingming Sacrificial Offerings, Qingming Oil-paper Umbre, a fragment of ''The Secret Scriptures of Xuanjun'' (for summoning the Earth-boring Demon Worm). Interpersonal Rtionships: Isabe (20), Chris (50), Nan Xiaoniao (80) Once again experiencing a blur before his eyes, Liu Xing found himself seated in a transport ne, with the roar of the engines filling his ears. He noticed five fully armed, puzzled young people sitting next to him, clearly the other yers. ¡°Hello yers, I''m Luo Luo, the game master (kp) for this promotion game. I¡¯m the type who¡¯s open to yer suggestions and will consider good ideas, but I dislike unreasonable yers. Don¡¯t annoy me, as yers who offend the kp tend not tost long.¡± The game master''s voice was maic and pleasant, giving Liu Xing the sensation of listening to a radio drama, creating a favorable impression. ¡°However, this promotion game is quite special, belonging to a unique scenario. As you all might be aware, you¡¯ve epted an invitation from Nyathotep and are participating in this dream game. But this isn''t just a dream; it''s a special world created by Nyathotep, think of it as Nyathotep¡¯s yground.¡± ¡°Now, let''s formally start the story of this promotion game. In fact, I can already tell you the objectives. There are two tasks, andpleting either one will lead to a sessful clearance. The first task is to be thest survivor; if you''re thest yer alive, you''ll automatically clear the game. The second task is to collect five diamonds. There are a total of twenty-five diamonds in the game, so theoretically, all yers could clear the game,¡± exined KP Luo Luo with a smile. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 105: Rules and Teammates Chapter 105: Rules and Teammates Liu Xing couldn''t help but inwardly criticize when he heard KP Luo Luo say this. The so-called ''theoretical possibility'' was practically tantamount to impossibility. Liu Xing was certain that out of the twenty-five diamonds in the game, yers could easily obtain about five. However, the remaining twenty diamonds were either located in perilous ces like cliff edges or under the control of mythical creatures. In essence, it was virtually impossible for all yers to sessfullyplete the game. KP Luo Luo paused for a moment, allowing the yers to digest the previous information, then continued, "Alright, in this promotion game, you will temporarily receive a backpack containing all your personal items. In addition to this, you will also receive a set of Nyathotep-customized bulletproof vests. These vests provide one point of armor and can absorb up to ten points of damage. However, they are ineffective if the enemy targets unprotected areas. Additionally, you will temporarily gain 50 points in firearms proficiency, giving you a 50% sess rate when using any firearm." Liu Xing silently nodded... Well, he couldn''t physically nod since he hadn''t regained control of his body yet. Liu Xing thought this promotion game was quite humane. After all, from the scenario''s name, it was clear that the game Nyathotep invited him to was a battle royale. Firearms would undoubtedly be the primary weapon. So, for yers like him who had no points in firearms skills, it was like being a sitting duck. Moreover, the battle royale game mechanics put the six yers present in a situation where they were both enemies and allies. After all, thest surviving yer could pass the game directly. Therefore, if obtaining diamonds to clear the game was impossible, some yers would undoubtedly choose to eliminate others to emerge as the final winner. Thus, if a yer had points in firearms skills, they could dominate the game,pletely disrupting its bnce. Therefore, the bulletproof vests and firearms proficiency skills now provided to everyone could deter yers from stabbing each other in the back. After all, if you can''t kill with a single shot, you''re bound to pay a heavy price. "Okay, it''s about time to enter the main story. I wish you all good luck and a victorious evening," KP Luo Luo said with a smile. As soon as Liu Xing regained control of his body, he felt ufortable, as if weighed down by a heavy burden. But that made sense, considering Liu Xing''s character card had low strength and constitution, and now he was burdened with this extra weight. Just as Liu Xing was about tomunicate with the other yers, he suddenly heard a familiar and beautiful piano melody from the back of the transport ne. If Liu Xing remembered correctly, it was "Castle in the Sky." Liu Xing pondered. The Cthulhu RPG Game was a puzzle-solving game, so the appearance of "Castle in the Sky" on the piano at this moment likely hinted that the map for this promotion game was a castle in the sky! After all, a typical battle royale map in reality is an ind, but now, with Nyathotep being an Outer God, a more impressive map was a must. Therefore, a Castle in the Sky was undoubtedly Nyathotep''s top choice. "Cough cough, hello yers, I am Aughra, the initiator of this game. Let me introduce the rules of our game," a deep male voice spoke, following the end of "Castle in the Sky." "Firstly, your game arena is a floating sky ind. To leave this ind, you need to collect diamonds scattered across it. Each yer needs only five diamonds to leave the sky ind, and will also receive a roast chicken I prepared, along with other gifts." "Of course, obtaining five diamonds is no easy task. The sky ind is fraught with dangers, so be cautious. But don''t worry, I won''t let you fight unarmed. There are numerous weapons and supplies distributed across different areas of the ind for you to use." "As for other rules, there are none. To ensure everyone enjoys the game, let''s avoid too many restrictions. So, you can do whatever you wish on the sky ind. Now, you have five minutes before you can start parachuting. Don''t worry if you can''t parachute; your packs are fully automatic. However, you mustplete your jump within ten minutes, or face the consequences." After Aughra, who is essentially Nyathotep, finished speaking, the cabin fell silent as everyone processed the information. Firstly, it was indeed a battle royale game. Although all yers had the same mission, there was an inherent conflict of interest. yers who survived to this third promotion game likely had no more merciful inclinations. However, as Nyathotep mentioned, the sky ind was full of dangers. Going solo heroically was a sure path to defeat unless one could hide until the end. Hence, forming temporary alliances seemed like the best strategy. With this thought, Liu Xing chose to break the silence, saying, "Let''s get to know each other. My name is Liu Xing, and I''m a doctor." The girl sitting to Liu Xing''s left looked like a teenager with blond hair and blue eyes. "My name is Piskelfor. You can call me Xiao Pi. But let me rify, I''m not a little Lolita. I''m twenty-four years old, an archaeologist (and a troublemaker)." "Hehe, so a legal Lolita, then. I''m Ai Mei, a psychologist. I hope we can all get through this game together." The young woman sitting to Liu Xing''s right had a very beautiful and gentle smile. "Hello, I''m Zhu Yan Yu, a pharmacist." Sitting opposite Liu Xing, Zhu Yan Yu wore ck-framed sses, giving Liu Xing the impression of being very cautious and careful. The man sitting to Zhu Yan Yu''s right had a sunny, boyish demeanor. "I''m Ji Wu, a mystic (and risk-taker). I share Ai Mei''s sentiment and hope we can all get through this game together." "Uh, hello everyone, I''m He Wei. Wei as in ''greatness.'' I''m a manager at a smallpany. I hope we can all work together and unite." He Wei was a portly man who looked like he couldn''t run far. But what intrigued Liu Xing the most was having both an archaeologist and a mystic among his teammates! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 106: A Reputation Well-Earned Chapter 106: A Reputation Well-Earned Archaeologists and ultists are undoubtedly the riskiest professions in the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, and they are also the ultimate party wipeout engines. After all, in the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, these two professions are either courting death or well on their way to it. Most scenarios in the Cthulhu RPG Game involve some level of mystery and ancient legends. For Archaeologists and ultists, this inevitably leads to research and exploration. And then... well, there is no "then." As a result, Liu Xing felt that the difficulty of the third promotion game was steadily increasing. After all, thebination of an Archaeologist and an ultist is likebining two dangerous weapons. Who knows what kind of trouble they might stir up? Moreover, Liu Xing also saw a significant issue with the teamposition this time. A Doctor, a Psychiatrist, a Pharmacist, an Archaeologist, an ultist, and a Company Manager¡ªall support-oriented professions. While all yers had temporarily gained firearm proficiency skills this time, who could guarantee that there would be enough bullets on Sky Floating Ind? In case firearms or ammunition ran out, the yers withoutbat abilities would be helpless. This was abat-oriented Cthulhu RPG Game scenario. yers withoutbat abilities would essentially be rolling dice with each step, hoping they wouldn''t die in the next moment. "KP, we need to start a Private Room session," Ji Wu, sitting across from Liu Xing, suddenly spoke up. "Sure, but keep in mind that you have only four minutes left before you can start parachuting," KP Luo Luo said with a smile. Ji Wu nodded and then smiled at everyone, saying, "I never expected us to be chosen by Nyathotep this time. It seems that our chances in this third promotion game are slim. However, theoretically, we still have a chance to seed..." "Hehe, my friend, you''re being too optimistic. The so-called ''theoretically'' is equivalent to ''impossible'' here. After all, this is Nyathotep''s yground, not your local kindergarten. Even if there are twenty-five diamonds on Sky Floating Ind, I think the most we can easily get is five diamonds. And these five diamonds are nothing more than a scheme to sow discord!" The one who retorted Ji Wu was none other than Ai Mei, who was sitting next to Liu Xing. Liu Xing didn''t expect Ai Mei, who appeared to be a friendly neighbor, to have a sharp tongue. However, Ai Mei''s blunt response made the atmosphere awkward all of a sudden. Pei Si, sitting on Liu Xing''s other side, seemed to be enjoying the spectacle. Zhu Yan Yu, sitting across from them, was deep in thought. He Wei wore a friendly smile but didn''t seem inclined to speak. Seeing Ai Mei and Ji Wu confronting each other across the table, Liu Xing knew it was time for him to intervene. "Um, what Ai Mei said is quite right. Given Nyathotep''s personality, he definitely won''t allow us to easily collect all twenty-five diamonds. I also support the idea of collecting a maximum of five diamonds with the lowest risk. After all, five diamonds are enough toplete the game directly, and this will lead to internal strife among us, possibly even making us turn against each other. This is precisely what Nyathotep wants to see," Liu Xing''s words earned him an approving look from Ai Mei. However, Liu Xing wasn''t here to take sides but to mediate the conflict. So, Liu Xing changed the subject and continued, "However, Ji Wu makes a valid point too. Where there''s a will, there''s a way. We still have a chance to obtain these twenty-five diamonds, albeit not a very high one. Regardless, the six of us should stick together. Therefore, I personally suggest that we form a temporary alliance. Given the current situation, it''s a win-win for all, and I believe everyone understands that." Liu Xing''s words finally had some effect, and both Ai Mei and Ji Wu nodded, putting an end to their confrontation. After all, they realized that this wasn''t the time to create conflicts. Moreover, everyone knew that in the Cthulhu RPG Game, being alone meant almost certain death, especially in this third promotion game. "I think Liu Xing is right; we need to unite now. I support Liu Xing''s idea of forming a temporary alliance," He Wei, who had been observing the situation, spoke up. The remaining four also nodded, indicating their agreement with forming a temporary alliance... temporary being the keyword. After all, they were all strangers, and they were in a deadly game. How could anyone trust otherspletely? Forming a temporary alliance was already a significant step, as everyone knew that someone would undoubtedly try to further their own progress at the expense of others. "Well then, let''s establish a few temporary rules now. Firstly, the distribution of diamonds will prioritize the person who finds them. However, if a diamond is under the control of a mythical creature, the person who contributes the most will receive the diamond. Does anyone object to this?" Liu Xing voiced his thoughts. The group nodded in agreement. Liu Xing continued, "Secondly, even though we are a temporary alliance, we still need to trust each other to some extent. So, if anyone tries to attack a teammate, we will collectively retaliate and make them pay the price." "Liu Xing is right. No one likes a traitor. I support Liu Xing''s idea, and if anyone dares to backstab us, I will personally make sure they regret it!" Ji Wu said firmly. However, Liu Xing''s next words made Ji Wu somewhat awkward, "Um, thest point, I want to rify that I''m not targeting Pei Si and Ji Wu specifically. It''s just that everyone knows how formidable Archaeologists and ultists can be. So, I believe we need to keep a close eye on them, maybe even have a two-on-one watch. I hope Ji Wu and Pei Si will cooperate." Immediately, Ai Mei and the others nodded, leaving Pei Si and Ji Wu slightly bemused. "Well, my Archaeologist has always been discriminated against in various ways, and now I have nothing to say. But I''m willing to cooperate because I don''t want to court death. In thest promotion game, the party wipeout was my doing. I took a jade pendant from an ancient tomb, which attracted a horde of Formless Offspring..." Pei Si said with a helpless expression. Ji Wu shrugged and added, "Alright, I''m willing to cooperate as well. After all, I''m in a simr boat to Pei Si. In thest promotion game, I triggered a plot point and released dozens of Ghoul by ident, causing a massive party wipeout." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; these Archaeologists and ultists certainly lived up to their reputation. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 107: Parachuting? Airdrop! Chapter 107: Parachuting? Airdrop! Indeed, as an Archaeologist and ultist, one is prone to courting death, or rather, being "forced" into dangerous situations. Despite yers knowing certain actions are perilous, they arepelled by "professional ethics" to proceed regardless. Thus, Liu Xing dered, ¡°It''s decided then. Ai Mei, you''ll watch over Pei Si, as it''s more convenient among women. I''ll take care of Ji Wu. How does that sound?¡± Ai Mei nodded in agreement, and no one else objected. At that moment, between Liu Xing and Ji Wu in the cabin aisle, a virtual disy screen suddenly erected, showing the topography of Sky Floating Ind. In simple terms, Sky Floating Ind was divided into five regions. The east appeared to be a small town with about thirty buildings; the south was a forest with a circr clearing in its midst; the west featured deserts interspersed with oases; the north was a range of mountains covered with heavy snow; and at the centery a circrke dotted with hundreds of inds. The ind at the very center of theke seemed to host arge statue. However, due to rity issues, Liu Xing couldn''t discern the statue''s details but spected it might be of Nyathotep, as this was its territory, unlikely to host another Eldritch God''s statue. ¡°Hmm, looks like this is the map of Sky Floating Ind. Let''s decide where to head first. Personally, I suggest the town in the east, as it seems the safest,¡± Liu Xing suggested. Liu Xing felt the centralke was undoubtedly the most dangerous area. For the yers, even with swimming and diving skills, moving in water was not easy, especially since firearms were less effective underwater in terms of damage and uracy. Liu Xing also noticed some inds with buildings but no docks or boats nearby, hinting at the probable presence of numerous Deep Ones in theke. Hence, heading straight for theke was tantamount to seeking one''s own death. As for the forest in the south, the desert in the west, and the snowy mountains in the north, they required ample weapons, equipment, and supplies for exploration. The eastern town, however, seemed ripe for scavenging and was likely the only inhabited area on the entire Sky Floating Ind. Furthermore, considering the scenario''s name, Liu Xing believed this promotion game borrowed some rules from battle royale games. In such games, ny-five percent of the weapons, equipment, and supplies spawn in inhabited areas. Thus, Liu Xing was more than eighty percent confident that this town was the ideal spot for parachuting. The others also came to this conclusion, nodding in agreement without any objections. "Alright then, we''ll all parachute together into the town shortly. Once we''re down, we''ll assess the situation. If the town is deserted, we''ll split into groups of three to collect weapons and equipment. If there are people, we''ll stick together. Everyone okay with that?" Liu Xing continued. Ai Mei frowned slightly, as if she had thought of something, but spoke with some uncertainty, "Well, it seems this scenario is abination of five scenarios into one. Moreover, each area should have five diamonds, meaning we must traverse all five areas to collect all the diamonds." "Exactly, that''s what I think too. This scenario is going to take a lot of time and the survival rate is worrisome. After all, this is Nyathotep''s yground, filled with all sorts of mythical creatures. Like the Deep Ones likely in the centralke; yetis probably on the northern snowy mountains; scorpion men or serpent men in the western desert; werewolves in the southern forest, especially since the clearing in the middle is perfect for them to bask in the moonlight. As for this town, I suspect there will be Ghouls, given therge graveyard," Ji Wu, as an ultist, demonstrated high professionalpetency by analyzing the possible mythical creatures in this promotion game. "Don''t forget, this promotion game incorporates elements of a battle royale. Thus, the time we can spend in each area is likely limited. We must be efficient and not waste time on meaningless tasks," Zhu Yan Yu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. As Zhu Yan Yu finished speaking, KP Luo Luo chimed in, "Alright, time''s up. You''ve reached the range of Sky Floating Ind. Now, you can see a red dot on the virtual disy screen, indicating the current location of the Transport ne. Just press the red button on your right toplete the automatic parachute jump." As soon as KP Luo Luo finished, a red dot appeared on the virtual disy, located in the eastern part of the town area¡ªa grasnd, perfect for parachuting. Thus, Liu Xing and the six yers simultaneously nodded and pressed the red button on their right. The moment they pressed the button, a trio of iron tes fell onto Liu Xing''s head, trapping him in a Sealed Compartment. Suddenly feeling weightless, Liu Xing experienced an intense bout of nausea, nearly vomiting. Liu Xing realized he was enclosed in an Airdrop Pod, dropped directly from the Transport ne... Overwhelmed by severe dizziness and not knowing how much time had passed, Liu Xing finally heard a loud bang. His seatbelt automatically loosened, indicating a sessfulnding. Taking a deep breath and resting for a minute, Liu Xing calmed his turbulent stomach and shaky brain. "It seems everyone has sessfullynded. Now, yers can press the red button again to exit the Airdrop Pod," KP Luo Luo said with a smile. "Wasn''t it supposed to be a parachute jump? How did it suddenly turn into an airdrop? Luckily, the Airdrop Pod''s shock absorption is good; otherwise, I''d be lucky to see if I''d survive a crash," Liu Xingined while pressing the red button. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 108: Time Limit Chapter 108: Time Limit Liu Xing pressed the red button again, and the metal te in front of him, or rather the door of the Airdrop Pod, opened. He stepped out, backpack in tow. As Liu Xing had guessed while on the Transport ne, their drop zone was a vast grasnd. Ji Wu and others also emerged from their Airdrop Pods at this time. "Damn it, weren''t we supposed to parachute? Why did it turn into an airdrop?" He Weiined as he stepped out of his Airdrop Pod. Landing beside He Wei, Zhu Yan Yu shrugged and sighed helplessly, saying, "He Wei, have you heard this saying? All interpretations of this event belong to Aughra. So, we have no say. If Aughra says it''s parachuting, then it''s parachuting." Zhu Yan Yu''s words left everyone speechless. After all, here, Nyathotep was in charge, and as an "outsider," his misunderstanding of parachuting was somewhat understandable to Liu Xing and the others... "Heh, I think this Aughra must''ve mistaken us for star paratroopers, hence the mix-up with airdropping and parachuting," Liu Xing joked, easing the somewhat awkward atmosphere. Ai Mei, looking westward, said, "Alright, let''s not waste time and head straight for the town. After all, this grasnd seems calm, but the grass must be nearly half a meter tall. If there are predators like wolves in these grasnds, it would be hard to spot them, and that would spell big trouble." Reminded by Ai Mei, Liu Xing noticed that the grass around them was indeed about half a meter tall and very dense. The asional breeze made the endless grasnd undte beautifully... and lethally! As Ai Mei said, if any mythical creatures decided to attack them, they could easily stalk through the grass undetected andunch a surprise attack. "Ai Mei is right, let''s hurry and leave for the town. This ce gives me the creeps," Pei Si said, frowning. Of course, Pei Si felt ufortable because the grass reached her waist due to her short stature... Everyone understood this but, facing Pei Si''s threatening demeanor, they could only suppress theirughter and prepare to leave. "Wait, what''s this?" Liu Xing suddenly noticed a small box attached to the outside of his Airdrop Pod. He approached and effortlessly took down the small box, opening it with ease. Inside, Liu Xing found a strangely styled handgun, five magazines, and a spray can. "Ha ha, it seems our yers have found the little gifts I''ve prepared. I hope you like them. But let me remind you, since this is a battle royale game, time is precious. You must know that this Sky Floating Ind is divided into five areas, and you can only stay in each area for a limited time. For example, in this town area where you are now, you can only stay for a maximum of three days. After three days, the area will be filled with poison, taking away 1 HP per minute." Nyathotep''s voice suddenly resonated from all directions over the grasnd, confirming the time limit of this promotion game: three days for exploration in the town area. However, Liu Xing suspected that Nyathotep, who loved toying with humans, wouldn''t allow three days for each area. He believed the total time for the promotion game would be around ten days, with three days being the maximum stay in one area, as the five areas shared the same time limit. At that moment, KP Luo Luo sent Liu Xing a message. "Nyathotep''s custom handgun, eight-round magazine, a maximum of four bullets per attack round, with thest two bullets having a 10% reduced hit rate. Damage to humans is 1d4, to mythical creatures, 1d6." "Nyathotep''s custom handgun magazine, when used with the handgun, increases damage by 1 point." "Pain relief spray, effectively reduces pain from wounds and has a 20% chance to restore 1 HP. Currently, it has five uses." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that the handgun was specially made by Nyathotep, and intrigued by its varying damage to humans and mythical creatures. This suggested that on Sky Floating Ind, there might be weapons with higher damage to humans than mythical creatures, hinting at the presence of other human NPCs on the ind. Liu Xing pocketed the pain relief spray and loaded the handgun, keeping it in hand for safety on the perilous Sky Floating Ind. He noticed Ai Mei''s box contained a red handgun of a different style and two magazines. "This is a Blood Gun, capable of restoring health by attacking enemies, but it requires special ammo," Ai Mei exined with a chuckle, noticing Liu Xing''s curiosity. Feeling somewhat embarrassed by his tant curiosity, especially in a game where yers were both allies and enemies, Liu Xing reciprocated by sharing basic information about his weapon with Ai Mei, though he, like her, withheld specific damage details. Soon, Ji Wu and others opened their boxes. Adhering to a policy of non-intrusion, Liu Xing struck up a conversation with Ai Mei. After a while, the group reconvened. Liu Xing noticed that aside from a dagger in Ji Wu''s hand, the others didn''t seem to have received any weapons. "Uh, this dagger has great attributes, but I haven''t learned any brawling or knife skills, so my attack uracy is low. Don''t expect much damage from me. Of course, if any of you have learned these skills, I can hand the dagger over," Ji Wu said, somewhat embarrassedly scratching his head. Pei Si and the others shook their heads, indicating they hadn''t acquired any brawling or knife skills either. Thus, only Liu Xing and Ai Mei were left with any significantbat capabilities. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 109: NPC Players Chapter 109: NPC yers After a brief discussion, Liu Xing and Ji Wu took the lead, with Ai Mei covering the rear. The group formed a single-file line and began heading towards the small town in the west. "Liu Xing, if we encounter enemies, you fire first, aiming to at least wound them. That way, I can move in for the kill," Ji Wu, walking behind Liu Xing, suddenly suggested. Liu Xing thought it over and nodded in agreement with Ji Wu''s n. After all, if Ji Wu hadn''t mastered the relevant skills, his chances of hitting an enemy with a dagger were only about 25%, hardly enough to threaten an enemy in peak condition. The journey was uneventful, and Liu Xing and his group safely traversed the prairie, reaching the entrance of the small town. Liu Xing then realized that the town''s overall style resembled those found in Western cowboy movies, simr to the ones built by gold prospectors. On closer inspection, Liu Xing noticed that most of the buildings in the town were two-story wooden structures, except for one three-story stone building at the town''s center. Clearly, this three-story stone house must be where the diamonds were stored, making it the most dangerous ce in the town. "Blood Howl Town," Pei Si muttered, looking at the wooden sign next to the town''s entrance. Upon hearing the town''s name, Liu Xing''s brow furrowed. Blood Howl was one of the many avatars of Nyathotep on Earth. Known as the Night Roarer, Blood Howl resided in the Engai Forest in the northern regions of the Lighthouse Country. It was one of Nyathotep''s most well-known forms, a grotesque, constantly howling giant with a massive tentacle where its face should be. "This town must be styled after the western part of the Lighthouse Country. Maybe we''ll even see some cowboys," Ji Wu joked. "I hope it''s deserted so we can safely gather weapons and equipment," Zhu Yan Yu expressed his wish. Liu Xing nodded, understanding that where there were people, there would beplications. He was concerned that Blood Howl Town might already be under the control of NPCs, making their quest for weapons and equipment much harder. "Let''s go, we''ll enter Blood Howl Town and see," Liu Xing said, leading the way into the town. As they entered Blood Howl Town, they encountered an Asian cowboy wielding a revolver. Upon closer examination, Liu Xing deduced that this cowboy was likely from their homnd, as the facial features and temperament of people from the three East Asian countries were distinct. As expected, the cowboy holstered his revolver as a sign of peace and then spoke, "You must be yers too. I''m Luo Cong, pleased to meet you." Clearly, besides Liu Xing''s group of "yers," Nyathotep''s yground was popted with numerous NPC yers. As the lead, Liu Xing naturally assumed the role of a diplomat. "Hello, I''m Liu Xing, and these are my teammates. It''s a pleasure to meet you too." Luo Cong chuckled and said, "But looking at you all, it seems you''ve just joined the game. How about joining my team?" "Luo Cong, what do you mean ''your team''? That''s shameless," retorted a petite, adorable-looking girl as she emerged from a house, looking at Luo Cong with disdain. A bit embarrassed, Luo Cong scratched his head and replied, "Xiao Liu, what are you talking about? I''m just thinking of the team, trying to recruit some neers." Xiao Liu rolled her eyes at Luo Cong and then approached Liu Xing and his group, saying, "Hello, I''m Xiao Liu, a member of this idiot''s team. We''ve been surviving in Blood Howl Town for a while and have a good stock of weapons and equipment. However, to conquer Blood Howl Town, we stillck enough manpower. So, if you''re willing, please join our team." After exchanging nces with Ji Wu and the others, Liu Xing nodded and responded, "In that case, we would be happy to join. As you can see, we''re newbies, so we''ll need your guidance." Hearing this, Luo Cong confidently pped his chest and dered, "No problem, you can count on me, Luo, to guide you through safely without a scratch." Xiao Liu, looking helplessly at Luo Cong, told Liu Xing, "Don''t mind this fool. Let him live in his fantasy. I''ll take you to meet our leader now." Thus, Liu Xing and hispanions followed Xiao Liu and Luo Cong into the house Xiao Liu hade out of. Inside, they discovered it was a pub, where a young Caucasian man in a ck suit and gentleman''s hat was blowing across a bottle of red wine at the bar. "Uh, this is Komatsu, from Ennd. He''s fluent in Chinese after studying in our country for a few years. As for his real name, he never wishes to disclose it," Xiao Liu introduced to Liu Xing. Komatsu, hearing his name mentioned, raised his wine bottle in acknowledgment and continued drinking. "Komatsu is like this, enjoys drinking alone, iming to cosy as Li Bai. We usually just let him be. Let''s go upstairs to meet the leader," Xiao Liu said, somewhat embarrassed. Liu Xing had no objections, considering both Komatsu and Luo Cong as somewhat delusional, the former being pretentious and thetter feigning depth. Liu Xing always kept a respectful distance from such characters. Upon reaching the second floor, Liu Xing saw the leader Xiao Liu mentioned: a tall, blonde woman meticulously cleaning her rifle. "Leader, I''ve brought the neers who justnded on the prairie," Xiao Liu cheerfully announced. "Hello, I''m Silvia, the captain of this squad. Pleased to meet you," Silvia said with a smile, putting down her rifle. Then, turning to Xiao Liu with a stern look, Silvia said, "Xiao Liu, how many times have I told you to call me ''sister,'' not ''leader,'' especially in front of guests!" "Got it, leader. You talk to them; I''ll go find Luo Luo to y," Xiao Liu quickly made an excuse to leave, sensing the mood. However, Liu Xing was surprised to hear Xiao Liu mention "Luo Luo"! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 110: The Whereabouts of the Diamond (One) Chapter 110: The Whereabouts of the Diamond (One) "Miss Silvia, may I ask you to tell us about this Luo Luo that Xiao Liu mentioned? I also know someone by that name," Liu Xing asked with a smile. Although Liu Xing felt that the Luo Luo mentioned by Xiao Liu was unlikely to be KP Luo Luo, he couldn''t help but be curious about the answer. In the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, NPCs are usually yed by the KP (Keeper). However, NPCs in the Cthulhu RPG Game differ significantly from those in other games. In most games, NPCs have predetermined paths, and even in the most open sandbox games, they merely have more paths. yers cannot truly change the NPCs. But in the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers with freedom of action can indeed alter the "lives" of NPCs. Liu Xing once saw a video on B Station where, mid-game, yers persuaded an important NPC to leave the city where the story was set, effectively dropping out of the plot... By the way, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, any NPC can change the fate of the yers, even those who seem like mere passersby. To give an example from the same video, a yer interacted with a seemingly insignificant NPC and not only gained a wealth of clues and assistance but also managed to escape a perilous situation and went home to get married... Therefore, Liu Xing always believed that NPCs are crucial in the Cthulhu RPG Game, especially in the current promotion game, which featured numerous NPCs with weapons and equipment far superior to those of the yers. Liu Xing felt it was time to closely align with these NPCs. Especially thedy in front of him, whose allure seemed to ignite Liu Xing''s passion for mature women, her long legs earning his admiration. "As for Luo Luo, she calls herself Luo Yu. Xiao Liu nicknamed her Luo Luo for convenience. Her real name? I''m not too sure myself. After all, this strange ce is a gathering point for all sorts of people. Just in Blood Howl Town alone, there are a hundred or two hundred yers, and many prefer to use aliases rather than their real names," Silvia exined with a smile. Liu Xing nodded, surprised to learn that Blood Howl Town harbored so many NPC yers, a fact he hadn''t anticipated. At that moment, Ji Wu, standing beside Liu Xing, asked, "Miss Silvia, may I know why you all gathered in Blood Howl Town?" "Oh, haven''t you received the mission from Aughra yet? That''s odd. Aughra''s mission should have been assigned to you on the Transport ne," Silvia replied, puzzled. Sensing the conversation taking a wrong turn, Liu Xing was about to step in and attempt persuasion when Ai Mei stepped forward. "Miss Silvia, was your mission issued on the Transport ne? Aughra only mentioned that our mission would be triggered afternding on the Sky Floating Ind." After saying this, Ai Mei immediately contacted KP Luo Luo, "KP, I need to have a quick conversation." Ai Mei, with a score of 40/80, seeded. Thanks to the sessful quick conversation, Silvia believed Ai Mei''s words and said, "I see. It seems that your mission must be different from mine." Silvia then shared her story with Liu Xing and his group. She was drawn into this realm by Nyathotep in her sleep two months ago. At that time, three other yers, including Luo Yu, were on the same Transport ne with Silvia. Before parachuting, they received Aughra''s mission, which required gathering 10,000 points to leave the ce. Over these two months, Silvia met over twentypanions, but only Xiao Liu, Komatsu, Luo Yu, and Luo Cong survived, and she managed to umte 5,000 points herself. There are three ways to earn points. The first is by killing various mythical creatures on the Sky Floating Ind. Different creatures offer different points. The highest points Silvia earned from a single creature were from a Ghoul, which provided only ten points. The second way to earn points is by epting various missions in the three-story stone building in Blood Howl Town, such as killing a certain number of monsters or collecting various materials. These missions usually provide points in the hundreds. Thest way to earn points is by eliminating "Wanted Criminals." yers who kill other yers be "Wanted Criminals," and anyone who kills a "Wanted Criminal" earns all their points plus an extra reward of 500 points. Points can be used to redeem various weapons and equipment or to leave this cursed ce. The rifle in Silvia''s possession was exchanged for 1,000 points. Most notably, the most expensive item on the exchange list was a diamond worth 2,000 points, with a total of five avable. Liu Xing and his group were surprised to learn so quickly about the whereabouts of the five diamonds in the town area. However, these five diamonds required 10,000 points to exchange, and ording to Silvia, earning these points was not easy. Moreover, Liu Xing''s group only had three days in the town area. "Do you think it''s foolish to spend 2,000 points on a diamond that''s not very useful?" Silvia asked with augh. Liu Xing just smiled on the surface but sighed inwardly, realizing he was precisely that kind of fool. "Miss Silvia, from what you''re saying, has someone already exchanged for the diamonds?" He Wei suddenly asked. As apany manager, he was particrly sensitive tonguage nuances. Silvia nodded and replied with a smile, "Of course, three people have exchanged for diamonds. They''re now in Blood Howl Town and are quite influential. After all, in this hellish ce, yers must stick together for survival. Lone wolves don''tst long here." Then, Ai Mei said, "Uh, Miss Silvia, you might not believe this, but our mission just got triggered. We need to acquire five diamonds to leave this ce." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 111: The Fall of Diamonds (2) Chapter 111: The Fall of Diamonds (2) Silvia raised an eyebrow, unsure if it was the lingering effect of her earlier rapid conversation with Ai Mei, but she nodded and spoke, "Well, it''s quite possible. After all, I''ve been in Blood Howl Town for over a month now, and I haven''t heard anything about the purpose of these diamonds with the highest exchange value. Now, each of you needs five diamonds to leave this forsaken ce, and it''s essentially simr to our mission, requiring ten thousand points." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Silvia was right; at the core, both yers and NPCs had simr missions. However, yers didn''t have as much time as NPCs to slowly umte points over one or two months. "Currently, here''s the situation with the five diamonds in Blood Howl Town. First, there''s a friend of mine, her codename is ''Second Auntie.'' She has a team of more than ten people with decent weapons and equipment. They are currently upying a hotel room across from our bar, forming an alliance of sorts with us. As you may know, women are naturally drawn to diamonds, so Second Auntie imed she wanted to research the specific effects of the diamonds, but as soon as she exchanged for one, she immediately turned it into a diamond ring." "The second diamond is located to the north of Blood Howl Town, at the entrance to the graveyard, guarded by a team of tombkeepers led by someone named Jigu. He was the first yer to exchange for a diamond, but I heard he spent over a month researching its effects and couldn''t figure it out. He stashed the diamond away. If it hadn''t cost him two thousand points, I believe Jigu would have simply thrown it away." "As for the yer who purchased the third diamond, his name is Sikong Yangbing, and he''s now a wanted criminal. However, because he leads thergest yer team in Blood Howl Town, with over twenty members, no one dares to confront him. His team upies several houses next to the three-story stone building in the center of town, and they get priority on daily mission refreshes." "As for the remaining two diamonds, one is still up for sale at the price of two thousand points. The other diamond has be an additional reward for a mission, but that mission is quite challenging, so no one has attempted it so far." Silvia shared all the information she knew. After a moment of contemtion, Liu Xing realized that these were essentially the five missions in Blood Howl Town, each of which rewarded a diamond. "Miss Silvia, could you please provide us with more detailed analysis on how we can obtain these five diamonds? We''ve just arrived in Blood Howl Town, and we''re not familiar with the ce," Ai Mei asked with a polite smile. However, this time, Silvia didn''t offer a direct response. Instead, she smiled and said, "My dear friends, I understand that you''ve just arrived in Blood Howl Town and are not familiar with the ce. You indeed need..." Silvia only spoke half of her words, but the meaning was crystal clear. After all, beforeing here, both Luo Cong and Xiao Liu had already invited Liu Xing''s group to join their team. Liu Xing turned to look at everyone, and they all silently nodded in agreement. Liu Xing understood their intentions and then addressed Silvia, "Miss Silvia, if you don''t mind, could you amodate us? As you mentioned, we''re neers here, and we don''t have much in terms of weapons and equipment. It''s quite challenging to survive in this Blood Howl Town." Silvia saw Liu Xing''s willingness and nodded with a smile, patting her well-defined muscles. She said, "Of course, that''s not a problem at all. The monsters and missions here are quite straightforward, but new yers oftenck adequate weapons and equipment, which is why the mortality rate is so high. However, now that you''ve joined my team, I''ll make sure to provide you with a set of weapons and equipment. Just remember, from now on, you should call me ''little sister'' instead of Miss Silvia!" Liu Xing immediately nodded and said with a smile, "Little sister, you''re absolutely right. We are now under your care, so could you provide some advice on how to obtain those diamonds?" Silvia rubbed her chin, pondered for a moment, and then spoke, "Getting the diamond from Second Auntie won''t be a problem. After all, we have a good rtionship, and she''s quite easy to talk to. Moreover, Second Auntie has a soft spot for Xiao Liu, so I''ll have Xiao Liu help you retrieve that diamond. After all, that diamond is a matter of life and death for you, and Xiao Liu sacrificing a bit for the team is only fair." "However, obtaining the diamond from Jigu might be a bit tricky because Jigu is a peculiar person. He often ventures into the graveyard for no apparent reason. But recently, I heard that Jigu has been publicly iming that he needs a team of at least ten people to explore the graveyard. The graveyard is full of Ghouls, and they are exceptionally strong. So, despite Jigu''s strong team, they find it challenging. With our team of eleven, we can easily ept this task. After assisting Jigu''s team in exploring the graveyard, we can choose three items from Jigu''s loot, including the diamond." "Moreover, the mission that rewards the diamond also requires exploring the Ghoul''sir and obtaining a staff from deep within the nest. Jigu mentioned earlier that although he explores the graveyard and visits the Ghoul''sir, his goal is not the staff. He is willing to give the staff to the team that assists him. So, we can follow Jigu''s team and try to get that staff." "The most challenging part is Sikong Yangbing''s diamond. This guy relies on hisrge and powerful team to act recklessly and domineer in Blood Howl Town. Therefore, trying to obtain the diamond from Sikong Yangbing through regr means will be exceedingly difficult." Liu Xing nodded silently, beginning to digest the information provided by Silvia. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 112: The Enigmatic Gattling of Blue Flames Chapter 112: The Enigmatic Gattling of Blue mes Given the current circumstances, Liu Xing felt reasonably confident that the first diamond was secured. Although Liu Xing had not yet employed psychology on Silvia, he believed her to be an exceedingly straightforward youngdy, someone who stood firm by her word. Hence, it was highly likely that the diamond in Second Auntie''s possession would soon be in their hands. However, this could also be considered Blood Howl Town''s inaugural mission: Join Silvia''s team, with the mission reward being a single diamond. The next task involved a trifecta mission, joining forces with Jigu''s squad to venture into the Graveyard, locate the items Jigu required, and retrieve the scepter from the Ghoul nest. This promised three diamonds in one go, though this was the ideal scenario and far from guaranteed. Liu Xing surmised that this trifecta mission wouldn''t be a cakewalk. After all, it was the third-tier mission, and it was highly improbable that they would breeze through three missions simultaneously. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that the game master (GM) might roll some dice in the background. For instance, Jigu might find the items he needed elsewhere and leave the Graveyard, or a horde of Ghouls could converge on the nest. There could even be the introduction of elite monsters like Ghoul Elders, making the mission significantly more challenging. Most importantly, Liu Xing harbored deep suspicions about Jigu''s true identity. It was highly illogical for Jigu to station his team right next to the Graveyard. ording to Silvia''s ount, Ghouls were already formidable monsters in the eyes of NPC yers. Moreover, the points earned from killing Ghouls were fairly ordinary, making the risk-reward ratio less appealing. Jigu''s team, positioned at the forefront of the Ghoul confrontation, effectively acted as a human shield for Blood Howl Town''s NPC yers. Liu Xing doubted Jigu''s altruistic motives, especially in a perilous environment like Sky Floating Ind. Unless you were a chosen protagonist, being a do-gooder was a short-lived endeavor. Furthermore, Jigu had peculiar habits, often venturing into the Graveyard for no apparent reason. This heightened Liu Xing''s suspicion that Jigu might be a follower of the Cult of the Eaters of the Dead. The Cult of the Eaters of the Dead was a well-known andmon Secret Society within the Cthulhu RPG Game. As the name implied, this organization conducted initiation rituals where new members consumed corpses. Members also referred to themselves as "Ghouls." Many of the Cult''s adherents were ck Wizards, proficient in resurrecting the dead or turning corpses into zombies. They could evenmunicate with genuine Ghouls. Rumors circted that the upper echelons of the Cult of the Eaters of the Dead were primarilyposed of real Ghouls. The reason behind this was that Ghouls, seeking to openly find sustenance and develop their followers, integrated better into human society. Ghouls could interbreed with humans and, before their full transformation into Ghouls, often possessed strikingly attractive appearances to entice more human partners. However, as the transformation progressed, their looks deteriorated rapidly, ultimately bing repulsive, forcing them to retreat into the Ghoulmunity. Of course, some powerful Ghouls could maintain their human appearance indefinitely and had the ability to convert humans into Ghouls. Hence, Liu Xing had strong suspicions about Jigu. He was either a follower of the Cult of the Eaters of the Dead or a hybrid Ghoul. In any case, Jigu must have some connection to the Ghouls, which exined his entric behavior. Therefore, Liu Xing was now very curious about what items Jigu was seeking. Next came the most challenging mission in Blood Howl Town, which was how to obtain the diamond held by Sikong Yangbing. It was quite apparent that Sikong Yangbing was a typical antagonist, taking advantage of numbers and acting recklessly, forcibly seizing the priority choice in Blood Howl Town missions. However, dealing with such an antagonist was rtively simple¡ªrallying together to attack. Liu Xing suggested mobilizing other teams from Blood Howl Town to surround Sikong Yangbing''s team, as the strength of many could overpower a few. Of course, the term "simple" here was easier said than done. After all, it had been a while, and Sikong Yangbing''s team had not been subjected to such a coordinated assault by other Blood Howl Town teams. This indicated that Sikong Yangbing must possess some skills to make the other teams hesitate. With that in mind, Liu Xing turned to Silvia and asked, "Silvia... um, Miss, I''d like to know just how formidable Sikong Yangbing''s team is to act so audaciously?" Silvia sighed in exasperation and replied, "In simple terms, Sikong Yangbing wields a devastating weapon¡ªa Gatling machine gun that spews blue mes. Meanwhile, we only have rifles and submachine guns at best. So, we''re directly outgunned by Sikong Yangbing." Liu Xing nodded, acknowledging the undeniable firepower advantage. Moreover, the NPC yers in Blood Howl Town were essentially ordinary people, not professional soldiers. Convincing them to charge into Sikong Yangbing''s gunfire was nearly impossible. To these NPC yers, it would be akin to a death sentence. So, defeating Sikong Yangbing required seizing an opportunity to neutralize that Gatling machine gun. "Alright, that''s enough for now. It''s gettingte, and I''ll take you all for lunch," Silvia dered as she noticed Liu Xing and his group deep in thought, sensing an awkward atmosphere. Due to the time difference between Sky Floating Ind and the real world, Liu Xing''s party, who had entered Sky Floating Ind from their slumber in the middle of the night, was unaware that it was now noon on Sky Floating Ind. Liu Xing and his group returned to the ground floor, where Liu Xing spotted Luo Luo, whom Xiao Liu had mentioned¡ªa young woman in her twenties wearing a ck coat. "You must be the new recruits Xiao Liu mentioned. I''m Luo Yu, but you can call me Luo Luo," she introduced herself graciously. Liu Xing noticed that Luo Luo''s voice and the feeling she gave off were very simr to KP Luo Luo''s¡ªboth exuding afortable and quirky vibe. Of course, there was a significant difference between Luo Luo and KP Luo Luo: one was a female voice, and the other was male. So, Liu Xing had a bold theory brewing in his mind¡ªthat KP Luo Luo was a cross-dressing master of disguise! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 113: The Situation on Sky Floating Island Chapter 113: The Situation on Sky Floating Ind Of course, this was just something Liu Xing was idly thinking about. After all, if Liu Xing dared to speak his mind, KP Luo Luo would probably silence him... "Alright, everyone, take your seats and get ready for dinner," Silvia said as she sat at the head of a long table, already holding her knife and fork. Luo Luo, Xiao Liu, and the others also found their seats. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but be puzzled because there was nothing on the table except for bowls, chopsticks, knives, and forks. Nevertheless, Liu Xing and his group took their seats, despite their confusion. After all, Silvia couldn''t possibly be wasting their time for no reason. "Alright, neers, now it''s time for you to experience the only thing worth mentioning in this cursed ce¡ªfood," Silvia said mysteriously. As she spoke, Silvia pulled a stack of white papers from her pocket. Liu Xing could vaguely see the words "Twice-Cooked Pork" written on the top paper... Then, Silvia tore the paper with "Twice-Cooked Pork" written on it in half, and suddenly, a steaming and substantial dish of Twice-Cooked Pork appeared on the table. Afterward, Silvia tore several more pieces of paper, and various dishes appeared on the table. "I can''t believe how convenient and fast the food is in this world," He Wei eximed as he looked at everything. Luo Luo chuckled and began to exin to Liu Xing and his group, "On this Sky Floating Ind, there are no vegetables or livestock from the real world. However, when you defeat the monsters here, they drop what we call ''meal vouchers'' in Silvia''s hands. All you have to do is tear open a meal voucher, and various types of food will appear." Liu Xing nodded and couldn''t help but feel like the NPC yers were ying an RPG game. Next, Silvia provided some basic information about Sky Floating Ind to Liu Xing''s group. Firstly, Sky Floating Ind was divided into five regions, just as Liu Xing had imagined. The Blood Howl Town area was the only base for NPC yers and had the fewest mythical creatures, making it the weakest region overall. Furthermore, all the houses in Blood Howl Town would asionally refresh with some weapons and equipment. Therger the house, the better the quality and quantity of the equipment that would refresh. As a result, all 25 houses in Blood Howl Town had been imed by various NPC yer teams. The house Liu Xing was currently in could only be considered average, with a refresh rate of about one piece of equipment every three days. Sikong Yangbing upied the best houses in Blood Howl Town, where equipment refreshed daily. Of course, that didn''t mean the smaller houses couldn''t produce good equipment. For example, Sikong Yangbing had obtained his blue-ming Gatling gun from a small house three months ago when he was just the leader of a three-person team. Thanks to that gun, Sikong Yangbing had risen to power in Blood Howl Town. As for the remaining four regions on Sky Floating Ind, Silvia had only visited the Forest region, which NPC yersmonly referred to as the Wolfman''s Forest. This was because the primary monsters in the Forest region were Wolfmen. However, Silvia had heard from other NPC yers that there had once been a terrifying and giant monster in the Forest region. Liu Xing''s initial reaction was to think of Nyathotep''s incarnation, Blood Howl. However, upon closer consideration, if Blood Howl appeared in the Forest region, yers would have to abandon the five diamonds in the area. Regarding the other three regions, Silvia had gathered some information from older NPC yers. The most terrifying of them all was the centralke area known as the Fishmen Tribe, because it was inhabited by arge number of Fishmen, also known as Deep Ones. They were highly aggressive, and as soon as NPC yers'' boats touched the water, they would be attacked by the Deep Ones. Therefore, theke area had be a recognized no-go zone for NPC yers. Next was the Snowy Mountain region. Silvia had heard that this region had very few monsters, primarily Snowmen, but they were extremely powerful individuals. Combined with the harsh climate, few NPC yers chose to venture into the Snowy Mountain region. Finally, there was the Desert region, home to arge poption of Snake People and Scorpion People who were in constant conflict. It was not umon to witness battles between the two, and both had a certain level of intelligence. They would recruit NPC yers to fight for them and offer decent rewards. Silvia''s current team had roles assigned as follows: Silvia and the Count were responsible forbat, Luo Cong handled support and logistics, and Xiao Liu... was in charge of being adorable. Now that Liu Xing''s group had joined Silvia''s team, the male members, including Liu Xing, would be responsible forbat, while Ai Mei and Pei Si would be part of Luo Yu''s team. After dinner, Luo Yu led Liu Xing''s group to a room and distributed equipment to each of them: a pistol with a 6-round magazine and 1d4 damage, ten magazines, and a +1 armor leather jacket. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, armor was also an important attribute, and there could be situations inbat where the armor was not prated. Most mythical creatures had natural armor, like the Ghoul''s skin, which provided 1 point of armor, while humans had zero armor. After receiving their equipment, Liu Xing''s group was taken to the second floor by Luo Yu, where they were assigned rooms for two people each. Liu Xing shared a room with Ji Wu. "You guys can rest for a while. Silvia is taking Xiao Liu to find Second Auntie right now, and if everything goes well, they should be able to get the diamonds from Second Auntie," Luo Yu instructed before leaving. After Luo Yu left, Liu Xing''s group gathered together, their understanding unspoken but shared. "KP, it''s time to start a Private Room session," Liu Xing contacted KP Luo Luo. "Okay, Private Room session is open. By the way, I know what you guys are thinking, but NPC Luo Yu and I have absolutely no connection whatsoever. It''s all just a coincidence!" KP Luo Luo sighed somewhat helplessly and spoke up. Hearing KP Luo Luo''s words, the group chuckled knowingly, their understanding left unsaid. "Alright, let''s not waste any time and start discussing. I never thought this third promotion game would be so challenging. Our beloved Call of Cthulhu has turned into an RPG game," Ji Wu said somewhat resignedly. Liu Xing shook his head, disagreeing with Ji Wu''s assessment. "Ji Wu, you''re mistaken. Actually, these five missions in Blood Howl Town can''t be solved with brute force. Ultimately, they require decryption and deduction." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 114: I Cant Control Myself Chapter 114: I Cant Control Myself Liu Xing had his reasons for speaking to Ji Wu in this manner. Liu Xing believed that the first mission in Blood Howl Town, which was to decide whether to join Silvia''s team, posed a crucial choice for their group. If they chose to refuse, the chances of peacefully obtaining the diamond from Second Auntie''s grasp were slim to none. After all, on this Sky Floating Ind, yers had virtually no bargaining power with NPCs. Moreover, judging from the weapons held by Silvia and Luo Cong, it was clear that Second Auntie''s team was far more formidable inbat than Liu Xing''s group armed with just a couple of small pistols. Due to theircklusterbat capabilities, the four other missions in Blood Howl Town that involved acquiring the diamond were also out of the question. Sikong Yangbing and Jigu''s team undoubtedly had much greaterbat strength than Second Auntie''s team. As for venturing into the Ghoul''sir in search of the staff, that would be tantamount to suicide. The 2,000 points required were also unlikely to be gathered by yers within three days. "This promotion game, I''m willing to bet thatbat won''t ount for more than twenty percent of the content. After all, as things stand now, none of Blood Howl Town''s five missions can be resolved through brute force, especially with our currentbat capabilities," Liu Xing affirmed. "Liu Xing is absolutely right. None of Blood Howl Town''s five missions can be tackled with force. We only have three days to stay in Blood Howl Town, and we can''t possibly gear up like these NPC yers and then rely on strength to obtain the diamond," Ai Mei, a staunch "Ji Wu supporter," immediately stood by Liu Xing''s side. Ji Wu remained silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "You''re both right. The five missions in Blood Howl Town can''t be solved through force. Even if we follow Silvia''s team and coborate with Jigu''s team to explore the Graveyard, we''ll still need to find an opportunity to persuade Jigu to go to the Ghoul''sir. This way, we''ll have a chance to acquire all three diamonds at once." Seeing Ji Wu ept their suggestions humbly, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He had worried that by speaking his mind, Ji Wu might take it as a loss of face, which could affect team cohesion. "However, speaking of which, don''t you all find it suspicious that Jigu might be a follower of the Cult of the Flesh-Eaters or perhaps a recent convert to being a Ghoul?" Pei Si took the opportunity to share his viewpoint. Liu Xing nodded in agreement, thinking that Pei Si and he were on the same page. "I''ve had the same thought. After all, as a normal person, why would anyone choose to set up their base near the Graveyard? Especially when they know that the Graveyard is teeming with Ghouls. If the Ghouls were tounch an attack on the base, Jigu''s team would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses. Furthermore, ording to Silvia, Jigu has a penchant for wandering into the Graveyard for no apparent reason. That''s highly suspicious, don''t you think, Ji Wu?" Ji Wu, being an ultist, could be considered the yer with the most authority on this matter. Therefore, Liu Xing directed the conversation towards Ji Wu, a gesture of goodwill. "Yes, I now believe that Jigu possesses the ability tomunicate with Ghouls, which is why he confidently chose to establish his team''s base near the Graveyard. Although Silvia hasn''t explicitly stated it, we can infer that Jigu''s base has yet to be attacked by Ghouls. However, this presents a bit of a problem because ordinary Ghouls generallyck the intelligence for extensivemunication with humans. After all, humans are their prey. Even if Jigu canmunicate with them, it''s unlikely they would agree to a non-aggression pact. The two sides are natural adversaries," Ji Wu voiced his opinion. Standing next to Ji Wu, He Wei asked hesitantly, "Ji Wu, are you suggesting that there might be high-ranking Ghoul elders among the Ghouls in the Graveyard?" Ghouls, as amunal species, were naturally divided into various hierarchies, and typically, Ghoul elders were the leaders of their respective regions. "It''s very possible, and I also suspect that the item Jigu is searching for is somehow rted to this Ghoul elder. However, I can''t make any definitive statements about the specifics at this point," Ji Wu replied with a serious expression. After all, Ghoul elders possessed abilities hundreds of times more potent than ordinary Ghouls and wielded a plethora of spells. If yers encountered a Ghoul elder, they would most likely be at their mercy. Ji Wu''s words made everyone feel somewhat uneasy. "Well, we shouldn''t overly worry about the Ghoul elder issue. After all, this is just a promotion game in the lowest-level area. Even if a Ghoul elder appears, it''s unlikely they would wipe us out with no warning. So personally, I believe the Ghoul elder is an important NPC. Whether we can obtain the three diamonds all at once willrgely depend on the Ghoul elder''s attitude," Pei Si said uncertainly, tapping the table with his hand. Liu Xing nodded, agreeing with Pei Si''s perspective. "Pei Si is right. If there really is a Ghoul elder in Blood Howl Town, then this Ghoul elder shouldn''t be our enemy. After all, if this Ghoul elder is willing to cooperate with Jigu, we can also seek an opportunity to coborate with the Ghoul elder. Plus, with Sikong Yangbing holding that diamond, if we have the Ghoul elder''s assistance, we stand a good chance of obtaining it." "So, I think when we meet Jigu, Ai Mei should go up first to persuade him to introduce us to the Ghoul elder. Then, I canmunicate with the Ghoul elder. After all, Ai Mei is a psychology doctor, and her psychology and fast-talking skills should be quite good, so persuading Jigu shouldn''t be an issue. As for me, I have expertise in ult studies and a solid knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos, somunicating with the Ghoul elder should also be rtively straightforward," Ji Wu continued from where Liu Xing left off. "I have no problem with that, as long as Lady Luck doesn''t mess things up. I''m pretty confident I can persuade Jigu. But Ji Wu, your character card is an ultist, so please don''t do anything reckless. We wouldn''t want you to identally provoke the Ghoul elder and lead us to our demise," Ai Mei expressed her concerns. After all, as an ultist, it was possible for Ji Wu to behave unpredictably after witnessing a mythical creature. If Ji Wu inadvertently angered the Ghoul elder, it could spell disaster. Ji Wu was well aware of this, and he replied with a hint of insecurity, "Well, I can only promise to try my best. After all, as everyone knows, the characteristic of being an ultist sometimes means I truly can''t control myself!" [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 115: The First Encounter with Nyarlathotep Chapter 115: The First Encounter with Nyathotep "Yes, I can''t control myself either," Pei Si nodded emphatically, agreeing with Ji Wu''s perspective. Liu Xing sighed in resignation and spoke, "We understand your situation very well. After all, in a tabletop role-ying game, you don''t always have control. It''s not your fault; it''s the nature of your profession." "Anyway, there''s no point in dwelling on it. Let''s stick to the n. You do your best to keep an eye on us, and we''ll try not to wander off recklessly," Ji Wu shrugged, expressing his helplessness. At that moment, KP Luo Luo interjected, "Alright, the five-minute break is up. Do any of you need to extend your Private Room time? Just a friendly reminder, you have a total of twenty sessions of Private Room time for this module." Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces and simultaneously shook their heads. Liu Xing then contacted KP Luo Luo, "KP, we don''t need any more Private Room time for now. We''ve pretty much covered everything we needed to discuss." As Liu Xing mentioned, there wasn''t much more information to discuss at the moment. Furthermore, Liu Xing had noticed that KP Luo Luo was strict about the timing of Private Room sessions, reminding yers as soon as the five-minute mark was reached. Moreover, given the likely duration of this promotional game, which was approximately ten days, they would only have two chances for Private Room time each day. So, Liu Xing''s group had to use their Private Room time wisely. The importance of Private Room time was self-evident; without it, the chances of a total party wipe in the Cthulhu RPG Game would at least double. Private Room time ended. "Alright, everyone, take a short break. We might have a busy afternoon once Miss Silvia returns," Liu Xing stretched and said. Ai Mei and the others then left Liu Xing and Ji Wu''s room and returned to their respective rooms to rest. The rooms on the second floor of the tavern were quite spacious, but they only contained two single beds, with no other furnishings. The rooms felt somewhat empty, and there was only a thin nket on each bed, without even a pillow. Fortunately, the weather in Blood Howl Town was pleasant, with a peaceful atmosphere, although it was a bit too quiet. Other than asional gunshots, there were no other sounds to be heard in Blood Howl Town. Liu Xing stood by the window, which faced the entrance to Blood Howl Town where they had arrived. He suddenly noticed a figure standing there wearing a hat and dressed in ck. The person''s face was obscured, and their silhouette almost blended with the surroundings. If it weren''t for Liu Xing''s keen eyesight, he might not have seen this mysterious figure. When Liu Xing''s gaze settled on the figure in ck, it seemed like the figure also noticed him and lifted their head, locking eyes with Liu Xing. "It''s you, Aughra!" "No, it''s you, Nyathotep!" Liu Xing couldn''t believe that he had encountered Nyathotep''s avatar so quickly. However, Liu Xing soon regained hisposure. After all, facing Nyathotep''s avatar, he had to make a Sanity check, with a sessful roll reducing 1d5 Sanity points and a failure reducing 1d50 Sanity points! Liu Xing realized that he might have to go a little crazy this time... Surprisingly, Nyathotep''s avatar, Aughra, nced at him with amusement, chuckled, and then turned and walked away. Liu Xing, on the other hand, stared intently, holding his breath, and watched Aughra until he disappeared from his view. "Phew," Liu Xing finally couldn''t help but take a deep breath. He had nearly suffocated himself earlier. By the way, a small piece of knowledge here: it''s impossible for a normal person to suffocate themselves unless they use external force. Liu Xing leaned against the windowsill, closed his eyes, and forced himself to calm down. He also felt relieved that Nyathotep didn''t seem to intend any harm, nor did he reveal his extraordinary nature. Otherwise, Liu Xing''s Sanity score would have been in danger. "Liu Xing, what''s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly sweating so profusely?" Ji Wu looked at Liu Xing in surprise. Liu Xing touched his forehead, which was indeed covered in sweat. "While I was keeping watch, I suddenly saw a strange figure at the entrance to Blood Howl Town. I can''t describe it urately, but I felt that this figure was incredibly mysterious and eerie. I even had a hunch that this person might be Aughra, the one who imed to be on the Transport ne." Ji Wu raised an eyebrow, even more astonished at Liu Xing because he hadn''t expected Liu Xing to have seen Nyathotep''s avatar! "Well, Liu Xing, you know that I''m an ultist, and from my professional perspective, your current condition might be due to excessively high inspiration, causing you to see things you shouldn''t. In situations like this, mental issues can easily arise. So, Liu Xing, you need to tell me honestly, how is your mental state right now?" Ji Wu "yed" his role earnestly. Liu Xing shook his head and said, "I''m fine. It seems that Aughra didn''t have any intention of causing trouble for me. After giving me a nce, they just left. So, I''m just a bit anxious right now, but my sanity hasn''t been affected much." After hearing Liu Xing''s response, Ji Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was genuinely concerned and frightened by the prospect of Nyathotep personally getting involved, especially appearing in the form of an avatar. After all, Nyathotep was one of the most terrifying entities in the Cthulhu Mythos. He could destroy the Earth with a yawn. If Nyathotep decided to take an interest, Ji Wu had no idea how the game would unfold. However, Ji Wu suddenly realized that his "professional bias" was kicking in again! "Liu Xing, I think I''ve already guessed the true identity of Aughra, at least from the information avable. Now I just need solid evidence. So, Liu Xing, I want to ask you, what does Aughra look like exactly?" Ji Wu looked at Liu Xing and asked seriously. Liu Xing was surprised that "Ji Wu" already knew about Aughra''s existence and even Nyathotep''s presence. It seemed that Ji Wu had a significant knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos, likely more than 20 points. However, Liu Xing also understood that if he told the truth, Ji Wu would probably share the relevant information about Nyathotep or Aughra, triggering a Knowledge roll. Liu Xing felt that he might lose 1d5 Sanity points. So, did he really want that 1d5 Cthulhu Mythos knowledge? [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 116: The Plain Truth Chapter 116: The in Truth In the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, the significance of SAN (Sanity) points is self-evident, while knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos is a double-edged sword. From Liu Xing¡¯s perspective, the importance of maintaining SAN points certainly outweighs the benefits of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Given the current circumstances, Liu Xing felt that encountering a Ghoul was almost a certainty. Such an encounter would inevitably lead to a SAN check, and Liu Xing was not keen on sumbing to madness so soon, especially considering that beyond the Ghouls of Blood Howl Town, other mythical creatures roamed the Sky Floating Ind. Thus, Liu Xing decided to feign ignorance while being fully aware, shaking his head with a resigned expression and saying, ¡°Well, how should I put it? I didn¡¯t get a clear look at Aughra, as my mind was aplete nk at that moment. All I remember now is that Aughra was ck.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s really unfortunate,¡± Ji Wu sighed, his face etched with disappointment. However, Ji Wu understood that Liu Xing was deliberately vague, and he also knew why Liu Xing had chosen to respond this way. ¡°Ipletely understand you. For an ordinary person, suddenly facing such supernatural events, it¡¯s normal to be unable to ept them at first. You should take it easy; after all, we have already ended up in this eerie ce, so let¡¯s just make the best of it.¡± ¡°Thanks for your understanding, Ji Wu. I¡¯m fine now,¡± Liu Xing said with a smile, nodding his head. After a brief chat with Ji Wu and ensuring their act was convincing, they bothy down to rest. Ji Wu, with his upation as an ultist (which often led to perilous situations), chose the bed near the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nyathotep. An hourter, Luo Cong entered the room and said, ¡°Liu Xing, Ji Wu, the bossdy is back. She asked me to call you downstairs; she has something to discuss with you.¡± Liu Xing nodded, got up, and together with Ji Wu, went downstairs. There, they found Silvia apanied by a woman in her thirties, holding a dejected-looking Xiao Liu in her arms. Without a doubt, this was the Second Auntie mentioned by Silvia. ¡°Liu Xing, Ji Wu, take a seat. I¡¯ll start talking once everyone is here,¡± Silvia said cheerfully. At that moment, Liu Xing noticed that Second Auntie was not wearing a diamond ring. He realized that Silvia had sessfully acquired the diamond. However, as a part of the exchange, Xiao Liu had been ¡°sold¡± to Second Auntie by Silvia. Liu Xing nced at Xiao Liu, nodded silently, and thought to himself: Comrade Xiao Liu, your sacrifice will not be forgotten! After a while, Ai Mei and the others also arrived downstairs. Once everyone was seated, Silvia spoke with a smile, ¡°Ahem, after persuading Second Auntie with emotion and reasoning, she has generously donated her diamond to us. Let¡¯s give Second Auntie a round of apuse.¡± Liu Xing and the others pped, albeit with internal criticism towards Silvia for her absurd yet serious promation. "By the way, Second Auntie has decided to merge her team with ours, bolstering our strength even further. I''m nning to meet Jigu tonight to discuss exploring the Graveyard. With twenty of us now, securing Jigu''smission should be no issue. And even if Jigu isn''t keen on venturing into the Ghoul''s den for the staff, we''re now capable enough to try our luck there," Silvia confidently stated. Liu Xing nodded with a smile, understanding that their group could only stay in Blood Howl Town for three days. Completing Jigu''smission tomorrow and entering the Ghoul''s den to find the staff would be ideal, leaving them a day to seek Sikong Yangbing''s diamond. However, Liu Xing suddenly realized that Silvia didn''t seem inclined to hand over the diamond to his group. "In conclusion, if you six have no objections, I''ll keep the diamond. After all, it''s crucial for your departure from this forsaken ce. You all undoubtedly desire it, and frankly, wouldn''t you go to any lengths, even betraying or killing teammates, for it?" Silvia''s smile faded, reced by a stern expression. "Indeed, Miss Silvia, you''re right. When necessary, I''d do anything for that diamond," Liu Xing said after a moment of silence. His straightforward response surprised everyone, but Ji Wu and others silently agreed, sharing his sentiment. Liu Xing''s candor was prompted by a message from KP Luo Luo: "Silvia and Second Auntie are preparing a psychological evaluation on you." After receiving this, Liu Xing subtly nced over, confirming Silvia and Second Auntie''s focused gaze on him. Realizing they targeted him for being prominent in the morning''s encounter, Liu Xing opted for honesty. Confident in his ability to withstand their psychological tactics, he nheless chose not to risk confrontation. Considering the circumstances, honesty seemed the best policy, as any sess in deceiving them would only impose more restrictions on himself, like surrendering the diamond to others first. After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Xing decisively chose honesty. "Ha, you all are honest, which I appreciate," Second Auntie chimed in. "Even I''d make the same choice. Here in Sky Floating Ind, those willing to sacrifice themselves for others are long gone." "Second Auntie is right. To prevent conflict over the diamond, I''ll safeguard it. It''s of no use to me, so there''s no conflict of interest with your group," Silvia earnestly concluded. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 117: Calculations Chapter 117: Calctions Silvia pondered for a moment before continuing, "Of course, once we gather five diamonds, you six can decide whether to use them to send one person away from Sky Floating Ind early, or stay until we have enough diamonds to send you all away at once. But these are matters forter. For now, I will be responsible for keeping the diamonds safe. You don''t have any objections, do you?" "No objections," Liu Xing and the others said in unison. After all, living under someone else''s roof, they were not in a position to disagree with Silvia openly, even if they had reservations. At that moment, Liu Xing suddenly heard the sound of dice hitting the floor. He looked around to see the others doing the same, all searching for the person who had rolled the dice. Was KP Luo Luo rolling the dice in secret? Liu Xing wondered. "Alright, that''s enough discussion for today. Later, Second Auntie will bring her team to officially merge with ours. We will celebrate with a grand dinner. Eat well and drink well, then we''ll go to Jigu to discuss a coboration. After all, we need to demonstrate our strength to him," Silvia concluded with satisfaction, pping her hands and leaving the table first. Second Auntie then stood up, holding Xiao Liu like a doll, her arms limp and her gaze vacant, as Second Auntie carried her away. Liu Xing stood up, stretchedzily, and suddenly remembered something. Should he tell Ai Mei about his encounter with Nyathotep? After some thought, he decided to share it with Ai Mei and the others. Since Nyathotep had personally intervened, it was crucial for Ai Mei and the others to be fully prepared and alert for the uing promotion game. Nyathotep was notoriously malevolent and took pleasure in toying with humans. After the meeting, Liu Xing and his group gathered together naturally. Liu Xing spoke up, "I have something to tell everyone. While resting earlier, I was looking out the window at the scenery when I suddenly saw a strange ck figure. For some reason, I believe it was Aughra!" His words took Ai Mei and the others by surprise. They knew Liu Xing wouldn''t lie, but the shock of Nyathotep''s direct involvement was hard to ept. ultist Ji Wu, standing beside Liu Xing, began to exin, "Although I didn''t see Aughra myself, I can tell from Liu Xing''s reaction that he definitely encountered a mythical creature or supernatural phenomenon. Such unimaginable things can greatly impact our worldviews and mental states. As an ultist, I''ve seen people go mad from encountering mythical creatures or supernatural events. I myself have witnessed numerous mythical creatures and experienced supernatural incidents. Fortunately, my mind is still stable, and I haven''t gone mad yet." Upon hearing Ji Wu''s words, Liu Xing couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow, already guessing the scheme Ji Wu had in mind. So, Liu Xing straightforwardly said, "Oh, speaking of which, I''ve also encountered several supernatural events before. I met a mythical creature called the Formless Offspring. At that time, my spirit was somewhat affected. It felt like I had lost something, an indescribable and ufortable feeling. But strangely,ing to this Sky Floating Ind, I felt an odd sense of familiarity and quickly epted everything." Liu Xing and Ji Wu''s dialogue made Ai Mei and the others realize the situation. They all nodded in agreement, expressing that their experiences were simr to Liu Xing''s. Finally, "expert" Ji Wu concluded, "So it seems I''m not an exception. I always thought my resistance to these mythical creatures and supernatural phenomena was due to my long-term study of ultism and direct experiences with numerous mystical events. But now it appears that anyone who has seen mythical creatures or experienced supernatural events develops some resistance. I''m relieved now. I was thinking of briefing you about Ghouls to prepare you mentally, especially since we''re about to encounter, and even fight, Ghouls. It would have been troublesome if you panicked in the midst of battle." ying his role well, Liu Xing immediately nodded and said excitedly, "So, ording to you Ji Wu, we can face Ghouls without being affected? That''s indeed good news." Seeing Liu Xing''s exaggerated acting, KP Luo Luo finally couldn''t bear it any longer. "Hey, hey, hey, isn''t your acting a bit too over-the-top? And you really have the guts, even daring to scheme against me." Indeed, Liu Xing and Ji Wu''s act was a ploy to pressure KP Luo Luo into rxing the SAN (Sanity) value checks. After all, with more than five types of mythical creatures on the Sky Floating Ind, if they had to check their SAN values upon each encounter, Liu Xing and hispanions would inevitably go insane. So, Ji Wu finally yed to the strength of an ultist, a figure with "authority" on mythical creatures, imnting a psychological suggestion in "Liu Xing" and others to force KP Luo Luo to yield. Now, Ji Wu and Liu Xing''s sessful coboration forced KP Luo Luo to admit, "Alright, you do have a point. Initially, I nned to have you reduce 0 points on a sessful SAN check and 1d2 points on a failure when encountering Ghouls. But after your performance, I see no reason to subject you to SAN checks. And for the mythical creatures you''ll meet next, I''ll also consider lowering the difficulty of SAN checks." Liu Xing and Ji Wu shared a triumphant smile, their perfect teamwork saving everyone''s SAN values. However, Liu Xing suddenly pondered a question. ording to the rules of the Cthulhu RPG Game, when a yer encounters a Ghoul for the first time, failing the SAN check should result in a reduction of 1d6 points, not 1d2. The difference between 1d2 and 1d6 was significant and stark. So, Liu Xing boldly spected, "KP, I have a question. The mythical creatures on Sky Floating Ind, they aren''t real mythical creatures, are they?!" [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 118: The Weakened Mythical Creatures Chapter 118: The Weakened Mythical Creatures Liu Xing''s words left KP Luo Luo silent for a moment before he chuckled and responded, "Ah, Liu Xing, I didn''t expect you to be so astute, directly pinpointing the loophole in my words. However, this news isn''t too significant. I originally nned to reveal it when you encountered the Ghoul." "What information?" Pei Si immediately asked. With another smile, KP Luo Luo borated, "Well, as you entered this promotion game, you must have realized that this is Sky Floating Ind, a world created by Nyathotep. So, you understand, right?" "KP, are you implying that all mythical creatures on Sky Floating Ind are actually fakes created by Nyathotep?" Ai Mei raised an eyebrow. "Exactly. All mythical creatures on Sky Floating Ind are imitations specially crafted by Nyathotep. Moreover, to give you human yers a fighting chance, Nyathotep deliberately weakened these creatures''bat abilities and rxed the standards for SAN value checks," KP Luo Luo exined. Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully, "I see, no wonder the NPC yers on Sky Floating Ind seem to be thriving. So, these mythical creatures are just inferior counterfeits." Ji Wu also nodded, adding seriously, "That makes sense. I felt something was off from the start. Although Silvia and the others'' weapons and equipment are quite decent and their damage sufficient, they are still ordinary humans. Battling mythical creatures, especially passing the SAN value checks, would be quite a challenge for them." "Alright, continue ying your roles. I''ll be off now," KP Luo Luo said, then fell silent, leaving Liu Xing and the others in contemtion. Indeed, KP Luo Luo had brought them good news. Initially, Liu Xing was also uncertain. Despite having powerful weapons, the prospect of fighting even the weakest Ghoul made him nervous. After all, a Ghoul naturally has one point of armor and can attack twice in a turn, once with a w and once with a bite. Moreover, with its various support skills and not insignificant intelligence, a Ghoul can quickly spot an enemy and make the best tactical decisions. Especially when outnumbered, a Ghoul would wisely avoid a direct confrontation, instead retreating to its group to muster arger force. Thus, unless facing a solitary Ghoul, one shouldn''t expect to outnumber them in a fight, given their social nature. Therefore, Liu Xing had been worried about encountering arge number of Ghouls in the Graveyard. No matter how fierce their firepower or how substantial their damage, failing to eliminate the Ghouls before closebat would mean heavy losses, if not a total wipeout. But now, Liu Xing could breathe a sigh of relief. The Ghouls on Sky Floating Ind were weakened, likely having stats simr to ordinary humans and attacking only once per turn with reduced skill sess rates. Overall, this seemed like a stable situation... or so it seemed! Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten the existence of the Ghoul Elder. Even a weakened Ghoul Elder was not an enemy his group could confront head-on. Suddenly, Zhu Yan Yu pped his hands to catch everyone''s attention and spoke, "Well, thinking too much now is pointless. After all, hearing is deceptive, seeing is believing. We need to see it with our own eyes to understand the actual situation." Zhu Yan Yu''s words had a double meaning. On the surface, he seemed to be discussing Nyathotep, but he was actually referring to the information provided by KP Luo Luo. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and nodded at Zhu Yan Yu, impressed. Zhu Yan Yu, usually quiet, always hit the nail on the head whenever he spoke. He Wei, like Zhu Yan Yu, often unnoticed, also chimed in, "Uh, since we still have time, why don''t we ask Silvia and the other veterans for advice to get more useful information?" Everyone, including Liu Xing, nodded in agreement. He Wei''s suggestion was excellent, especially since this promotion game had many NPCs, which meant there was likely a wealth of information to be gathered. Consequently, the group split up into pairs ording to their room assignments. Ai Mei and Pei Si naturally went to chat with Luo Yu. Being girls, they hadmon topics, though Liu Xing wondered if their conversation would drift towards makeup and celebrities. Zhu Yan Yu and He Wei went to consult Luo Cong. As apany manager, He Wei was skilled in conversation, perfect for ttering Luo Cong, a somewhat delusional teenager, to extract more information. Zhu Yan Yu, on the other hand, was content to just watch the scene unfold. Liu Xing and Ji Wu took on the most challenging task, dealing with a foreigner cosying Li Bai¡ªKomatsu. In Liu Xing''s view, Komatsu, like Luo Cong, suffered from ''Chuunibyou'' (delusional behavior), but the two were vastly different. For instance, if Luo Cong was like a hot-blooded protagonist from an ind nation''s manga, determined to save the world, then Komatsu resembled the cool, unattainable male idol from shoujo manga. Thus, the challenge ofmunicating with Komatsu was exponentially harder than with Luo Cong! At the moment, Komatsu was again sitting at the bar, holding a bottle of vodka and drinking alone. Liu Xing guessed that Komatsu wasn''t drinking straight from the bottle because he didn''t have any "bear" ancestry. Liu Xing and Ji Wu exchanged nces, reading the same message in each other''s eyes: "You go first!" In the end, Liu Xing, as the protagonist, braced himself and approached Komatsu. Just as Liu Xing was mentally preparing to strike up a conversation with Komatsu, thetter, as if making up his mind, downed half a ss of vodka in one gulp. And then... nothing more. Liu Xing, looking at Komatsu, who had fallen asleep on the bar in a second, had only one thought: "Is this some kind of new tactic?!" Liu Xing and Ji Wu looked at each other, at a loss for what to do next. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 119: Completion Reward? Chapter 119: Completion Reward? Because Komatsu was "not good with alcohol," Liu Xing and Ji Wu exchanged looks, momentarily unsure of how to proceed. Just then, Silvia approached,menting, "Ah, Komatsu has gotten drunk again. He clearly can''t handle much alcohol, yet he insists on cosying as Li Bai. Isn''t he just making trouble for himself?" Liu Xing silently nodded in agreement. Initially, seeing Komatsu blowing into a wine bottle, he had thought Komatsu could hold his liquor. But now, he realized Komatsu''s tolerance was only enough to blow into a bottle of red wine. "Miss Silvia, you''re back," Ji Wu greeted warmly. Silvia nodded and smiled, saying, "Yes, I''ve left the matters there to Second Auntie. I was just making an appearance. And now I return to find Komatsu drunk again. It''s embarrassing, but don''t think less of him. When he''s sober, he''s a reliable partner." "Not at all, Komatsu is just being himself. His only issue is underestimating his alcohol tolerance. But speaking of which, will his drunkenness affect our ns tonight?" Liu Xing asked, concerned. Liu Xing''s worries were not unfounded. ording to Silvia''s n, they were supposed to meet with Jigu tonight to ept amission. "It''s fine. On this Sky Floating Ind, all negative states disappear quickly. Komatsu''s drunkenness, for instance, will fade within an hour," Silvia said nonchntly, shrugging. Liu Xing was pleasantly surprised. He had intended to gather information from Komatsu, but unexpectedly, he got vital intel from Silvia. Most mythical creatures possess abilities that inflict negative states on enemies. For example, a Ghoul, as the name suggests, resorts to eating corpses in graveyards when unable to hunt humans. Thus, one can''t expect a Ghoul to maintain personal hygiene, like washing hands before meals. Hence, a Ghoul''s attack typically carries an "infection" effect, causing continuous damage to yers and temporarily lowering their attributes. Now, Nyathotep, in the spirit of serving yers, had shortened the duration of all negative states, indirectly increasing the yers'' survival chances. Of course, when yers battle mythical creatures, it''s usually a fight to the death, so the duration of negative states significantly affects the oue of the battle. "Every little bit counts, and Liu Xing was quite pleased to receive such information. "So that''s how it is, no wonder Komatsu drinks so boldly. But Miss Silvia, I have another question: what''s the approximate area of each region on the Sky Floating Ind?" Liu Xing asked with a smile. After all, Liu Xing and hispanions had limited time. To gather as many diamonds as possible, they needed to traverse all five major regions of the Sky Floating Ind. Based on the information they had, Liu Xing''s group nned their route from the easiest to the more difficult regions, starting with the forest, then moving to the desert, followed by the snowy mountains, and finally, theke region. However, Liu Xing had suddenly realized a problem: the size of each region varied, which would affect their exploration order. Given their limited time, they had to choose the most efficient route. "Let me think. I''ve heard that the centralke region is thergest among the five. It once took someone about five days to walk around it. Next is the desert region, divided into two by the Snake and Scorpion people, with their battlefield at the desert''s center, roughly a day''s journey from the edge. Then there''s the forest, where one can reach the center, a circr clearing, in about half a day. It''s not safe to stay there at night because of the possibility of encountering a giant, terrifying monster. The snowy mountain region, although not veryrge, has an altitude of about a thousand meters and is constantly covered with heavy snowfall, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees. Lastly, the town region, excluding the grasnd area, Blood Howl Town can be covered in about half an hour," Silvia borated in detail to Liu Xing''s question. Liu Xing nodded, his mind busy with calctions to figure out the best possible route. "By the way, you should write your identity information in this notebook. I''m about three thousand points away from leaving this cursed ce. If possible, I''ll use the information in this notebook to find you in the real world, if you''re still alive. We can have a meal together; if not, I''ll offer condolences to your spirits in heaven and provide somepensation to your families," Silvia suddenly said, pulling out a small notebook from her pocket and handing it to Liu Xing. Liu Xing took the notebook and saw it contained details of more than a dozen people, including Komatsu and Luo Luo. Each entry of the others was marked with a pentagram, leading Liu Xing to believe they had all perished. "Miss Silvia, can we really take things with us when we leave this ce?" Ji Wu asked in surprise. Silvia nodded earnestly, "Of course, you have something called ''Infinite Flow'' web novels in China, right? Our situation is quite simr. As long as we gather enough points, we can leave this ce. Unlike the Main God, Aughra is a bit more generous. Not only will we retain our memories from Sky Floating Ind, but we''ll also receive a hundred million dors and take three items as a reward. Of course, if we dare to mention anything about this ce in the real world, Aughra will erase us on the spot." Liu Xing understood that the rewards Silvia mentioned were likely those given to yers afterpleting this promotional game. However, Liu Xing still wanted toment: perhaps one of Nyathotep''s incarnations was a Chinese person with the ability of the Sharingan. The monsters on Sky Floating Ind were direct copies of mythical creatures. The game''spletion rewards seemed giarized from Infinite Space, and this promotion game tantly copied the concept of a battle royale game." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 120: Bad News Chapter 120: Bad News In the current situation, Liu Xing felt that the difficulty of this promotion game was not actually high. As long as the timeline was extended, finding an appropriate entry point to acquire the diamond was feasible. Of course, Liu Xing had also roughly analyzed the entry points of other regions. For instance, in the desert region, one must choose to join either the Snake People Tribe or the Scorpion People Tribe, helping one tribe annihte the other. In the forest region, the goal was to reach the clearing at the heart of the forest and make close contact with the gigantic mythical creature there. As for the snowy mountain region, the only option seemed to be climbing to the summit in search of opportunities. Finally, in theke region, the only chancey in reaching the deity statue at the center of theke. However, Liu Xing had already dismissed theke region as an option, given the intelligence from Silvia that the area was swarming with Deep Ones. With their current strength, entering the water would likely result in being dragged under and devoured by these creatures. "Miss Silvia, I have a question for you. What exactly does the giant monster in the forest look like?" Ji Wu asked cheerfully. Liu Xing understood that Ji Wu wanted to ascertain the identity of this mythical creature. There were two theories Liu Xing held about this giant mythical creature. The first was that it might be an incarnation of Nyathotep¡ªBlood Howl. After all, there was already a Blood Howl Town on Sky Floating Ind, so it wouldn''t be out of ce for this forest, named Engeyi Forest, to house such a creature. However, Liu Xing felt this possibility was unlikely. Another incarnation of Nyathotep, Aughra, had already appeared on Sky Floating Ind. Having both incarnations meet would be quite awkward. Thus, Liu Xing leaned more towards his second theory: the creature was a ck Mountain Goat Hatchling, a child of Shabu. Nics, one of the Three Pirs Primordial Gods. Known as the forest''s ck Goat of a Thousand Young, it theoretically belonged to the divine progeny category. As an offspring of an Outer God, the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling''s power was somewhat overestimated. Given its mother, Shabu. Nics, was a fertility deity within the Cthulhu Mythos capable of birthing billions, the abilities of the Hatchling didn''t quite match expectations. Still, a single ck Mountain Goat Hatchling could easily crush Liu Xing and hispanions. The Hatchling, towering over five to six meters, resembled a massive lump of flesh with the lower half shaped like a giant goat''s hoof. Its attack method included trampling, dealing approximately 6d6 damage. So, Liu Xing concluded that the giant mythical creature in the forest region must be the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling, albeit a weakened version. He surmised they might have a chance to ovee it. "Well, no one who has seen the giant monster in the forest has lived to tell the tale," Silvia said, frowning. "However, some have heard its attacks on other yers nearby the clearing: the sound of something heavy hitting the ground, followed by strange, livestock-like noises, and then another thud. The next day, those attacked yers would be found turned into mush." Hearing Silvia''s description, Liu Xing was now certain: the giant mythical creature in the forest was indeed the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling. As the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling executes its trampling attack, it inevitably emits a loud sound akin to the cries of livestock. However, Liu Xing is now puzzled by another question. At this moment, Ji Wu gives Liu Xing a meaningful nce, and Liu Xing, understanding the signal, realizes that Ji Wu shares his confusion. Therefore, Liu Xing asks Silvia, ¡°Miss Silvia, from what you said earlier, does it mean that the yers attacked by the giant monsters didn''t make any sound throughout the ordeal?¡± Silvia frowns and, after pondering for a moment, hesitantly nods, saying, ¡°It seems so, but I can''t be sure now, as I only heard it through the grapevine.¡± Liu Xing nods, but internally he senses something ominous. The hit rate of the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling¡¯s trampling attack is only 40%, and it requires a brief charge-up period, so there''s a rtive hope of evading it. Moreover, the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling can silence humans only through a SAN (Sanity) check. The Hatchling¡¯s SAN check either reduces 1d3 points of SAN on sess or 1d10 points on failure, meaning the chance of a yer falling into temporary insanity and randomly bing mute is incredibly low. Hence, Liu Xing suspects that Nyathotep, while weakening some of the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling''s attributes, might have endowed it with an additional "skill" ¨C a skill that could render yers mute or even paralyzed. This is certainly not good news. Liu Xing and Ji Wu chat more with Silvia and then return to their previous corner. ¡°Seems like the diamonds in the forest area are not as easy to obtain as we thought,¡± Ji Wu sighs resignedly. Liu Xing nods, adding, ¡°s, if nothing goes wrong, that giant monster is probably linked to at least three diamonds. If we go to the forest area, we must confront that giant monster. Our chances of sess, as it stands, are only about ten percent.¡± Liu Xing believes they have a ten percent chance because he brought Qingming Rain. Given the immense size of the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling, a mythical creature, its movement speed is incredibly slow. If they can trigger the slowing effect of Qingming Rain, Liu Xing thinks they might escape the Hatchling''s attacks... provided they still have the ability to flee. At this moment, Ai Mei and others return. ¡°The situation is grim,¡± Ai Mei reports. ¡°Luo Luo says the bullet drop rate is low, and exchanging points for them is very expensive, so we can¡¯t sustain long,rge-scale battles.¡± While firearms are powerful, their significant drawback is clear: without bullets, a gun is just a lump of useless metal. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 121: Wu Lei?! Another piece of bad news. Chapter 121: Wu Lei?! Another piece of bad news. Liu Xing frowned and asked, "Ai Mei, did Sister Luo Luo mention how much ammunition we have left?" "About six hundred rounds of various calibers," Ai Mei replied. "Based on our calctions, our exploration of the Graveyard will consume at least two hundred rounds." Liu Xing felt a sense of indebtedness to Silvia. Despite the high price she paid, Silvia had generously shared most of the rewards with them. "Speaking of which, should we inform Silvia about the news?" asked Pei Si. The news Pei Si referred to was the necessity for their group to leave Blood Howl Town in three days. Wait! A detail suddenly dawned on Liu Xing, bringing him joy. "Don''t forget, when Aughra issued our mission, he mentioned that Blood Howl Town would be engulfed in toxic fog after three days. Not just us, but Silvia''s team and all other yers in Blood Howl Town will have to leave." This revtion brought a moment of surprise, followed by joy among Ji Wu and others, realizing the toxic fog enveloping Blood Howl Town in three days wasn''t entirely bad. "Right, how could I forget that? We can continue to operate with Silvia''s team, which will greatly improve our efficiency in exploring other areas," He Wei said excitedly, patting his stomach. Pei Si, tapping the table, added seriously, "Not only that, we might also get the diamond from Sikong Yangbing. If Sikong Yangbing is a man of his word and straightforward, we could use this news to trade for his diamond. If he''s an unreasonable upstart, we can use our informational advantage to ambush him. After all, Sikong Yangbing''s Gatling gun is only suitable for positional warfare and less effective in skirmishes." Liu Xing nodded and smiled. "Exactly. There are no vehicles here, so Sikong Yangbing''s team will have to leave Blood Howl Town on foot. We just need to surprise them, focusing first on those carrying the Gatling gun. Even if Sikong Yangbing is at fifty percent strength, his team, being disorganized, won''t mount an effective counterattack. Our chances of a sessful ambush are over ny percent!" "True, as long as Sikong Yangbing isn''t forewarned, we indeed have a high chance of a sessful ambush. But there''s a catch. Who''s to say Aughra won''t release this news in advance? If he informs the yers in Blood Howl Town ten minutes before the fog appears, we''ll lose our informational advantage, and the sess rate of our ambush will drop to fifty percent or even lower. Sikong Yangbing, knowing he has many enemies in Blood Howl Town, wouldn''t miss such an opportunity for ambush." Ai Mei, always the voice of reason, brought a sense of realism to the discussion, prompting Liu Xing and others to contemte this possibility. Liu Xing had to admit, given Nyathotep''s penchant for mischief, it was quite likely that it would pull such a stunt. Prepared for this, Sikong Yangbing would surely remain vignt, keeping the Gatling gun at the ready. An ambush on Sikong Yangbing would not only have a low sess rate but would alsoe at a great cost. "Therefore, our only option is to first convince Silvia, and then have her persuade the other teams in Blood Howl Town to join us in ambushing Sikong Yangbing. This way, we can gain a firepower advantage and overwhelm Sikong Yangbing in one fell swoop," suggested Ji Wu, shrugging his shoulders. Ai Mei nodded, volunteering, "Then let me handle this. After all, I''m a psychology doctor and my forte is persuading others." Thus, it was decided that Ai Mei would persuade Silvia, with ns to meet after their encounter with Jigu that night. Liu Xing and the others continued to exchange information, but it was mostly the same, with no need for further discussion. After a while, Second Auntie entered with a few people, her team members. Liu Xing nced at them, his new teammates, thinking it prudent to at least familiarize himself with their faces. "Damn!" Liu Xing suddenly cursed out loud, startling Ji Wu and the others. "What''s wrong, Liu Xing?" Ai Mei asked, worried, as Liu Xing looked as if he had seen a ghost. Liu Xing, pointing at someone behind Second Auntie, incredulously said, "Wu Lei?!" Yes, among the people with Second Auntie, Liu Xing spotted Wu Lei! As a university ssmate and close friend for five years, Liu Xing was confident he could recognize Wu Lei just by his silhouette. So, Liu Xing was certain that the person behind Second Auntie was indeed Wu Lei! "Wu Lei? Who is that, someone you know from the real world, Liu Xing?" Ai Mei asked, her question carrying a double meaning. Liu Xing, staring at Wu Lei, nodded, "Yes, Wu Lei is a good friend from the real world. I never expected to meet him here!" "Uh, are you sure you''re not mistaken, Liu Xing? It looks like he must have entered the game much earlier than us," Ji Wu cautiously reminded Liu Xing, considering that Wu Lei was not supposed to be among the yers in this promotion game. Ji Wu''s words brought Liu Xing back to his senses, especially seeing Wu Lei carrying a 98k Mauser rifle fitted with an eight-power scope, wearing a helmet in ''forgiveness'' color, and a frying pan hanging at his waist. By the standards of a battle royale game, this equipment was top-tier! Clearly, Wu Lei must have spent a considerable amount of time on Sky Floating Ind to acquire such gear. Moreover, Wu Lei was known for being talkative, constantly chatting and sharing pictures in their university ss group. Liu Xing remembered that just before starting his third promotion game, Wu Lei had posted a meme about an administrator and was muted for a day. So, time-wise, it was impossible for Wu Lei to be here, especially as an NPC. Yet, Liu Xing had to concede, the "Wu Lei" behind Second Auntie looked exactly like the real Wu Lei. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 122: Li Gou Dan Chapter 122: Li Gou Dan Liu Xing gazed at "Wu Lei," momentarily uncertain of what to do. Although Wu Lei bore a striking resemnce to him, Liu Xing''s rational mind kept reminding him that it couldn''t possibly be Wu Lei. Ai Mei, observing Liu Xing''s dilemma, knew what he was thinking. As a psychologist, she decided to offer some advice. "Liu Xing, why don''t you just go up and ask this person his name? After all, we''re going to be teammates soon. It''s normal to get to know each other now." "Exactly, Liu Xing, just go and find out his identity, we''ll cover for you," Ji Wu suggested, giving a signal to the others. Consequently, Ji Wu and the others approached, engaging in conversation with the team members behind Second Auntie, while Liu Xing took a deep breath and walked up to "Wu Lei." "Hello, I''m Liu Xing. Can I talk to you?" Liu Xing asked "Wu Lei" earnestly. "Wu Lei" chuckled and nodded, "Of course, I''m Li Gou Dan from a small mountain vige in the Northeast." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Li Gou Dan''s fluent Northeastern ent made it clear that he wasn''t Wu Lei. Wu Lei was a genuine Rongcheng local and, as far as Liu Xing knew, had never been to the Northeast, let alone left Rongcheng. Wu Lei wouldn''t speak the Northeastern dialect. Moreover, Liu Xing recalled that foreign yers like Tina, despite their "Westernized" appearance, still retained their original ents. Realizing this, Liu Xing sighed inwardly, feeling he had overthought the situation. "Liu Xing, I''m d to be your teammate. I''ll protect you from the rear," Li Gou Dan said warmly, patting the Mauser 98k rifle on his back. This reminded Liu Xing of a character named "Shunliu" from a movie. Wait a minute! Liu Xing suddenly noticed a tattoo of the Elder Sign on the back of Li Gou Dan''s right hand. Liu Xing''s eyebrows lifted as he suppressed his curiosity, extending his right hand with a smile, "Comrade Li Gou Dan, we are teammates now. Let''s shake hands." Li Gou Dan nodded unsuspectingly and reached out his right hand. As Liu Xing shook Li Gou Dan''s hand, he deliberately positioned Li Gou Dan''s hand so he could observe the tattoo more closely. "KP, can I use detection or inspiration now?" Liu Xing contacted KP Luo Luo. "I know what you''re thinking, Liu Xing, but you can''t make judgments about things outside of the game. That would be meta-gaming," KP Luo Luo said seriously. Liu Xing chuckled, "Isn''t this a real Cthulhu RPG Game? Then, in the game, I should also have a friend named Wu Lei, right? KP, I find Li Gou Dan very simr to my friend Wu Lei, so asking for a detection or inspiration should be within the rules, right?" KP Luo Luo was momentarily speechless, but quickly recovered, "Still, it''s not allowed. Your character card doesn''t list Wu Lei as an acquaintance, so you can''t make such a judgment!" Seeing the situation, Liu Xing realized he couldn''t persuade KP Luo Luo. After all, in a Cthulhu RPG Game, the KP has the final say. Liu Xing had prepared a contingency for such a scenario. "KP, I still need to investigate or make an inspiration check on the Elder Sign tattoo on Li Gou Dan''s hand. Since my character card is already aware of the Elder Sign''s existence, I''m quite intrigued by the pattern on Li Gou Dan¡¯s hand." "Alright, your reasoning is solid. So now, you can choose to make either an investigation or an inspiration check, as the handshake onlysts long enough for one check," KP Luo Luo said, somewhat resignedly. Delighted, Liu Xing quickly responded, "Okay, I''ll make an inspiration check!" Since only one check was possible, Liu Xing naturally preferred the inspiration check, especially since his inspiration was as high as 90,pared to a mere 40 in investigation. Liu Xing, 16/90, sess. "Then, Liu Xing, you suddenly realize that the tattoo on Li Gou Dan¡¯s hand is indeed the Elder Sign. Moreover, you can tell that this Elder Sign tattoo has been there for several years; it''s even faded a bit," KP Luo Luo informed Liu Xing, following the sessful inspiration check. At this revtion, Liu Xing was once again plunged into confusion. Wu Lei, a Cthulhu mythos enthusiast, had excitedly tattooed an Elder Sign on the back of his right hand during their freshman year, often boasting about it to Liu Xing. Liu Xing remembered that a few months ago, Wu Lei hadined to him about the poor skills of the tattoo artist, as the tattoo had started fading after just a few years. Now, not only did Li Gou Dan share an identical face with Wu Lei, but he also had a matching Elder Sign tattoo on the back of his right hand, which naturally led Liu Xing to suspect a connection. "Cough, cough." Liu Xing was jolted from his thoughts by a cough, realizing he had been holding Li Gou Dan''s hand for too long, and hastily let go, creating a somewhat awkward moment. Liu Xingposed himself and then asked with a smile, "Comrade Li Gou Dan, have you ever heard of someone named Wu Lei?" Meanwhile, Liu Xing also said to KP Luo Luo, "KP, I''d like to use psychology on Li Gou Dan." KP Luo Luo, as if anticipating this move, replied, "This psychology check is automatically sessful. You''ll find that Li Gou Dan has no possibility of lying." "Absolutely not, I don''t know anyone named Wu Lei," Li Gou Dan quickly shook his head, but Liu Xing could see a hint of wariness in his eyes. Clearly, Li Gou Dan suspected Liu Xing had ulterior motives. With an awkward yet polite smile, Liu Xing said, "Uh, Wu Lei is a friend of mine. You look so much like him that I mistook you for Wu Lei just now." "Haha." Li Gou Dan didn''t know how to respond to Liu Xing, so he just gave a sillyugh, at a loss for words. Liu Xing shrugged and decided to take his leave. He returned to a corner, sat down on a chair, and pondered a question. Was Li Gou Dan actually Wu Lei? [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 123: Jigu Chapter 123: Jigu XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX At first nce, Li Gou Dan''s appearance and the Elder Sign tattoo on the back of his right hand were strikingly identical to Wu Lei''s, which baffled Liu Xing the most. Even twins wouldn''t resemble each other so closely, as there are no two identical leaves in this world. However, considering Li Gou Dan''s ent, his demeanor towards Liu Xing, and Wu Lei''s alibi during this period, it was clear that Li Gou Dan wasn''t Wu Lei. Furthermore, Li Gou Dan was an NPC in this promotion game, not a yer! Besides, Liu Xing wasn''t even sure if Wu Lei had joined this Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Thus, Liu Xing began to suspect that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall was monitoring his every move in the real world. From his initial identity as a doctor to his current involvement in a ''battle royale'' game, Liu Xing always felt scrutinized by the Game Hall. Moreover, Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten what KP Cao and others had told him. He had gained some fame in the Ghoul district''s KP circle, indicating that the Game Hall wasn''t just cold programming but included ''internal employees'' capable of emotional and social interactions. This led Liu Xing to fear that he might have attracted the attention of a high-ranking individual within the Game Hall. But Liu Xing quickly dismissed this thought. He didn''t see himself as a chosen one or a main character of any sort. Why would a significant figure from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall go out of their way to target him? It must be a coincidence. Liu Xing tried to convince himself of this. "Liu Xing, how did it go?" asked Ai Mei and others, who had returned after seeing Liu Xing finish his conversation with Li Gou Dan. Liu Xing shook his head and sighed helplessly, "Well, even though Li Gou Dan looks like my friend and even has the same tattoo on his right hand, rationally speaking, he can''t be my friend." Ai Mei and the others nodded in understanding, aware that without opening a Private Room, Liu Xing couldn''t exin everything clearly. Just then, Silvia loudly suggested, "Alright, since everyone''s here, let''s have dinner first and then go find Jigu." When the ''big sister'' spoke, the ''younger brothers'' naturally followed. After a hearty dinner, the group headed to the Graveyard. The Graveyard was located on the eastern side of Blood Howl Town. Liu Xing and his group passed through the town center and the three-story stone building that issued Missions. Liu Xing noticed that on the second floor of the houses controlled by Sikong Yangbing''s team, next to the stone building, NPCs with weapons were vigntly watching them from the windows. Liu Xing also spotted a Gatling gun capable of shooting blue mes mounted on the rooftop of a house facing the entrance of the stone building. "We don''t need to worry about Sikong''s dogs; they just dare to watch from above. As long as we don''t strike first, they won''t dare to do anything. Sikong still doesn''t have the power to act recklessly in Blood Howl Town and can''t afford to provoke public anger," Luo Cong said dismissively. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, a curious tone in his voice, "So, Old Dog Sikong, this means Sikong Yangbing is quite old, huh?" "Of course," Luo Cong nodded and replied. "Old Dog Sikong must be in his forties or fifties by now. He can barely hold a spear steady. If it weren''t for his past knack for socializing and his eloquent speech, he probably would have met his end long ago." As Liu Xing was about to probe Luo Cong for more details, Luo Luo, walking ahead, suddenly interjected, "Be mindful of your words and actions." Liu Xing and Luo Cong fell silent. After a while, Liu Xing finally saw the Graveyard. The Graveyard of Blood Howl Town was surrounded by a two-meter-high stone wall topped with barbed wire. ording to Luo Cong, this wall was upgraded jointly by NPC yers using points; originally, it was merely a half-meter-high hedge, which couldn''t prevent Ghouls in the Graveyard from rampaging out. At the entrance of the Graveyard, several NPC yers armed with weapons stood guard. Among them, one dressed as an ancient Roman soldier, wielding a short sword, caught Liu Xing''s eye. "That cosying guy is Caesar. He''s Italian, and his name led him to frequently cosy like this. But Caesar is also Jigu''s trusted lieutenant, the second-inmand of the team," Luo Cong continued to exin. "You seem ready for business. Here to discuss a coboration with Jigu?" Caesar approached them and said. Silvia nodded, about to speak, when Caesar shook his head and pointed to arge tent, "Jigu is in there. Go right in." Thus, Liu Xing and his group entered the tent to find Jigu, who seemed to be in a daze. Jigu appeared to be in his early twenties, pale with a frail figure and sparse hair, but his eyes were bright and alert. "Silvia, and Second Auntie?" Jigu''s voice was somewhat sharp. Silvia nodded with a smile, "I didn''t expect Mr. Jigu to know our names." Jigu shook his head seriously, "In the teams of Blood Howl Town, there are only two female leaders ¨C you and Second Auntie. I didn''t expect you both to ept mymission together." While speaking, Jigu pulled out a map from a box behind him. "This is a rough map of the Graveyard. I have marked the potential locations of the item I seek in this exploration of the Graveyard," Jigu handed the map to Silvia. As Silvia took the map, she suddenly eximed in surprise. Jigu''s hand had turned into a w! True enough, Jigu was beginning to transform into a Ghoul. "Hehe, I might as well tell you the truth. I''ve been cursed by the Elder Ghoul. In three days, I''llpletely be a Ghoul. I must find something in the Graveyard to break the Elder Ghoul''s curse," Jigu said calmly. However, Liu Xing noticed that Luo Cong, standing beside him, had a very odd expression. "What''s wrong, Luo Cong?" Liu Xing asked curiously. Luo Cong nced at Jigu and then whispered, "There''s a rumor in Blood Howl Town that Jigu is not only gay but also only attracted to corpses!" Suddenly, Liu Xing regretted his curiosity, feeling utterly unsettled. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 124: Jigu, Truly a Divine Being Chapter 124: Jigu, Truly a Divine Being "Such a tactic exists?!" Liu Xing was momentarily unable to react. Could Jigu really have such a bizarre quirk? Moreover, considering that Jigu was cursed by an elder Ghoul, which initiated his transformation into a Ghoul, Liu Xing now had reason to suspect that Jigu had offended the elder Ghoul, prompting thetter''s wrath and subsequent curse. "Jigu truly is a divine being." This was the only thought in Liu Xing''s mind at the moment. At this time, Jigu ignored the whispering Liu Xing and others, speaking directly to Silvia: "Silvia, I think you should already be aware of my situation, so I won''t exin further. If you''re willing to ept the assignment, let''s start discussing the terms and coboration. If you''re not interested, you''re free to leave now." After speaking, Jigu stood there in silence, his expression calm and detached from worldly concerns. Silvia and Second Auntie exchanged nces and nodded, then spoke, "Since you put it that way, Jigu, we are willing to ept yourmission." "Good," Jigu chuckled, "Silvia and Second Auntie, stay in the tent with me to discuss the details. The rest should wait outside, as the tent can only amodate so many." With that, Jigu effectively dismissed Liu Xing and the others. Led by Luo Luo, Liu Xing and his group found a spot outside the tent to rest. As a small group, they naturally gathered together. "Is Jigu really not a mythical creature?" Pei Si couldn''t help butment. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. The fact that Jigu was cursed by the elder Ghoul, rather than killed outright, indicated some strength on Jigu''s part. However, considering Jigu''s half-Ghoul state now, he could indeed be seen as a mythical creature. "The situation is rather ominous," Ji Wu expressed his concerns, "We''re about to face an elder Ghoul, one with curse spells. You don''t want to be Ghouls, do you?" Liu Xing frowned. Ji Wu''s worries were not unfounded. Even a weakened version of the elder Ghoul was formidable, especially now that it was confirmed he possessed a spell to transform humans into Ghouls. If Liu Xing was unlucky enough to be targeted by this spell, he might end up like Bai Hecheng. This thought made Liu Xing shiver. "We can only take things one step at a time," Ai Mei tried to ease the tension with a rxed attitude, "Besides, the elder Ghoul''s powers might not be that impressive. After all, it takes three days for Jigu to fully transform into a Ghoul, which suggests limitations to the elder''s abilities. Maybe the curse can only affect one person at a time, so don''t overthink it and stress yourselves out." Liu Xing shrugged, only to notice Luo Cong approaching. "Hey, I just heard another piece of news about Jigu. Want to hear it?" Luo Cong said mysteriously. Liu Xing nodded, feigning interest, "Go ahead, Luo Cong, we''re all ears." "Although hearing about Jigu made Liu Xing feel like he was losing sanity points, he had to keep listening with a smile to gather more information. "It''s like this," Luo Cong began, "Jigu decided to hold a birthday banquet recently and promised his subordinates a surprise. Guess what? He turned himself into a dish characteristic of the Ind Nation!" Luo Cong burst intoughter after telling this. Liu Xing and the others exchanged bewildered looks. "Jigu is truly a mythical figure," Liu Xing muttered to himself. But now, Liu Xing was certain that Jigu was not only psychologically disturbed but also had very problematic logic. This reminded Liu Xing of a character from a game. Luo Cong, being quite forward, easily mixed with Liu Xing and the others, sharing various rumors. Despite their reluctance, they had no choice but to chat with Luo Cong. Among Luo Cong''s gossip, some were worth listening to, like what Sikong Yangbing experienced before making a fortune with his Gatling gun that shoots blue mes. ording to Luo Cong, Sikong Yangbing arrived on the Sky Floating Ind half a year ago. Back then, he was so frail he could barely hold a gun, let alone shoot. Hence, the other yers on the same Transport ne abandoned him. Landing alone in a forested area, Sikong Yangbing was nearly killed by a werewolf. He could only kill it because it was already severely injured by other yers. Moreover, Sikong Yangbing was incredibly lucky. After killing the werewolf, he found a bulletproof vest that added +3 armor, which allowed him to safely exit the forest and even rescue two people, one of whom was Jigu. Afterwards, Sikong Yangbing, using his persuasive skills, formed a small team with Jigu and another person, naturally bing the leader. They then headed to Blood Howl Town. Since houses in Blood Howl Town were allocated based on strength, Sikong Yangbing¡¯s group could only live in a small house. But soon, Sikong Yangbing''s luck struck again; he obtained the Gatling gun with blue mes. With this weapon, Sikong Yangbing swiftly dominated Blood Howl Town, bing its top figure and expanding his team to over fifty people. However, not long after Sikong Yangbing rose to power, Jigu, leading a group, rebelled. After failing to assassinate Sikong Yangbing, Jigu retreated to the Graveyard. Out of past sentiments, Sikong Yangbing didn¡¯t pursue him. As for why Jigu betrayed Sikong Yangbing, Luo Cong couldn¡¯t exin. But he knew that the rebellion severely weakened Sikong Yangbing''s team. Apart from the dozen who joined Jigu, seven or eight were killed in the attack, reducing the team''s size significantly." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 125: The Eightfold Covert Strike of Quality Chapter 125: The Eightfold Covert Strike of Quality Liu Xing stroked his chin, pondering a question: just how high was Sikong Yangbing''s luck? In the Cthulhu RPG Game, apart from yers and mythical creatures, every named NPC had their own attributes. In this real-life version of the Cthulhu RPG Game, Liu Xing suspected that even the flowers and grass might have their attributes. Thus, Liu Xing believed that Sikong Yangbing''s luck attribute must be over 90, exining his extraordinary fortune. However, this was also bad news. The luck attribute had a very high cap, truly embodying the saying, "Anything is possible." Now that Sikong Yangbing had be an enemy of Liu Xing and hispanions, Liu Xing felt the sess rate of ambushing Sikong Yangbing had dropped by ten percent. Suddenly, Pei Si, brimming with excitement, spected, "Why did Jigu betray Sikong Yangbing? Could it be because Jigu confessed to Sikong Yangbing and, upon being rejected, turned hatred born from love into rebellion?" Liu Xing twitched his mouth, realizing Pei Si was a fujoshi who hade up with such an absurd possibility. "Pei Si, could you not let your imagination run wild? Besides, doesn''t Jigu only like the dead?" Ji Wumented with a deadpan expression. Inspired by Ji Wu, Pei Si pped her hands and continued, "Right! What if Jigu, rejected by Sikong Yangbing, lost faith in the living and hence started liking the dead?" Liu Xing couldn''t help but facepalm, astonished at Pei Si''s wild imagination, which seemed evenrger than the sinkhole in Earth Dragon Vige''s Ancestral Hall. "Ai Mei, that''s not right," Pei Si was corrected by Ai Mei, who patted her shoulder and said earnestly, "You''ve forgotten the third party. Besides Jigu, Sikong Yangbing had another subordinate. Maybe originally, Sikong Yangbing and Jigu were deeply in love, but the third party intervened, leading to Jigu''s betrayal." Liu Xing, who thought Ai Mei was reasonable, was surprised to find her imagination even wilder than Pei Si''s. Consequently, as Ai Mei and Pei Si got more engrossed in their fanciful ideas, turning their brainstorm into a ck hole of wild theories, Liu Xing and the others chose to quietly distance themselves, lest they be sucked into an unknown world by this ck hole. Ji Wu, stroking his chin, chimed in, "What''s your take on this? I feel like Jigu''s betrayal might actually be a well-crafted y, conspired by Sikong Yangbing and Jigu. Initially, Sikong Yangbing, basking in glory and relying on weapon superiority, became the overlord of Blood Howl Town and established arge team. But there must have been some with ulterior motives in this team, as Sikong Yangbing, apart from his eloquence,cked other convincing abilities." "Therefore, upon learning about the dissent and ns to overthrow him, Sikong Yangbing approached his most trusted subordinate, Jigu, asking him to lead a loyal faction in a feigned rebellion, then attack him. The actual goal was to eliminate those with ulterior motives. Thus, after Jigu and his followers fled to the Graveyard, Sikong Yangbing had no intention of retaliating against Jigu." Ji Wu''s theory was usible, making Liu Xing nod in agreement. However, at this moment, Luo Cong raised an objection: ¡°Ji Wu, aren¡¯t you a bit too conspiratorial? As you said, Sikong Yangbing¡¯s own abilities are mediocre at best, having climbed to his position solely by luck. There must be many who resent Sikong Yangbing, including Jigu. It¡¯s not surprising, given that Jigu has followed Sikong Yangbing for so long and knows him well. That¡¯s why Jigu dared to betray and ambush Sikong Yangbing, aiming to kill him in one strike and take his ce. As for why Sikong Yangbing didn¡¯t settle scores after the fall, it''s because he was severely weakened and couldn¡¯t confront Jigu. After all, Jigu¡¯s dozen or so men are not to be underestimated. Moreover, during his betrayal, Jigu took all the good weapons from Sikong Yangbing¡¯s team. Thus, a severely weakened Sikong Yangbing would have to be prepared for mutual destruction if he sought retribution against Jigu. After all, when the snipe and m grapple, the fisherman profits, and there are plenty who would wish to be that fisherman.¡± Luo Cong¡¯s words were very reasonable, causing Liu Xing to nod involuntarily. However, Liu Xing was more inclined to agree with Ji Wu¡¯s view, because this was a Cthulhu RPG Game, where one must always prepare for the worst. At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly heard the sound of dice hitting the ground. It was KP Luo Luo rolling the dice in secret again. Judging by the direction of the sound of the dice, Liu Xing guessed that KP Luo Luo was making a determination about the oue of the discussion between Silvia and Jigu inside the tent. ¡°I wonder how the negotiation between Miss Silvia and Jigu went,¡± mused Liu Xing. Then, a series of dice-rolling sounds suddenly started, one after another. Liu Xing carefully counted, and KP Luo Luo had made eight secret rolls. Could this be the legendary ''quality eight-in-a-row''? Liu Xing¡¯s expression grew solemn, as secret rolls by the KP generally weren''t good news; they signified that the KP was up to something. And eight consecutive secret rolls suggested that the KP was about to flip the table and summon an Eldritch God! ¡°KP, isn¡¯t there a problem with your program to make eight secret rolls in a row?¡± Liu Xing hurriedly contacted KP Luo Luo. KP Luo Luo chuckled and said earnestly, ¡°My program definitely doesn¡¯t have any problems. As for why there were eight consecutive secret rolls, there must be a reason. However, I certainly can¡¯t tell you what it is now, so you all need to figure it out on your own.¡± KP Luo Luo¡¯s words left Liu Xing even more baffled,pletely unsure of what was happening. At this time, Silvia and Second Auntie also walked out of the tent. Seeing both of them smiling, Liu Xing knew the negotiation had been very sessful. ¡°Alright, everyone, check your equipment. Load your weapons, switch off the safety, we are about to enter the Graveyard,¡± Silvia said, pping her hands. ¡°Our first target in exploring the Graveyard is the church less than five hundred meters from the entrance. The church¡¯s doors only open at night, so we¡¯ll explore it today and move on to other ces tomorrow,¡± Second Auntie pointed towards the entrance of the Graveyard. Following the direction pointed by Second Auntie, Liu Xing saw the church she mentioned ¨C a blood-red church! Atop the church, Liu Xing saw a figure ¨C Aughra! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 126: Entering the Graveyard Chapter 126: Entering the Graveyard "Aughra!" Even though Aughra, being a ck-d figure, seamlessly blended into the pitch-ck night, Liu Xing still managed to spot him with ease. Indeed, even after the updates and revisions to the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, inspiration remained a double-edged sword. Though it no longer involved SAN value checks, it still granted glimpses of things beyond theprehension of ordinary people. Especially with Liu Xing''s remarkable inspiration value of 90, it was almost impossible not to see... Liu Xing began to ponder if he should find a way to reduce his inspiration value. This time, Aughra disappeared once again, vanishing into the top of the church. "Because yer Liu Xing witnessed Aughra''s instantaneous disappearance, please make a SAN value check. Sess reduces 0 SAN points, failure reduces 1 SAN point," KP Luo Luo said with a smile. Liu Xing: 40/78, sess. Though the SAN value check result was favorable, Liu Xing couldn''t find much joy in it. After all, he had already encountered Nyathotep''s avatars twice in a single day, and that was far from good news. As the saying goes, Nyathotep was the Eldritch God who enjoyed toying with humanity the most, and now it seemed like he had taken an interest in Liu Xing. Nyathotep was continually observing him, and when the time was right, he would strike. At that point, Liu Xing believed that his character card would undoubtedly fall into permanent madness... "Liu Xing, what are you standing there for?" Ji Wu, standing beside Liu Xing, patted his shoulder and said. Liu Xing finally snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and said with a bitter smile, "I saw Aughra again. He was just standing at the top of the church, and then he disappeared instantly." Liu Xing''s words darkened the expressions of Ji Wu and the others. If Liu Xing had only seen Nyathotep''s avatar once, it could have been exined as a coincidence. However, seeing Nyathotep''s avatar again so quickly was highly unusual. "So, does this mean we''ve caught Aughra''s attention? That''s not good news," Ji Wu said with concern. Zhu Yan Yu, who was usually quiet, also spoke up, saying, "It''s very likely. I think Aughra is observing our every move, wanting to see how we perform. That''s why he has been with us all along. Fortunately, Liu Xing has a strong sixth sense, which allowed him to spot Aughra." Liu Xing nodded and jokingly added, "Zhu Yan Yu is right. My sixth sense has always been strong; I used to see some weird things when I was a kid." "I see. It''s just as I thought earlier during lunch. Generally, people with active minds tend to have higher inspiration than ordinary folks. Liu Xing, I believe you''d make a better ultist than me, considering how much more you can ''see'' than I can," Ji Wu remarked with a sigh. Upon hearing Ji Wu''s words, Liu Xing shook his head repeatedly, smiling wryly. "Forget it, forget it. I''d rather be a regr person. I don''t want to spend every day researching strange things. If I do, I''ll go crazy sooner orter." "Alright then, Liu Xing, you need to be careful. If Aughra is merely observing us, it''s not a problem. But if he intends to harm us, you''ll be the first target. Even though we might not have a chance to resist if Aughra decides to act..." Ji Wu said, sounding a bit frustrated. "Hey, what are you guys chatting about? It''s time to get going." Luo Cong had already prepared for battle, swapping his revolver, used for cosying McCree, for apact submachine gun. With Luo Cong''s reminder, Liu Xing and the others snapped back to reality. They hastily took out the handguns they had been assigned that afternoon, loaded their magazines, and disengaged the safety. "The four of you will follow me and Komatsu. We''ll be responsible for guarding the rear. Ai Mei and Pei Si will stay with Luo Luo and the others. Also, remember to keep your handguns lowered and not pointed at anyone when you haven''t spotted a Ghoul. Don''t put your fingers on the trigger either. It wouldn''t be good if there was an idental discharge and someone got hurt," Luo Cong, although a bit entric at times, was dead serious when it mattered. After a while, the team was finally organized and officially entered the Graveyard. Blood Howl Town''s Graveyard, though a typical Western-style graveyard, was marred by the rampant Ghouls, with graves unearthed everywhere and scattered bones. "Thankfully, the moonlight is good tonight. Otherwise, we''d need torches," Komatsu said, looking up at the sky and smiling. Liu Xing nodded. The moonlight was indeed favorable, and there were no dark clouds. So even without other light sources, visibility in the Graveyard was about a hundred meters. Suddenly, Liu Xing heard a frantic, sobbing sounding from his left. Ghoul! Liu Xing quickly realized that this was the sound produced by a Ghoul! He raised his gun and aimed it to his left, where a massive tombstone stood. Liu Xing guessed that there was a Ghoul hiding behind it. Ji Wu and the others also reacted, pointing their guns at the tombstone. However, Luo Cong stepped forward and lowered Liu Xing''s gun, smiling as he said, "Don''t be impulsive, guys. This is likely a lone Ghoul, and it poses no real threat to us. These Ghouls are not dumb; they know who to mess with and who to avoid." "Killing a Ghoul can cost you a lot more than what you gain unless you''re exceptionally lucky. That''s why very few people are willing to hunt Ghouls in the Graveyard. Our goal is to reach the church and search it. After that, we''ll leave the Graveyard. So, let''s notplicate things unnecessarily," Komatsu added without turning back. Since both Luo Cong and Komatsu said so, Liu Xing and the others could only nod and put down their weapons, continuing to follow the team. However, Liu Xing still couldn''t shake off a feeling of unease as he kept an eye on the massive tombstone. Just then, a figure suddenly darted out from behind therge tombstone and sprinted rapidly into the depths of the Graveyard. Within two or three seconds, it vanished without a trace. Indeed, the Ghoul had been hiding there. "Liu Xing, stop staring. The vanguard has already entered the church," Ji Wu said, patting Liu Xing''s shoulder. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 127: Occultist in Action Chapter 127: ultist in Action Liu Xing nced ahead, where Caesar, leading the way, had already pushed open the doors of the cathedral, followed closely by Jigu. In response, Liu Xing hurriedly took a couple of quick steps to catch up with Ji Wu and the others, entering the cathedral. Upon stepping inside, Liu Xing realized that the cathedral had no windows, shrouding its interior inplete darkness. However, at that moment, Jigu''s subordinates produced torches, positioning themselves at the four corners of the cathedral, each lighting a brazier. The mes illuminated the space. Calling it a cathedral didn''t quite do it justice; Liu Xing felt it was more like a ce designed for ritualistic ceremonies. The interior held nothing but scattered, bleached bones, and in the center of the cathedraly a massive magic circle, emitting a strong scent of blood. It was evident that this magic circle had been drawn with fresh blood. Yet, it was clear that the magic circle had been abandoned for quite some time, as the bloodstains hadpletely dried, and the lines of the circle were broken and intermittent, making it difficult to discern its original design. On the walls surrounding the cathedral, Liu Xing noticed numerous predominantly ck murals. However, their style was exceedingly abstract, and Liu Xing admitted to himself that he couldn''t make sense of what these murals were trying to convey. "This cathedral is the only structure in the Graveyard, and during the daytime, it''s impossible to open its doors. There have been attempts to forcibly open them, but those who tried were instantly killed by a mysterious force. However, once the moon rises in the sky, the cathedral''s doors can easily be opened. Everyone must leave the cathedral before dawn because at that moment, the doors will snap shut, and anyone left inside will disappear forever," Luo Cong exined dutifully as the narrator. "So, there should be some valuable items inside this cathedral, right? Have they all been taken?" He Wei asked curiously. Komatsu shook his head and responded, "To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever obtained anything useful from this cathedral. Many believe it''s just a decoration, but others think that there must be something valuable inside that we haven''t discovered yet." Liu Xing was about to speak when he suddenly remembered something: Ji Wu was an ultist! Quickly, Liu Xing turned his attention to Ji Wu and noticed that Ji Wu was already crouched on the ground, holding a bone in his hand. As a doctor, Liu Xing didn''t need a medical assessment to recognize the bone Ji Wu was holding ¨C it was a human thigh bone, most likely from a male. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Ji Wu still had some self-control and was merely examining a thigh bone, rather than delving into the magic circle. "Ji Wu, why are you holding a thigh bone?" Liu Xing asked while nning to pull Ji Wu up. He knew he had to prevent Ji Wu from any potentially reckless actions. Ji Wu shook his head and handed the thigh bone to Liu Xing. "If I''m not mistaken, Liu Xing, you''re a doctor, right? Take a look at the patterns on this bone and tell me how they were formed. I''m not certain right now." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Ji Wu had made a discovery. He took the thigh bone and examined it carefully. The thigh bone, also known as the femur, was the longest, heaviest, and most robust bone in the human body, supporting the body''s entire weight. And now, this thigh bone disyed a set of faint patterns. If one didn''t observe carefully, it was easy to overlook these markings. Liu Xing gently ran his fingers over these patterns and noticed that they were only a few millimeters deep. Liu Xing even began to suspect that these patterns on the thigh bone were simply the result of being gnawed on by a Ghoul. However, upon close examination of the entire thigh bone, Liu Xing discovered that while the patterns appeared scattered, they were intricately connected in some way. Liu Xing was certain that these patterns had been deliberately etched onto the thigh bone using a sharp tool or ws, likely those of a Ghoul. For safety''s sake, Liu Xing decided to contact KP Luo Luo. After all, as an Old Chinese Doctor, he had only limited knowledge of orthopedics. "KP, I''d like to perform a medical assessment on this thigh bone." "Oh, I didn''t expect your luck to be this good, finding this bone so quickly. Since yer Liu Xing''s Medical skill exceeds 60, this medical assessment is automatically sessful. yer Liu Xing, you''ve discovered that the patterns on this thigh bone were created using a small tool and that the bone was subjected to high-temperature exposure," KP Luo Luo said with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that his decision to conduct a medical assessment had been a wise one. He hadn''t noticed the high-temperature exposure on the thigh bone. Considering this, Liu Xing surmised that this thigh bone had likely been used for some form of ritual. With that thought in mind, he handed the thigh bone back to Ji Wu and said earnestly, "Ji Wu, the patterns on this thigh bone appear to be man-made, and the bone was exposed to high temperatures after the patterns were etched. Combined with the magic circle in this cathedral, I suspect this thigh bone might be a ritualistic tool." "I see. I was trying to convert the iplete magic circle from the thigh bone into a t diagram earlier. It seems like this might be an iplete magical array. Now that you mention it, this thigh bone could indeed be a ritualistic tool, or its owner might have been a sacrifice!" Ji Wu affirmed. Liu Xing nodded, and a possibility suddenly crossed his mind. "Ji Wu, can you draw the iplete magic circle from this thigh bone? I suspect that this iplete magic circle on the thigh bone is a part of the central magic circle in the cathedral!" Ji Wu raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "No problem. I happen to have paper and a pen in my backpack. I''ll draw it for you right away." Without hesitation, Ji Wu retrieved paper and a pen from his backpack, then crouched down and started drawing. Soon, an iplete magic circle was vividly depicted on the paper. Liu Xing immediatelypared it to the central magic circle in the cathedral, and as expected, there were simrities! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 128: The Relentless Archaeologist Chapter 128: The Relentless Archaeologist Although the magic array in the center of the church was badly damaged, with the help of high inspiration, Liu Xing quickly matched the broken magic array on the thigh bone with the one in the center of the church. In simple terms, the magic array on this thigh bone was the lower-left part of the central church''s magic array. "I see now. The magic array in the center of the church is divided into four parts, each depicted on the limbs'' bones of the sacrifice," Liu Xing exined to Ji Wu and the others. Ji Wu stroked his chin and said, "In that case, all we need to do is find another thigh bone and two hand bones, and we can recreate this magic array." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Ji Wu, the ultist, had entered a reckless mode. Just as Liu Xing was trying to figure out how to stop Ji Wu from being reckless, "Uninformed" Komatsu approached and said, "It seems this magic array is a crucial part of unveiling the church''s secret. No wonder so many people came to the church in the past, searched for hours, and found nothing. They must not have paid attention to these bones and simply regarded them as props to set the atmosphere." Komatsu''s words ignited Ji Wu''s reckless enthusiasm. With a grin, Ji Wu said, "Indeed, I am an ultist after all. I have some knowledge about magic arrays and ritual ceremonies. So, when I entered this church, I sensed that a horrifying ritual had taken ce here, and these bones belonged to the unfortunate sacrifices. I wanted to deduce the purpose of that ritual using these bones and then discovered the anomaly on this thigh bone." Liu Xing nodded, but inwardly sighed. He knew he couldn''t stop Ji Wu from being reckless any longer. "Oh, I see! Ji Wu, you''re an ultist too? I thought ultists were mainly found in Europe and America. I didn''t expect to meet one in you," Komatsu eximed in surprise. Just like Komatsu, Liu Xing had always thought of ultists as a Western specialty. "Hehe, well, in China, there are indeed fewer ultists. Most of them identify as Taoists or Feng Shui masters. There are not many who openly call themselves ultists. I happen to be one of them. Originally, I was an archaeologist. However, I once obtained a piece of parchment with strange symbols, and it was my curiosity about that parchment that led me to be an ultist. But I find the field of mysticism quite intriguing; it''s like reading a novel," Ji Wu exined with a smile. Komatsu nodded with interest and said, "Actually, I also considered bing an ultist before, but my parents strongly opposed it. They said that if I pursued the study of mysticism, I would eventually go insane. If I ever manage to return to the real world, I''ll definitely be an ultist." Another one gone crazy. Liu Xing sighed in resignation and said, "Well, let''s not dwell on this for now. Ji Wu, can you guess what this magic array was used for?" Since he couldn''t stop "Ji Wu" from being reckless, Liu Xing could only guide him to avoid going too far. "Let me think... At this point, we can reasonably conclude that this magic array is either used for the ritual of the Eldritch God or for summoning the Eldritch God itself. However, I lean more towards the former. Judging by the size of the magic array, it seems that it can only sacrifice one offering at a time. Generally, summoning the Eldritch God would require more offerings," Ji Wu, as an "expert," proposed his thoughts. Liu Xing silently nodded. This was Sky Floating Ind, Nyathotep''s territory. Having a ce for the ritual of the Eldritch God, or Nyathotep, was quite normal. Moreover, this might be one of the ways to clear this level. Sacrificing a single offering could potentially serve as a direct pass. With this in mind, Liu Xing gazed thoughtfully at Ji Wu. After all, Ji Wu was the only ultist among the yers and the only one who could utilize this unique way of clearing the level. In some Cthulhu RPG Games, there were multiple ways to clear a level, especially in certain unconventional modules where each yer had their own special path to victory. Suddenly, Liu Xing heard a strange sound. He turned to see the magic array at the center of the church rising, reaching a height of about one meter. "As expected, this magic array is actually an altar. It seems this church is a ce for the ritual of the Eldritch God," Ji Wu said in a solemn tone. However, what concerned Liu Xing even more was who had turned this magic array into an altar. There was no need to guess; Liu Xing was sure it was Pei Si. After all, when it came to triggering mechanisms, Archaeologists imed to be second to none, and no one dared to say otherwise. Liu Xing looked up in the direction where Pei Si was, and he immediately spotted Pei Si holding something resembling a remote control with a bewildered expression. Beside Pei Si, Ai Mei looked equally helpless. Clearly, Ai Mei had intended to prevent "Pei Si" from acting recklessly but, like Liu Xing, had been unsessful. "Let''s go take a look, and we can also share our findings with Silvia and the others," Komatsu, as an NPC, began to forcefully push the plot forward. Liu Xing and the others had no choice but to go along with Komatsu to meet Silvia and her group. After reuniting with Silvia and her group, Liu Xing and the others exchanged information. Liu Xing now understood how Pei Si had seeded in his reckless endeavor. Upon entering the church, Pei Si had activated his inner recklessness as an Archaeologist. He began studying the murals around the church and unexpectedly made a discovery. On the left wall of the church, Pei Si found a hiddenpartment containing a stone b. This b had a sharp protrusion, and "as expected," Pei Si touched it, unintentionally cutting his finger, and his blood dripped onto the stone b, triggering a mechanism that raised the magic array into an altar. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 129: The Merger of Two Families Chapter 129: The Merger of Two Families Perhaps this is fate. Although Liu Xing and Ai Mei both tried to stop Ji Wu and Pei Si, their efforts ended in failure. Given the current situation and the information avable, Liu Xing couldn''t determine whether this was ultimately a good or bad development. "KP, I need some inspiration right now," Pei Si contacted KP Luo Luo. "I do too. I need some inspiration, KP," Ji Wu chimed in. Pei Si, 47/70, seeded. Ji Wu, 56/80, seeded. "Okay, your inspirations have both passed. I''ve sent you the information, and you can decide whether to share it with other yers," KP Luo Luo said with a smile. Liu Xing could roughly guess the nature of the inspiration that Pei Si and Ji Wu wanted, likely rted to the magic array or the entire cathedral. "I finally remembered. I knew this cathedral looked so familiar. It turns out I''ve been to this cathedral before!" Pei Si suddenly spoke up. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and immediately asked, "What do you mean, Pei Si? Are you saying that this cathedral exists in the real world as well?" Pei Si nodded, speaking earnestly, "Yes, in the real world, this cathedral is called the Bloodstained Cathedral. It''s located in a nameless town in the southern part of the Lighthouse Country. Both the town and the cathedral were built by colonists in the early days of the discovery of the New Continent. However, for some unknown reason, the town was abandoned overnight shortly after its establishment. All the residents disappeared, and the once pristine cathedral was covered in blood. That''s why this now-nameless cathedral became known as the Bloodstained Cathedral." "I went on an archaeological internship to that nameless town with my mentor three years ago. However, most of the buildings in the town had deteriorated due tock of maintenance by then, and only this Bloodstained Cathedral remained standing." "At that time, the Bloodstained Cathedral was almost empty because there had been dozens of archaeological studies conducted in the nameless town over the years, and artifacts like the skeletons we see now had long been taken away by other archaeologists. However, my mentor always believed that there were secrets within the Bloodstained Cathedral that hadn''t been uncovered yet. So, every few years, he would bring students to conduct archaeological research here." "Unfortunately, during that internship, my mentor and I found nothing. The central magic array in the cathedral and the surrounding murals were already too faded to decipher. I thought at the time that both the magic array and the murals were just graffiti byter visitors." "When we returned to school after the internship, my mentor told me a legend about this Bloodstained Cathedral. The colonists who built this cathedral were a group of English pagans, and they worshipped an unknown Eldritch God. In reality, the Bloodstained Cathedral was a ce used for rituals dedicated to that Eldritch God." "So, my mentor always believed that the sudden downfall of the nameless town overnight was likely due to some supernatural events triggered during one of the rituals, leading to the disappearance of all the English pagans who participated." "After hearing Pei Si''s ount, I used to think my mentor was talking nonsense. After all, at that time, I was still a firm believer in science. But now, it seems my mentor''s idea might be correct. Judging from the number of human bones here, it''s possible to piece together the skeletons of dozens of people." The end of science is theology. After listening to Pei Si, this phrase came to Liu Xing''s mind. The origin of this saying was because many renowned scientists, such as Newton, Darwin, and Einstein, turned to theology in theirter years, abandoning science. That''s why someone came up with the phrase, "The end of science is theology." "Actually, I think science and theology don''t have to be opposed from the start. Consider our current situation. ording to theology, we were pulled into a strange world by a god named Aughra, where we embark on various adventures. But we can also exin it scientifically: we were brought into a virtual world by an extraterrestrial being named Aughra using advanced technology," Komatsu stroked his chin, presenting his viewpoint. However, Komatsu''s perspective led Liu Xing to another debate¡ªwhether H.P. Lovecraft''s Cthulhu Mythos series of novels belongs to horror or science fiction. After all, in the Cthulhu Mythos series, there were traditional horror creatures like Ghouls and Deep Ones, but there were also high-tech extraterrestrial beings like the Great Old Ones. The Outer Gods in the Cthulhu Mythos could all be considered powerful extraterrestrial entities. "Now is not the time to discuss these misceneous matters. I just want to say one thing: what should we do next?" A sharp voice rang out at this moment, and it was Jigu, who had a gloomy expression. "Since there are mechanisms in this cathedral, it means that once we activate this mechanism, we can unlock its secrets. Perhaps we can even obtain what I desire." Naturally, it was time for the expert, ultist Ji Wu, to speak. "If this cathedral is indeed the Bloodstained Cathedral that Pei Si mentioned, then I can be sure it''s a site for worshiping the Eldritch God. And as long as we redraw the central magic array, there''s a chance to activate the mechanism. However, most likely, we''ll need a sacrifice to conduct a ritual..." Ji Wu''s implication was clear. After hearing Ji Wu''s words, Jigu pondered for a moment and sighed before speaking, "In that case, let''s start by redrawing the magic array. As for the sacrifice, we''ll figure that outter." Jigu then ordered his subordinates to search for bones in the cathedral that had the remaining three parts of the magic array carved on them. Since they had already identified the three remaining bones as a thigh bone and two humerus bones, Jigu''s subordinates quickly found these three bones with the magic array markings. Ji Wu soon drew aplete version of the magic array. However, a problem arose: how to draw this magic array. After all, ording to Ji Wu''s view, the magic array was originally drawn with blood, and they couldn''t simply use any pen to draw it on the ground. So, the atmosphere grew tense for a moment. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 130: The Ghouls Advance Chapter 130: The Ghoul''s Advance Inside the church, the atmosphere was heavy, with Silvia and Jigu facing each other in silence. Liu Xing and the others quietly moved behind Silvia, ready to support her. After all, drawing the magic circle required a significant amount of blood, depending on the size of the circle. Liu Xing estimated that without at least 1000 milliliters of blood, it would be impossible toplete the magic circle. Generally speaking, blood makes up about seven percent of a person''s body weight. In other words, an average person has around 4000 milliliters of blood. Losing 1000 milliliters of blood at once might not cause immediate unconsciousness, but it would lead to overall weakness, mental fog, and other symptoms. Recovery would also require an extended period of rest. Following the standards of the Cthulhu RPG Game, losing 1000 milliliters of blood would result in a direct decrease in HP, temporary reductions in various attributes, and a decreased sess rate for skills. Recovery would necessitate the use of Interlude Growth. In simple terms, the yer would be considered incapacitated in this tabletop game. At this moment, Jigu''s right-hand man, Caesar, stepped forward and proposed apromise, "How about each of us donating a small amount of blood toplete the magic circle?" However, Ji Wu immediately voiced his opposition, "From an ultist perspective, I believe that''s not a reliable solution. In rituals like this, the blood used to draw the magic circle muste from the sacrificial offering. Especially in ceremonies to summon an Eldritch God, I''m over ny percent certain that if we use the blood from all of us toplete the circle, the summoned Eldritch God will choose to devour all of us. After all, there''s a saying that goes, ''Like begets like.''" Liu Xing found himself agreeing with Ji Wu''s assessment. He had heard a simr exnation before: summoning an Eldritch God was akin to fishing. The blood-drawn magic circle served as bait, while the sacrificial offering acted as the lure. The bait attracted the Eldritch God from another ne, and due to the dimensional gap, the Eldritch God would rely on the scent of the bait to find the lure. Therefore, Eldritch Gods generally only devoured the sacrificial offering and did not randomly attack those conducting the ritual. As Ji Wu was the only "professional" in the room, his words carried weight. ording to his suggestion, if they wanted to reactivate the magic circle, they needed to find a sacrificial offering and use its blood to draw the circle. However, if they did so, the sacrificial offering would almost certainly not survive. So, who would volunteer to be the sacrificial offering this time? Probably no one wanted to be devoured by an Eldritch God. But then again, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that he had Qingming Sacrificial Offerings in his backpack. Could they be used here? While Liu Xing was contemting whether to offer the Qingming Sacrificial Offerings, Silvia spoke up, "Mr. Jigu, how about we temporarily leave this ce and search elsewhere for the item you need? If we don''t find it elsewhere, we can return here tomorrow and figure out how to activate the magic circle. What do you think?" Ji Wu''s expression remained grim, but he nodded and replied, "Miss Silvia, your suggestion is quite reasonable. After all, our arrival here was rather hasty, and we didn''t make proper preparations. Let''s leave the church for now and explore other locations tomorrow. If wee up empty-handed, we can return to this church tomorrow night, and by then, I''ll have the sacrificial offering prepared." With that decision made, the group nned to leave the church. However, at that moment, a series of piercing screams echoed from outside the church. "Damn it, it seems that we''ll need to put in some effort if we want to leave Graveyard today," Jigu''s expression changed, and he said helplessly. Clearly, arge group of Ghouls had already surrounded the church. "I knew it, we should have killed that Ghoul earlier," Liu Xing couldn''t help butin. In Liu Xing''s view, these Ghouls were all summoned by the one that had escaped. If they had taken action to kill that Ghoul when they had the chance, they might not be facing so much trouble now. However, Ji Wu shook his head and whispered, "It''s not necessarily the case. Ghouls, as intelligent mythical creatures that live in groups, sometimes engage in collective activities to hunt humans. But this is usually because they believe they have a significant advantage and can reap great rewards at minimal cost. However, as long as that Ghoul isn''tpletely irrational, it should recognize that we''re a tough nut to crack and shouldn''t harbor any bold ideas. So, I think these Ghouls surrounding the church have a different purpose." While Ji Wu spoke, he directed his gaze towards Jigu, and the implication was clear. Seeing this, Liu Xing silently nodded. After all, Jigu had already been cursed by the Ghoul Elder, so being besieged by Ghouls was a perfectly normal urrence. It was no wonder Jigu had issued themission and offered substantial rewards to gather so many people to escort him. Apparently, Jigu had foreseen what would happen when they entered Graveyard. But with things havinge to this point, Liu Xing had nothing more to say. It seemed that this time he would finally confront the Ghouls directly. The church''s entrance was only about three meters wide, and since the church had no windows, it was impossible to form a formation and utilize their firepower advantage. Therefore, Jigu and Silvia decided to extend their defense line outside the church. The graveyard outside the church had many tombstones, making it a suitable ce to construct a defensive line. So, the group filed out of the church and quickly set up a small defensive circle using the tombstones. Liu Xing remained with Ji Wu and the others, responsible for defending the right nk. "Everyone, stay alert, watch out for Ghoul ambushes. As soon as the Ghoulse within range, open fire. Remember to report the number of enemies so I can send reinforcements!" Caesar, still cosying as a Roman emperor with his short sword in hand, issued orders. It appeared that Caesar genuinely had the air of a Roman general. Thinking about this, Liu Xing was quite interested and asked Luo Cong, "Luo Cong, this Caesar guy doesn''t really intend to fight with that short sword, does he?" Luo Cong nced at Caesar and nodded, saying, "It seems that way. Caesar is quite extravagant most of the time and tends to use his short sword in battle. I heard that Caesar''s short sword provides a damage bonus against Monsters, but I''m not sure if that''s true." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 131: Elder Ghoul Makes an Appearance Chapter 131: Elder Ghoul Makes an Appearance Liu Xing initially thought that Caesar was anotherte-stage chuunibyou sufferer, believing himself to be the protagonist of a video game, wielding a short sword to ughter Ghouls. However, it became apparent that Caesar''s short sword had some special enhancements, much like the handgun Liu Xing had obtained at the beginning. "A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Our greatest advantage in dealing with Ghouls is our long-range firepower. We can attack Ghouls multiple times before they get close, eliminating most of them before closebat begins. Caesar, on the other hand, seems to have forsaken his advantage, which is not very wise. Ghoul''s meleebat capabilities are on the level of a bug. I once saw three guys who imed to be martial artists trying to engage Ghouls in closebat, and they were instantly killed by a single Ghoul," Komatsu disdainfully looked at Caesar and spoke. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. As a true gamer, he was well aware of how formidable Ghouls were, especially in closebat. Due to their 1-point armor, ordinary melee weapons couldn''t effectively harm Ghouls. Moreover, Ghoul''s attack style was like a piece of taffy, sticking closely to their opponents, making it impossible for yers to effectively engage them in closebat. So, if you wanted to fight Ghouls in closebat, you''d need a character card with a built-in 2d6 damage person-bear! "Komatsu, you''re right. Caesar''s actions of sacrificing his strengths for weaknesses are indeed not worth it. I''ve read some information about Ghouls in the real world, and their meleebat abilities are astonishing. Even a fully armored medieval knight could be killed by a Ghoul in one-on-onebat," Ji Wu added. Komatsu, seeing the "expert" Ji Wu agree with him, couldn''t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. However, at that moment, Komatsu suddenly saw something and said, "Ghouls areing, right in front of us, a total of five!" Liu Xing turned to look in the direction indicated by Komatsu and saw Ghouls for the first time. To be honest, Liu Xing felt that these Ghouls looked more like a group of dog-headed people because Ghoul''s heads resembled dog heads. However, Ghoul''s hands hadpletely turned into ws, their feet into hooves, and their skin, illuminated by the moonlight, looked like a shoddy rubber suit. But to put it simply, Ghoul''s skin not only provided 1 point of armor but also reduced half of the fire and projectile damage, which meant that firearms would only deal half their normal damage to Ghouls. This was one of the reasons why NPC yers found it so difficult to kill Ghouls. "Because all of you are looking directly at the Ghouls, yers who haven''t seen Ghouls before will unconditionally gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge," KP Luo Luo timely stepped in. Since Liu Xing and Ji Wu had previously schemed against KP Luo Luo, there was no need for a SAN value check this time, so the Cthulhu Mythos knowledge gained was minimal. However, this was a free "lunch," so Liu Xing didn''t care much. "What do we do now? Should we start shooting?" He Wei''s voice began to tremble. Komatsu surveyed the surroundings and said, "Not yet. These Ghouls are just roaming around our area. They''re about thirty meters away from us, and there are tombstones nearby for cover. Our uracy in shooting from here will be questionable. Also, on the surface, there are only about twenty Ghouls surrounding us. If everything goes as expected, there should be a simr number of Ghouls preparing for ambush and surprise attacks behind us, so the total number of Ghouls surrounding us should be around forty, which is roughly equal to our group size. Therefore, the Ghouls won''t attack us for now. We also have teammates nearby, so it should be rtively simple to eliminate these few Ghouls." Komatsu''s analysis managed to calm He Wei down, and Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief as well. After all, this was Liu Xing''s first official battle against a mythical creature. In previous encounters with the Formless Offspring and the Earth-boring Demon Worm, they had chosen to flee. This time, Liu Xing could finally engage in a proper battle. "Wait a minute, why do I feel like these Ghouls are waiting for something?" Luo Cong suddenly spoke up. Ji Wu furrowed his brow and replied, "Most likely, these Ghouls are waiting for their elder to arrive. After all, Jigu has been cursed by the Ghoul Elder. It''s possible that the Ghoul Elder has already detected Jigu''s movements and sent these Ghouls to surround us." "That could be troublesome. The Ghoul Elder''s abilities are definitely far beyond those of ordinary Ghouls. Moreover, considering that the Ghoul Elder was able to curse Jigu into bing a Ghoul, it''s very likely that the Ghoul Elder can use other forms of magic. The Ghoul Elder will likely bring some other Ghouls with them, and that will increase the pressure on us significantly," Luo Cong said with a hint of helplessness. Ji Wu shook his head and reassured, "Don''t think too much about it. Generally, Ghoul Elders don''t have a wide range of spells, and the curse they ced on Jigu is a sustained spell. So the Ghoul Elder will certainly have to allocate some of their energy to maintain this spell. You don''t have to worry too much. I don''t think the Ghoul Elder will have the spare energy to use other spells." Liu Xing nodded, but he was also calcting in his mind how much Cthulhu Mythos knowledge Ji Wu possessed. Although Liu Xing knew everything Ji Wu was saying, his own Cthulhu Mythos knowledge was insufficient to support him saying those things. So, for now, Liu Xing had to pretend to have an "aha" moment, or else he might reveal too much. Therefore, Liu Xing could roughly deduce that Ji Wu''s Cthulhu Mythos knowledge was likely over 20 and that he had acquired all the knowledge about Ghouls. Liu Xing even began to suspect that Ji Wu might have some kind of spells rted to "contacting Ghouls" or municating with Ghouls." Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask, "Ji Wu, since Ghouls possess intelligence, do we have a way tomunicate with them? Perhaps we can persuade the Ghoul Elder to lift the curse on Jigu. That way, we not only avoid a battle but alsoplete Jigu''s mission ahead of time." Ji Wu was about to respond but was interrupted by Luo Cong. "Look, the Ghoul Elder is here!" Liu Xing looked up and saw a young man in a white robe, barefoot, apanied by a throng of Ghouls, approaching the church. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 132: How Did Ghoul Leader Lose His Face? Chapter 132: How Did Ghoul Leader Lose His Face? The desire for beauty is not exclusive to humans, and so, Ghoul Elder did not present himself in the hideous form of a Ghoul. Instead, he appeared as a young and handsome man. Nevertheless, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel a deep sense of mncholy lurking behind his cold, indifferent expression. Ghoul Elder finally stopped ten meters in front of Jigu, seemingly unconcerned that he was now well within the range of human firepower. Liu Xing couldn''t help but notice the awkward expressions that kept flitting across Jigu''s face ¨C a mixture of red and white, clearly indicating his difort. Jigu couldn''t bring himself to make direct eye contact with Ghoul Elder. Liu Xing suddenly felt a shift in the atmosphere. What was initially a tense situation now felt strangely nuanced, like switching from a horror movie to a melodrama midway. Suddenly, Ghoul Elder spoke, "Are you thinking of backing out, Jigu?" What surprised Liu Xing was that Ghoul Elder spoke in perfectly fluent Mandarin, but the bitterness in his tone sent shivers down Liu Xing''s spine. "Uh, hehe¡­" Jigu stammered, scratching his head, looking utterly bewildered. Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as he observed the intense gaze exchanged between Jigu and Ghoul Elder. Everyone else seemed utterly perplexed, their eyes shifting back and forth between the two. "This is a coc (sh of ns), not a galgame (visual novel)," Liu Xing thought to himself. "Jigu, since you''re already here, don''t think about leaving. You should know by now that we''ve surrounded you," Ghoul Elder continued, and the Ghouls who had been hidden in the shadows also stepped forward. Liu Xing quickly estimated that there were now over a hundred Ghouls on the scene! "Damn, how can there be so many Ghouls?!" Komatsu eximed in astonishment. Liu Xing''s face turned pale. Weren''t there supposed to be only around forty Ghouls? How had their numbers suddenly more than doubled, creating a difference of over sixty individuals? At that moment, all Liu Xing could think of was the words of an old immortal he once heard: "How can you lose when you''re riding a Ghoul''s face?" "Ji Wu, do you think Ghoul Elder might be using some sort of illusion or trick to make it seem like there are more Ghouls?" Luo Cong refused to ept the grim reality. Ji Wu looked at Ghoul Elder and shook his head. He replied, "It''s unlikely. Ghoul Elder probably summoned all the Ghouls from the Graveyard. We''re in serious trouble now." Meanwhile, Jigu remained silent, bowing his head in silence. Silvia and the others understood it wasn''t their time to speak, so they watched silently. However, watching and waiting felt like waiting for death, considering there were now more than a hundred Ghouls on the other side. Even more daunting was the fact that Ghoul Elder was a formidable hero unit capable of single-handedly defeating numerous humans. But Liu Xing had a hunch that this battle could still be averted. Given the current circumstances, Liu Xing was certain that something unspeakable had urred between Jigu and Ghoul Elder. Moreover, he had a daring thought: Ghoul Elder had fallen in love with Jigu! After all, the current Ghoul Elder had assumed the demeanor of a wronged woman, with his attention entirely fixed on Jigu. What was more important was that Ghoul Elder had not yet given the direct order for the Ghouls tounch an attack, indicating his willingness to peacefully resolve the situation. The key to resolving the issue now rested on Jigu''s attitude. However, Jigu, at this moment, resembled an ostrich with his chin tightly pressed against his chest, showing no intention of speaking. Liu Xing couldn''t help but vent his frustration internally. Who on earth had written this scenario for the promotion game? It seemed as if the author had binge-watched three days and nights of melodramatic romance and three days and nights of boys'' love novels, and then spent a mere five minutes crafting this storyline! Liu Xing felt that his gaming experience in this promotion game was extremely subpar. At this point, as there was no response from Jigu, Ghoul Elder sighed quietly and then spoke in a cold tone, "Jigu, don''t think that your silence will spare you like it didst time. Let me make it clear today. You can eithere with me willingly, or you can wait until I''ve killed everyone else and forcibly take you!" As Ghoul Elder''s words fell, the more than one hundred Ghouls let out simultaneous howls, their shrill cries making Liu Xing feel like his eardrums were about to burst. Realizing that he could no longer remain silent, Jigu raised his head and said in a solemn voice, "Since you, Cao''er, have put it this way, may I request half an hour to contemte my decision?" Jigu unexpectedly referred to Ghoul Elder as "Cao''er," leaving Liu Xing in shock. However, on second thought, this "Cao''er" appetion reminded Liu Xing of someone¡ªKP Cao. While KP Cao had worn a mask at the time, Liu Xing had a clear recollection of KP Cao''s physique. Comparing it to Ghoul Elder''s current appearance, there was a striking simrity. With this idea in mind, Liu Xing stroked his chin, pondering the possibility of Ghoul Elder being yed by KP Cao as a cameo. "Very well, I will grant you another half-hour, but after that, you must give me an answer," Ghoul Elder nodded and said. Jigu sighed and addressed the others, "Please join me inside the church for now. There are some matters I need to exin to you." Jigu then walked back into the church. As for the others, they undoubtedly followed Jigu into the church. After all, no one enjoys being scrutinized by over a hundred Ghouls, especially when in the Ghouls'' eyes, you''re nothing more than mobile food. Once everyone was inside the church, Jigu began to speak, "I''m sure you''re all curious about the rtionship between that Ghoul and me." No one spoke. After all, anyone with normal emotional and intellectual intelligence understood that it was best to remain silent at this moment. "Very well, since none of you seem inclined to speak, I''ll tell you. Just listen. First and foremost, I must admit that all the rumors circting in Blood Howl Town about my preferences are true. I do indeed prefer the same sex, and I am only interested in corpses. These are choices I''ve made for myself, and I have no regrets about them." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 133: Prepare Yourself Mentally Before Proceeding Chapter 133: Prepare Yourself Mentally Before Proceeding "I know that in the real world, my preferences and inclinations would never be epted by anyone. But now, on this Sky Floating Ind, I can free myself from constraints, truly follow my heart. Moreover, I haven''t caused trouble for anyone else, so I believe that what I''m doing is not wrong," Jigu said with a calm expression. Listening to Jigu''s words, Liu Xing nodded silently. Although Jigu''s preferences and inclinations were unconventional, it seemed that Jigu''s thought process was rtively normal. Jigu paused for a few seconds and continued, "I met Cao''er, also known as Elder Ghoul, just one month ago, on a dark and windy night..." Based on Jigu''s introduction, Liu Xing finally learned about the love and hate rtionship between Jigu and Elder Ghoul. Despite Jigu''s unconventional preferences and inclinations, he was, in the end, an honest person who could restrain his desires. In simple terms, he had the desire butcked the courage to act on it. In the real world, he was also a recluse. After entering the Sky Floating Ind, Jigu discovered that the bodies of NPC yers who died on the ind would disappear directly. So when Jigu arrived at Blood Howl Town and learned about the Graveyard, he became interested. After all, NPC yer corpses would not be preserved, so in Jigu''s eyes, the bodies in the Graveyard were like highly realistic props, which stirred his inner desires. As a result, Jigu found a reason to take his subordinates into the Graveyard. Ostensibly, he went to kill Ghoul, but in reality, Jigu wanted to investigate and find some "items" that he could "use." After scouting the area, Jigu made a simple map of the Graveyard, most of the markings were, of course, just to cover up his true intentions. Finally, on a dark and windy night, Jigu couldn''t resist his desires any longer and decided to follow his heart, entering the Graveyard alone. Jigu knew that it was very dangerous to venture into the Graveyard alone, so he chose to find a suitable "item" nearby and then head to the church. By the way, ording to Jigu''s recent research, Ghoul never entered the church, and Jigu hadn''t figured out the specific reason. When Jigu entered the church with a "item" he was satisfied with, he suddenly heard a strange sound. Jigu immediately felt his scalp tingling, and his heart skipped a beat. When Jigu snapped back to reality, he saw a young and handsome man lying on the magic array in the center of the church. Most importantly, this many on the ground with his eyes tightly closed,pletely motionless, and there was no rise and fall of his chest! Without further ado, this man was none other than Elder Ghoul. Jigu raised an eyebrow, feeling excited, and approached, testing Ghoul''s breath. He discovered that Ghoul no longer had any signs of breathing. A match made in heaven. This was Jigu''s only thought at the time. Finally, Jigu took his first step. However, just as Jigu was content and preparing to leave the church, Elder Ghoul suddenly woke up! Jigu and Elder Ghoul locked eyes, and the scene became extremely awkward. Quickly, with a bewildered expression, Elder Ghoul''s figure moved like a ghost and, in an instant, appeared in front of Jigu, ready to stab a dagger directly into Jigu''s heart. At this critical moment, Jigu, surprisingly, forgot about his own life and hugged Elder Ghoul. And then, with a sense of impending doom, Jigu confessed his feelings to Elder Ghoul. Yes, Jigu confessed to Elder Ghoul! At this moment, Elder Ghoul, who had been taken aback by Jigu''s series of bold moves, let his emotions get the best of him, and in a moment of impulsiveness, he epted Jigu''s confession! At this point, it could be said that true love had conquered all obstacles. Although the love between Jigu and Elder Ghoul transcended not only gender but also age (Elder Ghoul imed to be 450 years old) and even race! However, the good times didn''tst. Jigu had assumed that Elder Ghoul would be some kind of undead creature, which would have satisfied his unique interests. But what Jigu didn''t expect was that Elder Ghoul was actually alive! As a mythical creature, Ghouls were known for their incredible resilience, especially elite Ghouls like Elder Ghoul, who possessed robust vitality. So suddenly, everything seemed mundane to Jigu. Therefore, Jigu decided to distance himself from Elder Ghoul. He casually found an excuse to leave the Graveyard and verbally promised to meet Elder Ghoul in the church every night. In reality, Jigu had no intention of entering the Graveyard again to avoid encountering Elder Ghoul. However, to Jigu''s surprise, the next night, he involuntarily found himself walking into the Graveyard and arriving at the church. It turned out that Elder Ghoul had used a spell on Jigu, ensuring he woulde to the church at the appointed time. Forced by circumstances, Jigu could only pretend to be in love with Elder Ghoul. However, as the saying goes, "The leopard can''t change its spots." Jigu still couldn''t ept Elder Ghoul. So, Jigu nned to confront Elder Ghoul. However, Jigu was no fool; he knew he couldn''t be straightforward about it. After all, Elder Ghoul''s abilities far surpassed his own, and killing him would be a piece of cake. Therefore, Jigu came up with what he believed was a clever reason¡ªthe difference between humans and ghosts. After all, Jigu was a human, and Ghoul was the enemy of humans. Moreover, Elder Ghoul was the leader of all Ghouls on the Sky Floating Ind. Therefore, they couldn''t be together. What Jigu didn''t anticipate was that Elder Ghoul was a straightforward person. He directly cursed Jigu with the intention of turning him into a Ghoul. At that moment, Jigu was bewildered and managed to escape the Graveyard while Elder Ghoul was busy maintaining the curse. Elder Ghoul couldn''t use other spells while keeping the curse active, which was why Jigu hadn''t been controlled by Elder Ghoul to enter the Graveyard during that time. Then, Jigu somehow learned about an item in the Graveyard that could break the curse, leading to the current situation. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 134: Bug Chapter 134: Bug As for the "love" story between Jigu and Elder Ghoul, Liu Xing found himself disinterested. However, what piqued Liu Xing''s curiosity was the strange sound Jigu had heard just before entering the church. It was clear that Elder Ghoul, as the leader of the mythical creatures in the small town, possessed formidable strength. Liu Xing even believed that with Elder Ghoul''s intervention, dealing with Sikong Yangbing''s Gatling heavy machine gun wouldn''t pose a problem. So, the question arose: why did Elder Ghoul, who was so powerful, allow Jigu to manipte him like a lifeless puppet into various poses? Therefore, Liu Xing had strong suspicions that it was the sound Jigu had heard that caused Elder Ghoul to lose consciousness, or perhaps... was it Nyathotep updating the "program"? Liu Xing still remembered what KP Luo Luo had said earlier, that Sky Floating Ind was a yground created by Nyathotep. Based on what Liu Xing currently knew, this Sky Floating Ind could be better described as a game, a real game created by Nyathotep where humans were thrown in to y, albeit with their lives. And at that time, Nyathotep might have wanted to update and maintain this "game," inadvertently causing the temporary disconnection of Elder Ghoul and other NPCs or Monsters, allowing Jigu to take advantage and do unspeakable things to Elder Ghoul. Liu Xing believed that his theory had at least a fifty percent chance of being correct. After all, considering Nyathotep''s character, it was entirely possible for him to do something like this. "Alright, now you should all understand the cause and effect of the situation," Jigu said calmly. "Although I have some peculiar interests, I am also someone who takes responsibility for my actions. So, I''ll just say it. I, Jigu, will take care of this myself. Later, I''ll go find Cao''er and have them release all of you." However, Liu Xing suddenly felt that the current Jigu was being overly calm, like a puppet. At this moment, Liu Xing had a daring idea. "KP, I want to use psychology on Jigu now. Is that okay?" Liu Xing began to contact KP Luo Luo. After a while, KP Luo Luo replied, "Um, why do you want to use psychology on Jigu?" Liu Xing was taken aback by KP Luo Luo''s questioning, which only strengthened his suspicion. "KP, I just want to know if Jigu is telling the truth." KP Luo Luo remained silent for a moment and then reluctantly said, "Well, if you really want to do it, but this time, the psychology check will be at a difficult level. So, Liu Xing, are you sure about this?" A difficult-level check meant that the yer''s attributes or skill values would be halved before making the assessment. However, Liu Xing had already made up his mind for his next move. He decided to go through with the difficult psychology check. "KP, let''s begin," Liu Xing said with a smile. Liu Xing, 27/35 (Difficult), seeded. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, a smile ying on his lips. "So, yer Liu Xing''s difficult psychology check has passed, and you''ve gained the following information: you suddenly feel that Jigu''s tone is unnaturally calm, devoid of any emotion, and you realize that Jigu is in a controlled state," KP Luo Luo spoke. Indeed. Liu Xing had felt that something was off about Jigu since a while ago. He appeared overly calm in the face of the current situation. Moreover, earlier, when confronting Elder Ghoul, Jigu had been evasive. So why was he now openly discussing his connection with Elder Ghoul? It was clearly unusual. Liu Xing suspected that Nyathotep had detected the bug caused by Jigu. After all, the inexplicable interaction between an NPC and a Monsters BOSS in the game was undoubtedly a significant bug. Therefore, Nyathotep must be working to fix this bug. Furthermore, with yers like them involved in this bug, Nyathotep had no choice but to control Jigu to forcibly resolve the story. But what concerned Liu Xing now was what would happen to the diamond in Jigu''s possession and how to deal with the exploration of Ghoul''sir. After all, when Jigu left, Caesar would likely take over his position. If Caesar decided to turn hostile and disown them, Liu Xing wouldn''t have many options left. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to take a risk. Since Archaeologist and ultist were already pushing their luck, he would join in and challenge Nyathotep''s limits. That''s right. This time, Liu Xing intended to expose Nyathotep''s control over Jigu, forcing Nyathotep to relinquish control. And the reason Liu Xing dared to do this was essentially a bet on whether Nyathotep would realize he was in the wrong and abandon the idea of forcing Jigu into a dangerous situation. After all, the current situation had arisen due to Nyathotep''s inadequate supervision, so Liu Xing''s actions could be considered "justified." However, Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten that Nyathotep was capricious, treating humans as ythings. As an Outer God, would Nyathotep truly care about his thoughts? So, Liu Xing believed that his chances of winning this gamble were only about twenty percent. But he also believed that the cost of losing this gamble wouldn''t be too high, at most, they would lose the chance to obtain three diamonds if Jigu were to be Ghoul. However, if he won this gamble, there would be significant benefits. After all, if he won, it meant Nyathotep acknowledged his wrongdoing, and he mightpensate the yers in some way. "Ji Wu, I think Jigu''s current state is a bit off. He might be under someone''s control. I suspect Elder Ghoul wants to y a trick, controlling Jigu to drive us away, and then he can slowly manipte Jigu," Liu Xing whispered to Ji Wu, patting his shoulder. Ji Wu nodded, showing that he understood Liu Xing''s point. "I see. I also thought Jigu seemed strange just now. His sudden change was too abrupt and forced." "So what should we do now? Ji Wu, do you have a way to help Jigu break free from this control? After all, Jigu is a crucial figure for us to obtain the three diamonds!" Liu Xing said earnestly. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 135: All Paper Tigers Chapter 135: All Paper Tigers Liu Xing''s unspoken words were naturally understood by Ji Wu. However, Ji Wu had his own thoughts now. "Liu Xing, the problem is that you''re aware of the current situation. Elder Ghoul has already surrounded us with over a hundred Ghouls. If Elder Ghoul doesn''t get Jigu, the consequences will be unimaginable." Ji Wu''s words made Liu Xing realize that Ji Wu was opting for stability at the moment. After all, this was the third promotion game, which determined whether they could advance to the next region. So, Ji Wu didn''t intend to take unnecessary risks. Liu Xing knew he couldn''t persuade Ji Wu at this point. Therefore, he could only seek support from Zhu Yan Yu and He Wei. After all, Ji Wu was an ultist, and Liu Xing believed he must have one or two spells. Ai Mei and Pei Si were still with Silvia, and he couldn''t easily call them over. So, Liu Xing could only turn to Zhu Yan Yu and He Wei. Liu Xing walked over to Zhu Yan Yu and He Wei, sharing the news of his sessful psychology assessment with them. Zhu Yan Yu nced at He Wei, then pondered for a moment before speaking, "Um, how should I put it? My thoughts are actually quite simr to Ji Wu''s. Given the current situation, Liu Xing, you are well aware that if we help Jigu break free from control, it''s tantamount to dering war on Elder Ghoul. The consequences would be dire, and we surely can''t defeat this group of Ghouls now." "Yeah, yeah, Zhu Yan Yu is right. If we go to war with Elder Ghoul now, it''s like hitting a rock with an egg, seeking our own death. So, let''s give up on Jigu and leave ourselves an escape route," He Wei chimed in. Upon hearing both Zhu Yan Yu and He Wei express the same sentiment, Liu Xing could only sigh silently and reluctantly nodded, preparing to abandon his bold idea. After all, Liu Xing had acted on impulse earlier, wanting to gamble with Nyathotep. But upon careful consideration, he realized his chances of winning were indeed too low. Nyathotep had hundreds of ways to kill him. However, at that moment, Ai Mei and Pei Si approached together. "What are you all talking about?" Pei Si asked with curiosity. Liu Xing shrugged and exined everything that had just happened. "I see. Liu Xing, your idea is indeed quite bold. But don''t forget, Elder Ghoul isn''t alone in this battle. He has over a hundred Ghouls behind him, and most likely, he''s already blocked the church entrance with his kin. We''ve lost our advantage in long-range attacks, so if we sh with the Ghouls, we''re pretty much doomed," Pei Si exined. However, at this moment, Ai Mei suddenly shook her head and spoke, "I see now. I also felt that something was off about Jigu''s situation before, but because I was so close to Jigu, I didn''t dare to observe too much. However, now it seems I have a bold guess. Elder Ghoul is trying to deceive us!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, curious. "What do you mean?" "Let me exin. Based on the actual situation, Elder Ghoul''s over a hundred Ghouls could easily overwhelm us. So, why hasn''t Elder Ghoul directly used force to seize Jigu? After all, that would be the simplest and quickest method. But Elder Ghoul hasn''t done so. It indicates that Elder Ghoul doesn''t believe his side''sbat strength can easily overpower us. Do you understand what I mean?" Ai Mei said seriously. After Ai Mei''s reminder, Liu Xing thought that there might be some truth to it. Elder Ghoul could have simply taken action, so why engage in discussions with them? "I actually saw a Ghoul standing at a distance with a missing arm just before entering the church. I didn''t pay much attention to it at the time. But now,bining it with your perspective, I think Elder Ghoul has emptied his nest, bringing in the elderly, weak, and disabled Ghouls," Ai Mei added. In the Cthulhu Mythos, as a lower-tier mythical creature, ordinary Ghouls were simr to humans and could experience aging, sickness, and death. They could also be disabled for various reasons. Moreover, based on Liu Xing''s knowledge, in a typical Ghoulmunity, at least a third of the Ghouls fell into the category of being elderly, weak, or disabled. These Ghouls hadbat abilities simr to an average person with a weapon, so they often stayed behind in the nest. However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that he had seen a Ghoul that appeared to be blind just before entering the church. This Ghoul kept its eyes tightly shut and, while other Ghouls were roaring towards the church, it had roared at another Ghoul nearby. "I see now. No wonder Elder Ghoul, even when holding a clear advantage, didn''t choose to attack directly. I thought he wanted to leave a good impression in front of Jigu, but in reality, these are just paper tigers," Pei Si remarked, not surprising Liu Xing with his words. At this point, Ji Wu also approached and said, "So, if we consider this, Elder Ghoul''s actualbat strength might be around forty to fifty Ghouls at most. The rest are just here for show to intimidate us." "Indeed, but we shouldn''t underestimate these elderly, weak, and disabled Ghouls either. However, I don''t think Elder Ghoul would choose to confront us head-on. After all, if ites to a desperate fight, we could probably take out fifty to sixty Ghouls at least," Ai Mei said thoughtfully. Ji Wu nodded and smiled, "So, given the current situation, we can''t just hand Jigu over to Elder Ghoul, especially when Jigu can''t make decisions independently right now." Just as Ji Wu finished speaking, Ai Mei, his arch-rival, smirked and said, "Oh, who was it that just suggested giving up on Jigu directly? Why the change of heart now?" Ji Wu chuckled awkwardly and said, "Well, earlier, I hadn''t fully grasped the specific situation, so I made some wrong decisions. Anyway, let''s not dwell on this now. It''s been over ten minutes, and we need to act quickly." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 136: Guiding Gaze Spell Chapter 136: Guiding Gaze Spell At this moment, Jigu, having just narrated the "love-hate entanglements" with Elder Ghoul, stood like a statue, unmoving and silent. His gaze was vacant, as if his soul had already departed. Liu Xing nodded, acknowledging thete hour. "Alright, let''s discuss how to lift Jigu from the controlled state." With the assurance that Elder Ghoul wouldn''tunch a strong attack, Liu Xing felt a sense of relief, willing to continue gambling with Nyathotep. "I have a spell that can keep someone conscious. I''m not sure if it will work on Jigu''s current condition, considering Elder Ghoul''s abilities surpass mine," Ji Wu, the "expert" in this matter, was the first to speak up. Zhu Yan Yu then took a small bottle from her pocket. "I have pills here that can keep someone awake. I believe these can enhance the sess rate of your spell, Ji Wu." Ji Wu nodded, epting the small bottle from Zhu Yan Yu. "Alright, I''ll go convince Miss Silvia to support our actions. Dealing with someone like Caesar is not going to be easy," Ai Mei said, breaking the silence. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Caesar stood beside Jigu like a loyal guardian. However, appearances could be deceiving. Liu Xing maliciously believed that Caesar, as the current deputy leader of Jigu''s team, was the one most eager to see Jigu "merge" with Elder Ghoul. With Jigu out of the picture, Caesar could naturally ascend to the top, reaping many benefits. Therefore, Liu Xing thought that Caesar standing by Jigu''s side wasn''t for Jigu''s protection but to prevent others from approaching him. "No time to waste, let''s go." Liu Xing nodded, and the group approached Jigu. Ai Mei went to Silvia''s side tomunicate with her, while Liu Xing and the others pondered how to divert Caesar''s attention or send him away. In the current situation, Caesar was the temporary leader of Jigu''s team, equal to Silvia, and she couldn''t demand much from him. "What do you think? Should I go chat with Caesar to buy you some time?" Liu Xing whispered to Ji Wu. Ji Wu shook his head, saying quietly, "Caesar seems problematic and looks like a proud person. I don''t think he''d be willing to chat with you." Liu Xing nced at Caesar and silently nodded. Just as Ji Wu said, Caesar now wore an expression that screamed ''I am the top dog.'' "How about this, we form a human wall around you, Ji Wu, to assist you in casting the spell. What do you think?" He Wei suggested from the side. After some thought, Ji Wu shook his head, saying resignedly, "Casting this spell is quite tricky. I need to have a face-to-face gaze with Jigu for about three minutes for a sessful casting. And, by the way, my casting movements are quite noticeable." As expected. Liu Xing had always been fond of mocking the magic in the Cthulhu Mythos, especially those offensive spells that required the caster to maintain continuous eye contact with the target. Consequently, Liu Xing grouped such spells under the category of Guiding Gaze Spells. "Well, thisplicates things. We can only engage Caesar for about a minute at most. If it goes any longer, every passing second increases the risk of Caesar noticing something amiss. Then, we''ll be in a real bind," Liu Xing rubbed his chin, expressing his frustration. Zhu Yan Yu nodded in agreement and suddenly suggested, "If that''s the case, why don''t we just confront Caesar directly? Make the situation more public, let everyone in the church know about the current circumstances. We should be able to gain the upper hand in public opinion, and Caesar will have no choice but to yield." "Exactly. Why should we hide? We''re doing all this for Jigu''s sake. Our people will surely support us, and those on Jigu''s side should also agree with our actions. I don''t believe Caesar''s reputation surpasses Jigu''s," Ji Wu smiled. "That''s not necessarily true." At that moment, Komatsu approached and said, "There are over a hundred Ghouls outside now. Even if half of them are old, weak, or sick, there are still more than fifty robust Ghouls, along with a Ghoul Elder of unknown strength. Many might choose to turn a blind eye and hand Jigu over to the Ghoul Elder, especially those on Jigu''s side. From what I know, Jigu''s role in the team is dispensable. He rarely handles things and leaves the team''s affairs to Caesar. So, your idea is practically impossible." Komatsu''s words left the group momentarily speechless; after all, his reasoning was sound. But then again, how did Komatsu get here? Liu Xing heard Ai Mei initiating contact with KP Luo Luo for persuasion. Ai Mei, 43/80, sess. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief; at least now Silvia was on their side, securing about half of the support. After a while, Ai Mei approached and said, "Miss Silvia has agreed to fully support us. Now, we just need to deal with the issue of Caesar." Liu Xing shrugged, rying the group''s earlier discussion to Ai Mei. Ai Mei furrowed her brows and said, "That''s a troublesome situation. If Caesar refuses our help in lifting Jigu from the controlled state, we''re left with only one option. The others will block Caesar and his group, and Ji Wu, if everything is okay on your end, you''ll cast the spell on Jigu forcefully, trying to bring him back to consciousness." Ji Wu nodded, confirming his readiness. However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered a crucial point and asked Ji Wu, "Ji Wu, what''s the sess rate of your spell under the current circumstances?" "In the current situation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I have about a sixty percent chance of bringing Jigu back to consciousness. If Zhu Yan Yu''s pills have any effect, I can increase that by another twenty percent," Ji Wu confidently stated. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 137: Nyarlathotep Makes a Formal Appearance Chapter 137: Nyathotep Makes a Formal Appearance Ji Wu''s confidence instilled assurance in the others, leading them to finalize their uing n. The n was rather straightforward. First, Silvia would act as a representative and approach Caesar, attempting diplomatic means to release Jigu from the state of control. If unsessful, Silvia would initiate a propaganda war, using Caesar of collusion with the Ghoul Elder, jointly manipting Jigu. Regardless of whether their side gained the upper hand in public opinion, Liu Xing and the group would seize control of the situation, with Ji Wu taking the opportunity to cast spells on Jigu. With their decision made, Liu Xing and the others began their actions. Ai Mei went to find Silvia, and together they sought out Caesar for a conversation. Liu Xing, apanied by Zhu Yan Yu, took the responsibility of protecting Ji Wu, standing on either side of him. He Wei, alongside Luo Cong, approached Caesar. Their n was to cooperate with Ai Mei and Silvia to control Caesar promptly in case the conversation failed. As for Komatsu, together with Luo Luo, they located Second Auntie. Cooperating with Second Auntie''s subordinates, they set up a formation, aiming to divide Jigu''s team on the outskirts. "Caesar, you should be well aware that the situation with Jigu is clearly abnormal now. I am certain that the Ghoul Elder has used spells to control Jigu!" Silvia''s voice suddenly raised, echoing in the church. Liu Xing understood; Caesar indeed had ulterior motives, intending to hand Jigu over directly to the Ghoul Elder. "Damn it, Silvia, can''t you keep your voice down a bit?" Caesar, sensing trouble, whispered to Silvia. At this moment, Liu Xing also noticed that the members of Jigu''s team, upon hearing Silvia''s words, had their expressions change. They began to gather in groups of two or three, discussing the matter. Silvia was well aware of this and decided to press on. Her voice rose a few decibels more. "What? You want me to speak more quietly? Why? Are we discussing something we shouldn''t be talking about?" With this statement, Silvia backed Caesar into a dilemma, and the discussion inside the church grew louder. Liu Xing even heard keywords like "betrayal," "abandon," and "usurpation." "Damn it, I am well aware of Jigu''s current situation. He is now ready to sacrifice himself, submit to the Ghoul Elder, just to ensure we can leave Graveyard alive. But when he thinks about turning into a Ghoul soon, Jigu feels a bit sorrowful, which is why he looks like this now." Caesar fell silent for a moment, finallying up with a somewhat usible exnation. Of course, this time, Caesar''s voice could finally rival Silvia''s. Caesar''s voice managed to suppress the discussions inside the church. However, Silvia had no intention of letting Caesar off. She sneered and said, "Hehe, Caesar, stop spouting nonsense with your eyes wide open. Take a look at Jigu now. He has no vitality, just like an lifeless sculpture. This is clearly the appearance of someone, or rather, Jigu, being controlled by the Ghoul Elder. And you, Caesar, are now aiding and abetting the Ghoul Elder, helping him manipte Jigu. What are your true intentions, Caesar?!" Caesar found himself momentarily speechless under Silvia''s scrutiny, and Silvia had no intention of allowing Caesar time to formte a response. "Hehe, I think, Caesar, you want Jigu to be a Ghoul so that you can rece him." With these words, the church instantly became lively, with everyone discussing whether Caesar truly harbored such intentions. "Damn it, Silvia, how can you use me without any evidence?" Caesar retorted, his embarrassment turning into anger. Silvia, well-prepared in her arguments, knew she couldn''t push Caesar too hard at the moment. Smiling, she said, "Well then, why not let Ji Wu use his ultist skills on Jigu? After all, Jigu is an ultist and is most familiar with these situations." Caesar, feeling cornered by Silvia, started to speak recklessly, "Heh, just because you say Ji Wu is an ultist, does that make him one? I could also im to be Emperor Caesar. I believe you are concocting a conspiracy to sow discord among us for your own gain. Perhaps you even want to take advantage of this situation to kill Jigu!" "Hehe, Caesar, you seem a bit panicky now. Don''t forget that the Ghoul Elder and a group of Ghouls are waiting outside the church. What benefit do we gain by sowing discord among you now? Also, if Jigu dies, how can the Ghoul Elder spare us? Everyone knows that to transform a yer into a Ghoul, it must be done while the yer is alive. If the yer dies beforepleting the transformation, they will disappear directly," Silvia said with disdain. Caesar was left speechless by Silvia''s retort. After a moment of silence, he sighed in resignation and loudly admitted, "Fine, Silvia, you win. I admit I nned to hand Jigu over to the Ghoul Elder. But I can tell you and everyone present clearly, I have no intention of taking Jigu''s ce. I''m doing it to ensure everyone survives. Regardless of the Ghoul Elder''s abilities, just the hundred or so Ghouls are beyond our capability to handle. So, let me ask you all, do you want to leave Graveyard alive or not?" Caesar''s words rendered the church silent, leaving Silvia''s side without a response. "It seems the situation is getting out of control," Liu Xing sighed silently. It appeared that it was time to resolve this matter with force. Silvia shook her head and said, "No one has the right to arbitrarily deprive others of the choice to decide for themselves. We cannot let Jigu be a Ghoul without a clear understanding. I''m sorry, Caesar." As Silvia finished speaking, Liu Xing and his group took out their guns, pointing them at the nearest enemies. Having seized the initiative, Liu Xing''s sidepletely suppressed Caesar''s faction. Facing the guns pointed at him, Caesar, instead of getting angry,ughed loudly and said, "Silvia, do you really want everyone to be buried with Jigu? I know Jigu well; he would never willingly be a Ghoul!" "How interesting." At this moment, the church doors suddenly swung open, and a ck man in a coat walked in, holding arge bag in his hand. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 138-139: Successful Promotion! Chapter 138-139: Sessful Promotion! Aughra?! Liu Xing looked at Aughra in surprise. He hadn''t expected Aughra to personally intervene. In Liu Xing''s n, Aughra was supposed to directly possess Jigu or Ghoul Elder and then resolve the relevant issues. But now, Aughra hade directly here, clearly intending to cause trouble. "Who are you? How did you get in?" Caesar asked Aughra, a bit surprised, considering the church entrance was blocked by over a hundred Ghouls. Aughra shrugged, smiling, "I''m just a delivery person, so I came in directly." Caesar was irritated by Aughra''s words,pletely ignoring the handguns pointed at him. He pushed aside Silvia and Ai Mei standing in front of him, walked up to Aughra, and said, "What''s with your attitude? I''m asking you a question, not joking." Caesar was about to get into trouble. Liu Xing sighed helplessly; Caesar was too impulsive. He dared to confront Nyathotep''s incarnation, Aughra, directly. Even if Caesar couldn''t recognize Aughra''s voice, he should have known that Aughra wasn''t an ordinary person. After all, Caesar knew there were over a hundred Ghouls outside the church. Now, Aughra could walk into the church unharmed, indicating that Aughra was not someone to be trifled with. However, at this point, Liu Xing suddenly noticed that Silvia and the others had lost their vitality in their eyes. They stood motionless, not even a strand of their hanging hair moved. Clearly, Aughra had started "maintenance mode" again. "Hehe." Aughra chuckled lightly, and Caesar instantly vanished! Liu Xing''s mind shook; he knew Aughra was using this to warn others. "Alright, the annoying guy has disappeared now. Dear yers, it''s time for us to have a good chat," Aughra said, walking over. "You should know my name¡ªAughra. You should also know my true name¡ªNyathotep. So, I hope you can call me Nyathotep. After all, ording to your human customs, when addressing deputy directors, assistant managers, and simr positions, you like to omit the ''deputy'' to show respect." Aughra gestured casually, and Silvia and the others silently left the church. Bute to think of it, Liu Xing felt that Aughra was breaking the game''s rules?! After all, Liu Xing knew that Aughra was the incarnation of Nyathotep, but "Liu Xing" didn''t know that. So, logically speaking, Aughra''s words were bordering on breaking the game. "Hehe, what I just said did indeed break the game''s rules, but so what? I am Aughra, the incarnation of the Outer God Nyathotep. Some rules don''t apply to me, so rest assured. Now, you can consider this promotion game over; you''ve all sessfully cleared it," Aughra said, approaching Liu Xing''s group with a smile. "KP, Aughra, oh no, it should be Nyathotep. Is what it said true?" Pei Si contacted KP Luo Luo with doubt. "Of course, Aughra''s rank in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is much higher than mine. It has theplete authority to decide whether a game continues or not. So, since Aughra has said so, congrattions to all yers for sessfully passing this promotion game. You have officially advanced from the Ghoul area to the Shoggoth area. As for the rewards forpleting the game, they will be distributed after you have finished interacting with Aughra." Liu Xing could sense a hint of helplessness in KP Luo Luo''s tone. "Haha, Luo Luo, you''re being a bit too particr. Although I ended the game you were hosting prematurely, I will definitelypensate you. After all, you know I''m Aughra, a straightforward person, different from ck Pharaoh and the others." Aughra said with a smile. ck Pharaoh, also an incarnation of Nyathotep, is portrayed as an arrogant pharaoh in ancient Egyptian attire. "Uh, Mr. Nyathotep, is there something you''re looking for bying to us now?" Ai Mei asked cautiously. Aughra pointed at Liu Xing and said, "No need to be so tense. Just call me Nyathotep directly, without adding any formalities like ''Mr.'' As for why I personally intervened, you should ask Liu Xing. He''s the one who forced me toe out." Liu Xing chuckled, knowing he had made the right gamble this time. "Mr. Nyathotep, you''re overestimating me. I just stumbled into this situation." "Oh, forget it. Call me whatever you want. Since Liu Xing is so modest, let me exin. Originally, the plot between Jigu and Ghoul Elder was a bug. They weren''t supposed to have much interaction, but due to my momentary mistake, this absurd plotline emerged. It severely affected your uing plot, so I nned to control Jigu to end this subplot. Unexpectedly, Liu Xing yed a hand, forcing me to intervene personally and conclude this promotion game." Aughra still had a smile on his face, but Liu Xing''s back was already soaked. Liu Xing felt a bit lost now. When he schemed against Aughra initially, he hadn''t considered that Aughra had the authority to directly end the promotion game. ording to KP Luo Luo, Aughra''s permissions were even more extensive. For example, directly erasing him! Aughra looked at Liu Xing, saying with a smile, "Liu Xing, don''t overthink it. I''m not like Blood Howl, an unreasonable incarnation. It''s a good thing you pointed out my mistake. How could I possibly retaliate against you? Besides, I have a little gift for you. Receive it from the gift center after you exit the game." Upon hearing Aughra''s words, Liu Xing felt relieved. After all, as an incarnation of Nyathotep, Aughra wouldn''t deceive a mere human like him for no reason. But speaking of which, Liu Xing found Aughra quite interesting. He seemed to enjoy teasing his "brothers" ¡ª Aughra, ck Pharaoh, and Blood Howl are all incarnations of Nyathotep and, logically, should be considered brothers. "Alright, I won''t waste your time any longer. Let me summarize. Due to my negligence, the yers'' gaming experience was extremely poor. So, in addition to the regr rewards, I''llpensate each yer with a one-time random spell card. I hope you all like it." As Aughra finished speaking, a small ck card appeared in Liu Xing''s hand. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Author Says Happy New Year! (As Per Raws...) Skip this & Read Next Chapter! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 141: The Secret of Sky Floating Island Chapter 141: The Secret of Sky Floating Ind "Nyathotep''s specially crafted small card seals a spell cast by Nyathotep. As for the specific nature of the spell, Nyathotep himself is not entirely sure. It could be a summoning of Byakhee, or perhaps a world-destroying spell. However, using this specially crafted Nyathotep card will result in a permanent loss of two MP." After reading the introduction of the ck card in his hand, Liu Xing had only one thought - this is a good deal. This ck card is like a super deluxe version of a lottery machine. After all, Nyathotep is one of the most powerful deities in the Cthulhu Mythos, capable of using the vast majority of magic within it. However, as Liu Xing thought, most of the magic in the Cthulhu Mythos is tricky, like the "Contact Earth-boring Demon Worm" spell, which is a kill-and-bury type of magic. ording to Liu Xing''s understanding of Nyathotep''s character, the spell sealed by Nyathotep is likely to be of this kind. Thinking this way, Liu Xing decided to treat this ck card with the same care as the candies given by K. "Alright, everyone, you can now bring up your concerns or leave if you have none. I mean, if you have any questions, you can ask me now. If there are no issues, I can send you off Sky Floating Ind," Aughra said with a smile. As soon as Aughra finished speaking, Zhu Yan Yu and He Wei spoke in unison, "I have no questions, Mr. Aughra." After a brief exchange, Liu Xing understood that Zhu Yan Yu and He Wei were cautious individuals. Pei Si, after pondering for a moment, also spoke, "Mr. Aughra, I have no questions now." Aughra nodded, and the three of Zhu Yan Yu instantly disappeared. "Alright, for the remaining individuals, each of you can ask one question, but it must be rted to Sky Floating Ind," Aughra said with a smile. Ai Mei nodded and took the lead, "Mr. Aughra, I want to know the clearance conditions for this scenario. Besides obtaining enough diamonds and surviving until thest person, are there any hidden clearance methods?" "Of course, considering you all already know how difficult it is to obtain the five diamonds in Blood Howl Town, you can imagine how challenging it is in the other four regions. In each area, I have arranged at least two hidden clearance methods. For example, you should have already guessed one hidden clearance method, which is to repair the magic array in the center of the church, then sacrifice an offering to randomly allow a yer to clear the scenario. And the sacrifice can be of any type, whether human or various mythical creatures," Aughra exined in detail. Ai Mei nodded and then disappeared directly. Obviously, the person who asks thest question will receive more information. So Liu Xing and Ji Wu looked at each other, neither wanting to ask first. However, the deadlock was soon broken. "Alright, the next one will be Ji Wu," Aughra directly named. Ji Wu sighed and spoke, "Mr. Aughra, I want to know if, ording to the original scenario of Sky Floating Ind, I have the opportunity to acquire spells?" Liu Xing understood that Ji Wu was referring to spells but actually meant acquiring a spellbook. After all, most spells avable to yers are recorded in spellbooks, albeit often iplete. As an ultist, Ji Wu''s goal was naturally to find a way to advance to be a Wizard. After all, Wizards and ultists are two distinct concepts¡ªthe former capable, and thetter not so much. To advance from an ultist to a Wizard, or for any ss to be a Wizard, the first step is to obtain a spellbook. For example, Liu Xing acquired the "Mysterious Lord''s Seven Chapters Secret Scripture" in the previous scenario. Despite appearing to be a misceneous book containing various legendary stories, it fundamentally falls under the category of a spellbook. Unfortunately, Liu Xing only obtained a fragment; otherwise, he could have be a Wizard during the Interlude Growth. "As for spellbooks, there are indeed some on Sky Floating Ind, and not just one. However, with your current strength, it''s basically impossible to obtain these spellbooks, unless you receive the favor of the Dice Maiden and achieve ten consecutive critical sesses. And if you miss a critical sess even once, then it''s game over for you," Aughra shrugged, smiling. Ji Wu nodded thoughtfully and then disappeared. "Alright, now it''s just you, Liu Xing. Feel free to ask any questions," Aughra said with a delighted expression. Liu Xing chuckled, but inside, he started to feel a bit uneasy. After all, he was alone in a room with an outer god. "So, Mr. Aughra, what I want to know now is the essence of this Sky Floating Ind?" Liu Xing took a deep breath and asked. "Interesting," Aughra looked at Liu Xing, smiling without speaking. Liu Xing chuckled, knowing he had asked a rather foolish question, one that might lead him into a dangerous situation. After what seemed like a long time, Aughra chuckled and said, "I can actually answer your question, but only to a small extent." "This Sky Floating Ind is actually simr to the Mirror World you visited before. ording to your human terms, Sky Floating Ind and the Mirror World are still in the testing phase. So, we divided Sky Floating Ind''s mission into thousands of scenarios with varying difficulties. These were then assigned to yers in different regions for testing. For example, the scenario you are currently in is considered one of the simplest missions on Sky Floating Ind." "By the way, the actual area of Sky Floating Ind has reached nine million square kilometers, divided into over a thousand regions. If you''re lucky enough to survive until then, maybe you''ll have the chance to enter the real Sky Floating Ind. If you can still see me by then, I''ll be happy to offer you some help," Aughra said with a smile. After listening to Aughra''s exnation, Liu Xing was utterly bewildered. He hadn''t expected Aughra to be so straightforward, revealing the secrets of Sky Floating Ind directly. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 142: Back to Reality Chapter 142: Back to Reality ording to Aughra, the surface area of Sky Floating Ind was nowparable to that of China''s territory. The division into thousands of regions indicated the presence of thousands of mythical creatures more powerful than Elder Ghouls. Beings like Aughra, external god incarnates, might just be guardians or bosses of certain regions. However, returning to the main point, even if the Sky Floating Ind scenario officiallyunched, it would be entrusted to yers in the Cthulhu region to explore. As a yer from the Ghoul region, no, as a novice who had just ascended to the Shoggoth region, Liu Xing didn''t even have the qualification to enter Sky Floating Ind. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt a sense of relief; it seemed he wouldn''t have to face danger so soon. "Alright, take this, and you can leave," Aughra said, handing a pocket to Liu Xing. Perplexed, Liu Xing took the pocket. Suddenly, everything blurred before his eyes. When he regained his senses, Liu Xing found himself sitting in a pavilion. Across from him sat a young man in traditional Chinese clothing, undoubtedly KP Luo Luo. "Oh, you finally arrived. I was worried that Aughra might have done something to you," KP Luo Luo said with a smile. Shaking his head, Liu Xing nced around and asked, "Um, Aughra is actually not bad. By the way, have the others already returned to the real world?" "Yeah, because of Aughra''s interference, the settlement of this promotion game was simplified. Firstly, yer Liu Xing gained 1000 points and a custom-made pistol by Nyathotep. By the way, Nyathotep''s custom pistol has undergone some changes. yers can check the specifics in the real world through the item interface," KP Luo Luo said with a hint of frustration. Liu Xing chuckled; he didn''t expect the rewards for this promotion game to be so abundant. Just the 1000 points alone made him ecstatic, not to mention the fact that he also received Nyathotep''s custom pistol. It''s worth noting that Liu Xing''s character card was of Chinese nationality, making it quite challenging to acquire firearms. Moreover, Liu Xing''s profession was a doctor, making it practically impossible for him toe into contact with firearms. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, firearms yed a crucial role. They allowed long-distance attacks, could perform multiple attacks in eachbat round, and dealt substantial damage. Since most enemies in the Cthulhu RPG Game were melee units, the advantages of firearms were even more apparent. However, firearms also had significant drawbacks. Firstly, there was the issue of uracy. Liu Xing''s pistol shooting skill had a basic value of only 20, so hitting an enemy was nearly impossible. Secondly, there was the problem of ammunition. Specific firearms required specific bullets, and some bullets were not easy to obtain, especially in scenarios set in China. Liu Xing had virtually no way of acquiring any bullets in such scenarios, rendering his pistol useless. Therefore, Liu Xing began contemting where he could find bullets. However, he was still unaware of the type of bullets Nyathotep''s custom pistol required. "Alright, now that you''ve got Nyathotep''s special chicken rice, I''ll just send you back to reality," KP Luo Luo said, ncing at the pocket in Liu Xing''s hand and smiling. As soon as KP Luo Luo finished speaking, Liu Xing experienced the familiar darkness before returning to the real world. Standing up, Liu Xing stretchedzily and suddenly realized he was still holding the pocket in his hand. "I can''t believe I brought this pocket to the real world. Don''t tell me this is a forced consumption?" Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten that bringing items from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall to reality required spending points. Ignoring the changes to his character card, Liu Xing directly opened the item page and found that he now had 1083 points. This meant that bringing the pocket from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall didn''t consume any points. "But if I heard correctly, KP Luo Luo said this pocket contains Nyathotep''s special chicken rice. Is this something meant for humans to eat?" Liu Xing looked at the pocket, expressing some confusion. After all, Nyathotep was an outer god, and Liu Xing was just a human. Chicken rice made by an outer god didn''t seem like something meant for humans to consume. However, Liu Xing realized he sessfully got chicken without firing a single shot this time. "ording to KP Luo Luo, Ji Wu and the others also received Nyaruko''s special chicken rice. However, mine should be a special version, or else Aughra wouldn''t have personally handed it to me. Aughra shouldn''t harm me; there''s no need. Let''s see how it looks first before deciding whether to eat it." After some contemtion, Liu Xing decided to open the pocket and see how Nyathotep''s special chicken rice looked. Taking out a stic container from the pocket¡ªamon takeout box¡ªLiu Xing opened it. Finally, he saw Nyathotep''s special chicken rice. As a chicken rice specially made by an outer god, it didn''t look any different from ordinary chicken rice. Liu Xing even suspected that Nyathotep had ordered takeout from some food delivery tform and put his name on it! "It looks like it''s edible," Liu Xing said while carefully taking a bite using the spoon that came with the pocket. Isn''t this just chicken rice?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Nyathotep''s special chicken rice was indeed no different from the chicken rice on those food delivery tforms. "I can''t believe this chicken rice is meant for humor. But after finishing the mission, I am a bit hungry," Liu Xingmented while eating. While Liu Xing was enjoying Nyathotep''s special chicken rice, Aughra on Sky Floating Ind emerged from the church, observing the motionless Elder Ghoul and Jigu. "Ah, how should this bug be resolved? It''s so annoying," Aughra said, rubbing the back of his head in frustration. Suddenly, Aughra lightly jumped to the right, and a massive tombstone fell from the sky,nding heavily where Aughra had been standing a moment earlier. "ck Pharaoh, how many times have I told you not to randomly throw things? Why don''t you listen? What if it hits someone?" Aughra chuckled, turning around. At this moment, a pitch-ck Pharaoh coffin appeared in front of Aughra. Aughra tapped the Pharaoh coffin and said with a smile, "ck Pharaoh, if you have the ability,e out. Don''t hide inside. I know you''re in there." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 143: Bountiful Harvest Chapter 143: Bountiful Harvest "Hehe, Aughra, how did you just arrange things for me? Don''t think I don''t know." A cold and proud voice emanated from the Pharaoh''s coffin. Aughra raised an eyebrow, awkwardly smiled, and evaded the question, "Uh, ck Pharaoh, aren''t you in charge of the party? Why did you suddenlye to me?" "Hehe, if I didn''te, how would I know how you arranged things for me? And why did Ie back? Aughra, don''t you have any idea?" ck Pharaoh''s tone carried a hint of annoyance. Aughra, sensing trouble, immediately tried to appease, "ck Pharaoh, calm down first. I just took a few dishes, why get so angry? We''re brothers, after all." "Hehe, what''s the use of those dishes? Aughra, don''t tell me you don''t know. And you even gave the party tickets to a new yer. You''re quite generous." ck Pharaoh sneered. Aughra shrugged, smiling, "ck Pharaoh, that''s where you''re wrong. How can you look down on neers? Haven''t you heard the saying, ''Thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west bank; don''t underestimate a poor youth''? Believe it or not, this neer might surpass you in the future." "Hmph, just mere humans. They can''t even pierce through my armor, let alone harm me. Aughra, I can''t be bothered to argue with you. Do as you please." As ck Pharaoh spoke, the Pharaoh''s coffin disappeared without a trace. Aughra chuckled and muttered to himself, "This group of neers should be able to cultivate one or two suitable gu in the future. I hope you don''t disappoint me, especially Liu Xing. I have high expectations for you. But that chicken rice with added ingredients, Liu Xing should be able to eat it..." Back to reality. After finishing Nyathotep''s special chicken rice, Liu Xing wiped his mouth. Now he was sure that this chicken rice was no different from what he had in college. "Aughra is a bit deceiving. I thought eating this chicken rice would directly increase my attributes." Liu Xingined while opening the gift interface. Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten that Aughra had mentioned sending him a gift. Now he could only hope that this gift wouldn''t be as disappointing as the chicken rice. "Invitation to the Dark Party?" Liu Xing opened the gift center, and a page popped up. "Invitation to the Dark Party: When a yer has a character card in the torn state, they can choose to use this invitation to the Dark Party. After spending 2000 points, the yer can use the torn character card for a special Cthulhu campaign scenario¡ªDark Party. Afterpleting the Dark Party, the torn character card will return to its normal state and gain the trait¡ªResurrection." "Trait¡ªResurrection: After experiencing the cycle of life and death, this character card has seen through everything. So, after each SAN value check, this character card will undergo an additional Will check. If the Will check is sessful, the character card will recover 1 point of SAN value." Liu Xing was delighted; this Dark Party module was clearly a resurrection module. Cthulhu RPG Game, due to the factors of Interlude Growth, can also be considered a cultivation game. yers gradually transform an ordinary human investigator into an elite one with eighteen martial skills, even cultivating into a legend like Harvey (an NPC in the rulebook, a seasoned investigator proficient in hundreds of skills, having encountered countless mythical creatures). The sense of aplishment is self-evident. The mechanics of the Cthulhu RPG Game make tearing cards amon urrence. When a character card that you have cultivated for a long time, with all attributes and skill values exceeding 90, faces a character card that survived confronting Nyaruko, the Great Failure results in a Ghoul ambush and death, the frustration is beyond description. Therefore, resurrection modules came into existence. Resurrection module difficulties are generally not high, as they essentially provide benefits. Also, the character cards that need resurrection won''t have low attribute and skill values. Thus, resurrection modules have the highestpletion rates in the Cthulhu RPG Game. However, Liu Xing feels that, ording to the style of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, the difficulty of the Dark Party resurrection module shouldn''t be too low. After all, Liu Xing believes this module is designed for yers'' initial character cards. The yer''s initial character card, aside fromcking additional items, already possesses attributesparable to a golden character card. The current price for a golden character card is 5000 points, excluding the value of additional items, making a golden character card worth around 3500 points. From the operator''s perspective, a Dark Party that costs 2000 points to enter, with a fifty percentpletion rate, is already considered conscientious management. "This time, Aughra is quite generous. This invitation to the Dark Party is a decent insurance." Liu Xing nodded in satisfaction and spoke. Oh, right. Liu Xing suddenly remembered that the Nyathotep custom-made pistol he received seemed to have undergone some changes. Thinking about this, Liu Xing immediately opened the item interface and found the Nyathotep custom-made pistol. "Nyathotep Custom-Made Pistol (Mutation): After undergoing mutation, the Nyathotep custom-made pistol cannot change magazines. The magazine capacity is 10 rounds, with 1 round automatically replenishing per minute. When the magazine is empty, the yer can choose to consume 1 point of magazine capacity to quickly restore 3 rounds of ammunition. Each bullet''s damage is 1d8+1. The yer can fire a maximum of 3 rounds perbat round, and the pistol provides the user with a 10-point handgun shooting skill. Note: Due to the special material of this pistol, its presence can only be detected by the naked eye." "Damn!" Liu Xing was pleasantly surprised. He didn''t expect the Nyathotep custom-made pistol after mutation to be so powerful; it could be considered an artifact in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Liu Xing felt that this mutated Nyathotep custom-made pistol was perfect for him. Not only did it have high damage, but it could also automatically replenish ammunition. It also increased his handgun shooting skill by 10 points. Most importantly, this pistol could evade any security measures, avoiding the awkward situation of being caught illegally carrying a firearm during plot insertion. In conclusion, Liu Xing felt that this promotion game was a bountiful harvest. He not only gained 1000 points but also obtained a powerful self-defense weapon and an invitation to a resurrection module. Of course, if he could get rid of that chicken rice, it would be even more perfect. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 144: Urgent Recruitment (Various Requests) Chapter 144: Urgent Recruitment (Various Requests) Just as Liu Xing was preparing to close the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and rx by ying other games, a massive pop-up suddenly took over the entire screen. "Attention to all online yers in the Shoggoth area, emergency recruitment is now open. yers only need to spend 10 points within the three-minute activity time for a chance to participate in a special module. The difficulty of this special module is set to easy, with a yer limit of 5. Completion rewards are 500 points, and failure grants 100 points. The character card used by the yer will be automatically generated within the module." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at his luck. He had just advanced to the Shoggoth area and encountered an event. In Liu Xing''s perspective, this emergency recruitment seemed like a lottery. yers invest 10 points for a chance to receive at least 100 points as a reward. If lucky, they could get 500 points, and there was no risk of tearing their character card, as it would be automatically provided. However, Liu Xing noticed that over five hundred people had already signed up two minutes before the end of the emergency recruitment, and he estimated that the number might reach 2000 by the end. "Should I take a gamble?" Liu Xing stroked his chin, contemting. With only ten seconds left before the end of the emergency recruitment, Liu Xing ultimately clicked the registration button. After all, sometimes it''s worth taking a risk for a chance at a significant reward. "A total of 2074 people, meaning the probability of me being selected is around 1 in 415. Looks like my chances are quite slim." While saying this, Liu Xing nned to go to the living room to pour himself a ss of water. However, just as Liu Xing''s left foot stepped out the door, a familiar darkness enveloped his vision, making him realize that his luck today was indeed quite good. Scenario Name: Inte Addiction Rehabilitation Center Difficulty: Easy yer Number: Five Background Story: In a city, there is an Inte Addiction Rehabilitation Center established by Professor Yang. Because it only takes one month to "recover" students from inte addiction, it has gained widespread poprity among parents who eagerly send their children to this addiction treatment center... yers, please roll a 1d6 die. The result will determine the character card you will use in this Cthulhu RPG Game. At this moment, Liu Xing felt an extra die in his hand. Without much thought, he rolled the die. Liu Xing, 1d6=6, gains the profession: Intern Doctor Name: Liu Xing Profession: Doctor Education: College Birthce: Rongcheng, Sichuan, China Gender: Male Age: 20 Background: Ordinary person. Connection to this scenario: Liu Xing, who just graduated from a local medical school, has been arranged by an acquaintance to work at the Inte Addiction Rehabilitation Center. Character Attributes Strength: 55 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 60 Luck: 70 Agility: 55 Appearance: 60 Build: 45 Intelligence: 60 Inspiration: 60 Education: 70 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 0 Sanity Points: 60/60 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit: 35 Skills: First Aid 30, Psychology 50, Medicine 50, Persuasion 50, Investigation 60 Personal Items: Mobile phone, wallet, cigarettes, lighter, Swiss army knife (counterfeit). Interpersonal Rtionships: Professor (40), Security Guard Old Qin (40), Security Team Leader (40) Liu Xing looked at the character card he needed to use this time and could only utter, "It''s fate." The randomly drawn character card turned out to be a doctor, but all aspects of its attributes were far lower than his own character card. If that was the case, Liu Xing felt it would be somewhat challenging. After all, his character card seemed to be the best among all, yet he was still a weak yer. Trying topete with a Wizard would undoubtedly lead to a self-inflicted death. At this moment, a somewhat ethereal voice echoed in Liu Xing''s ears: "Alright, I am your DM ghost. In this special module, each yer''s character has amon mission¡ªto leave the Inte Addiction Rehabilitation Center. Thepletion reward is 500 points. However, besides this, each yer also has an exclusive mission. Completing the exclusive mission will grant additional rewards. Okay, it''s time to delve into the plot." Liu Xing once again experienced a moment of darkness. When he regained consciousness, he found himself sitting in a cramped office. Observing the officeyout, Liu Xing deduced that this room served as both his personal office and bedroom. It contained only a desk and a wire bed, with not even aputer. However, Liu Xing noticed a desk calendar and realized it was still July 2003. The absence of aputer seemed normal, especially considering this was the Inte Addiction Rehabilitation Center. "yer Liu Xing, due to your character card''s unique profession, you have two choices for your exclusive mission. The first option is to diligently work for the professor, preventing all patients from leaving the Inte Addiction Rehabilitation Center. Completing this mission will earn you an additional 200 points. The second option is to stand on the side of the patients, assisting them in escaping the center. Completing this mission will earn you an additional 150 points. Please make your choice within one minute," the DM ghost''s voice made Liu Xing feel a bit uneasy. "I choose the second option, to help patients escape from the Inte Addiction Rehabilitation Center!" Liu Xing stated without hesitation. Although the first option offered a higher reward and had a lower difficulty, as a doctor, Liu Xing steadfastly chose the second option. "You''ve made a wrong choice, but your decision ismendable. I wish you good luck," the DM ghost said solemnly. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 145: Cthulhu Performance Academy Chapter 145: Cthulhu Performance Academy In the realm of Cthulhu RPG Game, the emphasis lies in a profound sense of immersion. Consequently, many yers in the Cthulhu RPG Game are adept at theatricality, each one seemingly more dramatic than thest. However, a significant portion of these dramatic yers often find themselves afflicted with delusions of persecution by the game master (kp), leading to instances where they drive the kp to madness and unleash chaos upon the game, epitomized by the notorious Nyaruko. "Alright, Wu Wei, please share with us the details of the secret ballot that kp had you participate in just now. Also, provide us with the results after the electrotherapy," Zhang Jingxu said, breaking the silence. Wu Wei nodded and spoke earnestly, "The secret ballot just now determined the oue of the electrotherapy. Initially, it assesses the post-electrotherapy state, which falls into three categories. The first is the state I just demonstrated ¨C dementia. The second is incoherent speech, and the third is no discernible effect. If it''s not the third state, a second assessment follows, a roll of 1d20 to determine the severity of the condition. Hence, I suspect it''s an umtive assessment. After multiple electrotherapies, when the numerical value of a certain state umtes to 100, we bepletely immersed in that state and unable to break free. As for the final assessment, it''s a roll of 1d100, determining the duration of the current state in minutes. In my case, I rolled three times, and each time resulted in a 1, so I quickly recovered." After listening to Wu Wei, Liu Xing was puzzled and asked, "Wu Wei, have your attributes and skill values decreased?" "Not yet. That''s why I suspect the state values umte iteratively. When the state values umte to a certain extent, the attributes and skill values will likely decrease. However, on second thought, if we undergo electrotherapy every day, averaging it out, we''ll only need about ten days to umte a state value of 100. By then, we''ll most likely be in serious trouble. So, we have only nine days left to escape from this inte addiction treatment center," Wu Wei said with a serious expression. "Alright then, Wu Wei, if your acting skills are so impressive, continue to y the part of dementiater. Xue Jingliu and I will maintain normalcy. But, Liu Xing, remember to tell Professor Yang that Xue Jingliu and I initially had the same state as Wu Wei, but quickly recovered," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Wu Wei looked at Zhang Jingxu with a disgruntled expression and jokingly scolded, "Zhang Jingxu, what do you mean by continuing dementia? But speaking of which, it''s been more than ten minutes now. What about the second lucky assessment that kp promised?" During the previous Private Room session, the kp ghost had mentioned that a lucky assessment would take ce ten minutester to determine if Professor Yang would return early. However, upon careful consideration, it had been more than ten minutes, and the kp ghost had yet to bring up the matter. With this in mind, Liu Xing quickly contacted the kp ghost, "kp, you said there would be a lucky assessment after ten minutes. Why haven''t you started it yet? Did you forget?" As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, the kp ghost replied, "How could I forget such a thing? The reason I haven''t conducted the lucky assessment is that your teammate has already engaged Professor Yang, making it impossible for Professor Yang to return here temporarily. Therefore, the lucky assessment will be postponed. As for how long the dy will be, I can''t determine at the moment because your teammate is a Veteran Driver and very skilled at utilizing the advantages of his role. In theory, he can hold off Professor Yang for an entire day!" The words of the kp ghost left Liu Xing and the others in disbelief. They hadn''t expected their unseen teammate to be so formidable, capable of dying Professor Yang for such a long time. Moreover, it seemed that this teammate, a Veteran Driver who had spent a considerable amount of time in the Shoggoth area, was delivering good news. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, an experienced yer could significantly increase the chances of the team sessfullypleting a quest. However, in practice, this meant going from a one percent chance to a mere two percent... "Well, it seems we don''t need to perform anymore, judging by the situation. But on second thought, there are no surveince cameras here, right? In case Professor Yang discovers our private transactions with Liu Xing, we''ll be in deep trouble," Xue Jingliu suddenly raised a concern. Liu Xing examined the possible locations in the treatment area where cameras might be installed but found nothing. "There are no cameras here, and there shouldn''t be any. After all, the power of Yi''s People''s electrotherapy device is considerable, and it would greatly affect cameras. So, there probably won''t be any cameras installed here," Liu Xing voiced his thoughts. Wu Wei shrugged and added, "Liu Xing, that''s not necessarily the case. Given the advanced technology of Yi''s People, it''s quite normal for them to create a camera unaffected by maic fields." Before Liu Xing could respond, Zhang Jingxu stepped forward, saying, "That should be impossible. Wu Wei, don''t forget, it''s still 2003, and this is, at best, a second-tier city. Professor Yang''s ess to materials might not be that great, so even if he has the know-how, he''s limited by the avable resources." Upon hearing Zhang Jingxu''s words, Wu Wei could only nod silently, indicating agreement. "Alright, let''s get back to the point. Act normalter, and I''ll undergo electrotherapy with Professor Yang, showing some abnormalities. You should know what to do next," Liu Xing said with a smile. Just then, the kp ghost spoke up, "Alright, it''s time for the second lucky assessment. This time, it''s a fifty-fifty chance. If the dice roll is below 50, it''s a sess. So, who wants to roll the dice this time?" "Let me do it," Xue Jingliu said confidently. Xue Jingliu, 96/50, Critical Failure. ... A silence fell over the group. "Haha, your good luck has finally run out. Now, because Professor Yang suddenly remembered, Liu Xing, you''re still waiting for him in Treatment Room 1. So, Professor Yang will return to Treatment Room 1 in one minute," the kp ghost said with a mischievous smile. Liu Xing sighed and said to Zhang Jingxu and the others, "Alright, everyone back in position. kp, we''re ending the Private Room time." After ending the Private Room time, Wu Wei looked utterly confused and said, "Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?" Wu Wei''s philosophical three questions made Liu Xing raise an eyebrow. Wu Wei truly lived up to being a drama enthusiast, adding drama to himself. Liu Xing thought that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall could now be renamed the Cthulhu Performance Training Center. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 146: Uncle Qins Spiritual Chicken Soup Chapter 146: Uncle Qins Spiritual Chicken Soup Liu Xing stopped in his tracks, feigning nonchnce as he spoke, "Yeah, I just finished shopping and saw Captain Luoing back from the post office, so I hitched a ride with him on the way back." Uncle Qin chuckled knowingly, "So, Captain Luo must have told you something, right?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow, discreetly nced at the monitoring screen, confirming that there were no cameras capturing his conversation with Captain Luo just now. "Uh, Uncle Qin, what do you mean? I really don''t understand," Liu Xing said, pulling a bottle of white wine from his pocket and walking towards him with a smile. Uncle Qin, grinning, epted the bottle from Liu Xing and said, "You should understand what I mean, Liu Xing. So, do you really believe everything Captain Luo said?" After hearing Uncle Qin''s words, Liu Xing was momentarily puzzled, but he quickly realized that since he had triggered the Hidden Quests, it meant Captain Luo was telling the truth. So, Liu Xing earnestly replied, "Since you put it that way, Uncle Qin, I''ll be honest. I do believe what Captain Luo said because I think he makes a lot of sense." Liu Xing was taking a step back, attempting to probe whether Uncle Qin knew what Captain Luo had told him. After all, Liu Xing suspected that Uncle Qin might be deceiving him. Since he and Captain Luo returned one after the other, Uncle Qin was likely guessing what Captain Luo had said. Therefore, Liu Xing pretended to know everything, hoping to coax out the information Captain Luo had shared. It seemed that Uncle Qin wasn''t the old drunkard Liu Xing had imagined; instead, he was a cunning old fox. Uncle Qin raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of Liu Xing''s tactic of retreat to force him to reveal his cards. He chuckled, evading the issue, "Hehe, although I, Old Qin, am an unrefined person who never attended a day of school and doesn''t understand many things, I''m quite confident in matters of human rtions. So, Liu Xing, since you''re willing to give me white wine, let me offer you some advice. Firstly, there''s no early rising without profit. In this world, not many are truly selfless, and everyone, to some extent, acts with some selfish motives. Secondly, don''t easily trust others'' opinions, as everyone''s perspective is limited, leading to judgments that are often erroneous. Lastly, trust what you see rather than what you hear. Liu Xing, you must witness certain things with your own eyes before making the right judgments." Liu Xing nodded with a smile, internally mocking Uncle Qin for delivering such a lengthy lecture without saying anything useful ¨C just a bunch of so-called spiritual chicken soup. However, Liu Xing suddenly realized a problem: why did Captain Luo say those things to him? Considering Captain Luo had only known him for a few hours, why discuss such sensitive topics? Wasn''t he afraid that Liu Xing might report him to Professor Yang? So, Liu Xing began to suspect Captain Luo''s motives, wondering if there was an ulterior motive behind sharing that information. Perhaps he wanted Liu Xing to walk into a trap? Curiosity killed the cat, and this was no joke. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt an urge to break his promise and directly run away to clear the level. He believed that beneath the serene surface of the treatment center was a seething magma! Liu Xing suspected that one wrong move could lead to an inescapable doom. "Welfare module, heh." After some thought, Liu Xing decided to first find Zhang Jingxu and others, tell them everything, and then make a decision. "Liu Xing, I''ve known Captain Luo for a while. Let me tell you, Captain Luo is no saint. Don''t be misled by him. By the way, don''t pry into Professor Yang''s affairs casually. Some things are better left unknown," Uncle Qin said, then opened the bottle of white wine, pouring and drinking for himself. Liu Xing silently nodded, then left the guard room directly. Back in his office, Liu Xing ced the items on his desk, closed the office door, and copsed onto the metal bed, clearing his mind. After the conversation with Captain Luo and Uncle Qin, Liu Xing''s mind was now a tangled mess. In the brief half-hour, he had received too much information and was having trouble processing it. So, Liu Xing decided he needed to empty his mind. After a while, Liu Xing fell asleep... When he woke up from his dreams, Liu Xing, looking bewildered at the ceiling, wondered how he had fallen asleep. Confused, Liu Xing sat up and, looking at the pitch-ck night outside the window, suddenly noticed something missing ¨C the things he had ced on his desk were gone. Liu Xing was sure he had closed the door when he returned to the office. The office door could only be opened from the outside with a key or by using force. Looking at the still-closed door, Liu Xing confirmed that the person who took his things used a key. Thinking carefully, Liu Xing realized that the only people who could have the key to his office were himself, the professor, and Captain Luo. Professor Yang, being the boss of the treatment center, would likely have a key to all the locks in the center. Captain Luo, responsible for patrolling the entire center daily, would also have some keys, excluding areas like the "restricted zones" such as Room 2. However, Liu Xing couldn''t figure out why the professor or Captain Luo would sneak in to take his things, especially since these were just some inexpensive snacks and drinks. Unable toprehend, Liu Xing decided not to dwell on it for now. After all, he couldn''t figure it out at the moment, and it wasn''t worth wasting time. Besides, he was feeling a bit hungry. Liu Xing took out his phone from his pocket, realizing it was already 8 PM. With an hour left until his meeting with Addison, Liu Xing thought about food. Since there was nothing to eat in the office, he decided to try his luck at the cafeteria, not wanting to go hungry until tomorrow morning. So, Liu Xing went downstairs and headed towards the treatment center''s cafeteria. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 147: Chat Room Chapter 147: Chat Room Addison raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "Liu Xing, you don''t know about the testing module?" Liu Xing nodded and replied, "Yeah, I just advanced from the Ghoul Area to the Repair Gus Area, so I''m still a newbie." "Newbies who im to be newbies are usually experienced yers. I thought you were a Veteran Driver participating in a promotion match, considering how perfectly we coordinated before," Addison said, sounding amazed. Liu Xing shrugged, smiling, "I''m not that experienced, just lucky. Plus, I used to y the Cthulhu RPG Game, so my adaptability is better." Addison nodded and continued, "The so-called testing module is an unofficial term. Some missions in certain modules have a normal difficulty, but yers discovered strange information in them. A club member found that the worldviews and timelines of some modules were identical, with locations not far apart." "So, yers started using the Chat Room. Liu Xing, you''ve just advanced to the Repair Gus Area, you might not have checked your phone yet. The Chat Room is an app automatically added to your phone when you reach the Repair Gus Area in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. It''s called Cthulhu RPG GameChat Room. Though it''s called a Chat Room, most yers prefer using its posting function, simr to a forum." "yers share the plots of the modules they''ve experienced, along with suspicious information. Eventually, a pro managed to organize hundreds of modules into a massive one. The key is, this pro knows a real big shot in the Cthulhu Area. Surprisingly, that big shot participated in a massive module a yearter, and the plot closely matched the spections of the pro!" "So, some people specte that the modules used by yers in the Cthulhu Area arerge in scale and time span. They often have to spend several years in the game. Creating such modules is challenging; even in the Cthulhu RPG Game, it needs to make sense. Therefore, theserge modules need testing and are naturally split into varying modules, given to us low-level area yers for testing. That''s why we call them testing modules." "In the Chat Room, sevenrge modules have been integrated. Two are confirmed, with the smallest consisting of 725 modules, and thergest, 3821 modules. Of course, there may be some margin of error." Addison''s words made Liu Xing nod repeatedly. After returning to reality, he nned to check this Chat Room for useful information. "Speaking of the Chat Room, I personally advise you, Liu Xing, not to join those so-called local Chat Rooms. Upon entering the Repair Gus Area, the trading function is enabled. Although there''s a set minimum price for items, there''s no limit on the maximum price. Therefore, those supposed local Chat Rooms will try to obtain your real address and force you to sell your items at a low price. Then they''ll sell you their junk items at a high price, essentially draining you and turning you into their cash machine," Addison warned earnestly. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that these so-called localmunication groups did indeed have issues. Fortunately, he didn''t believe Wang Qi''s words at the time. Addison noticed Liu Xing''s expression and said with interest, "Liu Xing, judging by your expression, have you already had contact with those localmunication groups?" Liu Xing thought about it and felt it wasn''t something to hide, so he smiled and said, "Yeah, some time ago, I met a yer I used to run missions with in real life. He invited me to join an offline gathering of a local friendship group. I immediately sensed something was off, so I declined on the spot, moved houses, and changed my phone card." Addison looked at Liu Xing with admiration and said, "Well done. Those so-called localmunication groups love targeting us low-level area yers because, even if we can exchange items from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, the items we can exchange are mostly effective against mythical creatures, not humans. So, when facing those with ulterior motives, we''re practically defenseless. Liu Xing, try to stay away from them and avoid getting involved." Liu Xing nodded, thinking about exchanging Nyathotep''s specially crafted gun into reality, ensuring he had a self-defense weapon. "Alright, it''s about time. I''ll go rest. Tomorrow, I''ll find a chance to slip away. The difficulty of this testing module is too high. Liu Xing, tell Zhang Jingxu and the others for me. They should understand, considering it involves several hundred points. Unless you''re a saint," Addison said, then turned and left. Liu Xing thought about it and found Addison''s advice reasonable. It wasn''t worth shing over points. Moreover, based on the information known now, he really had no way to take Zhang Jingxu and the others out of the inte addiction treatment center. After all, knowing that Captain Luo and the others were Yi''s People, his original n was impossible to achieve. "Not that our military isn''t powerful, but the enemy is too cunning!" After consoling himself, Liu Xing returned to his room. Because it was 2003, entertainment activities were scarce, and Liu Xing, a man who had "traveled" back from 2017, wasn''t interested in ying with his phone. He went straight to bed. While Liu Xing slept, on the rooftop of the inte addiction treatment center, Aughra was sitting on the edge, holding a cup of coffee, pretending to look contemtive as he gazed into the distance. Behind Aughra, Yang Kong, Captain Luo, Uncle Qin, and Ah Bing stood still, not daring to move. "Ah, the moon looks beautiful tonight," Aughra said, looking up at the sky just as a dark cloud covered the moon. The scene became awkward. Aughra, a bit embarrassed, coldly snorted, and the cloud instantly disappeared. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 148: Compensation Module Chapter 148: Compensation Module Aughra spoke of the Faceless God, also known as Nyathotep''s other incarnation. The Faceless God, a creature without a face, embodied a lion with wings and a human-animal hybrid, active in ancient Egypt. Each of Nyathotep''s avatars had distinct personalities. Aughra enjoyed mischief, ck Pharaoh exuded arrogance, and the Faceless God reveled in judging criminals. Therefore, bugs in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall were typically handled by the Faceless God. Of course, the "bugs" represented by Jigu and Ghoul Elder Cao''er were transferred to the Faceless God after ck Pharaoh''s departure. After "resolving" the bugs in this module, Aughra pondered how topensate the yers. Firstly, Aughra considered himself a fair person. Due to his management error leading to module bugs, he felt it necessary topensate the yers involved. However, Aughra suddenly wondered if he had a jinx in Liu Xing, considering Liu Xing meant "shooting star" and resembled aet. After encountering bugs in two consecutive modules, Aughra was impressed by his own wit. "I think, since these yers are already asleep, let''s have them participate in that module. I''ll give additional rewards for passing it, and if they fail, no extra rewards. I''m truly brilliant," Aughra mumbled to himself. "Hehe, you''re just trying to make me work overtime, Lord Aughra," KP Ghost appeared before Aughra. True to his name, KP Ghost was covered in a white sheet, with holes only for his eyes, revealing red eyes. Aughra shrugged, saying, "Well, capable people should bear more. Ghost, you''re quite something. You noticed the module had issues but didn''t bother to contact me." "Hehe, I just took over this module. Initially thought you were being entric again, creating such a bizarre module. Little did I know it was because of yourx supervision that these Yis People escaped. Quite interesting," KP Ghost said with a smirk. Aughraughed awkwardly, "It was just an ident. I didn''t expect the Yis People to be so mischievous. Anyway, why are you still being a KP? Aren''t you supposed to go there?" KP Ghost shook his head, "I can, but I don''t want to right now. I like my current life. Being a KP is not bad." "People have their own aspirations. I support your choice, Ghost. After all, being a KP in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is not a bad gig. Alright, I''ll now teleport these yers into that module. I''ll leave the rest to you," Aughra said with a smile. KP Ghost nodded silently and then disappeared. And Aughra lightly pped his hands before disappearing. "Uh, where is this?" Liu Xing, who was still in a dream, suddenly woke up, finding himself lying on a table. Addison and the others were looking at him in confusion. "Dear yers, after a system check, we found a major bug affecting the yer''s gaming experience in this welfare module. So, temporarily, we''ve transferred you to another welfare module¡ªSoup. Now, let me briefly introduce this welfare module." "Firstly, the difficulty of this module is easy. I''ll tell you about the plot introduction. You are currently in a room with four doors in different directions. Your main quest is to escape." "Because this is apensatory module, and there are no other humans inside, Private Room time is default. If you pass this welfare module, besides the fixed 500 points reward, you''ll get an additional 200 points. If you fail, you''ll receive only 50 points." "Now, yers, you can start the game. Good luck to all of you," KP Ghost said. "The module at the Inte Addiction Treatment Center turns out to have a major bug. No wonder there were so many Yis People," Addison said in amazement. Zhang Jingxu and the others looked confused. "What, there''s more than Professor Yang among the Yis People?" Liu Xing nodded, exining the results he and Addison had discussed. "I see, that exins why this module felt off. But it also confirms a saying¡ªget rich by maintaining. No matter what the game is, you can earn a lot of benefits if there are bugs," Wu Wei said with a smile. Liu Xing, not participating in Zhang Jingxu''s discussion, began to observe the room he was in. As KP Ghost had mentioned, there were four doors on each side of the room, each with a different style. The eastern door was a wooden one, with intricate patterns on the door frame. Notably, the wooden door was slightly ajar. From Liu Xing''s position, he could see a row of bookshelves through the gap, guessing that it led to a study room. The southern door was also a wooden one but of a white European style, resembling a bedroom door. Liu Xing couldn''t figure out what might be behind this door. The western door, still wooden, appeared weathered and dpidated, typical of doors in abandoned houses untouched for decades. Long cracks ran across it, revealing darkness inside. As for the northern door, it was an iron door, resembling prison cell doors. Above the iron door was a small, movable window, giving Liu Xing a premonition that something frightening might be behind it. Liu Xing shifted his gaze back to the table in front of him¡ªa bowl of dark red unidentified liquid emitting steam. Given the usual style of Cthulhu RPG Game, Liu Xing was certain that this bowl of dark red liquid was 100% human blood! So, was this the venue for some sacrificial ritual? Liu Xing fell into contemtion. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 149: "Necronomicon" Chapter 149: "Necronomicon" Generally speaking, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, any unknown liquid that''s red can be assumed to be human blood. Of course, Liu Xing could now use medical judgment to determine whether this so-called "soup" was really human blood. However, Liu Xing wouldn''t do that because it was clearly a trap. If you identified this "soup" as made from human blood, your SAN value would definitely drop. Even though Liu Xing was currently using a disposable character card, losing SAN points was still not preferable. He disliked that feeling of mncholy and loss. "Wait a minute, why do I feel like I''ve seen this module somewhere before? Is this some kind of dream?" While Liu Xing was still observing the room, Addison suddenly spoke up. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, and some scenes shed through his mind, making him feel like he had encountered this module in reality. "I didn''t expect you guys to remember this module. It''s quite interesting. Let me tell you, this module is indeed adapted from a module in reality, but the content is roughly the same. So, I temporarily blocked your memories of this module to prevent you from just following a guide andpleting it in one or two minutes," KP Ghost said with a smile. Liu Xing grinned. He hadn''t thought that the module authors at the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall would be sozy as to directly use real-world modules. However, Liu Xing also noticed a keyword in KP Ghost''s words¡ª one or two minutes. Clearly, this indicated that the difficulty of this module wasn''t high, and with a guide, one couldplete it in one or two minutes. Thinking about this, Liu Xing shifted his gaze to the table and the steaming "soup." The name of this module was "Soup," indicating that this bowl of "soup" was crucial to the module. In Liu Xing''s scattered memories, he recalled that this ce was indeed a dream. "I finally remember. If nothing goes wrong, this is indeed a dream world, and we''ve been pulled into this ce by some Great Old One. The actual mission is to escape the dream!" Addison said after contemting for a while. "Anyway, let''s search this room first and see if there''s any information," Zhang Jingxu said while standing up. Liu Xing nodded. As he stood up, he noticed a piece of paper on his chair. Liu Xing directly picked up the paper and looked at it. It was a map. The ce where Liu Xing and his group were currently was the living room. The room to the east was the study room, the one to the south was the kitchen, and the one to the west was the bedroom. As for the room to the north, it was marked with a question mark. "A question mark, interesting. Take a look at this, everyone." Liu Xing handed the "map" to Addison. After Addison and the others took turns examining the map, Liu Xing spoke, "So, it seems that there should be some important information in these four rooms. We need to think about the order in which we should search these four rooms. However, thinking about it, I believe that the room with the question mark should be searchedst. I suspect there might be a mythical creature inside." Wu Wei nodded, smiling, "Just by looking at this iron door, you can tell this room is definitely suspicious. However, we don''t know what mythical creature is inside. Hopefully, it''s not something like a Formless Offspring. We don''t have weapons to deal with Formless Offspring." "Wait a moment, there''s another sentence behind this paper¡ª''The soup is getting cold, drink it while it''s hot,''" Xue Jingliu waved the "map" in her hand and said. So, the "map" returned to Liu Xing''s hands. "Well, Xue Jingliu, you are indeed more attentive. None of us noticed there were words behind it," Addison said with a grin. Liu Xing put down the "map" and looked at the bowl of "soup" on the table; the steam had dissipated quite a bit. Liu Xing frowned and said to the others, "It seems we''re in luck. We''ve encountered a timed module. Look at this soup; it has cooled down." Timed modules are rtively challenging in the Cthulhu RPG Game. In this game, gathering information is a crucial step, and each yer''s action consumes a certain amount of time. Therefore, it''s difficult to gatherplete information within a limited time. Thus, timed modules are not friendly to neers in the Cthulhu RPG Game, as new yersck experience in effectively searching for clues and decrypting information, making timed modules a graveyard for neers. "I can''t believe this is a timed module. In that case, we need to act quickly," Addison exaggeratedly remarked. Liu Xing nodded in agreement, saying, "Addison is right. We must take action. I think the time for this timed module is around one hour, and we''ve already wasted more than five minutes." Everyone nodded. "Let''s go to the study room first. Among these four doors, only the study room''s door is open, and we don''t have keys for the other doors," Xue Jingliu expressed her opinion first. As Xue Jingliu said, Liu Xing''s group hadn''t found any keys yet, so their only option was to explore the study room. Therefore, Liu Xing and Addison, the "adults," walked ahead, while Zhang Jingxu and the other three, the "schoolchildren," followed, entering the study room. There was no electric light in the study room, only a lit white candle emitting a faint glow. In the dim light, Liu Xing observed the room filled with various books. Yes, although there was only one bookshelf in the study room, it was stacked with hundreds of different books, and Liu Xing also found quite a few bamboo slips. "What is this? Is it ''Necronomicon''?" Wu Wei held a thick book, surprised. "Necronomicon" is the most famous magical book in the Cthulhu Mythos, written by the mad Arab poet Abdul Alhazred in the year 730 AD. The reason "Necronomicon" gained such fame is that it not only detailed the existence of Eldritch Gods like Elder Sign, Nyathotep, Azathoth, Cthulhu, Yuggoth, Shub-Niggurath, Tsathoggua, but also recorded the prehistoric Earth''s history, including the ancient grudges between the Eldritch Gods and their servants, the Shoggoths. Therefore, Liu Xing always considered "Necronomicon" to be the first magical book in the Cthulhu Mythos, and he didn''t expect to see it here today. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 150: Schaugnar Fagern Chapter 150: Schaugnar Fagern "This ''Necronomicon'' seems to be a pirated copy, and it''s in simplified Chinese, printed no less." Liu Xing nced at the ''Necronomicon'' in Wu Wei''s hands and couldn''t help butment. As Liu Xing pointed out, the ''Necronomicon'' in Wu Wei''s hands was actually a printed book in simplified Chinese. Liu Xing even thought it looked like one of those piratedplete novels you find on street stalls. "This must be for a joke. I remember the ''Necronomicon'' should only exist in Arabic, Duriac, Greek, Latin, and English versions. Moreover, the versions in thetternguages are considered iplete. Of course, there are some misceneous handwritten copies, but I''ve never heard of a simplified Chinese version of the ''Necronomicon''," Addisonined. At this point, KP Ghost also spoke up, saying, "Um, well, this simplified Chinese ''Necronomicon'' is indeed an official version of the ''Necronomicon.'' After reading it, you can gain knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos. However, the reason it''s in simplified Chinese is just someone''s quirky sense of humor. That guy had nothing better to do and tranted this ''Necronomicon,'' along with things like the ''Voynich Manuscript,'' into simplified Chinese." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, vaguely guessing who that "someone" KP Ghost mentioned might be. "Alright, you can choose to decipher this ''Necronomicon'' now, but it will take a considerable amount of time and effort. I assume you''re aware this is a time-limited module, right?" KP Ghost, unusually informal, remarked. Liu Xing and Addison exchanged a nce, then smiled at KP Ghost. "KP, I have a question for you. How long do we have for this module? It would be nice to have an idea." KP Ghost remained silent for a moment, then thoughtfully said, "Um, telling you the specific time limit for this module shouldn''t be a problem. Since you don''t have any timekeeping tools right now, well, I''ll tell you. There are fifty-one minutes left until the end of this module. Please make the most of your time." Liu Xing chuckled. Although they didn''t have a phone or a watch on their side, the bowl of soup on the table served as a decent "timer." After all, they could estimate the remaining time by the steam rising from the soup. If the soup cooled down, it meant Liu Xing and the others were out of time. "Alright, let''s not worry about this ''Necronomicon'' for now. We''re using disposable character cards, so it''s impossible to take this ''Necronomicon'' with us," Wu Wei said, cing the ''Necronomicon'' casually on the pile of books. Zhang Jingxu, rubbing his chin, added, "By the way, have you seen thetest news? A foreign expert ims that the ''Voynich Manuscript'' is just a gynecological book. If that''s true, it would be quite interesting." The ''Voynich Manuscript'' is a real-world book dating back to the fifteenth century,posed of scattered pages. Named after the New York bookseller, Voynich, who discovered and acquired these pages, they collectively became known as the ''Voynich Manuscript.'' Because the ''Voynich Manuscript'' is written in a special code and features strange illustrations of nts and celestial bodies, in the context of the Cthulhu Mythos, it is set as a tranted excerpt of the ''Necronomicon,'' capable of enhancing one''s knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos. However, now, if the ''Voynich Manuscript'' in the real world is indeed recognized as a gynecological book, the Cthulhu RPG Game would have to remove the ''Voynich Manuscript.'' After all, gaining Cthulhu Mythos knowledge from reading a medical book is quiteical... "Alright, let''s not talk about this. Let''s search this study room and see if we can find keys to other rooms," Liu Xing pped his hands, signaling everyone to get moving. So, Liu Xing''s group split up to search the study room. Liu Xing was in charge of the only bookshelf in the study room. However, what caught Liu Xing''s attention was that there were many ck oil stains on the bookshelf, looking sticky. "KP, can I perform an investigation now?" Liu Xing contacted KP Ghost. KP Ghost replied without much thought, "Of course, but due to the special nature of this module, all yers'' skill judgments and sess rates will be set to 50." Liu Xing remembered that his character card had an investigation value of 60, so wouldn''t he lose 10 points in this case? However, Liu Xing looked at Zhang Jingxu and the others, thinking that their skill values should be below 50. Even if it was a basic skill judgment, it should still be based on a 50% sess rate. So, overall, it wasn''t a loss. Liu Xing, 35/50, sess. "Lucky break. Liu Xing, you''ve found a book on the shelf without abel, and it looks out of cepared to the other books," KP Ghost said, and as his words fell, a ck-bound book on the shelf emitted an eerie blue light. Liu Xing reached out and took down this ck-bound book, which turned out to be a thin booklet, seemingly only thirty or so pages. However, it was not light; Liu Xing felt like this small booklet weighed around ten kilograms! "What''s going on?" Liu Xing, somewhat puzzled, opened the book and saw an illustration ¨C a giant with an elephant head. "Could this be Schaugnar Fagern?" Liu Xing said uncertainly. The Horror in the Mountains¡ªSchaugnar Fagern is one of the Great Old Ones, having an elephant head simr to the elephant-headed gods in Hinduism. However, Schaugnar Fagern''s ears have tentacles and ps of flesh, and its "trunk" is an organ used to absorb blood. Schaugnar Fagern came to Earth in the Devonian period but has been in a dormant state like a stone statue. It can only awaken after absorbing enough human blood. However, in modern times, Schaugnar Fagern still slumbers beneath XZ''s "Weave teau" (an area with channels connecting dream dimensions). Although Schaugnar Fagern has been in a dormant state, it is the embodiment of time. Therefore, it can take away human time to extend its own lifespan. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 151: Poisoning Chapter 151: Poisoning Liu Xing always felt that the title "Terror in the Mountains" for Schaugnar Fagern wasn''t quite right; it should be "Time Dominator." However, now Liu Xing finally understood why the soup on the table was made from human blood. It turned out to be the "soup" for Schaugnar Fagern to drink. Moreover, Liu Xing was certain that the ultimate boss in this module was the Great Old One¡ªSchaugnar Fagern. As long as the specified time arrived, Schaugnar Fagern would appear, resolve Liu Xing''s group, turn them into a new "soup," and, incidentally, take away their time. Thinking of this, Liu Xing shared his discovery with Addison and the others. "So that''s it. I didn''t expect this timed module to feature the Great Old One as the boss. It''s worth it even if we die just to see the Great Old One," Addison said with a smile. Zhang Jingxu nodded with a half-smile, saying, "In this way, the plot of this module is finally connected. We are currently in a dreamlike state. Schaugnar Fagern brought us here through the dreand entrance under the Weave teau. This ce should be Schaugnar Fagern''s ''home,'' and that bowl of soup is indeed made from human blood. But it seems Schaugnar Fagern is afraid of it being too hot, so he waits for the soup to cool before drinking it, along with processing us neers." Zhang Jingxu''s spection was reasonable and convincing. "In that case, we need to hurry. I don''t want to be processed as ingredients," Xue Jingliu said nervously. Liu Xing nodded and continued flipping through the small booklet, finding an illustration of a giant winged serpent. "What''s this?" Liu Xing looked puzzled at the illustration. Though the mythical creature seemed familiar to Liu Xing, he couldn''t recall its name. Addison came over, smiling, and said, "Isn''t this the Dread Hunter? If there''s a way out behind that iron gate, there''s almost certainly a Dread Hunter guarding it." "Dread Hunter, right. If I remember correctly, it''s an advanced version of the Ghoul, with stronger power, the ability to attack twice in a turn, and an armor value of 9. It won''t be affected by bullet pration, and its HP is over 30 points. For damage, it bites for 1d6, and if it binds, it''s 4d6," Xue Jingliu reported the data on the Dread Hunter. Liu Xing frowned; this timed module seemed a bit tricky. Not only did the Great Old One handle the cleanup, but there was also a powerful mythical creature like the Dread Hunter acting as a gatekeeper. "But we shouldn''t worry too much. The DM said this module is of an easy difficulty, so we should have a way to deal with this Dread Hunter," Addison shrugged, saying casually. As Addison said, it was an easy difficulty module, so Liu Xing believed the Dread Hunter would likely have restrictions, like the Formless Offspring in the Mirror World, such as... "I think the Dread Hunter should have a limit on its number of attacks. After a certain number of attacks, the Dread Hunter will disappear. I''ve encountered this type of mythical creature before. As long as we endure enough rounds ofbat, we should be able to pass safely," Wu Wei suggested. However, Zhang Jingxu on the side shook his head and said seriously, "I once encountered a module with a powerful mythical creature as the final boss. In the end, my group and I couldn''t find any other way, so we had to forcibly enterbat rounds with the mythical creature. When two yers died, the mythical creature suddenly disappeared. So, we can''t rule out that possibility either." Liu Xing nodded, finding both Wu Wei and Zhang Jingxu''s possibilities reasonable. "Anyway, let''s all use detection now and see if there are any other clues in this study room," Xue Jingliu said while contacting the KP Ghost. Xue Jingliu, 42/50, sess. Zhang Jingxu, 63/50, failure. Addison, 49/50, sess. Wu Wei, 86/50, failure. Xue Jingliu picked up the only light source in the study room, a white candle, and pulled out a small key from under the candlestick, smiling and saying, "I knew there would be a key under this candlestick because I used to hide keys like this when I was a kid. I was nning to check this candlestick just now." Meanwhile, Addison took out a ck vial from a pile of books, grinning and saying, "This is a good thing, an unknown poison. After drinking the poison in this vial, it will cause 2d6+10 damage ten secondster. In other words, it guarantees at least 12 points of damage, with a maximum of 22 points." Liu Xing nodded and said, "I see. It seems this poison is prepared for the Dread Hunter. Without any surprises, there should be another vial of poison. This way, we can at least weaken the Dread Hunter''s HP to single digits, giving us a fighting chance." "Not necessarily. Don''t forget, the Dread Hunter won''t just obediently let us feed it the poison. After all, it''s not Wu Dng, and we''re not Pan Jinlian," Addison shook his head, smiling. Upon careful consideration, Liu Xing realized that was indeed the case. Though the Dread Hunter looked like a giant serpent, its intelligence far surpassed that of ordinary people. So, there was no hope of tricking the Dread Hunter into consuming the poison. Therefore, the only way to poison the Dread Hunter would be to use a throwing skill, and with a 50% sess rate, it wasn''t particrly high. "Anyway, let''s go to other rooms and search. We should have found everything we can in this room, and I believe the other rooms should also have a vial of poison each," Zhang Jingxu said while leaving the study room. Liu Xing looked around the study room and found nothing interesting, so he turned to leave. "What the heck is this! Watch out behind you, Liu Xing!" At that moment, Zhang Jingxu, who had already left the study room, suddenly pointed behind Liu Xing and eximed loudly. Liu Xing was startled, immediately turning around. He saw a shelf behind him emitting waves of "oil," continuously umting and wriggling on the floor. "It''s a Formless Offspring. Liu Xing, quickly throw the book in your hand!" Addison asserted. Liu Xing nodded, understanding Addison''s intention. He immediately threw the small booklet in his hand. The still unformed Formless Offspring instantly split into several tentacles, grabbing the booklet, and then swiftly "squeezed" back into the bookshelf. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 152: Clearing Method Chapter 152: Clearing Method Liu Xing left the study room feeling relieved. He never expected to inadvertently trigger a Formless Offspring. "It seems to be a triggered mechanism. When someone tries to take away that little booklet, it summons the Formless Offspring. However, as long as you put the booklet back, the Formless Offspring won''t pursue. The setup is quite interesting," Addison chuckled. Liu Xing looked at Addison with a puzzled expression and said, "Interesting my foot! That Formless Offspring materialized silently. If Zhang Jingxu hadn''t warned me just now, I would have definitely been attacked. You know the attack pattern of the Formless Offspring, Addison. I would have been doomed for sure." After venting his frustration, Liu Xing cautiously approached the iron door and pressed his ear against it. "Liu Xing, do you want to listen in?" KP Ghost spoke up. Liu Xing nodded. Liu Xing, 32/50, sess. After sessfully listening in, Liu Xing heard a sound of friction against the ground behind the iron door, reminiscent of the Dread Hunter''s serpent form. "Sure enough, there''s a Dread Hunter waiting for us behind this iron door," Liu Xing said with a smile. Zhang Jingxu walked over, pointing to the Small Iron Window that seemed to be movable on the iron door. "Liu Xing, my character card is not tall enough. Can you try if this Small Iron Window can be moved? If everything goes well, this will be our only way to throw the poison bottle. But Liu Xing, be careful not to look inside, so as not to lose SAN points." Liu Xing nodded with a smile, then stood beside the iron door, pushing the Small Iron Window with more ease than he had imagined. In less than a second after the Small Iron Window was pushed open, the Dread Hunter behind the iron door began to pound on the door. The banging sounds made Liu Xing and the others change their expressions, taking a few steps back involuntarily. However, Addison, being a Veteran Driver, quickly responded. He whispered, "Don''t worry, the Dread Hunter should not be able to break through the iron door. After all, this is a simple difficulty module. How could it allow the Dread Hunter to easily break through and force abat trigger? I think it''s just trying to scare us to create a tense atmosphere." As if on cue, as Addison finished speaking, the Dread Hunter stopped banging on the door, and everything returned to calm. "ying Super Game is still better. It''s so much more convenient. Discussing intelligence doesn''t require careful wording, and you can quickly analyze the cause and effect of events, avoid potential dangers in advance, and gather more intelligence," Wu Wei eximed. Liu Xing nodded. ying games in the Super Game state was indeed easy and enjoyable. yers were essentially in a god-like perspective, using knowledge beyond that of "ordinary people" to analyze situations. Moreover, they could have stress-free conversations without being influenced by "character traits" and "character rtionships," ensuring the smooth exchange of intelligence and the ability to prepare for various situations in advance. In summary, Super Game can instantly reduce the difficulty of the Cthulhu RPG Game by several levels, making it an absolute prohibition in the Cthulhu RPG Game. "However, on second thought, isn''t this small window a bit too small? I feel like if we throw something through it, our uracy will be significantly reduced," Wu Wei said, looking at the Small Iron Window, pondering. As Wu Wei mentioned, the Small Iron Window was only the size of a palm. Trying to throw a poison bottle through it into the Dread Hunter''s mouth would undoubtedlye with a debuff. "Well, let''s ask KP then. KP, if we throw a poison bottle through this Small Iron Window at the Dread Hunter, what''s the sess rate?" Liu Xing inquired. KP Ghost remained silent for a moment and said seriously, "Well, because this is apensation module, I''ll raise the sess rate for you. How about 10%?" Liu Xing chuckled. A 10% sess rate was basically a guaranteed failure. "All right, it seems we can''t count on throwing the poison bottle through the Small Iron Window unless we can find a hundred bottles of poison in the other two rooms," Xue Jingliu said in frustration. "s, let''s move on to the next room now. We probably only have 40 minutes left, and we can''t afford to waste any more time," Liu Xing said, rallying everyone. However, at this moment, Zhang Jingxu pointed to the bowl of Blood Soup on the table and said seriously, "By the way, I think if we drink this bowl of Blood Soup, we should be able to clear the level directly. After all, the module is titled Blood Soup, and the clues are directing us to drink it. Moreover, didn''t KP say at the beginning that with a guide, we could clear the module in about a minute? So drinking this bowl of Blood Soup should be the fastest action for us." Zhang Jingxu''s words made everyone pause, contemting the possibility of this action. "I think Zhang Jingxu is right. Drinking this bowl of Blood Soup should allow us to clear the level directly. However, this bowl of Blood Soup should be for one person only, right? So, if Zhang Jingxu is willing to drink it, then go ahead. I don''t think anyone will object," Addison suggested. Liu Xing nodded, saying with a smile, "Firste, first served. Zhang Jingxu, you discovered it first, so go ahead. I believe we can find more Blood Soup in the kitchen." Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu straightforwardly walked up, lifted the bowl of Blood Soup, and said with a strong presence, "Since you all say so, I also trust my judgment. I''ll take the first step, and I hope we can continue gaming together in the future." After saying this, Zhang Jingxu raised the Blood Soup and gulped it down. Then, Zhang Jingxu disappeared directly from the sight of Liu Xing and the others. "Hehe, congrattions on discovering one of the Clearing Methods of this module. Zhang Jingxu has already cleared it in advance," KP Ghost said with a smile. After exchanging nces, Liu Xing and the others instinctively headed towards the kitchen in the south. Xue Jingliu picked up the key and was about to insert it into the keyhole when KP Ghost stepped forward again, "Xue Jingliu, it''s time for you to make a lucky judgment. Decide whether this key is for the kitchen or the bedroom." Xue Jingliu, 12/50, sess. Xue Jingliu sessfully opened the kitchen door. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 153: How Blood Soup is Made Chapter 153: How Blood Soup is Made Liu Xing and his group smoothly entered the kitchen. Due to time constraints, everyone tacitly dispersed to search their respective areas. The kitchen was well-lit, allowing Liu Xing to quickly survey the space. Resembling the kitchens ofrge hotels, it boasted numerous stoves and various pots and pans. Liu Xing counted seven or eight refrigerators, but due to ack of organization, the kitchen appeared chaotic. Their purpose in entering the kitchen was to find Blood Soup, so Liu Xing had no choice but to inspect each pot and pan. As Liu Xing searched for Blood Soup, he heard the sound of dice hitting the ground. "Addison, 21/50, sess." "Don''te over. I''ve found Blood Soup, but there''s a partially dismembered body in this pot. I''ve already lost 1 SAN point, so it''s better for you not toe closer. I''ll scoop out the Blood Soup from the pot now," Addison said without turning around, standing in front of arge pot. Liu Xing and the others nodded and then watched as Addison scooped out a bowl of Blood Soup from the pot. "There''s only one bowl of Blood Soup in this pot. Now, let''s decide who will drink it," Addison said, looking a bit pale, holding the bowl of Blood Soup and cing it on the stove in the middle of the kitchen. Liu Xing shook his head and told Addison, "Addison, didn''t we agree that whoever finds it will drink it? Since you found this bowl of Blood Soup, the clearance opportunity is yours." Wu Wei and Xue Jingliu nodded, indicating they had no objections. Surprisingly, Addison also shook his head and said, "No, I really don''t want to drink this bowl of Blood Soup now. I saw the situation in the pot just now, and it has already caused me psychological trauma. So, I''ve decided not to clear this by drinking Blood Soup. Besides, there''s more than one Clearing Method in this module, and I want to try another one. With the points I''ve earned in this welfare module, I don''t really need the clearance points reward. Contentment is the key to happiness, after all." Liu Xing nodded. He could now guess the situation in the pot and understand the method of making Blood Soup. If asked to drink it, Liu Xing would definitely refuse, not wanting to leave himself with psychological trauma. Therefore, Liu Xing added, "Alright, I withdraw from thepetition too. Wu Wei and Xue Jingliu, you two discuss who will drink this bowl of Blood Soup." Xue Jingliu quickly shook her head, indicating she also had no intention of drinking the Blood Soup, as she had figured out how it was made. As for Wu Wei, after thinking for a moment, he decisively picked up the bowl of Blood Soup, wryly smiling as he said, "Since none of you wants to drink this bowl of Blood Soup, I''ll take the plunge. I''ll take a step ahead. Anyway, it''s highly likely that I''ll encounter something scarier than this bowl of Blood Soup in the future." After saying this, Wu Wei closed his eyes and poured the bowl of Blood Soup into his stomach. Then, just like Zhang Jingxu before him, Wu Wei disappeared without a trace. "Alright, we need to continue searching the kitchen for the key to open the bedroom door and check if there''s a poison bottle," Liu Xing said, continuing the search. In no time, without any investigative determination, Xue Jingliu found a key at the bottom of a bowl. Holding the key, Xue Jingliu chuckled and said, "As expected, the locations where these keys are hidden are all the same." Liu Xing chuckled and responded, "Once you know one, you know them all. After all, this is a module of simple difficulty, and it''s time-limited, so the decryption should be rtively straightforward and repetitive. Bute to think of it, we probably have less than half an hour left." Since Zhang Jingxu drank the bowl of Blood Soup on the living room table, the only timing tool in the module was consumed. As a result, Liu Xing and the others had lost control of time and could only rely on intuition to judge it. "I don''t think there''s a poison bottle in this kitchen. After all, it''s a kitchen. It would be strange to find a poison bottle here. Besides, the study room only has two items: the key and the poison bottle. So, this kitchen should only have the key and Blood Soup," analyzed AddisonVetran Driver. Liu Xing and Xue Jingliu nodded, agreeing with AddisonVetran Driver''s analysis. Then the three of them left the kitchen. Without dy, Liu Xing and his group didn''t linger in the living room, heading straight to open the bedroom door. However, after opening the bedroom door, Liu Xing and the others came to a halt because the room was pitch ck, and the light from the living room couldn''t prate even a bit into the bedroom. To be cautious, Liu Xing contacted KP Ghost, "KP, we need to perform a Listen action." Liu Xing, 75/50, failure. Addison, 34/50, sess. Xue Jingliu, 52/50, failure. Fortunately, Addison seeded in listening, so KP Ghost directly said, "I''ll get straight to the point. Addison heard rhythmic breathinging from the bedroom." Liu Xing and the others looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Clearly, there was some creature in the bedroom. As for what kind of creature, that was open to debate. Due to the darkness, investigation was impossible, listening couldn''t reveal much, and as for conversation, it was even less likely. What if there was a mythical creature inside that attacked upon detecting sound? That would be game over. However, there had to be a key to open the iron door in the bedroom, a necessary item for clearance. So, Liu Xing and the others had no choice but to enter. "Oh, there was a candle in the study room. That candle should be useful," Xue Jingliu suddenly remembered and said. Liu Xing nodded, directly returning to the study room, picking up the candle, and exiting, keeping an eye on the bookshelf. After all, Liu Xing was worried that taking the candle might attract the Formless Offspring again. Fortunately, this time the Formless Offspring did not appear. Liu Xing returned to the bedroom door, and indeed, the light from the candle pierced through the darkness in the bedroom. However, the candlelight itself was rtively dim, so the visibility in the bedroom was only about a meter. "Don''t waste time; let''s go in directly. There shouldn''t be any danger in this bedroom," Liu Xing took a deep breath and took the lead into the bedroom. Addison and Xue Jingliu followed Liu Xing into the bedroom. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 154: Hilvy Chapter 154: Hilvy Liu Xing felt his way along the wall, slowly making his way until he reached the corner. Though the room wasbeled as a bedroom, ording to Liu Xing''s observation, there was hardly anything in it. Of course, this might also be due to the low visibility. At this moment, even without using his listening skills, Liu Xing could clearly hear the sound of breathing. Through sound positioning, he pinpointed the source to the center of the bedroom. Liu Xing turned to look at Addison and Xue Jingliu. After a brief exchange of nces, the three decided to move towards the center of the bedroom. In a state of uneasy anticipation, they finally saw the origin of the breathing ¨C a pale-faced ck-haired girl dressed in white. Due to the lighting, Liu Xing couldn''t see the girl''s face clearly, but he noticed she was holding a handgun! The three dared not move, afraid of startling the girl and triggering a potential attack. Given the close distance, there was virtually no space for evasion. However, the girl remained silent, just watching Liu Xing and the others without any intention of taking action. After a while, Liu Xing thought it wasn''t a sustainable situation. Considering the urgency of the time, he tentativelymunicated with the girl, "Hello?" "Hello." Unexpectedly, the girl directly responded, using standard Mandarin. This reassured Liu Xing; the girl seemed to be a friendly NPC given the current circumstances. "What''s your name, and why are you alone here?" Addison asked with a smile. After some contemtion, the girl spoke, "If I remember correctly, my name is Hilvy. I don''t know why I''m here, but there''s amand in my subconscious. The first person who sees me bes my master." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, and in his mind, only a few words surfaced ¨C ve Girl Hilvy... Both Liu Xing and Addison wore a peculiar smile. In the dim candlelight, it appeared particrly terrifying, causing Xue Jingliu, unaware of the situation, to take a few steps back. "So, you''re my master?" Hilvy pointed at Liu Xing, earnestly asking. Liu Xing chuckled and nodded, "Yes, indeed. I am your master. Let''s leave here for now." Liu Xing believed he had made the right choice. It seemed like a win-win situation. With a disdainful look from Xue Jingliu, Liu Xing, apanied by Hilvy, returned to the living room. In the living room, Liu Xing finally got a clear look at Hilvy''s appearance. In simple terms, Hilvy made Liu Xing break into a veteran driver''s grin. However, Liu Xing was still concerned about the gun in Hilvy''s hand. With a smile, he said, "Hilvy, can you give me your gun?" Hilvy nodded without hesitation, handing the handgun to Liu Xing. Taking the gun, Liu Xing immediately obtained its information. "An old pistol, can perform a maximum of two attacks perbat round, each bullet dealing 1d6 damage. Currently, there are 4 bullets remaining." Liu Xing nodded silently, calcting that the expected damage from these 4 bullets reached 12 points. With the addition of a poison vial, it might indeed be possible to defeat the Dread Hunter. Thinking of this, Liu Xing showed the handgun to Addison and Xue Jingliu, allowing them to understand its damage value. Due to Hilvy''s presence, Liu Xing was somewhat concerned about metagaming, so he found KP Ghost. "KP, are you sure there won''t be any metagaming issues? I think Hilvy might understand what we''re saying." KP Ghost, indifferent, replied, "Don''t worry. There won''t be any metagaming issues in this module. You can think of it as applying a harmony patch. Every word you say has been harmonized, so Hilvy won''t detect any issues." Liu Xing nodded, feeling relieved. However, Addison jokingly added, "KP, why is this girl named Hilvy, and her appearance is identical? Your Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is too informal." KP Ghost, somewhat embarrassed, chuckled and said, "Well, it''s just the author ying around. Given the girl''s role as a ve, the devious author thought of Hilvy, and that''s how you see her now." Liu Xing exchanged smiles with Addison, while Xue Jingliu, unaware of the situation, decided to pull Hilvy aside, away from the peculiar duo of Liu Xing and Addison. At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something. "Oh, we seem to have not obtained the key to the iron gate yet." If the handgun in his hand counted as one item, then the key to the iron gate should be another item inside the bedroom. As Liu Xing spoke, Hilvy nodded and took a rope from around her neck, revealing a key hanging from it. As the "key manager," Xue Jingliu naturally took the "original" key from Hilvy. What a pity. Liu Xing felt that he had be increasingly unconventional since encountering Hilvy. Then, Addison suddenly said, "By the way, if there are two items in each room, then the living room, as a room, should have another item besides the bowl of Blood Soup, right?" Liu Xing was initially puzzled, then uncertainly said, "There should indeed be two items in the living room, but do you think the note might count as one item?" "No, because fundamentally, that note should just be information, like the booklet in the study room that provided information about Schaugnar Fagern and Dread Hunter. However, it wasn''t counted as an item. So, in this living room, there should be another item we haven''t discovered yet," Addison affirmed. Liu Xing nodded, suddenly thinking of the phrase "looking for a needle in a haystack." If Addison hadn''t brought this up, he might have overlooked the item in the living room. However, considering the size of the living room¡ªjust a table and five chairs¡ªafter a careful inspection by Liu Xing and the others, no item was found. "I can''t believe it. Could thest item be embedded inside the table?" Addison said somewhat dejectedly. Liu Xing, hands on hips, looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and suddenly noticed something in thempshade of the living room. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 155: Preparing to Clear the Level Chapter 155: Preparing to Clear the Level Liu Xing pointed at thempshade above and said with a smile, "It seems we were still in the dark, no wonder we searched for quite a while and couldn''t find the second prop in the living room. It turns out the prop has been right above us." Addison and Xue Jingliu looked up and also noticed the dark shadow inside thempshade. "So that''s it. I never expected the second prop in the living room to be hidden here. But now, I think it might be a trap. If we remove thempshade, chances are high that it will trigger a mechanism, and the light will automatically go out. Then we''ll lose our light source, making the danger of entering the iron door even greater. After all, in the darkness, we''ll face a lot of debuffs," Addison said, stroking his chin. However, Xue Jingliu pointed at the dark shadow in thempshade and said seriously, "If I''m not mistaken, this prop should be a small bottle. If nothing goes wrong, it''s another poison vial. If we can get two poison vials, plus Liu Xing''s handgun, we might have a chance to kill the Dread Hunter." Liu Xing nodded in agreement with Xue Jingliu''s point. "Xue Jingliu is right. This prop should be a poison vial. If we can get it, the possibility of killing the Dread Hunter will be higher. But Addison''s idea makes sense too. Considering the consistent style of the Cthulhu RPG Game, turning off the lights is the inevitable result. However, the impact of turning off the lights depends on how significant it is." After saying this, Liu Xing contacted KP Ghost, "Hey, if we turn off the lights, how much will our judgment decrease?" KP Ghost anticipated this question and immediately responded, "Well, turning off the lights has two phases. The first phase is the adaptation period. Suddenly going from a bright ce to a dark one, ordinary people will feel a moment of darkness. This requires an adaptation process. So, within the first five minutes of turning off the lights, all judgments will have a 40% reduction in sess rate. After five minutes, once yers adapt to the darkness, the reduction will be 25%. However, since you obtained the candle in the study room, it will increase your sess rate by 20% and reduce the adaptation time by two minutes." Liu Xing nodded. In simple terms, within the first three minutes after turning off the lights, all judgments for their group would have a sess rate of only 30%. After three minutes, their sess rate would rise to 45%, which was eptable. "Let''s take a gamble then. I''ll remove thempshade now," Addison said, climbing onto the table. As expected, the moment Addison removed thempshade, the living room lights went out. By the candlelight, Liu Xing saw the prop inside thempshade, confirming it was indeed a poison vial. "All right, let''s take a break for three minutes. After that, we''ll confront the Dread Hunter head-on. But on another note, who among the three of us will be responsible for throwing the poison vial? Even though we all have a 45% sess rate, our backgrounds are different. For example, I am European," Addison joked, sitting back in his chair. Liu Xing thought for a moment and said, "Addison, you and Xue Jingliu each throw a poison vial. Since we''ll likely engage in a battle with the Dread Hunter the moment we open the iron door, entering abat round directly, we probably have only one chance to throw. So, I''ll handle the shooting, and you two handle the throws." Addison nodded, handed the poison vial to Xue Jingliu, and closed his eyes to prepare for the final battle. Liu Xing, however, suddenly thought of a question and couldn''t resist contacting KP Ghost again, "Hey KP, I have a question. Do we have a chance for all of us to clear this module? I recall this module seems to be designed for three yers, right?" Liu Xing remembered that many modules had yer limits. Some considered the risk of too many yers leading to increased exploration actions and a rapid progression of the storyline, diminishing the gaming experience. Others were restricted bypletion conditions, allowing only a specific number of yers to finish the module. So, unless dealing with some whimsical KP, they usually arranged the game with the designated number of yers. Liu Xing had just realized that this module seemed to be designed for three yers, implying it might only allow three yers to clear it. After defeating the Dread Hunter, they might only obtain a bowl of Blood Soup or otherpletion items, which could be troublesome. After all, this was rted to 150 points, allowing yers to enjoy a worry-free life in the real world for nearly half a year, without the life-and-death struggles of the Cthulhu RPG Game world. KP Ghost understood what Liu Xing was thinking and smiled, saying, "Hehe, Liu Xing, don''t worry. Although this module is designed for three yers, the maximum number of yers who can clear it is five. That''s why I chose this module aspensation for you." After getting KP Ghost''s answer, Liu Xing felt relieved. After a while, Liu Xing felt his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He stood up and said, "Alright, it''s almost time. Let''s go." To avoid friendly fire, Liu Xing naturally took the lead with his handgun. Addison and Xue Jingliu stood on either side of Liu Xing to throw the poison vials without being obstructed. As for Hilvy, she naturally stood at the back, responsible for cheering and supporting. After all, Hilvy seemed tockbat capability, and Liu Xing''s group couldn''t push her to the front as a meat shield. "Get ready, everyone. I''m opening the door," Liu Xing said, opening the iron door. In the instant the door opened, Liu Xing saw a gigantic python with its blood-filled mouth charging towards them. "Because the Dread Hunter''s appearance is too simr to that of a python, and the distance is quite far, yers don''t need to conduct a SAN check temporarily. You can perform one regr action round. The order is Addison, Liu Xing, Xue Jingliu, and Hilvy. Liu Xing, you can control Hilvy''s actions," KP Ghost announced. Liu Xing understood that this was a module benefit, allowing yers to dy the SAN check, preventing them from entering a temporary state of madness before the battle and giving them a chance to heavily wound or even kill the Dread Hunter with the poison vial. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 156: Can This Be Cleared?! Chapter 156: Can This Be Cleared?! "KP, I''m going to throw the poison vial directly at Dread Hunter now!" Addison dered decisively. Addison, 100/45, critical failure! ... Everyone looked at Addison in shock. They didn''t expect him to throw a critical failure at a crucial moment! "Haha, Addison, you''re surprisingly lucky. So, when you threw the poison vial, it hit Dread Hunter on the head, bounced back, and flew towards Liu Xing, who is closest to Dread Hunter. Now, Liu Xing, it''s your turn to be lucky," KP Ghost said with a smirk. Liu Xing, 57/50, failure. Liu Xing chuckled, foreseeing his own fate. All he could do was smile on the outside while thinking, "Damn it, Addison! What happened to your European bloodline promise? How did it turn into a critical failure, and you even got me into trouble!" "Haha, as the poison vial flew back, Liu Xing happened to open his mouth, swallowed the vial, and then the poison took effect. The minimum damage of the poison vial was already higher than Liu Xing''s health, causing him to die instantly. Now, the game continues," KP Ghost said with augh. So, Liu Xing watched helplessly as Addison threw the poison vial, it bounced back from Dread Hunter''s head, andnded perfectly in his wide-open mouth. Next, Liu Xing felt a bitter almond taste in his mouth, and then everything went ck as he was eliminated amidughter and cheers. When Liu Xing regained consciousness, he found himself back in the real world. Unlike the previous sessions where they experienced ending scenes and settlement processes after clearing the campaign, this time was different. However, on theputer, Liu Xing still saw the point rewards for this module¡ª700 points. "Hmm, why is it 700 points? Could it be that getting killed by poison counts as clearing the stage directly?" Liu Xing said, surprised. But after some thought, Liu Xing realized that it might be a possibility. After all, KP Ghost mentioned that everyone was in a dream world, and yers were in a spiritual or other form while active in this dream world. So, when a yer dies in the dream world, they should wake up in the real world as if from a nightmare. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, unexpectedly benefiting from the misfortune and clearing the stage directly. 1783 points. Looking at his point count, Liu Xing realized he was now a "wealthy" person, capable of sustaining himself in the real world for nearly five years. However, Liu Xing felt that the Cthulhu RPG Game was still quite thrilling. Experiencing various mythical creatures and supernatural phenomena was something he never dared to imagine before. Of course, it was also because he still had two backup character cards. These cards ensured he had a chance to rise again after a failure. Therefore, Liu Xing found participating in the Cthulhu RPG Game quite interesting when he had nothing else to do. Wait a minute, why did he have such strange thoughts? Did he be a masochist? Liu Xing pondered with some confusion. However, at this moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something. It seemed that he had promised the administrator of the An Family, Perfect Future, that he would contact him after advancing to the Shoggoth Region. Liu Xing vividly remembered that Perfect Future had promised him quite a few benefits. So, Liu Xing reached out to Perfect Future. Just as Liu Xing sent a greeting, Perfect Future immediately replied, "Have you advanced to the Shoggoth Region?" "Yes." "Okay, then I''ll send you an invitation link to join the An Family''s branch in the Shoggoth Region." Liu Xing clicked the provided link and sessfully joined the An Family''s Shoggoth branch. Upon joining the guild, a trade interface popped up. Liu Xing only needed to pay a cost of 100 points to acquire five items. The first item was a Swiss Army Knife (authentic), providing bonuses in certain judgments, with specific bonuses depending on the situation. Its price in the shop was 50 points. The second item was an Infinite Cookie Box, simr in size to a packet of instant noodles. It automatically generated a cookie daily, enough to sustain one person''s food needs. Its shop price was 50 points. The third item was a Marking Tattoo. yers could add a permanent tattoo to their character card, usable up to ten times. It also cost 50 points in the shop. The fourth item was a Universal Elixir, capable of curing any ailment and could be used on NPCs. Its shop price was 100 points. The fifth item was a Portable Stun Baton, appearing like a regr pen but causing 2d3 damage instantly to enemies. It had a 20% chance of paralyzing the enemy. When fully charged, it could be used five times, and its shop price was 150 points. In short, Liu Xing could now purchase items worth 400 points with just 100 points. As Perfect Future mentioned earlier, these five items were very practical. The Swiss Army Knife had multifunctional uses, providing various bonuses. The Infinite Cookie Box ensured yers wouldn''t go hungry in modules with limited resources. The Marking Tattoo allowed better identification, especially for yers in the same guild, making it easier to find each other. As for the Portable Stun Baton, it was an extremely useful weapon with a guaranteed minimum damage of 2 points and a paralysis effect, albeit with a limited number of uses. After some thought, Liu Xing decisively clicked to ept the trade. Thus, Liu Xing''s points decreased to 1683 points, but he gained five practical items. At this point, Perfect Future sent another message, "Sorry, I have a bit of something to deal with right now, so I''m going offline. I''ll talk to you about some thingster when I have the chance." Liu Xing shrugged, replied with a "Goodbye," and then logged out of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. However, Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten the "Chat Room" that Addison mentioned. So, he picked up his phone and indeed found a new application ¡ª Cthulhu RPG GameChat Room. Shaking his head, Liu Xingined about the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall being a bit unprofessional for adding an application without notice. Nevertheless, he opened the Cthulhu RPG GameChat Room. Just as Addison had described, the main interface of the Cthulhu RPG GameChat Room was not much different from domestic forums: "It''s so cold on rainy days." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 157: Starting a New Game Chapter 157: Starting a New Game Liu Xing had no intention of joining any chat rooms, so he casually browsed the forum. He discovered the hottest topic was spection about the testing module. Clicking on Addison''s mentioned module, a confirmedrge-scale mod called "Three Kingdoms Hegemony," Liu Xing learned it wasn''t about the Wei, Shu, and Wu from Chinese history. Instead, it involved three neighboring African countries, each with thirty yers. Ten yers represented each country, with the mission of helping their nation conquer the other two. However, the leaders of these three African nations were all followers of Eldritch Gods, each worshiping a different Great Old One. Essentially, it was a conflict of faith. After a full "fifty years" within the module, yers experienced aging, and when all yers became leaders of their respective countries, they finally reached a truce, concluding the module. Liu Xing chuckled; the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall had indeed fulfilled its "one day in reality, one year in the game" achievement. After reading posts for a while, Liu Xing put down his phone, went out to buy some ingredients, and enjoyed a satisfying hot pot meal. In the following week, Liu Xing didn''t touch the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Instead, he explored and had conversations with Wu Lei about the Cthulhu RPG Game, gaining some valuable insights. However, Liu Xing found it strange that Wu Lei seemed preupied with something. During their conversations, he seemed distracted several times. When Liu Xing asked what was wrong, Wu Lei only managed a forced smile. With a sense of curiosity, Liu Xing returned home, preparing to participate in his first Cthulhu RPG Game after advancing to the Shoggoth Region. Upon opening the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, Liu Xing discovered another update. This time, it was only a modification to the disy of character cards (to save word count, I''ll simplify character card details, and you can find specific attributes in the rted work). While preparing to choose Interlude Growth, Liu Xing noticed that the number of times he could perform Interlude Growth had been reduced to once! Liu Xing was bewildered, but as he opened Interlude Growth, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall provided an exnation. His character card''s attribute skill values had reached a certain height, imposing restrictions. The Interlude Growth frequency was reduced to one, and some options were removed. If Liu Xing''s character card continued to grow, the effectiveness of Interlude Growth''s numerical enhancements would be halved, ultimately providing no numerical improvement. Seeing this, Liu Xing realized that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall didn''t want to see overpowered cards. In this game, the kind of damage-dealingbat cards with 3d6, 4d6, etc., were almost nonexistent. Now, Liu Xing faced a choice: to use the limited Interlude Growth opportunities to address weaknesses or enhance strengths. In the end, Liu Xing chose a new Interlude Growth¡ªsearching for the remaining pages of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." yers had a fifty percent chance of finding a fragment of the scripture, requiring a certain amount of money. Liu Xing chose this Interlude Growth to improve his Cthulhu Mythos knowledge and to obtain the page recording contact/control of Byakhee. This particr page was the most useful one in "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." However, this Interlude Growth had an interesting twist. After sessfully obtaining a fragment of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun," the next chance to get another fragment would decrease by ten percent. In other words, through this Interlude Growth, Liu Xing could acquire a maximum of five fragments of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." If Liu Xing wanted toplete the entire scripture, he would have to achieve it within the Cthulhu RPG Game. After confirming Interlude Growth, Liu Xing clicked to start a new game. This time, he didn''t wait long and quickly entered the game. Acquisition of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun" fragments: 87/50, failed. Liu Xing shrugged; luck was not on his side this time. The Interlude Growth seemed to have gone awry. As the familiar darkness enveloped him, Liu Xing officially entered the game. Scenario: The Birth of Twilight Darkness (Thanks to Bilibili Uploader Apsud Targaryen for providing module authorization) Difficulty: Medium Number of yers: Seven Story Background: In the city of Ziwu in the Ind Nation, there have been recent urban legends about a serial killer and half-beast creatures. People attacked by the serial killer are sent to the hospital with severe injuries but strangely without any life-threatening danger. Name: Liu Xing upation: Doctor Gender: Male Age: 23 Trait: Team yer Connection to this Scenario: In order to acquire the remaining pages of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun," Liu Xing came to Ziwu City in the Ind Nation. However, he discovered that the seller had disappeared. To avoid wasting his ne ticket, Liu Xing decided to tour Ziwu City for a while. Character Attributes Strength: 57 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 55 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 85 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 6 Sanity Points: 78/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit Rating: 55 Skills: First Aid 83, Medicine 78, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuade 60, Spot Hidden 40, Jump 71, Locksmith 10, Other Language: English 22, Drive 50, Other Language: Ind Nation Language 39 Special Skill: Contact with Earth-boring Demon Worm Personal Items: Mobile phone, a bottle of ancestral green tea (2/3), Ke Zongfa''s candy, Qingming Rain, Qingming Sacrificial Offerings, Qingming Oil-paper Umbre, "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun" fragment (Contact with Earth-boring Demon Worm). Liu Xing suddenly realized that he forgot to add the five items he obtained a few days ago to this character card. However, what concerned Liu Xing more was that this time the module was set in the Ind Nation, and now it was a campaign game in the Shoggoth Region. This meant he might encounternguage barriers. "Hello, everyone. I''m the KP Li Shunchan for this session. I''m delighted to y this Cthulhu RPG Game with all of you. But I must mention that due to the extensive scope of this module, yers will start the game in different locations. However, to facilitate easy reunions, each yer will be designated as a team member of a certain game. Now, let''s begin the plot introduction," the voice of the KP this time sounded very young. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 158: Puppet Weapons Chapter 158: Puppet Weapons Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the peculiar KP name this time, which turned out to be Li Shunchan. At that moment, Liu Xing''s vision blurred, and he found himself lying in bed. "OK, now you''ve entered the game world. However, before this game begins, let''s have a mysterious judgment," said a voice. Liu Xing, 24. Yin En, 1. Watanabe Jiang, 42. Gu Jun, 77. Yasaka Machi, 29. Chen Wenbin, 64. Yuhua Lian, 16. "I can''t believe someone is so lucky to roll a 1. Yin En, in this tabletop role-ying game, you''ll have a rare experience. By the way, Yin En, your connection to this module has changed. Please reconfirm your character card," chuckled KP Li Shunchan. As soon as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Liu Xing regained control of his body. Although he didn''t know what the mysterious judgment was about, it didn''t seem like a bad thing for now. So, Liu Xing temporarily set aside this matter. Liu Xing got up and observed the surroundings. He realized he was in a hotel, and judging by the sky, it was alreadyte at night. Taking a sip of water, Liu Xing sat in a chair in the room. Knowing that the plot would unfold soon, he decided not to waste time lying in bed. After a while, Liu Xing suddenly heard a strange sound outside the door, like someone sawing wood. Liu Xing knew the plot was starting. He stood up, used the peephole in the door to observe the situation outside, and saw a girl in a skirt at the hotel staircase, "sawing wood"... no, ying the violin. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, couldn''t help butin in his mind. He always thought that ying the violin could make a sound like sawing wood, but that only happened in cartoons. Unexpectedly, it could happen in reality... or rather, in a game. While Liu Xing was contemting whether he should go out to stop the girl from torturing his ears, the door of the next room opened. A young man, one meter eighty tall, well-built, and clearly capable of fighting, walked out. "Miss, it''s midnight, and everyone is sleeping. Could you please stop making noise in public ces?" the young man said. The girl put down her violin and turned around, saying, "Hehe, what this youngdy wants to do, she will do. Can you control it? And how dare you say I''m making noise? This youngdy''s music is clearly the sound of nature!" But at this moment, Liu Xing was already stunned by the girl''s beautiful face,pletely ignoring what she was saying. As for the girl''s appearance, if Liu Xing had to describe it briefly, it would be like a 95 out of 100 on a beauty app! And at this moment, the young man facing the girl was also dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. Seeing the young man staring at her intently, the girl disdainfully said, "Hehe, you smelly men should just kneel down and worship under thisdy''s pomegranate skirt, then obediently listen to thisdy''s words!" The young man, now regaining hisposure, realized he had been a bit impulsive and said with some hesitation, "Uh, sorry, I might have been too abrupt. But, Miss, even if the violin you''re ying is heavenly music, it''s sote now, and we are not able to appreciate it!" The girl shook her head, spouting nonsense with a serious expression, "Then you should enjoy it even more because what I''m ying now is a luby!" ... Liu Xing was left speechless. This girl was really good at making up stories. If it really was a luby, Liu Xing was certain it was a luby from hell. The young man shared Liu Xing''s sentiments, but pretty girls always received some special treatment. So, despite the young man looking displeased, he still spoke gently, "Well, Miss, if you don''t heed our advice, I''ll have to call the hotel''s customer service." Facing the young man''s threat, the girl chuckled, not caring at all, "Go ahead and make the call. How can I, thedy, be threatened by someone like you?" Facing the unyielding girl, the young man was helpless and said, "Miss, what do you want to do to put down your violin?" The girl tilted her head for a moment, then smiled, "Well, if you can defeat me, I''ll stop ying the violin." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking at the girl''s slender arms and legs. She didn''t seem like someone who could fight. Why would this girl make such a request? In the room, Liu Xing thought about it but couldn''t make sense of it. But Liu Xing was now sure that the young man was a yer, and the girl was an important NPC. So, following the principle of keeping friends close and enemies closer, Liu Xing decided to go out and mediate between them. Starting off on a bad note with a crucial NPC was not a good idea. However, just as Liu Xing was about to open the door, the door about seven or eight meters behind the girl opened silently, and a hand extended, throwing an unidentified small object towards the girl. But the girl seemed to have excellent hearing. The moment the unknown objectnded, she turned around to look at the still-open door. "Who is it?" the girl said coldly. Liu Xing knew it was another yer. After being discovered, the yer had no choice but to walk out honestly. He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties, with a red face indicating he had consumed quite a bit of alcohol. "What are you making a fuss about in the middle of the night? Can''t people rest?" the middle-aged man, now taking the initiative, said loudly. Liu Xing also noticed that the middle-aged man took two steps forward and stepped on the unidentified small object. "Hehe, don''t think I don''t know what you did, perverted uncle!" the girl said with disgust. The middle-aged man remained unrepentant and said grumpily, "How can you speak like that, youngdy?" This statement ignited the powder keg. The girl snorted and charged at the middle-aged man. Ze Tian Yinyin, Inch Fist, 90/80, Failed. In an instant, the girl, Ze Tian Yinyin, reached the side of the middle-aged man. A punch hit the room door behind him, instantly shattering it into countless pieces! Liu Xing was now utterly shocked. Could this girl be the legendary humanoid weapon! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 159: The Stubborn Young Man Chapter 159: The Stubborn Young Man Liu Xing hurriedly contacted KP Li Shunchan, earnestly inquiring, "KP, what on earth is this Inch Fist? Moreover, Ze Tian Yinyin''s damage should exceed 20, right? If I didn''t see it wrong just now, the door to this room is about three to four centimeters thick. And that explosive effect was quite terrifying. Could this be the long-lost scattergun fist in the martial world?" KP Li Shunchan chuckled and replied seriously, "Hmm, yes, the damage caused by Ze Tian Yinyin just now indeed exceeded 20 points. However, that''s the most ideal situation. Ze Tian Yinyin''s expected attack value is only around 10 points. As for the Inch Fist, it''s a unique feature introduced in this module. Many NPCs in this module possess martial arts skills. Due to different techniques, the damage also varies. So, corresponding move names have been arranged. For example, Ze Tian Yinyin''s Inch Fist just dealt 1d8 damage." KP Li Shunchan''s exnation made Liu Xing even more rmed. With only 8 HP, he realized that this person named Ze Tian Yinyin had an expected damage value of 10 points. In other words, Ze Tian Yinyin could easily kill him. Liu Xing was now certain that this module was the legendary martial arts module. ording to the information revealed by KP Li Shunchan, there were many NPCs in this module, like Ze Tian Yinyin, who were skilled inbat. As a weak doctor, he might end up being ttened and rolled over. The future looked bleak. Just then, the voice of a young man rang out, "Oh my, KP, aren''t you going to control this NPC? With such high damage, if it weren''t for the NPC''s failed judgment, I''m afraid I would have been knocked out with a single punch. This module is too terrifying. Importing the plot can actually kill a yer!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It was evident that the owner of this voice was the middle-aged drunkard who had been frightened and paralyzed on the ground by Ze Tian Yinyin''s terrifying damage. However, this voice was clearly different from the one the middle-aged man had made just now. Liu Xing was now certain that this "middle-aged man" had undergone disguise, and the original person should be a young man. The specific profession of this yer was probably yet to be confirmed. After all, the skill of disguise could only be learned by a few professions, and these professions generally wouldn''t invest in the disguise skill. After all, in many situations, the disguise skill was considered redundant, tasteless, and a waste, except for a rtively special profession ¨C the fraudster. Thinking of this, Liu Xing remembered the unidentified micro-object currently being stepped on by the "middle-aged man." It was very likely a listening device because the room where the "middle-aged man" was located was too far from Ze Tian Yinyin, making it impossible to hear the conversation between Ze Tian Yinyin and the young man. "Haha, Watanabe Jiang, you can rest assured. This module hasn''t gone crazy to that extent. Starting off by killing a yer with a headshot, if Ze Tian Yinyin''s attack judgment had seeded just now, then Ze Tian Yinyin''s fist would have stopped in front of you. At most, you would have lost one or two HP due to the forceful wind." KP Li Shunchan said with augh. At this moment, Ze Tian Yinyin nced disdainfully at Watanabe Jiang, then ignored him and turned to the young man, smiling and asking, "Alright, the bug has been taken care of. Do you still want to fight with me now?" "Uh-huh, of course! How can a man refuse?" To Liu Xing''s surprise, the young man still chose to ept Ze Tian Yinyin''s challenge even after witnessing the terrifying damage caused by Ze Tian Yinyin. Could this yer be incredibly bold? Liu Xing looked at the young man in confusion. Although his physique seemed impressive, likely belonging to abat-oriented character card, he might still be insufficient against an NPC like Ze Tian Yinyin with off-the-charts damage. Unless this young man''s agility surpassed Ze Tian Yinyin''s, allowing him to defeat Ze Tian Yinyin first, there wouldn''t be much chance of victory. Therefore, Liu Xing didn''t consider epting Ze Tian Yinyin''s challenge to be a wise choice. However, Liu Xing could guess that the young man epted Ze Tian Yinyin''s challenge because he had been misled by the traits or titles of his character card. Also, there was no need to worry about the young man''s safety since Ze Tian Yinyin would likely pull back at thest moment. Yet, Liu Xing felt that the situation was getting out of control. It was evident that Ze Tian Yinyin was an important NPC, or one could say, an important "thug." Since friendly NPCs had such highbat power, it was certain that the enemy''sbat power wouldn''t be low either. Once, an elder had said that only magic could counter magic. Hence, only NPCs could deal with NPCs. Ze Tian Yinyin seemed like an NPC that needed to be won over. But now, a fight was about to break out. What kind of situation was this? So, Liu Xing, who had been a spectator until now, felt it was time to step in and mediate the conflict between the two sides. Taking a deep breath, Liu Xing opened the door and, with a confused look, said, "Uh, what''s going on here? Why are you guys standing in the hallway in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" Seeing Liu Xing step out, the young man quickly gave him a signal, confirming Liu Xing''s thoughts. Therefore, Liu Xing began to cate, "Alright, alright. Let''s all go back to sleep. Don''t stand here." As Liu Xing spoke, he tried to push the young man back into his room. After all, it takes two to tango. However, Ze Tian Yinyin was unrelenting, continuing, "Oh, trying to run away now? Tut, tut, tut." Ze Tian Yinyin used taunting, and the effect was outstanding! The young man sighed, gently pushing Liu Xing away, and earnestly said, "Originally, I intended not to fight with women, but since thisdy insists, I can only apany you for a good fight. However, this is a hallway. We shouldn''t disturb other guests. How about we go to the hotel''s gym? What do you think?" Ze Tian Yinyin chuckled and nodded, saying, "No need for more words. Let''s go. I remember the hotel''s gym is open 24 hours." After saying this, Ze Tian Yinyin turned and left on his own. The young man jogged back to his room, took out a backpack, and then invited Liu Xing to go to the gym together. As for the "middle-aged man," he had disappeared without a trace. Following KP Li Shunchan''s guidance, Liu Xing and the young man found the hotel''s gym, where Ze Tian Yinyin had already prepared in a vacant space. Liu Xing patted the young man on the shoulder, looking sympathetic, and said, "Wishing you good luck." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 160: Whats Under the Girls Skirt Chapter 160: Whats Under the Girls Skirt The young man nodded solemnly and said, "Thank you for your kind words, my friend. I''ll go up now." Taking a deep breath, the young man stood facing Ze Tian Yinyin, ced his backpack down, and retrieved gloves and various protective gear. However, Liu Xing''s keen eyes noticed more in the backpack ¨C a handgun, a short knife with a sheath, and several stacks of US dors. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; it seemed this young man''s profession was not simple. At that moment, a shifty-looking young man entered the gym, approached Liu Xing, and grinningly asked, "Hey, friend, is there anything interesting happening now?" Before Liu Xing could reply, he caught a whiff of a faint alcohol scent from the young man, realizing that this person was the "middle-aged man." He must be in his true form now. It seemed that only three yers were "born" in the hotel. Liu Xing suddenly realized that Watanabe Jiangmunicated with him in the Ind Nation Language, though he could understand what Watanabe Jiang was saying. In reality, Liu Xing''s proficiency in the Ind Nation Language was limited to watching anime or certain Ind Nation movies. "Haha, Liu Xing, you should have realized by now. You can nowmunicate in Japanese with others. By the way, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, as long as anguage skill value reaches 25, you can engage in dailymunication. When the value reaches 50, yers are basically fluent, able to use some professional terms. At 80, yers are considered experts in thatnguage, capable of mastering dialects. Finally, when the skill value exceeds 90, yers have apletemand of thenguage, reaching a mastery level," exined KP Li Shunchan to Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully and then told the young man, "Oh, nothing much. It''s just that the girl disturbed the peace in the middle of the night. The guy couldn''t stand it and said a few words, and now he''s been challenged here." The young man nodded, extending a hand, "Hello, I''m Watanabe Jiang, a magician. Nice to meet you." Liu Xing also nodded, shaking hands with Watanabe Jiang, "Hello, I''m Liu Xing, here for tourism." While Liu Xing chatted with Watanabe Jiang, Ze Tian Yinyin watched the young man don protective gear and teased, "Oh, a mighty man, needs armor to fight a girl. Tut, tut." Liu Xing thought Ze Tian Yinyin''s mockery skill value was probably over 90, reaching a master level. The young man sighed helplessly and said, "Miss, as the saying goes, when a lion fights a rabbit, it must go all out. So, I need to be fully prepared." "Hehe, why don''t you take out the handgun and tactical knife from your backpack?" Ze Tian Yinyin said with augh. The young man frowned as he didn''t expect Ze Tian Yinyin to notice his handgun and tactical knife, even though he didn''t intentionally hide them. However, Ze Tian Yinyin''s attitude was intriguing. Upon seeing the handgun and tactical knife, she showed no signs of fear, appearing confident and fearless. The young man shook his head, jokingly taking out the handgun, "I''m Yin En, an international mercenary. I''m excellent with firearms. Are you sure you want me to draw my gun and fight you?" Ze Tian Yinyin chuckled and quickly pulled a Desert Eagle from her skirt ¨C unmistakably a golden one! In her other hand, she held a hand grenade. Based on Liu Xing''s limited military knowledge, it seemed to be a fragmentation grenade. Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang instinctively stepped back, ensuring that if Yin En and Ze Tian Yinyin engaged in a gunfight, they could escape quickly. However, Liu Xing became even more curious about Ze Tian Yinyin''s identity. After all, it was not something an ordinary person, or even an average police officer, could obtain ¨C a golden Desert Eagle and a fragmentation grenade. Liu Xing suspected he might not be in the Ind Nation right now but in a country in the Gulf region... Yin En looked at Ze Tian Yinyin and silently returned the handgun to his backpack, along with the gloves and other equipment. He said with a speechless expression, "Fine, I won''t bring any equipment. But I have a question for you. Why do you carry a fragmentation grenade?" Ze Tian Yinyin casually tossed the golden Desert Eagle and the fragmentation grenade aside, proudly saying, "I don''t like carrying keys when I go out because they''re easy to lose. So, I carry a hand grenade with me. If Ie backte, I can just blow open the door without bothering anyone to help me unlock it." Liu Xing was left speechless. Ze Tian Yinyin''s reasoning was strangely convincing... "Alright, let''s begin. I just warmed up a bit and feel in great shape now," Ze Tian Yinyin said, clenching her fist. Yin En took a deep breath, starting to move his limbs. Despite only seeing a glimpse, it was clear to Liu Xing how strong Ze Tian Yinyin was. To defeat her, Yin En would probably need several significant sesses. Seeing that Yin En had finished warming up, Ze Tian Yinyin grinned, "Alright, let''s start. You can rest assured; I''ll be careful, not directly killing you." After Ze Tian Yinyin spoke, KP Li Shunchan stepped forward, "Alright, now Yin En and Ze Tian Yinyin are entering thebat round. Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang, as onlookers, will enter the spectator mode. In simple terms, you two will only know the final result of the judgment, but not the specific process." Liu Xing nodded. Knowing the result was enough; the process wasn''t crucial. However, what surprised Liu Xing was how quickly thisbat round ended. Ze Tian Yinyin, Close Combat, Sess. Ze Tian Yinyin, Valor, Sess. Ze Tian Yinyin, Damage ¡ª 8 points! Ze Tian Yinyin took the initiative, causing 8 points of damage. It was expected by Liu Xing, but what surprised him was that Yin En didn''t attempt to dodge or parry at all! As the judgment ended, Liu Xing saw Ze Tian Yinyin take a step forward, rapidly approaching Yin En. Then, she delivered a punch to his abdomen. Yin En instantly fell, resembling a cooked prawn, lying on the ground in a "C" shape. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 161: Placebo Effect Chapter 161: cebo Effect Liu Xing anxiously watched Yin En, fearing that Yin En might trigger a state of unconsciousness. When a yer loses more than half of their HP at once, it triggers aa judgment. In simple terms, it''s a willpower judgment. If the willpower judgment is not passed, the yer will fall into a state of unconsciousness. Yin En, 77/80, sess. Fortunately, Yin En''s profession as an international mercenary endowed him with sufficient willpower to pass thea judgment. Otherwise, he would have been knocked out by Ze Tian Yinyin''s punch. However, even though he passed thea judgment, Yin En couldn''t continue the fight. He had just taken a whopping 8 points of damage to his abdomen. Although it didn''t cause fractures, Yin En''s organs suffered severe damage. ording to the martial arts novels, Yin En had internal injuries and had lost the ability to continue fighting. Nevertheless, this was considered a stroke of luck because if he had suffered fractures, it would have been almost game over. In this martial arts module, battles are inevitable, and surviving with a broken bone is exceptionally challenging. Most judgments require difficult tests with a sess rate reduced by half. Of course, there''s also the possibility of being deemed unfit due to severe fractures, requiring hospitalization for recovery. Internal injuries, on the other hand, are a mysterious thing. After reliable treatment, they should temporarily recover, with only a slight decrease in attribute and skill values. However, internal injuries are sometimes more challenging to heal than fractures. If mending broken bones takes a hundred days, internal injuries might persist for a hundred years, akin to a yer carrying a debuff indefinitely. Liu Xing sighed, preparing to administer First Aid to Yin En. However, when he approached, he saw Yin En lying under Ze Tian Yinyin''s short skirt. Suddenly, Yin En opened his eyes, catching a glimpse of Ze Tian Yinyin''s panties. Then, KP Li Shunchanughed and said, "Congrattions to yer Yin En for triggering the Easter egg of this module ¡ª ''What''s Under the Girl''s Skirt.'' Yin En, who witnessed the miracle, can now recover 1d3 HP. As for the principle, please refer to the cebo effect." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He didn''t expect that this could restore HP, and it even involved the cebo effect. It seemed a bit absurd. As a doctor, Liu Xing naturally knew what a cebo was. A cebo refers to a preparation or form that contains no active pharmacological ingredients, resembling real medicine, such as distilled water, starch tablets, or capsules. Its main function is to stabilize the patient''s emotions. Generally, patients seek medication to achieve certain therapeutic goals. The stronger the desire, the better the cebo''s effect. On the other hand, if the administering person has authority and experience, the higher their reputation and the more experienced they are, the better the cebo''s effect. Of course, another function of the cebo is its use in double-blind experiments. In drug trials, using cebos in a double-blind manner for both subjects and doctors can eliminate the influence of psychological effects on the objective evaluation of drug effectiveness, truly assessing the drug''s impact on human experimentation. Therefore, the cebo effect, in simple terms, involves using ineffective treatment methods to make patients believe that these methods are effective, thereby improving the patient''s psychological state and, in turn, changing their physiological state. It may seem unreliable, but in many cases, the cebo effect does exist and can have a certain "therapeutic effect" on various conditions. Liu Xing had encountered such a patient during his internship. This patient, due to mental stress, believed that they had severe gastrointestinal issues and refrained from eating any stimting foods. After a diagnosis, Liu Xing''s mentor found that the patient''s gastrointestinal system was perfectly normal, with asional symptoms of gastritis. They prescribed some gastrointestinal-regting medicine and, using their authority, assured the patient that taking the medicine would guarantee aplete recovery. Indeed, shortly afterward, the patient felt that the symptoms had disappeared. Now, Liu Xing spected that after seeing the ** of the girl, Yin En felt that his soul had been baptized, temporarily alleviating the difort in his abdomen and transforming the originally painful sensation into a hint of pleasure... In summary, the concept of gaining health by just looking at ** might not be scientific, but Liu Xing could only say it was very Cthulhu! At this moment, Yin En''s HP recovery judgment began. Yin En, HP recovered, 1d3=2. With 2 HP recovered, Ian''s expression instantly calmed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. Meanwhile, Ze Tian Yinyin realized she had gone too far. She took out a small bottle from her pocket, poured out a ck pill, and squatted down, saying to Yin En, "Hey, don''t y dead here. Take this pill; it can at least ensure you won''t suffer internal injuries. Uh, why do you have that expression? You look like a hentai." Ze Tian Yinyin looked at Yin En disdainfully, directly stuffing the pill into his mouth. "Okay, because you''ve taken the ancestral pill from the Ze Tian family, Yin En can now recover 1d5 HP, and for the next few days, he can recover 1 HP every day until he fully recovers," KP Li Shunchan said. Yin En, HP recovered, 1d5=4. Lucky. Yin En''s total HP recovery from the two instances reached 6 points, equivalent to Ze Tian Yinyin''s attack causing him only a 2-point HP loss. Moreover, with two days of rest, he would fully recover. Suddenly, two men appeared outside the gym door. Judging by their attire, Liu Xing knew they were hotel staff. "Dear guests, I am the duty manager of the hotel. I just received aint call from other guests, saying that most of you are making a lot of noisete at night. So, I came over to understand the situation," the duty manager said earnestly. At this point, Ze Tian Yinyin waved at the duty manager and smiled, "There''s nothing happening here; you can leave." ncing toward Ze Tian Yinyin, the duty manager''s expression changed, and he sighed helplessly, nodding, "Since that''s the case, I''ll leave. I hope you all can rest earlyter. Oh, Otonashi, stay here to take care of the guests. If they need anything, try to satisfy them as much as possible. Call me if there''s any issue." The server called Otonashi, looking puzzled, nced at the hotel manager and asked, "Uh, manager, shouldn''t we just send them back to their rooms to sleep? Why are we allowing them to continue making noise here?" The duty manager looked at Ze Tian Yinyin, then whispered something to Otonashi. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 162: Celestial Clash?! Chapter 162: Celestial sh?! "Now, Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang can choose to use a listening judgment to determine whether they can hear the conversation between Otonashi Takuya and the duty manager. Since Otonashi Takuya''s voice is rtively loud, yers with a listening value below 50 will be judged based on a sess rate of 50%," KP Li Shunchan said at the right moment. Liu Xing, 41/50, sessful. Watanabe Jiang, 13/50, sessful. After the listening judgment, Liu Xing heard the conversation between Otonashi Takuya and the duty manager. "Otonashi, you may not know since you just arrived at our hotel, but that girl is Ze Tian Yinyin, the eldest daughter of the Ze family. And our hotel is also owned by the Ze family. In other words, we are just workers under Miss Ze Tian. She wants to demolish this hotel, and we have to cooperate with her. After all, the Ze family is thergest in our Ziwu City. Even the mayor dares not offend them. So, we workers better be obedient and not provoke Miss Ze Tian''s anger." "Well, I see. But I''ve always heard that those noble youngdies from prestigious families are all refined. Why does Miss Ze Tian seem so violent?" "Otonashi, you''re a bit ignorant. Miss Ze Tian is a prodigy, excelling in everything from music, chess, calligraphy, to painting. She has won championships in variouspetitions in Ziwu City without any shady dealings. But what she loves the most is martial arts. She has visited almost every martial arts gym in Ziwu City and never encountered a rival. That''s why Miss Ze Tian has earned the nickname ''Ziwu Violent Maniac.''" "Alright, but even a youngdy shouldn''t act recklessly, right? She shouldn''t just follow her own temper." "Hehe, Otonashi, you''re still too young. Don''t forget that our Ind Nation is a capitalist country. If you have money, you can do whatever you want. Well, I''ll be going now. Just remember, whatever Miss says is always right. As for other customers, you can settle things with somepensation." After the duty manager spoke, he left the gym directly. No one wants to get involved in such a thankless situation. Liu Xing finally understood why Ze Tian Yinyin dared to be so arrogant. It turns out this hotel is owned by the Ze family, the local big shots in Ziwu City. Being the daughter of the family, Ze Tian Yinyin can do whatever she wants in Ziwu City, especially considering her formidable abilities a typical protagonist temte. But now, Liu Xing is more curious about Otonashi Takuya, the "scapegoat" pushed out by the duty manager. What kind of person is he? In the Cthulhu RPG Game, any named NPC usually has a significant role, and the earlier they appear, the more important they are. So, Otonashi Takuya, who appeared now, is obviously an important NPC. Observing Otonashi Takuya, Liu Xing sees he is about 1.7 meters tall, somewhat slender but with a decent appearance. Sporting a hedgehog-like hairstyle, he gives Liu Xing the impression of a hot-blooded protagonist from an Ind Nation anime. "Sorry, everyone. Miss Ze Tian caused you trouble today. I sincerely apologize," Otonashi Takuya walked up, offering a sincere apology. Liu Xing shook his head dismissively and said generously, "It''s okay, not your fault. It''s more about your duty manager, who, when faced with a problem, runs away on his own. Truly, sigh." Otonashi Takuya shrugged and said helplessly, "Hehe, isn''t this a normal thing? Humans are creatures that seek benefits and avoid harm. Nobody wants to deal with troublesome matters. If I help Miss Ze, you might report me, and I''ll have to pack up and leave. But if I help you, Miss Ze will definitely kick me out. So, I don''t know what to do now. I can only watch and see how things unfold." As Otonashi Takuya spoke, he sat on a piece of gym equipment, watching Ze Tian Yinyin and the slowly rising Yin En. Liu Xing nodded with a smile, recognizing that Otonashi Takuya is a sensible person. Under the effects of ** and healing pills, Yin En, who had only lost 2 HP, had recovered. Slowly standing up, he looked at Ze Tian Yinyin. Seeing this, Ze Tian Yinyin smiled and said, "Hehe, it seems like you still want to continue fighting with me?" Yin En nodded and earnestly said, "Yes, I admit your speed is very fast. I didn''t react in time and was knocked down by you just now. So, I hope you can give me another chance. I want to prove my strength!" Ze Tian Yinyin looked at Yin En, smiled again, and said, "Alright then, you can make the first move this time. Let''s begin!" Yin En silently took his stance, Ze Tian Yinyin took a few steps back, and then signaled for Yin En to attack. Thus, Yin En and Ze Tian Yinyin entered another round ofbat. Yin En, with a powerful punch, 23/80, seeded. Ze Tian Yinyin, dodging, 87/80, failed. Damage: 7 points! Seeing the judgment results, both Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang were stunned. They didn''t expect Yin En, as a yer, to be so strong in battle, delivering 7 points of damage. Moreover, despite Ze Tian Yinyin''s outstanding abilities, her luck was unexpectedly bad, failing an 80% sessful dodge. However, Liu Xing, at this point, was already considering rushing over to stop Yin En''s attack. After all, if Yin En threw this punch, Ze Tian Yinyin''s fate might be sealed. Given Miss Ze Tian''s personality, she might not care about a fight, but if you dared to strike her, she might retaliate with a vengeance... Moreover, considering Ze Tian Yinyin''s health, which is only 8 points, if Yin En''s punch caused any harm, the Ze family would surely pursue Yin En. Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang, as bystanders, might also face consequences. However, Liu Xing was about five meters away from the closest point to Yin En, making it impossible for him to intervene in time. So, Liu Xing could only sigh helplessly and prepare to administer First Aid to Ze Tian Yinyin. Just then, a shocking scene unfolded. Otonashi Takuya, sitting on the side, instantly surged into action. In less than a second, he sprinted to the middle of Yin En and Ze Tian Yinyin, effortlessly catching Yin En''s attack. MMP! Liu Xing couldn''t help but curse in his mind. This Otonashi Takuya is indeed the hot-blooded protagonist from an Ind Nation anime. Just from this move, Liu Xing was certain that Otonashi Takuya''sbat strength surpassed even Ze Tian Yinyin''s, possibly another powerhouse capable of dealing over 20 damage with a single punch. Could this module really be turning into a celestial showdown? [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 163: Fiancée?! Chapter 163: Fianc¨¦e?! Otonashi Takuya''s swift actions left Liu Xing questioning whether he was truly human. In less than a second, Otonashi rose, sprinted a five-meter distance, bypassed Yin En, and directly confronted Yin En''s attack. These moves surpassed ordinary human capabilities and hinted at a possible non-human identity. In the world of divine shes, mortals suffer. Liu Xing, a doctor, doubted the need for hisbat skills. It seemed futile to join the fray; not only could he not inflict damage on others, but he''d likely be swiftly defeated. Rubbing his chin, Liu Xing contemted his next move. Unbeknownst to him, Watanabe Jiang had silently disappeared from his side. "Alright, guests, including Miss Watanabe, let''s stop the fight. I can see the intensity in your attacks, and it''s risky without holding back. Injuries wouldn''t be ideal," Otonashi Takuya said, releasing Yin En''s fist. Ze Tian Yinyin snorted arrogantly, stating, "Hmph, how could this guy harm me? I''ve already seen through his attack patterns. If it weren''t for you, the waiter, stopping him casually, I would have dodged, counterattacked, and knocked him down again." Otonashi Takuya chuckled, offering no face to Ze Tian Yinyin. "Hehe, Miss Watanabe, you should be aware that the attacks from this guest have already locked onto you. Dodging is no longer an option, and I can tell he used full force. If you take a hit, you''ll be on a hospital bed for at least half a year." Ze Tian Yinyin''s expression darkened at Otonashi Takuya''s words. Despite her arrogance, she wasn''t unreasonable. Picking up the Golden Sand Eagle and Shrapnel Grenade from the ground, she left the gym without saying anything. However, at the gym''s entrance, Ze Tian Yinyin suddenly turned to Yin En and said, "Your abilities are not bad, butpared to me, there''s still a gap. Practice more on your own. I''m willing to concede, so tonight, I won''t y the violin for youmoners." With that, Ze Tian Yinyin left. Liu Xing shook his head and approached Yin En. "Are you alright, my friend? I''m Liu Xing, a doctor. Do you need a check-up?" Yin En shook his head, smiling. "No need, thanks. Miss Watanabe gave me some medicine earlier. I feel okay now. By the way, I''m Yin En. Nice to meet you." Liu Xing nodded and was about to introduce Watanabe Jiang when he realized Watanabe Jiang had already disappeared. Liu Xing could only silently shake his head, inwardly remarking on how elusive Watanabe Jiang was. "Well, now that everything''s settled, both guests, please return to your rooms and rest. Miss Watanabe''s troubles will bepensated by our hotel, but that''s a matter for tomorrow morning. It''s already midnight," Otonashi Takuya said seriously. So Liu Xing and Yin En returned to their respective rooms. Along the way, Liu Xing shared the information he had just obtained, including details about Ze Tian Yinyin, with Yin En. Unexpectedly, Yin En''s expression turned peculiar upon learning about Ze Tian Yinyin. Witnessing this, Liu Xing couldn''t help but marvel at the rich and expressive range of human emotions. After a while, Yin En, somewhat gloomy, said, "Uh, Liu Xing, you might not know. I''m an international mercenary. I came to Ziwu City with a specific purpose to meet my fiance. However, my father arranged this engagement before I was even born, so, you know." Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing guessed the answer, "You mean, Ze Tian Yinyin is your fiance?!" Yin En nodded silently, wearing a look of resignation. After all, while having a wild and quirky girlfriend had its charm, not many could ept a girlfriend who could knock them out with a single punch. Patting Yin En on the shoulder, Liu Xing said, "Take care, my friend." Despite the joke, Liu Xing felt relieved. With Yin En and Ze Tian Yinyin''s connection, both would likely be valuable allies. Of course, Liu Xing didn''t forget about Otonashi Takuya. Considering Otonashi Takuya''sbat prowess exceeded Ze Tian Yinyin''s, he was a target worth winning over. Thinking of this, Liu Xing said to Yin En, "Yin En, you must have noticed that waiter named Otonashi Takuya. His abilities seem stronger than Ze Tian Yinyin''s." Yin En pondered for a moment, nodding. "Liu Xing, you''re right. Otonashi Takuya is exceptionally powerful. When I tried to prove myself by attacking Ze Tian Yinyin, Otonashi effortlessly intercepted my attack. I also noticed that he was sitting behind me before I initiated the attack." Liu Xing nodded, sighing. "I didn''t expect Ziwu City to be a hidden gem of talent. With Ze Tian Yinyin as a formidable woman, and now Otonashi Takuya, who knows what other formidable experts will appear." At that moment, Liu Xing and Yin En returned to their floor. After bidding each other goodnight, they went to their respective rooms. Lying on his bed, Liu Xing contemted the module''s future developments. First, there were the Killer Demon and half-beast people mentioned in the module introduction. If everything went as expected, both Killer Demon and the half-beast people should be mythical creatures, with the half-beast people likely being Ghouls. As for Killer Demon, Liu Xing couldn''t immediately figure out the rationale. ording to the provided information, Killer Demon only inflicted serious injuries on humans but never killed them, leaving Liu Xing puzzled. Could this Killer Demon be Batman? [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 164: Communication Chapter 164: Communication However, let''s circle back to the main point. This time, the module is named "Dark Life." Liu Xing couldn''t shake the feeling that it had little to do with Killer Demon and Ghoul. Considering thebat prowess of Ze Tian Yinyin and Otonashi Takuya, it should be a breeze to annihte Ghoul. So, Liu Xing spected that Killer Demon''s strength must beparable to Ze Tian Yinyin and Otonashi Takuya. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, humans were just supporting characters, how could they steal the spotlight from these mythical creatures? With a determined mind, Liu Xing decided to explore the clues about Killer Demon and the half-beast people the next day to confirm their specific identities. To know oneself and the enemy is to win a hundred battles. Thinking about this, Liu Xing contacted KP Li Shunchan and set the "rm clock" for half-past seven in the morning. The next morning, Liu Xing woke up on time, freshened up, and headed straight to the hotel''s restaurant for breakfast. Luck was on his side; Liu Xing spotted Yin En and Watanabe Jiang sitting together in a corner of the restaurant. Without hesitation, Liu Xing approached, greeted them, and the three yers "born" in the hotel were finally gathered. Observing the surroundings, Liu Xing noticed no NPCs nearby. He contacted KP Li Shunchan, "KP, it''s time to activate Private Room." KP Li Shunchan was quick to respond, initiating Private Room time. However, he reminded Liu Xing, "OK, but I have to remind you, Liu Xing, after entering the Shoggoth Region, in each Cthulhu RPG Game, each yer is allowed to initiate Private Room three times only, and the duration remains five minutes." Liu Xing nodded, as he expected this limitation. After all, Private Room time was almost like an official cheat, and it was normal to restrict its usage with the progression of the game area. "Hey, Liu Xing, you just advanced to the Shoggoth Region, huh? But your luck might not be great this time. The difficulty of this module might be a bit too high for you," Watanabe Jiang joked. Liu Xing shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it. After all, thebat strength disyed by the two NPCs introduced this time had already prepared Liu Xing for the possibility of a tough challenge. Given his petite stature, a random hit might be fatal. But because he held a white character card and the ticket to the resurrection module, Liu Xing wasn''t too anxious. Wait, why am I so calm? Liu Xing suddenly felt that his mindset had improved significantly after advancing to the Shoggoth Region. This might be what they call "having provisions in hand, feeling no panic." "Ah, thankfully we were just going through the plotst night; otherwise, I might have had to tear my card," Yin En said, somewhat relieved. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Yin En, this could be considered a blessing in disguise. Moreover, Ze Tian Yinyin is your fiance. That''s a good thing. But then again, it''s probably because you initially invested in option 1." Yin En chuckled, nodding, "Indeed, my original character card strength was mediocre. Unexpectedly, my luck was good this time, and all my attribute and skill values have increased significantly. Plus, I gained Ze Tian Yinyin as my fiance. Well, although Ze Tian Yinyin is a bit violent, she''s quite skilled. Easily took down a Ghoul." "Oh, so you also think the half-beast people are Ghouls?" Watanabe Jiang said with a smile. Yin En replied, "Of course. After returning to my roomst night, I found a map of Ziwu City. There''s a rose graveyard on the west side of Ziwu City, upying arge area. So, it''s safe to say that the mythical half-beast people are Ghouls." Watanabe Jiang pped his hands, affirming, "Great minds think alike. I got up early today, inquired at the hotel''s front desk, and found out that Killer Demon and the half-beast people''s movements are all in the southwest area of Ziwu City. However,pared to Killer Demon, who actively attacks humans, there''s only some eyewitness information about the half-beast people. Most reports describe them as humanoid creatures with dog heads and smooth, hairless bodies." "That confirms the half-beast people are Ghouls, and theirir is in the rose graveyard. But what about Killer Demon, Watanabe Jiang? Any information?" Liu Xing asked. Watanabe Jiang thought for a moment and then said, "Regarding Killer Demon, I found out that although he''s ruthless, he won''t kill. Most victims attacked by Killer Demon end up with missing limbs. Killer Demon strikes after dark, suddenly appearing in front of the victim, swiftly attacking, and then disappearing. The entire process takes about five seconds. Currently, the descriptions of Killer Demon portray him as a humanoid creature over two meters tall, with a sturdy build, wielding an unsheathedrge de. Also, I heard that victims attacked by Killer Demon are sent to the 404 Hospital for treatment." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, smiling, "This module is indeed interesting. The city we''re in is called Ziwu City, clearly inspired by ''fictional and unreal.'' And the hospital is named 404, implying it can''t be found on the inte. I wonder what other interesting ce names areing up." "Buting back to our point, we only have three yers in our hotel, and there are four more yers born elsewhere. So, we need to find them quickly. I believe they might have obtained other information. We need to figure out what ''Hunhei Zhi Sheng'' means as soon as possible!" Yin En said earnestly. As Yin En finished speaking, Watanabe Jiang jokingly interjected, "By the way, Yin En, I think you should go find your fiance, Miss Ze Tian Yinyin. After all, Ze Tian Yinyin is quite capable, and her family is influential in Ziwu City. She could provide us with a lot of help." Yin En looked somewhat embarrassed, shaking his head with a wry smile, "I thought about it too, but my character card doesn''t allow me to do that. In the background of my character card, it''s mentioned that I don''t approve of this marriage, so I''ve been finding excuses to dy it. Therefore, I can''t actively approach Ze Tian Yinyin. Besides, my character card has a traitstraightforward. In most situations, I must choose to face challenges head-on, gaining a certain numerical bonus during judgments. So, that''s why Ze Tian Yinyin turned me into minced shrimpst night. Otherwise, you might have thought I was an ironhead." Indeed, Yin En fell victim to his own trait. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 165: The Great Failure of SAN Value Inspection Chapter 165: The Great Failure of SAN Value Inspection Liu Xing took a sip of his congee and suddenly thought of something. He turned to Watanabe Jiang and asked, "By the way, Watanabe Jiang, howe you disappearedst night?" Watanabe Jiang chuckled awkwardly and replied, "Well, the thing is, as you all should know, I have a disguise skill. The drunk uncle you saw initially was actually me pretending. So, after Yin En and Ze Tian Yinyin finished their fight, I was worried that Ze Tian Yinyin might recognize me. Therefore, I chose to leave and went to the front desk to ask the duty manager to change my room." As Watanabe Jiang exined, he suddenly steered the conversation to tease Yin En again. "Speaking of which, Yin En, what did you see to be able to recover 1d3 HP?" Caught off guard by Watanabe Jiang''s remark, Yin En almost spat out the congee in his mouth. After a moment of silence, he uttered four words, "Blue and white porcin." Liu Xing nced at his phone and noticed that the Private Room time was about to end. He spoke up, "Alright, we need to discuss where we should go next. After all, we still need to find the other four yers." Yin En nodded, took out a map of Ziwu City, and pointed to the central business district. "The hotel we are in right now is located in the city center. Based on the names of other locations on the map, we can be sure that the other four yers are probably locals of Ziwu City. They should be in these residential areas, and it''s practically impossible for us to go to those residential areas to meet them. So, we can only go to ces like hospitals, TV stations, and the academic district because other yers might go there for work or study." Watanabe Jiang stroked his chin and suggested, "Actually, we have another way to contact the other yers. Don''t forget that in the background of our character cards, it was mentioned that we seven yers all know each other from a game. So, after Private Room time ends, we can bring up this point and contact the other yers in the game. I''ll stay online the whole time." Liu Xing nodded, agreeing that Watanabe Jiang''s idea was indeed good. At that moment, the Private Room time came to an end. "By the way, have any of you yed a game called ''Cthulhu Domination''?" Yin En said with a smile. Cthulhu Domination Liu Xing couldn''t help but find the name of this game ridiculous. Watanabe Jiang nodded, proudly saying, "Of course, I''ve yed it. Cthulhu Domination is the hottest game in recent years, and I''m a member of the number one international guild, coc." Liu Xing, feigning surprise, chimed in, "You''re also a coc member? Well, I''m a coc member too. My ID is Old Chinese Doctor." And so, Liu Xing and the others exchanged names, "surprisingly discovering" that all three of them were members of the same guild. "I can''t believe it, what a coincidence! I''ll mention this in the gameter," Watanabe Jiang said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and then said, "By the way, I n to go to the libraryter. I heard that Ziwu City''s library is quite extensive. Are you guysing along?" Yin En shook his head, pointing to the academic district. "I n to go to the academic district. I''ve heard that Ziwu City''s academic district has everything from kindergarten to university, and the faculty is top-notch in the Ind Nation. After graduating from high school, I went straight to be an international mercenary, so I''ve always wanted to visit a university." Watanabe Jiang also shook his head with a smile, saying, "I''ll pass. I n to stay in the hotel and y games today. I''ll check if there''s anyone from our guild in Ziwu City. We can gather and raid bossester. Oh, and remember toe back early today, so we can go boss hunting together." After breakfast, Liu Xing directly booked a taxi and headed to Ziwu City''s library. Ziwu City''s library was located directly above the business district, about half an hour''s drive from the hotel. It covered an area equivalent to a standard unit of the Ind Nation asrge as the Tokyo Dome. However, due to the starting time of the module being January 11, 2015, the flower beds around Ziwu City''s library had mostly withered, and the biting cold wind made Liu Xing regret not wearing an extrayer of clothing when he left. Liu Xing hurriedly entered the library and found that there weren''t many people inside. After all, on such a cold day, there weren''t many people passionate about studying. Liu Xing''s purpose in visiting the Ziwu City library was to investigate relevant legends of Ziwu City, hoping to understand the exact meaning of Dark Life and collect information about Killer Demon and the half-beast people. The library was roughly divided into two parts. The area near the entrance was the electronic reading area, equipped with hundreds ofputers, though mostly older desktop models. Consequently, there weren''t many people in this area. The section for storing paper books was inside the library, divided into three levels. Liu Xing checked the sign at the entrance and confirmed that his destination was on the third level. At this moment, Liu Xing saw a young man in a ck coat. What caught Liu Xing''s attention was a tattoo on the back of the young man''s left hand an Elder Sign tattoo! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, affirming that the young man in the ck coat was a yer. In the "Chat Room" posts, it was mentioned that lone ranger yers who hadn''t joined a guild would have an Elder Sign tattoo on the back of their left hand to identify them as yers. However, Liu Xing didn''t have the opportunity to approach this yer at the moment, so he could only "meet without knowing." Liu Xing casually explored the first floor of the library and didn''t find anything noteworthy, deciding to go directly to the third floor. However, at the corner of the first and second floors, Liu Xing saw an oil painting, a full-body portrait of a young girl. "Hehe, Liu Xing, now you can undergo the first SAN value check for this campaign. Sess won''t decrease your SAN value, but failure will cost you 1 SAN point," GM Li Shunchan said with a grin. Liu Xing, 100/78, critical failure! Liu Xing furrowed his brow. He didn''t expect to start with a critical failure, but fortunately, the penalty for this SAN value check failure wasn''t too high. Even in the case of a critical failure, he shouldn''t lose too many SAN points. However, what surprised Liu Xing was that the painting looked very ordinary, with nothing notable about it. Moreover, it was ced in a bustling area, so there shouldn''t be any issues. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 166: The Peculiar Oil Painting Chapter 166: The Peculiar Oil Painting "Uh, didn''t expect Liu Xing, your luck to be so bad. You actually encountered a major failure right off the bat. I wasn''t even prepared for the punishment of a big failure. Well, let it be. Even after losing 1 point of SAN value, you''ve directly passed an inspiration check. However, this time, the SAN value check won''t increase your Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." KP Li Shunchan pondered for a moment and then chuckled. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. In the grand scheme of misfortune, losing only 1 point of SAN value was a stroke of luck. As for automatically passing an inspiration check, it was what Liu Xing had wished for. After the SAN value check, he had nned to proceed with an inspiration check to discern the anomalies in this oil painting. After KP Li Shunchan spoke, Liu Xing felt that something was off about the painting. The features of the girl, who had originally had a proper appearance, suddenly shifted. Every part seemed out of ce, simply put, the eyes were not eyes, and the nose was not a nose. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. He had only lost 1 point of SAN value, so why was he experiencing hallucinations? At this moment, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling behind him. Turning around, he saw the young man in a ck coat. Gu Jun, 74/50, failure. Seeing Gu Jun''s SAN value, Liu Xing knew that this Gu Jun was likely a troublemaker, and his Cthulhu Mythos knowledge probably exceeded 20. "Hello, sir. I''d like to ask you something. When you look at this painting, do you find something strange about the facial features of the girl in the painting?" Gu Jun approached and struck up a conversation with Liu Xing. Liu Xing feigned confusion and replied, "Indeed, that''s true. When I first saw this painting, I didn''t notice anything unusual, but after looking at it for a while, the facial features of the girl in the painting suddenly shifted." Gu Jun stroked his chin and thoughtfully said, "It seems I''m not the only one with this perception. It looks like I came to Ziwu City at the right time." Liu Xing asked tentatively, "Uh, sir, do you have any thoughts on this painting?" Gu Jun chuckled and said, "Judging by your ent, you''re also Chinese. I''m Gu Jun, an ultist. I was invited by the president of Ziwu City University a few days ago to teach archaeology." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn that Gu Jun was an ultist teaching archaeology! Liu Xing sighed quietly, mentally preparing himself for a strange encounter. After all, dealing with ultist schrs came with its own set of challenges. Although Liu Xing was reluctant to continue the conversation, he had to ask, "Oh, in that case, Gu Jun, do you think there''s something wrong with this painting?" Gu Jun looked at the painting, shook his head, and said, "I''m not entirely sure about the specifics of this painting, as I''ve never encountered such a thing before. However, I can confirm that this painting should be the work of a wizard." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and pretended to be surprised. "What? Are there really Wizards in this world?" Gu Jun looked at Liu Xing mysteriously and said, "Do you really have no idea whether Wizards exist in this world?" Liu Xing''s expression darkened, momentarily unsure how to respond to Gu Jun''s words. "Hehe, don''t be nervous. As an ultist with a few tricks up my sleeve, I can tell you''ve experienced some supernatural events and encountered mythical creatures," Gu Jun confidently stated. Liu Xing looked at Gu Jun with surprise. He didn''t expect ultists to possess such unique skills. "Well, I have indeed encountered some strange things and seen mythical creatures. But what does that have to do with anything?" Liu Xing feigned a puzzled expression. Gu Jun chuckled and said seriously, "In that case, I finally understand. If things go as expected, this painting has a triggering mechanism. Ordinary people only see the surface of the painting, but those of us who have experienced supernatural events and encountered mythical creatures trigger the mechanism, allowing us to see the true form of this painting." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Gu Jun''s exnation was logical and convincing, making Liu Xing realize that being a daring schr might have its uses. "So that''s why. No wonder this painting is disyed here. Ordinary people can''t see its true form," Liu Xing pretended to have a sudden realization. Gu Jun nodded with a smile, pointing upstairs. "Let''s go up. I asked the library staff earlier, and they mentioned that the library director is on the third floor. I want to inquire about the details of this painting. I believe you might be interested in knowing more too." Liu Xing shrugged and said, "Of course. By the way, Gu Jun, you can just call me Liu Xing." Liu Xing and Gu Jun exchanged a smile and headed straight to the third floor. On the third floor, Liu Xing and Gu Jun quickly found the library director of Ziwu City Library, as there was only one person reading there. To Liu Xing''s surprise, the library director of Ziwu City looked to be in his twenties and was quite handsome, wearing ck-framed sses, exuding an idol-like charm. "Hello, are you Mr. Kuroba Naoki, the library director of Ziwu City Library?" Gu Jun approached Kuroba Naoki and asked with a smile. Kuroba Naoki pushed his ck-framed sses and nodded. "Yes, I am Kuroba Naoki, the library director of Ziwu City. What brings you two here?" Gu Jun got straight to the point. "Well, I''d like to ask, Mr. Director, what is the painting at the corner between the first and second floors?" Kuroba Naoki nodded and took out a book from the shelf titled "King Tindalos." However, this book''s appearance was quite poor, resembling the cheap, pirated novels you might find on a street vendor''s stall. "It is said that during the Asuka Era, in the current Ziwu City territory, a country named King Tindalos was established. King Tindalos was the founding king of this country and its only reigning monarch. King Tindalos was brave, wise, and even prophetic. He defeated armies sent by the Emperor Suiko several times, even in extremely unfavorable situations. The painting depicts King Tindalos''s daughter, who, unfortunately, fell seriously ill at the age of thirteen and passed away. After her death, King Tindalos lost interest in ruling, disappeared shortly afterward, and the once-prosperous King Tindalos country declined, eventually being destroyed by Emperor Suiko," Kuroba Naoki exined calmly. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 167: The Story Chapter 167: The Story "King Tindalos?!" Liu Xing looked at Gu Jun, a bit puzzled, silently asking if Gu Jun knew the origin of this King Tindalos. Gu Jun shook his head and turned to Kuroba Naoki, inquiring, "Director, isn''t the name of the Kingdom of Tindalos a bit too Westernized? It feels like the name of a country on the medieval European continent. And if I remember correctly, the Asuka Era when Emperor Suiko ascended to the throne was around 600 AD. At that time, the Ind Nation surely didn''t have mastery of oil painting techniques. So, the painting we just saw must be a fake, right?" Kuroba Naoki shook his head, speaking earnestly, "No, no, no. That painting is definitely authentic. Over a decade ago, the Ziwu City government initiated an investigation into the Kingdom of Tindalos. They confirmed the location of Tindalos'' ruins, which is the undeveloped area in the southwest corner of Ziwu City. Many precious artifacts were excavated, such as silver tes and golden chopsticks used by King Tindalos during his lifetime. However, what''s strange is that the artifacts unearthed in the ruins of King Tindalos all have a strong Western style. Therefore, these artifacts were questioned as forgeries. After relevant authentication, it was confirmed that these artifacts indeed originated from the Asuka Era. Unfortunately, the government at the time insisted that these artifacts were fake. They believed that archaeologists at that time intentionally purchased Western artifacts to fake the relics of the Kingdom of Tindalos. As a result, the government sealed these artifacts." "As for this oil painting of Princess Tindalos, it should be considered my personal collection. I was very interested in the story of the Kingdom of Tindalos when I was in high school. After all, King Tindalos'' life was extremely legendary, like reading a light novel. So, after graduating from high school, I specifically went to that undeveloped area to visit the archaeological site. However, I found out that the undeveloped area had already been contracted by the Zeta family and was off-limits to outsiders." "Therefore, I came to a small vige near the undeveloped area, nning to stay overnight and inquire about the excavation of the Kingdom of Tindalos from the vigers. By chance, the viger where I stayed, upon learning of my intentions, brought out this oil painting. He told me that this painting was excavated from the ruins of the Kingdom of Tindalos. However, it was done unofficially after the government ordered the end of official archaeological work. The vigers wanted to make some money with this painting, but others didn''t believe it was an artifact from the Kingdom of Tindalos. So, the viger had to keep the painting at home." "When I saw this painting for the first time, I was certain it was an artifact from the Kingdom of Tindalos. So, I spent a little money to buy it from the viger. Then, I became even more certain of the existence of the Kingdom of Tindalos. To make the government acknowledge their mistake and recognize the existence of the Kingdom of Tindalos, I became the director of the Ziwu City Library. I collected a lot of information about the Kingdom of Tindalos and am currently writing a paper to prove its existence. That''s why I hung this painting in the library, reminding myself constantly of what needs to be done." Kuroba Naoki became increasingly excited as he spoke, and Liu Xing couldn''t help but think of a termfanatic. "I see. I didn''t expect this oil painting to have such a significant background. I''ve learned a lot today. By the way, Director Kuroba, do you know why the Zeta family purchased that undeveloped area? Do they also want to benefit from the excavation of the Kingdom of Tindalos?" Gu Jun continued to inquire. Kuroba Naoki stroked his chin, then turned and picked up a book from the shelf behind him "The Great Hero Sawada Tomohiko." cing the book down, Kuroba Naoki began, "Sawada Tomohiko was a hero from five hundred years ago. Legend has it that Ziwu City was upied by a group of demons at that time, and the residents had to sacrifice arge number of people to these demons every month for sustenance. So, Sawada Tomohiko recruited a mercenary team to defeat the demons surrounding Ziwu City. However, after receiving the emperor''s reward, for some unknown reason, that mercenary team turned against him. In the current undeveloped area, they killed Sawada Tomohiko and left his body there. They even intended to harm Sawada Tomohiko''s wife and newborn child, leading to divine punishment. These shameless mercenaries disappeared into the thunderous sky. The Zeta family is the descendant of Sawada Tomohiko, so purchasing the undeveloped area is quite reasonable. ording to my personal knowledge, the Zeta family has no intention of changing the current state of the undeveloped area." Liu Xing and Gu Jun exchanged nces and then smiled at Kuroba Naoki, saying, "Director Kuroba, we won''t disturb you further. We''ll find some books to read on our own." Kuroba Naoki nodded, checked the time on his phone, and pointed to the shelf behind him, saying, "I assume you two are interested in the stories of the Kingdom of Tindalos and Sawada Tomohiko. You can choose books from this shelf. I have something to attend to now, so I''ll take my leave." After saying this, Kuroba Naoki went downstairs. Liu Xing walked to the shelf Kuroba Naoki mentioned, and indeed, there were books about the Kingdom of Tindalos and Sawada Tomohiko. However, like the book "King Tindalos," these books didn''t seem to have impressive appearances. "KP, I want to apply for a Library Use skill check," Gu Jun contacted KP Li Shunchan. Library Use is an essential skill in the Cthulhu RPG Game for obtaining information. After a sessful check, yers can use libraries, the inte, and other channels to gather important information and intelligence. Gu Jun, 1/80, a critical sess. Liu Xing didn''t expect Gu Jun to achieve a critical sess after his own failure. He began to wonder if his luck had been absorbed by Gu Jun. With a critical sess, Gu Jun picked up a book from the shelf. Liu Xing saw that the book was titled "Misceneous Talks on Tindalos." Considering his unlucky day, Liu Xing decided not to attempt a Library Use skill check. He randomly selected a book, sat down next to Gu Jun, and began reading. Since using the Library Use skill takes time, Liu Xing needed to pass the time. Two hourster, Gu Jun finally put down the book "Misceneous Talks on Tindalos." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 168: Dark Life Chapter 168: Dark Life "Gu Jun, have you discovered anything?" Liu Xing asked. Gu Jun chuckled and replied, "If I''m not mistaken, this King Tindalos is likely a member of the Yis People!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that "Gu Jun" knew about the Yis People. Compared to other mythical creatures, the Yis People were the most enigmatic characters yed by the yers. Unlike other mythical creatures that could be easily recognized for their terrifying features, Yis People, existing in a soul state, directly possessed humans. Even if yers could sense something unusual about Yis People, they couldn''t identify them. To understand Yis People, one either needed a special encounter, like a Yis People revealing themselves, or a certain level of expertise. Gu Jun, being an ultist, clearly fell into thetter category. "Yis People? Who are they? Why have I never heard of them before?" Liu Xing feigned surprise. Gu Jun rubbed his chin, a bit troubled, and said, "Uh, how should I describe it to you? Yis People are essentially extraterrestrials, but they possess advanced technology, controlling all of time in the universe. Therefore, Yis People can freely traverse the river of time and even inhabit human bodies, just like those protagonists in certain novels who travel through time." Liu Xing nodded, suddenly enlightened, "So that''s how it is. No wonder when Kuroba Naoki was telling the story of King Tindalos, I felt he was simr to the male lead in a certain novel and had the ability of foresight." From "Gu Jun''s" description of Yis People, Liu Xing concluded that "Gu Jun" didn''t haveplete knowledge of Yis People. It seemed Gu Jun, like himself, had obtained some fragments of a magical book, learning some information about Yis People. Gu Jun smiled and nodded, earnestly saying, "When I was listening to Kuroba Naoki''s story earlier, I began to suspect that King Tindalos might be a Yis People. At that time, I had no evidence to support my point of view. However, now that I''ve read this book, I can confirm that King Tindalos is indeed a Yis People. The book mentions a legend: King Tindalos''s daughter didn''t die but was magically sent to the future by King Tindalos using a mysterious spell. Then, King Tindalos mysteriously disappeared. Hence, I can assert that King Tindalos is a Yis People. But now, a new question arises Yis People''s technology should far surpass our era. Even if King Tindalos''s daughter suffered from a severe illness like cancer or leukemia, he should have been able to cure her." Liu Xing understood. Gu Jun was subtly hinting that King Tindalos''s daughter, sent to the future, might be the so-called "Dark Life." For the Yis People, masters of the highest technology in the Cthulhu universe, diseases had be history. Yis People inhabiting human bodies could effortlessly eliminate illnesses under limited conditions, much like Professor Yang in the inte addiction treatment center. He could create a high-tech "Electric Therapy Device" with simple materials, leading the human world by unknown years. Therefore, King Tindalos''s daughter couldn''t have been afflicted with a terminal illness. Liu Xing could only think of one possibility. "If King Tindalos''s daughter wasn''t suffering from a terminal illness, there''s only one possibility: some kind of curse. I heard a story in a small city during an event in my country a while back. Someone stole food offered to the gods and was cursed, bing emaciated and eventually starving to death," Liu Xing recounted a story he heard during the Harvest Festival. Gu Jun nodded in agreement, saying, "Liu Xing, you''re right. I thought the same. King Tindalos''s daughter must have fallen victim to a dreadful curse. Even the Yis People might not be able to lift such a curse, or perhaps, it was impossible in that era. Therefore, King Tindalos sent his daughter to the Future, to a time capable of breaking the curse." "It seems that''s the case. But if that''s true, King Tindalos''s daughter must have been sent to our era," Liu Xing suddenly realized. Gu Jun nodded, affirming, "Yes, that''s what I believe too. And without any surprises, we''ll soon encounter King Tindalos''s daughter, and that painting is the best proof." Liu Xing and Gu Jun exchanged smiles, then got up and left the Ziwu City library. "Well, I need to head back to the university now. But I believe we''ll meet again soon," Gu Jun stopped a taxi and bid farewell to Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded with a smile, waiting for an empty taxi. He and Gu Jun then went their separate ways. Sitting in the taxi, Liu Xing closed his eyes to rest. Firstly, Liu Xing had to admit that an ultist who hadn''t activated the ''Death Wish'' mode was indeed useful. If it weren''t for meeting Gu Jun, he wouldn''t have gathered such crucial information, especially about the "Dark Life." However, Liu Xing was quite concerned about Gu Jun, the ultist. If he identally triggered the ''Death Wish'' mode, things could get out of hand. Moreover, it was evident that "Gu Jun" had developed an interest in the "Dark Life," leaving Liu Xing with an unexinable sense of unease. Apart from that, Liu Xing couldn''t help but want to criticize the author of this module. The person was undoubtedly a beauty lover because, from what Liu Xing knew, almost all the significant NPCs were handsome men or beautiful women. Did appearance representbat prowess in this module''s world? Of course, what Liu Xing found most amusing was King Tindalos, a Yis People using the name of his mortal enemy, the Hound of Tindalos, as his country''s name. Liu Xing couldn''t help but marvel at King Tindalos''s audacity wasn''t he afraid the Hound of Tindalos woulde looking for trouble? Nevertheless, Yis People seemed untroubled by the Hound of Tindalos. They had developed technology to shield themselves from the Hound of Tindalos''s perception, ensuring they wouldn''t be hunted. Liu Xing also thought that King Tindalos was an exception among the Yis People. While others quietly researched and left the human world after five years, King Tindalos not only established a country but also had a family. ording to records, King Tindalos had lived in the human world for at least several decades. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 169: The Birth of a New Eldritch God?! Chapter 169: The Birth of a New Eldritch God?! Liu Xing, after silently cursing King Tindalos, pondered another pressing question: What exactly was the "Dark Life" curse? Generally, curses aimed to bring doom upon individuals. Liu Xing suspected that King Tindalos might have offended some Eldritch God, leading to the curse being ced upon his daughter. In desperation, King Tindalos transported his daughter to this era, seeking assistance to ward off the curse. However, Liu Xing couldn''t fathom King Tindalos''s reason for sending his daughter to this particr era. After all, as a member of the Yis People, King Tindalos possessed technological prowess rivaling that of the entire human race. Liu Xing doubted that technology alone could withstand the curse of an Eldritch God. So, what set this era apart from the one King Tindalos came from? Just as Liu Xing contemted seeking inspiration from KP Li Shunchan and applying for an inspiration assessment, a sudden realization struck him. He considered a usible exnation: the poption of this eramore people! In the ancient Ind Nation, various factors limited the poption, and the wars were often mockingly referred to as "Vige Chief scuffles." In the Asuka Era, around 600 AD, when King Tindalos established his kingdom in Ziwu City, Liu Xing estimated a poption of only a few thousand, if not less. In contrast, the present-day Ziwu City easily housed over a hundred thousand people. And in the Cthulhu RPG Game, arger poption meant more Mana Points (MP). Certain spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game required a significant amount of MP, beyond the capabilities of just one or two individuals. Hence, more people needed to join the spell. Liu Xing spected that King Tindalos had considered using a particr spell to lift the curse from his daughter. However, this spell required a vast amount of MP, beyond what King Tindalos''s kingdom could muster. Therefore, he sent his daughter to this era, hoping toplete the spell with the help of therger poption. "Dark Life." Liu Xing muttered to himself, "Darkness likely refers to the literal meaning of darkness. So, Dark Life should be the birth in darkness... a sr eclipse?!" With this thought, Liu Xing quickly opened his phone and searched for recent news about sr eclipses. Sure enough, he found a message: in seven days, the entire northern hemisphere would experience the longest sr eclipse in a millennium. During these thirty-six hours, the entire northern hemisphere would be shrouded in darkness, experiencing a phenomenon akin to the pr night. In thements section of this message, many people made jokes, suggesting it was a sign of the world''s end. An Eldritch God would be born in this darkness, bringing about the destruction of the world and plunging the Earth into eternal darkness. Liu Xing frowned, sensing trouble. Could the module truly be attempting to summon an Eldritch God to destroy the world?! "Sir, we''ve arrived at the hotel." While Liu Xing pondered whether the module might unleash an Eldritch God to y with, the taxi had already reached the hotel. Liu Xing paid the fare and went straight to the hotel. He found Watanabe Jiang''s room through the front desk, as he was the unfortunate one who had to change rooms due to a damaged door. Knocking on Watanabe Jiang''s door, Liu Xing shared the events he encountered at the Ziwu City library and the information about the uing sr eclipse. "What? Are you saying that in seven days, a newly born Eldritch God will destroy the world?" Watanabe Jiang eximed in surprise. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and curiously asked, "Watanabe Jiang, judging by your tone, have you also encountered mythical creatures and supernatural phenomena?" Watanabe Jiang nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I used to be on the wrong path, following a gang of thieves for a while. During one operation, we got surrounded by a group of fish-headed monsters. I was the only one lucky enough to escape. After that, I switched to bing a magician, only to stumble upon this kind of thing again." Liu Xing shrugged, sighing in resignation. "Perhaps it''s fate. But these are just my spections. Maybe I''m scaring myself, after all, I''ve only seen a strange oil painting and heard a peculiar story." As Liu Xing finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan interjected, "Hey, isn''t your acting a bit too stiff? Liu Xing, did you have to spill everything to Watanabe Jiang?" Liu Xing scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward about his acting. But he could only say, "Well, I think my character is the type to be loose-lipped. Faced with such shocking news, my character would definitely want to share it with someone, hence telling Watanabe Jiang everything." After a moment of silence, KP Li Shunchan said to Liu Xing, "Alright, if you sessfullyplete this module, I''ll give you a new traitStraightforward. As for the specific effects, I''ll let you knowter." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting to gain another trait. Currently, it seemed like this trait could be a double-edged sword, especially whenbined with the trait of his "team character." Liu Xing felt he might have no secrets left in future tabletop games. "Okay, continue with your role-ying," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and continued talking to Watanabe Jiang, "Forget about it, let''s not discuss these things for now. Even if an Eldritch God does descend, it''s not something we can stop. Watanabe Jiang, have you managed to contact anyone here?" Watanabe Jiang pointed to theptop on the table, somewhat awkwardly saying, "Um, I haven''t contacted anyone yet. After all, today is a workday, and not many people would choose to y games during the day." Liu Xing checked the time on his phone; it was already noon. He then invited Watanabe Jiang to go out for lunch. After lunch, Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang coincidentally ran into Yin En. Seeing Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang, Yin En approached and said somewhat dejectedly, "Liu Xing, Watanabe Jiang, do I look like a gangster to you?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, nodded seriously, and said, "If you want the truth, Yin En, just put on sunsses, and you could go collect protection money on the streets." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 170: Yin Ens School Visit Chapter 170: Yin Ens School Visit To be honest, Yin En''s aura was imposing with an APP level of around 60, coupled with his tall and robust physique. Having spent many years as an international mercenary, standing there would naturally give off an overwhelming presence. So, it wasn''t surprising to Liu Xing that outsiders might mistake Yin En for a member of the underworld. After some inquiry, Liu Xing finally learned why Yin En was feeling so frustrated. As it turned out, upon arriving in the academy district, Yin En went straight to Ziwu City High School. However, being an outsider, Yin En couldn''t find a legitimate reason to openly enter Ziwu City High School. Therefore, he found a discreet corner, attempting to climb over the wall to sneak into Ziwu City High School. Surprisingly, despite being a seasoned mercenary, Yin En failed to climb the wall two times in a row. It''s worth noting that the wall around Ziwu City High School was only about 2.5 meters high andcked any anti-climbing measures like barbed wire! Fortunately for Yin En, luck was on his side. Although he failed to climb the wall twice, he didn''t attract the attention of Ziwu City High School''s security. So, on his third attempt, Yin En finally seeded! Having scaled the wall, Yin En found himself in a secluded corner of Ziwu City High School, with the school''s football field ahead, hosting an ongoing match. Beyond the football field was the main academic building of Ziwu City High School, a towering structure with ten floors, indicating a considerable student poption. To Yin En''s left, not far away, was a small pavilion. Inside sat a girl engrossed in a book. After a moment of contemtion, Yin En decided to head directly to the main academic building of Ziwu City High School. Being aware of his own image, Yin En knew that going to the pavilion might lead to misunderstandings. Moreover, the crowded and bustling yground wasn''t suitable for Yin En to go and observe. Thus, Yin En headed straight for Ziwu City High School''s main academic building and began to explore inside. After a while, as Yin En was strolling around, he ended up on the rooftop of the main academic building and spotted a daydreaming girl. Originally, Yin En intended to leave, but the girl suddenly turned and looked at him. The two locked eyes, creating a somewhat awkward scene. Before Yin En could exin, the girl calmly asked if he was here to capture her for the underworld. Yin En was bewildered, not understanding this sudden dramatic turn of events. However, due to Yin En''s habitual poker face, the girl thought he had silently epted. She continued calmly, advising Yin En not to harm her; she would obediently follow him out of the school. Next, the girlposedly analyzed the security system of Ziwu City High School, describing it as loose on the outside but tight on the inside. In simpler terms, it was easy to get in but challenging to get out. For example, in the main academic building where Yin En currently was, security personnel specifically patrolled each floor every five minutes. Combined with vignt ss teachers wanting to catch students peeking into ssrooms, there were numerous patrols in the main academic building. If someone spotted Yin En, it was highly likely they would inform other security personnel, making it nearly impossible for him to leave Ziwu City High School. Therefore, the girl told Yin En to believe that she would obediently let herself be "kidnapped" by Yin En and then willingly leave Ziwu City High School with him. However, when Yin En snapped back to reality, he could onlyugh awkwardly as he exined to the girl that he wasn''t a member of any underworld ganging to kidnap her. Instead, he was just a nostalgic and bored individual who had casually wandered into Ziwu City High School. Due to Yin En''s distinctive appearance and aura, the girl remained skeptical. Yin En had to expend quite a bit of effort to finally make her reluctantly believe him. After exining his background, Yin En became intrigued by this girl. Her calm demeanor in the face of a potential underworld kidnapping made him start questioning her identity. Following a conversation, Yin En learned that the girl was Hirose Sakura, the daughter of a high-ranking member of Ziwu City''srgest gang, the Dark Willow Gang. Hirose Sakura exined that herposure stemmed from frequent encounters with members of other gangs trying to kidnap her. Although the Dark Willow Gang was the biggest in Ziwu City, there were rival gangs and even gangs from other cities eyeing a share of the pie. Thus, Hirose Sakura had be a prime hostage target for these gangs. However, her father always managed to rescue her promptly. Yin En noticed that whenever Hirose Sakura mentioned her father, she smiled, but when discussing the gang, her expression turned disdainful. Digging deeper, Yin En discovered that Hirose Sakura''s mother had passed away early, and her father, in order to provide her with the best education at Ziwu City High School, had abandoned his original job, joined the Dark Willow Gang as an enforcer, and eventually climbed the ranks due to his exceptional sword skills. Although Hirose Sakura detested all gangs, she still respected and loved her father. After hearing Hirose Sakura''s story, Yin En became even more interested in the Dark Willow Gang. As an international mercenary, he was ustomed to understanding the underground forces of an area upon arrival. Speaking of Ind Nation''s gangs, they could only be described as peculiar. Ind Nation''s gangs received official recognition and were considered legal organizations. The legality of Ind Nation''s gangs was a result of exploiting legal loopholes. They presented themselves as certainpanies on the surface, while behind the scenes, they continued their gang activities. Additionally, the concept of "political donations" under the capitalist system allowed Ind Nation''s gangs to openly bribe officials. Most crucially, in thete twentieth century, Ind Nation passed aw called the "Prevention of Uwful Activities by Violent Gang Members Act." Ostensibly aimed at curbing the violent actions of Ind Nation''s gangs, it, in fact, served to indirectly legalize them. So, despite being Ziwu City''srgest gang, the Dark Willow Gang was officially known as a constructionpany. In reality, they operated underground casinos, controlled all the adult entertainment establishments in Ziwu City, and virtually monopolized the gang economy in the city. This made other gangs harbor deep resentment toward the Dark Willow Gang. After all, as the cost of gang legalization, Ind Nation''s gangs could only engage in gray industries and couldn''t interfere with regr businesses. The reason the Dark Willow Gang thrived was due to collusion with the current mayor of Ziwu City! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 171: Text Message Chapter 171: Text Message The ndestine alliance between the Shadow Willow Gang and the newly appointed mayor of Ziwu City was an open secret known to everyone in Ziwu City. On thergest anonymous forum in the Ind Nation, 2ce, there was a dedicated thread discussing this matter. The new mayor of Ziwu City, Tendaji Sosuke, had epted substantial political donations from the Shadow Willow Gang''s publicly known constructionpany, allowing him to sessfully run for mayor. After winning the election, the same constructionpany, overtly linked to the Shadow Willow Gang, took on the reconstruction of the Ziwu City government building. Strangely, they undertook this project at a loss, not earning a penny and incurring significant expenses. This information was discovered by Watanabe Jiang while ying games and casually browsing the forum. Meanwhile, Yin En, after chatting with Hirose Sakura, decided to leave the school due to the approaching lunchtime. Fortunately, being an international mercenary, Yin En''s skills and awareness weremendable. He sessfully evaded the high school security in Ziwu City, once again scaled the wall, and returned directly to the hotel. Liu Xing and the others chatted as they returned to Watanabe Jiang''s room. After Liu Xing shared the events at the Ziwu City library with Yin En, thetter promptly requested a private room. "Now it seems the main storyline of this module is bing clear. The daughter sent to the Future by King Tindalos is Dark Life. The Zeta family and the Shadow Willow Gang should be opposing factions, while the urban legends of the Killer Demon and the half-beast, Ghoul, likely belong to a third-party force with an unclear stance. Personally, I believe the Zeta family should be on our side, especially since Ze Tian Yinyin is my fiance. Secondly, I don''t think the gang would represent the side of justice," Yin En expressed his viewpoint. After some thought, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Yin En''s idea is worth discussing. The Zeta family should be on our side, but the main issue is why the Shadow Willow Gang is targeting Dark Life. If everything goes as expected, Dark Life represents an Eldritch God that hasn''t fully formed yet. This Eldritch God is set to be born during the sr eclipse in seven days, bringing destruction to the Earth. So, if the Shadow Willow Gang knows about this, what exactly do they want to do with Dark Life? Suppose they aim to eliminate Dark Life and save the world. In that case, the Shadow Willow Gang could be considered allies of justice." Liu Xing''s words plunged everyone into contemtion. If the Shadow Willow Gang indeed intended to kill Dark Life before the Eldritch God''s arrival, then unquestionably, they stood on the side of justice. If the group opposed the Shadow Willow Gang''s actions, wouldn''t they be the antagonists? However, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers acting as antagonists was a normal urrence, considering mythical creatures and Eldritch Gods treated everyone impartially. "In any case, given the current situation, we can''t be sure of the Shadow Willow Gang''s intentions. We can only choose to wait and see until they make a move. Personally, I still suspect the Shadow Willow Gang harbors a Wizard aiming to harness the power of Dark Life," Watanabe Jiang mused, stroking his chin. Yin En nodded, expressing some frustration, "Regarding the Shadow Willow Gang''s attitude toward Dark Life, since weck sufficient intelligence, let''s set it aside for now. But I can confirm that Hirose Sakura''s father, being a high-ranking member of the Shadow Willow Gang, definitely possesses formidablebat capabilities, at least on par with Ze Tian Yinyin. And I''ve heard that the leader of the Shadow Willow Gang is even more powerful than Hirose Sakura''s father!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully saying, "Hirose Sakura''s father is probably skilled with a de. If we end up in a battle with him, it''s either death or severe injuries for us." "That''s the most troublesome part. If it turns into disabilities, our character cards would be essentially useless. Attributes and skill values would significantly drop, and there''s basically no way to recover," Yin En remarked. "But Yin En, you''ve now initiated the Hirose Sakura storyline. ording to Hirose Sakura, her father joined the Shadow Willow Gang out of necessity. So fundamentally, Hirose Sakura''s father should be a good person. We might have a chance to avoid this fight," Liu Xing said, looking at Yin En. At that moment, the phones of the three suddenly rang simultaneously. Liu Xing took out his phone, finding an anonymous text message: "Pleasee to the airport as soon as possible." Liu Xing ced his phone on the table, saying, "You guys got this message too, right." Yin En and Watanabe Jiang both nodded, cing their phones on the table. The screens disyed the same message: "Pleasee to the airport as soon as possible." "It seems the main storyline is starting. We should be able to meet Dark Life at the airport," Yin En said with anticipation. "Alright, it''s about time. Let''s get ready to leave. It''s two in the afternoon now. It might take three hours from the hotel to the Ziwu City airport, and it''ll probably be dark by then," Liu Xing said, taking out a map and estimating the travel time based on his experience from the hotel to the Ziwu City library. Due to winter, Ziwu City would start dimming after 4 p.m. "It looks like we''ll have a chance to encounter Killer Demon today. ording to known information about Killer Demon, its activity time starts after dark, and Ziwu City airport is located in the southwest corner of Ziwu City," Watanabe Jiang pointed at the map. Speaking of Killer Demon, Liu Xing suddenly had an idea, "By the way, regarding Killer Demon, I have an immature theory. Killer Demon''s true identity might be Ziwu City''s hero Sawada Tomohiko. Because Sawada Tomohiko had exceptionalbat strength, being able to defeat mythical creatures, and then he was betrayed by teammates and killed near the undeveloped area next to Ziwu City airport. After turning into an undead and undergoing corruption, Sawada Tomohiko became Killer Demon, attacking humans. However, due to the restriction of not being able to stray too far from his burial site, Killer Demon''s activity range is limited to the southwest area of Ziwu City, and it can only appear after dark!" Liu Xing''s analysis was quite logical, and Yin En and Watanabe Jiang nodded in agreement. "Let''s go then. I assume the other four yers have also received the message and are rushing there," Liu Xing said, picking up his phone to book a taxi. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 173: Players Assemble Chapter 173: yers Assemble Liu Xing was now convinced that Yuying Yi was likely to be the final boss of this module. After all, most lower-tier mythical creatures couldn''t stand up against a horde, especially when facing armed gang members. "Alright, we''re at Ziwu City Airport now. So, what''s our next move? The message only told us toe to the airport but didn''t mention what to do once we''re here," Yin Enined while holding his phone. Watanabe Jiang looked around and suggested, "Well, how about we explore the inside of the airport first and then take a walk outside? If everything seems normal, we can return to the hotel." Liu Xing was about to nod in agreement when he noticed Gu Jun stepping out of a taxi. "Gu Jun!" Liu Xing called out without hesitation. "Liu Xing, why are you here at the airport, and who are these two?" Gu Jun walked over, looking puzzled. Liu Xing showed his phone, and Gu Jun nodded in understanding. "These two and I are all members of the same faction in Cthulhu Domination. This tall one is Yin En, an international mercenary, and this somewhat creepy guy is Watanabe Jiang, a magician. We all happen to stay on the same floor of the same hotel, so we got to know each other. We all received the message at the same time and felt something was off, so we came here together," Liu Xing introduced Yin En and Watanabe Jiang to Gu Jun. Gu Jun nodded and then seemed to recall something, excitedly saying, "By the way, your faction in Cthulhu Domination should be the one ranked first in the international server, right? Just now, when I was heading back to the dorm, I logged into the game and saw someone with the ID '''' saying he and two other society members are resting in a hotel in Ziwu City. They want to meet up with Ziwu City''s society members tonight." Liu Xing looked at Watanabe Jiang, surprised by his game ID''s... uniqueness. However, Watanabe Jiang, as shameless as ever, acknowledged, "Yeah, that''s me. Didn''t expect you to be arade in our faction. Why didn''t you reply to me in the game just now?" Gu Jun chuckled and exined, "Actually, I arrived in Ziwu City early today. I currently work as an assistant professor of archaeology at Ziwu City University. Unfortunately, the archaeology students of this term are on an internship with the professor in another city. So, with nothing to do, I wandered around the Ziwu City library. I bumped into Liu Xing there, had lunch, went back to my assigned dorm after eating, and when I opened myputer to y a game, I saw your message, Watanabe Jiang. But just as I was about to reply, I received the same message as you guys and hurried here. By the way, Liu Xing, you should know who sent us this message, right?" Liu Xing nodded, smiling, "Of course, it should be King Tindalos. ording to what you said, Gu Jun, Yis People not only foresee the future but also master various high-tech skills. So, King Tindalos sending us this message over a thousand years ago doesn''t surprise me at all." Gu Jun raised an eyebrow, looking at Yin En and Watanabe Jiang, somewhat surprised. "Liu Xing, have you already told Yin En and Watanabe Jiang about Yis People?" Liu Xing nodded and said, "Yeah, I told them everything that happened at the Ziwu City library when I got back to the hotel. But Gu Jun, don''t worry, Yin En and Watanabe Jiang, like me, have encountered various supernatural events and mythical creatures." After all, reaching the Shoggoth Region meant yers needed some knowledge of Cthulhu mythology. Upon hearing this, Gu Jun nodded thoughtfully and said seriously, "I see. It seems King Tindalos chose to message us because we''ve all encountered unimaginable things and have a stronger capacity to ept. This way, we can better assist King Tindalos with his daughter." Liu Xing and the others silently nodded, agreeing with Gu Jun''s assessment. "Alright, we need to figure out where King Tindalos''s daughter is. While I was in the taxi on my way to the airport, I checked the situation at Ziwu City Airport. I found out that the airport is actually built on the ruins of King Tindalos''s pce. So, if King Tindalos sent his daughter to the future, the casting location should be here. Therefore, King Tindalos''s daughter could appear anywhere in the airport area!" At this moment, another taxi arrived at the airport. A high school-looking boy got out of the car, observing his surroundings without any intention of entering the airport. Clearly, he was another yer. Since Ziwu City Airport was small, with only two or three nesnding and taking off each day, foot traffic was minimal. Liu Xing had just nced around and noticed only a handful of pedestrians. Most importantly, Liu Xing also saw an Elder Sign symbol on the back of the young man''s left hand. Liu Xing exchanged nces with the others. Gu Jun, being the ultist, stepped forward, approached the young man, and smiled, "Hello there. Did you also receive that message?" The young man raised an eyebrow, silently nodding without uttering a word. "That''s good. We came here because of that message too, and we happen to be of the same kind." Gu Jun smiled while showing the Elder Sign symbol on his hand to the young man. The young man nodded again and said, "Hello, I''m Yuuki Ren. Nice to meet you." After saying that, Yuuki Ren fell silent again. Liu Xing shook his head silently. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, "silence is golden" didn''t apply, as yers needed to constantly exchange information to progress the mission. Sometimes, teamwork and coordination were necessary to stage "skits," like when Liu Xing and Ji Wu teamed up to fool the game master Luo Luo. So, Liu Xing felt that Yuuki Ren''s "three-no" attribute was a drawback in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Many times, he wouldn''t be able to convey information promptly. Just then, a private car stopped in front of Liu Xing and the others. A young woman who looked around twenty years old and a middle-aged man in his thirties got out of the car. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 172: Taxi Driver Chapter 172: Taxi Driver As the pre-booked taxi arrived, Liu Xing and hispanions quickly packed their belongings and embarked on their journey to Ziwu Airport. While getting into the car, Liu Xing noticed that Yin En ced arge bag in the taxi''s trunk. It was evident that Yin En had brought all of his equipment along. The trip from the hotel to Ziwu Airport would take over three hours, so Liu Xing and hispanions decided to gather information about the local area by engaging the taxi driver in conversation. Fortunately, taxi drivers are generally talkative, and the driver willingly shared a wealth of information with Liu Xing and his friends. Firstly, there were some rumors about the mysterious man they were pursuing. In essence, the reason he epted support from Yuying One was that Yuying One held a crucial secret about him. Therefore, whether he liked it or not, the man had no choice but to align himself with Yuying One. In other words, he waspelled to stand on Yuying One''s side. As for how Yuying One had managed to expand and strengthen his influence with his subordinates, the taxi driver had some insights. Yuying One was originally an outsider who suddenly appeared in Ziwu City five years ago. He swiftly defeated all of Ziwu City''spetitors, thanks to his overwhelming strength. In gaming terms, his stats were off the charts, allowing him to often single-handedly defeat groups of opponents, sometimes even outnumbering him a hundred to one. Furthermore, Yuying One possessed excellent eloquence. In a short period, he recruited various talents from different fields to work for him, quickly establishing himself in the city. Of course, what fascinated the taxi driver the most was a piece of gossip about Yuying One. Due to his exceptionally handsome appearance, Yuying One could easily be an idol at any time. This charm earned him a massive fan base in Ziwu City, with one of the most prominent fans being the director of Bai Shi HospitalBai Shi Dao. Ziwu City had two renowned hospitals: Ziwu Hospital and the private hospital of the Bai Shi familyBai Shi Hospital. Due to its affordable fees, fair treatment to patients from all walks of life, and the option for struggling patients to pay in installments, Bai Shi Hospital attracted many patients. The medical standards of Bai Shi Hospital wereparable to those of Ziwu Hospital. After the retirement of the previous head of the Bai Shi family, Bai Shi Ke, the management of Bai Shi Hospital passed to Bai Shi Ke''s two daughtersBai Shi Dao and Bai Shi Zhi. Though Yuying One possessed remarkable personal abilities, no one is immune to setbacks. Yuying One inevitably suffered injuries in the course of his actions. Therefore, upon his arrival in the city, Yuying One frequented Bai Shi Hospital for treatment. It was during these visits that Bai Shi Dao, the hospital''s top doctor, became acquainted with Yuying One. Bai Shi Dao, being the best physician in the hospital, naturally became Yuying One''s primary doctor. This led to the anticipated and widely talked-about scenarioBai Shi Dao developed feelings for Yuying One. There was even a piece of gossip circting in Bai Shi Hospital iming that Bai Shi Dao had confessed to Yuying One, but Yuying One had ultimately chosen to reject him. Nevertheless, Yuying One didn''t shut the doorpletely, and so, Bai Shi Dao remained a "good friend." In addition to this, the taxi driver mentioned another cethe Land of Roses. Situated in the southwest region of Ziwu City, east of Ziwu Airport, the Land of Roses was vast and had existed for over a millennium. It was said that countless people rested in eternal slumber within its borders. The name "Land of Roses" originated from King Tindalos'' era when the king promoted the cultivation of rose flowers. At that time, the roses were all white. The reason behind King Tindalos managing to cultivate white roses within a few decades remains a mystery. Five hundred years ago, after Sawada Tomohiko''s demise, the locals prepared a tomb for him in the Land of Roses. They nted a multitude of roses, which had now turned into red roses. Today, the Land of Roses had be a famous tourist attraction in Ziwu City. During the day, many people visited tomemorate their departed loved ones and admire the beautiful roses, which were even more enchanting than ordinary ones. Simr to the legend of "why cherry blossoms are so beautiful," many believed that the roses in the Land of Roses were exceptionally stunning because they received ample nutrients. However,e nightfall, the Land of Roses transformed into a different scene. The beautiful roses of the day took on a different appearance in the darkness. As there were no streetlights in the Land of Roses, it became deserted at night. Naturally, ces like these were unlikely to attract visitors after dark. After sharing the tale of the Land of Roses, the taxi arrived at Ziwu Airport. As Liu Xing and hispanions disembarked, the taxi driver, still brimming with stories, suggested that if they ever had the chance, they should ride in his taxi again, as he had many more interesting things to share. "Seems like that man had no choice but topromise because Yuying One got a hold of his weakness," Yin Enmented with disdain. Liu Xing shook his head and said, "I think that man is just unlucky. To fall into the hands of someone like Yuying One, and judging by the weight of that leverage, he wouldn''t be obedient if it weren''t significant. So, I believe our focus in the investigation should be on uncovering that man''s weakness. If we can find out what it is, it would be a significant breakthrough. However, I doubt he wants to be under Yuying One''s thumb forever. We might witness an interesting turn of events." Yin En rubbed his chin and chuckled, "I''m more interested in the story between Bai Shi Dao and Yuying One. But speaking of which, Yuying One seems to be quite powerful. To single-handedly defeat hundreds of opponentsI wonder how he would fare against Otonashi Takuya in a fight." Although Yin En spoke these words, he already had an answer in his mind: Otonashi Takuya and Ze Tian Yinyinbined might not be enough to defeat Yuying One! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 174: No Time to Talk, Get on the Car! Chapter 174: No Time to Talk, Get on the Car! After the young woman got off the car, she saw Liu Xing and the others. Without even closing the car door, she approached them and asked, "Are you all here because of the message too?" Liu Xing nodded, a bit puzzled. "Yes, but how did you know?" "I''m a local in Ziwu City, a coach at the shooting training center named Basya Zhenxun. I know the situation at Ziwu City Airport very well. It''s already past five in the afternoon, and generally, there are no flights taking off ornding at Ziwu City Airport at this time. So, there shouldn''t be anyone staying at the airport, except for the airport staff. And you don''t look like airport staff, so I guess you also received a mysterious message and came to the airport," Basya Zhenxun exined seriously. Gu Jun chuckled and nodded. "I see. Then we''repanions. By the way, Miss Basya Zhenxun, you should be familiar with the story of King Tindalos." The middle-aged man who came with Basya Zhenxun interjected, "Of course, I''ve been in Ziwu City for a few years and know the story of King Tindalos inside out. By the way, I''m Basya Zhenxun''s colleague, Chen Wenbin, the doctor at Ziwu City Shooting Training Center." Gu Jun nodded and introduced Liu Xing and others to Basya Zhenxun and Chen Wenbin. Finally, the seven yers of this module got to know each other. Of course, while introducing Liu Xing and the others, Gu Jun also mentioned the Cthulhu Dominance game. To their surprise, they found that all seven present were members of the same club, improving their camaraderie. Afterwards, Gu Jun continued to inquire whether Basya Zhenxun and others had experienced supernatural events or encountered mythical creatures. After receiving affirmative responses, Gu Jun shared his spection with them. "I see, I wondered why the message was so strange. I even called 10068 customer service to inquire about the sender, and they told me no one sent me a message. I got so angry and hung up, only to find outter that it was a message from King Tindalos from the past," Basya Zhenxun admitted somewhat embarrassedly. Chen Wenbin looked around and said, "It seems that only the seven of us received the message. Ziwu City Airport seems to have closed, and except for the airport staff, we probably won''t have a chance to enter. So, King Tindalos might predict that we can''t enter the airport. He most likely teleported his daughter to the outskirts of Ziwu City Airport. Should we split up and look for King Tindalos''s daughter?" Liu Xing took a moment to observe his surroundings. The sky had darkened as Ziwu City Airport was located in the outskirts, surrounded by undeveloped areas that resembled barrennd. On the highway they hade from, there wasn''t a single car in sight, and the streetlights on both sides remained off due to the time not being suitable for them to illuminate. Then, Liu Xing noticed a young girl slowly walking towards the airport. Behind her, four men in ck were chasing her. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing knew the girl must be King Tindalos''s daughter, and the men in ck were undoubtedly up to no good. "Look, that should be King Tindalos''s daughter, right?!" Liu Xing pointed at the girl and eximed. Everyone followed Liu Xing''s gaze, and KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "Alright, now it''s time for the plot kill. You can start making choices. Firstly, I need to tell you that you need two rounds of full-speed running to catch up with King Tindalos''s daughter. The men in ck only need one round to catch her. Of course, you can choose to use Basya Zhenxun''s car, which would also take just one round to reach King Tindalos''s daughter. However, if you encounter the men in ck, you''ll enter abat round. yers, make your choices." "I''ll directly start the car Basya Zhenxun drove and go pick up King Tindalos''s daughter!" Yin En said without hesitation. Liu Xing thought for a moment and said, "Then I''ll get in the car too." Gu Jun shook his head and calmly stated, "I choose to run over. Ideally, we should be one roundte to meet King Tindalos''s daughter. The men in ck, who are one round early, most likely won''t harm or capture her directly. Besides, I''m not much of a fighter as an ultist." Yuhua Lian nodded in agreement, silently epting Gu Jun''s reasoning. Watanabe Jiang smiled and said, "I think Gu Jun is right. My character card''sbat power is not great, so early orte doesn''t make much difference for me. I n to observe the situation from behind and, if the men in ck use force, I''ll call the police. I remember crucial areas like airports usually have police stationed. We''ll have support then." Basya Zhenxun and Chen Wenbin exchanged nces and said, "In that case, we''ll stay here. I''m a shooting coach, but I don''t have any handy weapons, and mybat power is almost zero. Chen Wenbin''sbat power, as you can see, is even worse than mine. So, we won''t interfere. When the police arrive, we can guide them." "Alright, so Liu Xing and Yin En will drive to pick up King Tindalos''s daughter. Gu Jun, Watanabe Jiang, and Yuhua Lian will run there. Basya Zhenxun and Chen Wenbin will remain on standby." KP Li Shunchan concluded, and Liu Xing felt his body enter a state simr to when they were at Earth Dragon Vige. Then, Liu Xing saw "Yin En" sit directly in Basya Zhenxun''s car and shout, "No time to talk, get on the car!" Liu Xing involuntarily walked up and sat in the back seat. "Yin En" started the car and headed towards King Tindalos''s daughter. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 175: The Entrance of the Killer Demon! Chapter 175: The Entrance of the Killer Demon! Soon, Yin En executed a graceful brake, halting in front of King Tindalos''s daughter. Liu Xing also spotted the four figures d in ck, each gripping a katana, seemingly ready forbat. There are various types of katanas, such as the tachi and the riba, but among them, the most suitable for battle is the katana. Yin En opened the car door and said to King Tindalos''s daughter, "Miss, get in the car quickly!" However, King Tindalos''s daughter eximed with excitement, "Uncle, am I your master? My name is Mian Valley Green, and you can call me Lady Mian Valley Green!" Wait, why does this dialogue sound a bit off? Only now did Liu Xing get a clear look at King Tindalos''s daughter, aka Mian Valley Greenan image of her formed in his mind. She had forgiving-colored short hair, her left eye covered by a ck eyepatch, and her right eye a golden pupil. She seemed to be around 16 or 17, ording to the app''s estimate. Therefore, Liu Xing concluded that Mian Valley Green was a full-fledged chuunibyou! Yin En, with a ck line on his forehead, looked at Mian Valley Green. He was about to get out of the car and push Mian Valley Green inside, but the four figures in ck were already approaching the car. Two of them had even switched to handguns, pointing them at Mian Valley Green and Yin En. Seated in the back, Liu Xing silently pulled out the specially crafted Nyathotep pistol from his waist, ready to shoot at any moment. When deciding to go to Ziwu City Airport, Liu Xing anticipated a possible confrontation and, therefore, carried the Nyathotep pistol with him. Observing the current situation, Liu Xing realized it would be better not to draw his gun, as Yin En and Mian Valley Green were already under the control of the men in ck. Liu Xing knew that, on the way here, Yin En had taken out his pistol from the backpack he carried. However, because Mian Valley Green blocked Yin En''s line of sight and the ballistic trajectory, Yin En couldn''t aim at the men in ck at the first opportunity. After all, Yin En was just an international mercenary and not adept at using guns that could make bullets curve. Thus, Yin En could only hide his gun-wielding left hand in the blind spot of the men in ck''s vision, waiting for an opportunity. At this moment, Liu Xing also noticed that, due to the one-way ss of Yasaka Masumi''s car, the men in ck couldn''t see him sitting in the back. Liu Xing decided to stay hidden and watch the situation unfold. "Hey, who are you guys? Why are you chasing this girl?" Yin En, with great courage, calmly said when faced with the handgun. Seeing Yin En not panicking in the face of their gun, the men in ck began to treat the situation cautiously. The leader among the men in ck, A, stepped forward and said, "Friend, we also have a mission and just want to invite this youngdy to visit us. So, please don''t meddle." Yin En chuckled, pointing at the handgun in A''s hand, "Oh, you guys with guns look like you''re inviting someone for a friendly visit. I think you''re trying to kidnap this youngdy." A frowned, his tone unfriendly, "Heh, friend, don''t toast and not eat the fine wine. We''re kindly asking you to leave. We''re already giving you face. If you persist in this stubbornness, don''t me us for not being polite. You should know this is the wilderness; if someone dies, you can just toss the body anywhere, and no one wille to collect it!" After A finished speaking, he took big strides forward, intending to forcibly take Mian Valley Green away. Yin En furrowed his brow, carefully signaling to Liu Xing. Liu Xing understood Yin En''s meaning; he nned tounch a surprise attack when the men in ck were about to approach Mian Valley Green. This would divert their attention, and then Yin En could take control of the leader, A, as in the current situation, A should be the leader among these four men in ck. Just at that moment, Liu Xing suddenly heard the sound of dice rolling behind him. Liu Xing knew that Watanabe Jiang was making a perception check. Watanabe Jiang, 2/70, critical sess. Liu Xing chuckled; a critical sess in a perception check at this moment wasn''t very meaningful and could even lead to a critical failure in the next check due to thew of conservation of luck. However, something unexpected happened. Watanabe Jiang, 80/75, failure. Watanabe Jiang, 1d3=2. Clearly, Watanabe Jiang was making a sanity check. Liu Xing was very curious about what Watanabe Jiang saw after the critical sess in perception that led to a sanity check... It was the Killer Demon! Suddenly, Liu Xing realized something and looked out of the window. The sky outside hadpletely darkened, and the streetlights along the highway hade on. Indeed, it was the Killer Demon. Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten that the Killer Demon''sir was near Ziwu City Airport. Now that it was dark, it was time for the Killer Demon to appear. So, Watanabe Jiang must have seen the Killer Demon! After a brief consideration, Liu Xing decided to remain still and wait for the Killer Demon''s entrance. He wanted to see the Killer Demon''s stance first before deciding on his actions. Yin En seemed to have the same idea. Liu Xing saw Yin En''s tense body rx a bit, trying not to show hostility outwardly to avoid provoking a potential attack from the Killer Demon. After two or three seconds passed, Liu Xing saw Hayabusa Ren and Gu Jun approaching from the other side of the ss. Watanabe Jiang was a few steps behind, looking somewhat uneasy. The men in ck naturally noticed Watanabe Jiang and his twopanions. So, ck-clothed Person A halted and raised his handgun again, vignt of Watanabe Jiang''s group. The two men wielding katanas had also switched to handguns. The tension in the scene escted. However, soon everything would undergo a drastic change because the Killer Demon made its entrance. Liu Xing first felt a slight vibration, then from the green belt beside the highway, a dark figure suddenly leaped out and pounced on ck-clothed Person A! Liu Xing looked up and saw a sturdy man over two meters tall, wielding a giant de about two meters long. The man''s face was unclear. This was the Killer Demon! Killer Demon, One sh Two Halves, 23/90, sess. Killer Demon, Power of the Demonic Spirit, 17/85, sess. Killer Demon, 2d8+1d8+2d6+10=6+3+5+10=24! After the damage was calcted, everything became clear. ck-clothed Person A didn''t have time to react; he was directly cleaved in half by the Killer Demon, and his organs scattered on the ground, blood sttering everywhere. Everyone who witnessed this scene was utterly shocked. "Alright, all yers who saw this scene, please make a sanity check. On a sess, decrease 1 point of SAN value; on a failure, decrease 1d5 points of SAN value. By the way, this time, the SAN value check will provide yers with half the value of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge to reduce SAN, rounding up." KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 176: Unpredictable Madness Chapter 176: Unpredictable Madness Liu Xing, 42/78, sess. Yin En, 67/69, sess. Yoh Asakura, 84/74, failure. Gu Jun, 12/59, sess. Watanabe Jiang, 94/73, failure. "So, Liu Xing, Yin En, and Gu Jun have all passed the SAN value check, only losing 1 point of SAN and gaining 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. As for Yoh Asakura and Watanabe Jiang, let''s continue with the SAN value check," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. Yoh Asakura, 1d5=2. Watanabe Jiang, 1d5=4. "Alright, Yoh Asakura loses 2 points of SAN and gains 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, while Watanabe Jiang loses 4 points of SAN and gains 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Yoh Asakura, you seem to be at a disadvantage, losing an extra point of SAN. However, Watanabe Jiang, I can''t decide if your luck is good or bad. You narrowly avoided falling into temporary madness," KP Li Shunchan teased Watanabe Jiang. Liu Xing couldn''t help but think that the Law of Character Luck was reliable. Watanabe Jiang was a prime example. However, he also believed Wu Lei''s words that all KPs enjoyed watching their yers experience temporary madness. After the yers'' SAN value checks, the story continued. Witnessing their leader being cut in two by Killer Demon, leaving only three of the remaining ck-clothed figures, they raised their handguns and began firing at Killer Demon. Killer Demon stood still, not dodging, as a translucent blue barrier appeared half a meter in front of him, blocking all the bullets. Liu Xing knew he might have to undergo another SAN value check. As expected, KP Li Shunchan stood up, smiling, "Hehe, everyone is a Veteran Driver. I assume you all know what I''m about to say. Let''s get to the point. This time, a sessful SAN check reduces 1 point of SAN, and a failure reduces 2 points of SAN. You''ll also gain corresponding Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." Liu Xing, 13/77, sess. Yin En, 43/68, sess. Yoh Asakura, 45/72, sess. Gu Jun, 33/58, sess. Watanabe Jiang, 90/69, failure. "Heh heh, Watanabe Jiang, it seems your luck was used up in the sessful investigation. Another SAN check failed. So, Watanabe Jiang, you lose 2 points of SAN and gain 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. The other yers will lose 1 point of SAN and gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge," KP Li Shunchan gloated. Just as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Killer Demon executed a move, shing off the heads of the three remaining ck-clothed figures, and three blood columns shot into the sky. After killing these four figures, Killer Demon turned to look at Mian Gu Lu and then transformed into a ck smoke, disappearing without a trace. "I was nning to give you two more SAN value checks, but on second thought, frequent SAN checks are a bit unreasonable. So, I''ll spare you this time. Don''t thank me," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. At this point, Watanabe Jiang couldn''t help but contact KP Li Shunchan, "KP, isn''t this a bit too unfair? I seeded in the investigation, and you made me see Killer Demon. Then, two consecutive SAN value checks. Are you trying to push me into an unpredictable madness state?" In the Cthulhu RPG Game, there were three types of madness: permanent, temporary, and unpredictable. Permanent madness urred when the SAN value reached zero, resulting in the character card being permanently controlled by the game as a lunatic. Temporary madness urred when a yer lost 5 or more SAN points at once, leading to a period of madness, but the character card would return to normal after the duration ended. Unpredictable madness urred when a yer lost one-fifth of their SAN points within a certain time (usually a day in the game), leading to a state of madness. After the duration, the character card entered a dormant phase, and any further shocks or losses of 1 SAN point would trigger madness until a remedy was found. For example, Watanabe Jiang, with an original SAN value of 75, would enter an unpredictable madness state if he lost 15 SAN points in a day. Now, after three SAN value checks, Watanabe Jiang had lost a total of 8 SAN points. If he lost another 7 points by the next day, he would be in great danger of going insane, given the module''s difficulty where SAN points could be lost at any time. "Ha ha, am I that kind of person? To be honest, originally, you would only have had one SAN value check this time. ording to the situation after your two rounds, when you arrived here, Killer Demon had already killed those four ck-clothed figures, leaving only corpses. So, you only needed one sessful SAN check reducing 1 point of SAN and one failed check reducing 1d5 points of SAN. But, unexpectedly, you arrived so quickly, catching Killer Demon in action. Alright, let''s continue with the story," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. Liu Xing rubbed his temples, realizing his back was soaked in cold sweat. Killer Demon''s terror exceeded his imagination; four ck-clothed figures were killed in two strikes. Especially the corpse of ck-clothed Figure A, Liu Xing couldn''t bear to look at it directly. The scene was too horrifying, even though Liu Xing had dissected many bodies during university and seen numerous B-grade horror movies. "Damn, what kind of monster is Killer Demon? Hisbat power is way too high!" Yin En said with a trembling tone. At this moment, a motorcycle and an open-top car raced towards them from the distance. As they approached, Liu Xing noticed that the riders were Otonashi Takuya and Ze Tian Yinyin. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 177: Ze Tian Yinyins Strategy Chapter 177: Ze Tian Yinyins Strategy "What in the world happened here? Why are so many people dead?" Ze Tian Yinyin got out of the car and saw the corpses strewn around, covering her nose in disgust. Otonashi Takuya took off his helmet, furrowing his brows but not saying much. Seeing Ze Tian Yinyin and Otonashi Takuya''s reactions, Liu Xing knew they had seen worse. This "small scene" couldn''t faze them. Liu Xing nced at Mian Gu Lu, finding her calm or, more urately, lost in thought. She showed no signs of fear, proving she was indeed King Tindalos''s daughter. "Mian Gu Lu, stay in the car for now," Yin En got out, stuffing the cute Mian Gu Lu into the vehicle. At this moment, Watanabe Jiang and his twopanions arrived at the scene, their expressions not looking too good. "Hey, you there,e tell me what''s going on. These ck-clothed people weren''t killed by you, right?" Ze Tian Yinyin pointed at Yin En, questioning. Yin En nodded, recounting how Killer Demon had killed the four ck-clothed individuals. However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that Killer Demon might be Ze Tian Yinyin''s ancestor, Tomohiko Sawada, the great hero of Ziwu City. So, Liu Xing began observing Ze Tian Yinyin closely. Sure enough, when Ze Tian Yinyin heard that Killer Demon killed the four ck-clothed individuals, she subtly furrowed her brows. If Liu Xing hadn''t been paying close attention, he might have missed this detail. This confirmed Liu Xing''s suspicion that Killer Demon was indeed Sawada Tomohiko, and the Ze family likely knew about it, exining their purchase of the undeveloped area to protect Sawada Tomohiko''s secret. "So, it''s Killer Demon. But Killer Demon has always only harmed people, not killed them. Could you have made a mistake?" Otonashi Takuya interjected suddenly. As Otonashi Takuya pointed out, Killer Demon had previously only harmed people in the Magic Capital, never killed. Moreover, those injured by Killer Demon were never in mortal danger. This time, however, Killer Demon had killed four ck-clothed individuals, which was unusual. But the reason for Killer Demon''s unusual behavior was evident: Mian Gu Lu, sitting in the car! Things were getting interesting. Liu Xing stroked his chin, forming a hypothesis that Sawada Tomohiko became Killer Demon because of King Tindalos. King Tindalos must have anticipated danger for Mian Gu Lu in this era, leading to Sawada Tomohiko transforming into Killer Demon as her guardian. At the same time, Yin En exined Mian Gu Lu''s situation to Ze Tian Yinyin and Otonashi Takuya, including the possibility that Mian Gu Lu was King Tindalos''s daughter and the spection about the Yis People. "So, that''s how it is. I knew my phone couldn''t possibly receive spam messages. I''ve upgraded and modified my phone so many times, and I''ve been investigating who sent me those messages on the way here. Now everything makes sense. I never expected this in-looking girl to be the daughter of the legendary King Tindalos. People can really be deceiving," Ze Tian Yinyin, as arrogant and sharp-tongued as ever,mented. Liu Xing looked at Mian Gu Lu, the "in-looking girl" in Ze Tian Yinyin''s eyes. She was at least an 80 on the attractiveness scale, a straightforward idol-level beauty. However, with Ze Tian Yinyin being a 90 and above on the scale, she had the qualification to make suchments. Indeed, beauty could give one a sense of entitlement... At this moment, Mian Gu Lu, having heard Ze Tian Yinyin''s evaluation, leaned out of the car window and said to Ze Tian Yinyin, "t-chested sister!" Ze Tian Yinyin''s only w was her somewhatcking chest. Although not generously endowed, she was far from beingpletely t. However, with Mian Gu Lu''s attractiveness at 90 and above, Ze Tian Yinyin''sment made some sense. Mian Gu Lu, after taunting Ze Tian Yinyin, deliberately showcased her impressive bosom. Mian Gu Lu''s mockery worked perfectly. Ze Tian Yinyin''s anger level reached its maximum, and she entered a state of frenzy. Liu Xing, realizing the danger, observed Ze Tian Yinyin preparing to shoot Mian Gu Lu. He had to take a risk and stood in front of Ze Tian Yinyin. "Miss Ze Tian, you must stay calm. This girl just arrived, and her mind is not functioning properly." While saying this, Liu Xing gave Mian Gu Lu a meaningful look, urging her to behave. Mian Gu Lu sensed the dangerous aura from Ze Tian Yinyin and, like a startled rabbit, quickly retreated into the car, avoiding direct eye contact with Ze Tian Yinyin. Liu Xing sighed in frustration. Was Mian Gu Lu really King Tindalos''s daughter? Why did she seem like a chuunibyou idiot? Despite Ze Tian Yinyin being willful and capricious, now that she knew Mian Gu Lu''s identity, she didn''t dare harm her. She casually threw the gun into the convertible and said to Yin En, "I''ll arrange for someone to deal with these bodiester. You don''t need to worry about it. Just leave when you''re ready. As for these ck-clothed people''s handguns, take them if you like. Since you''re involved in this matter now, it''s better to be prepared. Well, I''ll be leaving now." With that, Ze Tian Yinyin intended to leave. However, at this moment, Yin En seemed determined and suddenly called out to Ze Tian Yinyin, "Miss Ze Tian Yinyin, um, my name is Yin En. I came to Ziwu City to meet my fiance." Ze Tian Yinyin paused, visibly aware of who Yin En was. Seeing Ze Tian Yinyin blushing, Liu Xing tossed a phone to Yin En without looking back, then got into the convertible. "Yin En, use this phone to contact me if you need anything. I''m leaving." Ze Tian Yinyin left in the convertible. Liu Xing chuckled. Yin En had finally started to woo Ze Tian Yinyin. Now that the connection with Ze Tian Yinyin was established, as long as Yin En didn''t mess up, Ze Tian Yinyin should be on the yer''s side. At this time, Yasaka Mashiro and Chen Wenbin, who had been waiting at Ziwu City Airport, also arrived. KP Li Shunchan, not missing a chance, said, "Hehe, you guys came. Let''s perform a SAN check. Sess will reduce SAN by 1 point, failure will reduce SAN by 1d4 points, and you won''t gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." Yasaka Mashiro, 43/70, sess. Chen Wenbin, 39/56, sess. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 179: Hiring Otonashi Takuya Chapter 179: Hiring Otonashi Takuya Liu Xing looked at Mian Gu Lu and chuckled, "Mian Gu Lu, why are you out sote, walking alone on the highway?" Mian Gu Lu, with a cute expression, touched her chin and pondered for a moment before saying, "I don''t know why. When I realized it, I was already on the highway. There has been a voice in my head, urging me to keep walking along the highway until I met you guys." The group exchanged nces, confirming that Mian Gu Lu was indeed King Tindalos''s daughter. However, she either genuinely had a naive personality or was heavily influenced by King Tindalos, seamlessly blending into the modern era andmunicating effortlessly with Liu Xing''s group without noticing anything unusual. Suddenly, Liu Xing noticed an issue with Mian Gu Lu''s posture. Upon closer inspection, he saw that her right foot seemed to be injured. Frowning, Liu Xing expressed concern, "Mian Gu Lu, what happened to your foot?" Mian Gu Lu nonchntly shook her head, saying, "It''s nothing. My health has always been poor. Recently, I''ve been getting nosebleeds, and I feel like my right foot has shortened, making walking a bit awkward." Liu Xing, observing Mian Gu Lu, signaled Yasaka Mashiro, the only female yer in the group, to take her aside and engage in a different conversation. "Now that we can be sure Mian Gu Lu is King Tindalos''s daughter, and the legend is likely true, there may be an Eldritch God within her. It''s possible that this Eldritch God will be born during the uing eclipse in seven days, leading to the world''s destruction," Liu Xing sighed, addressing the group. Gu Jun nodded, adding, "Those of us who received the messages are likely assigned as Mian Gu Lu''s bodyguards by King Tindalos. We also need to deal with the imminent Eldritch God threat. King Tindalos seems to hold us in high regard." The atmosphere lightened, and the group chuckled. "Alright, if everyone agrees, our next steps involve protecting Mian Gu Lu, finding a way to deal with the Eldritch God. It''s best if we stay together. I''ve purchased a two-story house in the residential area east of Ziwu City. It should amodate all of us if we squeeze in," Chen Wenbin suggested seriously, pushing up his ck-framed sses. The group agreed with Chen Wenbin''s proposal, except for Otonashi Takuya, who seemed hesitant. Liu Xing recalled the hotel receptionist mentioning Otonashi Takuya''s financial struggles earlier. Understanding Otonashi Takuya''s concerns about his job, Liu Xing addressed him with a smile, "Otonashi, I know what you''re worried about. So, we want to hire you as our bodyguard. Your martial arts skills are impressive, and we''ll pay you double the hotel sry daily. You don''t have to worry about your job at the hotel either. As you saw earlier, Yin En and your boss, Ze Tian Yinyin, have a special rtionship." While speaking, Liu Xing subtly signaled Yin En. Understanding Liu Xing''s intent, Yin En smiled and said, "Yes, Ze Tian Yinyin is my fiance, so I can make decisions for the hotel. Your job is secure." Realizing the situation, Otonashi Takuya nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll join your team now. I''ll make sure to protect all of you." With Otonashi Takuya, Yin En, and Yoh Asakura, the team now had three formidable fighters. Yasaka Mashiro, as the shooting range coach, had high marksmanship skills. The team was well-rounded. After some discussion, they distributed handguns among the team, with Yin En taking charge of managing the ammunition for safety. With the distribution settled, the group decided to leave Ziwu City Airport, as it was not a safe ce to linger. However, a new problem arose transportation. With Yasaka Mashiro''s car and Otonashi Takuya''s motorcycle, they could only amodate six people. What about the remaining two? It was already 7 PM, and the airport was deserted except for Liu Xing''s group. Hitchhiking back to Ziwu City seemed highly improbable, and carrying the two like Bai Hecheng on the roof was both inhumane and impractical. In a moment of realization, Mian Gu Lu spoke up, "Um, if I remember correctly, the four men in ck trying to catch a flight came in a car. It should be parked over there." Mian Gu Lu pointed towards the highway bend. The group chuckled at their oversight. Quickly locating the car, they split into two groups and headed to Ziwu City. Upon reaching the city, they abandoned the Dark Willow Gang''s car, anticipating that the gang would soon discover the failed operation. If Dark Willow Gang traced the car, it could lead to trouble. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 178: Dark Willow Gang! Chapter 178: Dark Willow Gang! Liu Xing furrowed his brows, surprised to find that Chen Wenbin''s SAN value was even lower than that of Gu Jun, the ultist. Liu Xing began to suspect if Chen Wenbin was concealing his true identity. After the SAN value check, Yasaka Mashiro''s face turned grim. "What''s going on? How did these ck-d men die so tragically? Chen Wenbin and I rushed over when we heard gunshots from a distance." Watanabe Jiang, standing nearby, stepped forward to exin the situation to Yasaka Mashiro and Chen Wenbin. Meanwhile, Yin En and Yoh Asakura approached the bodies of the ck-d men, following the guidance of Ze Tian Yinyin. They began collecting the equipment from the corpses, as only Yin En and Liu Xing had weapons among the yers present. Given the current situation, Liu Xing was certain that more battles would unfold. If they faced humans, it would likely be a scene of knives and guns, or they might encounter mythical creatures. Therefore, it was crucial to carry weapons. Searching the bodies would also help identify the specific identities of the four ck-d individuals. However, Liu Xing wasn''t proficient in this aspect,cking investigative skillspared to Yin En. Additionally, as an outsider in terms of character background, Liu Xing was at a disadvantagepared to "Yoh Asakura," who was a local and had more advantages in gathering information through inspiration or education. Feeling idle, Liu Xing approached Otonashi Takuya, who had been silently observing the situation. Originally, Liu Xing had nned to establish a connection with Otonashi Takuya early in the day. NPCs with explosivebat abilities like Otonashi Takuya were crucial characters in this module. However, Liu Xing discovered that Otonashi Takuya had already finished his night shift and had gone home after the morning handover. The hotel front desk didn''t know Otonashi Takuya''s residence, forcing Liu Xing to temporarily abandon that lead. Now that Otonashi Takuya had unwittingly walked into their situation, Liu Xing couldn''t let the opportunity pass. He smiled at Otonashi Takuya and said, "Mr. Otonashi Takuya, you also received a message toe here, right?" Otonashi Takuya nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "Yes, but you can just call me Otonashi." Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Alright, I''ll call you Otonashi then. Actually, I wanted to ask you yesterday, Otonashi, where did you learn your martial arts? It''s impressive. I know Yin En has excellent speed and strength, easily injuring an ordinary person, but you effortlessly stopped him!" Being praised by Liu Xing, Otonashi Takuya became even more embarrassed. "Uh, Yin En''s attack is indeed powerful, but because he was consumed by anger, his attack route was too direct. I saw through it at a nce, so blocking Yin En''s punch was quite simple. It wasn''t as easy as you think, and my hand still hurts a bit now." Otonashi Takuya extended his hand, revealing bruises on his palm. Liu Xing felt relieved; if Otonashi Takuya had effortlessly withstood the 8-point damage earlier, Liu Xing would have confirmed him as a mythical creature. After all, 8 points of damage could bring Liu Xing directly to the brink of death. Liu Xing continued to chat with Otonashi Takuya, but couldn''t extract information about his martial arts background. Meanwhile, they heard the sound of dice rolling, and Yin En and Yoh Asakura approached with four handguns and abat knife. Yasaka Mashiro and others gathered, preparing to distribute the equipment. Yin En reported, "Yoh Asakura and I searched these four ck-d men. We found four handguns and seven magazines. Three of the handguns were used to shoot the Killer Demon, so their magazines only have three bullets left." Yoh Asakura, holding thebat knife, spoke, "These four ck-d men were armed withbat knives, the most suitable type forbat among katana categories. It''s not easy to wield this type of weapon effectively. I''ve been exposed to and studied this kind ofbat knife since childhood, and my skill level is just passable. I don''t rmend people without experience in this area to usebat knives as weapons. If anyone is confident, they can take one. The quality is good, but it''s inconvenient without a sheath." Liu Xing nodded, recognizing that weapons likebat knives required specific skills for assessment, unlike ordinary items like clubs or bricks that could be assessed using brawling skills. Yoh Asakura pointed at the hilt of one of thebat knives, saying, "Look at the mark on the hilt a willow leaf. In Ziwu City, this mark represents one thing: the Dark Willow Gang." "Dark Willow Gang, thergest gang in Ziwu City. Why would they be after Mian Gu Lu?" Yasaka Mashiro questioned. Gu Jun shrugged, smiling, "That''s not the point. The crucial thing is how the Dark Willow Gang knew Mian Gu Lu would appear here. Given the current situation, the gang must have known Mian Gu Lu''s location in advance, sending these four ck-d men to lie in wait and capture him." Yin En nodded and pointed to the ck-d men''s phones. "I checked their phones and found no message from King Tindalos. However, there''s one from three hours ago, sent by someone named ''Boss,'' instructing them to ambush here, capturing Mian Gu Lu at all costs, even if it meant using guns." "Damn, if Killer Demon hadn''t suddenly appeared, Yin En, you and I might have been shot dead here," Liu Xing said with a grim expression. At this moment, Mian Gu Lu, who hade down from the car unnoticed, looked curious. "Oh, were these ck-d men trying to capture me? I thought they just wanted to catch a flight, that''s why I ran so fast." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finally understanding why Mian Gu Lu seemed so carefree while being pursued. Apparently, Mian Gu Lu was oblivious to the fact that she was being chased. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 180: Eldritch God Taketori! Chapter 180: Eldritch God Taketori! At midnight, Liu Xing and his group finally arrived at Chen Wenbin''s house. Chen Wenbin''s two-story building reminded Liu Xing of a house he had seen in an adult animation from his childhood. Don''t get any wrong ideas; the adult animation was called "Crayon Shin-chan." Yes, "Crayon Shin-chan" was indeed an adult animation, but when it was introduced in the country, it was misunderstood by many as aedy animation. "My house has two floors. The first floor has two bedrooms and a living room for amodation. The second floor has a bedroom and a study room for amodation. The study room can only be used as a single room. It''s not early now, so let''s arrange the rooms first," Chen Wenbin said as he opened the door with keys. "I''ll take the study room alone. I have a night vision device in my backpack, so I can observe the surroundings at night. You guys go in and allocate the rooms. I''ll set up some alert devices around the house to check the surroundings," Yin En, who was walking at the end, stopped and said seriously. So, Liu Xing and the other eight people entered the rooms. After a brief discussion, Yasaka Mashiro and Mian Gu Lu were decided to stay in the inner bedroom on the first floor, while Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang would stay in the outer bedroom. Otonashi Takuya and Yoh Asakura would sleep in the living room, and the second-floor bedroom was for Gu Jun and Chen Wenbin. This arrangement aimed to maximize Mian Gu Lu''s safety. Yasaka Mashiro apanied Mian Gu Lu in the safest inner bedroom on the first floor. The outer bedroom was guarded by Otonashi Takuya and Yoh Asakura, acting as "door gods." Liu Xing and Watanabe Jiang stayed in the outer bedroom on the first floor, which allowed them to jump directly from the window to the yard on the second floor in case of an attack. This strategy provided a quick escape and allowed them to coordinate inside and outside. Most importantly, as a doctor, Liu Xing could provide immediate medical assistance if Mian Gu Lu faced any issues. Given the situation and the approaching day of Eldritch God''s birth, Mian Gu Lu''s health was deteriorating rapidly. To prevent idents, Liu Xing temporarily became Mian Gu Lu''s personal doctor. Gu Jun and Chen Wenbin, not suitable forbat, took a backseat to avoid unnecessary sacrifices. They stayed in the second-floor bedroom, protected by Yin En. After assigning the rooms, Yasaka Mashiro took Mian Gu Lu to rest, and Liu Xing''s group, after confirming Otonashi Takuya didn''t smoke, used "smoking" as an excuse to gather in the yard. Yin En had already installed various alert devices. Seeing Liu Xing''s grouping out, he directly contacted KP Li Shunchan and initiated the Private Room time. "Ah, finally, we can talk properly. My next character card must not have the ''three-no'' attributes again. It''s too stifling to y like that," Yoh Asakura eximed as soon as the Private Room time started,pletely breaking character. Chen Wenbin patted Yoh Asakura''s shoulder and said in a tone of a fellow wanderer, "Friend, you''re still lucky. I''m only sixteen in reality, still a kid. But my character card is already forty years old. I can''t y the part at all!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at the significant age difference between Yoh Asakura and Chen Wenbin''s character cards. Yin En nodded casually and said, "Seeing how unlucky you guys are, I feel relieved. It seems that when we rolled the dice at the beginning of entering the module, our character cards were modified. Originally, my character card was just an ordinary veteran, but now it''s an international mercenary with enhanced skills and attributes, plus a strong fiance. Not bad luck at all." Everyone teased each other, and Liu Xing realized that their character cards had undergone various changes after entering the module, but his remained unchanged. Liu Xing was puzzled. Why hadn''t his character card changed? Did the number he rolled represent something unchangeable? "Alright, let''s discuss the next steps. The main quest has appeared, and we must stop the descent of this Eldritch God, Dark Life. Otherwise, if the Eldritch God destroys the world, we''ll be left with no choice but to GG and tear up our cards with no chance of recovery," Yoh Asakura said, sounding a bit frustrated. Chen Wenbin nodded, speaking seriously, "Yoh Asakura is right. Now we can only find a way to prevent the descent of Dark Life. The reason my character card has such a low SAN value is that in thest tabletop game, I was possessed by Yis People. I visited the era where Yis People existed and heard some strange information, including something that might be Dark Life or Eldritch God Taketori!" Everyone looked at Chen Wenbin in shock. They hadn''t expected Chen Wenbin''s character card to be possessed by Yis People. "Eldritch God Taketori. If I remember correctly, Taketori is a mythical figure in the oldest novel from the Ind Nation, ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.'' It is said that in ancient times, there was an old man who cut bamboo and found a girl named Kaguya-hime inside. She grew into an adult within three months. Due to her exceptional beauty, she attracted proposals from nobles, and even the emperor came to force a marriage. In the end, Kaguya-hime ascended and disappeared," Gu Jun said, frowning. Chen Wenbin nodded, saying seriously, "That''s right, it''s Taketori. However, this Taketori can only be considered the embryo of the Eldritch God. After Taketori ascended, Nyathotep discovered him because Taketori was an indigenous god of Earth and was in conflict with Nyathotep. So, Nyathotep erased Taketori''s intelligence and let him wander in the universe." "After some time, a young female Yis People suddenly disappeared while traversing spacetime. Other Yis People used various methods and found that this female Yis People had been possessed by Taketori. Due to the distortion of Taketori''s divine power during spacetime travel, and recalling the injustice and resentment when Nyathotep erased his intelligence, Taketori fell and became the Eldritch God. ording to Yis People''s prediction, Eldritch God Taketori would eventually be reborn in a certain era and then destroy the it was on!" Well, once again, Nyathotep was the scapegoat for this mess. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 181: Speculations on the Clearance Method Chapter 181: Spections on the Clearance Method After all the twists and turns, it turned out that Nyathotep had to shoulder the me in the end. Dark Life and Eldritch God Taketori were creations of Nyathotep. At this moment, Gu Jun expressed some doubts, "So, Yis People could calcte all of this. Why didn''t they travel back in time and change everything, like preventing Taketori''s ascension or stopping that young female Yis People from time traveling?" Chen Wenbin shrugged and earnestly replied, "While Yis People can traverse time and space, it doesn''t mean they can do whatever they want. Yis People are just a technologically advanced race in the Cthulhu universe. They don''t have the qualification to intervene in the realm of gods. Moreover, in this matter, it involves Nyathotep. Yis People can only calcte the appearance of Eldritch God Taketori. As for other things, they dare not act because Taketori''s will has twisted time and space, making it impossible for Yis People to traverse into this era." After listening to Chen Wenbin''s ount, everyone fell into a brief silence, digesting the information. "So, the plot of this module is quite clear now. Firstly, King Tindalos traveled to the Asuka Era in the Ind Nation, established his kingdom, and nned to summon his daughter from another time. However, King Tindalos''s daughter encountered Taketori, who quickly fell and became Eldritch God, incubating within King Tindalos''s daughter and waiting for the right moment, which is when the world falls into darkness," Liu Xing spected. "As King Tindalos noticed something unusual in his daughter''s body, he couldn''t expel or eliminate Eldritch God Taketori. After considerable effort, King Tindalos calcted that, in this era, we yers have a chance to prevent the birth of Eldritch God Taketori. Therefore, he brainwashed his daughter into Mian Gu Lu and sent her to us. Our current mission is to stop the descent of Eldritch God Taketori!" Liu Xingid out his conjectures. Gu Jun, as the only expert present, added his opinion, "Liu Xing is right, but the problem now is how to deal with Eldritch God Taketori. Even if he hasn''t been born yet, his power is beyond our capability to resist. Unless we can obtain some artifact equipment in the uing plot, it''s impossible to kill Eldritch God Taketori inside Mian Gu Lu. So, personally, I believe the key to our mission sess or failure will be the sr eclipse seven days from now, or rather, six days from now. If Eldritch God Taketori is to be born in darkness, we just need to dispel the darkness." Yin En raised an eyebrow and asked, "Gu Jun, are you suggesting we take Mian Gu Lu to the southern hemisphere since the eclipse will only happen in the northern hemisphere?" Gu Jun shook his head quickly, "That''s impossible. KP won''t allow us to do that. If we dare to take Mian Gu Lu out of Ziwu City, the Dark Willow Gang will block us before we leave, and our mission will be doomed. Even if we go to the southern hemisphere, the eclipse will follow us, and we still won''t be able to prevent the birth of Eldritch God Taketori!" "However, since Eldritch God Taketori is supposed to be born in darkness, I think as long as we rece darkness with light during the eclipse, Eldritch God Taketori should be unable to be born in this world. I''ve checked the spell book of the Cthulhu RPG Game in the real world, and I''ve seen a spell that can change the weather and day-night cycle in an area. But maintaining this spell requires arge amount of MP. So, I believe that the key to this module is, first, obtaining this spell, and second, gathering enough volunteers to maintain it!" Gu Jun analyzed, and the others nodded in agreement. At this point, KP Li Shunchan suddenly said, "Dear yers, would you like to renew your Private Room time? You have half a minute left before your Private Room time expires." "Yes, I want to renew my Private Room time, KP," Yoh Asakura hurriedly said. Standing next to Yoh Asakura, Watanabe Jiang took out a map from his pocket and said, "Let''s decide where to gather intelligence tomorrow. I think the locations marked on this map should be ces where we can obtain information. However, Ziwu City''s urban area is toorge, and we can only go to two locations in one day." Watanabe Jiangid the map on the ground, and everyone squatted down to study it. "First is Ziwu Shrine located directly south of Ziwu City. We must visit there because, without any idents, Ziwu Shrine should have information about Killer Demon and Ghoul. We might even get the spell that can change day into night. Moreover, the Unseen Pool beneath Ziwu City is rumored to be rted to Killer Demon Sawada Tomohiko, so we can also visit Unseen Pool while we''re at it." "Next is the Rose Graveyard southwest of Ziwu City. It''s now confirmed as their of Ghouls. Though it''s dangerous, I think it''s necessary to visit Rose Graveyard because, ording to current urban legends about Ghouls not harming people, I suspect there should be elder-level Ghouls in Ziwu City, responsible for controlling Ghouls in Ziwu City. Elder-level Ghouls are proficient in various spells, so the spell to change day into night might also be obtainable from the Ghoul elder. After all, there''s no absolute justice or evil in the Cthulhu RPG Game." Talking about the Ghoul elder, Liu Xing couldn''t help but think of Jigu''s romantic interest. "Then there''s the undeveloped area in the southwest corner of Ziwu City. It''s obviously Killer Demon''s hiding ce. But for now, we shouldn''t go there because we definitely can''t provoke Killer Demon. After all, Killer Demon can deal tens of damage in one sh, and we''re fragile. Also, I believe Sawada Family has guards stationed there. We basically have no chance of entering the undeveloped area unless Mr. Yin En, Miss Sawada''s fianc, is willing to sell his charm to please Miss Sawada." Watanabe Jiang started off serious but ended up joking and teasing Yin En. However, Yin En had a good temper and replied with a smile, "I also want to sell my charm, but my character card doesn''t allow me to do that." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 182: Ghoul Intelligence Chapter 182: Ghoul Intelligence Yin En could be considered as expressing the sentiments of many yers in the vast Cthulhu RPG Gamemunity, which is that the heart is willing but the strength iscking. Often, yers know what the best choices are, but due to the constraints of their character cards, they are forced to make choices that go against their true feelings. Take Yin En, for example. If he directly chose to confront Ze Tian Yinyin''s father and confirm the engagement with Ze Tian Yinyin, Yin En could gain the support of the Sawada Family, thergest family in Ziwu City. In that case, Yin En would be the unrivaled power in Ziwu City. However, because "Yin En" did not truly agree with this marriage and had a rebellious and somewhat masculine personality, "Yin En" did not intend to seek refuge with the Sawada Family or leverage their connections. Therefore, Yin En expressed helplessness in this matter and could only follow the mindset of "Yin En." "Oh, by the way, have you encountered Ghoul? Last night, I almost ran into Ghoul with Yasaka Mashiro," Chen Wenbin suddenly said. Here''s how it happened: Chen Wenbin and Yasaka Mashiro, who worked in the samepany, had dinner together after working overtimest night. They even encountered Shiro Michi and Shiro Hana from the 404 Hospital at the restaurant. Incidentally, in the background of this module, Chen Wenbin used to be a doctor at 404 Hospital but waster recruited as a private doctor by the owner of the Ziwu City shooting range. Due to this connection, Chen Wenbin greeted Shiro Michi and Shiro Hana, inquiring about the Killer Demon and Half-Beast incidents. Although Shiro Michi, as the director, was reserved, her sister Shiro Hana was kind-hearted and shared a lot of information with Chen Wenbin. Firstly, the victims attacked by Killer Demon were all sent to their 404 Hospital. Since these victims were mostly gang members or social misfits, they couldn''t afford the medical expenses, and the Ziwu City Hospital had no intention of treating them. Then, Killer Demon''s attack methods were quite unique. Based on the wounds, it seemed they were inflicted with a sharp weapon, but the twist was that Killer Demon also "processed" the wounds, preventing severe bleeding. This ensured the victims'' survival. Lastly, regarding the intelligence on Half-Beast, or Ghoul, ording to Shiro Hana''s hearsay, Ghoul had been frequently appearing in various parks in Ziwu City. Although there were no concrete reports of Ghoul attacking humans, Shiro Hana noticed a decrease in the number of homeless people in the parks nearby. After inquiring with other hospital doctors, she came up with a shocking spection Ghoul was not sparing humans but specifically targeting the group with the lowest presence in Ziwu City: the homeless. Because these homeless individuals were away from the general poption, mostly without family or connections, their disappearance would go unnoticed. Even if someone noticed, ordinary people wouldn''t care much, assuming they had moved elsewhere to survive. Armed with this theory, Shiro Hana couldn''t help but report it to familiar police officers. However, the police dismissed her concerns, considering the homeless as a destabilizing factor in society, posing a threat to public order. They merely made a perfunctory report and sent Shiro Hana away. At this point, Shiro Michi added some criticism, stating that Shiro Hana was always creating trouble and indulging in fanciful thoughts. She believed the recent departure of the homeless might be due to the urban legends surrounding Killer Demon and Ghoul, causing them to feel uneasy. Since Shiro Hana and Shiro Michi''s home was in the southwest of Ziwu City, it was usible that the homeless chose to relocate. Furthermore, no evidence like bloodstains was left in the parks, and other homeless individuals hadn''t heard any unusualmotion. Having learned this information, Chen Wenbin and Yasaka Mashiro were more inclined to believe that Ghoul had indeed attacked the homeless. After all, this was the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game. After bidding farewell to Shiro Michi and Shiro Hana, Chen Wenbin and Yasaka Mashiro encountered a Plot Encounter. They inexplicably ended up in a park, sitting on a swing, and chatting. When Chen Wenbin and Yasaka Mashiro regained control of their bodies, they performed a Listening check. Both sessfully heard sharp sounds emanating from a nearby thicket, and Chen Wenbin even heard chewing sounds. ording to the typical horror movie plot, Chen Wenbin and Yasaka Mashiro should have fearlessly approached the thicket to investigate. However, being seasoned yers in the Cthulhu RPG Game, they chose the wisest course of action. They fabricated a reason and promptly left the park. "I must tell you, there''s definitely a Ghoul in that thicket, probably gnawing on a corpse. Fortunately, Yasaka Mashiro and I ran fast; otherwise, we would have likely fought with that Ghoul first," Chen Wenbin said with lingering fear. Liu Xing and the others nodded. Based on Chen Wenbin and Yasaka Mashiro''s situation, the likelihood of encountering and fighting Ghoul was nearly a hundred percent. Chen Wenbin and Yasaka Mashiro made the best choice. At this point, Yoh Asakura chimed in, "So, it was you two I saw yesterday. When I was heading home after practicing Swordsmanship, Plot Encounter led me to a park, and I saw a man and a woman suddenly running out of the park. I was wondering what was happening, and now I know it was you guys." Hearing this, Chen Wenbin felt a bit awkward but nodded, saying, "Uh, if nothing unexpected happened, it should be Yasaka Mashiro and me. But Yoh Asakura, did you encounter Ghoul after entering the park?" This question made Yoh Asakura a bit embarrassed. "Hehe,st night, my luck wasn''t great. My Investigation, Listening, and even Inspiration all failed, so I just ignored that thicket and went home..." Everyone chuckled. Yoh Asakura''s luck was indeed good, perfectly avoiding Ghoul. "But thinking about it, Ghoul is indeed active in the Ziwu City urban area, and it seems to have attacked many homeless people. If we conduct a Night Operation, we may very well encounter these Ghouls," Liu Xing said seriously. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 183: The Gender-Changed Yasaka Mashiro Chapter 183: The Gender-Changed Yasaka Mashiro At this moment, another person walked out of the room, Yasaka Mashiro. "I''ve already arranged for Mian Gu Lu to go to sleep, and Otonashi Takuya is taking a shower now. By the way, dealing with this long hair is really troublesome. I wonder how long it will take to dry," Yasaka Mashiroined while drying her hair with a towel. Yin En chuckled, teasing Yasaka Mashiro, "Yasaka Mashiro, isn''t that the name of the male protagonist in that Ind Nation anime? Are you nning to add Nyaruko to your harem?" As mentioned before, Nyathotep had numerous incarnations, and in various fan creations, there were many additional forms. In a particr Ind Nation anime, Nyathotep was transformed into Nyaruko, and the male protagonist of that anime was named Yasaka Mashiro. "Oh, I knew Yasaka Mashiro sounded familiar, but I couldn''t recall where," Watanabe Jiang eximed, pping his forehead in a somewhat exaggerated manner. Yasaka Mashiro sighed helplessly and said, "It''s all because of this mod. My character card''s original name was Maeda En, a securitypany instructor. Unexpectedly, the mod changed it to this, and the worst part is, I was originally a male character card. How did I end up being changed to a female character card!" As Yasaka Mashiro became more agitated, Liu Xing hurriedly approached and covered her mouth with his hand to prevent her from waking up the neighbors with her loud voice, risking an early end to their Private Room time. Soon, Yasaka Mashiro calmed down and said with resignation, "Well, I''m pretty desperate now. Suddenly bing a girl, I still can''t fully ept it mentally and physically. After all, I''m not some cross-dressing expert, and this pseudo-girl transformation is making me extremely ufortable." "But you just took a shower with Mian Gu Lu, which is a big advantage. Although Mian Gu Lu is a bit clueless, the app should rate her above 80, making her a beauty pageant champion in real life. Of course, excluding those mysterious beauty contests in Hong Kong and the cosmic nations," Watanabe Jiang interrupted Yasaka Mashiro, wearing a sly smile. Blushing, Yasaka Mashiro nodded and said, "Uh, that''s true. Taking a shower with a girl openly is not bad. I now understand why there are so many gender-bending stories in novelstely." Jokes aside, having both male and female yers in the group was the best configuration. After all, certain locations and characters required specific genders to gather information, such as female bathhouses, and so on. "Alright, let''s not waste time. I''ve discovered an issue. The area where Chen Wenbin''s house is located is south of the sewer region. Since the sewer''s location is specifically marked, there must be something mysterious about that sewer area. When we talk about sewers, whates to your minds?" Watanabe Jiang pointed at the map, speaking solemnly. "Ghouls, the Ghoul''sir is in the southwest direction in the Rose Graveyard. But ording to the information from Shiro Hana, there have been traces of Ghoul activity in many parks in Ziwu City. This indicates that Ghouls are using the sewer system for movement, as they can''t just walk openly on the streets with their appearance," Liu Xing affirmed. Watanabe Jiang nodded and said with a smile, "Exactly, Ghouls almost certainly use the sewers for movement. However, besides that, I suspect that this sewer area might be rted to the Dark Willow Gang. In my character card''s background, I have a friend who is a member of the Dark Willow Gang''s underlings. I''ve asked him about it when we were at the hotel. After some indirect questioning, he mentioned that although the Dark Willow Gang''spany is in the central business district, their headquarters and underground activities have always been in the southeast area of Ziwu City, which is where we are now." Everyone exchanged nces, realizing that they unwittingly became neighbors with the Dark Willow Gang. But Yin En was indifferent, saying, "As the saying goes, the most dangerous ce is the safest ce. We are now hiding right under the Dark Willow Gang''s nose, and they might not suspect us. If Dark Willow Gang really wants to find us, we won''t be able to escape anyway, as it''s already a Plot Encounter." Yin En''s words received nods from everyone. As thergest gang in Ziwu City, coborating with the newly elected mayor, Dark Willow Gang could easily track them down if they wished, and there was no need for any checks; it would be an automatic sess. "So, should we take some time to explore the sewer area?" Yoh Asakura asked. Liu Xing shook his head, answering, "We can''t go to the sewers for now. We don''t have a reason to go there yet. We can''t just say we have a clogged toilet and need to check the sewers. Besides, entering the sewers might lead to a battle. Whether it''s against Ghouls or Dark Willow Gang members, our chances of winning are currently low. Moreover, it could attract unwanted attention. We might shift from being proactive to being reactive." "But if we can''t go to the sewers, we still have many ces to explore. Aside from the Rose Graveyard and the shrine, we can also go to the education district. When Yin En went to Ziwu City High Schoolst time, there were three different choices, indicating three important NPCs in Ziwu City High School that we need to encounter." "Next is Ziwu City Television. The urban legends about Killer Demon and Ghoul are escting. I believe those reporters, for the sake of ratings, will investigate Killer Demon and Ghoul. We should be able to gather some information, maybe even expose some scandals about the newly elected mayor of Ziwu City, and use that to ess the mayor''s storyline." "Following that is Yin En''s exclusive Sawada Family storyline. Although Yin En doesn''t want to admit the marriage to Ze Tian Yinyin, you can visit Sawada Family''spany, meet Ze Tian Yinyin''s father, and maybe get a lot of information and assistance from him. After all, the Sawada Family is influential, and they should know everything about Ziwu City." "In addition, I think we can dig deeper into the clues at Ziwu City Library, especially the curator Kuroba Naoki. Since he has such a deep understanding of King Tindalos, he''s not an ordinary NPC." Watanabe Jiang continued, pointing at the map for analysis. However, when Ziwu City Library was mentioned, Liu Xing thought of that oil painting. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 185: The Godless Shrine Chapter 185: The Godless Shrine Now, Liu Xing was starting to wonder if Otonashi Takuya might be a mythical creature or perhaps the incarnation of some Eldritch God, or even a bodyguard specially arranged by King Tindalos for Mian Gu Lu. At this point, everyone began discussing today''s actions. "We can''t just passively defend ourselves; taking the initiative to attack is the best choice. Although Ze Tian Yinyin assured us that she would handle the aftermath, since the Dark Willow Gang could determine Mian Gu Lu''s location from the beginning, they likely have means to find our current location. Fortunately, Chen Wenbin''s area is densely popted, and while the Dark Willow Gang is thergest gang in Ziwu City, they can''t act recklessly in broad daylight. So, we can use the daytime to search for clues to deal with the Eldritch God Taketori. I believe that once we deal with Taketori, everything will fall into ce," Gu Jun said earnestly. Yin En nodded and spoke, "I''m nning to visit the Ziwu City Shrine. Since Eldritch Gods are appearing now, there might be items in the shrine that can eliminate them." "I''ll go with you. It''s better not to be alone right now. By the way, let''s exchange phone numbers so we can contact each other," Liu Xing said, taking out his phone. After exchanging contact information, Gu Jun and Watanabe Jiang nned to visit the Ziwu City Library again to inquire about information from Kuroba Naoki. Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura intended to go to the Rose Graveyard to confirm the existence of Ghouls. Yasaka Mashiro decided to stay at home with Otonashi Takuya, taking care of Mian Gu Lu. After all, leaving two NPCs at home was not practical, and Yasaka Mashiro was skilled in marksmanship butcked in other areas, so going out might not yield much information. After confirming the groups, Liu Xing found a nearby car rental shop, rented three cars, and then drove with Yin En to the Ziwu City Shrine. During the journey to the Ziwu City Shrine, Liu Xing took out his phone to check information about the shrine and found it to be quite peculiar. Firstly, many shrines and temples in the Ind Nation belonged to family businesses, so the priests and priestesses often inherited their positions. Ziwu City Shrine was one such case, owned by the Godless family, hence its name - the Godless Shrine. The history of the Godless family was not insignificant. The wife of the Great hero Tomohiko Sawada was from the Godless family, ensuring the continual prosperity of the Godless Shrine. However, for some reason, the Godless family''s poption had never been thriving. There was usually only one female member responsible for managing the shrine. "Yin En, it seems you''ll have to take the lead this time. The manager of the Ziwu City Shrine is from the Godless family, and Tomohiko Sawada''s wife was also from the Godless family. So, you can say you have a connection with them," Liu Xing said with a smile. Yin En also smiled and replied, "Yes, fortunately, my father had foresight and arranged for me to be engaged to Ze Tian Yinyin. Otherwise, we wouldn''t have any backing in Ziwu City. However, before the Dark Willow Gang acts, they should consider the consequences. The Sawada Family won''t let them harm me without consequences." Liu Xing nodded. If Yin En had been unlucky and hadn''t be Ze Tian Yinyin''s fianc, yers would need at least a day or two to build a good rtionship with the proud and sharp-tongued Ze Tian Yinyin. Unless a yer''s rtionship skill value reached 99. Most importantly, the Sawada Family, represented by Ze Tian Yinyin, had be the yers'' backing, making the Dark Willow Gang think twice before taking action. "In that case, Liu Xing, you can support me when the timees. I''ll handle themunication with the head of the Godless Shrine," Yin En confidently stated. Liu Xing nodded. No matter where you were or what you were doing, having connections was always advantageous. "By the way, Yin En, I remember you''re an international mercenary, right? Can you call a few teammates to Ziwu City to help us protect Mian Gu Lu? After all, this is also a world-saving mission, and they shouldn''t refuse," Liu Xing suddenly thought of this and spoke. Yin En shook his head, sighed somewhat helplessly, and said, "Well, I thought about that too. But my teammates received a big contract a few days ago and went on a mission to Africa. I can''t reach them now. Besides, seeing is believing. We''ve already encountered the Killer Demon, and I''ve experienced supernatural events. I''ve seen those terrifying beings from legends. That''s why I believe Eldritch God Taketori will destroy the world in a week. But my teammates definitely won''t believe all this." "True. By the way, Yin En, I feel like Otonashi Takuya is acting a bit strange. Today, when I paid attention to Otonashi Takuya''s expression upon hearing about Eldritch God Taketori''s spection, he seemed nonchnt, as if he had known everything from the start. Also, with Otonashi Takuya''s skills, how could he end up as a hotel waiter? So, I think it''s necessary for us to investigate Otonashi Takuya''s background," Liu Xing shared his thoughts on Otonashi Takuya. Yin En thought for a moment and nodded, "I also think so. I''ll ask Ze Tian Yinyin for help and check what Otonashi Takuya did before." Liu Xing and Yin En chatted for a while before finally arriving at the Godless Shrine. "Wow, it seems the Godless family is quite remarkable. They have such arge piece ofnd to establish the shrine," Liu Xing remarked, looking at the Godless Shrine, which upied an area equivalent to two or three Tokyo Domes. Yin En nodded and said, "Yes, this should still be within the Ziwu City urban area. For the Godless Shrine to upy such arge piece ofnd, it seems the Godless family is not simple." The main building of the Godless Shrine was located on a small hill. As Liu Xing and Yin En passed through the torii gate, they encountered a masked man in ck clothes. "Well, yers, please roll an inspiration or investigation check," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. "I''ll roll for inspiration," Liu Xing said. "Then I''ll roll for investigation," Yin En followed. Liu Xing, 43/90, sess. Yin En, 39/80, sess. "In that case, Liu Xing suddenly realizes that this man looks simr to the four ck-clothed individuals from yesterday. Yin En notices the Dark Willow Gang symbol embroidered with golden thread on the man''s clothes," KP Li Shunchan said. [Note: I will change Ze Tian Yinyin => Sawada Yinyin, as names have Japanese tone to them.] [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 184: The Next Day Chapter 184: The Next Day Liu Xing thought about the painting in the Ziwu City Library, realizing that Mian Gu Lu was indeed identical to the figure in that Ziwu City Library painting. However, in Liu Xing''s eyes, the features of the painting had already distorted. Nevertheless, Liu Xing considered it a kind of hint, suggesting that Mian Gu Lu had twisted because of the Eldritch God Taketori. "Besides the Ziwu City Library, if we have the chance, we better visit the Ziwu City government as well. With the assistance of the Ziwu City government, I believe we stand a chance against the Ghoul. We should avoid mentioning the Dark Willow Gang, regardless of whether the new mayor of Ziwu City is willing to serve them or not; he has to act on behalf of the gang." "In addition to these ces, I am most interested in the Flowing Water Garden and the Spa. These two ces are marked, so they must have significance. I suspect there might be special clues in these locations. I researched online and found that the Flowing Water Garden is like a gourmet street in Ziwu City, hosting many famous restaurants. Therefore, I think we may encounter most of the NPCs in this module there. Moreover, the Flowing Water Garden is also a crucial node in Ziwu City''s sewer system. We might be able to enter the city''s sewer through the garden without immediately facing the Ghoul or the Dark Willow Gang." "Then there''s the Spa. It''s a favorite gathering ce for the elites of Ziwu City, like a private club. ording to the information from 2ce, the spa is run by a rtive of Tennoji Munehide. However, the security of the spa is provided by the Dark Willow Gang, and only cardholders are allowed in. I believe there could be a wealth of intelligence in the spa. Currently, it seems only Yin En has the opportunity to enter." Although Watanabe Jiang usually appeared nonchnt, he was adept at collecting information and had a keen ability to integrate it. "Alright, everyone, do you want to renew your subscription?" KP Li Shunchan arrived on time. After exchanging nces, everyone shook their heads simultaneously. They had gathered enough information tomunicate, and it was not worth wasting the limited private room time. Thus, the group, having concluded their private room session, returned to their respective amodations. After freshening up, they prepared for sleep. Chen Wenbin, adapting to local customs, slept on a futon. However, Liu Xing felt somewhat ufortable with this arrangement. Although he could request "deep sleep service" from KP Li Shunchan, it would mean sleeping until dawn unless something unexpected happened, and by then, he would already be at a disadvantage. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to try sleeping without relying on KP''s assistance this time, aiming for a light sleep. This way, he could react promptly if anything unexpected urred. However, after a couple of hours, while Yoh Asakura and Otonashi Takuya in the living room were lightly snoring, Liu Xing still couldn''t find sleep. He suddenly noticed Watanabe Jiang, his roommate, sneaking out of the room and heading to the yard. Frowning, Liu Xing quietly approached the window, observing Watanabe Jiang taking out his phone to make a call. Due to the poor soundproofing of Chen Wenbin''s two-story building and Watanabe Jiang''s proximity to the window, KP Li Shunchan didn''t impose any listening restrictions on Liu Xing. "Hey, Lao Hei, I heard recently that your boss, Mikageichi, and Shiro Michi, the director of 404 Hospital, have teamed up?" "Oh, so you mean your boss, Mikageichi, rejected Shiro Michi. That''s a shame. I heard Shiro Michi is quite attractive. Is your boss Mikageichi perhaps gay?" "Yeah." "I see. Your boss Mikageichi is indeed a person of deep sentiments and principles. I didn''t expect him to have a godfather. You can rest assured; I won''t spread this information. You know how tight-lipped I am, Watanabe Jiang. Alright, you go ahead with your business, and I''m going to bed too." "Sure sure sure, hang up. I''ll treat you to a big meal when I arrive in Ziwu City in a couple of days. Bye." Watanabe Jiang ended the call, cautiously returning to the room. At this point, Liu Xing had returned to his bed, pretending to be asleep. However, Liu Xing had figured it out; Watanabe Jiang was calling his friend from the Dark Willow Gang, gathering information. It seemed he had obtained a crucial piece of information: Mikageichi, the leader of the Dark Willow Gang, had a godfather. Moreover, Mikageichi''s godfather seemed to be unwell, with Shiro Michi as the attending doctor, exining Shiro Michi''s connection with Mikageichi. Now, Liu Xing was curious about Mikageichi''s godfather''s role in this module. It was something worth pondering. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing started to feel conflicted. Should he go to the shrine tomorrow, or should he gather information at 404 Hospital? After a few minutes of internal debate, Liu Xing realized continuing this inner struggle wouldn''t lead to a decision. Therefore, he decided to find KP Li Shunchan and get a good night''s sleep. The next morning, Liu Xing was awakened by Gu Jun. "It''s already eight o''clock. Let''s get up for breakfast and discuss where to find clues to help Mian Gu Lu lift the curse," Gu Jun said. Liu Xing nodded and, after dressing, joined the others in the living room. By then, everyone was present, and breakfast wasid out on the table. After a while, everyone gathered, and the discussion began while they ate. Rather than a discussion, it was more like aedic dialogue between Gu Jun and Chen Wenbin. They skillfully recounted the story of Eldritch God Taketori, with Liu Xing and the others chiming in. They unanimously agreed that Mian Gu Lu had indeed been possessed by Eldritch God Taketori. Mian Gu Lu, now aware of the truth, still wore a puzzled expression. It was evident that he hadn''t fully grasped the current situation. However, Liu Xing also noticed Otonashi Takuya''s reaction. When he heard about Mian Gu Lu being possessed by Eldritch God Taketori, he remained calm, as if he had known about it for a while. Now, Liu Xing was even more curious about Otonashi Takuya''s identity. After all, as a hotel service staff member, Otonashi Takuya seemed a bit "ipetent." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 186: Kaminou Ryoko Chapter 186: Kaminou Ryoko Liu Xing and Yin En exchanged a nce, knowing that the man in the mask was likely a high-ranking member of the Dark Willow Gang. The high-ranking member of the Dark Willow Gang also seemed to notice Liu Xing and Yin En and turned to look at them. Liu Xing noticed that this high-ranking member of the Dark Willow Gang was not young; the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were very pronounced, and his temples were gray. Seeing this, Yin En seemed to have an idea and immediately said to KP Li Shunchan, "KP, I want to use an inspiration on this member of the Dark Willow Gang." Yin En, 26/70, seeded. This time, KP Li Shunchan only provided information to Yin En, so Liu Xing could only nod towards the high-ranking member of the Dark Willow Gang to show friendliness. The high-ranking member of the Dark Willow Gang saw that Liu Xing and Yin En meant no harm and simply turned and walked away. "Liu Xing, if everything goes as expected, this person should be Hirose Sakura''s father, Kojima Kanto, the top enforcer of the Dark Willow Gang," Yin En said to Liu Xing. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. In fact, when Yin En decided to use the inspiration judgment earlier, Liu Xing had already guessed this, but to y his role well, he pretended to be surprised and said, "What? That person we just saw was Kojima Kanto? Why would hee to Godless Shrine today? Could it be that the information about Mian Gu Lu was revealed by the Godless Shrine''s deity?" Yin En shook his head uncertainly and said, "There''s a possibility, but it seems like Kojima Kanto didn''t recognize our identities. That means the Dark Willow Gang hasn''t figured out that we rescued Mian Gu Lu yet. We still have time to gather information." As Liu Xing and Yin En continued to talk, they quickly arrived at Godless Shrine. However, the moment Liu Xing stepped into Godless Shrine, he felt an inexplicable and mysterious energy swirling around him, making him feel more energized and clear-minded. Liu Xing frowned; it seemed that the Godless Shrine was not ordinary. It could harness such mystical power. It appeared to be a family of wizards or a Yin-Yang Master family with the unique characteristics of the Ind Nation. At that moment, a shrine maiden suddenly appeared in front of Liu Xing and Yin En, and Liu Xing could tell that she was extremely powerful just by looking at her. ording to the setting of this module (Fog), an NPC''s strength was determined by their appearance. The shrine maiden in front of Liu Xing surpassed Sawada Yinyin in terms of appearance and had an extremely voluptuous figure. Liu Xing believed her charisma had reached 99, the peak of human attractiveness. Of course, this shrine maiden might not be human! Thinking this, Liu Xing focused and prepared himself for any potential charms the shrine maiden might unleash. He didn''t forget the time when he was manipted by a legally-aged loli in a certain module. "Why have youe?" the shrine maiden asked coldly as she approached Liu Xing and Yin En. Liu Xing swallowed hard to moisten his dry throat and replied, "Dear deity, my friend and I have just arrived in Ziwu City. We heard from a local friend that Godless Shrine is very efficacious, so we came to pay a visit." Liu Xing nced at Yin En, hoping he would continue, but to his surprise, Yin En had turned into a blubbering mess, staring at the shrine maiden with a hint of liquid at the corner of his mouth. MMP. Liu Xing couldn''t help but curse inwardly. Yin En, who had always been reliable, was now failing miserably. This shrine maiden appeared to be an aloof goddess, and Yin En''s current appearance would only disgust her. Even if you''re a reincarnated Killer Demon, Yin En, it won''t help... Thinking this, Liu Xing decisively took a step forward, bumped into Yin En with his shoulder, and positioned himself in front of Yin En, hoping to give Yin En a chance to salvage their image in front of the shrine maiden. However, the shrine maiden shook her head and said, "Hmph, honesty is the best policy. It seems neither of you is willing to tell the truth. There''s nothing more to discuss. Please leave; Godless Shrine does not wee you." Liu Xing furrowed his brows, realizing that this shrine maiden was indeed not ordinary. She could detect their lies without even using a psychological assessment. It seemed like she possessed telepathic abilities. Thinking this, Liu Xing decided to tell the truth and take a gamble. But at that moment, Yin En finally regained hisposure and said seriously, "Deity, let me be honest with you. We encountered the legendary King Tindalos''s daughter and the urban legend Killer Demonst night. So, we came to Godless Shrine seeking help." Liu Xing looked at Yin En, wanting to say one thing: Yin En, can you please wipe off the drool at the corner of your mouth first? However, the shrine maiden did not seem to mind Yin En''s behavior and questioned with suspicion, "What? You actually met King Tindalos''s daughter as the legends say? Does this mean that King Tindalos''s daughter has been transported to the Future?" Liu Xing noticed that the shrine maiden was surprised by the appearance of King Tindalos''s daughter but showed no interest in the Killer Demon. This confirmed Liu Xing''s suspicion that the shrine maiden knew something about the Killer Demon''s origin and identity. He became more certain that the Killer Demon was Ziwu City''s Great Hero, Sawada Tomohiko. Upon hearing the shrine maiden''s inquiry, Yin En proceeded to recount the events ofst night and even mentioned Eldritch God Taketori. Liu Xing had initially wanted to stop Yin En from revealing all the information, as he still couldn''t be sure if this shrine maiden was an ally or if she was associated with the Dark Willow Gang. However, when he saw the seriousness on the shrine maiden''s face, he realized that even if she were allied with the Dark Willow Gang, it wouldn''t matter. After all, the shrine maiden was incredibly beautiful. This is trouble. "Hehe, Liu Xing and Yin En, you should have realized by now. You have been charmed by Kaminou Ryoko. Now you can choose to undergo an extremely difficult willpower test to break free from Kaminou Ryoko''s charm." Liu Xing sighed inwardly. He hadn''t expected to be charmed by Kaminou Ryoko despite being on guard. As for the extremely difficult willpower test, he had no illusions about his chances of sess. Liu Xing, 69/16 (80), failed. Yin En, 18/17 (85), failed. Having failed the willpower test, Liu Xing and Yin En helplessly watched as "themselves" revealed all the information about Mian Gu Lu to Kaminou Ryoko, including Chen Wenbin''s address. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 187: The Belated Main Quest Chapter 187: The Bted Main Quest Liu Xing couldn''t help but sigh inwardly. If this Kaminou Ryoko turned out to be a viin, then their quest in this role-ying game might be in jeopardy. After all, both Liu Xing and Yin En had already fallen under Kaminou Ryoko''s spell, in a way, bing her pawns. However, at that moment, KP Li Shunchan smiled and said, "Alright, Kaminou Ryoko has released her mental control over you." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. It turned out that Kaminou Ryoko hadn''t charmed him and Yin En but had instead controlled their minds through magic. It seemed that Kaminou Ryoko was not to be underestimated. Liu Xing exchanged a nce with Yin En and remained silent, waiting for Kaminou Ryoko to speak. "So, it turns out that the legend of King Tindalos is true, and it involves the Eldritch God," Kaminou Ryoko sighed helplessly. Liu Xing nodded and quickly asked, "Um, then may I ask, can you, as a deity..." "No," Kaminou Ryoko interrupted Liu Xing, shaking her head. "This involves the realm of gods. Even though I possess greater abilities than you, I cannot interfere in such matters. I am but a mortal in the face of the Eldritch God." Liu Xing pretended to look puzzled and said, "But if King Tindalos wants ordinary people like us to save his daughter, doesn''t that mean you, as a deity, are more suited for the task? After all, you''re a professional." Kaminou Ryoko chuckled and replied, "It''s not that simple. You''ve probably heard the phrase ''too much of a good thing can be bad.'' While I do possess greater power than you, my abilities cannot affect the Eldritch God. Even if it hasn''t fully manifested yet, the Eldritch God doesn''t care about humans, but it possesses the automatic ability to counter and eliminate threats. This ability has a certain threshold, and your strength, although weaker, does not reach that threshold. So, whatever you do to the Eldritch God won''t trigger its automatic counter. However, if I were to intervene, I would exceed that threshold and trigger the Eldritch God''s automatic counter, leading to myplete annihtion." Liu Xing nodded in understanding. It was like a mousetrap; even if a cockroach crawled all over it, it wouldn''t trigger the trap, but a slight touch from a mouse would activate it. In other words, Liu Xing''s group was the weaker side. "Well, then I''d like to ask the deity, what should we do to escape the pursuit of the Dark Willow Gang? Also, was there a high-ranking member of the Dark Willow Gang who came to see you just now?" Yin En inquired. Kaminou Ryoko furrowed her brows and replied, "I''ve been out of touch with the world for many years, and I''ve only heard of the Dark Willow Gang in passing. I truly don''t know if the man who came earlier is a member of the Dark Willow Gang. However, he simply offered his prayers and left after making an offering to the shrine. If I recall correctly, this man visits the shrine once every month." Liu Xing nodded, confirming that Kojima Kanto was indeed as his daughter Hirose Sakura had described - not inherently evil but forced into joining the Dark Willow Gang due to life circumstances. "As for how to evade the Dark Willow Gang''s pursuit, I can''t think of a good solution because I don''t know the true capabilities of the Dark Willow Gang. However, if they could predict when and where King Tindalos'' daughter would appear, it means they have skilled individuals among them. I sensed some unusual fluctuations around the airport areast night," Kaminou Ryoko added. Liu Xing and Yin En exchanged worried looks. If the Dark Willow Gang indeed had a powerful Wizard among them, it would be a major problem. Especially a Wizard with shielding magic like Killer Demon; it was the most frustrating kind of magic to deal with in battle. Such shields could either umte damage to a certain point before breaking or require a specific amount of damage dealt in a single turn. The former was frustrating, and thetter was even more infuriating. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn''t help butin silently. The future of this role-ying game campaign seemed quite bleak. However, Liu Xing recalled the wise words of the elder: "Only magic can counter magic." So, Liu Xing asked Kaminou Ryoko seriously, "Deity, could you help us confront the Dark Willow Gang? If their skilled member decides to act, we won''t be able to protect Mian Gu Lu." Kaminou Ryoko shook her head decisively and said, "It''s not that I don''t want to help you, but I cannot leave the Godless Shrine. Besides, I don''t think it would be a bad thing if the Dark Willow Gang takes Mian Gu Lu. After all, they, like you, wouldn''t want the world to be destroyed by the Eldritch God. So, I believe entrusting Mian Gu Lu to the Dark Willow Gang might not be a bad idea." Liu Xing actually found Kaminou Ryoko''s perspective reasonable. It seemed unlikely that the leader of the Dark Willow Gang, Mikageichi, wanted to destroy the world. Mikageichi''s goal in capturing Mian Gu Lu was likely rted to other purposes. Nevertheless, regardless of Mikageichi''s intentions, the Dark Willow Gang still needed to prevent the Eldritch God from causing the world''s destruction. Therefore, if Mian Gu Lu ended up in Mikageichi''s hands, it might not be a bad choice. With this realization, Liu Xing suddenly understood that this campaign was indeed open-ended. Even if he joined the Dark Willow Gang, he could stillplete the mission. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask, "KP, you haven''t issued the Main quest yet, have you?" KP Li Shunchan chuckled and replied, "Oh, you finally noticed. While you haven''t triggered the Main quest yet, I can tell you that you only have one Main quest: to prevent the descent of the Eldritch God Taketori andplete the Side Quests thate with it. Some of these Side Quests are mutually exclusive." As expected, whether the yers chose to protect Mian Gu Lu or let the Dark Willow Gang capture her, they could both sessfullyplete the game. ording to KP Li Shunchan, there were also other Side Quests to choose from. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 188: Talisman of Protection Chapter 188: Talisman of Protection Indeed, it was as Liu Xing suspected. Liu Xing nodded to himself. This module was indeed a multi-path module where yers could embark on different side quests to reach andplete the main quest, ultimately clearing the module. At this point, Liu Xing was already certain about two side quests: one was the Mian Gu Lu line, and the other was the Dark Willow Gang line. These two side quests were in direct conflict and would likely result in a life-or-death struggle. Furthermore, it was highly probable that Kaminou Ryoko could also offer a side quest forpletion, such as assisting Kaminou Ryoko, who couldn''t leave the shrine, in dealing with the Eldritch God Taketori. Apart from these, Liu Xing suspected that the Ziwu City Library''s curator, Kuroba Naoki, and the newly appointed mayor of Ziwu City, Tennoji Sohide, might also have side quests. The former might involve unraveling the mystery of King Tindalos, and thetter might entail eliminating the Dark Willow Gang. Of course, at present, Sawada Yinyin and Otonashi Takuya, who were helping the yers, likely had their own side quests. Considering all this, Liu Xing realized that most of the prominent NPCs introduced so far should have side quests. This module offered an impressive degree of freedom! If the previous run-through games in the Ghoul area were merely linear decryption games, then this Shoggoth Region run-through had evolved into a sandbox game. "Lord, we won''t hand Mian Gu Lu over to the Dark Willow Gang. After all, the Dark Willow Gang is no good, and if we give Mian Gu Lu to them, even if we can deal with the Eldritch God Taketori, it will only lead to new crises. So, I have an immature suggestion here. Since you cannot leave the shrine, Lord, could I act as your spokesperson? We canmunicate via phone, allowing you to remotely guide and instruct us. This way, we can avoid some unnecessary detours, and when facing the mysterious expert of the Dark Willow Gang, we won''t be helpless." Liu Xing understood that Yin En intended to pursue the Kaminou Ryoko line. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but wonder if Yin En wasn''t afraid of Sawada Yinyining after him with a hatchet for this decision. "In fact, I have no intention of getting involved in worldly affairs anymore. Even if Eldritch God Taketori were to destroy the world, it has nothing to do with me. As for the Dark Willow Gang, it is even less relevant to me," Kaminou Ryoko sighed and said. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. Dealing with Kaminou Ryoko seemed tricky. Yin En, on the other hand, had made up his mind and said, "Lord, I must confess something. I am the son-inw of the Sawada Family, and Sawada Yinyin is my fiance. Now, she and I are fighting against the Dark Willow Gang together. You, Lord, are from the Godless Shrine, and in a distant way, we are rtives. So, I hope that you can consider our history and lend us your help!" Liu Xing didn''t expect Yin En to finallye clean and admit his engagement to Sawada Yinyin. However, this was a good thing. With this step, Yin En could seek Sawada Yinyin''s assistance without hesitation. Upon hearing that Yin En was Sawada Yinyin''s fianc, Kaminou Ryoko fell into deep thought. Yet, Liu Xing thought that Kaminou Ryoko was more likely reminiscing about the past. After a moment, Kaminou Ryoko finally snapped out of it and said with a smile, "I see. I didn''t expect you to be that crazy girl''s fianc. However, I regret to inform you that your idea cannot be realized because I cannot touch a phone or any modern items. If you have any spare phones, I can demonstrate it for you." Yin En nodded and took out a bulky cell phone from his pocket, as a qualified international mercenary, Yin En carried three or four cell phones with him. When Kaminou Ryoko''s fingertips touched the phone, it instantly turned into ashes and fell to the ground. "To gain power, one must pay a price. While I possess great strength, I cannot leave the Godless Shrine at will ore into contact with any modern items throughout my life," Kaminou Ryoko said somewhat despondently. Liu Xing nodded, realizing that the interior of the Godless Shrine was devoid of any modern traces. At this moment, Kaminou Ryoko produced a protective talisman and handed it to Yin En. "This is a talisman I''ve empowered with my magic. It can withstand a certain level of attacks, although it can only be used once. It should help you avoid a disaster. If you encounter any problems, you cane directly to the shrine to find me." Yin En epted the talisman with a cheerful smile, thanking Kaminou Ryoko. After that, Yin En gestured to Liu Xing that they could leave the Godless Shrine. Since Kaminou Ryoko had made a promise, Liu Xing and Yin En had no further questions and didn''t want to waste precious time. It was time to go. So, Yin En chatted for a while longer with Kaminou Ryoko before bidding farewell. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel a little frustrated. Kaminou Ryoko seemed rather stingy, only giving Yin En the talisman and offering nothing for himself. After leaving the Godless Shrine, Liu Xing asked Yin En, "Yin En, can I take a look at the talisman the Lord gave you? I''m curious about the properties of this protective talisman that can block attacks." Yin En chuckled and understood that Liu Xing was curious about the attributes of the talisman Kaminou Ryoko had given him. He handed the talisman from his pocket to Liu Xing. After all, there were no "ck-market" items in this run-through game. Taking the talisman, Liu Xing examined its properties: "Kaminou Ryoko''s Talisman. Automatically activates when the yer is attacked, creating a shield that can absorb 20 points of damage,sting for fivebat rounds. It can absorb all damage when receiving the final blow. Usage count: 1 time." An artifact! Liu Xing looked at Yin En with envy. This talisman was equivalent to an extra life, especially with the ability to absorb all damage from the final strike. In this module, even random NPCs posed a threat of over ten points of damage. Liu Xing handed the talisman back to Yin En and said with a smile, "By the way, Yin En, have you finally made up your mind to marry Sawada Yinyin? Well, it''s a good thing. The Sawada Family and the Godless Shrine have be our allies, making it much easier for us to deal with the Dark Willow Gang." Yin En nodded, speaking earnestly, "Yes, when I first came to Ziwu City, I intended to cancel the engagement. But now, it seems that marrying Sawada Yinyin is also a good thing." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 189: The Rose Graveyard Chapter 189: The Rose Graveyard "By the way, it''s still early. Should we take a trip to the Rose Graveyard? I think Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura might still be there," Yin En suggested, steering the conversation away from their own marriage ns. "Sure, why not? We don''t have anything else to do right now, so let''s go to the Rose Graveyard and check it out," Liu Xing agreed with a nod and a smile. So, Liu Xing and Yin En drove to the Rose Graveyard. In the parking lot outside, they spotted the car belonging to Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura. "It seems like they are indeed at the Rose Graveyard. Let''s go in," Yin En said as he locked the car doors. The Rose Graveyard lived up to its name. As Liu Xing and Yin En entered, they were greeted by countless red roses covering the area, except for the paths created by the visiting tourists. It seemed like the entire Rose Graveyard was overrun by red roses. "My goodness, there are so many red roses here. It''s like they are even denser than weeds in the wilderness. And these roses look almost unnaturally vibrant, like they''ve been photoshopped," Liu Xing remarked, furrowing his brow. Yin En nodded and plucked a red rose, saying, "Indeed, but these red roses might have absorbed nutrients from the corpses buried here, just like cherry blossoms. It''s January now, and this ce is outdoors without greenhouse protection. In theory, red roses shouldn''t be in bloom, but here they are. It seems like this Graveyard has buried countless bodies." As Liu Xing and Yin En walked and talked, they noticed from the signs outside that the Rose Graveyard was divided into two sections. The outer part used to be a chaotic burial ground from ancient times, and the tombstones had been destroyed due to wars and other reasons. This exined what Liu Xing and Yin En sawthe areapletely taken over by red roses. The inner part of the Rose Graveyard belonged to the modern era, simr to other cemeteries. It was situated on a small hill with not only red roses but also trees and well-manicured grass. Upon entering the inner part of the Rose Graveyard, Liu Xing spotted Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura. Most tourists typically stayed in the outer part of the Graveyard, not wanting to disturb those paying respects inside, as the inner part was filled with various tombstones and not particrly attractive for sightseeing. Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura were different. One had nothing in hand, while the other carried a slender cylindrical object that looked like a katana. Their appearance didn''t fit in with the usual visitors, and it was clear they were not there for the same reasons. However, at that moment, Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura were engaged in conversation with an elderly man, so they hadn''t noticed Liu Xing and Yin En''s arrival. Besides, the Graveyard didn''t allow loud noises, so Liu Xing and Yin En quietly made their way up to them. After taking a few steps, Liu Xing suddenly felt like he was being watched. He stopped and looked around, but he couldn''t see anything unusual. However, Liu Xing knew that he was being watched by a Ghoul, as the Rose Graveyard was a likely ce for Ghouls to appear. With this in mind, Liu Xing quickly contacted KP Li Shunchan, saying, "KP, I need an inspiration right now, you know what I mean." Liu Xing: 76/90, Sess. KP Li Shunchan chuckled and replied, "Liu Xing, you''re right. That feeling of being watched wasn''t just your imagination. There''s definitely something nearby keeping an eye on you." Indeed, a Ghoul was lurking in the Rose Graveyard. However, it seemed that Yin En hadn''t sensed it. Thinking about this, Liu Xing asked Yin En, "Yin En, have you noticed anything strange? It feels like something unusual is watching us." Yin En raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and replied, "Liu Xing, please don''t tell me you''re afraid of ghosts. I haven''t sensed anything out of the ordinary." Liu Xing sighed, realizing that he was the only one being targeted by the Ghoul. However, it was still daytime, and there were many other visitors around, so Liu Xing didn''t think the Ghoul would attack him suddenly. "Alright, let''s not dwell on it. Let''s continue forward," Yin En said as he patted Liu Xing''s shoulder and proceeded uphill. Liu Xing followed Yin En but remained vignt, keeping an eye out for the hidden Ghoul, hoping to detect it with his heightened senses. However, Liu Xing soon realized that his efforts were in vain. While he could still sense the Ghoul watching him, he couldn''t pinpoint its exact location. Frustrated, he had no choice but to give up. At that moment, Chen Wenbin, who had finished his conversation with the elderly man, approached Liu Xing and Yin En, looking somewhat surprised. He asked, "Liu Xing, Yin En, what brings you here?" Yin En shrugged and proceeded to inform Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura about the recent events at the Godless Shrine. "I see. With you two here, we''ve gained another strong ally. However, it''s also clear that Dark Willow Gang has a formidable expert on their side. It''s only a matter of time before they discover Mian Gu Lu," Chen Wenbin said, sounding somewhat discouraged. Yin En shook his head and replied, "I''m prepared for that. Tomorrow, I n to meet with Sawada Yinyin''s father and finalize the marriage proposal. Then, I''ll find a way to pressure Dark Willow Gang or bring Mian Gu Lu into Sawada Family''s sphere of influence. Hopefully, that will deter Dark Willow Gang from acting recklessly." Chen Wenbin let out a sigh and said with a forced tone, "Let''s hope so." Liu Xing now understood that "Chen Wenbin" had a somewhat pessimistic personality, although it could also be due to his low SAN value. "By the way, Chen Wenbin, did you find anything in the Rose Graveyard today?" Liu Xing inquired. Chen Wenbin nodded and exined, "At the beginning, Yoh Asakura and I had some bad luck. We encountered traffic on the way here, which dyed us by half an hour. Then, when we arrived, we got stuck behind a funeral procession for over half an hour before entering the Rose Graveyard." "But our luck turned around afterward. We met one of the Graveyard''s caretakers, who shared valuable information with us. For instance, Half-Beasts are known to frequent the Rose Graveyard at night, appearing in various corners. The caretaker even imed to have seen a Half-Beast digging up corpses with its ws and carrying them deep into the Rose Graveyard," Chen Wenbin revealed. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 190: Cooperating with the Ghoul?! Chapter 190: Cooperating with the Ghoul?! The words of the Rose Graveyard''s caretaker could be considered as evidence, confirming that Ghoul was indeed active in the Rose Graveyard. If Liu Xing and his group wanted to confirm this, they could visit the graveyard at midnight since a burial had just taken ce, and Ghoul mighte to dig up the corpse. "By the way," Liu Xing suddenly remembered, "I recall that the Ind Nation started practicing cremation a long time ago. After all, the Ind Nation has a high poption density, and traditional burials consume a lot ofnd. But looking at Ziwu City, it seems like everyone is opting for cremation." Chen Wenbin nodded and replied with a smile, "I''ve been in the Ind Nation for over a decade and visited many cities. I''ve noticed that cremation is indeed popr here. However, for some reason, I heard from the Rose Graveyard''s caretaker that Ziwu City has never established a crematorium. All the mayors of Ziwu City throughout history have deliberately ignored this issue. The residents of Ziwu City prefer traditional burials, as it''s deeply ingrained in their thinking." Yin En chimed in, "My grandfather used to say that ancient customs emphasized the importance of aplete body in death. This way, the soul of the deceased could peacefully journey to the afterlife and be reincarnated as a human. Those who died without aplete body might end up in the realm of animals or, if lucky, be reborn with disabilities. As for cremation, it might obliterate the deceased, preventing them from reincarnation." Liu Xing agreed with Yin En''s exnation, as it resonated with the beliefs of the older generation. However, in the world of the Cthulhu Mythos, Liu Xing leaned towards supporting cremation, as burials provided ample food for Ghoul. To be honest, Ghouls were misnamed; they were not mere scavengers. Compared to rotting corpses, Ghouls preferred hunting live prey. Fresh flesh and blood were undoubtedly more appealing to them than dried, decaying meat. So, unless in a one-on-one situation or when the overall strength of the local human poption significantly surpassed that of the Ghoulmunity, Ghouls would choose to feast on corpses quietly. In other cases, Ghouls would seize opportunities to attack humans, especially in cities that practiced cremation. "However," Liu Xing continued, "if Ziwu City has always been practicing burials, the local Ghoul poption should have an abundant food source. So why have these Ghouls been attacking homeless people in parks recently? Moreover, it doesn''t seem like simple attacks; it appears that these Ghouls are abducting the homeless individuals. Ghoul attacks on humans usually leave behind evidence, but these disappearances in the parks are clean and leave no traces. What could be the reason for this?" Yin En and the others fell into deep thought. Something was definitely amiss. In general, Ghouls didn''t bother leaving evidence when preying on humans, as the bodies would be taken away, and any bloodstains left behind would be attributed to a regr murder case. The police wouldn''t connect these incidents to Ghouls. So, there was no need for Ghouls to be extra cautious and clean. Considering the intelligence and abilities of Ghouls, they could easily abduct homeless people without a trace. But why were they doing this? That was the real question. Suddenly, Liu Xing had a possible idea and said, "Ghouls must not be gathering food for the winter. I think these Ghouls are capturing homeless people for some kind of experimentation. And considering that the great hero Tomohiko Sawada has now be the Killer Demon, those traitors who betrayed Sawada Tomohiko might not have disappeared after the divine punishment. They might have transformed into Ghouls and hidden themselves. Moreover, the southwest area of Ziwu City belongs to the Killer Demon''s territory. So, these former traitors turned Ghouls probably avoid operating in this area. If you have a chance to ask Shiro Hana again, Chen Wenbin, inquire if there have been fewer disappearances of homeless people in the parks of the southwest area of Ziwu Citypared to other areas. If you get a positive response, we can conclude that these Ghouls are likely the former traitors of Sawada Tomohiko and that Killer Demon and Ghouls are in opposition." In the world of the Cthulhu Mythos, most first-generation Ghouls were born under a curse. Only a small number of first-generation Ghouls were transformed by zealous followers of the Ghoul King Morkidian or Wizards through certain means. Many Ghoul elders were Wizards who pursued immortality and willingly transformed into Ghoul elders after summoning the Ghoul King Morkidian. This exined why Ghoul elders possessed many spells. Liu Xing''s words received approving nods from Chen Wenbin and the others because his theory made a lot of sense. After all, Ghouls had such characteristics. "If these Ghouls are indeed the former traitors, then Killer Demon should actively choose to attack them. After all, these traitors caused Killer Demon''s downfall. However, these Ghouls probably can''t match Killer Demon''s strength; Killer Demon can wipe out rows of Ghouls in an instant," Yin En said with a smile. "True. If these Ghouls are truly abducting homeless people for experimentation, what kind of experiments do you think they''re conducting?" Liu Xing asked. Chen Wenbin chuckled and replied confidently, "It goes without saying. If these Ghouls are the cursed traitors, they likely want to revert to human form. So, I believe they are abducting homeless people with the aim of turning them into Ghouls and then researching how to transform Ghouls back into humans." "Exactly, that''s what I think too. These Ghouls are likely researching how to regain their human forms. But given the current situation, their research progress should be in its early stages. We might even have an opportunity to cooperate with these Ghouls," Liu Xing said with a sly grin. "What?! Liu Xing, you want to cooperate with Ghouls?!" Yin En eximed, looking utterly bewildered. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 191: Unveiling the Ghoul Plot Chapter 191: Unveiling the Ghoul Plot "What? Liu Xing, why would you even consider cooperating with the Ghouls?" Chen Wenbin eximed in disbelief. Liu Xing smiled and nodded, speaking earnestly, "Why not? You all should know that Ghouls are intelligent beings, and they were originally humans cursed to be Ghouls. Therefore, their way of thinking should still lean towards humanity. So, I believe we can convince them to cooperate." Yin En raised an eyebrow, sounding skeptical, "That may be true in theory, but they are already Ghouls, not humans. Liu Xing, what do you have to offer them for cooperation? Don''t tell me you know how to turn Ghouls back into humans." Liu Xing shook his head; he certainly didn''t know that kind of magic. "No, I don''t, but I know someone in Ziwu City who might know how to turn Ghouls back into humans." "You mean the High Priest of the Godless Shrine?" Yin En instantly understood whom Liu Xing was referring to. Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Exactly, I''m talking about her. Haven''t you heard the saying that in ces where venomous snakes roam, you can often find herbs that can cure snake bites? So, since these Ghouls are cursed humans, there must be a way to break the curse. The High Priest of the Godless Shrine clearly has magical abilities, and I''ve noticed that from the Godless Shrine''s mountain, you can see both the undeveloped area and this Rose Graveyard. So, I have reason to believe that the High Priest of the Godless Shrine is a watcher, keeping an eye on the Killer Demon and the Ghouls'' activities." Yin En furrowed his brow, still somewhat doubtful, "Liu Xing, I think you''re making a lot of assumptions here. Even if the High Priest of the Godless Shrine has the power to break the Ghouls'' curse, why would she do it? As a member of the Kanna Family, she must despise these Ghouls, especially since they killed Sawada Tomohiko''s wife, who was also from the Kanna Family." "Yes, that''s the crucial question. I n to visit the Ziwu City Libraryter this afternoon, hoping that Library Director Kuroba Naoki can guide me. If I can uncover the truth about what happened in the past, I should have a chance to persuade the High Priest of the Godless Shrine to lift the curse on the Ghouls. Then, we can gain their assistance, and with the Ghouls'' help, dealing with the Dark Willow Gang shouldn''t be a problem," Liu Xing said seriously. Yoh Asakura, who had been mostly silent, couldn''t help but speak up, "Liu Xing, you''re ying with fire here. If you make one wrong move, it could be game over for you." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, but he still held his ground, "No risk, no reward. Given the current situation, if we want to deal with the Dark Willow Gang, we need extra help. Yin En may have a chance to seek assistance from the Sawada Family, but they are part of the righteous path and may not have the manpower. Dark Willow Gang, on the other hand, as part of the underworld, has many members, and they won''t hesitate to act aggressively." Yin En nodded, reluctantly admitting that Liu Xing was right. In the current situation, the Sawada Family couldn''t match the Dark Willow Gang''s strength. "Furthermore, Dark Willow Gang has the support of the Ziwu City Mayor. Even if Sawada Family wants to help us, they will be limited by various constraints. So, we can''t put all our eggs in one basket. I believe the Ghouls will be our best allies, as they represent the true darkness," Liu Xing continued, seizing the moment. At this point, Yin En wanted to say more, but he ultimately sighed and said earnestly, "Liu Xing, you''re right. We can''t rely solely on the Sawada Family''s help. However, I still think your idea is too risky. We only suspect that Rose Graveyard might be the Ghouls'' hideout, and it will be extremely difficult for you to even meet them, let alone negotiate cooperation." Chen Wenbin nodded in agreement, adding, "Yes, Yin En is right. Partnering with Ghouls is like seeking the tiger''s skin. The risk is exceedingly high. Personally, I can only offer you moral support." Yoh Asakura, who had remained silent, nodded in agreement, indicating his stance. Liu Xing had anticipated their reactions from the beginning, so he smiled and nodded, saying, "I understand your concerns. But for now, it''s just an idea. I won''t take any risks until I''m fully prepared." As Liu Xing spoke, he kept an eye on a patch of grass nearby. Indeed, Liu Xing had thought of cooperating with the Ghouls because he had just noticed some unusual movement in the grass. He knew that there was probably a Ghoul hiding there, observing his every move. So, Liu Xing decided to test this Ghoul by pretending to be interested in cooperation. As he mentioned keywords like "Ghoul," "curse," and "Godless Shrine," the grass would react unnaturally. Liu Xing was now certain that there was a Ghoul hiding in the grass, and his spection about the Ghoul curse was likely correct. These Ghouls were indeed the traitors from the past, and Kanna Ryoko could probably remove the curse from them. With this in mind, Liu Xing began to seriously consider the possibility of cooperating with the Ghouls. "Alright, it''s gettingte. Let''s leave Rose Graveyard and have lunch. This ce gives me the creeps, and these red roses give off an eerie vibe," Chen Wenbin suggested. So, Liu Xing and his group prepared to leave Rose Graveyard. However, Liu Xing intentionally lingered behind. As they passed the patch of grass where the Ghoul was hiding, Liu Xing pretended to loosen his shoces and crouched down to fiddle with them. Once Yin En and the others had walked a considerable distance away, a hoarse, sharp voice suddenly sounded in Liu Xing''s ear, "Tonight at midnight, meet me at the Unseen Pond." Liu Xing''s lips curled into a smile. The Ghoul plot was indeed unfolding. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 192: The Method to Defeat Eldritch God Taketori Chapter 192: The Method to Defeat Eldritch God Taketori As expected, Ghoul had been taken in by Liu Xing''s bluff and was willing to open up their Side Quest to him. Liu Xing stood up, nodded, and quickly caught up with Yin En and the others, not far away. Yin En and hispanions immediately noticed Liu Xing''s unusual behavior. As yers of the Shoggoth Region, they were quite clever and, piecing together what Liu Xing had said earlier, they instantly understood everything. "Liu Xing, what were you saying earlier...?" Yin En began, but Liu Xing interrupted, saying, "This isn''t the ce to talk. Let''s leave here first." Yin En nodded, and they all hastened their steps, leaving the Rose Graveyard behind. Next to the Rose Graveyard, there were many small restaurants. Since the graveyard was far from the city, most people who came to pay their respects or visit needed to grab a bite to eat here. Liu Xing and his group randomly picked a small restaurant with few people and took a seat at a table in a corner. After ordering their food, Liu Xing began, "Did none of you notice earlier that something was watching us?" Although Yin En and hispanions had already suspected that Liu Xing had attracted Ghoul''s attention, they still pretended to be unaware, looking puzzled as they watched Liu Xing. Seeing their reaction, Liu Xing sighed helplessly and continued, "It seems that I''m the only one Ghoul is interested in. When I entered the interior of the Rose Graveyard, I felt something was watching me. And when I heard that the Rose Graveyard was Ghoul''sir, I realized it was Ghoul that had been watching me. So, when I mentioned certain keywords, I noticed the Ghoul watching me reacted differently. That''s why I''m sure my guess is correct. These Ghouls must be the cursed traitors!" "I see. I did think you were acting strangely earlier when you mentioned cooperating with Ghoul. I even thought you had gone crazy," Chen Wenbin chuckled. Liu Xing smiled and continued, "I had to think on my feet. I''m not sure why it urred to me suddenly, but when we were leaving the Rose Graveyard, I intentionally lingered behind. That Ghoul actually arranged to meet me at the Unseen Pond at midnight." Yin En raised an eyebrow, expressing his concern, "Isn''t it too dangerous to go to the Unseen Pond at midnight? Should I go with you?" Liu Xing shook his head and said seriously, "Although Ghoul didn''t specify that I had to go alone, I can''t afford to let Ghoul underestimate me. So, I''d better go alone. Plus, it might help us avoid being ambushed by all those Ghouls. I still can''t fully trust them." Yin En agreed with Liu Xing''s determination and nodded without further objections. At this point, Chen Wenbin brought up a topic rted to Eldritch God Taketori, "Speaking of Eldritch God Taketori, I remembered something. When I was in the era of Yis People, I lived with people from others or different times on Earth. There was a prophet from the Middle Ages among us, and when he heard about Eldritch God Taketori''s existence, he got curious and tried divination. He discovered a major weakness of Eldritch God Taketori: she can bepletely subdued by the Eldritch God that led her to corruption. So, if we use a weapon blessed by that Eldritch God to attack Eldritch God Taketori, she will be vanquished." Because in the Cthulhu Mythos, all the names of Outer Gods, Great Old Ones, and Ancient Gods were beyond human reach, "Chen Wenbin" didn''t know the name Nyathotep and had to use "that Eldritch God" as a substitute. This reminded Liu Xing of "that midner." But hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly remembered the pistol he had at his waist. It was a custom-made pistol by Nyathotep himself. From a certain perspective, this pistol should have been blessed by Nyathotep. Did that mean he could actually kill Eldritch God Taketori? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow at the thought. This was good news; if he could indeed kill Eldritch God Taketori, the difficulty of this module would drop by seventy percent. He would gainplete control, but the only problem was that to kill Eldritch God Taketori, he might need to kill Mian Gu Lu! From Liu Xing''s current standpoint, he couldn''t possibly take action against Mian Gu Lu. Unless... he was really going to follow the Ghoul''s path? "Speaking of weapons blessed by Eldritch Gods, don''t you think Killer Demon''s greatsword fits the description? It''s unbelievably sharp, even considering that human bones are incredibly tough. Killer Demon can effortlessly cut people in half like slicing through butter with that sword. ording to the information provided by Shiro Hana, the victims attacked by Killer Demon had their wounds treated instantly at the moment of the attack, preventing excessive bleeding. This is something an ordinary weapon couldn''t achieve," Yin En remarked seriously. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Yin En was right; Killer Demon''s greatsword was undoubtedly an "artifact," as it provided a whopping 10 points of damage bonus. It was clear that this was no ordinary weapon. Moreover, given Nyathotep''s knack for causing trouble, it wasn''t impossible for him to create a Killer Demon as well, especially since he had already created an Eldritch God Taketori. It made Liu Xing wonder if the mercenaries who had betrayed Sawada Tomohiko had done so because of Nyathotep''s maniption. Nyathotep had turned Sawada Tomohiko into Killer Demon and transformed those mercenaries who betrayed him into Ghouls, setting them up to continue fighting each other. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt that the name of this module could indeed be changed to "Nyathotep''s Shenanigans Comption." "I also think that Killer Demon''s greatsword is far from ordinary. However, Killer Demon is currently protecting Mian Gu Lu, so it''s impossible for us to engage him inbat. Besides, we can''t take that greatsword from him. Together, we still wouldn''t be a match for Killer Demon," Chen Wenbin said helplessly. At that moment, their food arrived. Liu Xing picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let''s not dwell on this for now. Let''s eat. We can''t figure everything out at the moment. Let''s gatherter tonight and discuss further. By the way, I n to visit the Ziwu City Library this afternoon. What about you guys?" Yin En nodded and smiled, saying, "I''ll go with you. I n to do some shopping in themercial district, and when I''m done, I''ll meet you at the Ziwu City Library." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 193: Return to the Library Chapter 193: Return to the Library "In the afternoon, I n to visit the Godless Shrine with Yoh Asakura to see if there''s a chance to gather some information as ordinary people. I also intend to inform the Godless Shrine''s priest about the Killer Demon, as I have a bold idea," Chen Wenbin said with a sip of water, smiling. Liu Xing was well aware of what Chen Wenbin''s bold idea was, so he expressed some concern. "Um, Chen Wenbin, you should be careful. The Godless Shrine''s priest has a good rtionship with the Sawada Family. If you say the wrong thing and anger the priest, it could cause quite a problem." Yin En nodded in agreement, adding seriously, "Chen Wenbin, please don''t do anything reckless. The Godless Shrine''s priest is a wizard. If you provoke her, things could get very dangerous." Chen Wenbin shook his head confidently. "Don''t worry, I know my limits. Actually, I think you all might have guessed it by now; Killer Demon is probably the Great Hero Tomohiko Sawada from back then." Liu Xing and the others nodded in agreement with Chen Wenbin''s statement. Seeing their reaction, Chen Wenbin chuckled and continued, "Since Ghoul is the traitors from back then, it''s only logical that Killer Demon is Sawada Tomohiko now. Plus, I did some researchst night and found that Sawada Tomohiko used a big sword back then, blessed by an unknown deity." "And if things go as I expect, the Godless Shrine''s priest should be aware of this. So when I ask her, she shouldn''t react too harshly. Most importantly, I''m curious about what happened back then. I believe the Godless Shrine''s priest can provide some answers." To be honest, Liu Xing was also quite curious about what had happened back then, which had turned Sawada Tomohiko into Killer Demon and the mercenaries into Ghouls. Even though those legendary stories were written meticulously, Liu Xing had doubts about their uracy, given the embellishments and personal biases of the authors. While they chatted and ate, half an hourter, Liu Xing and his group had their fill, and they each left Rose Graveyard in their respective cars. Liu Xing drove Yin En to the city center''smercial area, setting a rough time for their next meeting. If Yin En didn''t call him before that time, Liu Xing would wait for him at the Ziwu City Library. Then, Liu Xing returned to the Ziwu City Library. Since it was a nice day and a weekend, there were quite a few people in the library. However, Liu Xing had already contacted Gu Jun and Watanabe Jiang, who had informed him that they had gone to the education district. Liu Xing''s luck was quite good; he found Kuroba Naoki on the library''s first floor as soon as he entered. At that moment, Kuroba Naoki was chatting with a young woman. Liu Xing casually picked up a book from the shelf, found a nearby seat, and sat down, positioning himself less than a meter away from Kuroba Naoki and the woman. He pretended to read the book while eavesdropping on their conversation. Fortunately, the library''s atmosphere was generally quiet, so Liu Xing didn''t need to make any special effort to hear Kuroba Naoki and the woman''s conversation. However, since Liu Xing didn''t need to focus on listening, it indicated that Kuroba Naoki and the woman were discussing something of little significance. It seemed like they were just chatting about everyday matters. Nevertheless, Liu Xing could tell that the woman had a favorable impression of Kuroba Naoki. After about half an hour, Kuroba Naoki finally finished his conversation with the woman and saw Liu Xing. He smiled and said, "Oh, I didn''t expect you to be here too." Liu Xing nodded with a smile and replied, "It looks like Gu Jun has been here in the morning. I never thought the Head Librarian Kuroba would remember me." Kuroba Naoki smiled again and said seriously, "Of course, as the head librarian, I can''t afford to have a bad memory. How else would I remember where each of the Bai Wan books is located in the library? And you and Gu Jun are the only two people who noticed something unusual about that painting over the years. So, I definitely remember you both. But on another note, I never thought you''d enjoy reading this kind of book." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He had randomly picked up a book from the shelf to maintain appearances and hadn''t actually looked at it. He immediately closed the book and realized that he had been "reading" a book titled "Postpartum Care for Sows." Liu Xing looked at Kuroba Naoki with embarrassment, realizing that the library in Ind Nation had a strange collection. "Um, actually, I came here today to ask you a question, Head Librarian Kuroba. Do you know anything about Ziwu City''s Great Hero, Sawada Tomohiko?" Liu Xing quickly put the book back in its ce and changed the subject. Kuroba Naoki nodded and said, "Of course. In Ziwu City''s history, the two most famous individuals are King Tindalos and Sawada Tomohiko. Their stories are legendary, so while I research King Tindalos, I also study Sawada Tomohiko''s story. After all, Sawada Tomohiko''s descendants are now the top family in Ziwu City, and most of the funding for the Ziwu City Libraryes from Sawada Corporation." Liu Xing continued, "What about the Kanna Family? Do you know anything about them?" Kuroba Naoki raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Oh, why do you ask about them? The Kanna Family has deep ties with the Sawada Family, as they had intermarried even before Sawada Tomohiko''s time. However, Kanna Family has always been focused on managing the Godless Shrine and hasn''t expanded their influence in Ziwu City like the Sawada Family did." "In Sawada Tomohiko''s era, the Sawada Family had already be the top family in Ziwu City. Even the Lord of Ziwu City at the time showed respect to them. When Ziwu City was invaded by the demons, the Lord of Ziwu City fled, and Sawada Family had to send their next heir, Sawada Tomohiko, to hire a mercenary force to defend Ziwu City. So, in essence, Sawada Tomohiko wasn''t as great as the legends im. Initially, his goal was simply to protect the Sawada Family," Kuroba Naoki exined. "Tomohiko Sawada''s wife was the second daughter of the Kanna Family, named Keiko Kanna. The reason the Kanna Family married their second daughter to the heir of the Sawada Family is because their eldest daughters were groomed to be the priestesses of the Godless Shrine, devoted to serving the divine without getting married." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 194: The Story of Sawada Tomohiko (1) Chapter 194: The Story of Sawada Tomohiko (1) Kuroba Naoki took a sip of water and continued, "ording to a widely circted folk tale, it''s mentioned that the elder sister of Shinmu Yoshiko also had a fondness for Sawada Tomohiko when they were children. Their rtionship was quite good, but due to family traditions, Keiko Kanna''s elder sister had to choose to be the head priestess of the Godless Shrine." "But back to the main story, when Sawada Tomohiko left Ziwu City in search of mercenaries, the demon race had already begun to conquer most of Ziwu City''s territory. Almost only the Godless Shrine remained untouched. After all, the Godless Shrine had been a centuries-old shrine, and it received the favor of the gods. Whenever the demon race set foot within the Godless Shrine''s boundaries, they were annihted, turned to ashes." "However, a problem arose. Although the poption of Ziwu City was notrge, since other areas had been upied by the demon race, all the people of Ziwu City crowded into the Godless Shrine. Soon, a food crisis emerged because the Godless Shrine had a tradition of having only the head priestess residing there. Consequently, the Godless Shrine had very little food reserves, and the refugees who came certainly didn''t bring much food with them." "After the food crisis, the situation at the Godless Shrine became tense and escted into a standoff. On one side were the alliance of the Sawada Family, the Kanna Family, and some other Ziwu City families, who had the advantage in terms of weaponry. On the other side were the ordinary people of Ziwu City, who had the advantage in numbers." "As the standoff began, themon people were pushed to the foothills of the Godless Shrine. However, hunger drove these desperate people to madness. The starvingmoners began to attack the Godless Shrine, and internal problems also emerged on the side of the family forces. Sawada Family was too dominant, which made other families increasingly dissatisfied. They saw this as an opportunity to eliminate the Sawada Family and took up arms against them." "Just when the Sawada Family was on the brink of copse, Sawada Tomohiko finally returned with reinforcements. He personally wielded a great sword in battle, which was quite surprising since Sawada Tomohiko had never shown any martial skills before. After all, the Sawada Family intended to groom Sawada Tomohiko into an official, not a warrior." "Next, as in those legendary stories, Sawada Tomohiko led the charge against the demon race,pletely driving them out of Ziwu City. The Sawada Family seized the opportunity to eliminate the families that had revolted against them. Sawada Tomohiko, with arge sword in hand, personally carried out the executions." "Here, I''d like to digress a bit and express my personal doubts. What exactly happened to Sawada Tomohiko during his journey to seek reinforcements that changed his character so drastically? Before leaving Ziwu City, Sawada Tomohiko could be described as a gentle and cultured person. However, upon his return, he had be a ruthless killing machine, responsible for the deaths of over four hundred people during the reckoning after defeating the demon race. There must be something mysterious behind this transformation." "As for the story of Sawada Tomohiko seeking reinforcements, it''s only his ount of events. Sawada Tomohiko said that after leaving Ziwu City, he headed north to seek help from another city. On the way, he encountered a group of mercenaries and hired them immediately, then returned to Ziwu City with them." "During their journey back to Ziwu City, Sawada Tomohiko''s group took shelter in a dpidated shrine due to heavy rain. They discovered that this shrine was dedicated to a deity that Sawada Tomohiko had never seen before, and he saw a name on the deity''s statueSulu." "Sulu?!" Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn''t help but exim, looking astonished at Kuroba Naoki. Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten that he had encountered a deity named Sulu, or perhaps an incarnation of Cthulhu, during the Harvest Festival in the main hall. Liu Xing''s exmation earned him angry res from the readers around him, but they recognized Kuroba Naoki, the library curator sitting next to Liu Xing, so they held their tongues. Kuroba Naoki, on the other hand, was intrigued by Liu Xing''s knowledge of the name "Sulu" and took Liu Xing to his office, saying, "Liu Xing, do you know about this deity named Sulu? I''ve researched numerous records and found no information about this deity." Liu Xing nodded and exined, "I actually learned about the existence of the deity Sulu just recently. I attended a festival in a small county town, and I discovered that they worshiped a strange deity in a Taoist temple. When I inquired, I found out that this deity was named Sulu and possessed the power to control the weather. Moreover, if anyone consumed offerings made to Sulu, they would instantly die of hunger!" Listening to this, Kuroba Naoki nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "I see. It seems that the deity you know as Sulu is the same one that Sawada Tomohiko encountered. Among the mercenaries he hired, someone ate the offerings meant for Sulu and turned into a dry corpse on the spot. I never thought that this deity called Sulu actually exists. I used to think it was a fabrication by Sawada Tomohiko." Liu Xing nodded but decided not to disclose anything about the world within the mirror. Kuroba Naoki continued, "Let''s continue with the story. After seeing the cursed death of the mercenary due to Sulu, Sawada Tomohiko devoutly worshipped the deity named Sulu and offered sacrifices. Due to heavy rain, they had to spend the night at the shrine. While sleeping, Sawada Tomohiko had a dream of the deity named Sulu. After discussing various matters with Sawada Tomohiko, Sulu granted him a great sword and the power to wield it. This is how Sawada Tomohiko transformed from a powerless schr into a Great Hero capable of ying demons." "After waking up, Sawada Tomohiko found the great sword by his side and returned to Ziwu City with the mercenaries. He easily defeated the demon race, and then, he believed that those who had betrayed his family didn''t deserve to live. So, Sawada Tomohiko personally captured the people he considered ''despicable'' and executed them. From that point on, the Sawada Family became the unshakeable leading family in Ziwu City." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 195: Sawada Tomohikos Story (2) Chapter 195: Sawada Tomohikos Story (2) Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat puzzled. "So what happened next? Since the Sawada Family has be the leading family in Ziwu City, and Sawada Tomohiko is not only their first heir but also a skilled warrior bestowed with divine weapons, shouldn''t those mercenaries be afraid to cross him?" Kuroba Naoki nodded with a hint of uncertainty. "You''re right. I''ve been pondering this too. As you said, Sawada Tomohiko is now considered the chosen one, backed by the full support of the Sawada Family. Those mercenaries shouldn''t have turned against him. But let me tell you what happened next." "Sawada Tomohiko, hailed as the hero who drove back the demon tribe, was initially adored by the citizens of Ziwu City and received the Emperor''s rewards. However, after a massacre he personally carried out, where he killed many people, his wife, Shin Fukako, distanced herself from him, leaving Sawada Tomohiko feeling mncholic." "It was at this time that a wandering swordsman arrived in Ziwu City. He defeated the guards trained by the Sawada Family and the mercenaries who had been recruited by them. The Sawada Family then hired him as the captain of their guards, with the main responsibility of protecting Sawada Tomohiko. This wandering swordsman quickly became a close friend of Sawada Tomohiko." "After some time, Sawada Tomohiko''s rtionship with Shin Fukako began to improve, thanks in part to the wandering swordsman''s advice. He suggested that Sawada Tomohiko take Shin Fukako on a trip and retrieve the statue of Sulu that had aided him." "It was then that Sawada Tomohiko realized he had forgotten to bring back the statue of Sulu to Ziwu City for proper veneration. So, with Shin Fukako and a group of guards (which were the mercenaries), they headed to the Elder Gods Shrine, where they had taken shelter from the rain on a previous asion. Keep in mind that the wandering swordsman was also with them." "When they arrived at the dpidated shrine, a sudden downpour trapped them inside for three days and three nights. Since they hadn''t packed much food for a leisurely trip, Sawada Tomohiko asked the wandering swordsman to take a few people and go to a nearby vige to borrow some supplies." "However, the wandering swordsman returned injured not long after leaving and informed Sawada Tomohiko that the mercenaries had betrayed them. Apparently, some remnants of the families that Sawada Tomohiko had seemingly wiped out had secretly recruited the mercenaries, offering them a hefty sum to kill Sawada Tomohiko. These mercenaries had just tried to bribe the wandering swordsman but failed, so they attacked him instead. Fortunately, the wandering swordsman fought back and killed those mercenaries, but he was badly wounded in the process." "At this point, Sawada Tomohiko sensed something was amiss. When he turned around, he saw the mercenaries surrounding him with weapons, and Shin Fukako had been captured. Fueled by rage, Sawada Tomohiko, without his preferred weapon, could only brandish the wandering swordsman''s de and face off against the mercenaries. It''s worth noting that there were reportedly twenty mercenaries involved, but during the ensuing divine retribution, they all vanished without a trace, totaling over a hundred people." "As the standoff continued, the mercenaries were aware of Sawada Tomohiko''s formidable strength, despite hisck of a proper weapon. So, their leader took Shin Fukako hostage and forced Sawada Tomohiko tomit suicide. In the end, Shin Fukako chose to sacrifice herself to save her husband by plunging herself onto the de." "This enraged Sawada Tomohiko, and a fierce battle ensued. However, he ultimately sumbed to the overwhelming numbers and died. His body was left in the dpidated shrine, which waster destroyed by the mercenaries and buried under andslide caused by heavy rain." "Then, these mercenaries returned to Ziwu City, intending to deceive Sawada Tomohiko''s father. They fabricated a story, iming that Sawada Tomohiko, Shin Fukako, and the wandering swordsman died in andslide. However, Shin Fukako''s sister, who was the deity of the Godless Shrine, exposed their heinous deeds. She personally invoked divine punishment, causing the mercenaries to vanish in a ze of lightning!" Kuroba Naoki paused here and sighed. "Theter part of this story seems quite dubious. Many details appear to be fabricated. ording to the most credible ount we have, Sawada Tomohiko, along with Shin Fukako, and the wandering swordsman, set out to retrieve the Sulu statue. When they encountered heavy rain and returned after three days, the mercenaries who had apanied them backstabbed Sawada Tomohiko''s group. These mercenaries were subsequently captured by the Sawada Family, and Shin Fukako''s sister, who could foresee events, revealed that they were the ones who killed Sawada Tomohiko and Shin Fukako. They were then subjected to divine punishment and disappeared without a trace." After hearing the story, Liu Xing''s confusion only deepened. "Kuroba, something doesn''t add up here. With the strength of the wandering swordsman and Sawada Tomohiko, taking on twenty mercenaries should have been a cakewalk, unless Sawada Tomohiko really chose suicide under duress. And these mercenaries couldn''t have been that foolish to return to Ziwu City after killing Sawada Tomohiko and Shin Fukako, right?" "Yeah, even if we consider the most credible version, something feels off. Many aspects just don''t make sense. If it weren''t for the fact that the Sawada Family has preserved this story, I might have regarded it as a mythological tale. After all, demons and such don''t exist in reality." Liu Xing nodded and suddenly realized that he had an opportunity to investigate the authenticity of this story. He promptly approached KP Li Shunchan. "KP, I''d like to conduct an inspiration check on this story." "Of course, you can, but this time, the inspiration check will be a bit special. You can choose the difficulty level yourself, and keep in mind that the difficulty will affect the amount of information you obtain," KP Li Shunchan replied with a smile. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 196: A Special Inspiration Determination Chapter 196: A Special Inspiration Determination Liu Xing frowned, puzzled by KP Li Shunchan''s words. Since when did inspiration determination involve choosing a difficulty level? Typically, an inspiration determination involving multiple pieces of intelligence would mean rolling a die to see in which range the result falls. If itnded in the difficult range, the information obtained would be moreprehensive than if itnded in the normal range. This time, however, Liu Xing was surprised to find out that he had to choose the difficulty level first before rolling. This approach to inspiration determination felt more pressuring. Usually, with the former method of inspiration determination, Liu Xing was guaranteed a win-win situation, at least securing information of normal difficulty, especially since he had a 90-point inspiration value. Only extremely bad luck could thwart him. But with this new method, if Liu Xing risked choosing the difficult or even the extremely difficult levels for his inspiration determination, he might end up with nothing. So, Liu Xing thought KP Li Shunchan was deliberately making things difficult for him. KP Li Shunchan, seemingly aware of Liu Xing''s internalints about this method, exined with a smile, "Well, this is also a feature of this module. Since it involves many NPCs, the same story can vary depending on who tells it. Therefore, the information yers can obtain also varies. Like Investigation or inspiration determinations, yers can actually choose the difficulty level in advance. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. When you and Yin En met that member of the Dark Willow Gang in the Godless Shrine, I even sent a message to Yin En, asking him what difficulty level he wanted for his Investigation determination." After KP Li Shunchan''s exnation, Liu Xing understood the rationale behind this method. For instance, if Liu Xing opted for a normal inspiration determination, he might just casually think and perhaps spot some inconsistencies in Sawada Tomohiko''s story. But with an extremely difficult inspiration determination, he would exert his utmost effort to find bugs or crucial information he initially overlooked in Sawada Tomohiko''s story. Then, the rules of the Cthulhu RPG Game came into y, stipting that certain actions could only be performed once within a certain time frame. For instance, if Liu Xing''s inspiration determination failed, he might be blocked from further thought and unable to make sense of it, preventing him from attempting another inspiration determination on Sawada Tomohiko''s story for a considerable time. Considering this, Liu Xing hesitated again. Should he take the risk? After all, he had a 90-point inspiration value, making a normal difficulty determination rtively easy. However, he felt that the information gained from a normal difficulty determination might be something he could deduce himself, not offering great value for the effort. But with a difficult determination, his sess rate was only 45%, less than half. And for an extremely difficult determination, an 18% sess rate seemed like a mirage. Just then, a thought struck Liu Xing - "Why not gamble and turn a bicycle into a motorcycle?" "KP, give me a difficult inspiration determination," Liu Xing said, biting the bullet. Liu Xing, ??/45 (90), ??. "What the heck, why is it a secret roll now?! KP, are you ying tricks on me?" Liu Xing looked bewilderedly at... the air, since he didn''t know where KP Li Shunchan was. KP Li Shunchan chuckled sheepishly and said, "Ah, I forgot to tell you, this inspiration determination about Sawada Tomohiko is a secret roll. yers won''t know the result, but regardless of whether you seed or fail, I will give you a piece of intelligence. You can judge its uracy yourself. However, to make up for my oversight, I''ve decided to add a 5% sess rate to your inspiration determination, rounding it to 50%. I''m quite fair, aren''t I?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, still feeling that KP Li Shunchan was trying to manipte him. Had he known earlier about the secret roll, he would have likely opted for a safer, normal difficulty determination to get a more reliable piece of intelligence. But it was toote for regrets. Liu Xing could only hope for good luck to pass the inspiration determination with a 50% sess rate. "Then you realize," KP Li Shunchan continued with a smile, "that during your visit to the Godless Shrine, the chief priestess''s sister, Godless Priest, ys an indispensable role in this story, yet she didn''t leave her real name." Hearing this, Liu Xing instantly thought of someone - Kanna Ryoko. Despite their brief encounter, Liu Xing could sense that Kanna Ryoko was extraordinary. Through their conversation, he learned that Kanna Ryoko was assigned to monitor the Killer Demon and Ghouls at the Godless Shrine. This indicated that herbat abilities were at least on par with the Killer Demon. Kanna Ryoko, who appeared to be in her twenties, was obviously using magic to maintain her looks. After all, the desire for beauty is universal. But Liu Xing had always suspected that Kanna Ryoko was much older. Now, linking this to Sawada Tomohiko''s story, he began to suspect that Kanna Ryoko might be Godless Priest''s sister. With only a 50% sess rate, Liu Xing also started doubting whether this was a false lead from KP Li Shunchan, deliberately leading him astray. But if Kanna Ryoko really was Godless Priest''s sister, that would be sensational news. ording to the story told by Kuroba Naoki, Kanna Ryoko had a fondness for Sawada Tomohiko, now the Killer Demon. The mercenaries bing Ghouls was also Kanna Ryoko''s doing. The bell ringer must untie the bell. Liu Xing turned to Kuroba Naoki, deciding to consult him. Kuroba Naoki was well-versed in Sawada Tomohiko''s story, so it made sense to ask the expert. "Director Kuroba, I have a question," Liu Xing began curiously. "Godless Priest''s sister ys a key role in this story. Why isn''t her name mentioned?" Kuroba Naoki stroked his chin and replied, "To be honest, I''m also not sure what Godless Priest''s sister''s name is. Strangely, there''s no mention of her name in any of the documents." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 197: Speculations about Kanna Ryoko and Otonashi Takuya (Subscription Requested) Chapter 197: Spections about Kanna Ryoko and Otonashi Takuya (Subscription Requested) Liu Xing frowned slightly in confusion, "Something seems off here. For a significant figure like the sister of Godless Priest, how could her name not be recorded? Could it be that none of the priests of the Godless Shrine left their names behind?" Kuroba Naoki shook his head seriously, "I''ve researched this issue and specifically looked into the history of the Godless Shrine. It turns out that before the era of Sawada Tomohiko, the names of all the shrine''s priests were documented. It was only starting from Godless Priest''s sister that the names of the Godless Shrine''s priests stopped appearing. Moreover, after the death of Sawada Tomohiko, the Kanna Familypletely secluded itself, leaving behind only the Godless Shrine and transferring their other assets to the Sawada Family, and then there was no more news from the Kanna Family." Liu Xing nodded, the situation was bing moreplicated. Why did the Kanna Family undergo such a significant change after the death of Sawada Tomohiko? "By the way, after the death of Sawada Tomohiko, the Godless Shrine opened its main hall every fifty years for a duration of about ten years with a priest in charge. After that, the Godless Shrine would close the main hall again, and the priest would leave. The Sawada Family then took over the maintenance of the Godless Shrine, and visitors and believers could only worship in the side halls," Kuroba Naoki added. Hearing this, Liu Xing was now 70% certain that Kanna Ryoko was Godless Priest''s sister. Since her time, the names of the priests of the Godless Shrine ceased to appear, and the Shrine only opened every fifty years for ten years. This ensured that the eternally youthful Kanna Ryoko would not be exposed. After roughly confirming Kanna Ryoko''s identity, Liu Xing became curious about another person - the wandering samurai. In the stories imagined byter generations, the wandering samurai was unwilling to betray Sawada Tomohiko and was killed by mercenaries. However, Kuroba Naoki believed the most credible record did not mention the fate of this wandering samurai. This led Liu Xing to a bold idea - could the wandering samurai be an incarnation of Nyathotep?! ording to the Nyathotep Troublemaker Law, any supernatural events that urred before the yers entered the scenario and could be traced back to Nyathotep''s meddling. Thus, Liu Xing suspected that the wandering samurai was an incarnation of Nyathotep. After knowing the mercenaries'' betrayal of Sawada Tomohiko, Nyathotep created an avatar to be a confidant of Sawada Tomohiko. He then deliberately led Sawada Tomohiko to retrieve the deity statue of Sulu, leaving Ziwu City unguarded. After all, the mercenaries wouldn''t dare to attack Sawada Tomohiko within Ziwu City. After Sawada Tomohiko''s death, Nyathotep abandoned the samurai avatar and approached Kanna Ryoko, informing her of the deaths of Sawada Tomohiko and Godless Priest. He then granted Kanna Ryoko the power to invoke "divine punishment," turning those mercenaries into Ghouls. Recently, Nyathotep might have sensed that Taketori, driven by him to be a fallen Eldritch God, was nning to descend into the world using the body of King Tindalos''s daughter. Nyathotep, seeking to make the event more "interesting," resurrected Sawada Tomohiko as a Killer Demon, which seemed usible. While thinking, Liu Xing asked Kuroba Naoki, "Thank you, Director Kuroba, for your guidance. I have onest question about the wandering samurai. He should have left a name, right?" Kuroba Naoki nodded and took out an old book from the office cab - "The Chronicles of Sawada Tomohiko." "This ''Chronicles of Sawada Tomohiko'' wasmissioned by the Sawada Family after Sawada Tomohiko''s death. It''s the most detailed and official biography of his life, but being funded by the Sawada Family, its authenticity is mediocre. However, if we sift through the chaff, this biography is still valuable." "In this book, it''s mentioned that the wandering samurai came from Kyoto. His family offended the Kyoto elites and was forced to drift to Ziwu City. At that time, the rapidly expanding Sawada Family needed many guards to ensure the safety and order of their businesses, so the samurai, under the alias Aoki Takuya, joined the Sawada Family''s guard team." "Later, he was assigned to a guard team primarilyposed of mercenaries to protect Sawada Tomohiko. Coincidentally, the second-inmand of the mercenaries was also named Aoki, so under their instigation, the samurai was forced to defeat Aoki and then the leader of the mercenaries, thus bing the team''s captain. However, to ease rtions with the mercenaries, he voluntarily changed his name to Otonashi." Otonashi?! Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, surprised that the wandering samurai was actually named Otonota Takuya! Considering Otonashi Takuya''s formidable strength and his indifferent reaction to hearing about Eldritch God Taketori, Liu Xing had reason to believe Otonashi Takuya was that wandering samurai, Otonota Takuya. Liu Xing felt that his return to the Ziwu City Library was not in vain. Though he hadn''t obtained much concrete information, what he had gathered was enough to deduce some important details. Just then, Kuroba Naoki stood up, "Sorry, I promised my brother to take him and his friends to the Flowing Water Garden today. It''s gettingte, so I have to leave now." Understanding the polite dismissal, Liu Xing stood up with a smile, "Thank you so much, Director Kuroba, for resolving my doubts and enlightening me. I hope to have more opportunities to discuss history with you in the future." As he spoke, Liu Xing followed Kuroba Naoki out of the office. Leaving the office, Liu Xing saw Yin En chatting happily with two female and one male students dressed like schrs. Liu Xing knew that one of the two female students was Kojima Kanto''s daughter, Hirose Sakura, and these three students were likely important NPCs in this module, as their APP ratings were all above 85. Liu Xing had no more words for this appearance-based module. At that moment, the only male student among the three, seeing Liu Xing and Kuroba Naoki exit the office, smiled and waved his hand. Clearly, this was Kuroba Naoki''s brother he had just mentioned. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 198: Yin En Under Surveillance Chapter 198: Yin En Under Surveince Kuroba Naoki saw his younger brother waving at him and smiled, nodding in response. He then said to Liu Xing, "That''s my brother Kuroba Daisuke, still a high school student. I''ll be leaving first." Liu Xing chuckled and pointed at Yin En, saying, "What a coincidence, the person chatting with your brother is my friend. Let''s go over together." Kuroba Naoki raised an eyebrow but didn''t say anything, simply walking over with Liu Xing. Yin En noticed Liu Xing and Kuroba Naoki approaching. Recognizing Kuroba Naoki because of his resemnce to Kuroba Daisuke and the presence of Liu Xing, he quickly understood Kuroba Naoki''s identity. "Ah, you must be the curator Kuroba, it''s a pleasure to meet you," Yin En said enthusiastically. Of course, Yin En hadn''t forgotten they were in a library, so he waited until Kuroba Naoki was closer before speaking in a low voice, winning Kuroba Naoki''s favor with this small detail. Since Yin En had just been chatting with Kuroba Daisuke, he knew that Kuroba Naoki was nning to take Daisuke and others out for fun. After meeting with Liu Xing, they exchanged a knowing look and then bid farewell to Kuroba Naoki. To Liu Xing''s surprise, Kuroba Daisuke seemed to greatly admire Yin En. After leaving the Ziwu City Library, Liu Xing and Yin En got into a car to return to Chen Wenbin''s house, as it was gettingte and they had agreed to be home before dark to avoid an ambush by the Dark Willow Gang. In the car, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask Yin En how he knew Kuroba Daisuke and his friends. "Oh, I was just in the business district, finished shopping, and took a taxi to the Ziwu City Library to meet you. Right after getting out of the cab, I met Hirose Sakura, who I mentioned to you before, and through her, I met Kuroba Daisuke and a girl named Sonoda Mirai. They''re ssmates and had nned to hang out today since it''s a holiday." "Because of my profession, young Kuroba Daisuke looks up to me a lot. After all, kids his age often fantasize about being heroes on the battlefield. So, I quickly got on good terms with them and became part of their group." "Then I found out that Kuroba Daisuke''s brother is the curator of the Ziwu City Library, Kuroba Naoki. After entering the library, we heard from the staff that Curator Kuroba was meeting someone, so I guessed it must be you talking to Kuroba Naoki. I wanted to buy you some time, so I chatted with Kuroba Daisuke and the others. Luckily, Hirose Sakura knew me already, and Kuroba Daisuke is somewhat of a fanboy, so they were willing to talk to me." "Of course, I couldn''t just chat with them for so long without a purpose, so I gathered quite a bit of information from them. For instance, there have been attacks by the Killer Demon in their school, targeting students who are troublemakers. This reminds me, Chen Wenbin mentioned that many victims of the Killer Demon attacks are from the Ziwu City underworld. So now I suspect that the Killer Demon specifically targets bad people." Hearing this, Liu Xing nodded and seriously said, "Indeed, I was thinking the same. I just discussed this with Kuroba Naoki, regarding Sawada Tomohiko. I suspect that Tomohiko might be the Killer Demon, and the priest of the Godless Shrine might be the same one who turned mercenaries into Ghouls years ago!" Yin En raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "What, you mean the priest of the Godless Shrine has been alive for hundreds of years? That seems unlikely, she looks so young." Liu Xing knew Yin En was skeptical but actually agreed with his theory. So, Liu Xing shared his spections and evidence with Yin En, who finally agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Who would have thought that Ziwu City, seemingly insignificant, is actually a den of powerful figures," Yin En said, lighting a cigarette. Liu Xing nodded and replied with a resigned tone, "Yes, now we can be sure that the priest of the Godless Shrine is on the same level as the Killer Demon. There''s likely someone equally powerful with the Ghouls, and Mikageichi and Kojima Kanto of the Dark Willow Gang are probably on the same level as Otonashi Takuya. As for the Dark Willow Gang''s mastermind, they''re probably not far off from the Godless Shrine''s priest. And these are just the ones we know about. It feels like a battle of the gods, and what role do we ordinary people have in this?" Yin En, looking at the scenery outside the window, said thoughtfully, "Everyone has their role to y. Since King Tindalos chose us as Mian Gu Lu''s bodyguards, it means we have the capability and opportunity to stand equal with the Killer Demon and others. Even the greatest ancient generals needed soldiers; they couldn''t win battles alone." Liu Xing, fed a dose of motivational talk, quickly changed the subject to Otonashi Takuya. "Speaking of which, Yin En, when I was talking to Kuroba Naoki earlier, I heard that Sawada Tomohiko had a samurai named Otonota working for him." "Otonota, do you mean this samurai could be Otonashi Takuya?" Yin En asked in surprise. Liu Xing shook his head, unsure, "It''s not certain, but I suspect that Otonashi Takuya is either Otonota himself or a descendant. Otonashi Takuya is too strong to be an ordinary person. When we talked about the Eldritch God Taketori this morning, he seemed very calm, so I think there''s definitely a connection between Otonashi Takuya and Otonota." Yin En extinguished his cigarette, pondering, "Should we try to probe Otonashi Takuya then?" "I''ll find a chance to test him. But for now, Yin En, you can contact Sawada Yinyin and ask her to gather information about Otonashi Takuya," Liu Xing said while driving. Yin En nodded silently and took out his phone topose a text. Before Yin En could finish his message, a text arrived on his phone. "Wow, speak of the devil, it''s a message from Sawada Yinyin," Yin En said, surprised. After reading the message, Yin En turned to Liu Xing with a deadpan expression, "Liu Xing, it seems like Sawada Yinyin is monitoring my phone." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Next Chapter >>Chapter 199: Physical Check-up (Seeking Subscriptions) Chapter 199: Physical Check-up (Seeking Subscriptions) Chapter 199: Physical Check-up (Seeking Subscriptions) "What''s wrong?" Liu Xing asked with some curiosity. Yin En sighed helplessly and said in a depressed tone, "All my phones, including this one, have been hacked by Sawada Yinyin. So, when I was texting just now, Sawada Yinyin already saw my messages and sent me Otonashi Takuya''s information... Meaning, everything I do on my phone is under Sawada Yinyin''s surveince." Liu Xing chuckled and said, "If Miss Sawada Yinyin is just monitoring your phone activities now, that''s still okay. But if she activates the phone''s recording function, then you''ll be in trouble." Upon hearing this, Yin En frowned and became visibly anxious. If, as Liu Xing said, Sawada Yinyin controlled the phone''s recording and even video functions, then with the phone on him, every move and thought of Yin En would be under her control. At that moment, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and gave a mischievous smile, saying, "Yin En, be careful not to end up in a bad situation. I think ady wielding a cleaver could easily finish you off." Yin En shivered, understanding the implications of Liu Xing''s words. Meanwhile, Liu Xing was inwardly delighted, seeing Yin En in difort. After all, Yin En was the "Chosen One" in this module, having significant advantages over other yers. Liu Xing, therefore, felt a bit envious of Yin En, and was happy to see him in a predicament. "Let''s not talk about this. Let''s discuss something serious. ording to Sawada Yinyin''s information, Otonashi Takuya is an orphan, iming to be twenty years old and originally from Hokkaido. However, Sawada Yinyin''s investigation revealed that orphanages in Hokkaido have no record of him." "Otonashi Takuya started working as a waiter in Ziwu City''srge hotel after Killer Demon appeared. Before that, there was no information about him. Sawada Yinyin couldn''t find anything. Currently, he lives in a residential area north of the Godless Shrine and doesn''t have many friends." "However, Otonashi Takuya despises evil and has often helped others in distress. This attracted the attention of a local small gang. The gang sought revenge, but ended up being counter-killed by Takuya. He was ruthless, causing severe injuries to the gang members, and even crippled their leader. But since it was self-defense, the police didn''t trouble Takuya." Hearing this, Liu Xing smiled and said, "It seems Otonashi Takuya''s identity is as I guessed. He is either a descendant of Otonota or Otonota himself. His return to Ziwu City is probably for the Killer Demon." Yin En nodded, turned off his phone, and said to Liu Xing, "Regardless, Otonashi Takuya seems to be on our side. I think hisbat abilities should be further enhanced, probably on par with the unarmed Killer Demon." Just as Yin En was about to put his phone back in his pocket, it turned on automatically... "Damn, is Sawada Yinyin nning to monitor me 24/7?" Yin En said with a look of despair. Liu Xing felt that all he needed to do was smile. "By the way, Yin En, what did you buy in themercial district? You have so many bags," Liu Xing asked curiously, looking at the rearview mirror filled with various bags. Yin En gave up on turning off his phone and casually said, "Oh, those are just some protective gear: masks, gloves, anti-slip rain boots, and night vision goggles." Liu Xing nodded, understanding that Yin En prepared these for exploring the sewers. However, he was surprised that Yin En managed to buy night vision goggles. "The goggles are a civilian version, avable in mountain gear shops. They''re basic, with average night vision, but they should suffice for us," Yin En exined, noticing Liu Xing''s puzzled look. After a while, Liu Xing finally drove back to Chen Wenbin''s house, where everyone had already returned. Seeing Chen Wenbin''s troubled face, Liu Xing guessed he and Yoh Asakura must have had a tough time at Kanna Ryoko''s. Liu Xing also noticed that Mian Gu Lu had a nosebleed and was stuffing his nose with tissue. As a doctor, Liu Xing naturally stepped forward and asked, "Mian Gu Lu, what happened to you?" Still in a daze, Mian Gu Lu replied with a silly smile, "I identally bumped into a wall, so my nose started bleeding." Liu Xing was relieved. He initially thought Mian Gu Lu''s nosebleed was due to health issues. If Mian Gu Lu''s condition continued to worsen, he would need to be hospitalized, which could lead to discovery by the Dark Willow Gang. But then, Liu Xing thought that a modern examination of Mian Gu Lu might reveal how the Eldritch God Taketori parasitized her, which could help devise a better n to eradicate it. With this in mind, Liu Xing suggested to the group, "Should we go to the hospital for a full-body check-up for Mian Gu Lu to determine her health status?" Chen Wenbin, always cautious, immediately opposed, "I don''t think it''s a good idea. The Dark Willow Gang is probably looking for Mian Gu Lu now. If we take him to the hospital, they''ll surely find her, and we won''t be able to protect him." "I think we should," Yasaka Mashiro intervened. "Chen Wenbin, didn''t you work at 404 Hospital? We could use your connections to get Mian Gu Lu a discreet check-up. If we''re careful, the Dark Willow Gang won''t notice, and I think it''s necessary to check Mian Gu Lu''s condition." Gu Jun also supported Liu Xing''s idea, "I agree with Liu Xing. We need to understand how Eldritch God Taketori is attached to Mian Gu Lu. Surgery might not be an option since the Eldritch God isn''t easy to deal with, but at least we''ll know our enemy better." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 200: Gu Jun and Watanabe Jiangs Intelligence Gathering (2) Chapter 200: Gu Jun and Watanabe Jiangs Intelligence Gathering (2) "s, since you all think this way, I won''t say much more. I will try to contact Shiro Hanater. She''s a kind-hearted person and an obstetrician, so she should be able to arrange aprehensive examination for Mian Gu Lu," Chen Wenbin said with a sigh of resignation, agreeing with Liu Xing''s suggestion. After saying this, Chen Wenbin stood up and went to the yard with his phone to start calling his contacts. Chen Wenbin, 26/70, sessful. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, making a phone call is essentially linked to a luck check, unless it''s a pre-scheduled call, which requires passing a luck check to see if the other party is avable. Liu Xing vaguely remembered watching Wu Lei y a game where, in an African team, they had to make over ten phone calls to contact an important NPC, all of which failed... While Chen Wenbin was on the phone, Liu Xing and the others were not idle, sharing the intelligence they had gathered that day. Liu Xing, feeling his information was particrly crucial, decided to hold back and speakter. He mainly wanted to appropriately "modify" the part about Otonashi Takuya to avoid angering him. As an active member, Watanabe Jiang was the first to speak up, smiling, "Let me start. This morning, Gu Jun and I went to Ziwu City Library. Although we didn''t meet Kuroba Naoki, we encountered Gu Jun''s direct superior, Kenji Yokogawa, the president of Ziwu City University." "After epting Kenji Yokogawa''s invitation to visit the university and preparing to leave the Ziwu City Library, we ran into Kuroba Naoki and asked about King Tindalos. With Kenji Yokogawa''s help, we obtained a research notebook from Kuroba Naoki." "Then Gu Jun and I followed Kenji Yokogawa to the university. As Yin En mentioned earlier, when we reached the education district, the weather was clear, but there was a strange oppressive feeling, as if something bad might happen." "In Kenji Yokogawa''s office, we started discussing the current mayor, Tennoji Sohide. Surprisingly, Kenji Yokogawa was Tennoji Sohide''s college ssmate, and they were close friends. Kenji Yokogawa seemed to know some dirt that the Dark Willow Gang had on Tennoji Sohide, but when Gu Jun and I tried to probe this matter, Kenji Yokogawa deftly changed the subject." "So, we could only talk about other topics with Kenji Yokogawa, and learned important information about the Dark Willow Gang''s origins." "The Dark Willow Gang is more of a branch set up in Ziwu City by another gang, rather than an external faction. Its previous leader, Hisanobu Ito, who is also Mikageichi''s adoptive father, was once an executive of the secondrgest gang in Kyoto, the Shadow n. Mikageichi is the son of the Shadow n''s leader, Miyake Ten." "I''ll talk about the Shadow n first. I used to be involved in the underworld, so I know a bit about them. The Shadow n is a local gang in the Kyoto area, and even the Ind Nation''srgest gang, the Yamaguchi-gumi, can''t match them in Kyoto." "The Shadow n is a family-run gang, with the Miyake family traditionally leading it. The current leader, Miyake Ten, is about fifty years old and reportedly nning to retire and pass the leadership to his son. Miyake Ten has three sons, with Mikageichi being the youngest. His eldest brother is Miyake Ban and the middle brother is Miyake Ken." "From what I know, the Miyake family has strict rules, focusing on survival of the fittest. Weaker members of the family are ruthlessly cast aside. Mikageichi, being the weakest among the brothers, withdrew early from the struggle for the n leadership and faced oppression from his elder brothers." "However, Mikageichi had an adoptive father, Hisanobu Ito, who had been with Miyake Ten for decades and was an elder of the Shadow n. One day, for unknown reasons, Hisanobu Ito left the Shadow n with Mikageichi and established the Dark Willow Gang in Ziwu City, quickly taking control of the local underworld." "There''s a rumor in Kyoto''s underworld that Hisanobu Ito didn''t want Mikageichi to be a casualty in the Shadow n''s power struggle, so he took him to Ziwu City to reign supreme. Others say that Miyake Ten, not wanting to harm his son, arranged for Hisanobu Ito to take Mikageichi away. Many members of the Dark Willow Gang are former Shadow n members." Watanabe Jiang added mysteriously, "I heard from a friend that Mikageichi is actually Miyake Ten''s illegitimate son, which is why he''s always been marginalized by his brothers. I even heard that his middle brother is nning to kill him!" "Goodness, Mikageichi can fight a hundred men alone, yet he''s the weakest among his brothers. How strong must his brothers be? And with the Dark Willow Gang having such a solid backing, we need to be careful. If we provoke the Shadow n, things will get even moreplicated," Yin En said worriedly. Watanabe Jiang shook his head and smiled, "No need to worry about that. There won''t be a situation where attacking the small brings out the big. The Shadow n has started their leadership contest, dividing it into two factions under the control of Mikageichi''s brothers. They willpete to decide who will be the next leader. The Ziwu City region is managed by Mikageichi''s middle brother, Miyake Ken, who has expressed his desire to kill Mikageichi. So, we might expect Miyake Ken to help us deal with the Dark Willow Gang." Liu Xing tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully, "Do you think it''s possible that the Shadow n is actually the mastermind behind all this?" Gu Jun raised an eyebrow and said, "Liu Xing, are you suggesting that the Dark Willow Gang is actually a pawn of the Shadow n, specifically ced in Ziwu City to capture Mian Gu Lu?" Liu Xing nodded seriously, "That''s what I''m thinking. If Hisanobu Ito just wanted to help Mikageichi escape the Shadow n''s power struggle, they could have left the Ind Nation altogether. Even without the family''s support, as an elder of the Shadow n, Hisanobu Ito would surely have considerable wealth. Why not live as a rich man outside the Ind Nation?" "Yet Hisanobu Ito took Mikageichi to Ziwu City, established the Dark Willow Gang, and brought many former Shadow n members. It''s clear he intends to start anew. So, I believe the Dark Willow Gang''s backing is the Shadow n itself." Suddenly, there was the sound of dice hitting the ground. Yasaka Mashiro, 13/70, sessful. Everyone turned their attention to Yasaka Mashiro, who was leisurely sipping tea. She slowly spoke up, "Liu Xing, your theory is very usible. To my knowledge, when the Dark Willow Gang was first established, they used the Shadow n''s reputation to intimidate local gangs. However, for some unknown reason, these local gangs suddenly banded together to attack the Dark Willow Gang." It turned out Yasaka Mashiro had made an inspiration check. "Could it be that these local gangs acted on Miyake Ken''s orders to take down the Dark Willow Gang?" Yin En spected. Liu Xing, furrowing his brow in deeper confusion, said, "Could it mean there''s a split within the Shadow n itself, with one faction supporting the Dark Willow Gang and another seeking to eliminate them?" Watanabe Jiang nodded and replied, "That''s a possibility. During the Shadow n''s leadership struggle, it''s essentially like two separate gangs. Maybe the faction supporting the Dark Willow Gang knew about Mian Gu Lu and wanted to capture her for their own ends. To keep their n secret from the other faction, they might have directed Hisanobu Ito to establish the Dark Willow Gang with Mikageichi." Everyone nodded in agreement; this seemed very likely. "The strength of the Dark Willow Gang is more formidable than we imagined," Yin En couldn''t help but remark. Gu Jun sighed and continued, "Let''s not discuss the Shadow n for now. We can''t even handle the Dark Willow Gang, let alone the Shadow n. Back to the main topic, Kenji Yokogawa, after telling us about the origins of the Dark Willow Gang, mentioned a key figure: Ryochuan Taro, the Police Chief of Ziwu City, and the second-inmand, who is actually at odds with the new mayor, Tennoji Sohide." "Ryochuan Taro had a good chance of bing the new mayor of Ziwu City, but Tennoji Sohide received significant financial support from the Dark Willow Gang, allowing him to outdo Ryochuan Taro. After all, in the capitalist nation of the Ind Nation, whether it''s the election of national leaders or local mayors, arge amount of funds is needed, and often the side with more campaign funds wins. In a capitalist world, money really can do anything." "The defeated Ryochuan Taro, surely not satisfied, continued to serve as the Police Chief and started to covertly work against the new mayor Tennoji Sohide. Especially with the recent crackdown on gangs, directly targeting Tennoji Sohide''s backer, the Dark Willow Gang. In a way, Ryochuan Taro has helped us by diverting the Dark Willow Gang''s attention." "However, Kenji Yokogawa mentioned that Ryochuan Taro recently nned to report Tennoji Sohide''s involvement with the underworld and sought Kenji Yokogawa''s assistance. After all, as the president of Ziwu City University, Kenji Yokogawa is a prominent figure in Ziwu City." At this point, Watanabe Jiang teased Yin En, "Yin En, if you could persuade your father-inw to assist Ryochuan Taro, I believe he would help us against the Dark Willow Gang. Remember, the police force of Ziwu City is entirely under Ryochuan Taro''s control." Yin En sighed helplessly and nodded, "Alright, I''ll meet my father-inw tomorrow." Watanabe Jiang was surprised at Yin En''s agreement, eximing, "What? Yin En, you''re finally willing to sacrifice yourself and marry Miss Sawada Yinyin?!" Watanabe Jiang''s joke lightened the tense atmosphere, except for Yin En, who looked rather dejected. "Enough, Watanabe Jiang, stop teasing. Let''s continue discussing Kenji Yokogawa. He''s really a good person. Aside from Tennoji Sohide''s dirt, he shared everything he knew with us. The only thing worth criticizing is that Kenji Yokogawa likes younger women," Gu Jun said, deviating from seriousness. It turned out that when Gu Jun and Watanabe Jiang were bidding farewell to Kenji Yokogawa, his fiance, Takahashi Chiyuki, appeared. Kenji Yokogawa, now over fifty and widowed for many years, hadn''t remarried due to his dedication to academia. A year ago, he met Takahashi Chiyuki, who worked at a government front desk, and she pursued him. Now, Kenji Yokogawa and Takahashi Chiyuki were in the stage of discussing marriage. Special note: Takahashi Chiyuki is 25 years old. "I originally thought Takahashi Chiyuki had ulterior motives for marrying Kenji Yokogawa, considering their age gap. But after observing, I found that Takahashi Chiyuki truly loves him. I can only wish them well and, not wanting to see them show affection, Watanabe Jiang and I left," Gu Jun said with a smile. Hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Gu Jun was hinting that Takahashi Chiyuki was also an important NPC. However, since they couldn''t disturb Kenji Yokogawa and Takahashi Chiyuki''s romantic moment, Gu Jun and Watanabe Jiang had to leave temporarily. After all, in this module, NPCs are distinguished by their importance based on their appearance. Therefore, Liu Xing surmised that Takahashi Chiyuki must be an NPC that yers need to interact with when entering the mayor''s storyline. However, from the current intelligence, the difficulty of the mayor''s storyline seems quite high. Tennoji Sohide is not only threatened by the Dark Willow Gang but also opposed by the Police Chief,cks allies, and is in a very precarious situation. "Alright, that''s all the information Watanabe Jiang and I gathered today. I''ll study the notes we got from Kuroba Naokiter. If there''s any important information, I''ll inform everyone," Gu Jun said, waving a notebook. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 201: Confirmation of Speculations Chapter 201: Confirmation of Spections After Gu Jun and Watanabe Jiang finished discussing the information they had gathered today, Chen Wenbin also concluded his phone call and returned to the room. He said, "We''re in luck. I managed to contact Shiro Hana, and she agreed to perform aprehensive examination on Mian Gu Lu, the kind without a report. Tomorrow at noon, we''ll take Mian Gu Lu to 404 Hospital." In the hospital, no report meant that there would be no official record, just a single result. However, as a time-traveler, Mian Gu Lu shouldn''t have any records unless King Tindalos could predict all of this. "Then tomorrow morning, let''s go to 404 Hospital together. One group will apany Mian Gu Lu for the examination, and another group will keep an eye out for any Dark Willow Gang members," Liu Xing proposed. However, Chen Wenbin disagreed with Liu Xing once again. "I don''t think it''s necessary. 404 Hospital is, in fact, a designated hospital for the Dark Willow Gang. I remember they even rented a whole floor as their exclusive ward. There are always over a dozen Dark Willow Gang members admitted there, and to prevent other gangs from seeking revenge, Dark Willow Gang''s leader, Mikageichi, and Shiro Michi, made an agreement. They stationed ten so-called bodyguards on that floor, who are actually Dark Willow Gang enforcers. So, I''m confident that there will be at least thirty Dark Willow Gang members at 404 Hospital. Our surveince won''t be effective, and it might even attract their attention. Personally, I think the fewer people we bring with Mian Gu Lu to 404 Hospital, the better, to avoid exposing our target." Liu Xing frowned, not expecting 404 Hospital to be a den for criminals. However, in Ziwu City, only 404 Hospital and the city hospital had the capability to perform full-body examinations. City hospitals had stricter regtions, making it difficult for someone like Mian Gu Lu, who had no official record, to undergo examination. Moreover, Dark Willow Gang was likely informed by Tennoji Sohide, so taking Mian Gu Lu to a public ce increased the risk of being discovered. "We have to take some risks for the sake of our mission. Chen Wenbin, you''ll take Mian Gu Lu to see Shiro Hana tomorrow, andplete the examination. Yoh Asakura and I will be responsible for keeping watch. With ourbat abilities, unless Dark Willow Gang resorts to violence, they won''t stop us," Yin En reluctantly agreed. Despite being the top gang in Ziwu City, Dark Willow Gang had to maintain a facade ofw-abiding behavior in public. So, they probably wouldn''t openly apprehend Mian Gu Lu at 404 Hospital, especially with the local police keeping an eye on them. After finalizing the list of personnel to apany Mian Gu Lu to 404 Hospital, Chen Wenbin continued to share the intelligence he and Yoh Asakura had obtained earlier in the day. He began with information about the Rose Graveyard, including Liu Xing''s encounter with the Ghouls and the midnight rendezvous he had arranged with them. "I can''t believe how bold you are, Liu Xing. Aren''t you afraid the Ghouls might y dirty and capture you for a midnight snack?" Watanabe Jiang eximed. Gu Jun, on the other hand, nodded thoughtfully. "This could be a good opportunity to establish contact with the Ghouls. After all, Ghouls are not just mindless beasts; they are highly intelligent beings. They shouldn''t engage in treacherous behavior, and it wouldn''t be advantageous for them to expose themselves for a few pounds of flesh. But Liu Xing, are you really nning to meet the Ghouls at Unseen Pond alone?" Liu Xing pondered for a moment and then nodded. "Of course, I can''t go back on my word. However, even though the agreement is for me to go alone, I can livestream the meeting on my phone. That should not be considered a breach of our agreement." Liu Xing took out his phone and opened a video calling app, leaving the camera partially exposed. "Wow, is this even allowed?" Watanabe Jiang marveled at Liu Xing''s improvisation. Liu Xing chuckled and exined, "I''m doing this for safety. In case the Ghouls have any ill intentions, I can use my phone to threaten them. They probably wouldn''t want their existence exposed to the public." "Ah, I see. That should deter the Ghouls from harming you. After all, if news of Ghouls in Ziwu City spreads, the city and even the Ind Nation government will have to deal with them. Your life will be safe, and we can confidently let you go," Yin En agreed. After discussing the details of livestreaming on the phone, Chen Wenbin continued to share their visit to the shrine with Yoh Asakura. "I must say, the priest at the Godless Shrine was quite aloof and indifferent to Yoh Asakura and me. But when we mentioned the Ghouls, the priest''s attitude improved slightly. It was clear that the priest harbors strong resentment toward the Ghouls. Later, I brought up your encounter with the Ghouls this morning, Liu Xing. Of course, I modified the details, portraying you as Yoh Asakura, a reserved individual. I noticed that the priest''s expression remained calm. So, I''m confident that the priest knows about the Ghouls in the Rose Graveyard. Furthermore, when the priest discussed the Ghouls, there was a hint of disdain in their tone. It seems the priest knows the identity of these Ghouls," Chen Wenbin exined. At this point, it was Liu Xing''s turn to speak. He recounted Kuroba Naoki''s story and his own spections about it, deliberately omitting any mention of Otonashi Takuya and focusing solely on the Wandering Samurai. When Liu Xing mentioned the Wandering Samurai, he observed Otonashi Takuya''s reaction closely and noticed a subtle furrowing of his brows. As expected, Liu Xing had now confirmed the rtionship between Otonashi Takuya and Otonota. "I see now. I never expected the situation to be like this. Killer Demon is none other than the great hero Tomohiko Sawada from years ago, and the Ghouls are mercenaries who betrayed him. Moreover, the priest who brought the divine punishment is still alive. This world is truly insane," Chen Wenbin remarked, stroking his chin. Gu Jun, as the expert, offered his professional opinion. "I suspect that Killer Demon may have been summoned by the priest of the Godless Shrine. If the priest has the ability to transform ordinary people into Ghouls, then she should also have the power to turn the deceased Sawada Tomohiko into Killer Demon." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 202: Night Encounter with Ghoul Chapter 202: Night Encounter with Ghoul "It''s not a bad situation, really," Yin En said earnestly. "The god of Godless Shrine has agreed to help us, so we have a powerful ally now. And if the Dark Willow Gang tries to harm us, we can always take Mian Gu Lu to seek refuge in Godless Shrine." At this moment, Otonashi Takuya, who had been mostly silent, unexpectedly spoke up. "That might not be the case. Mian Gu Lu has already been possessed by the Eldritch God Taketori. So, I doubt the god of Godless Shrine will allow Mian Gu Lu to enter the shrine." With Otonashi Takuya''s words, Liu Xing also realized that Kanna Ryoko would probably not permit Mian Gu Lu to stay in Godless Shrine. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, there were no truly safe ces, and even if there were, they wouldn''t be essible to yers. "Well, that''s a problem. How about we go to the police station toy low?" Watanabe Jiang suggested with a sudden idea. "Think about it, both the police chief and the Dark Willow Gang are against us, and they don''t even trust the mayor. So, if we hide at the police station, Dark Willow Gang probably won''tunch a direct attack on it. Yin En can have his father-inw get us out when the time is right," Watanabe Jiang borated with a straight face. However, Gu Jun shook his head and spoke seriously, "Watanabe Jiang, that''s a wed n. If we all hide at the police station, it''s equivalent to locking ourselves in, and Dark Willow Gang will attack us the moment we leave. Besides, our time is precious; we need to resolve the Eldritch God Taketori''s world-ending crisis. So, unless you want to wait and die at the police station, we should stay away from it." After exchanging intelligence, the group continued discussing various topics for a while before having dinner and going their separate ways. Since it would take an hour by car from Chen Wenbin''s house to Unseen Pond, Liu Xing decided to leave early and book a hotel near Unseen Pond. After all, who knew how long he had been chatting with Ghoul. After confirming that the livestream setup was functioning properly, Liu Xing prepared to depart. However, at that moment, Watanabe Jiang had another unconventional idea and said with a grin, "I have a bold idea. What if I record Liu Xing''s livestream and upload it directly on the n-site? What do you think would happen?" Liu Xing smiled politely but awkwardly. Watanabe Jiang''s idea was indeed audacious, and Liu Xing was well aware of the potential consequences: it would trigger the achievement - "National SAN Value Assessment." After bidding farewell to the others, Liu Xing went to Unseen Pond. Unseen Pond was located right next to Godless Shrine, so it was often considered a subsidiary attraction of the shrine. Unseen Pond was quite spacious, resembling an open park. Around Unseen Pond, there were extensive yellowed grassy areas and some basic sports equipment. By the water, there were three small pavilions, each with several centuries of history, as per the information Liu Xing had obtained from the Ziwu City tourism manual. Even though it was already 9 PM, there were still people strolling around Unseen Pond. Liu Xing took a walk around the area, getting a feel for the surroundings. However, he couldn''t help but notice that Unseen Pond had limited lighting. Apart from the government-maintained walking paths, there were no streetlights in most areas. This presented a challenge because Liu Xing''s phone, which he used for livestreaming, didn''t have night vision capabilities. Feeling somewhat unprepared, Liu Xing left Unseen Pond and found a guesthouse to rest until midnight, the agreed-upon time to meet the yet unseen Ghoul. Once he was fully prepared for the livestream, Liu Xing returned to Unseen Pond. At this hour, Unseen Pond was deserted, but thankfully, the streetlights were still on. Liu Xing found a well-lit spot and began waiting for Ghoul''s arrival. After a while, Liu Xing spotted a Ghoul emerging from the darkness. To his surprise, this Ghoul had a resemnce to the traditional Ghoul image but with a face that was much more human-like, as opposed to the typical canine-headed appearance. However, this was not entirely unexpected, considering that this Ghoul had originally been a human. In urban legends, such Ghouls were often described as Half-Beasts rather than dog-headed creatures. "Hello, I''m Aoki, the one who invited you to Rose Graveyard today," Ghoul said in a familiar voice. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn''t expected this Ghoul to be named Aoki, and most likely, Aoki was the second-inmand among the mercenaries. It seemed Ghoul hade for a serious discussion. "Hello, I''m Liu Xing. It''s a pleasure to meet you," Liu Xing replied with a polite smile. Aoki scrutinized Liu Xing for a moment and nodded. "I thought you might be just curious, but it seems you''re not afraid of me." Liu Xing chuckled politely, responding earnestly, "Without a diamond drill, don''t handle porcin work. If I say I want to cooperate with you, I must be prepared. Besides, I''ve seen Ghouls even more fearsome than you. In the end, you''re still human, after all." Liu Xing''s words surprised Aoki, and he looked at Liu Xing with astonishment. "What? Do you know our identity?" Liu Xing inwardly rejoiced; his hunch had been right. Maintaining hisposure, he smiled and said, "As I mentioned earlier, I didn''te here on a whim today; I came prepared. So, I know you are the mercenaries who once served Sawada Tomohiko." Hearing this, Aoki sighed and said earnestly, "It seems you''ve heard the story, but Liu Xing, you should know one thing: history is written by the victors. We were indeed hired by Sawada Tomohiko, but we were not traitors." Seeing this, Liu Xing realized that the events from back then were far from straightforward. "I''d like to hear the whole story," Liu Xing said, looking at Aoki with seriousness. Aoki nodded and began narrating an alternate version of the story. Aoki, in his earlier days, came from a destitute samurai family. Despite learning martial arts from his father, he couldn''t be a true samurai due to ack of opportunities. As a result, he joined a local mercenary group, specializing in protecting viges from bandits and marauders. When the news of the appearance of the supernatural creatures in Ziwu City reached their area, Aoki''s elder brother, who was also the leader of their mercenary group and currently an elder in the Ziwu City Ghoul n, decided to ept the mission. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 203: The Tale from Ghouls Mouth (1) Chapter 203: The Tale from Ghouls Mouth (1) By the way, it''s worth mentioning that the current Ghoul Elder, for reasons unknown, had heard that mythical creatures like them should never reveal their true names to anyone, especially not to Wizards, because a true name could be used by a Wizard to cast a deadly curse. That''s why Aoki only shared the current alias of the Ghoul Elder with Liu Xing, which was Fujiwara Gen''in. Of course, this was also the reason Aoki had only shared the Ghoul Elder''s surname with Liu Xing. But getting back to the story, at that time, Fujiwara Gen''in, the Ghoul Elder who was also the leader of a mercenary group, was determined to make a name for his mercenary band. Despite being somewhat apprehensive about the reputation of the magical creatures, he decided to lead his mercenaries to Ziwu City. However, Aoki had a nagging feeling that something was amiss. He sensed that going to rescue Ziwu City was a perilous endeavor. After all, most of the local forces in Ziwu City had already fallen apart, and the ounts of the magical creatures'' strength sounded almost mythical from the retreating soldiers. But Fujiwara Gen''in stuck to his decision, citing the prospect of "seeking fortune amidst danger." Consequently, he brushed off Aoki''s concerns and led his mercenaries towards Ziwu City. In Aoki''s eyes, Sawada Tomohiko, who sought their assistance, appeared to be a typical rich young manfair-skinned, soft, and seemingly incapable of wielding a weapon. Aoki wondered how Sawada Tomohiko had managed to escape from Ziwu City all by himself. Indeed, Sawada Tomohiko was alone, with no servants or guards by his side, and he carried no bags or weapons. He looked as though he had just finished dinner and was out for a leisurely stroll. Most importantly, his clothing was pristine, without a speck of dirt. This raised further suspicions in Aoki''s mind. Could it be that the magical creatures had not imposed martialw in Ziwu City and had simply allowed Sawada Tomohiko to stroll out freely? However, Fujiwara Gen''in, enticed by the promises of great rewards from Sawada Tomohiko, had been blinded by the allure of wealth and had overlooked these details. He was in a hurry to lead his mercenaries to Ziwu City. As they drew closer to Ziwu City, still over ten miles away, a sudden downpour drenched them. Rain poured from the sky like a waterfall, leaving Sawada Tomohiko in a miserable state. He requested a halt to their march and sought refuge in a nearby dpidated Elder Gods shrine. Aoki hadn''t anticipated this turn of events. While the rain was indeed heavy, it hadn''t posed a significant hindrance to their progress. They could have reached Ziwu City within an hour or two. Yet, Sawada Tomohiko showed no urgency in assisting Ziwu City; instead, he wanted to take shelter from the rain. Nevertheless, Sawada Tomohiko was their employer, and the mercenaries had epted his employment. Therefore, they had to follow his orders. Furthermore, most of the mercenaries weed the chance to take a break, as it postponed the inevitable confrontation with the loathsome magical creatures. Under Sawada Tomohiko''s guidance, the mercenaries arrived at the rundown shrine. Aoki felt a growing sense of difort and unease as he observed their surroundings. Although the shrine was quiterge and constructed with meticulous attention to detail, its decorations and carvings were exquisite. What struck Aoki as odd was that this dpidated shrine stood in the middle of nowhere, far from any vige or town. This raised doubts in his mind. Moreover, a shrine of this caliber should have been well-known, but Aoki, who lived near Ziwu City, had never heard of its existence. With a sense of unease brewing within him, Aoki contemted warning Fujiwara Gen''in. However, Sawada Tomohiko had already taken Fujiwara Gen''in to drink, leaving him no opportunity to express his concerns. With their mercenary band consisting of over two hundred people, Aoki believed that nothing could go wrong. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing looked surprised. During Kuroba Naoki''s storytelling earlier in the afternoon, Liu Xing had assumed that the mercenary band numbered around a hundred. He had not expected such a significant difference. "Liu Xing, I know what you''re thinking. The story of the Great hero Tomohiko Sawada has been told in various versions over the years, and nearly all of them mentioned that our mercenary band consisted of around a hundred members. However, that''s incorrect. Initially, our group had a total of two hundred and ten members. But something happened before we reached Ziwu City, precisely when we took shelter from the rain at that dpidated shrine, which resulted in losing half our numbers!" Aoki said, his voice filled with anger and frustration. The story continued. Rainy days could be quite dull when you had nothing to do. Sawada Tomohiko somehow managed to produce a few bottles of fine wine and invited Fujiwara Gen''in for a feast. As the second-inmand of the mercenary band, Aoki naturally had to apany them. After three rounds of drinks, Sawada Tomohiko began to confide in Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in. It turned out that Sawada Tomohiko had left Ziwu City with a group of guards. However, upon arriving at the shrine, these guards, fearing an encounter with the magical creatures, chose to flee one by one. This left Sawada Tomohikopletely alone. In the deste wilderness, Sawada Tomohiko, a scion of a wealthy family, dared not venture out recklessly. After all, at that time, mountain bandits were rampant in the Ind Nation. So, Sawada Tomohiko decided to stay at the shrine, awaiting mercenaries like Fujiwara Gen''in who were willing toe to Ziwu City''s rescue. Sawada Tomohiko then began to talk about the magical creatures in Ziwu City. These creatures had first appeared around the Kingdom of Tindalos ruins. They bore a resemnce to zombies, not entirely impervious to weapons but highly resistant to lower-quality arms. Moreover, these creatures disyed remarkable intelligence, employing tactics such as encirclement and infiltration without any need for directmand. Most importantly, the leader of the magical creatures could speak, using words to sap the morale of Ziwu City''s defenders. They even managed to sway one of Ziwu City''s officials to their side. As a result, the defense of Ziwu City crumbled, and they soon lost control of half the city. ording to the leader of the magical creatures, they were originally criminals from the Kingdom of Tindalos who had undergone transformative surgeries in the kingdom''s secret prison, resulting in their current ghastly appearance. Recently, someone had opened the prison gates, allowing them to escape. Despite their appearance, they still considered themselves human and only sought to upy a corner of Ziwu City. They demanded that all residents evacuate the city to avoid bloodshed. Therefore, the officials of Ziwu City, along with their troops, promptly fled the city. After all, they had no real ties to Ziwu City, and leaving held no significant drawbacks for them. However, Sawada Tomohiko and his family, being native residents of Ziwu City, were deeply reluctant to abandon their hometown. Their properties and livelihoods were tied to Ziwu City, and even if the magical creatures were willing to let the Sawada Family take everything they could carry, it would still mean a substantial reduction in their capital. Moreover, the Sawada Family''swork and resources were primarily useful within Ziwu City. The magical creatures were intent on establishing a stronghold in Ziwu City. When a small family attempted to take some fabric from a shop in the upied area, the creatures firmly refused. They had lost their sense of hunger and taste and had no intention of moving elsewhere, so they sought to enjoy "clothing" and "shelter" among other things. In the Ind Nation at the time, fabric was considered a valuablemodity and could be used for barter. As a result, the Sawada Family had stored a considerable amount of fabric, ounting for a third of their assets. Therefore, there was no room for negotiation. The head of the Sawada Family, Sawada Tomohiko''s father, decided to take a gamble and called for the local families andmoners of Ziwu City to unite and resist the magical creatures. Other families and Sawada Tomohiko''s father shared simr sentiments. If they abandoned their properties in Ziwu City, their families would inevitably suffer, and themoners did not want to give up thend they had cultivated. Thus, those remaining in Ziwu City decided to continue resisting the magical creatures. However, despite their noble intentions, the disparity between the two sides was undeniable. ording to Sawada Tomohiko''s information, the magical creatures numbered around five hundred, and they were all armed and capable fighters. Some even wielded peculiar weapons from the Kingdom of Tindalos era, small enough to fit in their palms, yet capable of killing from a distance of a hundred meters using sound. Hearing this, Liu Xing spected that the weapons from the Kingdom of Tindalos era were likely firearms. On the side of Ziwu City, because the city''s officials had left with their troops, only the household guards of various families and some strong farmers were capable of fighting. Their numbers amounted to around eight hundred. However, due to ack of military training and equipment, the defenders of Ziwu City were undoubtedly outmatched by the magical creatures. Therefore, Sawada Tomohiko was dispatched to seek reinforcements. After listening to Sawada Tomohiko''s exnation, Aoki also began to have doubts. After all, at that time, Aoki was just an ordinary person, and he felt uneasy when faced with such terrifying creatures he had never encountered before. Other mercenaries, upon hearing about the formidable magical creatures they were to face, began to mor, demanding that Fujiwara Gen''in abandon this mission. Even hardened mercenaries did not want to ept a mission that seemed certain to end in death. However, after Sawada Tomohiko raised the reward and guaranteed highpensation, Fujiwara Gen''in finally persuaded the other mercenaries to ept the mission. As the heavy rain showed no sign of stopping, Sawada Tomohiko requested that the mercenaries continue resting within the shrine until the rain ceased. When Aoki asked why they had to wait for the rain to stop before departing, Sawada Tomohiko offered vague exnations. Growing increasingly suspicious, Aoki chose to obey the orders of their employer, Sawada Tomohiko, and led the mercenaries to camp within the shrine. Although the shrine was somewhat dpidated, its space was sufficient to amodate over two hundred mercenaries. The more experienced members, such as Sawada Tomohiko, Fujiwara Gen''in, and Aoki, resided in a row of rooms behind the shrine, while the ordinary members slept on mats within the shrine''s main hall. Due to the consumption of alcohol, Aoki returned to his room, tidied up, and promptly went to sleep. The next morning, the heavy rain persisted. Upon arriving at the shrine''s main hall, Aoki noticed that something was amiss. After a count, he realized that over twenty mercenaries were missing, and inquiries among the remaining mercenaries yielded no clues. At the time, Aoki did not pay much attention to this development, as he believed these mercenaries had likely fled during the rainy night out of fear of facing the magical creatures. Therefore, Aoki took the opportunity to educate the other mercenaries about the importance of keeping their word and not abandoning theirrades in the heat of battle. He did not dwell on the matter any further. The heavy rain continued unabated. Bored after a day of inactivity, Aoki spent some time drinking with Sawada Tomohiko before retiring to his room for the night. However, in the middle of the night, Aoki, awakened by the urge to urinate, suddenly heard a strange sound. It sounded like someone reciting a chant, but Aoki, still slightly intoxicated, chose to ignore it and returned to sleep. The next morning, on the fourth day, Aoki once again realized that more than thirty mercenaries were missing. It was at this point that he began to suspect something was amiss, remembering the eerie sounds from the previous night. Due to the continuous rain, they remained trapped within the shrine. Aoki, feigning illness, returned to his room early and remained vignt, paying close attention to any sounds in the shrine. In the middle of the night, Aoki heard the strange sound once again. Despite being mixed with the sound of rain, Aoki was certain that it emanated from Sawada Tomohiko''s room. With a growing sense of suspicion, Aoki armed himself and prepared to investigate Sawada Tomohiko''s room. However, before he could take any action, he suddenly lost consciousness. When Aoki woke up, it was already the morning of the fifth day. This time, more than a hundred mercenaries were missing. It was at this point that Sawada Tomohiko revealed arge sword, iming that he had received the favor of the shrine''s Sulu deity and gained divine powers and artifacts. At that very moment, the heavy rain abruptly ceased, and the skies cleared. Aoki began to suspect that Sawada Tomohiko had sacrificed the missing mercenaries as offerings to the so-called Sulu deity. However,cking evidence and witnessing Sawada Tomohiko''s newfound formidable strength, Aoki chose to remain silent and discreetly observe Sawada Tomohiko''s every move. With a wry smile, Aoki looked at Liu Xing and said, "Now, I want to ask you a question. Do you believe what I''ve been telling you?" Liu Xing nodded without hesitation, saying, "I absolutely believe your words because you have no reason to deceive me, and there''s nothing to gain from lying." Aoki chuckled and continued, "Very well, then. I''ll continue with the rest of the story." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 204: The Tale from Ghouls Mouth (2) Chapter 204: The Tale from Ghouls Mouth (2) The story continues. Aoki harbored deep suspicions about Sawada Tomohiko, butcking concrete evidence, he couldn''t simply use him without cause. So, Aoki decided to take things one step at a time, hoping to uncover any anomalies in Sawada Tomohiko''s behavior and expose his true nature. After the rain cleared, Sawada Tomohiko, seemingly transformed, led a mercenary group straight to Ziwu City. They arrived at the Godless Shrine on the outskirts of Ziwu City, only to discover that the city''s defenders had copsed, retreating to the Godless Shrine. Speaking of the Godless Shrine, it was a ce Sawada Tomohiko had boasted about to Fujiwara Gen''in. He imed it had divine protection and was impregnable, even to the forces of the demonic race. Aoki couldn''t help but worry that this Godless Shrine might have issues, simr to the dpidated shrine they had encountered earlier. However, due to a sudden uprising at the time, the Sawada Family was besieged within the Godless Shrine. Sawada Tomohiko immediately led his mercenaries into the fray to quell the rebellion. It was here that Aoki grew increasingly uneasy about Sawada Tomohiko''s behavior. This was Sawada Tomohiko''s first time on the "battlefield," and he disyed a disturbing bloodlust, hacking away indiscriminately and bing increasingly frenzied. By the end, Sawada Tomohiko was covered in blood and casually conversing with his own father as if nothing had happened. At this moment, Aoki found an opportunity and approached Fujiwara Gen''in to share his suspicions about Sawada Tomohiko. Fujiwara Gen''in had already noticed something amiss with Sawada Tomohiko but, like Aoki,cked the evidence to use him without risk, especially given the mercenaries'' reputation. So, Fujiwara Gen''in and Aoki reached an understanding: they would continue to stay by Sawada Tomohiko''s side. If he was indeed hiding something, they could seek vengeance for their fallenrades. If Sawada Tomohiko turned out to be innocent, then Fujiwara Gen''in and Aoki could profit from the situation. Sawada Tomohiko''s ruthless performance had left asting impression on those who had besieged the Sawada Family. As a result, the Sawada Family regained leadership, and their head recognized the need to settle scores. Thus, they wasted no time nning their counterattack against the demonic race. At this point, Aoki''s mercenary group was formally employed by the Sawada Family, assigned under Sawada Tomohiko''smand to assist in the frontlines against the demonic forces. Following the principle of "strike while the iron is hot," the next day, the well-fed and rejuvenated Ziwu City defenders, for the first time, transitioned from defense to offense,unching an attack on the demonic stronghold. The demonic forces were caught off guard by Ziwu City''s sudden counterattack, and under Sawada Tomohiko''s leadership, the mercenaries breached their defenses. One hundred demonic warriors responsible for fortifying the front lines were annihted, with Sawada Tomohiko personally iming over sixty of their lives. Sawada Tomohiko''s immense strength bolstered the morale of the Ziwu City defenders, though they too suffered heavy casualties during this battle. With the momentum on their side, Sawada Tomohiko led his forces straight towards the demonic stronghold. However, the demonic leader was no pushover. Upon learning that the front lines had been breached, the demons constructed new defensive fortifications within their stronghold. What followed was a massive battle. Although Sawada Tomohiko was formidable, the overall might of the demonic forces far surpassed that of the Ziwu City defenders. Aoki also noticed that Sawada Tomohiko was intentionally holding back and using the Ziwu City rebels as cannon fodder. Consequently, the mercenaries, who were the main attacking force, began to do the same. After paying a toll of over six hundred lives, the Ziwu City defenders, under Sawada Tomohiko''s leadership, finally secured victory, albeit at a great cost. Following their triumph, the reconstruction of Ziwu City began. Fujiwara Gen''in and Aoki had initially nned to take their earnings and leave, but they were unexpectedly recruited by the Sawada Family as part of their security detail, given the family''s dire need for manpower. At that time, neither Fujiwara Gen''in nor Aoki noticed anything unusual about Tomohiko Sawada. They decided to stay on as guards, enticed by the prospect of good food, drink, and a steady ie. As the reconstruction of Ziwu City nearedpletion, the Sawada Family started settling scores. Sawada Tomohiko, acting as the executioner, personally killed those who had been involved in the uprising. At this point, Aoki had a peculiar feeling that Sawada Tomohiko was no longer the same person. He believed that therge sword in Sawada Tomohiko''s possession was likely a cursed de, one that could control a person''s mind. As Sawada Tomohiko continued to im more lives, the de''s control over him seemed to grow stronger. It was during this time that the Wandering Samurai appeared. The Wandering Samurai Aoki spoke of was simr to the one Kuroba Naoki mentioned, but Aoki''s version was driven by an overwhelming sense of justice, always ready to intervene when injustice urred. Another six months passed, and the Sawada Family had firmly established itself as the rulers of Ziwu City. Even the newly appointed city officials had to seek approval from the head of the Sawada Family in major matters. And at this moment, with nothing much to do, Sawada Tomohiko, at the suggestion of Kanna Ryoko, the deity of the Godless Shrine, decided to retrieve the deity statue of Sulu. Yes, the deity of the Godless Shrine was none other than Kanna Ryoko! Upon hearing this, Liu Xing immediately turned to Aoki and inquired, "Aoki, the Kanna Ryoko you mentioned..." Before Liu Xing could finish the question, Aoki earnestly nodded and, with a grim expression, said, "Yes, Kanna Ryoko is indeed her. But as for her story, we can discuss itter." Seeing Aoki''s ominous demeanor, Liu Xing wisely chose to remain silent. Aoki continued with the story. Under Kanna Ryoko''s persuasion, Sawada Tomohiko, apanied by his wife, the Godless Priest, and under the protection of the Wandering Samurai, set out with a few farmers responsible for transporting the Sulu deity statue to the Elder Gods'' shrine on the outskirts of Ziwu City. Initially, Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in were not assigned to apany Sawada Tomohiko. However, shortly after Sawada Tomohiko''s departure, Kanna Ryoko sent word to Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in, instructing them to bring twenty mercenaries to protect Sawada Tomohiko. Although they found the request somewhat perplexing, Fujiwara Gen''in and Aoki had no choice but to follow Kanna Ryoko''smand. They assembled the required personnel and set out for the run-down shrine based on their memories. However, while en route, a sudden downpour struck, much like the previous incident. After a brief discussion between Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in, they decided to continue and seek shelter at the dpidated shrine, just as they had done before. By the time they reached the run-down shrine, Aoki, Fujiwara Gen''in, and their group had be drenched, resembling soaked chickens. Fortunately, Sawada Tomohiko and the others were still inside the shrine, taking shelter. During this time, Aoki grew increasingly uneasy, sensing that something dreadful was about to happen. Yet, as a warrior (self-proimed), he felt he couldn''t back down. As night fell and the rain showed no signs of stopping, everyone retreated to the rear rooms behind the shrine, just as they had done previously when they were arger group. However, Aoki''s sense of unease continued to intensify. Unable to sleep, he could only listen to the sound of the rain and contemte life. After an unknown period of time had passed, Aoki once again heard the eerie sound. He immediately got up, approached the door, and peered through the crack to observe what was happening outside. This time, Aoki didn''t inexplicably lose consciousness. Consequently, he witnessed Sawada Tomohiko, apanied by the Godless Priest, walk into the main shrine with stiff, mechanical steps. Sensing danger, Aoki rushed outside, woke up Fujiwara Gen''in, and encountered the Wandering Samurai, who hade out in response to themotion. Aoki briefed Fujiwara Gen''in and the Wandering Samurai on the current situation. Together, they decided to investigate the main shrine of the shrine. However, before they could enter, a green light enveloped the main shrine like a protective barrier, and Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in found themselves unable to enter. As they attempted to break through with their weapons, the green light suddenly contracted, crushing the main shrine to rubble before transforming into a ball of light that descended underground. Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in, witnessing this scene, felt their perspectives shatter in an instant, leaving them bewildered and unsure of how to proceed. Once they regained their senses, Aoki woke up the other mercenaries and began searching for any traces of Sawada Tomohiko and the Godless Priest amidst the ruins of the main shrine. However, they found nothing. Early the next morning, the Wandering Samurai still hadn''t returned. Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in decided to return to Ziwu City to report the situation to the Sawada Family. However, upon their arrival, they were apprehended by Kanna Ryoko and her men without a word. Suddenly detained and with no chance to exin, Aoki initially attempted to defend himself but found that Kanna Ryoko had silenced him with a spell. Aoki and his group were then thrown into the dungeons. After spending a day and a night in the dungeons, Aoki had his eyes blindfolded and was transported to what was once the unmarked burial grounds and was now the Rose Graveyard. There, Aoki heard Kanna Ryoko recite his charges, using him of betraying and murdering Sawada Tomohiko and the Godless Priest! Feeling wronged and struggling to break free from his restraints, Aoki suddenly felt as if his entire body were engulfed in mes, causing excruciating pain. Eventually, he lost consciousness. Upon waking up, Aoki realized that he, Fujiwara Gen''in, and theirrades had all transformed into monstrous creatures Ghouls! What was even more terrifying was the insatiable hunger Aoki suddenly felt,pelling him to devour nearby corpses. After briefly satisfying his hunger, Aoki realized that he was in a cave beneath the Rose Graveyard. Subsequently, Aoki and Fujiwara Gen''in managed tofort theirrades who had somewhat lost their sanity and had begun attacking humans, transitioning from people into Ghouls. Just when Aoki was nearly losing control of the situation, a young man suddenly appeared before him Fujiwara Gen''in, now promoted to the position of Ghoul Elder! As it turned out, over the course of the past century, Fujiwara Gen''in had wandered through various parts of the Ind Nation, searching for a way to lift the curse. Eventually, outside Kyoto, in a graveyard, Fujiwara Gen''in encountered a dying Ghoul Elder. With the help of this Ghoul Elder, Fujiwara Gen''in achieved promotion and gained the ability to transform into a "human" once again! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 205: Conversation with Ghoul Chapter 205: Conversation with Ghoul "Fujiwara Gen''in, who has been promoted to the position of Ghoul Elder, told us everything about the Ghouls. At that time, our desperatepanions were on the verge of madness. However, Fujiwara Gen''in demonstrated his abilities as a Ghoul Elder. Liu Xing, you should know what this ability is, right?" Aoki said this and suddenly asked Liu Xing a question. However, Liu Xing knew that Aoki was testing him, trying to find out if he truly understood the information about Ghouls. Of course, Liu Xing couldn''t be unaware of the information about Ghouls, especially since he was well-versed in the abilities of the Ghoul Elder. So, the answer to Aoki''s question was that the Ghoul Elder had the power to control ordinary Ghouls... Wait a minute, it seemed like "Liu Xing" genuinely didn''t know the answer! Although Liu Xing had encountered Ghouls and the Ghoul Elder on Sky Floating Ind, he had manipted KP Luo Luo, resulting in a missed SAN value check and ack of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Therefore, Liu Xing thought that "he" should only know that the Ghoul Elder could transform, as Aoki had already mentioned. However, Liu Xing realized that he truly didn''t know about the Ghoul Elder''s ability to control ordinary Ghouls. Nevertheless, Liu Xing quickly came up with an excuse to handle KP Li Shunchan''s query and said with a smile, "This question is not that simple. Ghouls aremunal creatures, and as the leader of the Ghoul n, the Ghoul Elder naturally possesses the ability tomand all Ghouls within the n." As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan came forward to challenge him, "Liu Xing, ording to your information, you shouldn''t know this, so do you have an exnation now? If you can''t exin it sessfully, you''ll be considered a metagamer." Liu Xing chuckled and confidently replied to KP Li Shunchan, "KP, that''s true, but don''t forget that my character card has an inspiration value of 90. This means that my character card has a high probability of logical reasoning and sudden insights. So, on Sky Floating Ind, I''ve already seen Ghoul Elder Cao''er leading numerous Ghouls to seize Jigu. Plus, with what Aoki just said, I should have no trouble guessing that the Ghoul Elder has the ability to control ordinary Ghouls." Liu Xing''s words were logical and well-grounded, leaving KP Li Shunchan speechless. "You''re correct. Fujiwara Gen''in does indeed have the ability to control ordinary Ghouls among us. He has increased our strength significantly. However, he still couldn''t break the barrier of the Godless Shrine," Aoki said with a hint of regret. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask, "Aoki, I have a question. Is it true that only Kanna Ryoko can lift your curse?" Aoki nodded and exined, "Yes, that''s correct. Fujiwara Gen''in asked the dying Ghoul Elder, and unless a god intervenes, curses like the ones we carry can only be lifted by the caster. So, we''ve been stuck in this ce, hoping that one day Kanna Ryoko will remove the curses from us." Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully, understanding that the main mission of the Ghoul storyline was to help the Ghouls lift their curses. However, the only way to do so was to persuade Kanna Ryoko, which seemed nearly impossible based on the avable information. If everything Aoki said was true, then Kanna Ryoko had cursed Aoki and the others inexplicably. Therefore, convincing Kanna Ryoko to remove the curse would be extremely challenging, and Liu Xing thought it would require a series of ten critical persuasion rolls. As for using force or threats, Liu Xing simply shook his head. Kanna Ryoko was a powerful Wizard who had lived for hundreds of years, and she was likely the most formidable NPC in this module. Attempting to threaten her with violence would only invite disaster. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing realized that the only option was to rely on Yin En. Perhaps Yin En could use his charms to persuade Sawada Yinyin to talk to Kanna Ryoko. "Alright, the story is over. I believe you now have a better understanding of the current situation, Liu Xing. Kanna Ryoko is incredibly powerful, and she has been residing in the Godless Shrine for centuries, never leaving. So, we''re pretty much powerless against her. We hope that you can act as an intermediary and have a conversation with Kanna Ryoko," Aoki said seriously. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and sighed in resignation. He said to Aoki, "Aoki, you must understand that if Kanna Ryoko cursed you all without any exnation, being the middleman won''t be easy." Aoki nodded and reassured Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, don''t worry. We''re not the type to force others into difficult situations. We don''t expect you to persuade Kanna Ryoko to remove the curse for us. We just want you to ask her why she cursed us without any warning. We want an exnation." Liu Xing nodded, understanding Aoki''s request. In simple terms, they wanted rity. However, Liu Xing also had his own request as part of the deal, "Okay, I will meet Kanna Ryoko tomorrow and try to get answers for you. But as part of our agreement, I''d like to ask a question now. Did you attack those homeless people in the park?" Aoki shook his head, sounding frustrated, "Of course not. We still consider ourselves human beings deep down, so we haven''t actively attacked humans in the hundreds of years we''ve been cursed. But those Ghouls who attacked the homeless people in the park, they are indeed Ghouls, but they were traitors who chose to be true Ghouls over a hundred years ago." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, puzzled, "So you''re saying that you haverades who betrayed Fujiwara Gen''in? Shouldn''t Fujiwara Gen''in be able to control them directly?" Aoki continued to shake his head, exining, "It''s not that simple. While Fujiwara Gen''in has be a Ghoul Elder, he ultimately advanced to this position through external forces. Therefore, his mastery of magic is stillcking. While he can control us ordinary Ghouls, it requires a significant amount of magical energy." "Moreover, we may have been cursed into Ghouls, but our true nature is still human. We were originally a group of mercenaries, so Fujiwara Gen''in doesn''t force us unless absolutely necessary. His management is rtively lenient." "Fujiwara Gen''in decided to teach us magic to enhance our strength. However, it''s a demanding task that requires a high level of intelligence. Besides me, only one traitor named Honda Koichi was allowed to study magic under Fujiwara Gen''in." "After many years of learning, both I and Honda Koichi acquired considerable knowledge of magic. But Honda Koichi believed that since we had be Ghouls, we should seek revenge on Kanna Ryoko, the Sawada Family, and the entire Ziwu City. However, both I and Fujiwara Gen''in opposed this, so over a hundred years ago, Honda Koichi left Rose Graveyard with over a dozen other traitors, disappearing without a trace." "Our paths diverged, and since we still considered ourselves human deep down, we didn''t force Honda Koichi to return. Plus, initially, they didn''t do anything excessively harmful. So, we let them be. However, we had no idea that these individuals would start attacking humans in Ziwu City fifty years ago." "When we learned of Honda Koichi and his group attacking humans, Fujiwara Gen''in and I realized that something was amiss. We went to find Honda Koichi to stop him, but he had acquired a peculiar talisman that prevented Fujiwara Gen''in from controlling him. It also generated a shield to block our magic. We couldn''t capture him, so recently, the rumors of the Half-Beast in Ziwu City refer to Honda Koichi and his traitors." "As for why Honda Koichi and his group have been kidnapping homeless people recently, ording to our investigation, it''s because Honda Koichi has formed an alliance with the leader of the Dark Willow Gang, Mikageichi. We haven''t uncovered the specifics of their coboration, but we can specte that they are researching how to transform humans into Ghouls and vice versa." At this point, Aoki handed a memory card to Liu Xing, saying, "I obtained this memory card from a member of the Dark Willow Gang a few days ago. The member was being chased by other gang members when they ran into me and mistook me for one of Honda Koichi''s Ghouls. They gave me this memory card and asked me to deliver it to Mikageichi as soon as possible. So, I believe this memory card contains important information. However, we old-timers are not familiar with advanced technology, so I hope you can ess the information on this memory card and share it with me." Liu Xing nodded and took the memory card from Aoki, inserting it into his phone. Of course, Liu Xing made sure to turn off the live broadcast, as he intended to inquire about Otonashi Takuya shortly. "Alright, now you can make a Luck roll to determine if the memory card is damaged," KP Li Shunchan spoke up. Liu Xing rolled a Luck check: 66 out of 80. Sess. As the Luck check seeded, Liu Xing''s phone disyed that the memory card was sessfully read. Liu Xing immediately opened the file manager and began to examine the contents of the memory card. During this time, Aoki stood beside Liu Xing, closely observing Liu Xing''s phone. Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel a bit uneasy under Aoki''s intense gaze. Inside the memory card, there was only onepressed file, so Liu Xing proceeded to extract it, which would take about ten minutes. Taking advantage of this time, Liu Xing continued to ask Aoki, "Aoki, since it will take about ten minutes to extract this file, let me ask you another question. I recall that Ghouls can easily transform humans into Ghouls. Why would Honda Koichi be conducting research in this area?" Aoki shook his head and exined, "It''s because of the curse. We can''t be considered true Ghouls due to the curse, so only Fujiwara Gen''in, who has be a Ghoul Elder, can transform humans into Ghouls. However, Fujiwara Gen''in would never do that, as he believes in the golden rule: ''Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.''" Liu Xing nodded in understanding, "I see, I didn''t realize that. By the way, I''d like to show you a photo." As he spoke, Liu Xing took out a photo of Otonashi Takuya from his phone, provided by Miss Sawada Yinyin. "Is this Otonashi Takuya?" Aoki eximed in shock. As expected. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and continued, "Aoki, the person in this photo is now called Otonashi Takuya, and he is currently with my other friends. Actually, I had already suspected that he might be Otonashi Takuya." Aoki affirmed, "He must be Otonashi Takuya. Back when he was the Wandering Samurai, he easily defeated both me and Fujiwara Gen''in when he joined the Sawada Family guard. So, we challenged him from time to time, and we eventually became good friends." "But I never expected him to still be alive, looking exactly the same. It seems that he must have had some extraordinary experiences while pursuing that cursed sword. If you don''t mind, please pass on a message to him for me. Tell him to meet me at Unseen Pond tomorrow night for a reunion." Liu Xing nodded and agreed to deliver the message to Otonashi Takuya. "By the way, Aoki, you should be aware of Killer Demon, right?" Liu Xing suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask Aoki for information about Killer Demon. Upon hearing the name Killer Demon, Aoki furrowed his brow and said, "Of course, I know about it. Since you''re asking, you probably already know that Killer Demon is Sawada Tomohiko, and he has regained possession of the cursed sword from the past." Liu Xing nodded and was about to respond when he noticed Killer Demon approaching from the darkness, wielding arge sword. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 206: The Video Chapter 206: The Video This marked the first time Liu Xing had a clear look at Killer Demon''s visage. That day on the highway, Killer Demon had suddenly appeared, initiating with a "SAN value attack" that left Liu Xing too preupied to pay attention to Killer Demon''s appearance. Instead, Killer Demon had engaged in a series of bewildering maneuvers, all while keeping his back turned to Liu Xing. In Liu Xing''s memory, Killer Demon was nothing more than a stylish silhouette. But this time, Liu Xing finally got a frontal view of Killer Demon... or did he? Dark wisps of energy continuously swirled around Killer Demon''s face, preventing Liu Xing from discerning his true form. Killer Demon''s body seemed ethereal, as if it could vanish at any moment. As for Killer Demon''s signature, therge de he held, Liu Xing couldn''t see anything particrly special about it. Overall, Liu Xing thought that if Killer Demon lost one hand, he might pass for a cosying Yang Guo. However, as Liu Xing pondered these thoughts, he suddenly realized a pressing question: why had Killer Demon appeared here? The answer was straightforward: he must be here to kill Aoki! With this realization, Liu Xing immediately warned Aoki, "Quick, run! Killer Demon is here." Aoki swiftly nced back and then turned to leave, though not without saying to Liu Xing, "See you tomorrow." Liu Xing watched as Aoki, a mythical creature, disappeared into the darkness at a speed even faster than Western reporters. At this moment, Liu Xing, with a puzzled expression, stood still. Aoki was undoubtedly a mythical creature, given his incredible speed. However, Liu Xing also realized a serious problem: how could he escape with his petite frame? It seemed he wouldn''t stand a chance against Killer Demon''s de. Just as Liu Xing was preparing to flee, Killer Demon in front of him suddenly transformed into a swirling ck mist and rapidly shot towards the direction Aoki had fled,pletely ignoring Liu Xing. Liu Xing felt utterly ignored. "So, it seems that Killer Demon''s primary targets are mythical creatures, especially the Ghouls within this module," Liu Xing mused aloud. "But ording to Aoki, they haven''t betrayed and killed Sawada Tomohiko to turn him into Killer Demon. So, why would Killer Demon still be pursuing the Ghouls?" Liu Xing stood there, pondering this question. A chilling gust of wind swept through, causing Liu Xing to shiver. He abandoned his thoughts and hurried back to the guesthouse. After taking a hot shower, Liu Xing nned to use his phone to check in with Yin En and the others, as well as to inform them of what happened after he had turned off the livestream. When Liu Xing opened his phone, he noticed that the memory card Aoki had given him had been unpacked, revealing over a dozen AVI-format videos. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, suspecting that a member of the Dark Willow Gang had possibly mistaken the memory card, as it seemed to contain Ind Nation''s peculiar movies he was known for. With this thought in mind, Liu Xing decided to watch the videos. After watching the first video, Liu Xing finally understood what leverage the Dark Willow Gang held over Tennoji Sohide: he was a pedophile! No matter which country you were in, an official exposed as a pedophile would see their political careere to a swift end. Therefore, it wasn''t hard for Liu Xing to grasp why Tennoji Sohide dared not resist the Dark Willow Gang. With this evidence in their hands, Dark Willow Gang could make Tennoji Sohide crossdress and livestream without hesitation. Liu Xing knew that the video in his possession could undoubtedly lead to the downfall of Tennoji Sohide. However, he didn''t see much benefit in pursuing a political route. Tennoji Sohide had lost most of his power at this point, and with the Dark Willow Gang holding their own leverage, Liu Xing didn''t believe he could threaten Tennoji Sohide into a confrontation with the Dark Willow Gang. Therefore, Liu Xing felt that the video could at least ensure that Tennoji Sohide wouldn''t assist the Dark Willow Gang against him and hispanions. Liu Xing also noticed that the date of this video was just two days ago. This indicated that the Dark Willow Gang was either still collecting leverage against Tennoji Sohide or that Tennoji Sohide had surrendered, realizing that he couldn''t resist the gang any longer. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing continued watching the other videos, hoping to find more information. He watched all the way to thest video, and suddenly, the scene shifted from a hotel room to aboratory. In the footage, a Ghoul dressed in a whiteb coat appeared. Liu Xing knew that this Ghoul was the traitor Aoki had mentioned Honda Koichi. Honda Koichi held a ck syringe and approached an operating table, upon whichy a middle-aged man, naked and unconscious. Liu Xing believed this man to be one of the missing homeless individuals. Honda Koichi injected the needle into the man''s chest and administered a disconcerting substance. As he did so, he mumbled to himself, "This is the twenty-fourth experiment. The previous twenty-three were all failures. It seems that trying to transform humans into mythical creatures through scientific means is unreliable. Science and theology are two different realms. If this attempt fails as well, I''m considering abandoning this line of research." "While reducing the catalyst this time, I predict that in thirty seconds, the concoction will react with the human body. I hope this time the subjects won''t explode into a bloody mess, sttering me with their remains and ruining my appetite." Honda Koichi continued, seemingly unfazed, as he sat down on a stool and began a silent countdown on his wristwatch. After thirty seconds, the middle-aged man on the operating table suddenly opened his eyes. His eyeballs turned blood-red instantly, his face contorted severely, and his seven orifices started bleeding while his limbs thrashed uncontrobly. Honda Koichi remained nonchnt, sighed, and remarked, "It appears this attempt has also failed. The human body is too fragile to withstand the blood of mythical creatures." He raised his wed hand as if to execute the almost lifeless man on the table. But then, a sudden transformation urred! The middle-aged man''s body expanded rapidly, growing several times in size. His skin darkened and hardened, resembling steel, and numerous bones burst out from his body, only to be rapidly covered by flesh. He no longer resembled a human, his appearance grotesque. After a brief moment, the middle-aged man had transformed into a hideous monster. Liu Xing strained toprehend what kind of mythical creature''s blood could cause a human to undergo such a horrifying metamorphosis. And at this moment, Honda Koichi was excitedly inspecting the monstrous creation before him, unable to resist touching it. The monstrous creation seemed entirely devoid of consciousness, allowing Honda Koichi to manipte it as he pleased. "Well, it appears that this experiment, while making some breakthroughs, still has its shorings," Honda Koichi muttered. "This form merely transforms the human body using mythical creature blood butpletely erodes the human soul, turning them into mindless zombies. It seems I need to find a way to refine the form further. Otherwise, Mikageichi won''t be satisfied." Seeing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He had originally believed that Honda Koichi''s experiments were intended to turn humans into Ghouls to strengthen his faction. However, now it seemed that it was a request from Mikageichi himself. And judging by the current situation, Mikageichi wanted humans to retain their consciousness while their bodies underwent transformation. So, what did Mikageichi intend to do? Was he nning to build an army of these monsters to rule the world? Liu Xing shook his head at this notion. The monstrous creation in the video might appear terrifying, but when faced with weapons of war like tanks, they were still utterly vulnerable. In the realm of the Cthulhu Mythos, while humans were fragilepared to Eldritch Gods like Nyathotep,mon lower-level mythical creatures like Ghouls, Deep Ones, and the like would be defeated without question when facing an equivalent number of regr human soldiers, disregarding SAN values. This was why yers in Cthulhu RPG Games typically yed as ordinary professions. Therefore, the monstrous creation in the video could only intimidate regr people. If they encountered superhumans like Otonashi Takuya or Sawada Yinyin, they would likely be swiftly dispatched. "Could it be that Mikageichi wants to unify the Shadow n with these monsters?" Liu Xing pondered, considering a usible theory. However, the video abruptly cut off. After inspecting the monstrous creation onest time, Honda Koichi showed no mercy and killed it, as it was a failed specimen. He called over a few Ghouls to carry the monstrous creation''s body away. Then he leaned towards the camera, smiling as he spoke, "Mikageichi, I''m sure you''ve seen everything. My experiment has been a partial sess, enhancing the human body. Unfortunately, along with physical enhancement, it seems to cause some mental issues. So, I hope you won''t let Hisanobu Ito end up like this." "Therefore, Mikageichi, please be patient and give me some more time. I''ll definitely refine this form, helping Hisanobu Ito achieve immortality. After all, I owe Hisanobu Ito''s father a huge favor, so, Mikageichi, you need to bring that child over as soon as possible. Her blood contains divinity, far superior to the blood of these mythical creatures filled with madness and fear. It''s thousands of times better!" "Oh, by the way, we''re running out of test subjects in theb, and the experiment is entering its final stage. I need you, Mikageichi, to provide me with a test subject simr to Hisanobu Ito''s condition. This way, I can conduct experiments more effectively. My subordinates are not suitable for capturing this type of subject outside, so it''s up to you." "Alright, the video is now over. You,e here and deliver this video to your boss as soon as possible. Let him watch thest video, and after that, take action promptly. ording to the prophecy, the girl with the blood of the gods will disappear shortly, so we must act quickly." As Honda Koichi spoke, he reached for the camera and handed it to a nearby person dressed in ck, the unfortunate one who was chased by other gang members as soon as he stepped out. The video ended, and Liu Xing tossed his phone carelessly onto the bed before deep in thought. Based on Honda Koichi''s final words, it could be inferred that Honda Koichi knew Hisanobu Ito, Mikageichi''s adoptive father. Hisanobu Ito''s father had helped Honda Koichi in the past, creating a significant debt of gratitude. Thus, Liu Xing suspected that the item Aoki had mentioned, which could resist Fujiwara Gen''in, the Ghoul elder''s control, was likely a gift from Hisanobu Ito''s father to Honda Koichi. Furthermore, the mastermind behind the Dark Willow Gang, who had calcted Mian Gu Lu''s arrival in this era, was likely Honda Koichi. However, Honda Koichi seemed unaware of Mian Gu Lu''s true identity and Eldritch God Taketori, learning about Mian Gu Lu from some legend. Mian Gu Lu''s appearance in this era and her possession of divine blood appeared to be advantageous for Honda Koichi''s experiments. Honda Koichi''s ultimate goal in the experiments seemed to be to use mythical creature blood to transform Hisanobu Ito, helping him achieve immortality. From this, it could be deduced that Hisanobu Ito had left the Shadow n with Mikageichi ande to Ziwu City for this very reason. If things went as expected, Hisanobu Ito''s time might be running out. Liu Xing also suspected that Mikageichi had already undergone Honda Koichi''s experiments, granting him the ability to take on dozens of opponents simultaneously. However, what concerned Liu Xing the most was that Honda Koichi now requested Mikageichi to find a new "test subject." This indicated that the Dark Willow Gang might soon take action. Liu Xing believed it was time for Ian to meet with his father-inw and utilize the Sawada Family''s influence to locate Honda Koichi''sboratory. After all, hidden enemies were the most challenging to deal with. Suddenly, a ringing sound interrupted Liu Xing''s thoughts. It was Ian. Liu Xing pped his forehead, realizing he hadn''t informed Ian and the others of his safety yet. He quickly answered the phone, and Ian on the other end immediately asked, "Liu Xing, are you okay over there?" Liu Xing chuckled awkwardly and replied, "Well, I just encountered Killer Demon here, but he''s gone after Aoki, so I''m fine." Ian let out a sigh of relief and asked with a smile, "That''s good to hear. We were worried something happened to you. By the way, did the memory card contain any useful information?" Liu Xing spoke up, "Of course, it contains very important information. I''m going to send you the unpacked videos right now." While talking, Liu Xing opened an app, preparing to transfer the files. However, at that moment, his phone disyed a zero battery, and it shut down automatically. Considering his phone''s battery had already been low, especially after the recent livestream, this wasn''t entirely unexpected. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 207: Plotting Against Yin En Chapter 207: Plotting Against Yin En What made things even worse for Liu Xing was that he had forgotten to bring his charger when he came out today. Now, it was well past midnight, and Liu Xing, leaning against the windowsill, surveyed the area but couldn''t spot any convenience stores that were still open. With no other options, Liu Xing could only shake his head in resignation and decided to head back early tomorrow morning. As for why he didn''t drive back in the middle of the night, it was because he had some concerns. He was responsible for delivering the memory card he held, and if news got out that he was being pursued by other gang members on his way back to Mikageichi or the Dark Willow Gang''s higher-ups, they would surely send people to retrieve the explosive content on the memory card. Therefore, Liu Xing thought it best to stay put for now. After all, there was a significant risk of encountering Dark Willow Gang members if he attempted to leave at this hour. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing removed the memory card from his phone, wrapped it in tissue paper, and carefully ced it under his pillow before turning in for the night. While trying to sleep, Liu Xing didn''t forget to contact KP Li Shunchan. "KP, can I set up an rm to wake me up at six o''clock tomorrow morning?" KP Li Shunchan remained silent for a moment and then replied, "Yes, you can, but remember that this is still a Cthulhu RPG Game, so there will be a check involved. Plus, it''s already past two o''clock now, and you''ve been running around all day yesterday without the aid of an rm clock. So, you''ll need to pass a Difficult Willpower check. If you fail, you might oversleep, and the time will be 1d6 hourster." KP Li Shunchan''s request was as expected by Liu Xing, so he agreed promptly. After all, Liu Xing believed his Willpower was quite high at 80, so there was a chance he could pass the Difficult check. Even if he failed, waking up around nine o''clock was still eptable to him. Liu Xing: 72/40, Failure. Liu Xing: 1d6 = 6. MMP! Before Liu Xing could utter the words that expressed his strong emotions, he was sent into the realm of dreams by the smirking KP Li Shunchan. When Liu Xing woke up again, he nced at the already bright outside and quickly got dressed. He ced the memory card from under the pillow into the inner pocket of his clothes and prepared to leave. Just then, Liu Xing suddenly heard cries for helping from outside the window. Unable to resist his curiosity, he looked out the window and saw that the area where he had met Aoki yesterday, by the Unseen Pond, was now engulfed in mes. Winter was dry, and with the government''sckluster management of the Unseen Pond area, the grass around it had be highly mmable, causing the fire to spread rapidly. However, Liu Xing was even more curious about who had set this fire. After all, the location of the fire happened to be where he and Aoki had been. Could it be that Dark Willow Gang had tracked them here? But Liu Xing soon noticed some familiar figures among the crowd near the fire - Watanabe Jiang, Chen Wenbin, and Yoh Asakura... Liu Xing understood that these three were responsible for the fire. This was a suffocating turn of events... Liu Xing initially thought about going down to meet with Watanabe Jiang and the others but realized that the police had already arrived at the scene. Watanabe Jiang had swiftly left, and Yoh Asakura kept his distance. As for Chen Wenbin, he had approached the police and seemed to have chosen to surrender. Rubbing his chin, Liu Xing concluded that Watanabe Jiang and the others had decided to abandon Chen Wenbin and let him take the fall. Seeing this, Liu Xing decided to go to Chen Wenbin''s house first. It wasn''t the right time to meet up with Yoh Asakura and the others. Leaving the guesthouse, Liu Xing headed to the parking lot. Liu Xing immediately spotted Chen Wenbin''s car parked next to his, and a piece of paper was pressed against his windshield wiper. Taking the paper, Liu Xing opened it and found that Chen Wenbin and the others had arrived here at 10 o''clock. When they couldn''t reach him by phone, they suspected something had happened to Liu Xing. Since Yin En believed that Liu Xing''s phone had simply run out of battery, Chen Wenbin and the others had ced a phone under Liu Xing''s car. If Liu Xing hadn''t contacted Yin En using that phone before 1 o''clock, Yin En would have informed Sawada Yinyin and leveraged his connections to locate Liu Xing. Upon reading this, Liu Xing immediately retrieved the phone from under his car and called Yin En. "Wow, I thought you had been captured by Ghouls or Dark Willow Gang. I was about to call the police," Yin En said with a hint of exaggeration. Liu Xing chuckled awkwardly and exined, "Well, my phone suddenly ran out of batteryst night, and I didn''t have a charger with me. There were no open convenience stores nearby, so I decided to take a nap and nned to return early this morning. Turns out I overslept." Yin Enughed and continued, "By the way, you''re calling me from Watanabe Jiang''s phone, so I assume you''ve met him and the others, right? Did they find anything at Godless Shrine and Unseen Pond?" Liu Xing sighed in frustration and said, "Yes, I did meet them, but it seems like they''ve gotten into big trouble. Chen Wenbin has already been arrested by the police." Yin En paused for a moment and then asked, "What''s going on? Did they set fire to Godless Shrine?" Liu Xing shook his head and replied, "They didn''t burn Godless Shrine, but they set Unseen Pond on fire." Then, Liu Xing recounted what he had seen. "What on earth are they doing? If Chen Wenbin surrenders, he might be charged with idental arson at most. I''ll talk to Sawada Yinyin''s father about thister. We should be able to get Chen Wenbin released on bail. But where did Watanabe Jiang run off to?" Yin En said in a helpless tone. Liu Xing said uncertainly, "If I remember correctly, Watanabe Jiang is a fugitive, and he''s carrying a gun with him right now. He doesn''t have much choice but to run." "Seems like it. Liu Xing,e to the Flowing Waters Garden for now. After lunch with Sawada Yinyin, we''ll n our next move in the afternoon. I''ll hang up now; Sawada Yinyin has arrived," Yin En said before ending the call. Liu Xing pocketed his phone and headed to the Flowing Waters Garden. The Flowing Waters Garden wasn''t far from Unseen Pond, so Liu Xing arrived quickly. Liu Xing''s impression of the Flowing Waters Garden was that it was full of water... Just like the book "Cthulhu RPG Game" by "Liu Xing" described, it was all water. No wonder "Liu Xing" was an author who struggled to make ends meet. At this point, Liu Xing considered that if he sessfullypleted this module, he should focus on enhancing his secondary profession during the Interlude Growth phase. Returning to the main topic, the Flowing Waters Garden somewhat resembled the city of Venice with various buildings separated by artificial waterways, some even forming small waterfalls. It was undeniably an interesting ce, which exined why Kuroba Naoki had brought his younger brother and friends here to y. As mentioned before, the Flowing Waters Garden was also a gourmet paradise in Ziwu City. Each building housed a restaurant, and Liu Xing wasn''t sure where to find Yin En. Although Liu Xing thought about calling Yin En directly, he didn''t want to disturb Yin En and Sawada Yinyin''s private time. So, Liu Xing decided to ask a passerby which restaurant in the Flowing Waters Garden was the most upscale. After all, Sawada Yinyin, as Ziwu City''s top figure, would surely choose the best. Just then, Yin En sent a text message with the restaurant where they were dining. Unsurprisingly, the restaurant mentioned in the message was of a higher ss than the others, and most importantly, it was owned by the Sawada Family. Upon entering the restaurant, a waiter seated Liu Xing at a solo table and informed him that Sawada Yinyin had already instructed that his meal would be entirelyplimentary. Sawada Yinyin and Yin En were enjoying their time in a private room. With the mindset of taking advantage of the situation, Liu Xing ordered several delicious dishes. After all, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, he hadn''t had the opportunity to savor good food. Upon entering the restaurant, a waiter seated Liu Xing at a solo table and informed him that Sawada Yinyin had already instructed that his meal would be entirelyplimentary. Sawada Yinyin and Yin En wgere enjoying their time in a private room.had eaten some dry rations before getting attacked by an Earth-boring Demon Worm. On the Sky Floating Ind, he had only had some home-cooked dishes. In the inte addiction treatment center, he had a cafeteria meal. Finally, in the poisonous soup dream, Liu Xing had been poisoned... So, faced with the delicious food in front of him, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel deeply moved. It was the first time he had experienced something good in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Of course, Liu Xing didn''t forget to ask the waiter for a charger. After all, having a dead phone was quite inconvenient. After finishing the meal, Liu Xing noticed that Yin En hadn''t finished his private time with Sawada Yinyin yet. So, he took out Watanabe Jiang''s phone and started ying with it. As a fugitive, Watanabe Jiang, like Yin En, had prepared many spare phones. So, the phone Liu Xing held had only basic applications. However, this didn''t prevent Liu Xing from searching the inte, and he quickly found information about the recent Unseen Pond arson case. ording to the information provided by the police, the Unseen Pond arson case was considered an ident. Chen Wenbin had identally ignited a patch of grass at Unseen Pond while smoking. Due to various factors, the fire had spread, but it was quickly extinguished by the efforts of the firefighters. There were no casualties, but some public facilities like streetlights were damaged. Chen Wenbin would only need to pay a fine and serve seven days of administrative detention. However, Liu Xing was not willing to let Chen Wenbin be detained for seven days, especially since there were only four days left until the module''s end. If Chen Wenbin were detained for seven days, he would effectively be out of the game. At this moment, Yin En and Sawada Yinyin finally emerged from their private room. Liu Xing didn''t want to intrude, so he waited until he saw Yin En escort Sawada Yinyin out before approaching him and informing him about Chen Wenbin''s situation. "I''ve already told Sawada Yinyin about Chen Wenbin''s situation. She will arrange for his release as soon as possible. But I think Chen Wenbin getting caught might be a good thing. After all, he now has the opportunity to interact with the police chief, Ryochuan Taro. Although that might not necessarily be a good thing," Yin En said with a smile. Liu Xing chuckled. With Sawada Yinyin involved, Chen Wenbin should be released soon. Because the topic they were about to discuss was quite important and walls have ears, Liu Xing and Yin En silently agreed to return to their car. "You haven''t finished your story from yesterday. What''s on that memory card, exactly?" Yin En lit a cigarette and asked. Liu Xing proceeded to describe the contents of the two videos and his spections to Yin En. After listening to Liu Xing''s ount, Yin En''s expression turned serious. He spoke, "I see, Tennoji Sohide has a pedophilic tendency. No wonder Dark Willow Gang can easily control him. But for us, this doesn''t help much. Even if we use this evidence to expose Tennoji Sohide, it will still take two or three days for him to resign, which won''t make a difference in the current situation." "However, this Honda Koichi is a big problem. He''s a Ghoul with magical abilities, and dealing with him won''t be easy. Moreover, the Monsters he creates don''t seem easy to handle either." Liu Xing nodded and added, "Actually, the focus shouldn''t be on Honda Koichi. The real focus should be Hisanobu Ito, Mikageichi''s adoptive father. It looks like he doesn''t have much time left. So, I was thinking, what if we take action through Hisanobu Ito? If we eliminate Hisanobu Ito, I believe Mikageichi wouldn''t have a reason to target Mian Gu Lu so aggressively." That was Liu Xing''s simple idea: to remove Hisanobu Ito. Mikageichi would likely lose interest in pursuing Mian Gu Lu without Hisanobu Ito''s influence. "Well, that sounds reasonable, but Hisanobu Ito won''t be easy to deal with. After all, he''s Mikageichi''s adoptive father, and his security is not something we can easily bypass. Even if we manage to eliminate Hisanobu Ito, won''t Mikageichie after us relentlessly?" Yin En asked with a hint of doubt. Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, saying, "As long as we make sure Mikageichi doesn''t know it was us who took action, it should be fine. Other gangs in Ziwu City must also want to target Hisanobu Ito, right? We just need to find a way to disguise ourselves as one of those gangs." Yin En fell into thought. After a moment, he chuckled and scolded Liu Xing, pointing at him, "You, Liu Xing, you''re actually scheming against me!" Indeed, Liu Xing was scheming against Yin En. Tasks like assassinating Hisanobu Ito couldn''t be entrusted to NPCs, as they were subject to the Game Master''s control, which introduced too much uncertainty. Among all the yers in this module, only Yin En, with his background as a mercenary, had the ability to carry out such an assassination. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 208: Assassination Plan Chapter 208: Assassination n Sometimes in the Cthulhu RPG Game, beheading actions could be a favorable choice, just like in this module. The Dark Willow Gang, as the most significant "antagonist," aims to secure the eternal life of their former leader, Hisanobu Ito, who is now possessed by the Eldritch God Taketori. If Hisanobu Ito were to die, the Dark Willow Gang might fall into chaos, as they would lose their sole objective. They might then abandon their ns to seize Mian Gu Lu, who now houses the Eldritch God Taketori. Furthermore, Liu Xing has begun to suspect that the ultimate boss of this module, apart from Eldritch God Taketori (which is practically unbeatable), might be a modified version of Hisanobu Ito! So, assassinating Hisanobu Ito in advance seems like a good choice. "If we were to assassinate Hisanobu Ito, I believe I can do it with my abilities, as long as we don''t encounter bugs like Mikageichi and Kojima Kanto. I estimate I have about a seventy percent chance of assassinating Hisanobu Ito, of course, as long as Hisanobu Ito hasn''t turned into the monstrous figure we saw in the video," Yin En pondered, rubbing his chin. Liu Xing nodded and continued to encourage, "Yin En, based on the information revealed in the video, Hisanobu Ito''s condition doesn''t seem promising. Honda Koichi and Mikageichi both want Hisanobu Ito to retain his self-awareness while gaining eternal life. So, unless a perfect form is developed, Hisanobu Ito won''t undergo any modifications. Therefore, I believe the current Hisanobu Ito is just an elderly man." "An elderly man can be the most troublesome, as he will have arge number of bodyguards and attendants to ensure his safety and daily activities. Since we could pass the me to other gangs in Ziwu City, Mikageichi could also anticipate that other gangs might attempt to assassinate Hisanobu Ito. So, I suspect there will be a considerable number of people around him, possibly even high-ranking members of the Dark Willow Gang, protecting Hisanobu Ito," Yin En began analyzing from a professional perspective. After thinking for a moment, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Indeed, that''s true. With the strength of the Dark Willow Gang, they can easily assign a team to protect Hisanobu Ito. However, I think it might be rtively easier to assassinate him at the spa or 404 Hospital. These ces have more people, and Dark Willow Gang wouldn''t be able to deploy arge force to protect him." "404 Hospital is a possibility, but the spa may not be ideal. After all, the spa is owned by the Dark Willow Gang and operates on a VIP system. It''s challenging for ordinary people to enter, so it''s mostly frequented by the wealthy and influential. Dark Willow Gang can easily strengthen the security there. Also, ording to the information I obtained from Sawada Yinyin, Hisanobu Ito goes to 404 Hospital for medical check-ups almost every morning, and there''s a fifty percent chance that Mikageichi apanies him. In the afternoon, he spends time at the spa and returns to the vi area at night. So, as it stands, if we want to assassinate Hisanobu Ito, our best chance is at 404 Hospital, but we''ll need to avoid Mikageichi. Monsters like Mikageichi are highly sensitive to danger," Yin En shared the recently acquired intelligence with Liu Xing. Frowning, Liu Xing expressed his concerns, "Assassinating him at 404 Hospital might not be a good idea. It''s located in the city center with a high volume of foot traffic, and there''s a police station nearby. Escaping after the deed could be very troublesome because there will be numerous witnesses, and the police response time will be swift. We might not be able to stay in Ziwu City if that happens." Just as Liu Xing was about to give up on the idea of assassinating Hisanobu Ito, Yin En became enthusiastic and suggested, "That''s not a problem. If I remember correctly, Watanabe Jiang should be skilled in disguise. We can have him alter my appearance, and I should be able to evade pursuit. So, I''d like to take the risk. If we can sessfully assassinate Hisanobu Ito, it would save us a lot of trouble." Liu Xing agreed with a nod and said, "Alright then. Let''s discuss this with Watanabe Jiang after we return tonight. But this guy seems to have disappeared for now. Should we try calling him?" Yin En nodded and dialed Watanabe Jiang''s number from his pocket. To their surprise, Watanabe Jiang''s phone was turned off, and all the phones with numbers known to Yin En were also powered off. "What''s going on? Could something have happened to Yin En?" Liu Xing furrowed his brows, expressing his concern. Yin En nodded, somewhat puzzled, "There''s a possibility. Maybe Watanabe Jiang was captured by the Dark Willow Gang. But considering Watanabe Jiang''s cautious nature, it''s unlikely that he would be captured without putting up a fight." After some contemtion, Liu Xing decided to call Yoh Asakura to inquire about the events of the morning. Even more surprisingly, Yoh Asakura''s phone was also turned off. Now, apart from knowing that Chen Wenbin had been taken to the police station, they had lost contact with both Watanabe Jiang and Yoh Asakura. With no other option, Liu Xing and Yin En decided to visit 404 Hospital to meet with Mian Gu Lu, Yasaka Mashiro, and Otonashi Takuya. "By the way, Yin En, weren''t you and Chen Wenbin supposed to go to the hospital? Why haven''t both of you gone?" Liu Xing suddenly recalled this and asked with curiosity. Yin En sighed helplessly and simply said, "ns can''t keep up with changes." This morning, Yin En had assumed that Liu Xing''s phone had simply run out of battery and had instructed everyone to proceed with their original ns. However, Shiro Hana had called Chen Wenbin, asking him to visit the Godless Shrine to obtain an amulet on her behalf. Since Shiro Hana was busy with Mian Gu Lu''s medical examination, she couldn''t go herself. Thus, Chen Wenbin had arranged for Yasaka Mashiro to take Mian Gu Lu to 404 Hospital to meet Shiro Hana. Otonashi Takuya and Yin En had apanied them covertly. Yoh Asakura had joined Chen Wenbin, as Chen Wenbin needed assistance due to hisck ofbat abilities. Shortly after, Sawada Yinyin had called Yin En, asking him to meet her at the Flowing Water Garden to gather information. As a result, Yin En had to leave the group to meet Sawada Yinyin and gather intelligence. This left Yasaka Mashiro and Otonashi Takuya to take Mian Gu Lu to 404 Hospital. "I see. But where''s Gu Jun off to on his own?" Liu Xing rubbed his chin, suddenly feeling uneasy. When an ultist is on their own, their ability to cause trouble tends to increase exponentially. Yin En noticed Liu Xing''s concern and smiled, shaking his head, "You don''t need to worry about Gu Jun. He''s at home today, researching the notes provided by Kuroba Naoki. Based on Gu Jun''s research yesterday, he found some issues with Kuroba Naoki''s studies on King Tindalos and Sawada Tomohiko. So, Gu Jun intends to figure out how to resolve these problems." Resolving problems... Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that Gu Jun was nning something mischievous. However, Liu Xing had no choice but to nod and drive to 404 Hospital. Although he wanted to check what Gu Jun was up to, there was nothing he could do. Arriving at 404 Hospital, Liu Xing and Yin En immediately noticed a group of individuals dressed in ck, chatting near several ck BMWs. "It must be the Dark Willow Gang," Liu Xing whispered to Yin En. Yin En nodded and gestured for Liu Xing to keep moving, heading into 404 Hospital first. Given the rxed demeanor of the Dark Willow Gang members, it didn''t seem like they were here to capture Mian Gu Lu. Thus, the only possibility was that Hisanobu Ito was inside 404 Hospital. As expected, Liu Xing and Yin En had not walked far when they saw a group of ck-d men surrounding a young man pushing a wheelchair-bound elderly individual out of the hospital''s outpatient hall. The elderly man looked about sixty years old, with a menacing countenance clearly, this was Hisanobu Ito. However, what caught Liu Xing''s attention even more was the young man pushing Hisanobu Ito''s wheelchair. Looking at this young man, he was likely the current leader of the Dark Willow Gang Mikageichi! As Liu Xing and Yin En passed by Mikageichi, it seemed like Mikageichi sensed something. He gave them a meaningful look, and Liu Xing felt as though he was being stared down by a fierce beast. Fortunately, Mikageichi did nothing else but gaze at Liu Xing and Yin En before pushing Hisanobu Ito out of 404 Hospital. Once inside 404 Hospital, Liu Xing wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "That young man was Mikageichi, right? He seems quite formidable." Yin En nodded and said somewhat disheartened, "Indeed, just from the way he looked at me, I felt that I wouldn''t stand a chance against him. It seems the gap between us is substantial." Liu Xing patted Yin En''s shoulder and reassured him, "Well, creatures like him are beyond our league. Nevertheless, we now know what Hisanobu Ito looks like, and it doesn''t seem like he has too many bodyguards, maybe around a dozen or so." "Indeed, I examined the other bodyguards; they seem to be regr gang members with averagebat skills and vignce. If I could get my hands on a sniper rifle, I might be able to easily assassinate Hisanobu Ito from a rooftop across the street," Yin En said with a grin. However, Liu Xing knew that Yin En''s idea, while good, was practically impossible. Even with assistance from the Sawada Family, obtaining a powerful weapon like a sniper rifle was highly unlikely. After all, game masters wouldn''t easily grant yers ess to such potent weapons. "Alright, Yasaka Mashiro and the others areing down," Liu Xing pointed to the staircase nearby. Yasaka Mashiro was leading Mian Gu Lu down, while Otonashi Takuya descended from another staircase. After exchanging a few nces with Yasaka Mashiro, Liu Xing and Yin En silently left the hospital and waited in the car with the engine running. After a while, Yasaka Mashiro and the others ensured that no one was spying on them before getting into the car. "How''s the situation?" Yin En asked eagerly. Yasaka Mashiro sighed and said, "ording to the examination results, Mian Gu Lu''s other data seems rtively normal, with one exception she''s pregnant, and the fetus is fully developed. It''s a girl." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unique way Eldritch God Taketori had possessed Mian Gu Lu. "If she''s pregnant, then Eldritch God Taketori must be the fetus. Is there any way we can perform a Caesarean section to extract Eldritch God Taketori prematurely?" Yin En inquired. Yasaka Mashiro shook her head, sighing in resignation. "Eldritch God Taketori is already fully formed, but notpletely developed. Regr hospitals wouldn''t perform a C-section in this case. Moreover, Shiro Hana mentioned that the connection between Eldritch God Taketori and Mian Gu Lu is extremely close. If we forcibly perform a C-section, there''s a ny percent chance that Mian Gu Lu will experience severe bleeding, risking her life." Since a C-section would jeopardize Mian Gu Lu''s life, Liu Xing and the others had to abandon the idea. Of course, if they were to turn against their mission, they could find a ck-market clinic to perform a C-section regardless of the risk to Mian Gu Lu''s life. However, if they were to betray their mission, they might as well just kill Mian Gu Lu. "In that case, are we just going to watch as Eldritch God Taketori descends and wreaks havoc on the world?" Yin En said with frustration. Yasaka Mashiro sighed again and curiously asked, "By the way, where are Chen Wenbin and the others? Why haven''t they delivered the amulet yet? Shiro Hana is getting anxious." Liu Xing chuckled and proceeded to narrate the events at Unseen Pond earlier in the day. "Goodness, what on earth are Chen Wenbin and the others up to? They set fire to Unseen Pond for no reason? I can''t believe them," Yasaka Mashiro said, shaking her head in exasperation. Liu Xing nodded and said, "But the most troublesome thing now is that we''ve lost contact with Watanabe Jiang and Yoh Asakura. Hopefully, they''ve gone straight home. As for Chen Wenbin, Yin En has used his charms, and Miss Sawada Yinyin has promised to bail him out. If all goes well, Chen Wenbin should be released from the police station tonight at the earliest or tomorrow at thetest." Yin En looked at Liu Xing with a wry smile and said, "Hey, hey, Liu Xing, why are you starting to criticize me? But what you said is correct. If everything goes smoothly, Chen Wenbin should be able to leave the police station soon. Initially, I intended for Miss Sawada Yinyin to arrange for someone to convey a message to Chen Wenbin, asking him to try and contact the police chief to seek assistance against the Dark Willow Gang. However, upon reflection, considering Chen Wenbin''s stature, if he spends the night in the detention center, there might be ''countless blooming flowers'' by the time he''s out." Yin En was getting less and less serious. "Let''s head back now; Mian Gu Lu looks like she needs some rest," Liu Xing said, looking at the drowsy Mian Gu Lu. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 209: The Roshomon Gate Chapter 209: The Roshomon Gate When Liu Xing and his group returned home, they received a call from Chen Wenbin. It turned out that Chen Wenbin had been released on bail by the Sawada Family, and he was now on his way back with Yoh Asakura. As for Watanabe Jiang, there was still no word on his whereabouts. Chen Wenbin exined that they had turned off their phones because of Watanabe Jiang''s reckless actions. He promised to share the details when they returned since he was currently using a public phone. After returning home, Yasaka Mashiro took Mian Gu Lu to rest, while Yin En went to watch videos with a memory card. Liu Xing sought out Otonashi Takuya. Otonashi Takuya seemed to already know what Liu Xing wanted to ask, so he took the initiative and said with a smile, "That''s right, I''m Otonashi Takuya, the former Wandering Samurai. But I''d prefer if you called me Otonashi Takuya now." Liu Xing noticed that when Otonashi Takuya mentioned "Otonota," he seemed visibly relieved. It seemed that these past few hundred years of living in anonymity had not been easy. Before Liu Xing could speak, Otonashi Takuya continued, "I know what you want to ask me, Liu Xing. After all, during your live broadcast with Ghoul, or rather my old friend Aoki, yesterday, I already figured out that you knew my true identity. That''s because I had also met that kid, Kuroba Naoki, in the past. Kuroba Naoki learned my real name from me." This happened over a decade ago when Kuroba Naoki had just graduated from high school and went to explore the Kingdom of Tindalos ruins in the undeveloped area. Since the Sawada Family owned all the rights to the undeveloped area, it was surrounded by walls and heavily guarded. Kuroba Naoki had to rest in a small vige near the undeveloped area. Otonashi Takuya, who went by the name Otonashi Takuya at the time, lived in that same vige. Kuroba Naoki happened to stay at Otonashi Takuya''s house. Otonashi Takuya learned that Kuroba Naoki was researching the Kingdom of Tindalos and decided to sell him the oil painting of Mian Gu Lu at a low price. During their conversation, Kuroba Naoki mentioned Sawada Tomohiko, and Otonashi Takuya couldn''t help but reveal some of the past events, including his real name. At this point, Otonashi Takuya lit a cigarette, smiled, and asked Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, have you heard of the story of Roshomon Gate?" Liu Xing nodded. Roshomon Gate was one of the most famous movies in the Ind Nation, adapted from the story by renowned Ind Nation author Akutagawa Ryunosuke. In summary, the story involved a samurai traveling with his wife who was captured and abducted by a bandit in a forest. The samurai''s wife was also dishonored by the bandit, and the samurai died under mysterious circumstances. A few dayster, a woodcutter discovered the samurai''s body in the forest and reported it to the authorities. The authorities quickly apprehended the bandit and summoned the woodcutter, the samurai''s wife, and a priestess who couldmunicate with the samurai''s spirit to investigate. Each of them provided conflicting testimonies to serve their own interests, resulting in four different versions of events. Liu Xing suddenly realized that Sawada Tomohiko''s story had be a Roshomon Gate. Seeing Liu Xing''s realization, Otonashi Takuya smiled again and said, "Liu Xing, let me tell you a story now." Otonashi Takuya was born in Kyoto, the son of a destitute samurai. Despite being skilled in martial arts, he couldn''t find a good future in Kyoto. So, Otonashi Takuya bid farewell to his family and decided to travel, hoping to gain fame and then serve a prominent lord as a samurai. When Otonashi Takuya passed through Ziwu City, he heard rumors of the appearance of demons there. He thought this was his chance to make a name for himself and decided to investigate. However, by the time he reached Ziwu City, Sawada Tomohiko and his team had already eliminated the demons. Initially, Otonashi Takuya nned to leave Ziwu City, but upon hearing about Sawada Tomohiko''s strength, hispetitive spirit was ignited. He sought out Sawada Tomohiko, hoping for a fight. Sawada Tomohiko, full of confidence at the time, naturally didn''t refuse Otonashi Takuya''s challenge. He easily defeated Otonashi Takuya, especially since Sawada Tomohiko was assisted by some divine power at that time. But as they say, heroes respect heroes. Can a mother ship absorb another mother ship? Oops, I''m getting off track with StarCraft... Regardless, Sawada Tomohiko recognized Otonashi Takuya''s potential and invited him to join the Sawada Family''s security team. After considering it, Otonashi Takuya thought it was a good choice and epted Sawada Tomohiko''s invitation. From then on, Otonashi Takuya got to know Aoki, and Fujiwara Gen''in, the Elder Ghoul. They became good friends. One day, Otonashi Takuya received orders from Sawada Tomohiko to go with someborers to an old shrine on the outskirts of Ziwu City. They were tasked with retrieving a deity statue. Upon arriving at the dpidated shrine, Otonashi Takuya had an uneasy feeling, as if something unexpected was about to happen. When theborers were about to carry the deity statue designated by Sawada Tomohiko, sudden heavy rain forced them to take shelter in the shrine. During this time, Otonashi Takuya noticed that Sawada Tomohiko had an expression as if he had known about the rain in advance. After a while, Aoki and Nohara Hiroshi, along with a group of mercenaries, arrived at the shrine. They imed to be sent by Kanna Ryoko. Otonashi Takuya, at this moment, overheard Sawada Tomohiko muttering quietly. Heined about Kanna Ryoko stirring up trouble unnecessarily, while Godless Priest argued that Kanna Ryoko was concerned for their safety, especially since Sawada Tomohiko hadn''t brought hisrge sword with him today. Speaking of thatrge sword, Sawada Tomohiko had also felt there was something peculiar about it. Whenever he wielded that sword, it was as if he became a different person. The originally gentle Sawada Tomohiko turned fierce and belligerent. That''s why Godless Priest had insisted that Sawada Tomohiko keep the sword locked away during peaceful times and only use ordinary weapons when practicing martial arts or sparring with Otonashi Takuya. Due to the torrential rain, the ground had be muddy, and there was a risk of an ident during the transportation of the deity statue. Therefore, they had no choice but to take shelter in the shrine. As the night progressed, the rain showed no sign of stopping, forcing Sawada Tomohiko to announce that they would spend the night in the shrine. As Sawada Tomohiko''s chief bodyguard, Otonashi Takuya naturally stayed in a room adjacent to Sawada Tomohiko''s. Since the soundproofing in the shrine''s guest quarters was poor, Otonashi Takuya could overhear the conversation between Sawada Tomohiko and Godless Priest. In essence, Sawada Tomohiko wasining about the heavy rain because he didn''t want to stay in the shrine any longer. Otonashi Takuya could sense a hint of fear in Sawada Tomohiko''s tone. However, with Godless Priest''s soothing words, Sawada Tomohiko regained hisposure and began to rest. Otonashi Takuya had some doubts, but he couldn''t approach Sawada Tomohiko for questions, so he chose to rest as well. In the middle of the night, Otonashi Takuya was awakened by amotion. When he opened the door, he saw Aoki and No Hara Hiroshi in a panic, and the main shrine was engulfed in a green glow. Confused, Otonashi Takuya learned from Aoki that Sawada Tomohiko and Godless Priest were trapped inside the main shrine. Otonashi Takuya decided to attack the nearly tangible green light with a weapon. However, before Otonashi Takuya could act, Sawada Tomohiko''srge sword flew through the air and hovered above the main shrine for a moment before flying eastward. Realizing the danger, Otonashi Takuya exchanged nces with Aoki and No Hara Hiroshi and decided to follow the sword''s trail. The sword was just too bizarre. So, Otonashi Takuya braved the heavy rain, and the sword in the sky seemed to be aware of his pursuit, always staying within his line of sight. This made Otonashi Takuya increasingly uneasy; the sword was undeniably supernatural. Before long, the sword suddenly elerated and darted into arge mansion! Yes, in the middle of nowhere, there was a mansion, and rednterns hung outside. Despite the torrential rain, thenterns emitted a blood-red glow. After a moment of contemtion, Otonashi Takuya decided to enter the mansion cautiously. After all, when things turned unusual, there had to be something extraordinary at y. Although he was scared, curiosity could be as deadly as a cat''s curiosity. So, Otonashi Takuya entered the mansion carefully. Inside the mansion, he saw the same sword, stuck at the entrance of the main hall. The main hall was brightly lit, and figures moved about. Otonashi Takuya realized the situation was dire, feeling that entering the main hall would be a certain death. He turned to leave the mansion but, in the blink of an eye, the door automatically closed behind him without any wind. Then, to his shock, the door turned into a wall, and the wall seemed toe to life, twisting and extending gray tentacles that writhed, blocking Otonashi Takuya''s escape route. Otonashi Takuya knew he had to go into the main hall, even if it meant walking into certain doom. Approaching the main hall''s door, he heard strange sounds emanating from within. These sounds bewildered him, and his head began to spin. After some time, when he regained his senses, he found that it was still dark outside, the rain hadn''t stopped, and the main hall, which had been bustling with activity earlier, was now silent. Therge sword that had been at the entrance was gone. Turning back, Otonashi Takuya saw the tentacles on the wall still swaying. He took a deep breath and pushed open the main hall''s door. Steeling himself, Otonashi Takuya stepped into the main hall and saw the sword, nted firmly at the entrance. In the well-lit main hall, there was a woman of extraordinary beauty, her face concealed by a fan. Even with most of her face obscured, Otonashi Takuya was sure she was a breathtaking beauty. At this point, Liu Xing, hearing the story, had given up onmenting. It seemed like this scenario was the work of Nyathotep, as the concealed woman was indeed Swollen Woman, one of Nyathotep''s avatars! Swollen Woman appeared to be a young girl hiding behind a fan, but her true form behind the fan was a monstrous humanoid creature with tentacles that fed on brains. What puzzled Liu Xing, though, was that ording to the setting, Swollen Woman was supposed to be active in the Shanghai of the Republic of China era. How did she suddenly appear in the Ind Nation? After praising Swollen Woman''s beauty, Otonashi Takuya finally broached the subject of why he had survived until now. Swollen Woman told Otonashi Takuya that the world would face destruction hundreds of years in the future, and it needed a hero to save it. Initially, she had chosen Sawada Tomohiko, but he had forgotten his true purpose after gaining power. So, Swollen Woman decided to abandon Sawada Tomohiko and make Otonashi Takuya the hero who would save the world. She pointed to therge sword and said that if Otonashi Takuya picked it up, he would gain even greater power than Sawada Tomohiko and be virtually immortal. After saving the world, Otonashi Takuya would ascend to godhood. However, Otonashi Takuya, though bewildered, had not lost his sanity. Aoki had previously informed him about Sawada Tomohiko''s acquisition of the sword, so Otonashi Takuya realized that taking up the sword would be more of a curse than a blessing. He firmly refused Swollen Woman''s offer. Swollen Woman seemed to have anticipated Otonashi Takuya''s choice and merely shook her head, informing him that he would still be the one tasked with saving the world, even without the sword. Then, in an instant, the entire mansion disappeared, leaving behind only the sword. As the rain cleared and Otonashi Takuya examined his newfound powers, he realized he had incredible strength and rapid healing abilities. He could easily knock downrge trees with a single punch, and even injuries that would have been severe before were now healing almost instantly. After studying his powers, Otonashi Takuya remembered that he had to return to the shrine. However, when he attempted to retrieve the sword to return it to Sawada Tomohiko, he found that it wouldn''t budge, no matter how hard he tried. So, he reluctantly buried the sword in the ground and marked the location before heading back to the shrine. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 210: Watanabe Jiang, Falling (A Fusion of Sorts) Chapter 210: Watanabe Jiang, Falling (A Fusion of Sorts) Fortunately, Otonashi Takuya''s navigation skills were top-notch, allowing him to quickly retrace his steps and return to that dpidated shrine... now in ruins! Observing the remnants of the shrine, Otonashi Takuya noticed traces left behind by Aoki''s group, leading him to believe that they had sessfully rescued Sawada Tomohiko and the Godless Priest. Consequently, he decided to head back to Ziwu City directly. Upon his return to Ziwu City, Otonashi Takuya sensed that something was amiss in the atmosphere. He decided to disguise himself and discreetly gather information within the city. It was there that he learned the grim truth: Sawada Tomohiko and the Godless Priest had been murdered by Aoki''s group, who had subsequently faced divine retribution at the hands of Kanna Ryoko, leaving them obliterated. Otonashi Takuya quickly realized that he had unwittingly be entangled in a massive conspiracy. In haste, he chose to leave Ziwu City and seek refuge in his hometown of Kyoto. However, shortly after departing Ziwu City, Otonashi Takuya discovered himself trapped within an invisible barrier, preventing him from leaving the confines of the Ziwu City Library. In his despair, Otonashi Takuya had no choice but to assume a new identity and take shelter near the buried great sword. Over time, Otonashi Takuya realized that his appearance and physical abilities remained unchanged, as if his body had be immortalized. And so, Otonashi Takuya led a low-profile life for centuries. One day, not long before the first sighting of the Killer Demon, Otonashi Takuya witnessed the great sword he had guarded for centuries soaring through the air, heading straight for the undeveloped area that once housed the Elder Gods'' shrine. Otonashi Takuya knew that Tsutomi Tomohiko had most likely been resurrected. This event reminded Otonashi Takuya of that rainy night and the words spoken to him by the girl with a fan. It became clear to him that the apocalypse was imminent. With this realization, Otonashi Takuya assumed the identity of an orphan and entered the Ziwu City Grand Hotel. He began investigating the circumstances surrounding Sawada Tomohiko and the impending apocalypse. When Otonashi Takuya learned that Mian Gu Lu might be possessed by the Eldritch God Taketori, he understood that the end of the world referred to Taketori''s arrival. "Alright, that''s the extent of my story. Although I didn''t ept the power from the girl with the fan, I still want to protect this world." Otonashi Takuya confided all the hidden burdens he had carried for centuries, and Liu Xing could sense his relief. Liu Xing, however, found himself feeling somewhat uneasy. It seemed he had an uncanny connection with Nyathotep. In the previous module, he had encountered Nyathotep''s incarnation, Aughra, and now, he had encountered Nyathotep''s other incarnation, the Swollen Maiden. Liu Xing suspected that sooner orter, he would encounter Nyathotep in its true form. "By the way, Otonashi, how did youe into possession of that oil painting?" Liu Xing inquired with curiosity. Otonashi Takuya pondered for a moment before responding, "I found that oil painting in a relic beneath the current Ziwu City airport, located within the Kingdom of Tindalos. One day, I ventured inside for a look around, and strangely enough, when Iid eyes on that painting, I felt an inexplicable urge to take it with me. Moreover, when faced with Kuroba Naoki, I sensed an overwhelming need to sell it to him. So, I believe there''s something amiss with that painting. Now, in hindsight, I believe I fell victim to King Tindalos'' scheme." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. It indeed seemed to be a trap set by King Tindalos, utilizing Otonashi Takuya to deliver the painting to Kuroba Naoki, who would then guide the yers. "Alright, that''s all the information I have. I must warn you, Liu Xing, that Kanna Ryoko is a highly suspicious individual. I still can''t fathom why she cursed Aoki''s group without giving them any chance to exin themselves. Most importantly, ording to my observations, Kanna Ryoko has not left the Godless Shrine since Sawada Tomohiko''s incident," Otonashi Takuya earnestly revealed. Frowning, Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Initially, when he encountered Kanna Ryoko, he thought she might be a distant but well-intentioned NPC. However, given the growing list of dark deeds associated with Kanna Ryoko, his perspective had shifted. "Well then, I believe Aoki''s group would like to meet with me," Otonashi Takuya said casually. Liu Xing nodded and shared the time and location for their meeting with Aoki''s group. "Okay, I''ll go meet some old friends tonight. You guys take care of Mian Gu Lu. Oh, and I have something for you," Otonashi Takuya said as he rose and retrieved a palm-sized stone tablet from his motorcycle. "What is this?" Liu Xing asked, perplexed. Otonashi Takuya shook his head and exined, "I don''t know exactly what it is, but I found this artifact in a relic beneath the Kingdom of Tindalos. I''ve carried it with me all this time because I felt it might be important. Now, I believe you might need it more than I do." With that, Otonashi Takuya handed the stone tablet to Liu Xing. Liu Xing took the stone tablet from Otonashi Takuya''s hand and immediately noticed its extraordinary density. It was about the size of a palm and only about one centimeter thick, yet it weighed as much as ten pounds. What intrigued Liu Xing even more were the intricate inscriptions on the tablet, a script he had never encountered before. Although he couldn''t decipher their meaning, his instincts told him that this stone tablet might be some sort of signal generator, designed to manipte Otonashi Takuya into delivering the oil painting to Kuroba Naoki. After all, the Yis People were a technologically advanced race, and they preferred technology to solve problems whenever possible, relying less on magic. Otonashi Takuya, blessed by Nyathotep, should possess enhanced physical and mental capabilities, making him resistant to ordinary spells. However, this stone tablet, if it were a continuous hypnotic signal generator, could keep Otonashi Takuya under its influence,pelling him to act in ordance with King Tindalos'' will. Now, it seemed that Otonashi Takuya had unintentionally passed this predicament on to Liu Xing. Realizing this, Liu Xing felt as though he had inherited a hot potato. However, he quickly considered that these suspicions might be mere paranoia, so he forced a smile and tucked the stone tablet into his pocket. After chatting with Otonashi Takuya for a while, Liu Xing decided to head upstairs to see what Gu Jun was up to. Just then, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke up, "Hehe, congrattions to the yer Watanabe Jiang for sessfully dropping out." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Watanabe Jiang had dropped out at this moment?! KP Li Shunchan continued, "I''m sure all the yers are very curious about how Watanabe Jiang dropped out. If you want to know, you can contact me for a private session." Liu Xing promptly contacted KP Li Shunchan and initiated the lucky roll. Liu Xing, 29/80, seeded. "Hehe, Liu Xing, you can now turn on the television," KP Li Shunchan said with a grin. Liu Xing went to the living room and turned on the TV. It was currently broadcasting Ziwu City news, but after a few seconds, the screen transitioned to an urgent news report. In essence, it was about a fugitive who had entered the Ziwu City Public Hospital with a firearm and was apprehended outside the hospital director''s office by security. Subsequently, the fugitive was taken directly to the superior county of Voidville, where they were incarcerated pending judgment. It was evident that the fugitive in question was Watanabe Jiang, and since he had been sent to Voidville directly, he had effectively dropped out. Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel exasperated. After leaving Unseen Pond, why had Watanabe Jiang chosen to enter the Ziwu City Public Hospital? Moreover, he had even brandished a gun, leading to his exposure and subsequent identification as a fugitive. Liu Xing was certain that initially, Watanabe Jiang had been discovered for some minor infraction, likely resulting in his expulsion from the hospital. However, he must have done something foolish to expose his possession of a firearm, leading to his arrest as a fugitive. Since Watanabe Jiang had dropped out, Liu Xing and his group had no way to rescue him, so they could onlyment his misfortune. At this moment, Yin En also came downstairs, holding a phone and saying, "Liu Xing, did you know? Watanabe Jiang got caught!" Liu Xing sighed in resignation, pointing at the television. "Of course, I know. It was just reported on TV. Now, all we can do is dedicate a song to Watanabe Jiang." Yin En nodded and added, "Right, if Watanabe Jiang is still in Ziwu City, we might be able to seek help from the Sawada Family to get him out." After a while, Chen Wenbin and Yoh Asakura returned home. They had also learned about how Watanabe Jiang had dropped out. After a brief discussion, they decided to overlook the matter. Then, Yin En yed the videos from the memory card. Of course, they fast-forwarded through the content rted to Tennoji Sohide''s pedophilia and focused on Honda Koichi''s experiments. "I see. No wonder the Dark Willow Gang was so determined to capture Mian Gu Lu. They wanted to use Eldritch God Taketori''s blood to grant Hisanobu Ito immortality," Chen Wenbin eximed in surprise. Otonashi Takuya, who had been quiet until now, chimed in, "I know this guy, Honda Koichi. He was obsessed with various mythological legends. I never expected him to discover the existence of Mian Gu Lu." Otonashi Takuya''s revtion stunned everyone except Liu Xing, as they hadn''t expected Otonashi Takuya to be acquainted with Honda Koichi. Liu Xing summarized what Otonashi Takuya had just shared with him, leaving the others in astonishment. "I never realized you had such hidden depths, Otonashi Takuya. Impressive," Yin En said with a smile. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 211: Swollen Woman Chapter 211: Swollen Woman "Yes, now that I know your origins, Otonashi Takuya, I feel even more relieved. With you here, even if Mikageichies to cause trouble, it''s unlikely to end well for them," Gu Jun chuckled. Otonashi Takuya felt a bit embarrassed by Yin En and Gu Jun''s praise. He touched his head and said with a smile, "Oh, it''s nothing. My current strength is just average. The main issue is that I don''t have suitable weapons. After my body was enhanced, those old weapons feel too light. I''d rather fight barehanded." Liu Xing nodded in understanding. He knew that power-type warriors like Xiang Yu and Lu Bu preferred heavy weapons because lighter ones couldn''t fully utilize their strength. Looking at Otonashi Takuya''s current physique, it was evident that he used to be a skilled warrior who focused on technique, as his body wasn''t much different from an ordinary person''s. However, with his current enhanced strength, using his old weapons would result in excessive force, limiting his true potential. Back in the day, Otonashi Takuya had chosen to live in obscurity and adopted a low profile, mainly due to concerns that Kanna Ryoko mighte looking for trouble. Additionally, he couldn''t leave Ziwu City, so he couldn''t acquire a suitable weapon. Moreover, the weapons he used in the past were likely of ordinary quality and had probably worn out long ago. That''s why Otonashi Takuya had transitioned into a barehandedbat style. Liu Xing shifted his gaze to Yin En, who understood Liu Xing''s intention he wanted Yin En to provide Otonashi Takuya with a suitable weapon. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, a good weapon could significantly enhance one''s damage output. For example, Killer Demon''srge sword provided a whopping 10 points of fixed damage, meaning that Killer Demon could potentially defeat Liu Xing with a single sessful attack. Therefore, to equip Otonashi Takuya as the strongestbat asset, Yin En had to step in again and "seduce" a suitable weapon from the Sawada Family. With this in mind, Yin En smiled and asked, "Otonashi, do you have any specific requirements for a weapon now? If they aren''t too demanding, I should be able to procure a suitable weapon from the Sawada Family." Even though Otonashi Takuya''s current circumstances werergely due to the actions of the Sawada Family, he didn''t hold any grudges against them. He believed that the Sawada Family was also a victim. After all, Sawada Tomohiko and Godless Priest had died under mysterious circumstances, and Kanna Ryoko''s abnormal behavior made Otonashi Takuya think that he had been caught up in a chaotic situation. Now, after learning about Mian Gu Lu and Eldritch God Taketori''s involvement, Otonashi Takuya finally understood why he had be what he was now. It was all to protect Mian Gu Lu? To be honest, Otonashi Takuya felt a bit mentally unsettled at the moment. After hiding his identity for centuries and waiting for answers about the events from the past, he had finally learned the truth all to protect a girl possessed by Eldritch God Taketori? Suddenly, Otonashi Takuya remembered the words of the fan-wielding woman from the past, who had told him that he needed to protect the world. Killing Mian Gu Lu now would likely eliminate Eldritch God Taketori, right? Liu Xing, sitting next to Otonashi Takuya, noticed his sudden change in expression and gaze towards Mian Gu Lu, which had turned hostile. Liu Xing realized that Otonashi Takuya might be struggling with some mental turmoil, as his thoughts seemed jumbled. Thinking quickly, Liu Xing contacted KP Li Shunchan, saying, "KP, I want to perform psychoanalysis on Otonashi Takuya right now!" Psychoanalysis was one of Liu Xing''s hidden skills, which he had used only once in many Cthulhu RPG Games, and that had been on himself. Unexpectedly, it was nowing in handy. "Well, using psychoanalysis now should be fine, but because Otonashi Takuya is a superhuman, your sess rate will decrease by 10," KP Li Shunchan replied after considering for a moment. Liu Xing rolled the dice, 12/60 (70), and seeded. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief; his luck hadn''t let him down. "Alright, Liu Xing, you''ve noticed that Otonashi Takuya''s mental state isn''t right, as if he''s been hypnotized. You also realize that if you don''t help him snap out of this trance, he might go berserk suddenly. So, you start providing psychological counseling to Otonashi Takuya,sting for two minutes. The system will now guide you automatically," KP Li Shunchan said as Liu Xing began speaking involuntarily to Otonashi Takuya. Others also noticed Otonashi Takuya''s unusual state after Liu Xing''s psychoanalysis. They realized that only Liu Xing knew the results, and now he seemed to be in a state of "no control," so they couldn''t be sure if everything was fine. Yasaka Mashiro led Mian Gu Lu, who appeared absent-minded, a few steps backward, while Yin En and Yoh Asakura instinctively protected Mian Gu Lu on both sides. As for Chen Wenbin, he moved closer, ready to continue psychoanalysis if Liu Xing''s attempt failed. However, two minutester, when they saw Otonashi Takuya return to a calm state, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if Otonashi Takuya had gone berserk, there was a good chance that they wouldn''t be able to handle him. Following Liu Xing''s psychoanalysis, Otonashi Takuya wiped the sweat from his forehead and began to regret his earlier thoughts. He couldn''t understand why he had harbored such violent intentions towards Mian Gu Lu just moments ago. "Otonashi, are you okay now?" Chen Wenbin asked hesitantly. Otonashi Takuya nodded, feeling a bit frustrated. He replied, "Yes, I''m fine now. I don''t know what came over me earlier. I suddenly had violent thoughts about Mian Gu Lu. If it weren''t for Liu Xing stopping me in time, I might have harmed her." Upon hearing Otonashi Takuya''s words, Liu Xing suddenly considered a possibility. It seemed that Otonashi Takuya had been manipted by the Swollen Woman. After all, Swollen Woman from the past had wanted Otonashi Takuya to "protect" the world. Now, with Eldritch God Taketori within Mian Gu Lu, killing Mian Gu Lu would theoretically eliminate Eldritch God Taketori. So, Swollen Woman''s mention of "protecting" the world might have been a subtle suggestion for Otonashi Takuya to kill Mian Gu Lu. However, it was worth noting that as an incarnation of Nyathotep, Swollen Woman probably didn''t care about the world''s fate or humanity''s survival. To her, humans were mostly useful for their sanitygood food, in other words. Liu Xing believed that Swollen Woman might have wanted to use Otonashi Takuya to kill Eldritch God Taketori. However, it seemed that the situation had changed, as Liu Xing had easily dispelled the hypnotic influence on Otonashi Takuya. This suggested that Swollen Woman might not be verymitted to killing Eldritch God Taketori. Moreover, King Tindalos was also working to protect Mian Gu Lu and eliminate Eldritch God Taketori. Those Demons from the past were most likely pawns arranged by King Tindalos, ensuring that both Sawada Tomohiko and Otonashi Takuya gained immense power and survived until this era to protect Mian Gu Lu. Something didn''t quite add up. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing that the situation was moreplex than it seemed. There were two possible scenarios. First, King Tindalos might not have originally nned to manipte Swollen Woman. Instead, Swollen Woman could have intervened upon learning of King Tindalos''s n. After all, Sawada Tomohiko initially worshipped Sulu, a possible incarnation of Cthulhu, which Nyathotep wouldn''t want to ignore. Swollen Woman might have taken action after learning of King Tindalos''s n, causing Sawada Tomohiko''s transformation into Killer Demon and orchestrating events to curse Aoki and others into bing Ghouls, all to disrupt King Tindalos''s ns and make things more "interesting." The other possibility was that the so-called Sulu was actually a creation of Nyathotep in the name of Cthulhu. Considering the Cthulhu Mythos, Cthulhu was still in slumber, influencing humans through psychic waves but notmunicating with them. Cthulhu was indifferent even to its own worshippers and kin. Therefore, it was unlikely for Cthulhu to establish its own faith. However, Nyathotep, who enjoyed causing chaos, might do it out of boredom. Liu Xing believed that Nyathotep or Swollen Woman, who had created the Sulu faith, wanted to witness an intriguing drama. This led to the current situation where different factions were vying for control over Mian Gu Lu. Liu Xing also remembered a peculiar Taoist from the Harvest Festival module who had entered the mirror world of R''lyeh. At the time, Liu Xing had considered the Taoist to be either an incarnation of Cthulhu or Nyathotep. Now, upon reflection, it seemed more likely to be thetter. Suddenly, Gu Jun made a shocking revtion, saying, "If everything goes as expected, Otonashi, you must have received the blessing or curse of Swollen Woman. That''s why you''ve be immortal and had your body enhanced." Everyone looked at Gu Jun with astonishment. They hadn''t expected "Gu Jun" to know about Swollen Woman! As an incarnation of Nyathotep, "Gu Jun" belonged to one of the older entities in the Mythos and might be mentioned in certain texts or writings. yers could acquire knowledge about "ck Pharaoh" through these texts. However, beings like Aughra and Swollen Woman, who were active in modern times, wouldn''t typically be documented in books or newspapers. After all, it wasn''t feasible to organize a nationwide sanity-reducing event. Even the most knowledgeable ultists, who gained their Cthulhu Mythos knowledge through various means, either through hearsay or direct encounters with beings like Aughra or Swollen Woman, wouldn''t typically find information about them in conventional literature. Curious, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask, "Gu Jun, what do you mean by Swollen Woman?" Gu Jun sighed and took out a ck wallet from his pocket. He then retrieved a small piece of paper from the wallet, which turned out to be an old-fashioned movie ticket with the title "Shanghai Beach" printed on it. "I became an ultist because of this movie ticket. I had just graduated from high school and was a fan of supernatural horror novels, so I liked visiting the mysterious ces that were shared online. One day, I came across a post about a paranormal movie theater near my hometown, where audiences often mysteriously disappeared after watching a particr film." "At the time, I gathered three close friends, and we went to that eerie movie theater to watch a film. The movie we watched was ''Shanghai Beach,'' not the famous TV series but a story about a dancing girl. And that dancing girl was Swollen Woman." "I remember that day vividly. There were around ten spectators in the theater. As the movie started, my three friends and I blinked our eyes, and suddenly, we were inside the movie, facing Swollen Woman. She kept her face hidden behind a fan and initially offered us assistance." "During the movie, we were attacked by Deep Ones. Two of my friends died in the process. I and the remaining friend returned to Swollen Woman, seeking her help once more. But then, she suddenly lowered her fan, revealing her true form. Swollen Woman was indeed swollen, and my friend had no chance to resist. She effortlessly caught him and pierced his head with her ws, consuming his brain effortlessly." "For some reason, Swollen Woman decided to spare my life, and she even gave me a book called ''Shanghai Beach Chronicles.'' She sent me back to reality. It was only then that I realized my three friends had disappeared, or rather, they had died in the movie. After reading ''Shanghai Beach Chronicles,'' I decided to be an ultist." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 212: Discussion and Recap Chapter 212: Discussion and Recap "The author of ''Shanghai Beach Chronicles,'' mentioned in Chapter 211, remains unidentified. However, based on the narrative style, it appears that the author was a returned overseas Chinese, and had encountered some mythical creatures abroad. The reason for their return to Shanghai Beach was to meet the Swollen Woman." "The first sighting of the Swollen Woman urred during the First Opium War when the British Army upied Guangzhou. A small group of soldiers mysteriously disappeared within the city. At the time, an Army Chain suspected that these disappearances were rted to mythical creatures. He requested the British Army''s highmand to abandon the investigation, as dealing with mythical creatures was no easy task." "However, the British Army''s highmand, having defeated the inept Qing Army, grew overconfident and believed that mythical creatures in China were as feeble as the Qing Army. They dispatched a team of soldiers to investigate. In an abandoned old mansion within the city, the British Army''s highmand found the bodies of the missing soldiers. Their deaths were gruesome, with holes drilled into their heads, leaving their brainspletely consumed." "At this point, the British Army''s highmand started to panic. They remembered the descriptions of the mythical creature from the Army Chain, realizing how terrifying these creatures were. The creature, which fed on brain matter, reminded them of Western vampires. Consequently, the British Army''s highmand decided to retreat, nning to clean up the bodies of the missing soldiers and abandon the investigation." "But at that moment, the doors and windows of the old mansion closed on their own, and the Swollen Woman, holding a fan, appeared inside. The British Army''s highmand sensed that something was amiss and ordered the soldiers to attack the Swollen Woman. After a volley of gunfire, the Swollen Woman remained unharmed and leisurely approached." "Then, when she drew near, the Swollen Woman dropped her fan and revealed her true forma corpulent humanoid creature with tentacles. In an instant, she grabbed a British Army soldier with her tentacles, ignoring the attacks of the others. She gruesomely crushed the soldier''s head and devoured his brain,pletely unfazed." "Witnessing this, the other British Army soldiers almost instantly lost their sanity. They were helplessly devoured, one by one, likembs to the ughter. However, the British Army''s highmand, an experienced veteran, still retained some resistance. He sought an opportunity to harm the Swollen Woman, searching for a glimmer of hope." "Yet, the British Army''s highmand discovered that even at point-nk range, shooting the Swollen Woman in the eye did no harm. She continued to consume brains, seemingly impervious. So, the British Army''s highmand had no choice but to await his fate. When only the British Army''s highmand and one soldier remained, the Swollen Woman suddenly ceased her actions." "The Swollen Woman let out a satisfied belch and spoke. She had eaten her fill for the day and had no interest in further violence. With a wave of her fan, she vanished into the darkness. The British Army''s highmand and the remaining soldier immediately left the mansion. The British Army''s highmand decided to return to Ennd, vowing never to set foot in China again. He recounted his experiences to the author of ''Shanghai Beach Chronicles,'' who was a student of an ultist. This ultist identified the creature as the Swollen Woman." "When the author of ''Shanghai Beach Chronicles'' decided to return to China, the ultist shared the story of the Swollen Woman. The author then went to investigate in Guangzhou but found that the Swollen Woman had disappeared after the British Army''s disappearances. Frustrated, the author turned to his hometown, Shanghai." "Shortly after returning to Shanghai, the author heard of a new series of disappearances. The victims mysteriously vanished at night, and their bodies reappeared three dayster at the entrance of a church, in a state simr to the British Army soldiers from years ago. The author realized that the Swollen Woman had somehow left Guangzhou and arrived in Shanghai." "Subsequently, the author embarked on a dangerous quest, investigating various mythical creatures in Shanghai Beach. He discovered ghouls disguised as humans, small fishing viges around Shanghai trading with Deep Ones, and cultists enving Byakhee. Ultimately, the author received information that the Swollen Woman had taken on the guise of a dancer. However, ''Shanghai Beach Chronicles'' abruptly ends here. It is evident that the Swollen Woman eliminated the author, but for unknown reasons, she preserved ''Shanghai Beach Chronicles'' and handed it to me." After Gu Jun finished recounting the story of the Swollen Woman, Liu Xing suddenly realized a problem. Gu Jun had shared so much information about the Swollen Woman; it should have triggered a sanity check. "Alright, yer Gu Jun has sessfully triggered a sanity check. Now, I will determine how much SAN value each yer loses and how much Cthulhu Mythos knowledge they gain based on their respective values," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. Subsequently, KP Li Shunchan privately contacted Liu Xing. "Liu Xing, you can now undergo a sessful sanity check, reducing your SAN value by 1 point if sessful, or 1d3 points if failed." Liu Xing: 14/76, Sess. "Good luck! Liu Xing, you lose 1 point of SAN value and gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, along with some information about the Swollen Woman," KP Li Shunchan said and then turned his attention to the other yers. After a while, everyonepleted their sanity checks, and Liu Xing could see from their expressions that Chen Wenbin and Yin En had lost a significant amount of SAN value. "I see. But, Gu Jun, the Swollen Woman you encountered in the movie should probably be just a projection. After all, the Swollen Woman that Otonashi Takuya encountered could be considered a deity, while the one you encountered was more like a monster. And when Otonashi Takuya met the Swollen Woman, the movie hadn''t even been created yet, so her power shouldn''t have declined over time," Yin En analyzed seriously. Gu Jun chuckled and nodded, saying, "Yin En, you''re right. I also believe that the Swollen Woman I encountered was just a projection. ording to the other information I found, the Swollen Woman has been active in the China region for a long time and even worshipped in some ces as a deity. This suggests her formidable power. However, she prefers to stay in populous cities, so with changing times, the Swollen Woman has moved to different cities. The most recent location I could find her activity was during the 2008 Beijing Olympics." Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said, somewhat perplexed, "But speaking of which, wasn''t the Swollen Woman always active in the China region? How did she suddenly appear in the Ind Nation hundreds of years ago? What''s the exnation for this?" Gu Jun smiled and took out Kuroba Naoki''s notebook, exining, "Initially, I didn''t fully understand this either. However, I just read Kuroba Naoki''s notebook, and I think I''ve figured out why. In simple terms, Otonashi Takuya entered a transdimensional portal during that heavy rain and arrived directly from the Ind Nation to the China region. If I''m not mistaken, the mansion you entered on that rainy night should have had a more pronounced Chinese style." Otonashi Takuya furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and then nodded seriously, saying, "Gu Jun, I hadn''t paid attention to that, but you''re right. The mansion I entered that night indeed had a strong Chinese architectural influence and didn''t resemble the mansions in the Ind Nation." Gu Jun nodded in agreement and continued, "ording to Kuroba Naoki''s notebook, he had a theory about the Kingdom of Tindalos. He believed that the Kingdom of Tindalos possessed space-time jump technology. ording to some ancient folklore, King Tindalos could cast a spell allowing his forces to teleport from the enemy''s front to their rear. Many important buildings in the Kingdom of Tindalos had unique golden arches, with reliefs above them featuring strange symbols. Based on research by a general whoter conquered the Kingdom of Tindalos, these golden arches seemed to be teleportation gates that allowed people to move freely within these buildings. Unfortunately, these golden arches seemed tock a central gemstone as a power source, and when King Tindalos disappeared, these gemstones vanished as well." Yin En eximed, "Wow, King Tindalos must have been incredibly powerful to possess space-time jump technology." Chen Wenbin, on the other hand, seemed less surprised and said with a smile, "If King Tindalos belonged to Yis People, it''s entirely possible. Yis People had advanced technology. When I was possessed by Yis People, I witnessed their advanced technology. Yis People could use a remote-like device to instantly move to any location on a in less than a second." Gu Jun added, "You''re correct. Many powerful wizards are known to possess a spell called ''Gate of Time and Space,'' which allows them to open a doorway and quickly move from one ce to another. Swollen Woman, as a powerful mythical creature, likely possesses this spell. So, it''s highly likely that when Otonashi Takuya entered the mansion during that heavy rain, he unwittingly entered the Gate of Time and Space opened by the Swollen Woman, which transported him from the Ind Nation to China." Otonashi Takuya suddenly realized and said, "I see. That''s why the mansion I entered disappeared without a trace. It never existed in that location." Chen Wenbin, feeling a bit embarrassed, shook his head and said, "Alright, alright, my mistake." Gu Jun intervened to steer the conversation back on track, saying, "Well, let''s get back to the main point. Sawada Tomohiko''s resurrection as the Killer Demon was most likely orchestrated by the Swollen Woman herself. So, I believe the Swollen Woman is aware of King Tindalos''s n and is intentionally causing chaos." Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "Sawada Tomohiko''s death back then was almost certainly nned by the Swollen Woman because only when Sawada Tomohiko died did Kanna Ryoko turn Aoki and others into Ghouls, and you, Otonashi Takuya, also became what you are now. Subsequently, as Ghoul Honda Koichi defected and joined forces with the Dark Willow Gang, it gave the Dark Willow Gang a reason to vie for Mian Gu Lu. Now, with Sawada Tomohiko''s return, Kanna Ryoko and you, along with Aoki and other Ghouls, are forced to get involved in this turmoil." Yasaka Mashiro, who had been quiet, chimed in, "So, does this mean that the Swollen Woman will personally appear in a few days?" [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 213: Fed Dog Food Chapter 213: Fed Dog Food When Yasaka Mashiro spoke those words, silence descended upon the group. If Swollen Woman were to make an appearance, the storyline would take an interesting turn. However, all in all, it could be beneficial for the yers because Swollen Woman''s intervention would greatly increase the chances of resolving the Eldritch God Taketori. Of course, there was also the possibility that Swollen Woman''s malicious tendencies might re up, leading to the yers'' demise. But based on Liu Xing''s years of experience running Cthulhu campaigns (from the sidelines), releasing Nyathotep at the very end of the module usually indicated that the game master was ready to give the yers a helping hand. This involved allowing the yers to utilize Nyathotep''s power toplete their mission. However, the yers would most likely have to undergo a Sanity check, and one or two unlucky ones might even meet their doom. "I don''t think Swollen Woman will show up," Gu Jun bluntly stated, hitting the nail on the head. "After all, Swollen Woman''s activities are confined to China. It''s highly unlikely she would transport all of us to China." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and said, "Well, let''s not rely on Swollen Woman suddenlying to our aid. We should focus on dealing with the Dark Willow Gang in reality. With the Sawada Family and the Ghouls'' assistance, we''ve narrowed the gap between the two sides. Theoretically, we have a chance if we engage in covertbat. We shouldn''t just passively take hits. Plus, with the video regarding Tennoji Sohide, we don''t have to worry about the Dark Willow Gang trying any tricks openly." Yin En nodded in agreement and produced a gilded invitation. "I obtained an invitation to a spa from Sawada Yinyin. It allows two people to enter the spa. I n to visit the spa tomorrow. Who wants to join me?" "How about I take Mian Gu Lu with you to the spa? Mian Gu Lu''s current physical condition isn''t great, and I think some time at the spa might help. Even though it''s Dark Willow Gang''s property, there are many people there, and Dark Willow Gang probably won''t act openly in broad daylight," Yasaka Mashiro proposed boldly. Chen Wenbin, standing nearby, expressed some concern as he shook his head. "This seems too risky. As you said, the spa belongs to the Dark Willow Gang. Even if they don''t take action at the spa, they might intercept you on the way. Then you three would be left defenseless, and escaping Dark Willow Gang won''t be easy." Yin En stepped forward to counter Chen Wenbin''s argument. "I think it''s doable. The spa is right next to the vi area, and the Sawada Family lives there. I originally nned to visit my father-inw after leaving the spa, so I can take Mian Gu Lu and seek assistance from the Sawada Family." After some discussion, it was decided that Yin En would take Mian Gu Lu and Yasaka Mashiro to the spa and then meet Sawada Yinyin''s father. Meanwhile, Gu Jun nned to go solo and visit Ziwu City Library to find Kuroba Naoki. Kuroba Naoki''s notes had provided him with valuable insights, but there were still some points that Gu Jun hadn''t rified. Therefore, he intended to have a thorough conversation with Kuroba Naoki. As for the others, they hadn''t yet decided what they would do the next day. Most of the locations had already been explored, and the avable information had been gathered. The remaining locations were potentially dangerous, including Ziwu City Government Building, Dark Willow Gang''s constructionpany, the undeveloped area where Killer Demon might be hiding, and the police station. Thinking about the police station, Liu Xing was curious and asked, "By the way, Chen Wenbin, why did you set fire to Unseen Pond today? And why are your phones all turned off?" Chen Wenbin raised an eyebrow, sighed in exasperation, and exined, "me it on Watanabe Jiang, that idiot. When we arrived at Unseen Pond today, we saw your car first. So, we left you a note and our phones and went straight to Unseen Pond. What we didn''t expect was to find Kanna Ryoko sitting in the pavilion by Unseen Pond. We decided to approach her." "Wait, you''re saying Kanna Ryoko was at the pavilion by Unseen Pond? Are you sure you didn''t mistake someone else for her?" Otonashi Takuya suddenly interjected. Chen Wenbin nodded affirmatively and continued, "Yes, we''re sure it was her. From Kanna Ryoko''s demeanor and appearance, it matched exactly what Yin En and Liu Xing described a few days ago. What''s more, Watanabe Jiang, that guy, went up to her and asked if she was cosying as a shrine maiden, which infuriated Kanna Ryoko. Itpletely ruined our n to approach her. Later, Watanabe Jiang tried to secretly film Kanna Ryoko with his phone, but she caught him in the act and, without a doubt, used magic to destroy all our electronic devices. That''s why you couldn''t reach us." This... was truly a breathtaking series of actions. Liu Xing couldn''t help but admire Watanabe Jiang''s audacity for taunting Kanna Ryoko, exining why heter dared to confront the director of Ziwu City Hospital with a gun. However, the most crucial point was that Kanna Ryoko had left the Godless Shrine! "While in your understanding, Unseen Pond is part of the Godless Shrine, Kanna Ryoko had never left Godless Shrine or participated in Unseen Pond activities before. Now, she''s finally left Godless Shrine. We don''t know if this is a good or bad thing," Otonashi Takuya said with a serious tone. The group''s expressions grew somber. Unusual events often foretold significant developments. Kanna Ryoko''s sudden departure from Godless Shrine after centuries of staying within raised concerns about what might be on the horizon. "After that, did you decide to set Unseen Pond on fire? Were you nning to retaliate against Kanna Ryoko?" Liu Xing asked with curiosity. Chen Wenbin shook his head and continued, "Actually, it''s like this. After Kanna Ryoko destroyed our electronic devices, she returned to Godless Shrine. At that time, Yoh Asakura noticed someone spying on us. So, we slowly approached the spy, who was hiding in tall grass about a person''s height. To force him out, I used a lighter to intimidate him. Unexpectedly, he didn''t react, and in my haste, I identally threw the lighter into the grass, causing a fire..." Indeed, it was yet another breathtaking turn of events."After setting the fire, we realized the situation was dire because there were several tourists at Unseen Pond who witnessed me starting the fire. So, I decided to turn myself in. After all, running away would bring many troubles, and I believed you would get me out of the police station. Watanabe Jiang, on the other hand, fled Unseen Pond because he had a gun with him. You should be aware of what happened afterward," Chen Wenbin exined with a wry smile. Yasaka Mashiro rubbed his chin, deep in thought, and said, "So that''s how it happened. I think the person who was spying on you was probably a Ghoul. Aoki mentioned that they send Ghouls to monitor Kanna Ryoko daily." At this point, Yoh Asakura, who had been silent, nodded and said, "Indeed. After Watanabe Jiang escaped, and Chen Wenbin was apprehended, I waited until the fire department extinguished the ze. I went to inspect the area beneath the grass where we found the tunnel with deep scratches on both sides. I can confirm that it was created by the Ghouls." Liu Xing nodded, as this was all within his expectations. However, he was now more curious about what happened to Chen Wenbin after entering the police station, as it was not easy to get inside such a ce. Before Liu Xing could inquire further, Chen Wenbin continued, "I suppose you must be curious about what happened to me in the police station. Since I turned myself in, I wasn''t interrogated for long and was sent to the detention center. In the detention center, I encountered two members of a gang. From their conversation, I learned that they were from out of town and intended to cause trouble for the Dark Willow Gang." "Then, they asked me for information about the Dark Willow Gang. Thinking that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, I chose to divulge some information about the Dark Willow Gang. They continued to discuss quietly and seemed to be nning to infiltrate the Dark Willow Gang and gather more information." "At that moment, a police officer came to get me. At first, I thought it was arranged by you to bail me out. However, it turned out to be a female officer who asked if I would be willing to be an undercover agent for the police." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Chen Wenbin had triggered a side quest involving the police station. However, what Chen Wenbin said next left Liu Xing somewhat speechless. "Of course, you must be wondering why I, with my cautious nature and preference for staying out of trouble, rejected the offer. Besides, it was clear that they wanted to go after the Dark Willow Gang. My old bones can''t handle that kind of risk, so I had no choice but to decline the female officer''s proposal. I even considered rmending you guys for the undercover role, but I was promptly escorted out by the officer." The group exchanged nces, feeling a bit regretful about Chen Wenbin declining the police station''s side quest. However, it was understandable, given Chen Wenbin''s cautious nature and advancing age. Sending him undercover would have been a risky endeavor, and he might not havested a day against the Dark Willow Gang. "However, after I was released from the police station, Police Chief Ryochuan Taro invited me for tea. Because I was bailed out by the Sawada Family, it seemed that Ryochuan Taro misunderstood my rtionship with them. He wanted me to help him arrange a meeting with the head of the Sawada Family for potential cooperation. I managed to brush it off casually, but I think Yin En, as the prospective son-inw of the Sawada Family, could give it a try. Besides, we have leverage over Tennoji Sohide. Negotiating with Ryochuan Taro could yield us some benefits," Chen Wenbin suggested to Yin En. However, Yin En expressed some concerns, saying, "While that sounds good, I can''t trust Ryochuan Taropletely. Coborating with him might lead to disadvantages or even betrayal. I''ve encountered my fair share of double-dealers. Nevertheless, Sawada Yinyin told me about this, and I trust her. She wouldn''t deceive me." Listening to Yin En repeatedly mentioning Sawada Yinyin, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel like he was being fed romantic hints. It seemed that even in a Cthulhu RPG game, the characters were dealing with love matters. "Well, let''s hold off on contacting Ryochuan Taro for now. However, we can find an opportunity to hand over the evidence of Tennoji Sohide to him. That way, Ryochuan Taro can take care of Tennoji Sohide and weaken the Dark Willow Gang''s power," Gu Jun concluded. After discussing these matters, it was time for dinner. After finishing dinner, Otonashi Takuya went to meet with Aoki at Unseen Pond. Before his departure, Liu Xing reminded Otonashi Takuya to inquire about the underground tunnels at Unseen Pond and whether the Ghouls would be interested in protecting Mian Gu Lu. If the Ghouls could assist in guarding Mian Gu Lu, dealing with the Dark Willow Gang would be much easier, unless the Dark Willow Gang had ess to heavy weapons. However, Liu Xing also understood that the likelihood of the Ghoulsing to protect Mian Gu Lu was low. After all, KP Li Shunchan wouldn''t provide such significant assistance to the yers. Therefore, Liu Xing estimated that Otonashi Takuya might, at most, be able to persuade Aoki to help. Nevertheless, having Aoki alone would suffice. Aoki was already an elite Ghoul with considerable knowledge of magic. He could at least handle Honda Koichi on the Dark Willow Gang''s side. On Liu Xing''s end, he didn''t n to idle in the evening. Liu Xing and Yin En intended to investigate the sewer area because Sawada Yinyin had informed them that Dark Willow Gang''s underground businesses were located there, such as casinos. So, Liu Xing and Yin En wanted to see if there was any information they could gather in the sewer area. Since the sewer area wasn''t far from Chen Wenbin''s home, Liu Xing and Yin En quickly arrived at the sewer''s exit in Ziwu City. The sewer area could also be called the old city district of Ziwu City. Here, most of the buildings were old-fashioned two-story detached houses,mon in the Ind Nation. The streetlights were also old-style incandescentmps, spaced far apart, creating several dark areas. Based on the information provided by Sawada Yinyin, Liu Xing and Yin En drove directly to the sewer''s exit location. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 214: The Underground Casino Chapter 214: The Underground Casino There was a saying that Liu Xing had long forgotten who said it, but it went like this: "The sewer is the conscience of a city." Therefore, Liu Xing couldn''t help but admire the conscience of Ziwu City, as the exit of this sewer was about five meters in width and height. However, it was securely welded shut with steel bars, leaving only a small door. But this small door didn''t look easy to deal with. The lock was the type with an iron chain as thick as a baby''s arm and a padlock. Liu Xing suspected that breaking it through brute force would require an electric saw. "What should we do?" Liu Xing posed the question to Yin En, considering that Yin En was the one who had initiated tonight''s operation. Liu Xing believed that Yin En must havee prepared. However, Yin En also wore a frustrated expression and shook his head. He shook the pliers in his hand and said, "Sawada Yinyin is really unreliable. She only told me that there was a lock on the sewer entrance. I thought it was a small lock, but I never expected it to be this massive iron chain. It seems there''s no way to open it." Liu Xing nced at the pliers in Yin En''s hand. At most, they could cut through ordinary locks, but they were useless in this situation. "So, what should we do? Should we just go back the way we came?" Liu Xing asked. Yin En shook his head, walked to the sewer''s exit, and began listening to the sounds inside. Before KP Li Shunchan even made an appearance, Yin En had finished listening and said to Liu Xing, "As expected, the Dark Willow Gang''s underground operation is truly underground. I just heard the voices of many people, but they were very quiet, indicating that the Dark Willow Gang''s underground operation should be some distance from this exit and popted by many people." "A casino?" Liu Xing gave the answer. Yin En nodded and smiled, "Exactly, it''s a casino, and it seems to be quite sizable." Liu Xing stroked his chin, surveyed the surroundings, and spotted a convenience store still illuminated. "Come to think of it, if it''s a casino operated by the Dark Willow Gang, then the ss should be quite high. Thoseing to gamble should have status and reputation, so they wouldn''t enter through the sewer. The entrance should be above ground." Following Liu Xing''s gaze, Yin En also saw the convenience store but expressed some doubt. "That doesn''t make sense. After all, as you mentioned, thoseing here to gamble should have status and reputation, so they would likely arrive by car. This area is mostly an old city, so I think the entrance to the underground casino should be near a parking lot." Liu Xing shook his head and said, "Clever as a fox. Since there''s an entrance and exit for the underground casino in the sewer, there must be other entrances and exits besides the parking lot. After all, it''s easy to guess the entrance and exit of the parking lot. If the policee for enforcement, they''ll definitely enter the casino from the parking lot. At that time, they''ll need other entrances to evacuate the gamblers. One sewer won''t be enough, and some of the high-status gamblers won''t be willing to go through a stinky sewer." As Liu Xing spoke, he walked towards the convenience store. Yin En silently nodded and followed Liu Xing. Upon reaching the convenience store''s entrance, Yin En signaled to put the pliers back in the car, as having them in hand looked suspicious. It wouldn''t be good if the convenience store owner mistook them for robbers. So, Liu Xing entered the convenience store alone. The convenience store was small, only about twenty square meters. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man in his thirties with stubble, drinking liquor and eating snacks while watching a variety show on TV. "Hey, shopkeeper, you''re a fan of AKB48 too, huh?" Liu Xing nced at the TV and immediately struck up a conversation with the shopkeeper. It happened that Liu Xing was also a fan of AKB48, though he didn''t have much interest in their songs, just their variety shows and the cute girls. After all, AKB48 was arge idol group with hundreds of members, and there was a variety of cute girls with different personas. So, you could always find a girl you liked and fall into the fandom. Having foundmon ground, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Oh, didn''t expect to meet a fellow fan here. By the way, which member do you support?" Not knowing which member the shopkeeper supported, Liu Xing shamelessly replied, "Well, I''m more of an all-epassing fan. After all, all the girls in AKB48 work very hard." As Liu Xing spoke, he observed theyout of the convenience store and noticed that it had no rear exit; the walls were all blocked by shelves. However, Liu Xing also noticed a difference in one of the shelves behind the shopkeeper. It had wheels installed. Liu Xing pondered. The shopkeeper chuckled and, with a meaningful tone, said to Liu Xing, "Young man, hard work doesn''t always guarantee rewards. Anyway, what brings you here? Is there something you want to buy?" Liu Xing chuckled and decided to test his theory. He smiled at the shopkeeper and said, "I''vee herete at night, so you probably know what I''m looking for, right?" The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, sounding cautious. "From the way you''re talking, you must be from out of town, right?" Seeing the shopkeeper looking around as if avoiding a direct answer, Liu Xing realized that his theory was correct. This convenience store was indeed one of the entrances to the Dark Willow Gang''s underground casino, and the entrance was behind that movable shelf. Liu Xing thought for a moment. The shopkeeperughed off Liu Xing''s direct approach but continued to y dumb. "Young man, what are you talking about? This is a legitimate convenience store. How could it be some Dark Willow Gang underground casino?" Seeing the shopkeeper act like he hadn''t seen a thing, Liu Xing suddenly remembered Watanabe Jiang''s phone call from that night. He came up with a n and said, "Ah, you probably know about the news, right? There was a fugitive caught in Ziwu City Hospital. Actually, that fugitive is my friend, Watanabe Jiang. He used to be in the underworld, and it was him who brought me to Ziwu City. We had ns toe here and gamble, but he got caught. So, I came here alone. By the way, Watanabe Jiang also got in touch with one of your Dark Willow Gang friends, Old ck. Do you know him?" The shopkeeper furrowed his brow and said seriously, "Then tell me, what was Watanabe Jiang''s expertise?" Liu Xing, hearing the shopkeeper''s words, understood that the shopkeeper was indeed Old ck, as Watanabe Jiang had mentioned. So, he smiled and replied, "There''s no need to say, Watanabe Jiang''s specialty is disguise, and if I''m not mistaken, you must be Old ck." Old ck raised an eyebrow, nodded, and admitted, "You''re right, I''m Old ck. I didn''t expect the fugitive caught today to be that Watanabe Jiang." Seeing this situation, Liu Xing took advantage of the opportunity and asked, "So, can I go in and y a few rounds at the casino now?" Old ck shook his head and said with regret, "I''d love to let you in, but I''m just a low-level doorkeeper. The rule from above is that you can only enter this underground casino with our Dark Willow Gang''s invitation letter. As you might already know, this underground casino is high-ss, and it''s not open to the general public." Liu Xing frowned, realizing that he had no chance of entering this underground casino because Old ck, as an NPC, probably needed Watanabe Jiang to trigger the plot. Unfortunately, Watanabe Jiang was no longer avable. Seeing Liu Xing''s disappointment, Old ck offered some constion, "Well, if you really want to gamble, I can give you the address of another casino. It''s rtively easy to get in there. Just mention my alias, and they''ll let you in. While it may not be as upscale, it''s quite popr and has a variety of games." Liu Xing nodded, remembering the address Old ck provided, and then left the convenience store. Outside the convenience store, Liu Xing saw Yin En, who had been eavesdropping by the corner. He signaled Yin En to get in the car, as there was currently no valuable information to be gathered in this sewer area. In the car, Liu Xing expressed his frustration, saying, "It turns out that this convenience store is indeed one of the entrances to the Dark Willow Gang''s underground casino, and the shopkeeper is a friend of Watanabe Jiang. But Watanabe Jiang has already entered it. It''s a case of bad timing. If Watanabe Jiang were here, he could have convinced the shopkeeper to let us in." Yin En, thoughtful, rubbed his chin and said, "I think Sawada Yinyin might be able to get an invitation to the underground casino. Tomorrow, when I go to the vi area, I''ll ask Sawada Yinyin. But, on the other hand, should we visit the casino rmended by the shopkeeper? There might be some clues there." Liu Xing took out the small note that Old ck had written for him and said, "I don''t think there will be any useful information there because that casino is not owned by the Dark Willow Gang. It''s operated by another gang in Ziwu City. The shopkeeper is probably just getting a share. Besides, that casino is located in the northeast corner of Ziwu City, and it would take us at least three hours to get there. By the time we arrive, it''ll be past midnight. After searching for information, it might be three or four in the morning. Don''t forget, Yin En, we still have work to do tomorrow." Yin En agreed, "You''re right. Let''s head back and rest. By the way, Liu Xing, tomorrow when I go to the spa, I n to assess the terrain. I''ve realized that the terrain around 404 Hospital isn''t suitable for assassinating Hisanobu Ito. It''s too crowded, and I''ve checked the security measures around the tall buildings nearby. I won''t be able to sneak onto the rooftop unnoticed. If I assassinate him there, sessful or not, I''ll be a wanted criminal. Even the Sawada Family won''t be able to protect me. So, I''ve decided to change the location of Hisanobu Ito''s assassination to the spa." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, not expecting his impromptu idea to be such a focal point. "Indeed, 404 Hospital isn''t suitable for assassinating Hisanobu Ito. It''s too close to the Ziwu City Police Department, and Hisanobu Ito is an important figure in Ziwu City. If he were assassinated, the police response would be swift. ck and white forces would unite to search and block the area. Yin En, your chances of escaping would be slim. Moreover, the time you n for the assassination, during Ziwu City''s busiest hours, would make it even harder for you to leave the city center." Yin En nodded and took out his phone, showing a map of the area around the spa. "I''ve examined the terrain around the spa, and it''s built on a hill. So, I can snipe Hisanobu Ito from the hilltop. The vegetation cover is high, which is suitable for me to escape after assassinating him." Liu Xing and Yin En continued discussing their ns as they returned to Chen Wenbin''s house. "Yin En, Liu Xing, you''vee back at just the right time," Gu Jun greeted them as they entered the living room. "I''ve just made a significant discovery. That undeveloped area over there is actually a forbidden zone of the Kingdom of Tindalos. It''s highly likely to be thest ce King Tindalos appeared before disappearing. So, I suspect there might be a relic of the Kingdom of Tindalos inside, possibly an artifact that can be used tomunicate with King Tindalos," Gu Jun said with excitement. Chen Wenbin added, "That''s right. ording to Kuroba Naoki''s notes, King Tindalos once told his subordinates that if anything urgent came up, they should use an item called ''Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission'' to contact him. King Tindalos carried another ''Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission'' with him. It''s clear that this is some kind ofmunication device. So, we suspect that inside this relic, there might be the ''Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission'' left behind by King Tindalos. After all, King Tindalos was concerned about Mian Gu Lu, so he must have wanted tomunicate with us." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, finding their theory usible. "That''s indeed possible, but after King Tindalos sent us a text message that day, he never contacted us again. This suggests that even King Tindalos couldn''t continue sending us messages. Therefore, he might have left amunication device for us in this relic. King Tindalos would have chosen the safest ce, which is why he chose the undeveloped area. So, it''s up to Yin En now. Hopefully, you can convince Sawada Yinyin''s father to grant us ess to the undeveloped area," Yasaka Mashiro said with a smile. As for Yin En, he could only sigh and say, "Alright, I''ll do my best." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 215: The Journalist Connection "By the way, Liu Xing, if you don''t have any other ns for tomorrow, I hope you can pay a visit to the television station. If everything goes smoothly, there should be some valuable information avable there, particrly about Killer Demon. I''ve checked the recent online chatter about Killer Demon, and it seems there''s been no activitytely. However, Yasaka Mashiro and Shiro Hana inquired today and found out that a few victims of Killer Demon''s attacks were admitted to the hospital. So, I suspect someone is trying to suppress information about Killer Demon," Gu Jun said solemnly. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, expressing his doubt, "What? Someone is suppressing information about Killer Demon? That seems unlikely, considering how much attention Killer Demon has already garnered. The number of victims being admitted to hospitals has turned Killer Demon from an urban legend into a confirmed fact. Why would anyone want to suppress news about Killer Demon, especially if it''s the official authorities in Ziwu City trying to maintain stability?" Gu Jun sighed in resignation and shrugged, "I''m not entirely sure why, but the only powers in Ziwu City capable of suppressing Killer Demon''s information are likely the official authorities and the Dark Willow Gang. Personally, I lean towards thetter, as the Dark Willow Gang may have discovered that Killer Demon was responsible for killing those four men in ck at the Ziwu City airport. Plus, Honda Koichi probably knows Killer Demon, which could be a reason to suppress the news. But this doesn''t makeplete sense either." At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly thought of another possibility and pointed at Yin En, saying, "To whom much is given, much is expected. Actually, we could assign this task to Yin En because, Gu Jun, you seem to have forgotten that Sawada Family is also a significant force in Ziwu City. After all, Killer Demon is considered the ancestor of the Sawada Family. Now that Killer Demon has reappeared, Sawada Family should be able to deduce that Killer Demon is Sawada Tomohiko. At the very least, they could get confirmation from Kanna Ryoko." "If that''s the case, it makes sense for Sawada Family to suppress news about Killer Demon. After all, if someone like Kuroba Naoki figures out Killer Demon''s identity and makes it public, Sawada Family''s reputation will be tarnished. The title of ''Great Hero'' for Sawada Tomohiko will surely be reced by ''Killer Demon,''" Liu Xing''s analysis was logical and well-founded, and everyone nodded in agreement. Yin En also nodded in acknowledgment and said, "I''ll make sure to ask Sawada Yinyin about this. If Sawada Yinyin knows that Killer Demon is Sawada Tomohiko, the likelihood of Sawada Family suppressing news about Killer Demon goes well beyond eighty percent." Liu Xing took a sip of water and continued, "However, I still need to visit the television station, as Gu Jun suggested. There should be a lot of valuable information for us to uncover there. But most importantly, there''s an old saying: ''A clever rabbit has three burrows.'' Even though we can give Tennoji Sohide''s video to Ryochuan Taro for processing, who can guarantee that Ryochuan Taro won''t betray us? What if Ryochuan Taro decides to coborate with the Dark Willow Gang on a whim? So, I think it''s essential to provide a copy of the video to a suitable journalist and cooperate to release Tennoji Sohide''s video at the right moment. I believe no journalist would pass up such explosive news." "To be honest, Liu Xing, what you''re nning is quite risky. Nowadays, journalists have forgotten about professional ethics. If I were a journalist and got hold of such sensational news, I''d only have two options. First, I''d rush to publish it as soon as I got the video for its timeliness and exclusivity, making it a big news story. As for the second option, I''d use the video to extort money from Tennoji Sohide. I doubt any journalist would earn such a sum in their lifetime," Yasaka Mashiro poured cold water on Liu Xing''s idea. Chen Wenbin chimed in, "Yasaka Mashiro is right, and Ziwu City''s television station is an official one, not like those private channels that broadcast anything. If I recall correctly, the current station manager of Ziwu City''s television station was groomed by Tennoji Sohide after he became the mayor of Ziwu City. So, even if you manage to find a reliable journalist, there''s no guarantee the news will be broadcast. After all, they tend to protect their own. We might as well just release the video." Liu Xing chuckled and couldn''t deny it, "You won''t know until you try. Even though the station manager might be aligned with Tennoji Sohide, when they see these videos, they should understand that Tennoji Sohide''s political career is on the decline. If the station manager is smart, they''ll know what to do. In any case, I''m just going to give it a try. What if it works?" After Liu Xing finished speaking, he went to freshen up and sleep. It wasn''tte, but with the impending arrival of the Eldritch God Taketori, Liu Xing and his group were feeling an increasing sense of urgency. Most importantly, despite two days of effort, Liu Xing and his team had gained a lot of information but had made little progress on critical issues like how to deal with Eldritch God Taketori and how to confront the Dark Willow Gang. Nevertheless, they had devised their next course of action through role-ying: Yin En would be responsible for contacting the Sawada Family to oppose the Dark Willow Gang and finding opportunities to assassinate key members of the Dark Willow Gang, including Hisanobu Ito, who might eventually transform into a mythical creature in theter stages of the module. Gu Jun would try to obtain more information from Kuroba Naoki. While Kuroba Naoki may not know about Eldritch God Taketori''s existence, Liu Xing and his team believed that Kuroba Naoki held crucial information for dealing with Eldritch God Taketori, as he was the NPC with the most in-depth knowledge of King Tindalos and Sawada Tomohiko. As for Liu Xing himself, he intended to seek fortune in danger and explore some side quests. This was why he decided to visit Ziwu City''s television station. Liu Xing had a strong hunch that there was a journalist-rted side quest in this module. Initially, Liu Xing nned to anonymously send Tennoji Sohide''s video to Ziwu City''s television station. However, he shared the same concerns as Chen Wenbin about the station''s official status and the possibility of collusion. Thus, he wanted to investigate the situation at the television station before deciding whether to send the video. Surprisingly, upon investigation, Liu Xing discovered something intriguing. Ziwu City''s television station had a highly popr journalist named Juri Sonoda. She was known for fearlessly reporting various major news stories, such as exposing government officials involved in affairs or bribery scandals. What was most significant was that Juri Sonoda was none other than Sonoda Mirai''s sister! Sonoda Mirai, as one of the three major NPCs in Ziwu City High School, meant that her sister, Juri Sonoda, must also be an essential NPC. Moreover, Juri Sonoda''s profession as a journalist made her valuable. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, professions like ultist and Historian, with their specialized knowledge and abilities, were considered capable. However, professions like journalists,cking specific expertise and abilities, often ended up as cannon fodder. Liu Xing could already deduce the possible side quests rted to Juri Sonoda. Either she was investigating Ghouls, or she was digging into the Dark Willow Gang. If it were the former, Liu Xing could breathe a sigh of relief, as he had already established contact with the Ghouls. If Honda Koichi''s Ghoul group didn''t interfere, Juri Sonoda''s side quest should be rtively easy toplete. However, if Juri Sonoda was investigating the Dark Willow Gang, the difficulty was uncertain. Based on the current information avable, there was a significant gap inbat strength within the Dark Willow Gang. The likes of Mikageichi were undoubtedly mythical creature-levelbatants. Mid-tier members like Kojima Kanto probably hadbat abilities simr to Sawada Yinyin. As for regr gang members, theirbat prowess was average, but they were well-equipped. So, if Liu Xing followed Juri Sonoda to investigate the Dark Willow Gang, it might involve a luck-based judgment to determine the specific difficulty of this side quest. If they were unlucky and encountered Mikageichi, it would be a significant challenge. However,pleting Juri Sonoda''s side quest had clear advantages. As a journalist who dared to tell the truth and had a substantial following, her reports would garner support from the masses. This would allow Tennoji Sohide''s videos to have the most significant impact, potentially implicating the Dark Willow Gang as well. In today''s age, the power of public opinion was not to be underestimated. Just as the ancient saying went, "Three people make a tiger." In the age of the inte, news could spread to thousands or even millions within minutes, highlighting its potential influence. The night passed without any further incidents. Liu Xing woke up early the next day, knowing that Ziwu City''s television station was located in the northern part of the business district. It would take two to three hours to drive there from Chen Wenbin''s ce. Journalists like Juri Sonoda often had early mornings andte nights, so they rarely spent their days in the office. As Liu Xing was heading downstairs to freshen up, he saw Otonashi Takuya, who had just returned. Having met with his old friend Aoki before, Otonashi Takuya appeared to be in better spirits. After all, they were both wanderers, and inparison, Otonashi Takuya considered himself luckier. He could still live openly in the daylight as an individual, while Aoki and the others had turned into Monsters, hiding in the shadows and fearing exposure. "Liu Xing, I''ve talked to Aoki and the others. It turns out that the people who were spying on Watanabe Jiang and the others at Unseen Pond yesterday were indeed Ghouls sent by Aoki to monitor Kanna Ryoko. However, due to Chen Wenbin setting fire to the bushes where one of the Ghouls was hiding, the Ghoul had no choice but to leave. As for those underground tunnels, the Ghouls dug them themselves for transportation. Nowadays, Ziwu City is filled with surveince cameras, so even Aoki and the others dare not wander the streets at night. They can only use the underground tunnels for movement. Aoki also gave me a map of the tunnels," Otonashi Takuya exined, handing a piece of parchment to Liu Xing. Liu Xing epted the parchment and unrolled it. The Ghouls'' ability to create these tunnels was impressive. They had dug nearly a hundred underground passages, allowing them to travel to various corners of Ziwu City through these secret routes. Of course, these underground tunnels also facilitated Honda Koichi''s group of Ghouls in their kidnappings of homeless individuals in the city''s parks. Most of the city''s parks had hidden entrances to these underground tunnels, strategically located in inconspicuous ces. Combined with the Ghouls'' natural stealth abilities, abducting homeless people silently was not a difficult task. "By the way, Liu Xing, I informed Aoki about the contents of the video. Now, Aoki and his team are tracking the Ghouls from Honda Koichi''s faction in the underground tunnels. They want to follow the trail and find Honda Koichi''sboratory. Aoki asked me to tell you not to enter the underground tunnels for now to avoid idental harm. However, the Ghouls on Aoki''s side all wear ck cloaks with an emblem of an eagle carrying a samurai sword on them. This emblem is the insignia of Aoki''s former mercenary group. So, when you encounter Ghouls, you can identify their affiliation," Otonashi Takuya continued. Liu Xing nodded and asked, "Speaking of which, did Aoki mention anything about the underground casino that we discovered in the sewer area of the Dark Willow Gang?" Otonashi Takuya thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Yes, Aoki did mention that. The underground casino opened about half a year ago, and it consists of three underground levels. The middle level has a hidden passage connected to the sewer system, while the lowest level was explored by Aoki and his team. However, they found that the Dark Willow Gang had poured thickyers of concrete there, so they had to give up." [Author suddenly increased the word count, such long chaps...] Chapter 216: Juri Sonoda Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn''t expected the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino to be so well-constructed. He had assumed it was just a single level, but to his surprise, it had three levels, with the third one reinforced with concrete. This indicated that there might be something unusual on the third level of the Underground casino. Liu Xing suspected that Honda Koichi''sboratory might be located there since the Underground casino was situated in the sewer district, which provided a convenient underground route for transporting "test subjects." "OK, Otonashi, I need to visit Ziwu City TV station now. Are you interested in joining me?" Liu Xing extended an invitation. Otonashi Takuya, a powerful fighter, shook his head and replied, "I''m sorry, Liu Xing. While I may have the gift of immortality now, I''m not much different from an ordinary person in other respects. I''m feeling quite tired at the moment, and I also need to protect Mian Gu Lu." This response was within Liu Xing''s expectations. So, Liu Xing bid farewell to Otonashi Takuya and drove alone to Ziwu City TV station. Around ten in the morning, Liu Xing arrived at Ziwu City TV station. As the official TV station, it appeared impressive, with a towering ten-story building that had a modern feel to it. Liu Xing entered the ground floor of Ziwu City TV station. After scanning the surroundings and not spotting anyone who looked like Juri Sonoda, he decided to inquire at the front desk about her whereabouts. Just then, Liu Xing spotted a middle-aged, balding man emerging from an elevator, surrounded by a group of people. Liu Xing was certain that this balding man was the director of Ziwu City TV station, and by his appearance, he seemed like an antagonist NPC. However, beside the director of Ziwu City TV station, there was a young woman of modest stature but who exuded intelligence andpetence. She was engaged in an animated conversation with the director, who appeared visibly annoyed but strangely refrained from interrupting her. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; he could confidently deduce that the young woman was Juri Sonoda. After all, her profile showed an app rating of over 80 points. So, Liu Xing slowly approached, as Juri Sonoda didn''t seem to be intentionally lowering her voice, making it easy for Liu Xing to eavesdrop on their conversation. As it turned out, just as Liu Xing had suspected, Juri Sonoda wanted to investigate the urban legend of Ghoul. As a keen journalist, she had noticed the mysterious disappearance of homeless people in Ziwu City''s major parks, suspecting it might be a series of kidnappings, possibly linked to the urban legend of Ghoul. She sought support from the director of Ziwu City TV station in terms of manpower and resources. However, the director was inclined to dismiss her request as baseless but hesitated due to Juri Sonoda''s current status as an inte celebrity and the top reporter at Ziwu City TV station. In the end, the director reluctantly allocated a substantial sum of money to Juri Sonoda before leaving the TV station, leaving Juri Sonoda looking frustrated. Liu Xing knew his opportunity hade. Approaching Juri Sonoda, Liu Xing greeted her with a smile. "Hello, Miss Juri Sonoda." Juri Sonoda nced at Liu Xing, her enthusiasm dampened, and said, "Hello. Do you have something to discuss with me? If not, I need to start tracking the news." Liu Xing understood that for a journalist like Juri Sonoda, who was determined to break a big story, all he needed was a juicy lead to get her attention. So, Liu Xing took out his phone and showed Juri Sonoda a picture: a frontal shot of Aoki´¨, a screenshot from Liu Xing''s live stream two days ago. Juri Sonoda furrowed her brows and hastily took Liu Xing''s phone to examine the image. After a minute, she expressed her doubts. "How did you manage to capture a Half-Beast''s frontal image? Are you sure you didn''t Photoshop this?" Liu Xing shook his head with a smile and replied seriously, "That''s not possible, Miss Juri Sonoda. As a journalist, you should know that with today''s Photoshop technology, achieving such an effect is impossible. And I can assure you, this isn''t a Half-Beast; it''s a Ghoul!" Juri Sonoda stared into Liu Xing''s eyes, sounding increasingly skeptical. "What? This is a Ghoul? You must be joking." Liu Xing nced around at the passing crowd and gestured towards a caf¨¦ opposite Ziwu City TV station. He said, "Walls have ears. If you don''t mind, Miss Juri Sonoda, can I invite you to a coffee at that caf¨¦?" Juri Sonoda nodded, leading the way to the caf¨¦ in haste. Observing Juri Sonoda''s impatience, Liu Xing smiled and followed her into the caf¨¦. After ordering two cups of coffee, Juri Sonoda looked at Liu Xing with anticipation. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and decided to tell Juri Sonoda the truth. "While it''s true they are Ghouls, I prefer to call them humans, as they were originally humans transformed into Ghouls. And their true identities, Miss Juri Sonoda, I believe you already know." Juri Sonoda rolled her eyes and said to Liu Xing in frustration, "Get to the point. I can''t stand people who beat around the bush. If I knew the origins of these Half-Beasts, I mean, Ghouls, I would have reported it long ago." Anticipating Juri Sonoda''s skepticism, Liu Xing smiled awkwardly, then proceeded to tell her the story of how these Ghouls were once mercenaries cursed by the Godless Shrine, transforming from humans into Ghouls. He also showed her a video of Honda Koichi conducting experiments, although it was a condensed version. As Liu Xing yed the video, he continued speaking without interruption, "Miss Juri Sonoda, I believe you must have followed the news about the Killer Demon, so you should be aware that the Killer Demon''s attacks involve instantly sealing wounds when victims are dismembered. This is already beyond our imagination, and modern technology can''t achieve this." After watching the video, Juri Sonoda furrowed her brows, lost in thought. However, her gaze seemed distant, and Liu Xing knew that her SAN value had been affected. In the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, NPCs, like yers, also had SAN values. In some peculiar modules, even mythical creatures had SAN values. Therefore, as an ordinary person, Juri Sonoda would naturally lose SAN when suddenly confronted with mythical creatures. Fortunately, since she had only seen Ghoul''s appearance in videos and pictures, she hadn''t entered a temporary state of madness. After a moment, Juri Sonoda snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and said seriously to Liu Xing, "I suppose you wouldn''t be trying to deceive me with a fake video. After all, if you wanted fame and fortune through this fake video, you could just upload it online instead ofing to me. So, what do you want from me?" Liu Xing took a sip of his coffee and calmly replied, "Miss Juri Sonoda, you''re absolutely right. I have no reason to deceive you. I''vee to you with the intention of forming a partnership. You can probably tell that the video I showed you is a condensed version because the full version involves the Dark Willow Gang." "Dark Willow Gang? I see. So, has the Dark Willow Gang already joined forces with these Ghouls to create these Monsters, intending to cause a bio-crisis?" Juri Sonoda asked in surprise. Liu Xing shook his head and exined, "It''s like this, although Ghouls have turned into Monsters from humans, they''ve been living underground for hundreds of years without psychological support. So, some of them have lost their minds and decided to take revenge on society. The representative figure among them is the Ghoul you just saw in the video, Honda Koichi. He''s currently using the homeless people in Ziwu City for his experiments." "I see, I was wondering why the homeless people in Ziwu City''s parks suddenly started disappearing on arge scale. It turns out that Dark Willow Gang didn''t capture them. After all, while Dark Willow Gang is a gang, they wouldn''t dare to engage in such open and illegal activities. So, it''s the Ghouls who have been catching these homeless people, as Ghouls can''t appear on the surface openly. They''ve spent a lot of time digging tunnels underground, connecting various areas of Ziwu City. Also, you should know that someone set fire to Unseen Pond yesterday, and after the fire, arge hole appeared. That hole is an entrance to the Ghouls'' underground tunnels," Liu Xing added. Juri Sonoda nodded, indicating that she was aware of this development. "It can be said that the Ghouls have established an extensivework of underground tunnels throughout Ziwu City, allowing them to move between different areas easily. With their extraordinary speed and strength, they effortlessly capture the homeless and take them to Honda Koichi''sb," Liu Xing continued to exin. Deep in thought, Juri Sonoda said, "So, you''re suggesting that I report on this. While I do have evidence on hand that could potentially make a perfect report, it feels like something is missing. Moreover, this involves Ghouls, which are difficult for ordinary people to understand and ept. My report might be considered fictional, and it could even alert the Dark Willow Gang." Taking another sip of coffee, Liu Xing said seriously, "Miss Juri Sonoda, you''re overlooking one thing. This matter has already involved the Dark Willow Gang and their collusion with the newly appointed Mayor Tennoji Sohide. You''re well aware that Ziwu City''s television station is an official one, and your station director is aligned with Tennoji Sohide. So, your report is unlikely to pass, and you might even draw the wrath of the Dark Willow Gang." After listening to Liu Xing''s words, Juri Sonoda chuckled and said seriously, "You underestimate me. I''m not the kind of timid journalist you think I am. While my report may indeed not pass the review, I won''t be afraid of the Dark Willow Gang. In fact, I n to seize an opportunity to investigate the Dark Willow Gang undercover. There''s no better time than now. I''ll head to the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino shortly, collect more information about the Dark Willow Gang, and hopefully gather some incriminating evidence against Tennoji Sohide. This way, we can take down both the Dark Willow Gang and Tennoji Sohide. I believe our station director will recognize the wisdom of seizing the moment!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Juri Sonoda knew about the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino. He hurriedly asked, "The Underground casino? Miss Juri Sonoda, are you referring to the three-story Underground casino located in the sewer district?" "Three stories? Isn''t that Underground casino only two stories?" Juri Sonoda asked in astonishment. Liu Xing nodded and said, "Yes, that Underground casino indeed has three levels. And I strongly suspect that the third level of that Underground casino is Honda Koichi''sboratory. After all, the underground is the Ghoul''s territory." Juri Sonoda suddenly mmed the table and stood up, saying, "In that case, there''s no time to waste. Let''s go to the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino right now and find out what we need. I hope we can uncover the clues we''re looking for!" Chapter 217: Heading to the Underground Casino Chapter 217: Heading to the Underground Casino Watching Juri Sonoda''s eager and enthusiastic expression, Liu Xing felt the urge to remind her that they were going undercover this time, not going on a pic. If they were discovered by the Dark Willow Gang, Liu Xing figured his life would be in grave danger. So, Liu Xing spoke up, saying, "Well, Miss Juri Sonoda, I already went to investigate the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino yesterday. I found out that to enter the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino, one needs an invitation from the Dark Willow Gang. Unfortunately, I haven''t obtained one yet." Juri Sonoda chuckled and retrieved a gilded invitation from her bag. "You don''t have one, but I do. I got it through a friend who purchased it from someone else. In theory, one invitation allows two people to enter the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino. So, it works out perfectly for you and me to investigate together." Liu Xing chuckled as well, surprised that Juri Sonoda had managed to obtain an invitation to the Dark Willow Gang''s casino. It was beyond his expectations. "Alright, let''s get going. If my information is correct, the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino starts operating after 1 o''clock in the afternoon. At this time, the Dark Willow Gang''s leader, Mikageichi, and their executives usually don''t oversee the Underground casino. So, the security is thexest in the afternoon. We need to head there right away, as I wouldn''t dare linger in a ce like that for long," Juri Sonoda said while heading to the checkout counter. Seeing this, Liu Xing had no choice but to apany Juri Sonoda to the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino. After all, he had to go, and if he didn''t, Juri Sonoda might encounter some unforeseen danger. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, solo yers were prone to death, and NPCs left alone were even more vulnerable, considering the Game Master''s discretion over NPC fates. Therefore, to ensure Juri Sonoda''s side quest remained intact, Liu Xing had to risk it and choose to go to the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino with her. On the way, due to her journalistic instincts, Juri Sonoda kept asking Liu Xing various questions, primarily about his identity. It was evident to her that Liu Xing wasn''t an ordinary person, given his ability to interact with Ghouls. So, Liu Xing improvised a background and imed to be a descendant of Maoshan Taoists who hade to the Ind Nation as a tourist and stumbled upon traces of Ghouls while intending to exorcise demons. He discovered that there was more to these Ghouls than met the eye. However, Liu Xing contemted whether to inform Juri Sonoda about the Mian Gu Lu incident. In the end, he decided to keep it under wraps because he feared that Juri Sonoda might feelpelled to report such a significant piece of news. After all, the arrival of the Eldritch God Taketori and the impending apocalypse were just days away. To avoid unnecessaryplications, Liu Xing decided to stay tight-lipped. Of course, Liu Xing couldn''t avoid questions entirely, so he started inquiring about Dark Willow Gang from Juri Sonoda. Being an outstanding journalist, Juri Sonoda had her own exclusive informationwork covering the entire Ziwu City. This was why she had be the top reporter for Ziwu City Television at such a young age. When it came to the biggest gang in Ziwu City, the Dark Willow Gang, Juri Sonoda wouldn''t let any opportunity slip by. After all, gangs always provided fresh news. So, Juri Sonoda had gathered quite a bit of information about the Dark Willow Gang. Firstly, the Dark Willow Gang''s main source of ie was the Underground casino and a spa resort. The Underground casino had an excellent reputation and provided top-notch service. With influential patrons and protection from higher-ups, there was no need to worry about police crackdowns. This made it a favorite among gamblers in Ziwu City, and even those with substantial capital preferred to gamble at the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino, making it incredibly profitable. Regarding the spa resort, it thrived because it was the only high-end establishment of its kind in Ziwu City. It offered top-quality services, and its facilities were state-of-the-art, attracting the upper echelons of Ziwu City who were willing to be members. These individuals were generous spenders, and as a result, the spa resort generated substantial ie. Hearing this, Liu Xing became curious and asked Juri Sonoda why the Sawada Family, thergest family in Ziwu City, hadn''t established a simr establishment. ording to Juri Sonoda, Sawada Tsuo, the current head of the Sawada Family and Yinyin''s father, as well as Yin En''s father-inw, was a conservative man. Despite the Sawada Family''s extensive holdings in Ziwu City, they hadn''t opened a single newpany in the past decade, even though the family''s annual ie continued to rise steadily. Juri Sonoda had interviewed Sawada Tsuo and asked him why he hadn''t opened a club. Given the Sawada Family''s influence in Ziwu City, such an establishment would undoubtedly attract the city''s elite. Sawada Tsuo''s response was that the Sawada Family already had a significant presence in Ziwu City, and there was no need to establish another club. Moreover, the family''s ie had reached afortable level, and there was no necessity to expand into new areas. Most importantly, Sawada Tsuo believed that the Sawada Family had always been the guardians of Ziwu City. umting wealth was not their primary goal. As a result, the family''spanies were nning to transition into primarily charitable enterprises in theing years. However, ording to Juri Sonoda''s investigation, Sawada Tsuo had invested in a securitypany. The CEO of this securitypany was a retired international mercenary who had returned to the Ind Nation to start the business after leaving his previous mercenary group. Thepany''s main personnel consisted of former members of that mercenary group, making it exceptionally skilled. Juri Sonoda believed that with the right weapons, this securitypany could be considered a small army. So, Juri Sonoda believed that Sawada Tsuo had realized the threat posed by the Dark Willow Gang, which was why he invested in a securitypany to counter the growing influence of the gang. It was widely known in Ziwu City that the newly elected mayor, Tennoji Sohide, was secretly coborating with the Dark Willow Gang. Sawada Family wouldn''t stand a chance against the gang openly. Hence, they had to support a securitypany for self-preservation. However, Liu Xing suspected that Sawada Tsuo had ulterior motives for fostering a securitypany. He believed that Sawada Tsuo still saw the Sawada Family as the hidden rulers of Ziwu City. Therefore, Sawada Tsuo''s goal wasn''t merely self-preservation but the eradication of the Dark Willow Gang. But now that the Dark Willow Gang had grown powerful and threatened the Sawada Family''s position in Ziwu City, coupled with the fact that the city''s nominal leader, Mayor Tennoji Sohide, was aligned with the Dark Willow Gang, Sawada Tsuo had no choice but to rely on the securitypany to deal with the gang. Thus, they had heavily recruited foreign mercenaries. Liu Xing even suspected that other underground factions in Ziwu City received support from Sawada Tsuo, allowing them to survive under the shadow of the formidable Dark Willow Gang. Then, Liu Xing subtly inquired about the undeveloped area. ording to Juri Sonoda''s investigation, the undeveloped area had been bought by the Sawada Family more than a hundred years ago. They believed it to be the burial ce of the great hero Tomohiko Sawada. Consequently, the Sawada Family had erected a protective wall around it and stationed a significant number of security personnel to safeguard the area. As a result, rumors circted that after the Sawada Family purchased the undeveloped area, nothing had changed, and no construction had taken ce. However, this was undoubtedly a false rumor. Recent information obtained by Juri Sonoda revealed that the Sawada Family had built numerous small houses within the undeveloped area. Some were for the security personnel stationed there, while others were seemingly constructed without any purpose. These identical houses had the same interioryouts and decorations. Strangely, none of them were inhabited or used for storage, sitting idle in the undeveloped area, leaving Juri Sonoda puzzled. However, this led Liu Xing to think of a term: "Suspicious Mound." In simple terms, beneath one of these unused houses, there might be the burial site of Sawada Tomohiko. After all, Killer Demon, now resurrected, would likely return to the undeveloped area, his resting ce. To conceal this fact, the Sawada Family had constructed multiple identical houses as potential decoy burial sites, hiding the true resting ce of Killer Demon. Of course, Liu Xing believed that there was more hidden in the undeveloped area than met the eye. After all, the Shrine from that time was located there. Liu Xing suspected that the Shrine''s remnants might still exist in the undeveloped area. What intrigued him even more were the potential artifacts within it. In many Cthulhu RPG Game modules, there were key artifacts that significantly influenced the course of the story, much like the scroll of parchment in Liu Xing''s first Castle module, which determined the plot''s direction. These key artifacts had a substantial impact on the yer''s Clearing Method and progression. Moreover, in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, artifacts obtained in one module could usually be used in others, provided there was a reasonable exnation for carrying them, and the module wasn''t set in some bizarre dreamlike realm. For example, therge knife in Killer Demon''s possession was undoubtedly an item yers could potentially acquire. However, obtaining it would be immensely difficult, given Killer Demon''s ability to effortlessly defeat yers. Even if a yer managed to obtain the knife, they would likely need to meet specific conditions to use it. Furthermore, for a foreigner like Liu Xing, taking the knife out of the country would be virtually impossible. However, Liu Xing believed that besides therge knife in Killer Demon''s possession, there were likely many other valuable artifacts in this module. These could include the statue of Sulu deity within the Shrine, whatever item Honda Koichi possessed to resist Fujiwara Gen''in''s control, and even Mian Gu Lu''s blood might prove to be a useful item. Therefore, Liu Xing contemted seizing the opportunity to explore the undeveloped area and search for treasure. Just then, Juri Sonoda suddenly pped her forehead and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Oh, by the way, I don''t even know your name!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that he had been so engrossed in discussing matters with Juri Sonoda that he had forgotten to introduce himself. With a smile, Liu Xing replied, "Hello, I''m Liu Xing, a doctor." Since Liu Xing was currently driving, Juri Sonoda casually patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Alright then, from now on, Liu Xing, you''re my informant. You can just call me Juri. But on another note, as you mentioned, the existence of supernatural beings like Ghouls would be a world-shaking revtion. When people see these videos, their perspectives might be altered. Those with fragile mental states could panic, and if a significant number of people in an area panic or if someone with malicious intent takes advantage of the situation, chaos could ensue!" Liu Xing remembered watching a video where a yer deliberately recorded footage of Ghouls battling a certain organization''s mercenaries while on the edge of out-of-bounds areas. They then uploaded the video to a nonexistent website, causing riots in multiple countries and regions. Eventually, governments had to deploy troops to suppress and eliminate the Ghouls. The yers had essentially won the game without much effort. Juri Sonoda also realized this and, after some contemtion, made up her mind. "Well then, I''ll give up the chance to be famous for eternity. After all, I aim forsting recognition, not infamy for eternity. But I have a question now: surely, the government knows about the existence of these Ghouls, right?" Liu Xing nodded, affirming, "Of course, Ghoul species are distributed worldwide. Besides Ghouls, there are many mythical creatures, such as fishmen. Some powerful Ghouls can even assume human form and live in the human world, marrying and having children." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 218: Entering the Underground Casino Chapter 218: Entering the Underground Casino Juri Sonoda gazed at Liu Xing with a cute and doubtful expression and said, "So, does that mean you''re also a Ghoul?" Liu Xing was taken aback by Juri Sonoda''s wandering thoughts, as she began to suspect that he was a Ghoul himself. Wanting to y along, Liu Xing smirked and replied, "Since you''ve found out, I don''t have much to hide. I''m actually a Ghoul too." However, Juri Sonoda chuckled and patted Liu Xing''s shoulder, saying, "Liu Xing, your acting skills aren''t that great. It''s clear you''re trying to deceive me." Liu Xing looked at Juri Sonoda with embarrassment and sighed, "Seriously? Are my acting skills that bad? I thought I had some serious talent. I could probably be a Hollywood actor." Juri Sonoda wagged her finger and told Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, don''t forget my professionI''m a journalist. I often go undercover in various ces to gather information. So, I frequently use various disguises and y different roles. My acting skills are beyond your imagination." Upon hearing Juri Sonoda''s exnation, Liu Xing nodded in agreement. It made sense that someone like her, who sought out big news stories, would go to great lengths to infiltrate enemy territory and gather first-hand information. Therefore, her acting skills were undoubtedly top-notch. "By the way, when we enter the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground Casino, call me Miss Tanaka, and your identity will be my bodyguard. Do you understand?" Juri Sonoda instructed. Liu Xing nodded, as he had already anticipated that Juri Sonoda couldn''t enter the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground Casino under her real identity. After all, Dark Willow Gang was no fool; they wouldn''t allow a journalist to infiltrate their underground operations. Juri Sonoda then took various cosmetics from her bag and began to apply them to her face. Quickly, her appearance underwent a transformation, and Liu Xing could barely recognize her. He couldn''t help but marvel at the effectiveness of the Ind Nation makeup art, one of the four great dark arts in Asia. "By the way, Liu Xing, your acting skills could use some improvement. So, I must teach you how to y the role of a bodyguard properly," Juri Sonoda said earnestly. Liu Xing had initially considered refusing, but since they had more than an hour left before reaching the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground Casino, he decided that listening to Juri Sonoda''s advice to pass the time was a reasonable choice. After all, if Cthulhu Mythos knowledge could be improved through oral checks, then it was possible that other skill values could also be increased in the same way. With Liu Xing''s silent consent, Juri Sonoda began imparting her "performance" experience. However, she turned the conversation towards makeup techniques, deviating from the original topic. As Liu Xing had anticipated, when he parked the car in the sewer area parking lot, KP Li Shunchan, the Game Master, stepped in. "Alright, since yer Liu Xing epted an oral check from NPC Juri Sonoda and gained the Disguise skill, after the disguise check, the yer will be able to alter their identity and appearance. However, the specific value of the disguise check will be greatly influenced by the performance during the infiltration of the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground Casino. The disguise value provided by this oral check will be determined by the performance of yer Liu Xing and NPC Juri Sonoda during the infiltration," KP Li Shunchan exined with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn''t help but ask KP Li Shunchan, "KP, I have a question. Is NPC''s oral check different from a yer''s oral check?" KP Li Shunchan confirmed, "Yes, of course. yer''s oral checks have certain limitations; they can only teach skills and Cthulhu Mythos knowledge that can be verbally transmitted to other yers. However, NPC''s oral checks are different. NPCs can basically teach all the skills they possess to yers and guarantee a 100% sess rate for the oral check. However, the yer''s specific skill value will be determined through a small mission. For example, now that Juri Sonoda has imparted the Disguise skill to you, your performance during the uing infiltration will affect the final skill value. In theory, the skill value can reach a maximum of 50." Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that he would have to seek advice from these NPCs in the future, as this method of gaining skill values was much more substantial than Interlude Growth. "Alright, Liu Xing, just as I said earlier, get into character quickly. The Dark Willow Gang''s Underground Casino is right below this parking lot. After you''re prepared, we''ll proceed," Juri Sonoda said seriously. Liu Xing took a deep breath and nodded, readying himself mentally. The elevator stopped and opened, revealing the true appearance of the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground Casino to Liu Xing. The Dark Willow Gang''s Underground Casino was circr, with a floor space roughly the size of two standard ser fields. The interior decoration closely resembled the Las Vegas casinos Liu Xing had seen on TV, with various gambling tables scattered around. Even though it was only around 1 o''clock in the afternoon, there were already many gamblers inside the Underground casino. Most of the gambling tables were surrounded by three or four yers, and Liu Xing could tell from their attire that they were either wealthy or influential individuals. At that moment, a waiter from the Underground casino approached Juri Sonoda, who was standing in front, and asked, "Miss, you seem unfamiliar. Is this your first time at our casino? May I ask if you have an invitation?" Juri Sonoda nodded and gracefully retrieved an invitation from her bag, handing it to the waiter. Liu Xing couldn''t help but admire Juri Sonoda''s acting skills. After inspecting Juri Sonoda''s invitation, the waiter respectfully said, "Miss Tanaka, your invitation is in order. I will now exchange your invitation for two smartwatches. This way, both you and the gentleman behind you can enter our casino for gaming. If you or the gentleman need anything, you can use these smartwatches to contact us, and we will be at your service." The waiter collected Juri Sonoda''s invitation and brought two smartwatches from the reception desk, handing one to Liu Xing and one to Juri Sonoda. Liu Xing examined the smartwatch and discovered that it had only two functions: calling for assistance and proving one''s identity as a regr member of the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino. "We have two types of memberships in our casino. The first type is for regr members who have just entered our casino and can only y in the main hall on the first floor. The second type is for VIP members. By exchanging a total of one million yen worth of tokens at once or umting two million yen worth of tokens within a month, regr members can be VIP members. However, if you choose the first method to be a VIP member, the one million yen worth of tokens will be locked for a month, during which you cannot withdraw them. You must also spend over 500,000 yen within the same month to maintain your VIP status. However, if you win any rewards with the one million yen worth of tokens, you can still withdraw them in full," the waiter exined in detail to Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda. Juri Sonoda nodded and handed over a bank card, saying, "Just exchange one million yen worth of tokens for me and one hundred thousand yen worth of tokens for my bodyguard." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Juri Sonoda''s generosity. It was worth noting that, in 2015, the exchange rate for yen to RMB was approximately 1:19, making one million yen equivalent to over 50,000 RMB. In a small city like Ziwu City, the average monthly ie for ordinary people was only around 200,000 yen. Liu Xing didn''t expect Juri Sonoda to be willing to invest several months'' worth of her ie into this operation. "I understand, Miss Tanaka," the waiter said respectfully, taking the bank card and, after a brief exchange with the reception desk, gesturing for Juri Sonoda to enter her password. After entering the password, Liu Xing moved forward to collect the token box and followed Juri Sonoda into the lobby of the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino. As they entered through the lobby entrance, Liu Xing heard a beep from the smartwatch on his wrist, realizing it was another security measure employed by the Dark Willow Gang. "All right, Liu Xing, let''s start by having a drink and then get into some gambling," Juri Sonoda said, leading Liu Xing to the bar in one corner of the main hall. Liu Xing had to admit that the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino had impressive amenities. The bar not only provided various beverages and alcoholic drinks for free but also offered a wide selection of snacks and even a takeaway service. Juri Sonoda casually ordered two drinks and then found a secluded spot away from the crowd for herself and Liu Xing to sit. "Liu Xing, please don''t spend that one hundred thousand yen worth of tokens, okay? If you want to use them, transfer the money to me when we leave. This is my monthly living expenses," Juri Sonoda said, looking concerned. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I thought Miss Tanaka was so generous that she was willing to buy tokens for me. Little did I know... I''m truly exhausted." Juri Sonoda red at Liu Xing with a hint of annoyance and said, "I would love to treat you, but my monthly sry is only around 300,000 yen. You should also know that, while our ie is high in Ind Nation, so are our expenses. Besides, I have a younger sister to support. If it weren''t for the 5 million yen reward for exposing the Dark Willow Gang, I wouldn''t have been willing to invest one million yen like this. It''s my dowry, after all." Hearing this, Liu Xing was curious and asked, "What? There''s a 5 million yen reward for exposing the Dark Willow Gang?!" Juri Sonoda nodded, took out her phone, tapped a few times, and handed it to Liu Xing. On the phone was a news article from the previous month. The gist of the article was that the Ziwu City police had decided to crack down on the city''s security issues. Citizens of Ziwu City who could provide valuable information would receive rewards based on the value of their tips. The highest category of rewards was 5 million yen, and the target was undoubtedly the Dark Willow Gang. Liu Xing nodded and returned the phone to Juri Sonoda, smiling as he asked, "I see. So what''s our n now?" Juri Sonoda pointed upstairs and said, "That''s the second floor of the Underground casino. In addition to VIP rooms, there are also many offices for high-ranking Dark Willow Gang members. I''ll try to ess those officester to see if I can find any useful information. Liu Xing, you can enjoy yourself on the first floor for now. Try to locate the entrance you mentioned for the third level. But remember, be cautious no matter what you do. This is, after all, Dark Willow Gang''s territory." With that, Juri Sonoda got up and headed towards the staircase leading to the second floor. After showing her smartwatch to the guards at the entrance, she ascended to the second floor of the Dark Willow Gang''s Underground casino. Meanwhile, Liu Xing sipped his drink and observed the surroundings. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 219: Walking into the Trap Chapter 219: Walking into the Trap ording to Liu Xing''s observations, aside from the staircase leading to the second floor, the first floor of the underground casino had six tightly closed doors, each guarded by two security personnel. This indicated the importance of these six doors. Liu Xing closed his eyes and appeared to be deep in thought, pondering the locations corresponding to these six doors. He quickly determined that one of them led to the convenience store and the sewer entrance. He also identified two doors leading to the residential areas within the sewer section and one within a construction site. As a result, two doors remained unounted for, leading directly towards the outskirts of Ziwu City. Liu Xing began to suspect that one of these two doors might lead to Honda Koichi''sboratory. However, even if Liu Xing knew how to ess Honda Koichi''sb, he dared not venture inside. After all, Liu Xing''s character card was quiteckluster, despite possessing Nyathotep''s customized handgun as a weapon, which could deal substantial damage. Due to limited ammunition, facing a significant number of enemies would render Liu Xing powerless. Furthermore, from the video featuring Honda Koichi''sb, it was evident that not only were there numerous Ghouls but also members of the Dark Willow Gang inside. Entering theb would undoubtedly be a suicidal move. Currently, Liu Xing contemted whether there was a way to persuade Aoki Kawaguchi to lead a team of Ghouls for a surprise assault, seizing the opportunity to infiltrate theb and eliminate the major threat, Honda Koichi. At this moment, Liu Xing remembered that Otonashi Takuya hadn''t mentioned anything about this matter. Logically, Otonashi Takuya should have informed Aoki Kawaguchi about the contents of those videos, and Aoki Kawaguchi should have taken action. Why had Otonashi Takuya remained silent on this matter? Could there be more to this situation than met the eye? Liu Xing rubbed his chin, pondering with suspicion. Just then, Liu Xing saw Juri Sonoda walking towards him, looking quite frustrated. It appeared that Juri Sonoda''s mission had not been going smoothly either. Juri Sonoda sat down next to Liu Xing, sighing in resignation. Seeing this, Liu Xing spoke, "In this world, most things don''t go as nned. Miss Tanaka, there''s no need to be so downhearted." Juri Sonoda nced around discreetly before speaking softly to Liu Xing, "Today has been incredibly unlucky for me. I had found a suitable target and was about to use my skills to open the door. But guess what? Mikageichi, the leader of the Dark Willow Gang, unexpectedly returned at that moment. Fortunately, I didn''t reveal my intentions and managed to escape. The stakes up there are ridiculously high, with a minimum bet of a hundred thousand yen per token. Nevertheless, my luck held, and I won over a hundred thousand yen in tokens. It seems I have a knack for this." She chuckled as she spoke. Liu Xing shook his head, unable to resist pouring cold water on her enthusiasm. "Miss Tanaka, you should know that a skilled dealer can manipte the oue to a certain extent. So, as a new high-ranking member, the dealers on the second floor will surely give you some initial wins to lure you in. Once you''re addicted to gambling, that''s when they''ll take advantage of you." Juri Sonoda looked at Liu Xing in disbelief and then whispered, "You think I don''t know that? But, in any case, Mikageichi shouldn''t havee to this underground casino so early. He should be escorting his adoptive father to the spa right now. Plus, it seems like there''s some major event happening since Dark Willow Gang''s top brass are also here today. It looks like something significant is about to go down. I can''t help but want to eavesdrop on their conversations." Liu Xing realized that the situation might be more serious than he initially thought. The show of force clearly indicated that they were targeting Mian Gu Lu, and Mikageichi was likely nning to seize Mian Gu Lu by force. "By the way, did you see those two doors on the left? I suspect one of them leads to theboratory in the video, and the other four probably lead to different entrances and exits of the casino," Liu Xing shared his findings with Juri Sonoda. Juri Sonoda didn''t react visibly but gestured with her eyes towards the left door. "If my informants are urate, the door on the left is the most recent addition, so I suspect it leads to theboratory." Liu Xing nodded, finally noticing the two guards next to the left door. While theycked visible weapons, there was a noticeable bulge at their waist, indicating they were armed. "It''s safe to say that this door is suspicious, but it seems we have no way of entering. So, what do we do now?" Liu Xing asked. Juri Sonoda pondered for a moment and said, "Forget it. We won''t find any more clues here in the underground casino, especially with Mikageichi in charge. Let''s head back directly. But before we leave, let''s spend some time in the main hall to avoid drawing any attention from the casino staff." So, Liu Xing followed Juri Sonoda to the main hall and yed a few rounds. Juri Sonoda''s luck was indeed extraordinary, as she won every round and earned over two hundred thousand yen in tokens. Liu Xing was starting to suspect that her luck was well above 90%. Juri Sonoda was all smiles and wanted to continue gambling, but Liu Xing reminded her of her professional ethics and the illegal nature of excessive gambling. She finally restrained herself and decided to leave the underground casino. Liu Xing''s reason for encouraging her to leave was his concern that Mikageichi mighte downstairs to the main hall. After all, Liu Xing had some history with Mikageichi, and being recognized by him could lead to trouble. In the end, Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda retraced their steps and left the underground casino. While they didn''t make any significant gains, they did gather some valuable information. As they sat in the car, Juri Sonoda yed with her tokens and grinned at Liu Xing. "Liu Xing, I told you my luck was good enough. I haven''t lost a single round today. If it weren''t for my professional ethics reminding me not to get addicted to this illegal activity, I might have achieved a small goal today and won a million yen." Liu Xing looked at Juri Sonoda with a bewildered expression. What did she mean by professional ethics? If it weren''t for his specific reminder, Juri Sonoda would have thrown her "professional ethics" out the window a long time ago. "Alright, Miss Juri Sonoda, where would you like to go now? I can drop you off," Liu Xing asked Juri Sonoda. Juri Sonoda checked her phone; it was already 3:00 in the afternoon. "It''s already 3:00, so you can drop me off at a ce where I can easily find a taxi. I need to get back to the residential area west of Ziwu City to cook dinner for my sister." Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "Don''t you want me to take you directly home?" Juri Sonoda shook her head, looking serious. "That won''t be necessary. It takes about three hours from here to my house, which means I won''t get there until around 6:00. Then you''d have a reason to stay at my ce, and if you happened to live in this area or the residential area to the north, it would take you over three hours to drive home. You''d have a reason to stay over at my ce and sneak up on me!" Liu Xing looked at Juri Sonoda, who was making humorous but bizarre assumptions, realizing that a journalist''s thought process was quite different from an ordinary person''s. "Alright then, I''ll drop you off on the outskirts of that residential area. There''s a main road there, so it should be easy to find a taxi," Liu Xing said as he started the car and began their journey. After dropping off Juri Sonoda, Liu Xing returned to Chen Wenbin''s house, only to find it empty. "Strange, why haven''t they returned yet?" Liu Xing wondered aloud. At that moment, Liu Xing received a text message from Yin En. It turned out that Yin En and his team had finished their visit to the spa and met with Sawada Yinyin''s father, Sawada Tsuo, the current head of the Sawada Family. Under Yin En''s persuasion, Sawada Tsuo had agreed to take in Mian Gu Lu. Currently, Yin En and his team were staying in a vi provided by Sawada Tsuo. Yin En sent a message to Liu Xing and others, urging them to abandon Chen Wenbin''s house and move to the vi area. After reading the message, Liu Xing sighed and prepared to drive from the southwest corner of Ziwu City to the northeast corner. He estimated that by the time he arrived at the vi area, it would be around 11 or 12 at night. Liu Xing quickly had a light meal at home before heading towards the vi area. As expected, Liu Xing encountered rush-hour traffic when passing through the centralmercial district of Ziwu City, causing a dy of over an hour. When Liu Xing finally arrived at the vi area, it was already 11:00 PM. Fortunately, Yin En was waiting just outside the vi area, so Liu Xing was able to enter without any issues. Ziwu City had two vi areas, one in the southeast and another in the southwest. The southeast vi area had a higher ss of residents, with a lower vi density,rger distances between them (over 500 meters), and dense vegetation, making it difficult to see neighboring vis. However, the southeast vi area had a cluster of vis developed by the Sawada Family, with the main Sawada residence at the center. The Sawada Family''s mainline members resided in the Sawada mansion, while branch members and visiting dignitaries stayed in the surrounding vis. Private security personnel and some servants lived in the outermost vis. ording to Yin En, Sawada Tsuo had arranged for them to stay in one of the guest vis and had deployed a professional security team from the securitypany he invested in, called the Red Eagle Security Company, to protect Mian Gu Lu. Speaking of the Red Eagle Security Company, Yin En shared some information. "Liu Xing, this is quite fortunate. I just contacted my friends, and they provided information about Sagami Hayato, the head of the Red Eagle Security Company. Sagami Hayato is skilled in analyzing situations, organizing formations, and strategizing, although his personalbat skills are average. Within his team, there''s a mercenary named Akashi Izumi, known for extraordinary marksmanship, capable of hitting targets with pinpoint uracy. Overall, their strength is impressive, and they should have no trouble dealing with the small-time hooligans from the Dark Willow Gang. Furthermore, Sawada Tsuo mentioned that in this vi area, there are over a hundred private security personnel armed with firearms. Heavy machine gun emcements are positioned in the outermost vis, and the Sawada mansion has armored vehicles on standby. It''s highly unlikely that the Dark Willow Gang could mount a sessful attack here." Hearing this, Liu Xing felt relieved. With such a robust defense by the Sawada Family, it would be challenging for the Dark Willow Gang to breach it, unless they resorted to using the dreaded artificially created Monsters and employed SAN attacks against the Sawada Family''s private security, causing chaos. "By the way, Yin En, have you already informed Sawada Tsuo about Mian Gu Lu''s situation?" Liu Xing suddenly thought of something and asked Yin En. Yin En nodded, "Of course. If we don''t tell Sawada Tsuo about Mian Gu Lu''s situation, how could he provide us with so much assistance? However, Sawada Tsuo''s attitude seems a bit too enthusiastic. After hearing about Mian Gu Lu, he insisted on keeping us here and even mentioned using any means necessary to protect Mian Gu Lu." Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel uneasy. He sighed and said to Yin En, "Yin En, it''s possible that we''ve walked into a trap. Sawada Tsuo may not want to protect Mian Gu Lu; he might want to control him." Liu Xing then shared the information he had obtained from Juri Sonoda about Sawada Tsuo with Yin En. "I see. It seems we might have indeed walked into a trap. Sawada Tsuo sees himself as the protector of Ziwu City, and if we can''t help Mian Gu Lu break free from the possession of the Eldritch God Taketori, Sawada Tsuo might choose to eliminate Mian Gu Lu to rid himself of Taketori''s influence," Yin En affirmed. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 220: Possibilities Chapter 220: Possibilities "Indeed, ording to the current avable information, Eldritch God Taketori should only be able to possess Mian Gu Lu. We have to wait for a few days until the sr eclipse, at which point the world will plunge into darkness, allowing Eldritch God Taketori to be truly born into this world. So, logically speaking, if we kill Mian Gu Lu before that, Eldritch God Taketori will also perish along with her," Liu Xing nodded, speaking. Yin En sighed and tapped his fingers on the car window, saying helplessly, "Liu Xing, what do you think now? What if we can''t eliminate or expel Eldritch God Taketori from Mian Gu Lu''s body? Should we really let Sawada Tsuo kill Mian Gu Lu?" Liu Xing fell silent for a moment, but eventually nodded seriously, "It seems that''s the only option. After all, if ites to that, we''ll have to sacrifice Mian Gu Lu to save the world, even though... well..." The atmosphere in the car grew heavy. "Anyway, when the timees, we can only do that. We can''t let the whole world suffer for the sake of a woman, especially when, to put it bluntly, Mian Gu Lu is not one of us," Yin En spoke. Liu Xing agreed with Yin En''s words. While Mian Gu Lu appeared to be simr to ordinary humans, she was still a member of the Yis People, and while the Yis People didn''t have ill intentions towards humans, they couldn''t be allies either. "Alright, since that''s the case, let''s gather everyone when we arrive at the vi and hold an internal vote on what to do if Sawada Tsuo really wants to kill Mian Gu Lu. This way, we can avoid unexpected situations and potential bacsh," Liu Xing suggested. Yin En understood Liu Xing''s point and nodded, saying, "OK, I''ll definitely support your stance when the timees. But I believe Gu Jun and the others are reasonable and understand that, given the current situation, we don''t have much assurance of escaping with Mian Gu Lu." At this point, Liu Xing had already driven to the outskirts of the Sawada Family''s vi and was stopped by a makeshift checkpoint. Looking at the heavily armed private security guards, or mercenaries recruited by Sawada Tsuo, Liu Xing had to admit that trying to leave with Mian Gu Lu from this ce was an impossible mission. Yin En got out of the car and showed a card to the mercenary at the checkpoint, who then nodded and allowed the car to pass. "It seems that Sawada Tsuo is indeed a cunning fox. He only gave me one ess card, and at the time, he said it was because he had only one ess card. I actually believed it. Now it''s clear that Sawada Tsuo wants to indirectly confine us here, preventing us from freely entering and leaving. After all, if we try to leave altogether, those guards at the checkpoints will surely find excuses to stop us. If we attempt to leave in small groups, I''ll have to take them one by one, and that would raise suspicions. Then the remaining people would be hostages in Sawada Tsuo''s hands," Yin En put the card back into his bag, frustrated. Liu Xing nodded, recognizing that Yin En''s analysis was urate. If Sawada Tsuo provided only one ess card, it would make it even more challenging for the yers to leave the vi area with Mian Gu Lu. Furthermore, Liu Xing noticed that there were numerous surveince cameras along the way, including some hidden in the trees on both sides of the road. There seemed to be no escape from the watchful eyes of these high-quality cameras. "Liu Xing, have you also noticed that there are a lot of surveince cameras along this road? There are even many in the woods on both sides of the road. It''s almost like 360 degrees of coverage, and if I''m not mistaken, these surveince cameras should be the best ones avable on the market. They have high resolution and even night vision capabilities. So, sneaking away under cover of darkness is out of the question," Yin En remarked. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing sighed helplessly, unsure of what to say. Yin En also realized that he had led the team into a difficult situation and felt embarrassed as he said, "Well, this is my fault. I didn''t fully understand the situation and epted Sawada Tsuo''s invitation without knowing better, bringing Mian Gu Lu here." Liu Xing shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Yin En, you can''t me yourself. It''s all because Sawada Tsuo is incredibly cunning, and we didn''t have enough information about him. If I were in your shoes, I probably would have fallen for Sawada Tsuo''s trap as well. After all, gaining the support of thergest family in Ziwu City would have made dealing with the Dark Willow Gang much easier. But who could have expected that Sawada Tsuo isn''t exactly a good person? Or rather, he''s a very pragmatic person." "Yeah, Sawada Tsuo isn''t like the protagonists in those passionate anime, novels, or movies who protect their teammates even in life-threatening situations and hope for miracles," Yin En couldn''t help butment. At this point, Yin En pointed to a vi ahead and said, "This is the vi where we''ll be staying. Everyone else should be here by now." Liu Xing deliberately parked the car outside the gate and followed Yin En into the vi. It had to be said that the Sawada Family was wealthy. The vi was extravagantly decorated, with a total of four floors. However, the fourth floor was actually an attic, and there were eight rooms on the second and third floors for resting. The first floor was a spacious hall. "Uh, does this vi not have a kitchen?" Liu Xing looked around the first-floor hall, puzzled. Yin En nodded and said helplessly, "That''s right, this vi doesn''t have a kitchen. The refrigerators in each room only contain some beverages. So, our food and drink seem to be under Sawada Tsuo''s control. I have to admit that Sawada Tsuo is quite cunning in this regard." Liu Xing and Yin En entered the hall and saw the others sitting around a round table, havingte-night snacks and chatting. Liu Xing noticed that Otonashi Takuya and Mian Gu Lu were missing. Liu Xing took a seat at an empty spot and helped himself to somete-night snacks. Then he asked casually, "By the way, where are Mian Gu Lu and Otonashi Takuya?" "They both went to rest first. After all, Mian Gu Lu isn''t feeling well, and Otonashi Takuya didn''t get much rest yesterday, so I let them rest," Yasaka Mashiro answered. Liu Xing nodded and proceeded to share the information he had gathered today. However, as he concluded, he couldn''t help but speak with self-deprecation, "But all this information probably won''t be of much use now. We''re under Sawada Tsuo''s control, and we''re basically unable to directly confront the Dark Willow Gang." "Control?" Gu Jun raised an eyebrow and asked. Yin En, who was beside Liu Xing, nodded and exined the results of their discussion in the car. Hearing this, the group fell into silence. "Damn it, I didn''t expect Sawada Tsuo to be this kind of person. We should have confronted the Dark Willow Gang head-on," Yoh Asakura, usually reserved with words, couldn''t help but curse. Gu Jun furrowed his brow and said, "Not necessarily. Today, I went to see Kuroba Naoki and learned about Honda Koichi''s experiments. It turns out to be an ancient technique lost to time, originating from the King Tindalos era. In simple terms, it involves creating a powder-like elixir through a mysterious form. When this elixir is mixed with the blood of a human or mythical creature and injected into another person, that person gains the abilities of the blood donor. For example, if a skilled archer donates their blood, an ordinary person, after injection, bes a sharpshooter within a day. Of course, in cases like what Honda Koichi did, injecting mythical creature blood into humans results in a hybrid state, possessing both mythical creature powers and human consciousness." "My goodness, this technique is incredible. But why didn''t King Tindalos use it to unify the Ind Nation back then?" Yasaka Mashiro asked in astonishment. Gu Jun chuckled and exined, "Because this technique has very strict requirements. The form must be precise down to specific units, and many materials in the form are extremely rare. Even King Tindalos only managed to create a little over a hundred doses of the elixir. Moreover, only King Tindalos knew the form. So, when King Tindalos disappeared, the form was lost as well. However, based on Kuroba Naoki''s investigation, King Tindalos only used about fifty of those doses, leaving over fifty doses unounted for. It''s highly likely that Honda Koichi got his hands on one of those doses, and now he''s trying to decipher the form." Liu Xing nodded and rubbed his chin, saying, "In that case, Honda Koichi''s progress in deciphering the form should be quite advanced. If the Dark Willow Gang uses this elixir to create a group of superhuman monsters, they could potentially bypass Sawada Family''s defenses and forcibly capture Mian Gu Lu." Gu Jun smiled and confirmed, "That''s very likely because Hisanobu Ito is running out of time. To obtain what he calls the ''blood of the gods'' from Mian Gu Lu, even if the form isn''t fully deciphered, Mikageichi will undoubtedly demand that Honda Koichi produce a batch of monsters. Let''s not forget that the Ghoul n has dug an extensivework of underground tunnels in Ziwu City, and we may be standing on one right now. So, I believe there''s a strong possibility that the Dark Willow Gang willunch a surprise attack through these tunnels. At that point, Sawada Family''s perimeter defenses will be ineffective, and Dark Willow Gang''s chances of defeating Sawada Family will be around seventy percent!" Yin En furrowed his brow and suggested, "Should I inform Sawada Tsuo in advance and prepare for a possible Dark Willow Gang assault?" Liu Xing shook his head and offered his opinion, "Maybe we can take advantage of their internal conflict and try to escape during the chaos?" Unexpectedly, Yin En, who had been on Liu Xing''s side until now, changed his stance, "That won''t work. If the Dark Willow Gang doesunch an attack on Sawada Family, they will surely suffer heavy casualties, and there''s even a possibility of their entire n being wiped out. Although I''m not a fan of Sawada Tsuo''s scheming, he is still my father-inw. I can''t just stand by and do nothing." The group fell into silence once again, as Yin En''s reasoning was sound. Yasaka Mashiro then spoke up, "KP, it''s time to activate the Private Room." KP Li Shunchan promptly responded, "OK, Private Room is now active. You can start your discussion." With that, Yin En quickly apologized, "I''m sorry, everyone. It was my misjudgment that led us into this dilemma." Yoh Asakura shook his head and said with a smile, "It''s not your fault. After all, who would have known that Sawada Tsuo was this kind of person? If anyone is to me, it''s us for not knowing enough about Sawada Tsuo or gathering information about him before. But sometimes, fortune favors the bold. Being here in Sawada Family''s territory might not be a bad thing. After all, if Dark Willow Gang attacks Chen Wenbin''s home, we would bepletely defenseless." Gu Jun nodded and added, "Although Otonashi Takuya is quite formidable, I believe Mikageichi could handle him in a one-on-one fight. Additionally, Kojima Kanto from Dark Willow Gang could likely take on both Yin En and Yoh Asakura simultaneously. So, how many of us could handle Dark Willow Gang''s ordinary members? Not to mention they probably have several capable leaders. Most importantly, if Honda Koichi joins the battle with his Ghoul subordinates, we would surely be doomed. The best-case scenario would be Mian Gu Lu getting captured, and the worst-case scenario would be all of us getting wiped out." Liu Xing shrugged, appearing resigned as he said, "Ah, the current plot has taken a turn for the worse. I had originally nned tounch a direct assault on the Dark Willow Gang''s underground casino with Aoki and the others, hoping to eliminate Honda Koichi. But now, we''re trapped here. It seems we may not be able to continue the Ghoul storyline, especially since we''re on Sawada Family''s turf." Suddenly, Yin En pped his thigh and said with a smile, "I almost forgot about this. I can try to convince Sawada Tsuo to invite Kanna Ryoko out of seclusion. After all, Kanna Ryoko can now leave the Godless Shrine. With Kanna Ryoko''s help, we might have a chance to defeat the Dark Willow Gang and possibly remove Eldritch God Taketori''s possession!" Gu Jun nodded at first, then shook his head, saying, "Yin En, Wizard''sbat abilities are not as strong as you think. So, I believe Kanna Ryoko''sbat strength should be on par with Otonashi Takuya''s, and her impact on the battle would be average at best." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 221: Shocking Secrets Chapter 221: Shocking Secrets "I believe all of you must have checked the Cthulhu RPG Game''s spellpendium in reality. I have to say, most of the spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game are quite troublesome. I''ve also mastered a spell myself, which, to be honest, isn''t as reliable as a handgun. So, I believe Kanna Ryoko''s current abilities are on par with Otonashi Takuya''s or maybe just a bit below Fujiwara Gen''in," Gu Jun spoke. Liu Xing nodded, looking frustrated. "You''re right, but here''s the problem. If we manage to persuade Sawada Tsuo, and he in turn invites Kanna Ryoko, it will undoubtedly attract Aoki''s group. After all, Aoki''s group has been monitoring Kanna Ryoko for centuries. I think once Kanna Ryoko leaves the Godless Shrine, Aoki''s group will definitely mobilize ande directly after her, seeking answers for what happened in the past." "Liu Xing, you''re correct. If things go as expected, the Ghoul faction will definitely be at odds with Kanna Ryoko''s faction. After all, the Ghoul transformation is far from human, and they''ve lived underground for centuries, all thanks to Kanna Ryoko. Now that Fujiwara Gen''in has be the Ghoul Elder, he has the power to confront Kanna Ryoko. So, it''s highly likely that Fujiwara Gen''in will demand answers. Based on our interactions with Kanna Ryoko so far, shees across as quite proud. After all, as a centuries-old priestess with magical powers, it''s only natural. So, I believe Kanna Ryoko is very unlikely to answer Fujiwara Gen''in''s questions peacefully. The chances of things turning violent upon disagreement should be over ny percent," Yin En continued where Liu Xing left off. At this point, Chen Wenbin sighed and said gloomily, "So, if I understand you correctly, it seems Dark Willow Gang might not be the first ones toe knocking. Fujiwara Gen''in''s Ghoul faction might dere war on us first. With over a hundred Ghouls led by the Ghoul Elder, even with Kanna Ryoko''s assistance, the Sawada Family''s defense won''t stand a chance." Gu Jun spread his hands and said with a bitter smile, "So, the question now is, should we still have Sawada Tsuo approach Kanna Ryoko? If we do, we''ll be in direct conflict with Fujiwara Gen''in''s Ghoul faction, possibly even leading to a war. But if we don''t have Kanna Ryoko to defend us, when Dark Willow Gang attacks, we won''t be able to handle their Ghouls, especially Honda Koichi, who is close to bing a Ghoul, and the possibility of artificial monsters." "It''s a dilemma," Yasaka Mashiro sighed heavily, resting her head on the table. Silence enveloped the group. However, not wanting to waste any more time in the Private Room, Liu Xing spoke up, "I''m thinking, is there a possibility that we can persuade Kanna Ryoko to lift the curse from Aoki''s group? If we can, we can eliminate the Ghoul threat, and then we''ll only have to deal with Dark Willow Gang''s gang members. That would significantly improve our chances." "In theory, it should be possible. I remember curses like these can be lifted as long as the caster is willing to do so. But the problem lies with Kanna Ryoko herself. As mentioned earlier, someone as proud as Kanna Ryoko is unlikely to choose to lift the curse for Fujiwara Gen''in''s group. After all, if she does, it would mean admitting her past mistakes. Also, why did Kanna Ryoko let Sawada Tomohiko retrieve Sulu''s deity statue in the first ce, only to curse Fujiwara Gen''in''s group without exnation? We still haven''t figured that out," Gu Jun exined seriously. Hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly had a bold guess. "I think everything that happened back then was probably orchestrated by Nyathotep. Based on the current clues, it was Swollen Woman who initially granted power to Sawada Tomohiko and gave him thatrge sword. Then she tried to manipte Otonashi Takuya into bing the second Sawada Tomohiko. Sawada Tomohiko and the Godless Priest dying in the Shrine were most likely the work of Swollen Woman. So, I believe Swollen Woman manipted Kanna Ryoko into making those unusual actions!" "Even if that''s true, what can we do about it? We can''t just go looking for trouble with Swollen Woman," Yoh Asakura couldn''t help butment. However, Yin En''s eyes lit up, and he said, "Have you all forgotten an important NPC - Sawada Tomohiko? And if I remember correctly, Kanna Ryoko should have had feelings for Sawada Tomohiko!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing Yin En''s idea. "If that''s the case, Kanna Ryoko might regret her actions from back then. So, we can appeal to her emotions and reason, informing her about what happened to Sawada Tomohiko, who became Killer Demon. Kanna Ryoko should be moved by that, and then we can rely on luck. We can send the person among us with the highest persuasion skill and preferably some psychology skill to try to convince Kanna Ryoko to lift the curse on Aoki''s group. How does that sound?" Yin En suggested. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and smiled, "That''s not a bad idea. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, the Dice Maiden rules all. If we get a critical sess, we might persuade Kanna Ryoko. But my persuasion skill is a bit low, and it''s a big responsibility." "In that case, I''ll do it. My persuasion skill is at 80, and I have some psychology skill," Chen Wenbin spoke up. After further discussion, the group decided to have Chen Wenbin be the one to persuade Kanna Ryoko. "So, what''s our n next? We''re basically being held captive here by Sawada Tsuo. I believe he will allow only three of us to leave, and the rest will be hostages. So, Chen Wenbin and Yin En will go meet Kanna Ryoko tomorrow. As for the remaining slot, who should we give it to?" Gu Jun asked seriously. Liu Xing pointed to himself, saying, "If we can only send three people, I think thest slot should go to Otonashi Takuya. After all, he has a long history with Kanna Ryoko. Maybe he can help Chen Wenbin persuade her. Plus, he can contact Aoki''s group to keep them calm." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Then it''s settled. Tomorrow, I''ll confront Sawada Tsuo and try to negotiate for some benefits. But I think it''s going to be tough, as Sawada Tsuo is likely a ruthless individual. However, I''ll also try to seek support from Sawada Yinyin. I believe her character is not in favor of her father''s actions. So, Sawada Yinyin could be our ally... Let''s hope for the best," Yin En said somewhat resignedly. "Alright, I''ll end the Private Room time now," KP Li Shunchan said at the right moment. After the discussion, everyone retired to their respective rooms for rest. The next morning, they gathered once more in the living room. Mian Gu Lu and Otonashi Takuya were also present this time. However, it had to be said that Mian Gu Lu''s health was deteriorating rapidly. Not only was herplexion pale, but she also walked with a noticeable unsteadiness, as if she could copse at any moment. Yin En, representing the group, exined the results of their previous discussion to Otonashi Takuya and Mian Gu Lu with the cooperation of Liu Xing and others. "Well, Yin En, are you suggesting that Sawada Tsuo wants to kill me?" Mian Gu Lu asked innocently. Yin En sighed first and then said helplessly, "Yes, if we can''t find a solution to Eldritch God Taketori, Sawada Tsuo will choose to kill you. Given our current situation, we have no way to protect you." Mian Gu Lu nodded without saying anything, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly became somber. At this moment, Otonashi Takuya stood up and said, "I believe Kanna Ryoko or Fujiwara Gen''in might have some knowledge about Eldritch God Taketori. After all, they have both lived for centuries as a priestess and Ghoul Elder, which is far better than someone like me, who wasted hundreds of years. So, if I can leave here today, I''ll go talk to Kanna Ryoko and Fujiwara Gen''in. Maybe we can get some useful information from them." Liu Xing was about to speak when Sawada Yinyin entered the room in a hurry. "Sawada Yinyin, Miss, what brings you here?" Gu Jun, seated at the outermost part of the room, asked. Sawada Yinyin''s face looked serious as she said, "You''ve probably guessed it, my father doesn''t actually want to protect you; he wants to control you, or more specifically, control Mian Gu Lu!" Yin En nodded and smiled, saying, "We already figured that out, but since you''re here, it means you''re on our side, right?" Sawada Yinyin raised an eyebrow and said with some annoyance, "Hey, Yin En, don''t be so familiar, and what''s with the smile? Also, it''s not the right time for jokes. But, of course, I am on your side. Although Mian Gu Lu is a bit clueless, I won''t allow my father to harm her!" "So, Miss Sawada Yinyin, do you have any good ideas right now?" Liu Xing quickly asked. Sawada Yinyin looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "Well, I haven''t thought of a solution yet. After all, this is Sawada Family''s stronghold, heavily fortified. I also don''t know where the blind spots are for the surveince cameras here. Sneaking out is nearly impossible. As for a direct assault, there''s even less chance. You should know that ording to my information, my father has gathered all the personnel of the Red Eagle Security Company here. Besides, given Mian Gu Lu''s current condition, she probably isn''t fit for strenuous activity." After Sawada Yinyin''s reminder, Liu Xing and the others noticed Mian Gu Lu''s current physical condition wasn''t suitable for strenuous activity, making it almost impossible for her to escape. "So, what should we do now? Just stay here and wait for the worst?" Chen Wenbin sighed, expressing his helplessness. Sawada Yinyin thought for a moment and said, "How about this, Yin En, youe with me to meet my father. Let''s try to persuade him together; it might work. But the most important thing is to figure out how to deal with the threat of Eldritch God Taketori." "We''ve already discussed that we want to ask your father to go to the Godless Shrine and seek help from the shrine''s priestess, Kanna Ryoko. After all, Kanna Ryoko is a priestess," Yin En replied. However, what surprised Liu Xing and the others was that when Sawada Yinyin heard Kanna Ryoko''s name, her eyebrows furrowed, and she spoke with nervousness, "What? How do you know the name Kanna Ryoko?" The group exchanged puzzled nces, not expecting Sawada Yinyin to react so strongly to Kanna Ryoko''s name. Liu Xing exchanged a nce with Yin En, and Yin En quickly exined, "Yinyin, we already know what happened back then. Otonashi Takuya is the descendant of your ancestor, Sawada Tomohiko, and he served as Tomohiko Sawada''s guard." Hearing this, Sawada Yinyin was once again shocked, looking at Otonashi Takuya without knowing what to say. Otonashi Takuya then uttered four words, "Defend the ck Crow." Upon hearing these four words from Otonashi Takuya, Sawada Yinyin calmed down and said, "I see. So, Otonashi Takuya, your strength is so formidable because you and my predecessor, Sawada Tomohiko, are both powerful individuals who have lived for centuries." Sawada Yinyin sighed and continued, "Since you already know what happened back then, I won''t go into details. Yes, the Sawada Family wasn''t as noble as it seemed. In fact, my ancestor, the so-called ''Great Hero'' Tomohiko Sawada, was actually a scoundrel who sacrificed people to Eldritch God for power!" The group was shocked by Sawada Yinyin''s explosive revtion. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and asked Sawada Yinyin, "Miss Sawada Yinyin, are you saying that those mercenaries who disappeared at the beginning were actually sacrificed to Eldritch God by Sawada Tomohiko?" Sawada Yinyin sighed again and nodded, saying, "Yes, those mercenaries were sacrificed by my ancestor, Sawada Tomohiko, to the Eldritch God named Sulu. That''s how Sawada Tomohiko gained such immense power and thatrge sword. Moreover, the more people Sawada Tomohiko killed with that sword, the more power it gave him in return. So, after dealing with the Demon, he personally took action during the reckoning." "And after that, Sawada Tomohiko was gradually driven mad by the power, and his mind was gradually controlled by thatrge sword. It was only when thete Tomohiko Sawada, who realized something was amiss." Sawada Yinyin added. Undoubtedly, Sawada Yinyin''s words had left the group stunned. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 222: The Truth Chapter 222: The Truth After listening to Aoki''s story, Liu Xing began to doubt whether Sawada Tomohiko had indeed sacrificed those mercenaries back in the day to gain power and that enormous sword. Finally, he had received confirmation. What was even more crucial was the revtion that Kanna Ryoko had willingly killed Sawada Tomohiko all those years ago, although she had been under the influence of Swollen Woman. "Miss Sawada Yinyin, was it really Kanna Ryoko who wanted to kill Sawada Tomohiko back then?" Otonashi Takuya asked incredulously. Sawada Yinyin nodded solemnly and replied, "Yes, that''s right. Ryoko-senpai herself told me this. At that time, Sawada Tomohiko was nearly controlled by that giant sword. I believe you must have noticed something was amiss back then too, Takuya." Otonashi Takuya pondered for a moment and nodded. "You''re right. I did sense something was off about Sawada Tomohiko back then. But I was just an ordinary guard at the time, and it wasn''t my ce to interfere. Besides, with my abilities back then, there wasn''t much I could have done." Liu Xing, on the other hand, suddenly had another question in mind. He asked, "Miss Sawada Yinyin, I have one more question. Does Kanna Ryoko really have feelings for Sawada Tomohiko?" Liu Xing asked this question with the intention of using Sawada Tomohiko''s name to persuade Kanna Ryoko. "Well, I''ve asked Ryoko-senpai a few times, but she never gave me a direct answer," Sawada Yinyin replied thoughtfully. "However, I can still sense that she does love Sawada Tomohiko. After all, the Sawada Tomohiko from before he fell into the dark path was a charming gentleman, the beloved of Ziwu City. But sadly, Ryoko-senpai had to follow her duty as the eldest daughter of the Kanna Family and inherit the Godless Shrine." Hearing this, Liu Xing realized that he and his group had seemingly overlooked an important NPC: Godless Priest. As Sawada Tomohiko''s wife and Kanna Ryoko''s sister, Godless Priest was undoubtedly a crucial NPC. However, from the various NPC descriptions, it seemed that Godless Priest had been deliberately ignored or brushed aside. But based on the scant information avable, Liu Xing could infer that Godless Priest was likely the first to notice Sawada Tomohiko''s unusual behavior and had attempted to soothe his emotions. However, the question remained: Why did Kanna Ryoko turn against her own family, leading Godless Priest into a fatal situation? Was Kanna Ryoko manipted by Swollen Woman? Liu Xing decided to ask Sawada Yinyin, "Miss Sawada Yinyin, I have another question. If Kanna Ryoko nned to eliminate Sawada Tomohiko for the greater good, why did she take Godless Priest with them, ultimately leading to her death?" Sawada Yinyin sighed and exined, "Initially, Ryoko-senpai''s n didn''t involve Godless Priest. However, Godless Priest was concerned about Sawada Tomohiko''s mental state and wanted to apany him outside the city for some fresh air. Unfortunately, two separate events coincided, leading to Godless Priest''s tragic fate. However, Ryoko-senpai managed to rescue Godless Priest''s soul from that dire Shrine, and she has since moved on to another life." As Sawada Yinyin finished her exnation, Gu Jun was astonished and asked, "Miss Sawada Yinyin, are you suggesting that Kanna Ryoko initially imprisoned Sawada Tomohiko''s soul?" Sawada Yinyin nodded and continued, "Yes, that''s correct. With the assistance of an unknown deity, Ryoko-senpai set up a spell within the dpidated Shrine. This spell could imprison the souls of those killed within it. Given Sawada Tomohiko''s descent into darkness, his soul could have posed a threat to the world if left unchecked. Thus, she intentionally imprisoned his soul. And indeed, a while ago, Sawada Tomohiko''s soul broke free from its captivity and transformed into the Killer Demon we know today." "Furthermore, you should be aware of the undeveloped area incident. My father was afraid that the revtion of Killer Demon''s true identity as Sawada Tomohiko would tarnish our Sawada Family''s reputation in Ziwu City. So, he constructed numerous buildings in the undeveloped area specifically to conceal Sawada Tomohiko''s existence. Sawada Tomohiko''s soul can only manifest at night, and when daylightes, it reverts to ck mist, turning into a ck statue." "However, what''s peculiar is that the enormous sword only appears when Sawada Tomohiko''s soul is corporeal. When his soul bes ck mist, the sword vanishes suddenly. We even attempted to monitor Sawada Tomohiko''s soul with surveince equipment, but it never showed up on the monitors." Frowning, Liu Xing realized that the current Killer Demon was likely nothing more than the malevolent thoughts of Sawada Tomohiko. Yet, there was still a burning question: Why did Killer Demon save Mian Gu Lu? Nevertheless, Liu Xing was certain that the sword in Killer Demon''s possession held great significance, as it was connected to the solution of Eldritch God Taketori, which was currently inhabiting Mian Gu Lu. First, Otonashi Takuya had mentioned that Swollen Woman intended to give the sword to him to save the world and deal with Eldritch God Taketori. Secondly, obtaining the sword seemed to require a formidable battle, as Killer Demon boasted over twenty points of damage in Cthulhu RPG Gamea formidable foe. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ponder another daring idea: to convince Kanna Ryoko, Aoki, and the others to venture into the undeveloped area and join forces to confront Killer Demon, potentially obtaining valuable equipment. Of course, this was just a thought in Liu Xing''s mind. At this point, Otonashi Takuya spoke up, "Miss Sawada Yinyin, did Kanna Ryoko ever exin why she suddenly ordered me and Aoki to protect Sawada Tomohiko andter pinned all the me on them, turning them into Ghouls?" As Otonashi Takuya posed this crucial question, all eyes turned to Sawada Yinyin, awaiting her response. Otonashi Takuya''s query was indeed pivotal, as Aoki and hispanions had been unfairly med and turned into Ghouls. They needed an exnation from Kanna Ryoko, and her response would determine whether reconciliation was possible. Sawada Yinyin contemted for a moment and, with a hint of helplessness, exined, "Well, to be honest, you may find this hard to believe. Kanna Ryoko told me that her own abilities were insufficient to set up the enchantment. So, she allowed an unnamed deity to possess her body during that time. Thus, all the actions attributed to her during that period were actually orchestrated by that unnamed deity. When Godless Priest left with Sawada Tomohiko, Kanna Ryoko refrained from stopping her." Regarding why the unnamed deity sent Otonashi Takuya and the others to protect Sawada Tomohiko, or more urately, sent them to their possible demise, Sawada Yinyin continued, "Kanna Ryoko did ask the unnamed deity about this, but it simply evaded her question, iming that divine secrets cannot be revealed. After transforming Aoki and the others into Ghouls, the unnamed deity granted Kanna Ryoko immortality to ensure she could guard the Godless Shrine and prevent Sawada Tomohiko''s resurrection." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding the reality simpler than he had imagined. In essence, Swollen Woman had manipted Kanna Ryoko''s body, caused the deaths of Sawada Tomohiko and Godless Priest, and transformed Aoki and the others into Ghouls. However, this could work to their advantage. Liu Xing believed that Chen Wenbin should be able to convince Kanna Ryoko to lift the curse on Aoki and hispanions, as it was evident that Kanna Ryoko did not intend to harm them. The misunderstanding had arisen because Kanna Ryoko was unable to leave the mountain freely, and Swollen Woman likely had set some restrictions that prevented Aoki''s group from approaching Kanna Ryoko for an exnation. Now, the yers'' roles came into y. Thankfully, Yin En had unlocked the Kanna Ryoko storyline, and Liu Xing had established a connection with the Ghouls. This gave hope for reconciliation between Kanna Ryoko and the Ghouls. However, Liu Xing expected that, in line with the typical style of the Cthulhu RPG Game, several persuasion checks would be necessary. He hoped that Chen Wenbin would have good luck. "Hehe, I knew you wouldn''t easily believe what I said. After all, these are the words of Ryoko-senpai, and I am her half-descendant. Naturally, I choose to believe her. You have no personal connection to her, so it''s natural not to trust what I say," Sawada Yinyin sighed with a hint of resignation. At this point, Yin En, as Sawada Yinyin''s fianc, decisively stepped forward and smiled, saying, "Silly girl, how could we not believe you? We not onlypletely trust what you''ve said, but we also know the identity of that unnamed deity." Yin En proceeded to share information about Swollen Woman with Sawada Yinyin. As for Liu Xing and the others, they could only quietly watch the lovebirds. Upon learning about Swollen Woman, Sawada Yinyin contemted for a moment and then said with a bitter smile, "So, it turns out that my ancestor, Sawada Tomohiko, and even Ryoko-senpai, were all manipted by this Swollen Woman, thoroughly deceived. Perhaps even now, we are still ensnared in Swollen Woman''s schemes. She might be watching us somewhere, enjoying the spectacle." Sawada Yinyin saw through the situation. As the saying goes, "like father, like son." Swollen Woman, as the embodiment of Nyathotep, could be considered Nyathotep''s "daughter." Inherited from her "mother," Nyathotep, Swollen Woman shared the trait of stirring up trouble and reveling in the ensuing chaos. Therefore, Swollen Woman had carefully orchestrated this plot. Now, she was likely observing their actions through some means. Sawada Yinyin continued, "By the way, Miss Sawada Yinyin, has Kanna Ryoko left the mountain already? I thought I saw her at the Unseen Pond Pavilion the other day," Chen Wenbin inquired. Sawada Yinyin nodded and replied seriously, "A few days ago, Ryoko-senpai suddenly contacted me and informed me that the seal on Sawada Tomohiko was bing increasingly unstable. So, she decided to leave the mountain and instructed me to monitor the undeveloped area carefully." Liu Xing exchanged a meaningful nce with Yin En, who then addressed Sawada Yinyin, "Miyin, time is of the essence. Let''s go see your father immediately." Sawada Yinyin looked puzzled at Yin En and asked, "Why do we need to see my father now? Even if we go and plead with him, my father won''t release Mian Gu Lu. He sees the Sawada Family as the guardians of Ziwu City, and he will do whatever he deems necessary, even if it means killing or causing chaos." Yin En shook his head and shared information about Dark Willow Gang''s coboration with Honda Koichi and the possibility of Dark Willow Gang creating a batch of dangerous Monsters tounch a sneak attack on the Sawada Family through the underground passage. This revtion left Sawada Yinyin with furrowed brows, and she quickly agreed, "In that case, we should hurry and find my father. If Dark Willow Gang manages to seed in their surprise attack, the Sawada Family will suffer heavy casualties." Sawada Yinyin then grabbed Yin En and left the hall in a hurry to find her father, Sawada Tsuo. "Youth is indeed a wonderful thing," Otonashi Takuyamented with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and earnestly said to Otonashi Takuya, "Mr. Otonashi, it''s all up to you now. You are the only one who can convince Aoki, Fujiwara Gen''in, and the others to reconcile with Kanna Ryoko. This is our chance to deal with Dark Willow Gang and help Mian Gu Lu remove the threat of Eldritch God Taketori." Otonashi Takuya nodded and affirmed, "The reason I''ve survived all these years is to have the opportunity to save the world. Now that the chance to do so is right in front of me, how could I possibly flee in the face of adversity? As soon as we can leave this ce, I''ll go straight to Rose Graveyard to find Aoki!" [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 223: A Gathering Storm Chapter 223: A Gathering Storm After about half an hour had passed, Yin En hurriedly returned and began, "The situation is looking good. Sawada Tsuo has believed our words. Now, Sawada Yinyin and I are going to find Kanna Ryoko. Chen Wenbin, you cane along with us, and of course, Otonashi Takuya, you''re wee to join us as well. As for the others, they will have to stay here for some temporary rest." With those words, Yin En led Chen Wenbin and Otonashi Takuya away. Liu Xing and the others who were left behind exchanged nces and then retreated to their respective rooms. Currently being held by Sawada Tsuo, there wasn''t much they could do. Liu Xing returned to his room and took out his phone to check thetest news in Ziwu City. To his surprise, Juri Sonoda had already made announcements about various underground casinos in Ziwu City, and Ryochuan Taro, the chief of Ziwu City Police Department, had also stepped forward, vowing not to spare any of the city''s casinos, including the Dark Willow Gang''s underground casino, which seemed to be the main target. Liu Xing realized that this module had entered its final phase. The Dark Willow Gang was now cornered and desperate,ing to seize Mian Gu Lu. Fortunately, Sawada Tsuo was a smart man who believed Yin En''s words. He should be actively preparing to deal with the Dark Willow Gang''s ns. Liu Xing contemted whether he should report to the Ziwu City Police Department when the time came. In addition to this, Liu Xing found another piece of news that caught his attention. Shiro Michi, the director of 404 Hospital, had been missing for over a day, with no information about his whereabouts. All that was known was that Shiro Michi had left home at 7:00 PM the previous night and got into an unlicensed car. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, suspecting that Shiro Michi had probably taken a ride with Mikageichi. ording to previous information, Shiro Michi had a secret crush on Mikageichi, and organizations like the Dark Willow Gang often used unlicensed cars to avoid exposure. So, the unlicensed vehicle that could have convinced Shiro Michi to get in was likely driven by Mikageichi. The reason Mikageichi had taken Shiro Michi away was probably simple. Shiro Michi had been serving as a semi-private physician to Hisanobu Ito, so it could be inferred that Hisanobu Ito''s condition had worsened, and Mikageichi had called for Shiro Michi. Alternatively, it might be because Honda Koichi''s experiments had made significant progress, necessitating Shiro Michi''s medical expertise. If that were the case, Liu Xing was sure that the Dark Willow Gang would have a significant number of artificially created monsters assisting them, and Hisanobu Ito''s current strength might beparable to that of a mythical creature. "This situation is getting moreplicated," Liu Xing sighed. In the afternoon at around 5:00 PM, Yin En and Chen Wenbin returned first. Fortunately, Chen Wenbin had sessfully persuaded Kanna Ryoko to leave the mountain ande to examine Mian Gu Lu, help deal with Honda Koichi, and remove the curse on Aoki''s group. However, Liu Xing needed to help Kanna Ryoko with one task: to eliminate the Killer Demon, or more urately, topletely save Sawada Tomohiko. So, tomorrow, Liu Xing would have to send three people to apany Kanna Ryoko to the undeveloped area to deal with the Killer Demon. Even though Kanna Ryoko''s assistance was invaluable, the thought of facing the Killer Demon still sent shivers down Liu Xing''s spine. After all, the Killer Demon wielded arge sword, and if Kanna Ryoko couldn''tpletely subdue it, the three individuals apanying her on the mission might meet a gruesome fate. However, given the current circumstances, Kanna Ryoko''s conditions had to be epted; otherwise, there would be no chance at all. At present, Kanna Ryoko was catching up with Sawada Tsuo, while Yin En was with Mian Gu Lu. Feeling bored after a day of inactivity, Liu Xing went to the rooftop of the secondary building, listening to music and feeling the breeze as he prepared for the first, and possibly the only, battle of this module. From his elevated vantage point, Liu Xing noticed Red Eagle Security Company vehicles continually entering Sawada Family territory. These vehicles looked like small motorhomes from the outside, but ording to Sawada Yinyin''s description, they had performanceparable to armored vehicles and were equipped with light machine guns. Liu Xing couldn''t help butment, "Isn''t Ind Nation supposed to have strict gun control? Howe Sawada Family has so many light machine guns and the rifles carried by the mercenaries? It''s like they are ready for a war." Gu Jun joined Liu Xing on the rooftop and chuckled, "Don''t forget, Liu Xing, Ind Nation is a capitalist country. If you have money, you can get anything you want. Sawada Family has been rooted in Ziwu City for centuries, amassing wealth over time. They have more than enough resources to purchase these weapons. Besides, based on my investigation, Sawada Family has connections with the elite." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn that Sawada Family had connections with the elite. The elite, known as the "Kazoku," were the nobility in Ind Nation from the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II. They were mainlyposed of feudal lords from before the Meiji Restoration and held a status just below the Emperor''s imperial family. The "Kazoku" was officially abolished on May 3, 1947, with the enactment of the post-war constitution. However, even though the "Kazoku" were legally abolished, their influence still lingered. Many elite families retained vastnd holdings and remained active in both politics and business, benefiting from certain unspoken privileges. Liu Xing was intrigued, realizing that Sawada Family''s influence ran deeper than he had initially thought. So, Liu Xing hadn''t expected that Sawada Family would be part of the elite ss. "Sawada Family, though tucked away in a corner and only developing in Ziwu City for centuries, had once defeated a Demon, receiving the Emperor''s reward and bing the lord of Ziwu City. Even though Sawada Tomohiko had passed away before formally taking up the role, his father continued to hold the position of Ziwu City''s lord. Over the centuries, Sawada Family maintained good rtions with other local lords, making correct choices in critical moments of history. As a result, when the list of elite families was announced, Sawada Family was recognized as part of the elite, albeit at a lower rank," Gu Jun shared the information he knew with Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded in understanding andmented, "I see. No wonder Sawada Family managed to acquire so many weapons and equipment. It seems that Dark Willow Gang won''t have a chance to conquer Sawada Family. After all, a gang like Dark Willow Gang can at most have a few AK47s and handguns. How could they possibly challenge Sawada Family?" Liu Xing conveyed his message with a meaningful nce at Gu Jun. Gu Jun understood and shook his head, saying, "Sawada Family''s forces should have no problem dealing with Dark Willow Gang alone. However, the monstrous creatures created by Honda Koichi, Dark Willow Gang''s ally, might not be easy to handle. Those artificial monsters are made from mythical creatures, and ording to Kuroba Naoki, they possess certain abilities of mythical creatures. That could pose a problem." Liu Xing nodded and said, "In that case, we should have Yin En remind Sawada Tsuo to prepare his mercenaries mentally. Apart from Dark Willow Gang''sckeys, the real threat is the terrifying Monsters created by Honda Koichi. If those mercenaries aren''t mentally prepared and they see those Monsters, it might lead to the copse of the entire defense system. We don''t want to defeat ourselves before the battle even starts." Yin En agreed and said, "I''ll go talk to Sawada Tsuo again. I hope he understands the gravity of the situation." After leaving the rooftop, Liu Xing realized that Yin En had returned with Mian Gu Lu. "Yin En, how is Mian Gu Lu?" Liu Xing asked eagerly. Yin En smiled and nodded, saying, "After Kanna Ryoko''s diagnosis, Mian Gu Lu''s condition is quite good. Eldritch God Taketori is essentially a fetus residing within Mian Gu Lu, absorbing nutrients through the umbilical cord. Therefore, as long as we remove Eldritch God Taketori before the eclipse and expose it to sunlight, it will naturally die." "But to remove Eldritch God Taketori, regr methods won''t work. Ordinary weapons can''t harm it at all. So, we need to obtain therge sword from Killer Demon. It seems we have to retrieve it directly from the source," Yin En exined. Liu Xing sighed, "Well, considering that we''re going with Kanna Ryoko to deal with Killer Demon tomorrow, Killer Demon should drop some equipment. But, speaking of which, can thatrge sword really be used to cut out Eldritch God Taketori? I mean, can it function like a scalpel?" Gu Jun couldn''t help but be curious, and his words evoked a humorous mental image in Liu Xing''s mind a doctor in a whiteb coat performing surgery with a sword as tall as a person. The image was so amusing that Liu Xing couldn''t help but chuckle. Yin En rified, "Ah, I didn''t exin it properly. Thatrge sword can actually phase through matter. Eldritch God Taketori is currently in a semi-phantom state, so Kanna Ryoko can use the sword to sever its connection with Mian Gu Lu. Once the Eldritch God Taketori loses its ability to reside in Mian Gu Lu, it will be phantasmal and separate from Mian Gu Lu''s body. Then, all we need to do is have Mian Gu Lu stand in the sunlight." Relieved by Yin En''s exnation, everyone felt at ease. Yin En added, "By the way, I talked to Sawada Tsuo about what you and Gu Jun discussed. He has asked Kanna Ryoko to prepare a calming tea that will help the mercenaries remainposed when facing mythical creatures. I''ve brought back a pot of it, and everyone will have a cup." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that their advice to Sawada Tsuo had yielded an unexpected bonus. He guessed that Kanna Ryoko''s specially brewed calming tea would likely be just as effective as his family''s ancestral green tea. Yin En then brought out several tea cups and distributed the tea from the pot, exining the effects of Kanna Ryoko''s special calming tea. After drinking it, yers would receive a buff called "Calm" which would reduce SAN loss to only 1 point during the next SAN check. The effect was truly extraordinary, and Liu Xing couldn''t help but think that this would be a crucial tool in maintaining his sanity when facing Kuroba Naoki. After all, the importance of SAN couldn''t be emphasized enough. [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 224: Beginning Chapter 224: Beginning Of course, this is just a theoretical consideration. After all, meeting with Mr. Ke is not something you can arrange at will. Moreover, this specially brewed Kanna Ryoko calming tea probably has an expiration date set, so it''s impossible for yers to keep it and use it in other modules. However, the saying goes, "No harm in being courteous." In a world where one must either deceive or be deceived, the appearance of such a game-changing item in the module at this time suggests that the uing plot is going to be extremely tricky. "Before the big battle, there must be supplies. ording to the game''s settings, it looks like we''re going to face the boss," Liu Xing said with a double meaning, smiling. Yin En nodded and confirmed, "That''s right. We can pretty much be sure now that the Dark Willow Gang willunch an attack tonight. The Ziwu City police have already raided the Dark Willow Gang''s underground casino and started arresting its members. I heard that several high-ranking members of the Dark Willow Gang have already been apprehended. However, Mikageichi, Hisanobu Ito, and arge number of ordinary Dark Willow Gang members have suddenly gone missing. Now, the Ziwu City police are nning aprehensive search, but unless something unexpected happens, I believe Mikageichi has already infiltrated the underground with his remaining men, preparing tounch an attack on us." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at the proactive actions of the Ziwu City police. But this was expected, considering that the Dark Willow Gang was the power behind the Ziwu City Mayor, Tennoji Sohide, and the Chief of Police, Ryochuan Taro, had aspirations of bing the Mayor. So, with an opportunity to eliminate the Dark Willow Gang, Ryochuan Taro would seize it without hesitation. However, there was one thing that frustrated Liu Xing. His videos were now of little use since the downfall of the Dark Willow Gang was almost certain. Unless Mikageichi could rely on Honda Koichi to create artificial monsters to unify the world, the Dark Willow Gang would undoubtedly be history. Without the support of the Dark Willow Gang, Tennoji Sohide would have no chance topete with Ryochuan Taro for the position of Ziwu City Mayor. So, Ryochuan Taro''s victory in the mayoral race was practically guaranteed, and Liu Xing''s videos were no longer needed. Sometimes, adding insult to injury is less effective than offering help when needed. Liu Xing realized that his videos had missed their prime opportunity. "By the way, I saw some news earlier. Shiro Michi, the director of 404 Hospital, has gone missing. I suspect it''s the work of Mikageichi. Moreover, Mikageichi has kidnapped Shiro Michi probably because Hisanobu Ito''s condition has worsened, and he doesn''t have much time left. So, Mikageichi couldn''t wait any longer, and tonight is likely the night of the final showdown," Liu Xing shared his thoughts. At this point, Gu Jun shook his head and said, "Not only that, but I called Kuroba Naoki this afternoon to ask him some questions. Since we can''t leave this ce, his younger brother, Kuroba Daisuke, answered the call and told me that Kuroba Naoki has been abducted by a group of men in ck and is currently missing." Liu Xing nodded in understanding. He knew that it was undoubtedly the work of the Dark Willow Gang, and the reason they abducted Kuroba Naoki was probably because they knew he had some knowledge about King Tindalos. This meant that Mikageichi had already discovered Mian Gu Lu''s true identity. However, this should be the final mission of Kuroba Naoki''s storyline. So, as long as they rescued him, Liu Xing believed they would receive a good reward. Likewise, the final mission of Shiro Michi''s storyline was probably simr. Suddenly, Liu Xing thought of another issue. What was the situation with Juri Sonoda? After all, Juri Sonoda was the one who exposed the Dark Willow Gang''s underground casino, and as a public figure, she was an easy target for them. Moreover, if Liu Xing remembered correctly, Kuroba Daisuke, Sonoda Mirai, and Hirose Sakura were all ssmates. Now that Kuroba Naoki, Kuroba Daisuke''s older brother, had been captured by the Dark Willow Gang, and Hirose Sakura''s father, Kojima Kanto, was one of the Dark Willow Gang''s enforcers, it was highly likely that Juri Sonoda, as Sonoda Mirai''s sister, would also be a target for the Dark Willow Gang. It seemed that in this module, if a yer''s character was a student, they would likely be involved in the uing major battle through Kuroba Daisuke''s group''s mission. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing immediately took out his phone and dialed the number Juri Sonoda had given him the day before. "Hehe, Liu Xing, if you want to contact Hirose Sakura right now, you''ll have to pass a challenging luck check," KP Li Shunchan said with a sinister grin. Liu Xing felt a hint of unease but replied, "Okay, KP, go ahead and make the check for me." Liu Xing, 23/40 (80), seeded. Fortunately. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, and on the other end of the line, he heard Juri Sonoda''s voice, "Hey, Liu Xing, you''re calling me at an interesting time. What''s up?" Liu Xing quickly exined the possibility of the Dark Willow Gang retaliating against Juri Sonoda. However, after hearing Liu Xing''s words, Juri Sonoda chuckled and said in a rxed tone, "Hehe, Liu Xing, don''t forget I''m a journalist. I''ve already seen this news, and Kuroba Daisuke even called me. Besides, I had a feeling that the Dark Willow Gang woulde after me, especially now that the Ziwu City police have taken action." Liu Xing felt relieved upon hearing Juri Sonoda''s response. "Alright, even though I don''t run as fast as Western reporters, I''ve already left Ziwu City. I made quite a profit this time, and it''s time to reward myself. I''m nning to travel abroad for a while. I''ll start with the Universe Country and then head to China. When the timees, I''ll definitely look you up, hehe," Juri Sonoda said with a smile. Liu Xing also smiled and replied, "Okay, I''ll treat you to some good food and drinks when you visit. Take care and stay safe." After ending the call with Juri Sonoda, Liu Xing felt relieved, knowing that he had likelypleted Juri Sonoda''s storyline mission. If he could sessfullyplete it, he might receive additional rewards. "So it seems that Honda Koichi ns to transform Hisanobu Ito into monsters. Now that they''ve captured a doctor and an ultist, it''s probably to assist Honda Koichi in his transformation work. It looks like we have one more enemy tonight," Gu Jun mused, stroking his chin. Yasaka Mashiro chimed in with some hesitation, "Speaking of which, what are we going to do if a battle breaks out tonight? This seems like a battle of immortals, and we don''t have much relevance in this." Yasaka Mashiro had a point. On one side, there were over a hundred well-equipped mercenaries from the Sawada Family, along with the formidable Kanna Ryoko. On the other side, there were unknown artificial monsters, a powerful Honda Koichi, a group of ghouls, and the cannon fodder of the Dark Willow Gang. Liu Xing and his group felt like they had no ce in this battle. "By the way, Yin En, how is Sawada Tsuo''s underground defense set up?" Liu Xing asked curiously. "Uh, well, Sawada Tsuo arranged a team to go to the sewage system in this vi area. They installed a lot of surveince equipment and also set up an ultrasonic investigation device on the surface that can detect activity within a depth of a hundred meters underground. So, they can quickly detect any movement underground," Yin En exined. "Does that mean they can only act as a preventive measure and not mount an early defense?" Liu Xing said somewhat frustrated. Yin En shrugged and smiled, "Sawada Tsuo said as much, but I think since Kanna Ryoko is here, she should be able to use some kind of magic to force the Dark Willow Gang members out from underground." "Let''s hope so," Liu Xing replied. After drinking Kanna Ryoko''s specially brewed calming tea, they ordered dinner from the Sawada Family''s chef in advance. After all, no one knew when the Dark Willow Gang would choose to attack, so they needed to be prepared and at least have a good meal. However, Otonashi Takuya had not returned yet. In theory, it would take only about three or four hours round trip from the vi area to the Rose Graveyard. However, Otonashi Takuya had been gone for seven or eight hours now, and Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that something was amiss. Could something have happened to Otonashi Takuya? Liu Xing began to worry. After dinner, Liu Xing found himself bored and went up to the rooftop to get some fresh air. Winter nights grew dark early, and it was only around six o''clock, but the sky was already dimming. The Red Eagle Security Company was on high alert and had illuminated the area around the vi with searchlights. At that moment, Liu Xing suddenly saw severalrge figures in the distance, rapidly approaching their location! It had begun! Simultaneously, Liu Xing heard the sound of Red Eagle mercenaries downstairs chambering their weapons. The battle was about tomence. What surprised Liu Xing was that the Dark Willow Gang had chosen to make a frontal assault. It seemed that Mikageichi was feeling quite confident. At that moment, Yin En and the others, hearing themotion, also arrived on the rooftop and stood beside Liu Xing. "The Dark Willow Gang is here, and it looks like Honda Koichi''s experiments were sessful. They''ve created those terrifying Monsters," Liu Xing said as he watched the huge Monsters charging out of the darkness. These enormous Monsters were around five meters tall, resembling erged versions of Deep Ones. They had heads that looked somewhat human-fishlike, covered in pitch-ck scales, which seemed to provide solid defense. Additionally, these Monsters had massive ws. "Wow, these Monsters look pretty formidable," Yin En remarked in amazement. "Well, because you''ve encountered these horrifying Monsters for the first time, it''s time for a Sanity (SAN) check. However, since you''ve all consumed Kanna Ryoko''s specially brewed calming tea, you''ll only lose 1 SAN point each and gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge this time," KP Li Shunchan said with a hint of frustration. As KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, the Red Eagle mercenaries downstairs opened fire, as the Monsters that could be loosely named Deep Ones had entered their attack range. The scales on the artificial Deep Ones were no mere decoration. When bullets struck them, they produced a metallic ng, and asionally, when a bullet hit the intersection of scales, it would spark some blood. However, for the huge artificial Deep Ones, this damage seemed negligible. "I think these artificial Deep Ones must have had their pain receptors weakened or nullified by Honda Koichi. After all, even true Deep Ones exhibit some level of stiffness when injured. These artificial Deep Ones, however, show no reaction after being wounded," Gu Jun said with a serious expression. Liu Xing nodded. These artificial Deep Ones, charging forward through a hail of bullets without any sign of stopping, probably had over a hundred hit points each. "What should we do now? Should we hide with Mian Gu Lu while they''re distracted?" Yasaka Mashiro asked. Yin En shook his head, saying with resignation, "Where can we go? If the Sawada Family loses, Dark Willow Gang will find us no matter where we hide. Besides, there are only a few of these artificial Deep Ones right now, and Mikageichi and Honda Koichi haven''t shown themselves yet. Who knows where they''re hiding and what kind of schemes they''re plotting." Just as Liu Xing and the others were chatting, a muffled gunshot rang out, and the artificial Deep One at the front fell! One-shot kill! Liu Xing followed the direction of the gunshot and saw a middle-aged man holding an anti-material sniper rifle,pletely focused on targeting the next artificial Deep One. Liu Xing knew that this person was likely the sharpshooter of the Red Eagle Mercenary GroupAkashi Izumi. At the same time, a man in a ck overcoat downstairs spoke, "The weak points of these Monsters are their eyes and the areas of their bodies not covered by scales. Apart from the light machine gun continuing to suppress them, everyone else should aim for these weak points!" As soon as this man spoke, the Red Eagle mercenaries'' firepower momentarily stopped, then resumed with remarkable uracy, killing another artificial Deep One in an instant. Five secondster, the remaining artificial Deep Ones also fell, one after the other. Liu Xing, with good eyesight, could see clearly that all of them had been shot in the eyes. "Outwardly strong, but inwardly weak. While these artificial Deep Ones have incredibly tough scales, their internal muscle tissues haven''t be any tougher, making them simr to ordinary people. As long as you attack their internals, you can cause significant damage to these artificial Deep Ones," Gu Jun analyzed. Yin En nodded and, pointing beyond the range of the searchlights, smiled, "This was probably just a probe by the Dark Willow Gang, trying to gauge the resolve of the Red Eagle mercenaries. They didn''t anticipate that Kanna Ryoko would intervene." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 225: The Decision Chapter 225: The Decision If it weren''t for Kanna Ryoko''s intervention, some of the Red Eagle Mercenaries would undoubtedly have descended into temporary madness upon encountering these horrifying Monsters for the first time, causing a decrease in their SAN value. In the worst-case scenario, if someone entered an aggressive temporary madness state, the Red Eagle Mercenaries would plunge into chaos. "The current situation is not bad. Red Eagle Mercenaries haven''t lost anyone yet; we''ve only wasted some ammunition. Besides, thatmander showed some skill; he quickly identified the weaknesses of the artificial Deep Ones. It seems he is the leader of the Red Eagle Mercenaries, Sagami Hayato," Yin En nodded and said with a smile. Liu Xing gazed into the darkness in the distance and said, "In that case, the Dark Willow Gang will have to regroup. However, they don''t have much time left. The gunfire from earlier should have alerted someone, and there will definitely be people calling the police. So, the Dark Willow Gang has, at most, two or three hours. If the Ziwu City police reinforcements arrive, the Dark Willow Gang will be caught in a pincer attack, and their defeat is certain." "Liu Xing, you''re right. Unless the Dark Willow Gang wants to go down with us, they are probably trying to break through the Red Eagle Mercenaries'' defenses. But, to be honest, I don''t think Mikageichi will choose to forcefully charge the Red Eagle Mercenaries'' lines. After all, Mikageichi just tested the Red Eagle Mercenaries'' firepower with those artificial Deep Ones. Even if real mythical creatures show up, the oue will only be death under a hail of bullets," Gu Jun said calmly. At that moment, Yin En''s phone suddenly rang. Yin En answered the call and activated the speaker. "Honda Koichi, didn''t you say that those fish-headed Monsters had strong defenses? Howe they were taken down so quickly by the enemy?" A young man''s voice could be heard, and everyone knew it had to be Mikageichi''s voice, as only Mikageichi would dare to speak like that to Honda Koichi, who was a Ghoul. "Mikageichi, you misunderstood me. When I said that, I was referring to those artificial Monsters injected with Deep One blood. Their scales are indeed very tough, but that''s about it. They are not real Deep Ones, so apart from their scales, their bodies are not much different from ordinary people. Once they are hit in vital areas, they''ll die," Honda Koichi chuckled. Mikageichi snorted and continued, "Alright then, Honda Koichi, let me ask you another question. You said that as soon as we release those Deep Ones, the Red Eagle Mercenary Group would fall apart on their own. Why is there no reaction at all now?" Honda Koichi hesitated for a moment and then said somewhat frustratedly, "It''s possible that these mercenaries have strong willpower, so they didn''t have a mental breakdown upon seeing the Deep Ones. But Mikageichi, you should also remember that when your people saw me for the first time, several of them were scared out of their minds." Mikageichi sighed and said helplessly, "I don''t want to discuss this with you anymore, Honda Koichi. Just tell me what we should do next. Ryochuan Taro, that old dog, probably knows we''re here by now. He has probably sent his men our way. If we can''t defeat the Red Eagle Mercenaries within the next two hours, we''ll be sitting ducks." "Don''t worry, Mikageichi. I''ve already prepared n B. I''ve arranged twenty artificial Monsters injected with Ghoul blood to sneak around to the rear of the Sawada Family''s mansion. Once they''re in position, they will directly attack the Sawada Family''s mansion. ording to the timing, they should beunching their attack soon. When the Sawada Family''s backyard catches fire, we can take advantage of the chaos andunch another attack," Honda Koichi said. After saying this, he hung up the phone. Yin En didn''t hesitate and immediately dialed Sawada Yinyin''s number, informing her of Honda Koichi''s n. However, Sawada Yinyin revealed that she had already made preparations. Behind the Sawada Family mansion was a garden where various flowers and trees were nted, attracting animals from the nearby mountains. Sawada Yinyin had built a wall, installed an electric fence, and ced surveince cameras. So, as soon as those artificial Ghouls approached, she could activate the electric fence, trapping them. Furthermore, the Sawada Family mansion had over twenty private bodyguards and advanced security measures, so Sawada Yinyin believed that these artificial Ghouls wouldn''t pose a significant threat. After hanging up, Yin En put down his phone, and Liu Xing asked curiously, "Yin En, who was that person who called you? They managed to infiltrate Mikageichi''s side and pass you information." Yin En chuckled and pointed to Chen Wenbin, saying, "This is all thanks to Chen Wenbin. He didn''t ept the undercover mission at the police station that day, so I mentioned it when I went to meet Sawada Tsuo. As a result, Sawada Tsuo rmended me to take on this mission. That''s how I met Takayanagi Aoyin, who was also undercover. But ording to Sawada Tsuo''s warning, Takayanagi Aoyin is actually a double agent arranged by Ryochuan Taro. She is investigating both the Dark Willow Gang and us because Ryochuan Taro already knows about what happened at Ziwu City Airport that day, so he''s very interested in our affairs." "So, I and Takayanagi Aoyin pretended to join a nightclub under Dark Willow Gang''s jurisdiction, but there was an incident on the way. We were discovered by a Dark Willow Gang member, which led to Dark Willow Gang chasing us. Fortunately, both Takayanagi Aoyin and I are trained, so we quickly escaped the pursuit." "However, since Takayanagi Aoyin had appeared in front of Dark Willow Gang a few times, they quickly found out about her family and kidnapped her family members, forcing Takayanagi Aoyin to work for Dark Willow Gang. But because I overheard the phone conversation, I decided to help Takayanagi Aoyin. So, Takayanagi Aoyin pretended to join Dark Willow Gang and secretly provided me with information about Dark Willow Gang. I also located Sawada Yinyin and confirmed the location of Takayanagi Aoyin''s family members. The Sawada Family''s people should have already rescued them." Yin En grinned proudly. "So be it. This way, we can stay informed about the Dark Willow Gang''s movements and prepare in advance. But for now, I''ll go downstairs to inform Sagami Hayato, the leader of the Red Eagle Mercenary Group, to prepare," Gu Jun said and went downstairs. Liu Xing turned to look at the Sawada Family mansion and noticed that the artificial Ghouls had alreadyunched an assault, exposed under the spotlights. However, as these artificial Ghouls climbed the wall and attempted to enter the Sawada Family mansion, a deep blue arc suddenly appeared on the wall, followed by a series of sparks. The artificial Ghouls let out a cry of pain as they fell. The well-prepared private bodyguards did not give the artificial Ghouls a chance to escape. They rushed out for the final blow, and to deceive Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito, the gunfire sounded somewhat chaotic. As for Sagami Hayato, who received Gu Jun''s message, he quickly made a decision. He ordered a team of mercenaries to pretend to rescue the Sawada Family mansion, while they were actually hiding behind another building. With their excellent coordination, Mikageichi and Honda Koichi were indeed fooled. Protected by over ten artificial Deep Ones, dozens of artificial Ghoulsunched an attack against the Red Eagle Mercenaries. "I can''t believe it. Did Mikageichi transform all the remaining Dark Willow Gang members into Monsters? This is insane!" Yin En said incredulously. Liu Xing nodded, saying with frustration, "Mikageichi seems to have abandoned all restraint to capture Mian Gu Lu. He has transformed all his subordinates. It seems he won''t be appearing in the human world again." "Burning one''s bridges. If Mikageichi can capture Mian Gu Lu and obtain the blood of the gods, then Honda Koichi can transform Hisanobu Ito and Mikageichi into gods. Then, what would Mikageichi, as a god, have to fear?" Gu Jun mocked. "Gods may indeed exist, but they certainly won''t be created by humans!" Yasaka Mashiro spoke up. At that moment, Sagami Hayato gave the order, and the Red Eagle Mercenaries hiding behind the other building rushed out, joining the others in firing at the artificial Monsters. However, something unexpected happened. A blue shield suddenly appeared in front of each artificial Monster, and bullets hitting the shields made no sound. "Damn, Honda Koichi is making a move!" Gu Jun furrowed his brow, worried. "Honda Koichi must be hiding among those artificial Ghouls, providing shields for them. With Honda Koichi''s strength, those shields can withstand at least a hundred bullets. Now that Honda Koichi is inmand, if these artificial Monsters advance and retreat strategically, they may break through the Red Eagle Mercenary Group''s defenses unharmed and engage them in closebat, which is the strength of these artificial Monsters!" As Gu Jun had said, when the artificial Monsters charged to within five hundred meters of the Red Eagle Mercenary Group''s defense line, the shields in front of the artificial Deep Ones began to crack. Some shields had even shattered. But at that moment, the artificial Ghouls reced the artificial Deep Ones at the front. Although these artificial Ghouls were only about two meters tall, less than half the size of the artificial Deep Ones, they seemed incapable of blocking bullets for the Deep Ones. However, under Honda Koichi''smand, some of the artificial Ghouls managed to jump on top of the artificial Deep Ones, effectively shielding most of their bodies. "Wow, Akashi Izumi is indeed a sharpshooter. She seized the moment when the shields of the artificial Monsters cracked and decisively pulled the trigger, killing both the artificial Deep One and the artificial Ghoul on its head," Yin En eximed in shock. Just as everyone was watching in amazement, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke up, "Alright, you''ve all seen enough of this scene. No matter how it continues, you yers are going to be nothing more than spectators, and you might even meet your doom. So, I''m starting a Plot Encounter now. yers have two options: the first is to wait and watch, continue to observe, or wait to be sitting ducks. The second is to take advantage of the chaos and leave with Mian Gu Lu, seeking a lifeline. Now, you can cast your votes. You have one minute. If no decision is made within a minute, we''ll roll the dice to decide. The final result will follow the majority." KP Li Shunchan''s words were followed by a one-minute countdown on Liu Xing''s disy. Everyone exchanged nces, hesitating, and no one immediately made a decision. After thirty seconds, Chen Wenbin, who was considered the "conservative," spoke first. "Personally, I think we should follow the Thirty-Six Stratagems. It''s better to leave now. After all, those artificial Monsters are at our doorstep. We can''t afford to wait and be sitting ducks." "I agree," Yasaka Mashiro, standing next to Chen Wenbin, nodded. Liu Xing sighed, about to express his agreement when he suddenly thought of a possibility. He smiled and said, "I object. I believe we haven''t lost yet because Otonashi Takuya hasn''t returned. KP is now deliberately trying to guide us to leave with Mian Gu Lu and lead us into a trap! " Five seconds remaining! Yin En, who had been a steadfast ally of Liu Xing, naturally sided with him without hesitation. Gu Jun, usually calm and collected, also agreed with Liu Xing''s idea after some thought. As for Yoh Asakura, he gritted his teeth and said, "Even if we leave now, we won''t be able to escape Mikageichi''s pursuit. So, I choose to stay!" [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 226: The Final Trial (1) Chapter 226: The Final Trial (1) The voting results determined that the yers would continue to stay at the mansion. "Now we can''t leave yet. Otonashi Takuya will definitelye to rescue Aoki Kawaguchi and the others, so we have to trust Otonashi Takuya. I believe Otonashi Takuya is a trustworthy person, and since Aoki Kawaguchi and the others are so eager to be human, they won''t miss this opportunity," Liu Xing spoke up. However, in order to leave a way out for themselves, Chen Wenbin decisively stood up and sang a different tune, "While I also believe that Otonashi Takuya will bring Aoki Kawaguchi and the others back, the enemies are already at our doorstep. We have to retreat; otherwise, when Otonashi Takuya returns, all he can do is collect our corpses." Although some of the artificial Monsters downstairs were starting to suffer casualties, the main force was now only fifty meters away from the Red Eagle Mercenaries'' defense line. As themander, Sagami Hayato remained calm under pressure and ordered his subordinates to stop shooting and started throwing grenades. Generally, hand grenades have a throwing range of about thirty meters, so theynded right in the midst of the charging artificial Monsters. For a moment, the artificial Monsters suffered heavy losses, with casualties exceeding half their number. However, Liu Xing and the others hadn''t had a chance to celebrate before the surviving artificial Monsters were dangerously close. At this moment, a sudden change urred. A ck mist flew rapidly from the horizon and, uponnding, transformed directly into a Killer Demon. Without hesitation, itunched an attack on the artificial Monsters. Liu Xing didn''t expect the Killer Demon to be an ally on their side. However, it made sense; ording to Liu Xing''s guess, the Killer Demon would prioritize attacking mythical creatures, and although the artificial Monsters might not be true mythical creatures, they still had mythical creature blood flowing within them. So, the Killer Demon would still choose to attack them. Because of the sudden appearance of the Killer Demon, the charging artificial Monsters were forcibly halted and then overwhelmed by the Killer Demon. After all, even if genuine mythical creatures hade, they would not have been a match for the Killer Demon, let alone these iplete creations. "Do you see that? That should be Honda Koichi," Gu Jun pointed at a Ghoul further back and said confidently. Gu Jun was so sure because Honda Koichi was holding a blue-glowing gem, as if nning to cast a spell. Honda Koichi''s unusual behavior also caught the attention of Akashi Izumi, so without hesitation, Akashi Izumi aimed at Honda Koichi and fired. However, the blue light in Honda Koichi''s hand suddenly surged, enveloping him. After a moment, the blue light disappeared, and so did Honda Koichi. "Tch, did he escape?" Yin En said somewhat annoyed. Chen Wenbin chuckled and said, "It''s not running away; it''s strategic retreat. Killer Demon is incredibly powerful, and Honda Koichi wouldn''t stand a chance against it with his abilities. So, instead of waiting, it''s better to take the opportunity to leave." At this moment, Liu Xing''s phone suddenly rang. He knew that the only person who would call him at this time was Otonashi Takuya! As expected, the one calling Liu Xing was Otonashi Takuya. "Liu Xing, I''ve already brought Aoki Kawaguchi and the others back. We''ll be at the mansion in five or six minutes. However, we heard that there''s intense fighting on your side. How''s the situation now?" Liu Xing briefly exined the current situation to Otonashi Takuya. "Damn, with Killer Demon on the scene, it''s not a good idea for us toe over right now. Killer Demon will definitely attack Aoki Kawaguchi and the others, and if there are casualties, it won''t be good. So, I think I''ll take Aoki Kawaguchi and the others to capture Mikageichi first. After all, keeping Mikageichi around is an unstable factor, and we need to deal with him as soon as possible," Otonashi Takuya continued. Liu Xing nodded and said, "That''s a good n. We definitely need to deal with Mikageichi. After all, he''s the one behind all of this. If we let Mikageichi go today, he''ll definitelye back to cause trouble for us. But, Otonashi Takuya, please tell Aoki Kawaguchi and the others that there''s a young woman by Mikageichi''s side who is our undercover agent. Make sure they don''t harm our ally." Otonashi Takuya chuckled and said quietly, "No problem, we''ll be careful. Well, we''ve already spotted the guards that Mikageichi ced around the perimeter. We''ll contact youter." Otonashi Takuya hung up the phone. Otonashi Takuya returned with Aoki Kawaguchi and the other Ghouls, and the bnce of victory hadpletely shifted to Liu Xing''s side. Liu Xing felt that defeating Mikageichi was only a matter of time. However, it seemed that Killer Demon had be a new problem. Because after easily dispatching the artificial Monsters, Killer Demon did not disappear or go to attack Mikageichi and Aoki Kawaguchi''s group nearby, but chose to attack the Red Eagle Mercenaries who were closest! Although the Red Eagle Mercenaries were prepared to fight back, a blue shield suddenly appeared in front of Killer Demon, even more solid than the blue shield created by Honda Koichi earlier. Bullets fired at it were dissolved on contact. "It looks like that big knife has once again taken control of Sawada Tomohiko, turning him into a true Killer Demon and attacking humans for enhancement!" Gu Jun frowned and said helplessly. However, at this moment, Kanna Ryoko appeared! Kanna Ryoko pushed both hands, forcing Killer Demon to take a few steps back. Then, she unleashed her spell with full force, trapping Killer Demon in ce, unable to move. But the Killer Demon, at this point, had lost its ck aura and revealed the true face of Sawada Tomohiko. It had to be said that Sawada Tomohiko, as the boss of this module, indeed had an APP score exceeding 90. No wonder Sawada Tomohiko had been known as the heartthrob of Ziwu City in his heyday. And now, Sawada Tomohiko''s expression kept changing, sometimes smiling, sometimes gritting his teeth. "It seems that Kanna Ryoko intends to free Sawada Tomohiko''s soul from the control of that big knife, thereby saving Sawada Tomohiko''s soul and, incidentally, taking control of the big knife in reverse. Judging by the situation, Kanna Ryoko should have the upper hand. However, the biggest problem now is whether Kanna Ryoko''s magical power is sufficient, as that big knife is already considered an artifact," Gu Jun, a professional in the matter, expressed his insight. Yin En, on the other hand, watched everything with a grin and said, "In that case, we''re already in a winning position. Kanna Ryoko has already subdued Sawada Tomohiko, and Otonashi Takuya should be able to defeat Mikageichi with Aoki''s help. After all, Otonashi Takuya has a Ghoul elder and a quasi-Ghoul elder on his side, so they should have no trouble dealing with Mikageichi and Honda Koichi. It looks like we''re on the path to victory this time." Liu Xing nodded and was about to speak when he suddenly felt that something was amiss. He immediately took out his phone to call Otonashi Takuya but found that his phone couldn''t power on. It seemed that when Kanna Ryoko used her abilities, she inadvertently triggered his "passive skill," disrupting electronic devices in the vicinity. Additionally, it appeared that the firearms held by the Red Eagle Mercenaries downstairs were also experiencing issues. "Liu Xing, are you trying to call Otonashi Takuya to ask if they''ve won?" Yin En asked curiously. Liu Xing shook his head and said as he hurriedly descended the stairs, "No, I want to ask Otonashi Takuya if he saw Honda Koichi!" Upon hearing Liu Xing''s words, everyone''s faces instantly turned serious. They understood the implications of what Liu Xing had just said. If Honda Koichi''s "blink" had brought him back to Mikageichi''s side, there wouldn''t be a problem. However, if Honda Koichi had "blinked" into the mansion to capture Mian Gu Lu, that would be a significant issue. "Indeed, this Honda Koichi is quite cunning. He prepared two ns in advance. After realizing that charging with the artificial Monsters failed, he blinked into the mansion, using the Red Eagle Mercenaries outside as a shield to protect himself from Killer Demon," Liu Xing said with a serious tone as he observed Honda Koichi ascending to the second floor through a gap in the staircase. "That''s fortunate. Honda Koichi has only reached the second floor, and I''ve ced Mian Gu Lu in a private room on the third floor of the mansion," Yin En said, visibly relieved. So, everyone went directly to the staircase leading to the third floor of the mansion, taking out their weapons. Aside from Yoh Asakura, who used a samurai sword, everyone else had handguns provided by Sawada Tsuo. As for the handguns they obtained from the four ck Willow Gang members earlier, they had been discarded because of ack of bullets and the unfriendly recoil for those unfamiliar with firearms, like Liu Xing and the others. Honda Koichi, who had found nothing on the second floor, heard themotion from the third floor. He came up to see five handguns pointed directly at him. Honda Koichi frowned and said, "Heh, I didn''t expect someone to be defending the mansion. But it also proves that Mian Gu Lu is here. Now, if you step aside, I might spare your lives." As Honda Koichi spoke, he unsheathed his ws. However, Honda Koichi did not realize that the people before him were all "Veteran Drivers" and not easily intimidated by his threats. After all, Liu Xing and the others knew that Honda Koichi, at most, was an elite-level Ghoul. Besides, Honda Koichi had just used several spells, so his MP was likely insufficient to cast more spells now. So, in the eyes of Liu Xing and the others, Honda Koichi was just a paper tiger. A single round of simultaneous fire would be enough to take him down. After all, elite-level Ghouls typically had less than 20 HP, while the expected damage of the five handguns was around 30 points. Besides, Yin En still had the amulet Kanna Ryoko gave him, which could withstand about two rounds of Honda Koichi''s attacks. Therefore, when Honda Koichi saw Liu Xing and the others remain unfazed, he furrowed his brow, realizing that they weren''t concerned about his threats. "Honda Koichi, I advise you to surrender. The situation is not in your favor now. Otonashi Takuya, formerly known as Otonota Zai, has already attacked Mikageichi with Aoki and the others. It''s likely that the battle has already ended," to be safe and avoid unnecessary losses, Liu Xing chose to persuade Honda Koichi to surrender. Upon hearing Liu Xing, Honda Koichi''s face tightened, and he said with disbelief, "What? Aoki and the others actually came? Are you trying to deceive me? We and Kanna Ryoko are mortal enemies. How could Aoki and the otherse to help you?" Liu Xing chuckled, knowing that the situation was under control. He revealed the truth about what happened years ago and how Kanna Ryoko promised to lift the curse. After a moment of daze, Honda Koichi retracted his ws and said seriously, "In that case, I''m willing to surrender, but I need your assurance that you''ll also ask Kanna Ryoko to remove the curse from me. After that, even if you send me to prison, I won''t have anyints." Among Liu Xing''s group, Yin En, who held the most authority in the matter, nodded and said, "That''s not a problem." So, with Liu Xing''s group escorting him, Honda Koichi left the mansion. After a conversation between Yin En and Sagami Hayato, Honda Koichi was bound with iron chains. At this moment, Sawada Tomohiko seemed to have lost consciousness. The ck aura that had enveloped his body had mostly dissipated, indicating that Kanna Ryoko had likely seeded. However, at that very moment, something unexpected urred. Therge knife in Sawada Tomohiko''s hand suddenly slipped away and broke free from Kanna Ryoko''s spell. It flew directly in the direction of Mikageichi! "Damn, we need to chase after it. We can''t let that big knife fall into Mikageichi''s hands!" Gu Jun''s face turned grim as he realized the situation. Liu Xing and his group knew that this was the final trial of the module. Kanna Ryoko seemed to have lost the ability to continue the fight, and they couldn''tmand the Red Eagle Mercenaries. As for Otonashi Takuya''s situation, it probably wasn''t optimistic either. So now, Liu Xing and his group had to rely on themselves. Yin En received a modified SUV from Sagami Hayato and then, with everyone on board, headed in the direction of Mikageichi. Sure enough, Liu Xing and his group soon discovered Otonashi Takuya and his team, who were injured and lying on the ground. "Otonashi Takuya, are you guys okay?" Liu Xing got out of the car and asked. Otonashi Takuya shook his head and replied, "We''re not too badly off. After Mikageichi obtained that big knife, he injured us just enough to immobilize us and allow him to escape with Hisanobu Ito. They''ve gone underground, and most likely, they intend to escape to Rose Graveyard because the underground passages here only lead to Rose Graveyard." [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 227: The Final Trial (2) Chapter 227: The Final Trial (2) Liu Xing nodded and was about to leave when Otonashi Takuya stopped him and said, "By the way, Hisanobu Ito has turned into a fearsome monster now, with strength almost on par with Mikageichi. Moreover, his size is evenrger than those artificial monsters like Deep Ones. So, they can only escape through the underground passage leading to the Rose Graveyard. Also, the undercover agent you asked me to watch has left with Mikageichi. Now, there''s no time to waste; you need to go after them." After hearing Otonashi Takuya''s words, Liu Xing left, but he couldn''t help feeling uneasy. ording to Otonashi Takuya, Hisanobu Ito''s current strength was nearly equal to Mikageichi, who wielded arge sword. What was more concerning was that Hisanobu Ito''s size surpassed even that of the artificial Deep Ones. In other games, monster size was mostly for show, providing little substantial impact on the yers beyond visual awe. However, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, size influenced various aspects of the game, such as the mythical creature''s health, movement speed, attack range, and potential size-basedbat advantages. So, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, size usually corrted with greater strength. For Liu Xing and his fellow yers, facing humanoid monsters like the Killer Demon was preferable to confronting colossal mythical creatures. The oppressive force they exerted was overwhelming, and they often had area-of-effect attacks. Once Liu Xing got in the car, he shared all the information Otonashi Takuya had given him with the others. Vetran Driver Yin En, who was responsible for driving, decisively contacted KP Li Shunchan and said, "KP, please activate the Private Room time for us, and make sure to extend it directly. After this battle, we probably won''t need Private Room time anymore." KP Li Shunchan chuckled and replied, "OK, I can tell you now. The uing battle will be the final scene of this module. If you can defeat Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito, you''ll obtain thatrge sword and proceed to the storyline ending. So, give it your all, and I look forward to your performance." Upon hearing KP Li Shunchan''s words, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn''t help but quip, "This battle seems like it won''t be easy. I didn''t expect Mikageichi to get hold of thatrge sword. It''s like giving him wings. If things go as expected, Mikageichi''s strength is now on par with the Killer Demon, and there''s also Hisanobu Ito, who''s evenrger than the artificial Deep Ones. I''m afraid we might get wiped out this time." Gu Jun, sitting beside Liu Xing, shook his head and offered a different perspective, "While that''s true, this battle might not be as challenging as it seems. Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito just had a tough fight with Otonashi Takuya and the others. They should be looking to catch their breath and recover some health at the Rose Graveyard. So, I believe Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito are probably at half health now, and they likely have some negative buffs on them." "As for thatrge sword, I suspect that it was forcibly separated from Sawada Tomohiko''s soul under Kanna Ryoko''s spell. This could have affected its damage bonus. So, I believe the damage bonus of thatrge sword is now at most 3 to 5 points, or even lower. Therefore, I think we can handle this battle. We all have pistols, and we should be able to get a preemptive attack in." Gu Jun''s words helped boost morale and eased the tense atmosphere inside the car. However, Chen Wenbin chimed in with a dose of realism, "Well, I have to be honest. Even if Mikageichi and thatrge sword have been weakened, theirbined effect could still be greater than the sum of their parts. Mikageichi is a skilled fighter, and his mastery of therge sword should surpass Sawada Tomohiko''s. So, if Mikageichi''s attacknds, it could easily deal at least 10 points of damage, possibly killing any one of us." Chen Wenbin''s words left everyone speechless. Nevertheless, Liu Xing came up with a counterargument, "Indeed, Mikageichi has the ability to instantly kill any one of us, but we also have the chance to focus our attacks on Mikageichi in a single round. After all, Mikageichi should still be an individual, unlike Hisanobu Ito, who''s an artificial mythical creature. Based on my impression, Mikageichi''s health should be around 10 points, at most not exceeding 12 points. So, if we''re lucky, our six-person concentrated attack in one round should severely injure or even kill Mikageichi. If one round isn''t enough, we can go for another!" "Liu Xing is right. Although Mikageichi is formidable, he''s still a flesh-and-blood being. He can be killed, just like Sawada Tomohiko back then. Despite his strength, he''s fundamentally human. And don''t forget, I have a protective amulet from Kanna Ryoko that can withstand one of Mikageichi''s attacks. So, we should have three rounds to attack Mikageichi. Killing him should be manageable," Yin En confidently added. Yoh Asakura then expressed some concerns, "True, I also believe killing Mikageichi shouldn''t be too difficult of a mission, but among us, only Yin En and Yasaka Mashiro have slightly better pistol skills, right? So, to kill Mikageichi, we''ll need a bit of luck." Luck was indeed a mysterious attribute, and no one could predict it urately. "Are you all so focused on Mikageichi? Aren''t you concerned about Hisanobu Ito''s abilities? Based on the cases of the artificial Deep Ones and Ghouls, I think Hisanobu Ito should have considerable abilities. Moreover, I suspect the mythical creature blood he injected mighte from the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling!" Gu Jun dropped a bombshell. "What?!" The group was shocked, and even Yin En, the driver, momentarily lost his grip on the steering wheel. Fortunately, the car''s performance prevented it from overturning. Gu Jun sighed helplessly and said, "Yin En, please focus on driving. We don''t want to die before the battle even begins. Regarding what I said earlier, when you got off the car to find Otonashi Takuya, I noticed some marks on the grounda set of shallow, massive hoof-shaped footprints. This made me suspect that Hisanobu Ito had injected himself with ck Mountain Goat Hatchling''s blood. Among the mythical creatures I know, only ck Mountain Goat Hatchling could leave such footprints and stand over five meters tall." "However, this is also good news because, judging from the depth of those footprints, it''s apparent that while Hisanobu Ito''s size has expanded several times, his weight hasn''t increased significantly. Therefore, Hisanobu Ito shouldn''t have too much health or a high damage bonus. Additionally, ck Mountain Goat Hatchling''s attack frequency is generally low, and its movement speed is slow. So, when we confront Mikageichi and Hisanobu Itoter, we can temporarily ignore Hisanobu Ito, focus all our efforts on Mikageichi, and deal with Hisanobu Ito after we''ve taken care of Mikageichi. Perhaps we can even use the ''Kite'' tactic to deal with Hisanobu Ito." Gu Jun''s analysis relieved the group. When they first heard the name ck Mountain Goat Hatchling, they were understandably rmed, considering it was a ''divine progeny'' level mythical creature. However, impostors were still impostors. Hisanobu Ito might look terrifying, but in reality, he wasn''t all that formidable. So, if Gu Jun''s assessment was urate, the battle could mainly focus on dealing with Mikageichi. With Hisanobu Ito''srge size, Liu Xing believed even his basic pistol shooting skill would have a 100% chance of sess. "But then again, how did Ind Nation get hold of ck Mountain Goat Hatchling? I recall that ck Mountain Goat Hatchling is mostly found in Europe and the Americas. And how did Honda Koichi manage to obtain ck Mountain Goat Hatchling''s blood? After all, Honda Koichi is just a small-time Ghoul, hardly a snack for ck Mountain Goat Hatchling," Yasaka Mashiro wondered. Liu Xing chuckled and exined, "It''s quite simple. In this module, Ind Nation probably has a secret cultposed of followers of the Shub-Niggurath (Cthulhu enthusiasts often use the nickname ''Shub-Nichs,'' and there''s also a mocking nickname, ''Gauze Sister''). Honda Koichi might have joined this secret cult and sessfully summoned the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling. While most fanatical cultists who summon ck Mountain Goat Hatchling end up as its meal, a few lucky ones receive Shub-Niggurath''s favor and gain unexpected benefits. Some might even be transformed into ck Mountain Goat Hatchlings themselves. So, Honda Koichi''s ability to obtain ck Mountain Goat Hatchling''s blood might simply be a result of good luck." As it was now past the evening rush hour, and the road from the vi area to the Rose Graveyard had rtively light traffic, Yin En sped along, taking only about an hour to reach the Rose Graveyard. The group, having exhausted their Private Room time, discussed the tactics they would use in the uing final battle inside the car. In simple terms, they aimed to strike Mikageichi first with a surprise concentrated attack. Then, Gu Jun would use his only spell, "Slow," on Mikageichi. Afterward, they would continue to focus on Mikageichi. If Mikageichi got close, Yin En would bravely step forward to intercept his first attack. Once Mikageichi was dealt with, Gu Jun would use "Slow" on Hisanobu Ito, and then they would employ the Kite tactic against him. Regarding Gu Jun''s "Slow" spell, it was indeed a challenging one. To cast it, the caster needed to consume 3 MP and lose 1 SAN. They had to maintain eye contact with the target for five seconds, touch the ground with both hands, ensure that the caster and the target were on the same patch of earth, and recite an incantation. The sess rate was double the caster''s Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge value. Once the spell seeded, the target would have a 20% reduction in Agility. If the target was in abat round, there was a 1% chance at the start of eachbat round that they would enter a "dazed" state, rendering them unable to move or attack. In summary, the spell appeared effective, but the casting conditions were quite stringent. Continuous eye contact for five seconds had its share of challenges, such as the target blinking or turning suddenly, obstructions like leaves or pieces of paper falling in front of the caster or target, and the possibility of passing bystanders interrupting the casting process. Therefore, Gu Jun''s "Slow" spell had demanding requirements. "It seems we arrived early. Mikageichi and the others should still be on their way," Liu Xing remarked after getting out of the car and gazing at the silent Rose Graveyard. Gu Jun nodded and looked at the moon. He said with delight, "We''re lucky. There are no dark clouds tonight, and the moonlight is just right. We just need to find a suitable battlefield, and my ''Slow'' spell wille in handy." The group donned their armor with +3 defense enhancements and picked up their pistols as they entered the Rose Graveyard. ording to Liu Xing''s guess, the underground passage Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito took should lead directly to their originalir in the depths of the Rose Graveyarda massive cave. However, because Gu Jun needed to maintain eye contact with Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito to cast "Slow," Liu Xing''s group could only choose to lie in wait outside the cave. Moreover, the illumination tools they had prepared, both on their person and in the car, had been disrupted by Kanna Ryoko''s powers. Thus, engaging Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito in pitch darkness inside the cave would be suicidal. As a result, Liu Xing''s group found a t area outside the cave that was suitable for Gu Jun to use his "Slow" spell. They silently waited for their final trial. It was unclear how much time had passed, but suddenly, Liu Xing felt a slight and rhythmic vibration from the ground beneath. It was evident that Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito were about to arrive at the battlefield! The group silently released the safeties on their pistols and began aiming at the cave''s entrance. After prolonged aiming, their shooting skills would receive a bonus to ensure they could deal heavy damage to Mikageichi in the first round of shooting! [Read /maxnkoga , without ads and support the work.] Chapter 228: Conclusion (1) Chapter 228: Conclusion (1) It began! As Liu Xing saw Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito emerging from the cave, he knew that the final battle of this module had begun. As expected, Hisanobu Ito had indeed been injected with the blood of the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling by Honda Koichi. He had transformed into a towering figure, standing over eight meters tall, resembling a ck tree with hoof-like legs. Numerous tentacles extended from Hisanobu Ito''s torso, each adorned with a head, wrinkled ws, and copious amounts of green slime covering their sides. Of course, Hisanobu Ito''s head still remained intact atop the "crown," and ording to Liu Xing''s observation, Hisanobu Ito''s eyes were still moving, gazing at their group. This indicated that Hisanobu Ito still possessed the ability to think. However, this wasn''t good news, as if Hisanobu Ito retained his ability to think and self-awareness, it would increase the pressure on their group during the battle. After all, the tentacles on Hisanobu Ito were not for show, and Liu Xing''s team couldn''t be sure if he had gained the abilities of the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling. At this moment, KP Li Shunchan stepped forward and said, "Okay, now it''s time for the SAN value check that everyone has been eagerly awaiting. Since all yers have witnessed Hisanobu Ito''s transformation into a ck Mountain Goat Hatchling, you will undergo an SAN value check. Originally, it should have been a sessful check reducing SAN by 1d5+1 points, or a failed check reducing SAN by 1d6+3 points. However, due to the lingering effects of Kanna Ryoko''s custom-made calming tea, you will only lose the minimum SAN value in this check, which is 2 points. Additionally, each yer will gain 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge and some understanding of the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling." Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel relieved. He was grateful that Yin En had reminded Sawada Tsuo to provide them with Kanna Ryoko''s calming tea. Without it, they might have gone mad by now. Mikageichi, who was wielding arge sword, finally got a clear look at Liu Xing''s group and said with a furrowed brow, "So, it''s you guys. I didn''t even have a chance to look for you, and here you are, delivering yourselves to me." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He didn''t expect Mikageichi to be so arrogant, but he had the right to be, especially when facing such a ragtag group. However, they couldn''t back down now. Liu Xing decisively entered taunting mode and said, "Mikageichi, you''re nothing more than a defeated general at this point. You should know that the Dark Willow Gang has beenpletely wiped out, and Honda Koichi has surrendered. So, you''re all alone now, and you''re wanted by various factions. I suggest you surrender and maybe save your life!" Mikageichi chuckled and pointed at Liu Xing''s group. "You few shrimp and crabs want me to surrender? That''s the funniest thing I''ve heard all year. As for those cats and dogs trying to capture me, they''re just dreaming. So, I suggest you step aside and maybe I''ll spare your lives. You should know that the de in my hand isn''t for show!" Liu Xing smiled as well and pointed at Hisanobu Ito. "Mikageichi, I know the origin of that de in your hand, and I know you''re skilled, but you shouldn''t forget that it''s not the age of cold weapons anymore. Even if you''re powerful, you''re just one person. How can you withstand the might of the military? So, unless you''re nning to abandon your foster father, Hisanobu Ito, or live forever in the underground world without sunlight, you will definitely be pursued by the military. When that happens, you''ll have to face Aircraft Tanks head-on!" Mikageichi sighed in resignation. He knew that with Hisanobu Ito''s current appearance, if he appeared in broad daylight, it would surely attract the military''s attention. After all, colossal monsters like Hisanobu Ito had to be eliminated for the sake of social stability. However, Mikageichi had a n. Once he and Hisanobu Ito''s injuries had healed, he would take him to the Aoki Forest, known as the suicide sacred ground at the foot of Mount Fuji. This was because there was a secret society that worshipped the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling, Shabu Nichs, in the Ind Nation, and their activities took ce deep within the Aoki Forest. The forest was the ideal habitat for the ck Mountain Goat Hatchling, and the vast expanse of trees provided the perfect cover to hide its existence. Therefore, Mikageichi believed that as long as he took Hisanobu Ito to the Aoki Forest, they would be safe, and Hisanobu Ito could even receive offerings from that secret society. With this n in mind, Mikageichi firmly dered, "There''s no need for more talk. If you won''t make way, then you''ll all die here!" As Mikageichi finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan excitedly said, "Alright, we''re officially entering thebat round. Due to the influence of your Agility attribute values, the action order for thisbat round is as follows: Mikageichi, Yoh Asakura, Yin En, Yasaka Mashiro, Liu Xing, Gu Jun, Chen Wenbin, and Hisanobu Ito. All of you are Vetran Drivers, so you should know howbat works. I won''t go into details. However, I''ll give you a bonus. Mikageichi''s HP is 11, and Hisanobu Ito''s HP is 23." Upon learning that Mikageichi''s HP was only 11, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was much lower than they had imagined. Thanks to Kanna Ryoko''s custom tea, all of their weapons had malfunctioned earlier. Fortunately, they had managed to persuade Honda Koichi to surrender, or they would have suffered heavy losses if they had fought him. However, Yasaka Mashiro, who was a shooting instructor, had easily repaired their handguns during the journey. Still, there was a debuff: the repaired handguns could only fire a maximum of three times perbat round, each shot dealing 1d6 damage. Since the repairs were simple, there was a 10% chance of malfunction after eachbat round, and the magazine capacity was 9 rounds. "Combat begins. First to act is Mikageichi, who starts by quickly approaching the yers and carefully observing their movements. Therefore, Mikageichi''s Dodge value temporarily increases by 10 points," KP Li Shunchan announced. As the third to act, Yin En spoke up, "KP, we''d like to request a teambat mode. My teammates will attack first, and I will only shoot after they''ve acted." During the journey, Liu Xing''s group had discussed their battle tactics thoroughly. Since Yin En had the highest shooting skill among them, he was the primary firepower, while the others cleared the way and pressured Mikageichi''s movements, allowing Yin En tond hits more easily. "Oh, it seems you''ve already discussed your tactics. Let''s activate the teambat mode. Now, send a representative forward to describe your nned tactics in thebat description phase, and then we''ll proceed with thebat check," KP Li Shunchan said enthusiastically. Teambat mode was something Liu Xing had never experienced before, as he had only been through onebat round prior to this. Essentially, teambat mode involved several yers cooperating with each other inbat. Due to this cooperation, thebat check results of each yer could be affected. For instance, Liu Xing had a handgun uracy of 50 points, but because he was coordinating with Yin En, he adjusted his aim to Mikageichi''s right side, reducing his uracy to 40 points. Meanwhile, Yin En''s uracy increased by 5 points due to the coordination. In teambat mode, thebat check andbat description phases were reversed, and it required the agreement of all yers to proceed. As the team''s leader, Yin En confidently said, "Okay, now Liu Xing and Gu Jun will aim to shoot Mikageichi''s right side, while Yoh Asakura and Chen Wenbin will target Mikageichi''s left side. Yasaka Mashiro will attempt a headshot on Mikageichi, and I will aim for Mikageichi''s heart after everyone else has fired. By the way, each of us will fire three shots." The core of this tactic was to limit Mikageichi''s evasion space, forcing him to take damage during evasive maneuvers. As long as they could hit Mikageichi, there was a chance to cause harm. "Good tactic. I was originally nning to have Mikageichi dodge left and right, but this works as well. Because you''ve aimed in advance, Yin En and Yasaka Mashiro gain a 10-point increase in handgun uracy, while the other yers gain a 30-point increase. However, this increase only applies to the uracy of the first shot. Due to your tactical arrangement, except for Yin En, all other yers will have a 5-point reduction in handgun uracy when shooting the second and third shots. If there are no objections, we will proceed with thebat check in order of action." Everyone nodded in agreement, and KP Li Shunchan began thebat check. Yoh Asakura, 88/50 (20), failed. Yin En, 18/80 (70), seeded. Yasaka Mashiro, 11/75 (65), seeded. Liu Xing, 79/50 (20), failed. Gu Jun, 53/50 (20), failed. Chen Wenbin, 5/50 (20), critical sess. The first round of shooting had a good effect. Both Yin En and Yasaka Mashiro seeded, and Chen Wenbin even achieved a critical sess, preventing Mikageichi from evading. "Good luck! Since you achieved a critical sess, it''s guaranteed to cause damage to Mikageichi. So, there''s no need to check for the next two shots, as you''ve triggered Mikageichi''s second stage," KP Li Shunchan said with a sly smile. Liu Xing felt a chill down his spine. Mikageichi''s second stage didn''t sound simple at all. Just then, Liu Xing felt his body move involuntarily and fired three shots. Mikageichi, in response, leaped to the left and used hisrge sword to block most of his body, but he was still hit on the left hand by Chen Wenbin. After being injured, drops of blood fell onto Mikageichi''s sword, which was instantly absorbed, and a dark mist emerged from the handle of the sword, entering Mikageichi''s wound. Mikageichi''s face contorted in pain, and his body began to tremble. Liu Xing and his team exchanged nces, unsure whether they should attack or wait and see. However, at that moment, Liu Xing''s pocket suddenly vibrated. He was puzzled because his phone had been damaged. Could it be the stone tablet? Liu Xing remembered the stone tablet that Otonashi Takuya had given him. Since it wasn''t veryrge, he had kept it in his pocket. Liu Xing retrieved the stone tablet from his pocket, and indeed, it was the source of the vibration. Beside him, Gu Jun looked at the stone tablet in astonishment and said, "Liu Xing, how do you have King Tindalos''municator?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He knew that King Tindalos was part of Yis People, so it made sense that King Tindalos knew his name. "It''s an honor to meet you, King Tindalos. However, we are currently dealing with Mikageichi, who possesses the sword that can save your daughter, Mian Gu Lu." King Tindalos chuckled and said, "Although I can''t predict how to save Mian Gu Lu, I can predict that it will be you who can save her. In your time, the Rose Graveyard will encounter great trouble, so I have been prepared." As King Tindalos finished speaking, a massive white pir of light erupted from beneath Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito''s feet, shooting straight into the sky. However, after a moment, the light pir, along with Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito, disappeared, leaving only the sword nted in the ground. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 229: Conclusion (2) Chapter 229: Conclusion (2) "Alright, I need to go help you deal with the trouble now. It''s up to you to assist my daughter in escaping Eldritch God Taketori," King Tindalos said with a smile, concluding themunication. The group exchanged puzzled nces. They hadn''t expected that in this fierce battle, Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito, who appeared formidable, would be directly transported away by King Tindalos. However, this turned out to be a fortunate turn of events. Judging from Mikageichi''s recent behavior, it was highly likely that his second stage had fallen under the control of thatrge de, turning him into a "demonic" version of himself with significantly increased power. In such a scenario, their group would have suffered heavy casualties, and total annihtion was a real possibility. So, Liu Xing felt extremely fortunate that he had initiated the Ghoul''s Side Quest, which subsequently triggered Otonashi Takuya''s Side Quest. This chain of events had allowed them to obtain King Tindalos''municator, enabling them to resolve the situation with Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito sessfully today. "Okay, now that you''ve dealt with the boss, you can go back with your loot to find Kanna Ryoko. This module can officiallye to an end," KP Li Shunchan said somewhat resignedly. The group chuckled and gathered around to inspect the attributes of therge de. Parasitic Evil de, forged from cosmic metal by Swollen Woman, and infused with the soul of a terrifying creature, grants the wielder tremendous power for a short time. However, prolonged use of the Parasitic Evil de carries the risk of the soul of the dreadful creature within it taking over the wielder''s consciousness. Restricted to NPC use only. It turned out that this Parasitic Evil de contained the sealed soul of an unknown mythical creature by Swollen Woman, and this mythical creature''s soul was no benign entity. It had been constantly seeking an opportunity to possess its wielder, ultimately taking control of their body. The most intriguing aspect was that only NPCs could use this Parasitic Evil de. yers who obtained it would find it nothing more than a piece of scrap metal. "Well, let''s not waste any more time. Let''s head back quickly," Yin En said as he prepared to pull out the Parasitic Evil de. However, at that moment, a young woman in a police uniform limped out of the cave. It was evident that she was the undercover police officer Yin En had mentioned earlierTakayanagi Aoyin. Upon seeing Takayanagi Aoyin, Yin En could only give the group an apologetic look and rushed over to support her. After some conversation, it became clear that Takayanagi Aoyin had been brought along by Yin En to attack the Sawada Family. Since Takayanagi Aoyin was still a qualified undercover agent in the eyes of Ryochuan Taro, Mikageichi had sought to obtain internal police information from her to ensure he wasn''t caught by the Ziwu City police. However, it was precisely because of this that, when Mikageichi was not paying attention, Takayanagi Aoyin had managed to make a call under the pretense of monitoring the police department, allowing Liu Xing and his group to learn of Mikageichi and Yin En''s attack n in advance. But due to Honda Koichi''s failed attack, coupled with Otonashi Takuya''s sudden assault, most of Mikageichi''s remaining subordinates had suffered severe losses. Fortunately, Otonashi Takuya''s group intentionally avoided attacking Takayanagi Aoyin, and Mikageichi also recognized her importance, so she hadn''t suffered any harm. Once Mikageichi obtained the Parasitic Evil de, he took Takayanagi Aoyin and Hisanobu Ito into the underground passage. Despite the straight-line distance through the underground passage, it was still quite far from the vi area to the Rose Graveyard. While Takayanagi Aoyin had decent stamina as a police officer, she was still exhausted. Finally, as they were about to reach their destination, Takayanagi Aoyin twisted her ankle in the dark underground passage, which was filled with loose rocks. So, Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito decided to leave the cave first, find a hiding ce, and take a night''s rest. After all, both of them were heavily injured at the time. So, Takayanagi Aoyin rested for a while underground and realized her phone was damaged. She then slowly left the cave. However, when Liu Xing saw Takayanagi Aoyin, he couldn''t help butment that it''s no wonder Yin En chose to help her. Takayanagi Aoyin fit the type he liked36D, long legs, and around 90 in the right ces, plus the allure of her uniform... As a result, the group''s gazes towards Yin En became rather peculiar. Since Yin En had to support Takayanagi Aoyin, the Parasitic Evil de ended up with Yoh Asakura. Yoh Asakura remarked that the weight of the Parasitic Evil de seemed lighter than it appeared, probably around ten kilograms. After another couple of hours, Liu Xing and his group returned to the vi area with Takayanagi Aoyin. By this time, the Red Eagle Mercenaries had finished cleaning up the battlefield, and many police cars were parked outside the mansion. After all, a gunfight had urred, and the nearby residents must have heard themotion, so it was only natural for someone to report it. However, it seemed that these police officers hadn''t yete across the bodies of the artificial monsters. But Liu Xing was more curious about the situation with Aoki and the others. At that moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt like his soul was leaving his body. His perspective was once again elevated to a familiar height as he watched "himself" and his group enter the mansion. Inside the mansion, dozens of excited young people, including two who seemed to stand out from the rest, were chatting with Otonashi Takuya. It was clear that these were Aoki and the others, who had reverted to being human. However, at that very moment, something unexpected urred. The Parasitic Evil de in Yoh Asakura''s hand emitted a ck mist, beginning to corrode Yoh Asakura''s arm. Fortunately, Kanna Ryoko arrived in time, and Yoh Asakura only lost one arm... Continuing from there, the next morning, Kanna Ryoko presided over a ceremony to use the Parasitic Evil de to free Mian Gu Lu from Eldritch God Taketori''s possession. Mian Gu Lu was restored to her normal self. After expressing her gratitude to "Liu Xing" and the group, she transformed into a streak of light and disappeared. Liu Xing knew that Mian Gu Lu had gone back in time to find her father, King Tindalos. Next, as an "outsider," "Liu Xing" naturally had to leave the Ind Nation after the events concluded. However, upon learning that "Liu Xing" was searching for a fragment of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun," the Sawada Family informed him that a collector in the Cosmic Country possessed one such fragment. They even helped "Liu Xing" get in touch with the collector, who, due to the Sawada Family''s influence, was willing to give the fragment to "Liu Xing" free of charge. As a result, thanks to the Sawada Family, "Liu Xing" embarked on a luxury cruise ship named "Yueshihao" bound for the Cosmic Country. Coincidentally, "Yin En," Takayanagi Aoyin, and Takayanagi Aoyin''s family were also traveling to the Cosmic Country on the same ship. Takayanagi Aoyin''s undercover identity had been exposed, and ording to Kanna Ryoko''s prediction, if she remained in the Ind Nation, the Shadow n would surely seek revenge since Mikageichi was the son of the Shadow n''s leader. Therefore, "Yin En" decided to escort Takayanagi Aoyin and her family to the Cosmic Country toy low. Later, as the Yueshihao cruise ship departed from the shore, "Liu Xing" and "Yin En" chatted at the bow of the ship. The scene ended here, and Liu Xing''s consciousness was pulled into a massive movie theater. Yin En and others were seated nearby, including the previously eliminated Watanabe Jiang. Of course, Yasaka Mashiro had returned to his male form. Yoh Asakura, looking disgruntled,ined, "What is this? Why did we jump to the ending screen? My character card is still missing a hand!" Beside him, Yin En, who had narrowly escaped a dire fate, chuckled and said, "This might just be fate. Originally, I should have been the one in trouble. But I must admit, this module was incredibly malicious. NPCs kept getting stronger one after another." At that moment, KP Li Shunchan, wearing a ck suit and the ssic V for Vendetta mask, appeared on the big screen, smiling as he said, "Congrattions on achieving the special ending of this module. I have to say, you were very lucky. Without the intervention of Tindalos, you would have had to sacrifice at least half your party to deal with Mikageichi." Liu Xing nodded, as this had been within his expectations. "As for Yoh Asakura," KP Li Shunchan continued, "I can only say that your luck wasn''t on your side, or perhaps you didn''t pay enough attention to the properties of the Parasitic Evil de. It was clearly mentioned how dreadful it was, and that it could only be used by NPCs. So as a yer, you naturally suffered the consequences, losing an arm and bing disabled." Yoh Asakura sighed in resignation after hearing KP Li Shunchan''s exnation and said, "I see. It turns out I was just unlucky. But speaking of which, I''m curious about the normal ending of this module. The NPC factions in this module are not only numerous but also getting stronger one by one." KP Li Shunchan smiled again and exined, "I can tell you about that. There are two normal endings to this module. The first normal ending is when yers choose to save Mian Gu Lu, but it must be done without being detained by Sawada Tsuo. On the fifth day, Mikageichi wille to take Mian Gu Lu personally. If the yers engage in a battle with Mikageichi at this point, they''ll almost certainly end up with a total annihtion ending because Mikageichi will appear at the weakest point of the yers'' defense." "So, if yers manage to avoid total annihtion at this juncture, they''ll receive a hint from Sawada Yinyin. With the assistance of Otonashi Takuya and Sawada Yinyin, yers will infiltrate the Dark Willow Gang''s base. After defeating Honda Koichi, they can rescue Mian Gu Lu. However, while leaving the Dark Willow Gang''s base, they will encounter Mikageichi and the partially transformed Hisanobu Ito. After defeating them, yers will receivemunication from King Tindalos, granting them a spell to summon the sun. This spell requires tens of thousands of people to maintain, ensuring that Ziwu City remains illuminated during the sr eclipse period, causing Eldritch God Taketori to wither due to theck of necessary darkness." "The second normal ending urs when yers decide to kill Mian Gu Lu to save the world. In this case, yers can choose to join one of four factions: Sawada Tsuo''s faction, Dark Willow Gang, Ryochuan Taro''s faction, or Tennoji Sohide''s faction. All four factions have missions aimed at killing Mian Gu Lu as the ultimate goal, but there will be some differences in the process. However, when yers first attempt to kill Mian Gu Lu, she will be rescued by the Killer Demon. Since the Killer Demon is powerless during the day, Mian Gu Lu will automatically head to the Rose Graveyard, where she will be controlled by the Ghouls. The Ghouls will discover that Mian Gu Lu is King Tindalos'' daughter, leading to an encounter between the Ghouls and Otonashi Takuya." "After Otonashi Takuya hands over themunicator to the Ghouls, King Tindalos will contact them and instruct them to protect Mian Gu Lu. On the sixth day, yers will inevitably receive news about Mian Gu Lu being in the Ghouls'' hands. At that point, the forces of the four factions will converge on the cave in the Rose Graveyard to battle the Ghouls. After defeating the Ghouls, yers will find themselves in a showdown with the resurrected Eldritch God Taketori, who hasn''t fully developed. Although the resurrected Eldritch God Taketori is not very powerful, yers can likely defeat it without any casualties. However, before dying, Eldritch God Taketori will randomly select 1d3 yers and cast her final curse on them. The cursed yers will have 1d3 attributes halved and will randomly forget 1d3 skills." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; this module was indeed filled with malice. Especially in the ending where they chose to kill Mian Gu Lu, even if they sessfullypleted the module, one or two unfortunate yers would end up worse than dead. "All right, now I''ll give you one more minute for farewells, and then I''ll send you back to the real world. By the way, the MVP of this module is Yin En. His luck was truly outstanding, as he became the fianc of an important NPC. However, the other yers also performed exceptionally well. For example, Liu Xing sessfully triggered the Ghoul side objective, discovered the truth alongside Gu Jun, and even the eliminated Watanabe Jiang had a chance to change the module''s oue. Unfortunately, you weren''t decisive enough," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. Watanabe Jiang, looking at everyone''s curious gazes, sighed and said, "I originally wanted to investigate the Killer Demon''s clues at the Ziwu City Hospital. However, I learned that the hospital''s director was in a meeting at the time. I realized it was an important lead, so I sneaked outside the director''s office and found that the director was meeting with Tennoji Sohide, discussing some undisclosed n. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side. I was fortunate to get away initially by engaging in a quick conversation with the bodyguards, but I made the mistake of attempting to use a skill, which failed, and I was caught. They discovered the gun in my pocket, and you all know what happened next..." The group facepalmed; Watanabe Jiang had indeed acted recklessly! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 230: The Mystery of Module Yueshihao Begins! Chapter 230: The Mystery of Module Yueshihao Begins! "Liu Xing, I''ll add you as a friend in the lobbyter. I think we''ll be in the same module for the next one," Yin En patted Liu Xing''s shoulder, smiling. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. After all, in the final scene, "Liu Xing" and "Yin En" had boarded the same cruise ship heading for Cosmic Country. So, it was very likely that they would be involved in the same module again. A minuteter, KP Li Shunchan said with a smile, "Alright, it''s time for me to send you all back. For those who cleared the module this time, aside from Yin En, who is the MVP, receiving a 1000-point reward, all other yers will receive an 800-point reward and a one-point increase in intelligence attributes. This is because of the special hidden effect of King Tindalos Communicator. Well, see you all next time." As KP Li Shunchan''s words faded, Liu Xing returned to the real world. Stretchingzily as he stood up, Liu Xing received a friend request from Yin En. In the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, Yin En''s ID was Ian. "Liu Xing, have you seen the system notification? We have another module game tomorrow," Yin En messaged. Liu Xing furrowed his brows at Yin En''s first message and immediately checked the blinking red system message. "Dear yer Old Chinese Doctor, because you triggered the special module - ''The Mystery of Yueshihao,'' please be prepared to enter the special module tomorrow morning at ten o''clock. Thank you for your cooperation." Liu Xing stared at the system message, momentarily unsure of what to say. He had nned to take a few days off to enjoy life, but it seemed that he had stumbled upon another special module, and it appeared to be a closed module. Closed modules were those where yers could only operate within a limited area, such as arge mansion, a moving train, or, in this case, a cruise ship sailing in Cosmic Country. These modules were quite unfriendly to nonbat character cards like Liu Xing. However, closed modules had their advantages. They made it easier to collect clues and interact with important characters within a short period, helping yers establish their objectives early, unlike open modules where yers often found themselves lost after spending a lot of time. "Liu Xing, have you seen the system message?" Yin En messaged again. Liu Xing rubbed his chin and replied, "I''ve seen the message. By the way, this Yueshihao cruise we''re on, is it the same as the real-world Sewol ferry?" The Sewol ferry, the Cosmic Country cruise ship, had experienced a tragic ident on April 16, 2014, resulting in over 300 deaths. At first nce, the incident appeared to be a typical maritime disaster, albeit with a higher death toll. However, as more details emerged through media coverage, the Sewol ferry incident began to appear suspicious. Many believed it was not an ident but a deliberate act of murder. After the Sewol ferry capsized, the official rescue efforts by Cosmic Country were notably slow, even seemingly apathetic. Moreover, civilian rescue teams attempting to enter the ferry were actively blocked by the Cosmic Country authorities. As time passed, various peculiar aspects of the Sewol ferry disaster came to light. For example, the ferry was not supposed to depart on that day due to heavy fog, which caused nine other ships in the harbor to cancel their journeys. Only the Sewol ferry insisted on setting sail. Additionally, the ferry''s navigation route showed an abrupt deviation from its normal path, leading to its capsizing. When the ferry first capsized, the captain instructed passengers to stay in their rooms and await rescue, but he and the crew abandoned ship, locking escape routes behind them. These anomalies cast a shadow of suspicion over the Sewol ferry disaster. So, if the next module, "The Mystery of Yueshihao," was indeed a reference to the Sewol ferry within the Cthulhu universe, Liu Xing was certain that the final boss of this module would be the cultists responsible. Yin En replied to Liu Xing, "Exactly, I''m sure this module is alluding to the Sewol ferry incident. The name ''Yueshihao'' implies transcending the mundane, so changing it to ''Yueshihao'' makes it even more fitting. However, keep in mind that this is a yer-triggered creation module. It''s very likely that we will be pitted against yers from another faction, likely cultists." At the end of his message, Yin En included a link. Liu Xing clicked on the link and found himself on the help page of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, which exined yer-triggered special modules. yer-triggered special modules fell into two categories. The first type was the "post-storyline module," which urred when yerspleted a module under certain conditions or achieved an incorrect ending. For example, if a module featured one visible and one hidden cultist, and yers only eliminated the visible one, temporarily stopping a sacrifice ritual, they would seemingly seed. However, since the hidden cultist remained alive and was preparing to continue the ritual, "local" yers from the same parallel world would be required to undertake a special module to eliminate the hidden cultist. "Outsiders" who left after the first module didn''t need to participate. The second type of special module was the "creation module." These modules resulted from yers'' actions, effectively "creating" a new module. For instance, if a yer sessfully transformed into a Ghoul Elder in one module and then decided to take over the world, starting to develop "subordinates" by attacking and turning humans into Ghouls in a particr city, yers from the same parallel world in that area would be drawn into a special module. Some yers'' missions would be to eliminate the yer who became the Ghoul Elder, while yers with cultist roles might assist the Ghoul Elder. Therefore, the current module, "The Mystery of Yueshihao," likely involved one or more yer cultists attempting to conduct a sacrifice ritual on the Yueshihao cruise. "Coincidentally," both Liu Xing and Yin En had be entangled in this module. However, Liu Xing noticed something interesting in the help section the concept of parallel worlds. Curiously, Liu Xing entered the world view details in the help section. Although he was familiar with the concept of parallel worlds, he was eager to learn what made the parallel worlds in the Cthulhu Mythos unique. ording to the information provided, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall had three types of parallel worlds. The first type was the modern parallel world, where module events urred after 2010, taking ce in various locations worldwide. This was referred to as the modern parallel world. The second type was the 1920s parallel world, where modules were set in the 1920s and primarily took ce in European and American countries, with a focus on Ennd and the United States, earning it the name of the 1920s parallel world. The third type was the ancient parallel world, where modules were set before the mid-18th century, during a time when the Industrial Revolution had not yet begun. These modules mainly unfolded in Europe and China, making it the ancient parallel world. As a result of these three types of parallel worlds, yer character cards were categorized into three types: modern character cards, 1920s character cards, and ancient character cards. Each type of character card could only appear in its corresponding parallel world. However, when creating a new character card, yers could freely modify its type. Of course, within the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, there were thousands of parallel worlds, and yers'' character cards resided in these worlds. Theoretically, one parallel world could amodate thousands of character cards. Modules urred in specific regions within these parallel worlds, and the events in one module could potentially affect other character cards. For example, the news of Watanabe Jiang''s capture, known to Liu Xing and his group, could also be seen by yers participating in other modules in the Ind Nation at the same time when they watched TV or went online. However, if a module within a parallel world reached an apocalyptic stage, such as Liu Xing''s group failing to prevent the resurrection of the Eldritch God Taketori, that module would be "separated" from the parallel world, forming a new parallel world. Nevertheless, these newly formed parallel worlds would eventually meet their doom. After reading about parallel worlds, Liu Xing replied to Yin En, "It seems our luck is quite good; we managed to trigger a special module." "Indeed, we''ll need to cooperate well tomorrow. However, as a general rule, faction-versus-faction modules emphasize one thingbnce. The difficulty isn''t too high; it mainly depends on the intrigues among yers. I must also mention that my character card''s attributes and abilities will decrease significantly after leaving Ziwu City," Yin En replied. Liu Xing couldn''t help but chuckle at Yin En''s message. The weakening of Yin En''s character card was expected; the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall wouldn''t offer such a straightforward advantage, allowing yers'' character cards to instantly transform into powerhouses. After agreeing on their cooperation for the following day, Liu Xing decided to engage in Interlude Growth. However, he noticed that there was only one avable: "Visit the Collector." Visiting the Collector involved reaching Cosmic Country sessfully and guaranteed obtaining one fragment of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." In essence, this Interlude Growth meant that if Liu Xing couldplete the module tomorrow, he would definitely acquire a fragment of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." Liu Xing rubbed his chin and decided to go out for a meal. The next morning at nine o''clock, after finishing breakfast, Liu Xing clicked on the game matchmaking and waited for the module to begin. At exactly ten o''clock, Liu Xing entered the module: Scenario: The Mystery of Yueshihao Difficulty: Medium Number of yers: Four Background story: Yueshihao is a luxury cruise ship shuttling between Ind Nation and Cosmic Country. Today, it wees some special guests, and a crisis silently approaches... Name: Liu Xing upation: Doctor Gender: Male Age: 23 Trait: Team yer Connection to the current scenario: After the Ziwu City incident, with the help of the Sawada Family, Liu Xing ns to board the Yueshihao cruise to Cosmic Country to visit a collector and obtain a fragment of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." Character Attributes Strength: 57 Constitution: 40 Willpower: 80 Luck: 80 Agility: 55 Appearance: 70 Size: 45 Intelligence: 86 Inspiration: 90 Education: 87 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 10 Sanity: 74/80 HP: 8 MP: 16 Damage Bonus: None Credit Rating: 55 Skills: First Aid 83, Medicine 78, Psychology 71, Psychoanalysis 70, Persuade 60, Investigation 40, Jump 71, Locksmith 10, Other Language: English 22, Driving 50, Other Language: Ind Nation Language 39 Special Skills: Contact with Earth-boring Demon Worm Inventory: Phone card, a bottle of ancestral green tea (2/3), candies from Kezongfa, Qingming Rain, Qingming Sacrificial Offerings, Qingming Oil-paper Umbre, Fragment of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun" (Contact with Earth-boring Demon Worm) Since this module followed the previous one closely, Liu Xing hadn''t been able to add any other items to his inventory. Also, due to Kanna Ryoko, his phone had been reduced to just a phone card. But most importantly, Liu Xing''s Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge had crossed into double digits, which wasn''t good news at all. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 231: The Death-Seeking Yin En Chapter 231: The Death-Seeking Yin En For an ordinary profession, having a Cthulhu Mythos knowledge score in the double digits marked a significant turning point. yers would then have the opportunity to switch to the ultist ss. However, having a Cthulhu Mythos knowledge score in the double digits also had its advantages, as it meant that the yer''s character card had gained a certain level of understanding of the Cthulhu Mythos world they inhabited. This, in turn, would grant them some reduction in Sanity (SAN) checks. Looking at his character card, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something. He hadn''t acquired the Disguise skill yet! Liu Xing furrowed his brows, thinking that he should havepleted Juri Sonoda''s mission by now. Why hadn''t he acquired the Disguise skill? Could it be that Juri Sonoda''s mission was a series of interconnected missions? Thinking about it, Liu Xing recalled that during their previous phone call, Juri Sonoda mentioned she woulde to China for a visit. So, it was highly likely that Liu Xing would encounter Juri Sonoda in one of the modules, and she might assign him another mission. However, the rewards forpleting this mission should be quite substantial. At that moment, Liu Xing found himself standing by the sea, realizing that he had officially entered the module. The timing of his entry was precisely at thest moment of the previous module''s ending scene, when he and Yin En were standing at the bow of a ship. Liu Xing turned to look and saw Yin En, who appeared utterly disheartened. Observing Yin En''s condition, Liu Xing was puzzled. He asked, "Yin En, what''s wrong with you? Your expression looks rather strange." Yin En reluctantly shook his head, as if he wanted to say something but found it difficult to speak. Liu Xing shrugged. Since Yin En didn''t want to talk about it, he wouldn''t press the matter. However, Liu Xing had already guessed why Yin En looked this way. It was likely that during Interlude Growth, Yin En had chosen some peculiar options. Because this module still took ce in January and on a cruise ship, Liu Xing could feel his body starting to get cold. To avoid catching a cold, he invited Yin En to leave the bow and return to a coffee shop inside the ship, where they ordered two cups of hot coffee. However, just then, Liu Xing suddenly spotted a familiar figureJuri Sonoda! Liu Xing remembered that Juri Sonoda had reported the Dark Willow Gang under her real name to escape their pursuit, and she had informed him during their phone call that she would first visit the Cosmic Country toy low. So, it came as a surprise that Juri Sonoda had chosen to board the same cruise ship as them. However, this could be good news, as Juri Sonoda was a journalist with remarkable skills, especially in stealth and disguise. In this module, Liu Xing could leverage Juri Sonoda''s abilities to better identify the yers from the opposing faction and their location during the Eldritch God ritual that would take ce on Yueshihao. Just as Liu Xing was about to greet Juri Sonoda, the Game Master (GM) for this module finally appeared. And just like Juri Sonoda, the GM for this module turned out to be someone familiarLi Shunchan. GM Li Shunchan chuckled and said, "Hey, Liu Xing, Yin En, we meet again! It''s been just a day, and you''re already missing me, aren''t you?" Liu Xing chuckled, and Yin En chimed in almost simultaneously, "Not at all." GM Li Shunchan fell silent for a moment, sighed, and said, "Well, I did put in a lot of effort to wrest control of this module from the GM of your previous module. If you really don''t want to see me, I can have another GM take over this module." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that GM Li Shunchan had quite the dramatic ir. He replied, "No, no, we were just kidding. By the way, GM, since this module is a faction-based one, the other two yers left are our opponents, right?" GM Li Shunchan didn''t beat around the bush and confirmed, "You''re correct. This module is a 2v2 scenario. The main quest is for you, Liu Xing, and Yin En, to disrupt the cultist factions of the other two yers who are preparing for a ritual on the Yueshihao cruise ship. Let me remind you that NPCs y a crucial role in this module." Liu Xing nodded, understanding GM Li Shunchan''s implication. After all, there were hundreds of NPCs on the cruise ship, and there were only four yers. If Liu Xing and Yin En could rally the support of these NPCs, the two opposing yers might find it impossible to seed, given the limited space on the Yueshihao. However, this was easier said than done. To mobilize the NPCs, Liu Xing and Yin En would need concrete evidence that the opposing faction was nning an Eldritch God ritual. Moreover, for the ordinary NPCs, such a ritual might just seem like a game. It would be challenging to gain their cooperation. Liu Xing nced at Yin En, and Yin En sighed in resignation. It seemed that Yin En had also realized the challenges ahead. "Okay, since this module is a small-scale confrontation module, the game willst for approximately one day. yers from the same faction can only use Private Room once, and it requires mutual consent to activate. However, you can now engage in a five-minute discussion because this time is in a paused state. After five minutes, the module officially begins!" KP Li Shunchan said cheerfully. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and immediately turned to Yin En, saying, "Yin En, it looks like we''re in trouble this time." Yin En nodded and said with resignation, "If things go as expected, the crew on the Yueshihao cruise ship will all be cultists. Plus, we can''t rely on the Cosmic Country officials to be on our side. So, I believe we''re in real trouble this time." Liu Xing shrugged and nodded, saying, "The current situation is indeed unfavorable for us. However, we have the help of Juri Sonoda and Takayanagi Aoyin. Juri Sonoda, being a well-known journalist in the Ind Nation, should be able to exert some pressure on the Cosmic Country officials. If we really want to sink the ship, I believe the Cosmic Country''s official rescue team in this module won''t remain inactive. As for Takayanagi Aoyin, Yin En, do you know if she has resigned?" Yin En shook his head and replied, "No, Takayanagi Aoyin is currently on paid leave. If things go as expected, she''ll return to the Ind Nation next year and be reassigned to the Hokkaido region." Liu Xing, hearing this news, smiled and said, "That''s even better. Takayanagi Aoyin, as a police officer, can provide us with more conveniences. This way, we can openly investigate various locations on the Yueshihao cruise ship. Even if the crew of Yueshihao are all cultists, they won''t be able to stop us." "That shouldn''t be a problem. If I remember correctly, Takayanagi Aoyin should have the relevant documents. But the current issue is how our character cards can confirm the presence of cultists on the ship," Yin En raised a new concern. Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said with some frustration, "That is indeed a problem. If those two cultist yers are cautious enough, we won''t have an easy time finding them. However, the module''s duration is only about a day, so there should be some clues. We''ll just have to pay close attention to our surroundings." Yin En thought for a moment and realized that was the case. After all, the Yueshihao cruise ship carried over five hundred passengers, and the two opposing cultist yers could easily blend in with the crowd. "But speaking of the ritual, I think those two cultist yers on the other side are likely to be worshiping an unknown powerful Deep One, or perhaps one of Cthulhu''s followers, Dagon. After all, as the saying goes, ''Rely on the mountain to eat the mountain, rely on the sea to eat the sea,''" Yin En said seriously. Liu Xing nodded and replied, "I think it''s more likely that they''re worshiping an unknown powerful Deep One. After all, Cthulhu is of a much higher level, and yers from the Shoggoth Region probably wouldn''t have the qualifications to worship Cthulhu. Dagon, as the most powerful being under the Great Old Ones, would also be difficult to summon. Moreover, Dagon shouldn''t be present in this sea region." ording to the Cthulhu Mythos setting, Dagon, as the eldest of the Deep Ones, naturally became their leader. They usually lived in underwater cities created by the Deep Ones, and the most famous underwater city should be located outside Innsmouth, beneath the Devil''s Reef. So, Liu Xing believed it was impossible to perform a ritual to summon Dagon in the Cosmic Country''s sea region. Therefore, Liu Xing thought that the two cultist yers were likely worshiping a powerful but unknown Deep One, possibly on par with an Elder Ghoul. "Well, it does seem likely. I remember watching a documentary about the real-world Sewol ferry disaster, and it mentioned the possibility of the ferry colliding with a massive unidentified underwater object, causing it to capsize. So, I suspect that in this module, if those two cultist yers sessfully conduct the ritual, they may summon a powerful Deep One to destroy the Yueshihao," Yin En affirmed. Liu Xing nodded and suddenly remembered Yin En''s strange expression earlier. With curiosity, he asked, "By the way, Yin En, what did your expression mean when we were at the bow of the ship?" Upon hearing Liu Xing''s question, Yin En''s expression became animated, reminiscent of a Sichuan opera face-changing performance. After a moment, as if determined, Yin En sighed and reluctantly said, "I might as well tell you the truth. You should know that this module''s timeline is immediately after the previous module, so the options for Interlude Growth are very limited and unique. So, this time, I made a special choice for Interlude Growth ''ying Both Sides''!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and gave a sly smile, asking, "Are you saying you sessfully seduced Takayanagi Aoyin?" Yin En nodded with a serious expression, and everything became clear. Liu Xing understood and, with a chuckle, said, "You city folks really know how to have fun. But I really admire you; you should know what kind of person your fiance, Sawada Yinyin, is. Yet you still dared to choose such an Interlude Growth. You must be looking for a ''death by fire'' ending." Yin En wore a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "What can I do? I was desperate at the time. I saw that the other Interlude Growths weren''t very reliable, so I decided to take a chance. After all, the sess rate for this ''ying Both Sides'' Interlude Growth is only 5%, so I thought it would fail... But little did I know, my luck was so good, I rolled a 1!" "Then, as soon as I entered the module, I gained a new memory segment confessing to Takayanagi Aoyin before boarding the ship. The lines were so cheesy, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. And then, Takayanagi Aoyin epted my confession and agreed to be with me... But as you said, after this module ends, I''ll probably face a mandatory Interlude Growth ''Getting Killed by Miss Sawada Yinyin with a Chopping Knife...''" Yin En exined. Liu Xing chuckled and yfully tapped the table, saying, "It serves you right for being curious. There''s a saying that goes, ''Knowing the tiger''s den but still entering it willingly.'' I salute you as a man." After teasing Yin En, KP Li Shunchan spoke again, "Alright, the module continues now. Liu Xing, Yin En, your Main quest will trigger when you discover the yers from the opposing faction. So, your primary goal right now is to find those two opposing yers. But I believe, Liu Xing, this shouldn''t be a problem for you." As soon as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Takayanagi Aoyin walked over with a cup of coffee and sat down next to Yin En as if nothing were amiss. She smiled and said, "Mr. Liu Xing, I didn''t expect to run into you here." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting Takayanagi Aoyin to act so naturally. He couldn''t help but exchange a nce with Yin En, who silently nodded. Liu Xing understood that Yin En''s choice of the ''ying Both Sides'' Interlude Growth was no longer a reckless decision; it was essentially seeking death. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 232: A Different Bai Hecheng Chapter 232: A Different Bai Hecheng Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that Yin En was truly courting disaster. It wasn''t just a matter of ying both sides, but also the fact that Yin En hadn''t informed Takayanagi Aoyin about his engagement to Sawada Yinyin. So, Liu Xing began to suspect that before Sawada Yinyin could bring a knife to cut down Yin En, Takayanagi Aoyin might have already shot him in confusion. However, Liu Xing decided to adopt a "mind your own business" attitude and didn''t n to expose Yin En''s "dark side." At that moment, Juri Sonoda, who was nearby, noticed Liu Xing and walked over with a cheerful smile, patting Liu Xing on the shoulder. She said, "Hey, I didn''t expect to find you tailing me, Liu Xing." Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, exining his situation to Juri Sonoda and introducing Yin En and Takayanagi Aoyin to her. Speaking of which, both Juri Sonoda and Takayanagi Aoyin were like wanderers. They had previously worked undercover in the Dark Willow Gang and had made significant contributions to dismantling the gang. Now, they were on the run from the Shadow n and had chosen to seek refuge in the Cosmic Country. As a result, Juri Sonoda and Takayanagi Aoyin quickly became good friends, chatting happily. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but notice the peculiar look in Juri Sonoda''s eyes when she nced at Yin En, especially when she learned that Yin En was Takayanagi Aoyin''s boyfriend; her gaze was filled with disdain. Obviously, Juri Sonoda must have known about Yin En''s rtionship with Sawada Yinyin, especially considering her profession as a journalist, she was adept at digging up information. Fortunately, for now, Juri Sonoda didn''t seem to have any intention of revealing the truth to Takayanagi Aoyin. Otherwise, Yin En''s situation in this scenario would have turned dire. Sensing the unfavorable situation, Yin En promptly decided to take Takayanagi Aoyin with him and excused themselves to go to the deck to enjoy the sea view. They bid their farewells. Liu Xing knew that Yin En also nned to search for the fanatic yers from the opposing factions on the deck. Watching Yin En and Takayanagi Aoyin departing, Juri Sonoda couldn''t help but say to Liu Xing, "Hey, if I remember correctly, this Yin En should be the prospective son-inw of the Sawada Family, right? Why is he confessing to Takayanagi Aoyin? Does he want to be a scoundrel, ying both sides?" Liu Xing felt a bit awkward but nodded and said, "Well, that''s true, but Yin En and Sawada Yinyin''s engagement was just a childhood betrothal. It''s not official, so Yin En should have the right to seek true love." Juri Sonoda stroked her chin and remained silent. "By the way, where''s your sister?" Liu Xing, noticing the situation, decided to change the topic. Juri Sonoda shook her head and smiled, saying, "I sent her to stay with rtives and transferred her to a local school. After all, she''s still a high school student, and I can''t let her education suffer. It wouldn''t be right to drag her around with me for half a year." Liu Xing nodded. In the past, many people in Ind Nation chose to start working after graduating from high school. However, due to the immense job pressure in today''s Ind Nation, the term "sryman" wasn''t just an expression. So, high school students in present-day Ind Nation tended to lean toward attending college rather than entering the workforce directly. Liu Xing continued to chat with Juri Sonoda for a while before deciding to take his leave and search for the fanatic yers from the opposing factions. After all, time was running out in this scenario, and there wasn''t much time left for him and Yin En. However, at that moment, Liu Xing spotted a young man wearing a sailor uniform entering the cafe. He had a familiar silhouette. "Bai Hecheng?!" Liu Xing eximed in surprise. Indeed, the neer was Bai Hecheng! Liu Xing couldn''t believe it. After all this time and after experiencing so many scenarios, he had encountered his very first teammate from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s first scenario, Bai Hecheng. However, this reunion didn''t bring Liu Xing the joy of meeting an old friend. After all, he was now certain that Bai Hecheng was a fanatic yer from an opposing faction. More importantly, Bai Hecheng had a scroll of parchment in his possession, the purpose of which Liu Xing was unsure of. Judging from Bai Hecheng''s reaction when he opened the parchment, it was undoubtedly of much higher quality than Liu Xing''s torn page from "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." Furthermore, Liu Xing suspected that Bai Hecheng''s SAN value, his mental stability, was dangerously low by now. Although SAN value was a yer''s second life in the game, for fanatic yers, it was also a restraint. As SAN value decreased, fanatic yers could be increasingly unhinged and unpredictable. "Bai Hecheng? Liu Xing, have you met a friend?" Juri Sonoda asked curiously. Liu Xing nodded and said, "Juri, you should know about the Castle serial killings in Ennd some time ago, right?" Juri Sonoda chuckled confidently and replied, "Of course, I know about that case. It was quite sensational at the time. A fallen nobleman killed over a hundred foreign tourists, and it seemed to involve Eldritch God rituals... But if I recall correctly, a few Chinese tourists were the ones who exposed the case. That means you were one of them, Liu Xing, right!?" Juri Sonoda suddenly became excited and looked at Liu Xing with curiosity. She continued, "Wow, Liu Xing, why didn''t you tell me about this sooner? I''ve always wanted to interview such a major news story. Can I interview youter? I want to know how you guys discovered that the Castle Lord was a serial killer. Oh, and I''m also curious about the gunfight in the mansion area..." Liu Xing looked at the professionally enthusiastic Juri Sonoda and nodded quickly, saying, "That shouldn''t be a problem. But the issue right now is that I suspect Bai Hecheng is up to something." After that, Liu Xing shared Bai Hecheng''s story with Juri Sonoda. "Here''s the situation: Bai Hecheng''s personality was already a bit odd to begin with, and when you add that strange parchment scroll into the mix, I strongly suspect that he has be a cultist!" Liu Xing conveyed his "reasonable" suspicion to Juri Sonoda, and he was relieved to see that KP Li Shunchan didn''t question it. It seemed that "he" had already confirmed Bai Hecheng as a fanatic, making their actions much easier. At this point, Juri Sonoda fell into deep thought. After a while, she spoke, "I do know a bit about cultists because I''ve studied some cases involving cultist ritual murders. These people have seriously skewed moralpasses. If that parchment scroll is as significant as it seems, then it''s essential for us to keep an eye on Bai Hecheng. As a journalist, my instincts tell me that Bai Hecheng might be nning to create a big news story here on the Yueshihao cruise, as cultists tend to thrive on sensationalism." Liu Xing, seeing that Juri Sonoda was on his side, breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Juri Sonoda was a valuable ally, especially in situations where information needed to be gathered, especially since both he and Yin En were "in the dark." He nodded and told Juri Sonoda seriously, "Juri, we''ll be relying on you from now on. You''re a professional journalist, so you can investigate Bai Hecheng''s intentions aboard the Yueshihao better than we can." Juri Sonoda smiled and nodded confidently, saying, "Of course, you can count on me. I''ll see what I can uncover if Bai Hecheng is indeed nning a big news story." Liu Xing smiled back and reminded Juri Sonoda to stay safe. "I feel reassured, but please be careful, Juri. Bai Hecheng likely has aplices on this cruise ship, and given the current situation, even the ship''s crew could be working for him. So, you must be cautious in your investigation. These cultists won''t hesitate to resort to violence if they discover you!" Juri Sonoda nodded, fully aware of the dangers of dealing with cultists, as their actions and mindset were far from rational. Just then, Bai Hecheng suddenly noticed Liu Xing and approached with a cheerful smile. He said, "Liu Xing, I didn''t expect to see you here. It''s been over half a year since we parted ways in Ennd." Liu Xing realized that the in-game time had indeed passed by more than half a year since theirst encounter. He had forgotten the exact timeline of the Castle scenario, but he remembered that his second scenario, the Harvest Festival, had taken ce inte summer. Now, in the midst of winter, it had been more than half a year. Although Liu Xing already knew that Bai Hecheng was his enemy, he had to maintain a faade of friendliness. He replied, "Yes, time flies, and it''s been over half a year since west met. It''s quite unexpected to meet in such unique circumstances. Truly, the world is unpredictable." Bai Hecheng, aware of Liu Xing''s hidden meaning, smiled and said, "Indeed, the world is unpredictable. It''s like Liu Bei and Sun Quan during thete Han period. Originally, we were mutually beneficial and could have united against Yuan Shao." Liu Xing chuckled, surprised that Bai Hecheng had suddenly brought up the story of Liu Bei and Sun Quan. As a Three Kingdoms novel enthusiast, Liu Xing was familiar with the tale. In a nutshell, Liu Bei, being a legitimate member of the Han dynasty, naturally held the position of the Governor of Yu Province, while Sun Quan, despite being born into a prestigious family on the border, had received no support from his family. Through their individual efforts, both managed to establish themselves in their respective territories. Initially, Liu Bei and Sun Quan had a good working rtionship. Theirbined civil and military talents governed Yu Province effectively, and they kept the border tribes from encroaching. However, due to differences in their ideals, they eventually turned against each other, with Sun Quan defeating Liu Bei and bing the ruler of Yu Province. Although good times didn''tst, Liu Xing didn''t read too much into Bai Hecheng''s words. He smiled and said, "Paths diverge, and alliances change when ideals differ. There''s nothing wrong with that." Bai Hecheng nodded and continued to smile, "You''re right, paths diverge when ideals differ. Well, I have some matters to attend to, Liu Xing. Let''s chatter... if fate allows." Bai Hecheng then departed gracefully. "Liu Xing, Bai Hecheng doesn''t seem as strange as you described him. From his demeanor, he appears quite normal," Juri Sonoda said, puzzled. Liu Xing nodded. Indeed, as Juri Sonoda had mentioned, Bai Hecheng seemed much more normal now. However, unusual circumstances often concealed hidden dangers. Liu Xing began to suspect that Bai Hecheng had sessfully transformed into a Ghoul, and as a Ghoul, he would no longer be affected by SAN values. After all, mythical creatures like Ghouls typically didn''t possess SAN values. Thinking along these lines, Liu Xing seriously told Juri Sonoda, "Juri, you should remember that I told you before that humans can be Ghouls." Juri Sonoda nodded and eximed in surprise, "Are you suggesting that Bai Hecheng has be a Ghoul? That sounds insane! Besides, he doesn''t resemble the Ghouls you described at all." Liu Xing managed a weak smile and exined about the existence and abilities of Ghoul Elders. However, he was also trying to dissuade Juri Sonoda because the current Bai Hecheng was nothing like the crazy Bai Hecheng from the past. Liu Xing was concerned for Juri Sonoda''s safety, as he couldn''t be sure of Bai Hecheng''s true capabilities. If Bai Hecheng discovered her investigation, it could be extremely dangerous. Although Juri Sonoda was just an NPC in the Cthulhu RPG Game, in this lifelike world, Liu Xing hade to treat these NPCs as real people, and he didn''t want Juri Sonoda to risk her life to help him. After listening to Liu Xing''s exnation, Juri Sonoda nodded with a serious expression. However, she also seemed eager and said, "I see. It seems this investigation mission will be quite challenging. But I''m prepared for it. Even if Bai Hecheng is a Ghoul Elder, he won''t be able to hide from me. Remember to keep your phone signal open 24/7. If anything unexpected happens, you muste to my aid." Liu Xing had no choice but to nod earnestly. He took a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to Juri Sonoda. Inside the bottle was Qingming Rain. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 233: Another Familiar Face Chapter 233: Another Familiar Face Qingming Rain, not only could it inflict harm upon mythical creatures, but it could also slow down their movements. That''s why Liu Xing had chosen to entrust the Qingming Rain to Juri Sonoda. If Juri Sonoda were to be discovered by Bai Hecheng and his group, she could use the Qingming Rain to buy some time. After exining the usage and effects of Qingming Rain to Juri Sonoda, she couldn''t help but express her curiosity, "Wow, is it really that magical, Liu Xing? Do you have any enchantments that can make people invisible and walk through walls? Of course, it would be best if you could teach me this spell hand in hand. It would make gathering materials outside much more convenient." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Juri Sonoda was taking him for a Maoshan Taoist, talking about invisibility and wall-walking techniques... Seeing Liu Xing''s expression, Juri Sonoda knew that he didn''t possess any invisibility or wall-walking skills, so she pretended to be dismissive and said, "Well, it seems like Liu Xing, you still have a lot to learn." Liu Xing sighed helplessly and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, I have much to learn. I''ve disappointed you, Juri." At that moment, Bai Hecheng and the young crew member finished their coffee and left the caf. Juri Sonoda nodded at Liu Xing and discreetly followed them. With the coffee finished, Liu Xing headed to the deck to find Yin En. On the deck, Liu Xing quickly spotted Yin En, who was alone. "Haha, it looks like you''re in a bit of a predicament," Liu Xing teased. Yin En forced a smile and nodded, saying, "Liu Xing, don''t kick me when I''m down. But speaking of which, do you know what an ''Innsmouth Face'' is?" "Liu Xing" certainly didn''t know what an "Innsmouth Face" was, but Liu Xing did. In simple terms, as mentioned earlier, many Deep Ones lived in the waters near Innsmouth. Although they appeared as fish-headed humanoids and seemed somewhat foolish, Deep Ones possessed intelligence surpassing that of humans. They were also effectively immortal unless killed. Due to various reasons, the Deep Ones near Innsmouth began trading with the human inhabitants of Innsmouth, eventually leading to intermarriage between Deep Ones and humans. In the Cthulhu Mythos universe, humans and mythical creatures were not reproductively isted, so the offspring of these unions exhibited no physical differences from ordinary humans until they reached the age of thirty-five. After that age, contact with their own kind or extreme stress could trigger a rapid transformation. Their eyes would bulge and their eyelids would be immobile, their skin would turn gray-green and develop scales, webbed fingers and toes would emerge, gills would form on their necks, and other aquatic adaptations would manifest. This transformation into a Deep One took a rtively short time, and onceplete, these individuals would leap into the water and join the nearest Deep One city, living the rest of their lives as Deep Ones. Innsmouth was a ce where intermarriage between humans and Deep Ones was mostmon, and since Innsmouth was notpletely cut off from the outside world, many outsiders had seen these half-transformed individuals living there. Their appearance was so distinctive that the term "Innsmouth Face" had been coined. This term could also be used to mock someone''s ugliness, as, despite theck of an attractiveness attribute for mythical creatures, Deep Ones would probably have a rating of about 10 based on human aesthetic standards. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, if a yer told you that an NPC or another yer had an "Innsmouth Face," they meant that the NPC or yer was likely a hybrid of Deep One and human. However, since "Liu Xing" was not familiar with the specifics of Deep Ones, he could only shake his head and say, "Uh, I''m not really sure about that." Yin En proceeded to exin the details of the "Innsmouth Face" and the rtionship between those who had it and the Deep Ones. Predictably, this triggered a Sanity check, but because the content this time was not too "explosive," and Liu Xing''s knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos had reached double digits, he only lost 1 point of Sanity and gained 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. After exining "Innsmouth Face," Yin En continued, "Liu Xing, you may not know this, but I once carried out a mission in Innsmouth, and I saw these vigers with ''Innsmouth Face'' conducting sacrificial rituals by the sea, attracting real Deep Ones to devour the living. From what I learned from a local viger, these individuals with ''Innsmouth Face'' are actually iplete Deep Ones." "I see. Yin En, are you suggesting that these ''Innsmouth Face'' individuals have appeared on the cruise ship, and they might be nning to conduct some kind of ritual on board? " Liu Xing feigned surprise. Yin En nodded solemnly and said, "Exactly. These people are no longer human; they are Deep Ones. Moreover, I''ve heard that these ''Innsmouth Face'' individuals mainly live in coastal viges and rarely leave their viges. They have excellent swimming abilities, so it''s highly unlikely that they would be on a cruise ship. I suspect they have some ulterior motive on this cruise, and the most likely scenario is that they n to conduct some kind of ritual, with the passengers on this cruise possibly being the sacrificial offerings." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and then recounted his encounter with Bai Hecheng. "The situation is like this: Bai Hecheng is definitely not ordinary. I suspect he has transformed into a Ghoul using that scroll of parchment, so it appears that Bai Hecheng may have some connection with the person who has the ''Innsmouth Face.''" Yin En looked puzzled and asked, "Liu Xing, are you suggesting that Ghouls are cooperating with Deep Ones? If I recall correctly, these two types of mythical creatures have different beliefs, right? Would they really coborate?" ording to the setting of the Cthulhu Mythos, Deep Ones are known to worship Cthulhu, while Ghouls worship Mordiggian. Both are Great Old Ones, but there is typically no connection between them. Additionally, Deep Ones reside by the sea, while Ghouls inhabit graveyards. These two groups are quite distinct. So, Liu Xing began to wonder how Bai Hecheng had be associated with a Deep One hybrid. "By the way, I''ve managed to shake off Takayanagi Aoyin and investigate the origin of the person with the ''Innsmouth Face.'' That grotesque individual is apanied by a crew member who seems to idolize him. I suspect that the crew member might be a member of some cult that worships the Deep Ones," Yin En said seriously. "A cult?" Liu Xing asked, curious, as "Liu Xing" had not encountered such organizations dedicated to Eldritch Gods or mythical creatures before. To expand his knowledge, "Liu Xing" was eager to ask questions. Yin En nodded and took on a nostalgic expression as he exined, "Just as some people believe in God and others in Satan, there are many who believe in mythical creatures and unspeakable Eldritch Gods. I now know of several cults that worship the Deep Ones. However, these cults are notrge in scale; they are mostly located in coastal cities, and their influence is limited to the surrounding areas." "But during my mission in Innsmouth, I came across a strange world map in an underground chamber. It had numerous red dots marked along the coastline, with peculiar symbols apanying them. After taking a photo and consulting a linguist after the mission, we managed to roughly trante the symbols to the word ''church.'' Now, thinking back, that map should have been a distribution map of cults worshipping the Deep Ones. Several major ports in Cosmic Country were marked, including the destination of Yueshihao. So, having a crew member who is a Deep One worshipper on board the ship is not impossible," Yin En exined. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Since Takayanagi Aoyin and Juri Sonoda were helping him on this side, it was only natural that Bai Hecheng had a crew member on the Yueshihao cruise ship as well. At this point, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that his phone was damaged, and he only had a SIM card left. Since Juri Sonoda still needed to contact him, Liu Xing had to ask Yin En for a phone. Yin En, being a man who carried several phones, readily provided one. After confirming the phone signal was working fine, Liu Xing turned up the volume to the maximum and ced the phone back in his pocket with relief. Just then, Takayanagi Aoyin approached holding a phone and said with a smile, "You''re in luck. A friend of mine happens to work at the port, and he helped me retrieve the passenger list for the Yueshihao cruise ship. Initially, he couldn''t find out who the strange-looking person was because the passport photos on the boarding list didn''t match. But he asked one of the security personnel in charge of Yueshihao, and they found the information on that individual. His appearance left quite an impression on the security personnel." While Takayanagi Aoyin was speaking, he handed the phone to Yin En, which disyed the passport details of the Deep One hybrid. Liu Xing, standing beside Yin En, naturally leaned in to take a look. He was surprised to recognize the person in the passportMo Jin! Yes, this Mo Jin was the same individual from the Earth Dragon Vige module who had tried to steal chickens but ended up losing the rice and eventually met a tragic end alongside Liu Xing and another yer. Liu Xing hadn''t expected to encounter him here. However, ording to the passport information, Liu Xing was shocked to discover that Mo Jin was a Chinese-American and was born in Innsmouth, Massachusetts! Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing realized that Mo Jin had likely used a new character card after his demise in the previous module. However, what surprised Liu Xing even more was that Mo Jin had transformed into a hybrid of a Deep One and a human. Fortunately, Mo Jin hadn''t altered his name or appearance, so it didn''t affect "Liu Xing''s" ability to recognize him. Feigning surprise, Liu Xing said, "Are you sure you haven''t made a mistake? I know this person; he once helped me with disaster relief in northwestern China. At that time, he imed to be a local troublemaker. How did he suddenly transform into a Chinese-American?" Yin En, being a Veteran Driver, could read between the lines of Liu Xing''s words and smiled as he said, "Could it be that Liu Xing, you''ve mistaken someone else for him? After all, there are many people with the same name and surname in the world." While saying this, Yin En handed the phone to Liu Xing. Liu Xing pretended to examine the phone closely and then said confidently, "I can assure you I haven''t mistaken him. He is the same Mo Jin I know." Yin En nodded and returned the phone to Takayanagi Aoyin, saying, "Aoyin, if possible, can you ask your friend to check this Mo Jin''s immigration and travel records?" Takayanagi Aoyin nodded in agreement but couldn''t help but ask, "Why are you so interested in this person, Yin En? He just has an unusual appearance, right?" Yin En sighed and said to Takayanagi Aoyin, "Aoyin, you should still remember the Monsters created by Honda Koichi, those tall creatures covered in fish scales?" Takayanagi Aoyin nodded and suddenly widened eyes, looking astonished. "Are you suggesting that this Mo Jin is the prototype for those Monsters?" Yin En nodded and proceeded to share the information about the "Innsmouth Face," as well as Mo Jin''s possible alliance with Bai Hecheng and their n to conduct an Eldritch God ritual on the Yueshihao cruise ship. After listening to Yin En''s ount, Takayanagi Aoyin nodded solemnly and then went to a quiet corner to make a phone call. "This situation is getting quite dire," Yin En remarked, lighting a cigarette with a hint of mncholy. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. He hadn''t expected that the yers on the hostile side of this module would turn out to be familiar faces, and they were among the most "evil" yers he had encountered. After all, Mo Jin had betrayed his team, and Bai Hecheng was a zealous believer. However, this also had its advantages. At least Liu Xing knew some of their background and could quickly identify their identities, categorizing them as antagonistic characters. It was no wonder that KP Li Shunchan had said he could easily recognize the yers from the opposing camp. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 234: Gathering Intelligence Chapter 234: Gathering Intelligence Liu Xing hadn''t anticipated that his first encounter with a hostile module would involve familiar faces. Although this allowed him to quickly confirm the identities of Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin, it also meant that they could confirm his presence. However... Liu Xing suddenly had an idea and looked around, but he didn''t spot any crew members nearby. So, Liu Xing earnestly said to Yin En, "Yin En, I''ve been targeted by Bai Hecheng and his group. If everything goes as expected, they should arrange for someone to monitor me. So, it''s better for us to split up for now. This way, I can divert their attention, and you can investigate Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin''s actions more effectively." Yin En nodded and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, took out a dagger from his pocket and handed it to Liu Xing. "Okay, let''s stay in touch through phone. Keep this dagger for self-defense. While I''d like to give you a handgun, in the confined space of the ship, a dagger would be more practical for someone like you who isn''t experienced with firearms. Handguns can easily misfire in such close quarters and might harm you." Liu Xing didn''t hesitate and epted the dagger from Yin En. After all, as Yin En had pointed out, hecked a close-quarters weapon. Using a handgun in the ship''s tight confines could lead to missed shots and a potential risk of injuring himself. However, what surprised Liu Xing was that the dagger Yin En gave him was also a special item. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, items and props were two different concepts. Items referred to ordinary objects like tables, chairs, and stools. While these items had some attributes and provided bonuses to attack rolls, they were considered ordinary. Props, on the other hand, were unique. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, props were items that had a connection to mythical creatures or possessed special effects not found in simr items. For example, Liu Xing''s custom-made Nyathotep pistol was considered a prop. Although regr pistols had damage capabilities, Nyathotep''s custom pistol had additional features, such as dealing extra damage to mythical creatures and automatically replenishing bullets. The dagger in Liu Xing''s hand fell into the category of props. It was a ritualistic dagger, used in ceremonial rituals. Although Liu Xing wasn''t sure which Eldritch God it was used to worship, the dagger possessed incredible power. In the first attack against a mythical creature, it could inflict an additional 2d3 damage (ignoring the creature''s armor). When used against ordinary humans, it had a chance to induce fear (the probability depended on the target''s sanity),sting for two rounds, with a base damage bonus of 1d3. Liu Xing couldn''t help but acknowledge that this ritualistic dagger was exceptionally impressive. It could bypass defenses and deal significant damage in the first attack against mythical creatures. It was like having the ability to cut an opponent''s health in half if luck was on his side, and it even had the potential to terrify human enemies. Liu Xing couldn''t help but remark, "Yin En, isn''t this dagger too valuable? Is it really suitable for me?" He didn''t think his rtionship with Yin En had reached the point where such a valuable item should be entrusted to him. "Hehe, Liu Xing, just keep it. This dagger isn''t of much use to me. After all, I''m more skilled with firearms, and my closebat abilities arecking. So, I believe this dagger will serve you better for self-defense. Besides, we''ve been through life and death together, and I have a feeling that we''ll meet again in the future. After all, this world isn''t as big as one might think," Yin En said with a smile. Liu Xing finally understood Yin En''s intention. Yin En was looking to make a long-term investment in him. ording to the information Liu Xing had gathered, in the Cthulhu gaming world, each parallel world functioned as a server, and the number of yers in each server was limited. yers from the same region could y together, and everyone had a close-knitmunity. Having a reliable teammate in the Cthulhu RPG Game was a rare find, and finding a trustworthy one was even more challenging. Now, Liu Xing realized that Yin En was clearly extending goodwill toward him, hoping for a deeper coboration. Of course, Liu Xing had a favorable impression of Yin En. Firstly, Yin En was abat-focused character card,plementing Liu Xing''s support-oriented character card. Secondly, Yin En''s personality and abilities were impressive. Lastly, and most importantly, Yin En was a lucky yer. Luck was the most crucial ability in the Cthulhu RPG Game, as it could allow yers to achieve almost anything. Liu Xing admired Yin En''s luck, so teaming up with a lucky "God of Fortune" like Yin En in the Cthulhu RPG Game was something Liu Xing was more than willing to do. With that in mind, Liu Xing decisively stowed away the dagger, smiled at Yin En, and said, "Then I won''t be polite. I''ll head back to my room now. We''ll stay in touch." Yin En nodded and went to find Takayanagi Aoyin. Meanwhile, Liu Xing kept an eye on his surroundings and, following KP Li Shunchan''s guidance, returned to his room. Due to his affiliation with the Sawada Family, Liu Xing was staying in a luxurious single room. Although it was called a luxury single room, the actual space inside was notrge, and the amenities were rtively simple. But Liu Xing wasn''t here to enjoy luxury, so he didn''t mind. Liu Xing took out his phone and began searching for information rted to the Yueshihao cruise ship. While he didn''t find specific details about the Yueshihao cruise ship, he discovered that it was manufactured by a shipyard in the Ind Nation. Liu Xing immediately sent a text message to Yin En, hoping that Yin En could leverage the Sawada Family''s connections to obtain detailed information about the Yueshihao cruise ship, such as its design ns. After sending the text message, Liu Xing began searching for information about the uing voyage of the Yueshihao cruise ship. He discovered that the Yueshihao cruise ship was scheduled to arrive at the Cosmic Country port at 10 o''clock tomorrow morning. "10 o''clock, huh?" Liu Xing thought for a moment and entered "Cosmic Country weather forecast for tomorrow" into the search bar. As expected, just as Liu Xing had suspected, there was a longsting heavy fog forecasted for tomorrow morning at the Cosmic Country port where the Yueshihao cruise ship was set to arrive. This kind of weather would not be suitable forrge vessels like the Yueshihao cruise ship to enter the port. "That confirms it. This Yueshihao module is following the script of the real-world Sewol ferry disaster. If things go as nned, Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin should perform the ritual tomorrow morning, not tonight. After all, in this module, Bai Hecheng''s side holds the advantage, and if they can choose the time for the ritual, then Yin En and I will be in big trouble," Liu Xing muttered to himself with a furrowed brow. Just then, Liu Xing received a text message from Yin En. "Liu Xing, I''ve asked Sawada Yinyin to obtain the design ns for the Yueshihao cruise ship from the shipyard, but it might take some time. That shipyard in the Ind Nation has significant influence, and the Sawada Family needs to negotiate with them through an intermediary. However, based on the information Sawada Yinyin has gathered so far, it seems that the Yueshihao cruise ship has undergone some modifications by a local shippingpany in the Cosmic Country. The modifications mainly involve the upper decks, so I doubt that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin will perform the ritual there." "By the way, Takayanagi Aoyin has found information on Mo Jin. It turns out that Mo Jin had been living in the United Beacon Nation and only recently arrived in the Ind Nation for tourism. So, I suspect Mo Jin might have fabricated those details. Another important point to note is that the crew on the Yueshihao cruise ship seems to be problematic. Most of them are Cosmic Country nationals, and they shouldn''t have been part of this voyage. However, on the day before Yueshihao set sail... that is, yesterday afternoon, these crew members suddenly received orders from theirpany to take over the mission for this Yueshihao cruise ship voyage. Moreover, many of these crew members are recent graduates from schools, indicating that they are being set up as scapegoats." After reading the message, Liu Xing began to formte his n. Firstly, he was sure that the Yueshihao cruise ship''s crew was either working for Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin or were unwitting neers being used as scapegoats. Therefore, he and Yin En couldn''t expect any help from the crew. Secondly, the upper management of thepany operating the Yueshihao cruise ship was likelyposed of followers of the Deep Ones'' cult. So, using Sawada Family''s connections to pressure thepany was not a viable option. Lastly, the modifications made to the Yueshihao cruise ship seemed to involve only the upper decks. It was highly unlikely that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin would perform the ritual there unless they were exceptionally brazen and wanted to do it in in sight. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that the most likely location for the ritual would be in the lowest part of the Yueshihao cruise ship''s hold. However, infiltrating the hold wouldn''t be easy for Liu Xing and Yin En. These areas were off-limits to outsiders, and only senior crew members had ess keys. So, Liu Xing decided it was time to kidnap one of the high-ranking crew members on the Yueshihao cruise ship. Liu Xing checked the time and realized it was only around 2 o''clock in the afternoon. It was still rtively early, and he felt that wandering around wouldn''t serve much purpose at this point. So, he continued to use his phone to look up various information. Suddenly, on a small website, Liu Xing came across a story about a cult in the Cosmic Country that had emerged fifty years ago. At the time, the Cosmic Country had only recently ended a war, and several new cults had sprung up under the guise of the Catholic Church, rapidly gaining followers. One of these cults called itself the Sea God Church, iming that the true God resided in the depths of the sea, and that angels were actually fish-headed human-bodied beings. The cult''s leader demonstrated powerful spells and wisdom far beyond the era, even convincing the Cosmic Country''s president at the time to be a believer. As a result, the real power of the Cosmic Country''s government was held by the cult leader. However, due to well-known reasons, the Cosmic Country was effectively under the control of the United Beacon Nation, and the Cosmic Country''s president, despite his ambitions, was unable to break free from this influence. Frustrated, the Cosmic Country''s president asked the cult leader to help the Cosmic Country escape the United Beacon Nation''s control. The cult leader agreed but demanded a sacrifice from the Cosmic Country''s president to summon an Archangel to negotiate on behalf of the Cosmic Country with the United Beacon Nation. The sacrifice? Living beings. So, a tugboat carrying over a hundred young soldiers mysteriously capsized in a sea not far from the port due to the Cosmic Country president''s intervention. All the young soldiers on board perished. However, as these young soldiers sank to the ocean floor, witnesses imed to have seen a giant humanoid figure emerging from the deep sea, swimming towards the sinking ship. This was the so-called "Archangel" the cult leader had mentioned. After benefiting from the situation, the "Archangel" had no intention of fulfilling its duties. Thus, the Cosmic Country president decided to confront the cult leader along the way but was assassinated by unknown individuals. The mysterious cult disappeared from the scene. After reading the article and seeing the words "This story is entirely fictional" at the end, Liu Xing chuckled and searched for a few more keywords. It was quite clear that this cult leader was a hybrid of a Deep One and a human. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 235: Deep Thoughts Chapter 235: Deep Thoughts It was quite obvious that this so-called "Archangel" was a Deep One of Elder level, and most likely the final boss of this module. "If the strength of this Deep One is on par with that of Ghoul Elders, we''re in serious trouble," Liu Xing expressed his concern. After all, this was the Deep One''s territory, and Liu Xing felt that if a fight were to break out, they would be utterly defenseless against the Deep Ones. At that moment, Liu Xing heard voicesing from outside his room. "Shizuka, can you believe our school chose our ss for a graduation trip to Cosmic Country? Dekisuki must be so jealous of our ss," a young man''s voice said. "You''re asking me? But Nobita, don''t you think Honda-sensei has been acting strangely these past few days?" a melodious female voice replied. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. The voices outside his door belonged to a young man named Nobita and a girl named Shizuka. Liu Xing wondered if their friends were named Suneo and Gian. "You''re right," Nobita continued, "Ever since Honda-sensei boarded the cruise ship, he''s beenpletely different, quiet and reserved. He spends most of his time standing at the bow, gazing at the sea." Shizuka sighed, "Well, maybe Fujiwara-sensei broke up with Honda-sensei. I always thought they were a perfect match." Nobita chuckled, "I don''t think that''s the case. I saw Honda-sensei propose to Fujiwara-sensei in the school''s woods a few days ago. Although I was far away and couldn''t hear what they were saying, it looked like Fujiwara-sensei agreed. Honda-sensei was so happy he jumped for joy. Butter, Fujiwara-sensei must have said something to make Honda-sensei feel troubled. I think it might be because of their family backgrounds. Fujiwara-sensei''s father is the chairman of our school''s board of directors, and her mother is the CEO of a major seafoodpany in Hokkaido. Our poor Honda-sensei is just an ordinary teacher with a modest family background. I heard he''s worried about this, but I hope he can win hisdy''s heart. He''s really a great teacher." "Ah, I see. That exins why Honda-sensei is feeling down. The difference in their family backgrounds is quite significant. I also heard that Fujiwara-sensei is religious; she goes to that temple on the western side of the city every Sunday for worship. It''s strange, though, that the temple isn''t open to the public," Shizuka remarked with frustration. Nobitaughed again, "Well, let''s not meddle in their affairs. Let''s go find Suneo and the others. I can''t believe Suneo''s family is one of the shareholders of this cruise ship. We got a luxurious cabin, much better than the ones our school arranged for us." Their voices faded away. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. He knew that the conversation between these two Ind Nation students outside his door was likely information provided by the module, and these two students were probably important NPCs in the current module. More importantly, based on Nobita and Shizuka''s conversation, Liu Xing had a bold idea. He suspected that the students from the Ind Nation who were participating in the graduation trip were the sacrificial offerings for Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin''s ritual. Firstly, Ind Nation high school graduation trips usually took ce domestically. Based on Shizuka and Nobita''s conversation, it seemed that previous graduating sses had traveled within the country. So, suddenly sending their ss to Cosmic Country for the trip seemed suspicious. Secondly, there was the strange case of Honda-sensei and his girlfriend, Fujiwara-sensei. ording to Liu Xing''s spection, Fujiwara-sensei might be a devout follower of the Deep Ones, and her family likely had some connection to them, given that Deep Ones often traded with humans using seafood. This exined why her family had a seafoodpany. Most importantly, the temple that Fujiwara-sensei visited on Sundays was likely a secret church dedicated to the Deep Ones. That''s why it wasn''t open to the public. After Honda-sensei''s proposal, while Fujiwara-sensei initially agreed, she probably made a demand: that Honda-sensei offer their ss of students, Shizuka, Nobita, and others, as sacrifices to the Deep Ones she worshipped. Shizuka and Nobita''s school had likely beenpletely infiltrated by these fanatics, allowing them to offer a whole ss of students as sacrifices on this cruise ship. Liu Xing remembered the real-life Sewol ferry disaster, where students had followed the captain''s false instructions, believing they would be rescued, only to meet their tragic end. In this module, if the sacrificial offerings were limited to these students, it would require someone as respected as Honda-sensei to convince them to meet their doom. Thinking about it, Liu Xing''s brow furrowed even more deeply. He was now certain that the depths of this module''s secrets were far more chilling than he had ever imagined. It involved two secret cults, both worshipping the Deep Ones, one in Cosmic Country and the other in the Ind Nation. The cult in Cosmic Country had even infiltrated a major shippingpany and possibly high-ranking government officials. Meanwhile, the Ind Nation''s cult had established a school to groom fresh "sacrifices." Though this was just a game world, Liu Xing couldn''t help but shiver. These cults, devoted to mythical creatures, wielded immense influence, sacrificing countless lives to their "gods" and shifting the me onto unsuspecting "temporary workers." This was just the tip of the iceberg in this Cthulhu world. "Damn, this world is truly terrifying," Liu Xing murmured as he gazed out at the sea. For the first time in the Cthulhu RPG Game, he felt genuine fear. This fear seemed like fine, transparent threads that, once discovered, had already enveloped and ensnared him. When they bound himpletely, his sanity would likely reach zero. Stepping into the Warm Water A sweaty Liu Xing sighed and patted his face to clear his mind of unrealistic thoughts. He was about to leave to find Shizuka and Nobita or investigate Honda-sensei when he received a message from Juri Sonoda, inquiring about his current location. Clearly, Juri Sonoda had finished her investigation of Bai Hecheng. Liu Xing shared his room number with Juri Sonoda, and momentster, she entered his room. "It seems your old friend wants to make a big news story," Juri Sonoda said, handing her phone to Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded and took the phone, finding a video. He pressed y and watched as Bai Hecheng and a crew member entered a room. After a while, they both left the room, each carrying arge bag. They then entered another room next door, marked "No Entry," and closed the door behind them. The first video ended, and the second one began. It showed a small room filled with numerous ck bags of various sizes. Some of the bags were open, revealing strange items like beautiful feathers, green unidentified liquid, and ck scales. Clearly, this room belonged to Bai Hecheng, and these peculiar items were likely needed for the ritual. "I filmed this in the four-person passenger cabin area where Yueshihao''s regr passengers stay. The room Bai Hecheng and the crew member entered afterward seemed to be the crew''s rest area, but the door required a crew key to open, so I couldn''t ess it. Fortunately, they didn''t close the door, probably nning to return, so I hurried in to capture the video," Juri Sonoda exined with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and said, "Thank you, Juri. If everything goes as expected, these items should be for the ritual, and judging by the quantity, Bai Hecheng and his group are indeed nning a major news story." "They?" Juri Sonoda detected the change in Liu Xing''s tone. Liu Xing nodded and shared Mo Jin''s story and the information he found online with Juri Sonoda. "As for the cults in Cosmic Country, there are quite a few, more than ten that I can confirm. Of course, there are also many cults in the Ind Nation. However, these cults have now changed their names to something like ''societies'' or ''research groups'' and operate openly," Juri Sonodamented, revealing her extensive knowledge of Cosmic Country. "I see. By the way, Juri, I overheard a conversation between two high school students outside my door. It seems that their ss is very likely the intended sacrificial offering for this ritual." Liu Xing nodded and shared the conversation he had heard, along with his spections, with Juri Sonoda. Juri Sonoda furrowed her brow and said, "High school graduation trips typically involve the entire grade going to the same destination. Besides, except for some prestigious private schools, most other schools choose domestic destinations for graduation trips. They are cost-effective and convenient. Arranging a separate trip for this ss is definitely abnormal. Oh, Liu Xing, can you ask Yin En to investigate which school this ss is from?" Liu Xing nodded and contacted Yin En. Since Takayanagi Aoyin had obtained a passenger list for Yueshihao cruise ship during the investigation of Mo Jin''s identity, Yin En quickly replied with a text message. "It''s Kyoto Morimoto Academy," Liu Xing said. Upon hearing Liu Xing''s response, Juri Sonoda sighed in resignation and exined, "It appears that your idea is likely correct because Morimoto Academy is a well-known private high school in Kyoto. However, the school''s notoriety isn''t for its academics but for the numerous idents that ur there." "ording to iplete investigations, in the sixty years since its founding, Morimoto Academy has experienced eight major idents. These include a bus crash that imed the lives of twenty-three students, an incident where five armed fugitives entered Morimoto Academy during a school festival and killed sixteen students, and the most recent one, eight years ago during a graduation trip, where over forty students died in a hotel fire." "Despite these frequent idents resulting in hundreds of student deaths, most of them urred off-campus and were considered force majeure events unrted to Morimoto Academy itself. Additionally, Morimoto Academy is backed by numerous financial conglomerates, so it has never faced any penalties. The school boasts a strong teaching staff, excellent facilities, and extremely low tuition fees, which is why, despite being known as ''the death high school'' in Kyoto, it never faces a shortage of students." Liu Xing furrowed his brow. In the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, there were no such things as idents. He was now certain that Morimoto Academy was under the control of some fanatics as the "sacrificial offering school." "Here''s the n: I''ll go and contact those Morimoto Academy students as a journalist, trying to gather some information from them. I should be able to learn more about the situation," Juri Sonoda said as she stood up. Liu Xing nodded, knowing that Juri Sonoda, as an inte-famous journalist, would likely gather more information from the high school students. Juri Sonoda, full of energy, left in a hurry to find Morimoto Academy students. Liu Xing made a phone call to Yin En and updated him on the current situation. "I understand. I''ll go and find this Honda-sensei now. If things don''t go as nned, and if he''s indeed a good person, I should be able to persuade him to change his ways. But if that fails, I''ll resort to force," Yin En said with a smile. In exceptional circumstances, if persuasion doesn''t work, there''s always the option of persuasive (physical) measures! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 236: More Information Yin En hung up the phone and went to find that teacher, Honda. Meanwhile, Liu Xing, who was bored, continued searching for useful information online. This time, Liu Xing focused on Morimoto Academy. As Juri Sonoda had mentioned, there had been numerous unexpected incidents at Morimoto Academy. However, every time, Morimoto Academy managed to distance itself from the idents, and so it continued to flourish. In addition to this, Liu Xing discovered that the suicide rate among Morimoto Academy students seemed rtively high. It appeared that two or three students chose to end their lives each year, and the location of these tragic events was always the abandoned teaching building on Morimoto Academy''s premises. However, suicide had be somewhat normalized in the Ind Nation over the years due to its densely popted cities and high personal stress levels. Despite its economic prosperity, the Ind Nation had consistently high suicide rates, even evolving into a kind of "culture." Some websites in the Ind Nation even provided information on how tomit suicide or invited others to assist in one''s demise. Influenced by the adults, the younger generation in the Ind Nation was now also experiencing an increase in suicide rates. Academic struggles and rtionship difficulties were among the reasons driving them to such extreme actions. Consequently, the suicides of Morimoto Academy students had not garnered much attention. What made Liu Xing curious, though, was that these students chose to end their lives specifically in the abandoned old teaching building of Morimoto Academy. This led Liu Xing to suspect that these so-called "suicides" might actually be some form of small-scale sacrificial rituals. "It seems that Morimoto Academy is truly a cult organization. Besides conductingrge-scale rituals, they also engage in asional small-scale sacrifices. However, considering the difficulty level of this module, the high-ranking members within the school are likely all members of this cult. yers taking on the roles of students, teachers, or other staff members in this academy have no say here, and their numbers are scarce," Liu Xing pondered, stroking his chin. Just then, Yin En sent another text message, apanied by a design drawing of the Yueshihao cruise ship. In this design drawing, Liu Xing noticed several areas marked with red circles, indicating possible locations for Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin to conduct their rituals. Firstly, there was the engine room of the Yueshihao cruise ship. This was one of the most secluded areas on the ship, and essing it required at least a captain''s key because there were over ten iron gates blocking the way. If Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin chose to conduct their ritual here, it would be challenging for Liu Xing and his team to reach the engine room and intervene. Yin En''s second red circle epassed the control room, which was located on the topmost deck of the Yueshihao cruise ship. Only crew members could ess this area, and it was equipped with fingerprint recognition security. Additionally, ording to avable information, the operator of the Yueshihao cruise ship had ns to expand the control room''s size to amodate over a hundred people. Considering that the usual crew size was only a dozen or so, this raised suspicions about the control room. Next, Yin En circled the stern deck of the Yueshihao ship. The deck wasrge, and because the Yueshihao ship also carried cargo, only from the highest point of the ship, which was the control room, could one get a clear view of the stern deck''s situation. Observing from other locations would be akin to trying to see through a keyhole, making it an extremely concealed location, perfect for the kind of ritual Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin might need to perform. Finally, Yin En circled the Yueshihao cruise ship''s restaurant. As a luxury cruise ship, it naturally had a spacious restaurant that could amodate all passengers dining together. Moreover, considering the possibility of hosting dances, the restaurant had a massive dance floor in the middle. Liu Xing looked at the four potential locations marked by Yin En and fell into deep thought. Of course, Liu Xing had also studied the Yueshihao cruise ship''s design drawing and ultimately listed these four areas as the most likely ces for the ritual. It could be reasonably assumed that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin intended to use the Morimoto Academy students as sacrifices, with each ss in Ind Nation high schools typically consisting of around thirty students. Therefore, to hold such arge-scale ritual, they would need a suitable space. Among the Yueshihao cruise ship''s areas, these four locations were the only ones that met the criteria. However, Liu Xing now believed that Honda, the teacher, would probably have some reason to take the students to a particr location for the ritual. First on the list for exclusion was the engine room, as there was no logical reason for a teacher to bring students there, especially early in the morning. Next, Liu Xing felt that the stern deck of the Yueshihao cruise ship could also be ruled out. It didn''t make sense for a teacher to bring students there so early in the morning just to enjoy the sunrise over the sea. Though, it was a possibility worth considering. That left the control room of the Yueshihao cruise ship. Liu Xing thought the possibility of the ritual taking ce there was rtively high, as it would be an attractive ce for ordinary people, especially young students. It offered a unique experience. As for the Yueshihao cruise ship''s restaurant, it did seem like a good ce to conduct the ritual, under the pretense of having breakfast with the students. However, the problem was that during that time, other tourists would also head to the restaurant for their meals. Liu Xing didn''t believe that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin had the audacity to carry out the ritual openly in front of other guests. In summary, Liu Xing believed that while all four locations had potential for conducting the ritual, each had its advantages and disadvantages. This was to be expected, given that this module provided a significant advantage to the fanatical cult side. Without some restrictions in ce, ordinary yers on the other side would have no chance to win and could just sleep through the game, waiting for it to end. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to await good news from Juri Sonoda. Assuming nothing unexpected happened, Juri Sonoda should be able to obtain information from the Morimoto Academy students regarding their uing ns, helping to narrow down the location further. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that he hadn''t contributed much so far. Besides identifying Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin, he had been mostly on the sidelines. Just as he was contemting whether to go out and gather more information, Juri Sonoda returned. "Hehe, as expected, when I step in, I get twice the results. Those students probably spilled everything," Juri Sonoda said with a cheerful smile. Liu Xing nodded in agreement and asked curiously, "Please tell me more." Juri Sonoda began, "This time, Morimoto Academy allowed only one ss of students to go on a graduation trip to the Cosmic Country, and they decided it by drawing lots with their homeroom teacher, Honda. It seems like Honda managed to manipte the process to get selected for the draw. All thirty students from their ss are on this trip, along with their homeroom teacher Honda and an education director named Yamamoto." "What''s worth noting is this education director, Yamamoto. ording to the students, he''s as strict as any school director and holds a particrly low opinion of Honda due to his background. Furthermore, Yamamoto''s son also works at Morimoto Academy and seems to have a crush on Fujiwara, one of the teachers. Yamamoto constantly pursues Fujiwara, which adds to his disdain for Honda. However, because of Honda''s personality, they haven''t had any major conflicts." "In this graduation trip, the art teacher, Fujiwara, was originally supposed to apany them. However, Yamamoto took her ce at thest minute, and Fujiwara was assigned to work with Yamamoto''s son. So, Honda has been quite upsettely. I think Honda might be feeling the pressure, which could make him more likely to ept Fujiwara''s proposal to assist Bai Hecheng and the others in their sacrificial ritual. After all, if things continue like this, his beloved Fujiwara might lose interest in him." Listening to this, Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "That''s quite likely. Fujiwara and Yamamoto should both be fervent followers of the same secret cult, so their actions may be a good cop, bad cop routine. Fujiwara is responsible for seducing Honda, while Yamamoto puts pressure on him. In the end, they might coerce Honda into joining their cause. However, the worst-case scenario is that Honda bes their scapegoat. If all the students in the ss meet with idents, it won''t bode well for him. He''ll either choose suicide or be forced into it." Juri Sonoda agreed, "Exactly. Based on the current situation, Honda seems like a poor guy driven by love and manipted into a dangerous situation. However, he might not be fully aware of it yet. ording to what the students said, Honda seems determined to go through with their ns." "Honda has already informed the students that they can visit the Yueshihao cruise ship''s control room at around 5:00 pm today. After dinner, they can go to the stern deck of the Yueshihao cruise ship to watch the sunset over the sea, followed by a dance party in the restaurant." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the well-nned itinerary set up by Honda. He had chosen the three locations that Liu Xing and Yin En considered the most likely ces for the ritual. With that in mind, Liu Xing handed his phone to Juri Sonoda. "Juri, this is the design drawing of the Yueshihao. The four areas I''ve marked are the ones Yin En and I think could be used for the ritual." He then exined his thoughts to Juri Sonoda, leaving out his spection about a time limit because they couldn''t reveal the game''s mechanics. "Ah, I see. The control room is the most likely ce to hold the ritual, as it''s likely filled with Bai Hecheng''s people. Once they close the door, those students will be trapped. In that case, we won''t have much time to stop them frompleting the ritual. The other two ces are public areas, and they probably won''t dare to act there since there will be other people around," Juri Sonoda mused, rubbing her chin. Liu Xing could only nod in agreement. "So, we need to find a way to raise the students'' vignce, and it''s best if we can involve others. After all, there''s strength in numbers." Juri Sonoda, seeming to grasp the idea, nodded and said, "Liu Xing, are you suggesting we have them livestream it?" Liu Xing''s eyes lit up, and he pped his hands. "Exactly! That''s it. If those students can livestream the event, Bai Hecheng and the others should hesitate to proceed." Juri Sonoda nodded and began editing a message on her phone. "Luckily, I''ve added those students as friends. I''ll have them do a live video call with me when they visit those locations. If Bai Hecheng and the others dare to perform the ritual, we can mobilize the cruise ship''s passengers using the live stream. We can report them to the authorities, and even if the current Cosmic Country president is under the cult''s influence, she won''t dare to openly support Bai Hecheng and the others." Liu Xing chuckled, but then he suddenly remembered something and addressed Juri Sonoda seriously. "By the way, Juri, I just thought of something. Bai Hecheng and the others are targeting a powerful Deep One for their ritual. This Deep One likely has the ability to capsize the Yueshihao cruise ship. So, I suspect that these students are just a distraction, and Bai Hecheng''s ultimate goal is to sacrifice all of us passengers to that Deep One. We need to be prepared for the worst." Liu Xing had this thought because he believed that Bai Hecheng and the others'' mission couldn''t be as simple as sacrificing these students. It must involve something more significant, akin to the sinking of the Sewol ferry in the real world, where most of the casualties urred during the subsequent capsizing. Chapter 237: World Mission Chapter 237: World Mission Thinking about the real-world tragedy of the Yueshihao shipwreck, Liu Xing suddenly realized that the offerings needed for the ritual being conducted by Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin were just a small part of it. They were merely a prelude to the grand n - luring the powerful Deep One from the depths of the sea to the surface, using its strength to destroy the Yueshihao. In the morning fog, the passengers on board Yueshihao would meet their end in the belly of the "fish," if Deep One could be considered a fish. "It''s a long and challenging road ahead," Liu Xing mused, stroking his chin. Juri Sonoda smiled and said, holding her phone, "No problem. The students over there have agreed to allow filming during the uing visit. They''ll help me gather some materials for our report. We''ll use two phones, one overt and one covert for live broadcasting. Even if the crew tries to stop us from filming openly, we can still capture footage discreetly." Liu Xing nodded, though he felt that today''s filming might not yield much, considering there wouldn''t be a ritual ceremony happening. They could only hope for an opportunity to capture something unique. "Alright, Liu Xing, how about we go for afternoon tea now? We''ve been running around, and I''m a bit tired," Juri Sonoda said, leaning on the table and smiling. Liu Xing chuckled and agreed, "Of course, but we should be prepared for the possibility of not having dinnerter. By the way, now that Bai Hecheng has seen us, and the crew on Yueshihao is from his side, I suspect Bai Hecheng might try to poison our food!" To win without fighting is the highest strategy. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, if both sides of yers engage inbat, even if one side has a clear advantage on paper, luck could still turn the tide unexpectedly. Luck was unpredictable, after all. Therefore, the safest approach was to defeat the opponent outside ofbat, and poisoning was an excellent means to that end. At present, Bai Hecheng indeed had an opportunity to poison both Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda. So, Liu Xing believed he needed to be cautious. Juri Sonoda, no stranger to schemes and conspiracies as a "veteran yer," nodded in agreement, showing her understanding. Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda made their way to the Yueshihao cruise ship for afternoon tea. Juri Sonoda ordered a piece of cake, while Liu Xing opted for a pizza. "Do you know, Liu Xing, I spent my high school years at Morimoto Academy. What''s even more significant is that a close friend of minemitted suicide in the year I graduated," Juri Sonoda suddenly said in a somber tone. "At the time, I thought she took her own life because of a failed romance, which led her to jump from the old school building. But now, I suspect she might have been a victim of these cultists." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised that Juri Sonoda was also a Morimoto Academy student and had mentioned these matters to him. "Liu Xing, I''d like to ask for your help in investigating my friend''s case. After all, I''m just an ordinary person, and Morimoto Academy seems to be much deeper than I imagined. I don''t have much knowledge about mythical creatures or anything like that, so I need your assistance," Juri Sonoda earnestly requested. At that moment, KP Li Shunchan chimed in, saying, "Congrattions, Liu Xing. You''ve officially encountered a world-ss Mission. Would you like me to exin what a world-ss Mission is?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting that Juri Sonoda would be connected to a world-ss Mission, which, from the sound of it, was anything but simple. "Okay, I assume you''d like to know," KP Li Shunchan continued. "A world-ss Mission, as the name suggests, involves your character card in a parallel world. The priority of this Mission is higher than the main quest of your module. In other words, if you ept a world-ss Mission, it will affect your module''s main quest. In simple terms, you will be doing apletely different Mission from other yers in the same faction." "Furthermore, a world-ss Mission is a chain Mission, even an infinite one. Unless the parallel world where your character card exists is destroyed, the world-ss Mission won''t end. However, the difficulty of these missions isn''t as high as you might think, and the rewards are excellent. But as you progress in the world-ss Mission, you will inevitably encounter beings like the Great Old Ones." "Of course, you can choose to ept or decline a world-ss Mission. But there''s not just one world-ss Mission. To my knowledge, there are over thirty world-ss Missions in this parallel world, each unique. If an NPC holding a world-ss Mission dies, the Mission will disappear. By the way, if a yer who epted a Mission tears their card, the world-ss Mission will transfer to other character cards in the same parallel world, until all yer character cards in that world are torn. Now, Liu Xing, you can make your decision. Good luck." Liu Xing nodded silently. The world-ss Mission seemed to align with his expectations high risk, high reward, and potential conflicts with the module''s main quest. This might lead him to undertake apletely different mission from other yers in the same faction, making him a lone wolf. However, it was clear that the world-ss Mission was the real main quest of this parallel world. After all, there were probably only a little over a hundred world-ss Missions in the entire parallel world. Add to that the fact that if NPCs holding world-ss Missions died, the main quest would disappear. So, very few yers would be able to ept world-ss Missions. Moreover, as the world-ss Mission progressed, yers would inevitably encounter entities like the Great Old Ones. These Great Old Ones could potentially choose to destroy the parallel world, and unless yers epted the world-ss Mission, the character cards in this parallel world would be forcibly torn. Ordinary yers would be caught in the crossfire. With all this in mind, Liu Xing had made up his mind and said, "Okay, KP, I''ll ept this world-ss Mission!" Man proposes, but fate disposes. Liu Xing didn''t want to be unexpectedly torn apart, as he believed that his destiny should be in his own hands. "Alright, then. yer Liu Xing has received the world-ss Mission ''The Dark Side of the World (1/?).'' Current Mission objective: Investigate the truth behind the series of suicides among students at Ind Nation Morimoto Academy. Mission reward: 2000 points," KP Li Shunchan announced. "Liu Xing, what do you think?" Juri Sonoda asked again. Liu Xing nodded and replied earnestly, "Since you''ve put it that way, Juri, I can only go along with it. Consider this my way of repaying all the favors you''ve done for me. How could I refuse you?" Seeing Liu Xing''s agreement, Juri Sonoda smiled and said, "That''s great to hear. I knew you''d choose to help me. Let me share with you all the information I know." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "I''m all ears." Juri Sonoda took out her phone and showed a photo of herself with another girl named Higashi Meizi. Meizi appeared to have an ordinary appearance, but her smile was charming. Liu Xing could tell that she was probably a cheerful and outgoing person. "Her name is Higashi Meizi, a local from Kyoto with a decent family background. Her family runs an Izakaya restaurant. Meizi was a cheerful girl, which is why we became friends shortly after starting school. We used to go home together almost every day." "In our second year of high school, Meizi started dating a boy from the ss next door. However, just before graduation in our third year, she broke up with him. I consoled her for several days, and her mood seemed to improve. I thought she had moved on. But then one day, our homeroom teacher asked Meizi to fill out an ''Ind Nation'' career survey form (a unique feature at Ind Nation High School, where students decide between going directly to work or continuing their education). She asked me to go home first, and it was on that day that Meizi jumped from the old school building..." "When I arrived at the school, Meizi''s body had already been taken away by the funeral home. I heard that it was the school''s janitor who discovered her suicide when he was about to clean the old school building. When I asked the other students, I realized that none of them had seen Meizi''s body either. If I remember correctly, I arrived at the old school building around 8:30 PM, and all I saw was a pool of blood. Meizi''s body had already been removed by the funeral home." "This was clearly suspicious because the nearest funeral home to Morimoto Academy is at least an hour''s drive away. Furthermore, the morning traffic in Kyoto can be quite congested. So, it would take at least an hour and a half for the funeral home''s vehicle to arrive at the school. Additionally, they would need about half an hour to receive the call, dispatch a driver, and reach the school. All in all, it should have taken them about two hours to get there. However, this is not possible because I know that Kyoto funeral homes don''t start dispatching vehicles until around 7:30 AM. Before that, they only have night attendants. So, the school imed they called the funeral home at 6:30 AM, which is simply not true." "Secondly, Meizi''s parents closed down their Izakaya on the day of the incident and disappeared. At the time, I thought they were leaving to cope with their grief, but now I suspect they may have been threatened by Morimoto Academy and had no choice but to leave Kyoto." "Lastly, and this is the most significant suspicion I have, our homeroom teacher said something strange when she was addressing the ss to mourn Meizi''s passing. She said, ''Meizi''s sacrifice is great.'' Now, looking back, I''m certain that our homeroom teacher is a fanatical believer and may have been involved in Meizi''s demise!" Juri Sonoda affirmed. Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "Indeed, these are all strong suspicions, but we need concrete evidence. Once I resolve my work-rted issues back in my home country, I''ll apply for a job at Morimoto Academy and try to infiltrate their ranks to gather information." Juri Sonoda smiled and nodded, saying, "I''ll be counting on you, Liu Xing. I can''t return to the Ind Nation right now because the Shadow n is still after me, and I''m somewhat of a public figure. Investigating the secrets of Morimoto Academy is out of the question for me, so I''m relying on you, Liu Xing." Liu Xing nodded, about to respond when he noticed Yin En sitting next to them, arm around a man in his twenties wearing a suit. It was evident that this man was Honda-sensei. "Tetsuya, it''s a bitte, but from now on, your affairs are my responsibility," Yin En said with a smile, offering coffee instead of alcohol. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Yin En to bond with Honda-sensei, or rather, Honda Tetsuya, so quickly. Honda Tetsuya appeared to be quite content. "Thank you so much, Yin En. After hearing your words earlier, I feel like I''ve gained wisdom beyond my years. After I return to my home country this time, I n to propose to Fujiwara," Honda Tetsuyanodded and said. Liu Xing was certain that Yin En had used his persuasion skills on Honda Tetsuya, and it seemed to have been a great sess, as Honda Tetsuyanow acknowledged Yin En as his big brother. However, it seemed that Yin En hadn''t mentioned anything about the sacrificial ceremony yet. "By the way, Honda, where are you all going for your graduation trip? Maybe we can join you," Yin En steered the conversation back on track. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter [NaN] Chapter [NaN] Yin En had carefully chosen his seat, positioning himself directly across from Liu Xing. This allowed Liu Xing to effortlessly observe the expressions of Honda Tetsuya. Upon hearing Yin En''s question, Honda Tetsuya was initially taken aback, disying a hint of wariness. However, he quickly recalled something and rxed, responding to Yin En, "Well, ording to the previously arranged itinerary, we were supposed to go straight to Seoul for our graduation trip. After all, Cosmic Country is not as big as my Ind Nation, and the scenery there isn''t great. So, we''ll just have to enjoy their capital, Seoul." Yin En nodded but feigned displeasure, saying, "Tetsuya, my friend, you''re not trying to deceive me, are you? I have a keen eye for people, you know. I noticed that your expression didn''t seem quite right earlier." Honda Tetsuya immediately shook his head and smiled, saying, "You''ve got it all wrong, Yin En. I was just lost in thought about some personal matters, which made my expression seem off. You see, this graduation trip was supposed to be led by me and my girlfriend together. However, the school principal pulled a fast one on us and swapped my girlfriend out. So, I''m feeling a bit down about it." Yin En took a sip of his tea, chuckling, "I see. But, on a different note, Tetsuya, it''s time to talk to your future father-inw about this matter. Even though your background is a bit different, as long as you and your girlfriend truly love each other, I believe she''ll support you. Your future father-inw should eventually agree to your marriage because where there''s true love, even the hardest hearts can be softened." Upon hearing Yin En''s words, Honda Tetsuya sighed in frustration, speaking earnestly, "Yin En, you''re being a bit too optimistic. My girlfriend''s father is quite stubborn, and her family belongs to the Hua n. Although they may have fallen on hard times, they still uphold the honor of their ancestors. In simple terms, they prioritize marriage between families of equal status, and in their eyes, I, a poord, am worth nothing." Yin En stroked his chin, looking somewhat troubled. "I see. I''ve encountered these so-called Hua ns before, and they can be described as quite conservative, especially the older generation. They hold onto thest shreds of their family''s honor, making them even more stubborn. In that case, I suppose your only option would be to elope with your girlfriend. If you''re interested, I have some connections in Ziwu City who might be able to help you." Liu Xing couldn''t help butment on Yin En''s statement, as the Sawada Family also belonged to a Hua n. "Well, Sawada Family is also a part of a Hua n, Yin En. Are you sure you want to criticize your future father-inw like that?" Yin En grinned and said, "Well, you have a point there." Honda Tetsuya shook his head, saying seriously, "Yin En, I appreciate your concern, but I can''t leave the school right now. My girlfriend''s father has been pushing for her to be with another teacher at the school, the son of the school principal. If I stay at the school, the situation might improve. If I leave, my girlfriend might be forced into a rtionship with that jerk due to her father''s pressure." Liu Xing, who had been observing quietly, nodded in agreement. He knew that this module was not a simple one, and simply transferring Honda Tetsuya wouldn''t prevent him from leading students into danger. Yin En was prepared for this and didn''t say much. He continued to sip his tea while engaging in some casual conversation with Honda Tetsuya. Then, Yin En started discussing various topics with Honda Tetsuya, while Liu Xing chatted with Juri Sonoda. Since Juri Sonoda knew that Honda Tetsuya was a teacher at Morimoto Academy, she avoided discussing matters rted to the school''s name and instead shared some campus legends. "Liu Xing, let me tell you some of the campus legends I heard back when I was in school. It might help you in your future teaching career." "I remember my high school had quite a few strange campus legends, all of them eerie and mysterious. Almost every school has its ghost stories, such as statues in the art room talking at night or staircases to the top floor having an extra step at night. Our school had some unique ones too." "For instance, our school actually had two campuses, with a small forest separating the new and old campuses. The forest wasn''trge, about the size of a ser field, and the trees there weren''t particrly tall or dense. Strangely, even on a sunny summer afternoon, the forest always felt gloomy, with hardly any sunlight prating the leaves. Some even imed it was a former burial ground, which added to the eerie atmosphere." "Nevertheless, students liked to have lunch there during breaks because of its pleasant environment. However, once night fell, the forest became deserted, as it was pitch-ck and gave off an unsettling feeling. There was a rumor that after midnight, green ghostly lights would appear and move swiftly through the forest. But since our school didn''t have any boarders, no one had ever witnessed these so-called green ghostly lights." "However, when ites to reaching the old campus, one must pass through that small forest. Despite being only about twenty meters away in a straight line, the actual journey can be quite cumbersome. The school has only opened a narrow path through it, full of twists and turns, which extends the distance several times over. In addition to the path, the nearby grassy areas, left unattended, have grown into knee-high thickets. Many students enjoyed hiding in the thickets, ying pranks on their friends. However, this also led to a tragic incident when a freshman with a heart condition was scared to death by a good friend they had just met." "Speaking of this small forest, we can''t avoid mentioning the old campus. The old campus consists of two main parts: the six-story old teaching building and the five-story old administrative building. The old administrative building has been transformed into an archives room, responsible for storing various school records. Strangely, only floors one to four are designated as part of the archives room, while the top two floorsck any markings. Moreover, a metal gate has been added to the path leading to the fifth floor. ording to the archive room teacher, both the fifth and sixth floors have beenpletely sealed off, containing only damaged office equipment likeputers." "If the archive room still has a few teachers taking care of it, the old teaching building has beenpletely neglected. Originally, the old teaching building served as club rooms for various student clubs. However, one day, a club focused on mysticism conducted a ritual on the rooftop, resulting in three students falling to their deaths and the remaining five students going insane. They are still confined in a mental hospital in Kyoto. ording to some reliable rumors, those mentally disturbed students repeatedly chant a single word every day''fish.''" "After this incident, many clubs decided to move their activities to the new teaching building. Still, some clubs remained superstitious. However, shortly afterward, another terrible event urred: a fire." "The best activity rooms in the old teaching building were located on the sixth floor, where clubs withrger memberships and space requirements, such as the drama club and art club, were situated. One day, for unknown reasons, a fire broke out on the fifth floor, quickly spreading to the sixth floor. Due to the building''s design, there was only one staircase for evacuation. When the students on the sixth floor tried to escape, a severe stampede urred, resulting in the deaths of dozens of students." Listening to this, Liu Xing frowned, about to say something, but Juri Sonoda smiled and shook her head, interrupting him. "Liu Xing, I know you want to ask something. These incidents happened over twenty years ago, and the school intentionally keeps them hidden, so they''ve be legends. No one knows if they''re true or not. However, it''s certain that there was a fire on the fifth and sixth floors of the old teaching building, as evidence of fire damage was found in various rooms." "Moreover, after the fire incident, until I graduated and left the school, the school''s management of the old teaching building was veryx. Although they locked the main entrance with iron chains, it wasical that none of the windows on the first floor ssrooms were locked, and some windows were even missing. So, entering the old teaching building was quite easy. The archive room teacher also turned a blind eye to it." Liu Xing nodded, knowing that this old teaching building was likely a must-visit location for his mission in his world. At this point, Honda Tetsuya''s phone rang, and he nced at it apologetically before saying to Yin En, "Yin En, I have to take my students to visit the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship now, so let''s continue our conversationter." Yin En nodded, his interest piqued. "Well, I''m actually quite interested in the cockpit of a cruise ship, so can you take me along to see it, Tetsuya?" Honda Tetsuya hesitated for a moment and then reluctantly agreed, "Alright, Yin En, but you must be careful. Stay behind our group because I''m not sure if that damn school principal will follow us to the cockpit. If he does, you can pretend to be a crew member, and I''ll tell the crew that you''re one of our teachers." Yin En nodded, smiling, "Of course, my acting skills are Oscar-level. I guarantee there won''t be any issues." With that, Yin En led Honda Tetsuya away. Meanwhile, Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda exchanged smiles and, after enjoying their meal, returned to Liu Xing''s room, where they opened two phones to await the live stream. After about ten minutes, both phones received video invitations simultaneously. Juri Sonoda immediately epted one of them. The video link was established, showing Honda Tetsuya walking alongside a middle-aged man in his fifties. They were engaged in hushed conversation, and from Honda Tetsuya''s expression, it was clear he was keeping his opinions to himself. The other video was shaky and only showed half the screen, indicating that the person recording had ced their phone in their pocket while walking. At this point, the person recording the first video turned to a bespectacled youth beside them and said, "Nobita, look at how the principal is scolding Honda-sensei again. I wonder why this principal has so much free time." Nobita chuckled and replied softly, "Shizuka, you know as well as I do that the principal''s son, the English teacher from the ss next door, Yamamoto, also has a crush on Fujiwara-sensei. So, this principal enjoys targeting and retaliating against Honda-sensei. But it''s quite interesting, isn''t it? The principal''s family has a peculiar naming convention. If I remember correctly, the principal''s name is Yamamoto Hyaku." Shizuka, who was recording, nodded and caused the camera to shake slightly. She continued, "Exactly. I think the principal''s family has a naming system where they''re numbered in order. It''s quite a convenient way to name people." Liu Xing, watching the video, nodded in agreement, understanding the situation. At that moment, Shizuka''s camera suddenly focused on a young man and she smiled, saying, "Liu Xing, look over here." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Yin En had carefully chosen his seat, positioning himself directly across from Liu Xing. This allowed Liu Xing to effortlessly observe the expressions of Honda Tetsuya. Upon hearing Yin En''s question, Honda Tetsuya was initially taken aback, disying a hint of wariness. However, he quickly recalled something and rxed, responding to Yin En, "Well, ording to the previously arranged itinerary, we were supposed to go straight to Seoul for our graduation trip. After all, Cosmic Country is not as big as my Ind Nation, and the scenery there isn''t great. So, we''ll just have to enjoy their capital, Seoul." Yin En nodded but feigned displeasure, saying, "Tetsuya, my friend, you''re not trying to deceive me, are you? I have a keen eye for people, you know. I noticed that your expression didn''t seem quite right earlier." Honda Tetsuya immediately shook his head and smiled, saying, "You''ve got it all wrong, Yin En. I was just lost in thought about some personal matters, which made my expression seem off. You see, this graduation trip was supposed to be led by me and my girlfriend together. However, the school principal pulled a fast one on us and swapped my girlfriend out. So, I''m feeling a bit down about it." Yin En took a sip of his tea, chuckling, "I see. But, on a different note, Tetsuya, it''s time to talk to your future father-inw about this matter. Even though your background is a bit different, as long as you and your girlfriend truly love each other, I believe she''ll support you. Your future father-inw should eventually agree to your marriage because where there''s true love, even the hardest hearts can be softened." Upon hearing Yin En''s words, Honda Tetsuya sighed in frustration, speaking earnestly, "Yin En, you''re being a bit too optimistic. My girlfriend''s father is quite stubborn, and her family belongs to the Hua n. Although they may have fallen on hard times, they still uphold the honor of their ancestors. In simple terms, they prioritize marriage between families of equal status, and in their eyes, I, a poord, am worth nothing." Yin En stroked his chin, looking somewhat troubled. "I see. I''ve encountered these so-called Hua ns before, and they can be described as quite conservative, especially the older generation. They hold onto thest shreds of their family''s honor, making them even more stubborn. In that case, I suppose your only option would be to elope with your girlfriend. If you''re interested, I have some connections in Ziwu City who might be able to help you." Liu Xing couldn''t help butment on Yin En''s statement, as the Sawada Family also belonged to a Hua n. "Well, Sawada Family is also a part of a Hua n, Yin En. Are you sure you want to criticize your future father-inw like that?" Yin En grinned and said, "Well, you have a point there." Honda Tetsuya shook his head, saying seriously, "Yin En, I appreciate your concern, but I can''t leave the school right now. My girlfriend''s father has been pushing for her to be with another teacher at the school, the son of the school principal. If I stay at the school, the situation might improve. If I leave, my girlfriend might be forced into a rtionship with that jerk due to her father''s pressure." Liu Xing, who had been observing quietly, nodded in agreement. He knew that this module was not a simple one, and simply transferring Honda Tetsuya wouldn''t prevent him from leading students into danger. Yin En was prepared for this and didn''t say much. He continued to sip his tea while engaging in some casual conversation with Honda Tetsuya. Then, Yin En started discussing various topics with Honda Tetsuya, while Liu Xing chatted with Juri Sonoda. Since Juri Sonoda knew that Honda Tetsuya was a teacher at Morimoto Academy, she avoided discussing matters rted to the school''s name and instead shared some campus legends. "Liu Xing, let me tell you some of the campus legends I heard back when I was in school. It might help you in your future teaching career." "I remember my high school had quite a few strange campus legends, all of them eerie and mysterious. Almost every school has its ghost stories, such as statues in the art room talking at night or staircases to the top floor having an extra step at night. Our school had some unique ones too." "For instance, our school actually had two campuses, with a small forest separating the new and old campuses. The forest wasn''trge, about the size of a ser field, and the trees there weren''t particrly tall or dense. Strangely, even on a sunny summer afternoon, the forest always felt gloomy, with hardly any sunlight prating the leaves. Some even imed it was a former burial ground, which added to the eerie atmosphere." "Nevertheless, students liked to have lunch there during breaks because of its pleasant environment. However, once night fell, the forest became deserted, as it was pitch-ck and gave off an unsettling feeling. There was a rumor that after midnight, green ghostly lights would appear and move swiftly through the forest. But since our school didn''t have any boarders, no one had ever witnessed these so-called green ghostly lights." "However, when ites to reaching the old campus, one must pass through that small forest. Despite being only about twenty meters away in a straight line, the actual journey can be quite cumbersome. The school has only opened a narrow path through it, full of twists and turns, which extends the distance several times over. In addition to the path, the nearby grassy areas, left unattended, have grown into knee-high thickets. Many students enjoyed hiding in the thickets, ying pranks on their friends. However, this also led to a tragic incident when a freshman with a heart condition was scared to death by a good friend they had just met." "Speaking of this small forest, we can''t avoid mentioning the old campus. The old campus consists of two main parts: the six-story old teaching building and the five-story old administrative building. The old administrative building has been transformed into an archives room, responsible for storing various school records. Strangely, only floors one to four are designated as part of the archives room, while the top two floorsck any markings. Moreover, a metal gate has been added to the path leading to the fifth floor. ording to the archive room teacher, both the fifth and sixth floors have beenpletely sealed off, containing only damaged office equipment likeputers." "If the archive room still has a few teachers taking care of it, the old teaching building has beenpletely neglected. Originally, the old teaching building served as club rooms for various student clubs. However, one day, a club focused on mysticism conducted a ritual on the rooftop, resulting in three students falling to their deaths and the remaining five students going insane. They are still confined in a mental hospital in Kyoto. ording to some reliable rumors, those mentally disturbed students repeatedly chant a single word every day''fish.''" "After this incident, many clubs decided to move their activities to the new teaching building. Still, some clubs remained superstitious. However, shortly afterward, another terrible event urred: a fire." "The best activity rooms in the old teaching building were located on the sixth floor, where clubs withrger memberships and space requirements, such as the drama club and art club, were situated. One day, for unknown reasons, a fire broke out on the fifth floor, quickly spreading to the sixth floor. Due to the building''s design, there was only one staircase for evacuation. When the students on the sixth floor tried to escape, a severe stampede urred, resulting in the deaths of dozens of students." Listening to this, Liu Xing frowned, about to say something, but Juri Sonoda smiled and shook her head, interrupting him. "Liu Xing, I know you want to ask something. These incidents happened over twenty years ago, and the school intentionally keeps them hidden, so they''ve be legends. No one knows if they''re true or not. However, it''s certain that there was a fire on the fifth and sixth floors of the old teaching building, as evidence of fire damage was found in various rooms." "Moreover, after the fire incident, until I graduated and left the school, the school''s management of the old teaching building was veryx. Although they locked the main entrance with iron chains, it wasical that none of the windows on the first floor ssrooms were locked, and some windows were even missing. So, entering the old teaching building was quite easy. The archive room teacher also turned a blind eye to it." Liu Xing nodded, knowing that this old teaching building was likely a must-visit location for his mission in his world. At this point, Honda Tetsuya''s phone rang, and he nced at it apologetically before saying to Yin En, "Yin En, I have to take my students to visit the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship now, so let''s continue our conversationter." Yin En nodded, his interest piqued. "Well, I''m actually quite interested in the cockpit of a cruise ship, so can you take me along to see it, Tetsuya?" Honda Tetsuya hesitated for a moment and then reluctantly agreed, "Alright, Yin En, but you must be careful. Stay behind our group because I''m not sure if that damn school principal will follow us to the cockpit. If he does, you can pretend to be a crew member, and I''ll tell the crew that you''re one of our teachers." Yin En nodded, smiling, "Of course, my acting skills are Oscar-level. I guarantee there won''t be any issues." With that, Yin En led Honda Tetsuya away. Meanwhile, Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda exchanged smiles and, after enjoying their meal, returned to Liu Xing''s room, where they opened two phones to await the live stream. After about ten minutes, both phones received video invitations simultaneously. Juri Sonoda immediately epted one of them. The video link was established, showing Honda Tetsuya walking alongside a middle-aged man in his fifties. They were engaged in hushed conversation, and from Honda Tetsuya''s expression, it was clear he was keeping his opinions to himself. The other video was shaky and only showed half the screen, indicating that the person recording had ced their phone in their pocket while walking. At this point, the person recording the first video turned to a bespectacled youth beside them and said, "Nobita, look at how the principal is scolding Honda-sensei again. I wonder why this principal has so much free time." Nobita chuckled and replied softly, "Shizuka, you know as well as I do that the principal''s son, the English teacher from the ss next door, Yamamoto, also has a crush on Fujiwara-sensei. So, this principal enjoys targeting and retaliating against Honda-sensei. But it''s quite interesting, isn''t it? The principal''s family has a peculiar naming convention. If I remember correctly, the principal''s name is Yamamoto Hyaku." Shizuka, who was recording, nodded and caused the camera to shake slightly. She continued, "Exactly. I think the principal''s family has a naming system where they''re numbered in order. It''s quite a convenient way to name people." Liu Xing, watching the video, nodded in agreement, understanding the situation. At that moment, Shizuka''s camera suddenly focused on a young man and she smiled, saying, "Liu Xing, look over here." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 239: Live Streaming in Progress Chapter 239: Live Streaming in Progress Liu Xing?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, but quickly realized that Shizuka was speaking the Ind Nation Language. In this immersive Cthulhu RPG Game, yers encounterednguage barriers after advancing to the Shoggoth Region. To ovee this challenge, yers had to addnguage skills beyond their native tongue to their character cards, just in case. yers like Liu Xing, who had limited knowledge of the Ind Nation Language in real life, were fortunate that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall had a real-time trantion feature. So, even though NPCs or other yers spoke in the Ind Nation Language, it was instantly tranted into Chinese when it reached Liu Xing''s ears. Liu Xing could also speak in Chinese, but it came out as the Ind Nation Language when he said, "Liu Xing." Therefore, Liu Xing understood that when Shizuka said "Liu Xing," she was likely referring to the pronunciation of "Liu Xing" in the Ind Nation Language, which was why he heard it as "Liu Xing." With this realization, Liu Xing nced at Juri Sonoda and noticed that she had no objections, confirming his interpretation. It was quite a coincidence to encounter an NPC in the Cthulhu RPG Game with a name simr to his own. The NPC named Liu Xing smiled and asked, "Hey, Shizuka, what are you filming with your phone?" Shizuka also smiled but gave a casual reason, "Oh, my parents wanted to see what I''m doing on the cruise ship, so they asked me to livestream it for them. We''re about to visit the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship, and I want my parents to see something different. After all, ces like the cockpit are rarely seen by ordinary people." Juri Sonoda couldn''t help but tease, "Shizuka, you''re quite resourceful. When I write my reportter, I''ll make sure to criticize you thoroughly. Let you know not to provoke those who hold pens." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and shook his head with a smile, surprised by Juri Sonoda''s pettiness. Back to the video feed, Liu Xing nodded and pointed ahead at Honda Tetsuya and the headmaster, saying, "I think you should still be careful, Shizuka. The headmaster is not one to take lightly. If he catches you livestreaming with your phone, he''ll likely give you a lecture." Shizuka snorted and said with a smile, "Do you think I''m still afraid of him, a mere headmaster? We''re on our graduation trip now, and in two months, we''ll be graduating and leaving this behind." In Ind Nation, high school graduation season typically urred around March (incidentally, in reality, Ind Nation''s high school graduation trip should take ce in the spring of their second year, but for the sake of the story, it was changed to two months before graduation). Liu Xing shook his head and chuckled, "Shizuka, you do remember that we have to stay in school for two more months, right? While the headmaster might not say much now during our trip, once we return to school, he might make things difficult for you. And these two months, whether long or short, can be quite challenging." Hearing Liu Xing''s words, Shizuka felt a bit uneasy and said, "You might be right... I should be careful. Nobita, you walk in front of me and shield me from the headmaster''s view." At this moment, the second screen started shaking, indicating that Nobita was the second person livestreaming with his phone. After walking for a while, the camera arrived at a staircase where a middle-aged person in crew attire was conversing enthusiastically with the headmaster. Since Shizuka and the others were standing farther back, they couldn''t hear the conversation between the headmaster and the crew member, but Liu Xing guessed it was some kind of business discussion. Suddenly, two figures descended the staircase: Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin! Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel his sanity slipping away when he saw Mo Jin, who now had an "Innsmouth Face." Mo Jin had truly transformed into a fish-like being, reminding Liu Xing of the game Warcraft, specifically the murlocs. "Um, Liu Xing, is this the Deep One you mentioned? This appearance is... quite ugly," Juri Sonodamented with some disdain. The Morimoto Academy students present couldn''t help but start discussing when they saw Mo Jin''s "fishy" appearance. The main topic of their conversation was how strange and ugly he looked. "This person seems to be from Innsmouth in the United Lighthouse States. The local natives there have a significant chance of developing this fish-like appearance due to a unique condition known as Innsmouth Face. Although it is moremon in coastal regions, we''ve even seen a case in Hokkaido, Ind Nation. Some believe it results from a gic mutation or atavism, considering some theories suggest humans evolved from marine creatures." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Ryusei was knowledgeable about Innsmouth Face. It seemed that Meteor might be an important NPC in this module. "Wow, Ryusei, you truly are the top student in our ss, knowing all this," Shizuka eximed in amazement. Ryusei smiled and shook his head, saying earnestly, "Shizuka, you''re exaggerating. I''m just interested in some quirky things and happen to know about peculiar facts like Innsmouth Face. By the way, because there are people with Innsmouth Face in various parts of the world, some enthusiasts have devised a method to distinguish true Innsmouth residents: they emit a faint fishy odor. When the wind blew earlier, I smelled a hint of fishiness from that person, which is why I''m confident he''s from Innsmouth." Nobita nodded and chuckled, "I was wondering why I suddenly smelled that fishy odor. I thought I was mistaken, but it turns out it came from that person." While Nobita and the others were chatting happily, the headmaster suddenly eximed, "What are you all making so much noise for? Is this the level of manners our Morimoto Academy students possess? The captain of the Yueshihao cruise ship kindly invited us to visit the cockpit. I expect everyone to be quiet, behave civilized, and not make unnecessarymotion here. What kind of example are you setting?" "And I overheard what you were discussing earlier," continued the headmaster. "Hasn''t your teacher, Mr. Honda, taught you not to mock others'' appearances? It''s truly disappointing to see the behavior of our ss. Mr. Honda, please take this group of students to visit the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship. I need to apologize to Mr. Mo Jin here. We can meet again in the loungeter." With that, the headmaster bowed respectfully to Mo Jin and then departed with Mo Jin and Bai Hecheng. Liu Xing rubbed his chin, and unlike the bewildered students, he understood that the headmaster''s sudden outburst was likely just an excuse to leave with Mo Jin and Bai Hecheng. Nevertheless, it was evident that the headmaster was seizing an opportunity to criticize Mr. Honda Tetsuya. Liu Xing could now be reasonably sure that Mo Jin held a significant role in this module, given the headmaster''s attitude toward him. Mo Jin was likely the leader of the ritual ceremony. Shizuka, who had snapped out of her thoughts, sighed, "This headmaster is a hypocrite. He constantly mocks Mr. Honda, and now he mes us. Plus, that Mo Jin person does look exceptionally strange." Ryusei nodded, turned to look in the direction Bai Hecheng and the others had left, and said thoughtfully, "Indeed, and don''t you think the headmaster''s reaction was excessive? There was no need for him to apologize to that Innsmouth person like that. I think the headmaster must know Mo Jin personally, which would exin his excessive respect." "That''s right, I share the same opinion. This headmaster has always been condescending, but I''ve never seen him show such respect to anyone, not even the principal. Mo Jin''s unusual appearance must mean he holds a high position, probably within some influential consortium," added Nobita, expressing his thoughts. "Alright, students, let''s quiet down. We''re about to enter the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship for our tour. I hope you''ll lower your voices during the visit and pay attention to Mr. Watanabe''s exnations," said Mr. Honda Tetsuya, pping his hands to get their attention. With that, Shizuka and the others fell silent, and Mr. Watanabe led them up the stairs. After passing through a metal door, they entered the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship. When Liu Xing saw the cockpit, he raised an eyebrow. It was surprisingly spacious, with an area close to a hundred square meters. Besides the instrument panels on the sides, there was arge open space in the middle, featuring a table about two meters long and several chairs. "Liu Xing, why is the cockpit so spacious? What''s the point of having such a big area with just a table?" Juri Sonoda wondered aloud. Liu Xing shook his head and pulled out his phone to ess the original design ns of the Yueshihao cruise ship. Perplexed, he said, "I have no idea. This seems unusual because cruise ship space is typically precious. Even my luxury single room is smaller than this. The cockpit being thisrge doesn''t make sense. Look at this design n; the current cockpit is at least twice the size of what''s shown." Juri Sonoda furrowed her brows andmented, "In that case, this ce might indeed serve as the location for the ritual ceremony. After all, with so much space, it could easily amodate all the Morimoto Academy students lying down." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "That''s a possibility, but for now, let''s just observe and see." At this point, a middle-aged man appeared on the video, the captain of the Yueshihao cruise ship. He smiled and said, "Wee, students, to the cockpit of the Yueshihao cruise ship. I am Choi Seok-sil, the shipyard owner of Cosmic Country. I hope you will enjoy your time on the Yueshihao cruise ship. I believe this will be one of the most memorable moments of your life." "Heh, I think what he really wants to say is that this will be ourst moment," Juri Sonoda quipped. Suddenly, someone patted Shizuka on the shoulder, and the camera shifted to reveal a young man with a sharp nose and a spiky haircut, apanied by a burly, muscr man. "Suneo, Gian, what''s up?" Shizuka asked curiously. Suneo discreetly pointed at Choi Seok-sil and whispered, "I know this Choi Seok-sil. He''s not a ship captain at all; he''s the owner of a tirepany in Cosmic Country. We did business with hispany before, and I even had a meal with him." Ryusei raised an eyebrow and inquired, "So, Suneo, are you suggesting that something is amiss with this captain?" Suneo nodded and gestured towards the other two crew-looking middle-aged men, saying, "That''s right. If I''m not mistaken, those two are also owners of Cosmic Countrypanies. It seems highly suspicious that they''ve dressed up as ship crew members. I suspect there''s a hidden agenda here." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda exchanged nces, silently reaching a consensus that these Cosmic Countrypany owners posing as Yueshihao cruise ship crew members were most likely fervent Deep One worshipers. After all, these Cosmic Country executives wouldn''t engage in such cosy for fun, and Yueshihao cruise ship operators wouldn''t invite them to y crew members for the sake of authenticity. So, the truth seemed clear: these Cosmic Countrypany owners were devoted followers of the Deep Ones, and this gathering was rted to some secretive ceremony. This revtion was a positive development for Liu Xing because it provided an opportunity for Juri Sonoda toe clean with Shizuka and tell her the truth. Nobita asked, "So, what are they here for?" Suneo shook his head and said helplessly, "I don''t know for sure, but it doesn''t seem like a good thing. After all, these outsiders being in charge of operating the ship... I can''t shake the feeling that something could go wrong." At this point, Mr. Watanabe began exining various instruments to the group, and Shizuka and the others temporarily gave up their discussion. Approximately half an hourter, the tour concluded. Choi Seok-sil spoke once more, "Dear students, if you''re willing, you can return here tomorrow morning. I''ll exin the entire process of docking the ship." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 240: Deep Sea Gospel Assembly Chapter 240: Deep Sea Gospel Assembly Liu Xing raised an eyebrow when he heard Choi Seok-sil''s words. It was evident that Choi Seok-sil was ying a cunning game, clearly not with good intentions. It was obvious that they intended to bring the Morimoto Academy students here tomorrow morning for a sacrificial ceremony. At this moment, Shizuka was focusing the camera on Honda Tetsuya. Honda Tetsuya furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "Honda-sensei, this is a rare opportunity," Choi Seok-sil said meaningfully to Honda Tetsuya, the implication clear. As for Honda Tetsuya, he could only sigh and replied with some reluctance, "The students'' choices will determine this matter. After all, the graduation trip is their activity, and I, as their homeroom teacher, am responsible for their safety, not for interfering with their choices." Hearing Honda Tetsuya''s words, Liu Xing silently breathed a sigh of relief. His behavior indicated that he was somewhat persuaded by Yin En, but he didn''tpletely align with Choi Seok-sil, the fanatic. Speaking of Yin En, Liu Xing hadn''t seen any trace of him, but it seemed that Yin En was trailing behind the group. Since Shizuka had not turned back, Liu Xing hadn''t seen Yin En. Back to the point, when Choi Seok-sil heard Honda Tetsuya''s response, his expression soured slightly. However, he still smiled and said, "That''s fine. I will extend the invitation to Director Yamamototer. As for all the students, I hope you can ept my sincere invitation." After Choi Seok-sil finished speaking, he had his crew members escort them out. It was quite evident that Choi Seok-sil intended to bypass the unstable factor of Honda Tetsuya and conspire directly with the headmaster to have the students brought to the cockpit tomorrow morning... as sacrifices. At this point, Shizuka spoke up, saying, "Alright, there''s nothing more to see here. I''ll go ahead and end the livestream." With that, the livestream concluded. Liu Xing nodded and said to Juri Sonoda, "Juri, it seems that these fanatics n to conduct a sacrificial ceremony in the cockpit tomorrow morning, using the students as offerings to attract the powerful Deep One." Juri Sonoda looked at her phone with a furrowed brow and said, "That''s true, but it''s not going to be easy to deal with. Liu Xing, you saw it just now. There''s a steel door on the stairs leading to the cockpit. Unless we can somehow infiltrate the cockpit from the beginning, forcibly opening that door won''t be easy. And unless something unexpected happens, these fanatics will likely gather and defend the cockpit. They will likely have weapons, and we''re already outnumbered, so it won''t be easy to confront them." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. As Juri Sonoda pointed out, the current situation was indeed not very optimistic. Luxury cruise ships like Yueshihao, even on short routes, usually had security measures in ce. So, the cockpit''s steel door was likely heavily fortified, and Liu Xing was sure that the fanatics had firearms. Thinking about this, Liu Xing sighed and said, "You''re right. Even if we have a chance to rally all the passengers to attack the cockpit, it won''t have much effect. These fanatics can''t be predicted by conventional means. So, I can be certain that if we attack the cockpit, they will definitely open fire to ensure the smooth progress of their ceremony. We might just have to watch themplete the ceremony." Liu Xing sighed again, knowing that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin wouldn''t be foolish enough to let their people infiltrate the cockpit. So, the chances of sessfully infiltrating the cockpit tomorrow were slim to none. Moreover, the most important thing was that they still didn''t have any decisive evidence to prove that Bai Hecheng and his group wanted to create a major incident... Wait, there might be an opportunity! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said to Juri Sonoda, "Juri, what if we send a message on social media right now? We can im that the crew members of Yueshihao cruise ship are all high-ranking officials of the Cosmic Country Corporation, and we suspect that these crew members are not qualified to operate Yueshihao. We can express our concern about potential idents and pressure thepany that operates Yueshihao to cancel this sacrificial ceremony. What do you think?" Juri Sonoda pondered for a moment, then shook her head, saying, "I''m afraid it won''t work. Since these fanatics have already decided to hold the sacrificial ceremony, sacrificing an entire ss of students and even the ship''s passengers, they must have prepared to dissolve thepany that operates Yueshihao. I checked thepany that operates Yueshihao, and it seems they only have this one cruise ship. So, I''m pretty sure they''ve prepared to dissolve thepany after this ceremony. Therefore, even if we try to pressure them now and get the Sawada Family''s help, thepany that operates Yueshihao will likely respond with inaction, either iming that we''ve mistaken their identity or that thepany''s executives have obtained the necessary permits. They can easily dy for a day, and besides, with the Cosmic Country''s president under the control of this secret cult, the official authorities won''t likely support us." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Juri Sonoda''s analysis was spot on. If these fanatics were intent on stalling, there wasn''t much they could do. Simple pressure tactics wouldn''t be effective. "Well, in that case, I might have to reveal myself and do a live broadcast on-site. Even if we can''t stop the fanatics from conducting their ceremony, it might force the Cosmic Country government to intervene. And in case they really manage to summon a powerful Deep One and overturn Yueshihao, the Cosmic Country government won''t risk the consequences of letting us die," Juri Sonoda said resignedly. However, Liu Xing shook his head and said with a wry smile, "That may not be realistic either because these fanatics, crazy as they are, are not fools. I suspect they will use signal jammers, so our phones won''t have any reception." Of course, Liu Xing could be sure that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin must have made other preparations. After all, they wouldn''t want to stay on Yueshihao cruise ship once the sacrificial ceremony waspleted. Even Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin wouldn''t want to stick around to feed the fish. So, Liu Xing spoke up, saying, "Juri, let''s go to the deck now and count how many lifeboats are on Yueshihao cruise ship." Juri Sonoda''s eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying, "Yes, if these fanatics really want to create a big incident, there shouldn''t be many lifeboats on Yueshihao cruise ship. This could be another piece of evidence in our hands." Without further ado, Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda, using the ship''syout ns, checked the positions of all the lifeboats on Yueshihao cruise ship, and to their surprise, they found only one lifeboat! "Damn it, these fanatics are truly insane, wanting to harm everyone on board," Juri Sonoda couldn''t help but curse. Liu Xing, as he sent a message to Yin En, said, "You''re absolutely right. These fanatics have lost their minds. Yueshihao cruise ship has now be a massive mobile Private Room. We''re coexisting with these fanatics for now, and before tomorrow, there''s no way for us to leave this Private Room unless we intend to swim to the Cosmic Country." Juri Sonoda tapped the lifeboat with her hand, sighing in resignation, "What if we just take this lifeboat and leave now?" Liu Xing looked at Juri Sonoda in disbelief. He hadn''t expected her to suggest such a ridiculous idea. In real life, Liu Xing might have seriously considered leaving on the lifeboat to save his own life. But this was the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, and if Liu Xing chose to leave on the lifeboat, he would undoubtedly be deemed a dropout and his card would be torn up. So, Liu Xing couldn''t help but lightly p Juri Sonoda''s head and said with a smile, "Miss Juri Sonoda, you journalists are really quick on your feet. If we leave on this lifeboat now, we might save our lives, but I''d have a guilty conscience for the rest of my life. After all, I believe we still have a chance to save the students of Morimoto Academy and all the passengers on Yueshihao cruise ship." Juri Sonoda touched her head and said in a slightly annoyed tone, "Hmph, I was just joking. How could I ever consider fleeing in such a critical moment, especially when these fanatics might have harmed my good friend?" Liu Xing nodded in agreement. He was about to say something when he received a call from Yin En. Liu Xing made a gesture to Juri Sonoda and then answered the call with a smile, saying, "Yin En, how''s the situation?" Yin En chuckled and said, "Heh, when a pro takes action, you can tell right away. I''ve already convinced Honda Tetsuya." It turned out that after the tour ended, Yin En found Honda Tetsuya and took him to a bar. Through subtle maniption, Yin En finally managed to persuade Honda Tetsuya and told him about how Fujiwara had convinced him to join the cult. Fujiwara, or rather, the secret cult that the Morimoto Academy''s higher-ups believed in, was known as the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly. It originated hundreds of years ago in Reed Vige, a small fishing vige in the Hokkaido region of the Ind Nation. Reed Vige had now be the holynd of the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly, transformed into a so-called "holiday sanctuary," essible only to members of the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly... and the "offerings." In the eyes of the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly members, the Deep One race was a powerful species that had been present since the dawn of time, ruling the vast oceans and establishing a Great Civilization. However, for some reason, the Deep One race had never appeared on thend until tens of thousands of years ago when they came to thend to teach and guide the Ancient Humans, who were not much different from monkeys at the time. However, it should be noted that the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly did not worship Cthulhu, as Cthulhu''s level was too high, and these lower-level secret cults were not qualified to know of Cthulhu''s existence. Therefore, the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly worshipped Dagon and Hydra, the father and mother figures shared by all Deep One. But since Dagon and Hydra were not readily avable in the Ind Nation, the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly primarily worshipped Korich, a powerful Deep One living in the depths of the sea between the Cosmic Country and the Ind Nation. ording to what Fujiwara had told Honda Tetsuya, Korich was one of the most powerful beings among the Deep One and had once served the great Dagon and Hydra. However, due to the need for the Deep One race to spread its glory from the deep sea to thend and to make the ignorant humans onnd believe in Dagon and Hydra, Korich had volunteered to be a divine messenger and had begun preaching here. Reed Vige, the holynd of the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly, was the ce where the divine messenger Korich had started spreading the faith. But now, because the divine messenger Korich had fought against the avatars of the Byakhee, the heathens from the sky, for seventy-seven days in the distant past, although Korich had managed to defeat the enemy at great cost and ensured the continued spread of the Deep Sea Gospel on thend, he was severely injured. Korich could only recuperate in the deep sea, so the members of the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly had started holding various ceremonies to expedite Korich''s recovery. Fujiwara had told Honda Tetsuya that as long as he passed the initiation test andpleted a sacrificial ceremony, he could join the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly. At that time, Fujiwara''s father, who was now the vice president of the Deep Sea Gospel Assembly, would approve of their marriage. So, after being overwhelmed by love, Honda Tetsuya had agreed to Fujiwara''s invitation. However, the next day, when Honda Tetsuya received a notice from the school administration to lead the students on a graduation trip to the Cosmic Country, he saw Fujiwara''s meaningful gaze. It was only then that Honda Tetsuya realized that he might have boarded a sinking ship, and the so-called sacrificial ceremony wasn''t as simple as he had imagined. Now, Honda Tetsuya had finally learned the truth, and Yin En had also revealed his true identity as an undercover cop. He had convinced Honda Tetsuya to be his informant and work together to stop the sacrificial ceremony. Liu Xing, after hearing this, finally breathed a long sigh of relief. With Honda Tetsuya now on their side as an informant, their side had gained a significant information advantage. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 241: Large-Scale Biochemical Weapons Chapter 241: Large-Scale Biochemical Weapons "By the way, Liu Xing," Yin En remarked, "I heard from Honda Tetsuya that the headmaster seems to be skilled in magic, so you should be cautious around him." Liu Xing nodded in acknowledgment. The headmaster''s proficiency in magic was within Liu Xing''s expectations, given that the headmaster was considered a high-ranking member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. It made sense that he would have learned some spells. At that moment, Juri Sonoda looked puzzled and said, "Deep Sea Gospel Society... I think I''ve heard of that organization." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and asked, "What? Juri, you know about the Deep Sea Gospel Society? Is it a publicly known organization?" Juri Sonoda shook her head and, after a moment of contemtion, suddenly snapped her fingers, smiling as she said, "I finally remembered. I heard about this Deep Sea Gospel Society in Ziwu City a few years ago." ording to Juri Sonoda''s ount, Liu Xing learned that a self-proimed Deep Sea Gospel Society had conducted missionary work in Ziwu City several years ago. However, due to a murder case, the local authorities had promptly disbanded the Deep Sea Gospel Society in Ziwu City. Juri Sonoda, who was still an intern journalist at the time, had heard about this incident. However, due to her involvement in another news story at the time, she hadn''t paid much attention to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. "In that case, it seems that the official authorities in Ind Nation have already cklisted the Deep Sea Gospel Society," Liu Xing remarked, stroking his chin. Juri Sonoda nodded and took out her phone. "Yes, I asked my colleagues in Ind Nation to investigate the Deep Sea Gospel Society. They found that the Ind Nation authorities have indeed ssified it as a cult and arrested over a dozen Deep Sea Gospel Society members from the Shikoku region. However, it seems like a mere show of force; they only arrested some scapegoats and haven''t apprehended any high-ranking members of the Deep Sea Gospel Society." Liu Xing chuckled with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Haha, even though the Deep Sea Gospel Society is officially recognized as a cult, the Ind Nation authorities dare not take real action against them. After all, there''s a mythical creature backing the Deep Sea Gospel Society. The Ind Nation authorities can''t afford to provoke them. So, they just randomly arrest a couple of scapegoats to appease the public." Juri Sonoda nodded in agreement and nced at her phone. "Well then, let''s go have dinner. It''s already nearly six o''clock." Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda arrived at the restaurant, finding it unusually lively. It seemed like all the passengers from the Yueshihao cruise had gathered. "Um, if I remember correctly, there''s a dance party tonight, starting at six, so that''s probably why there are so many people here," Juri Sonoda exined to Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded without saying anything, scanning the crowd for Yin En and the others. However, he hadn''t spotted Yin En yet. Instead, he saw Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin... or rather, he noticed Mo Jin''s distinctive Innsmouth Face, which was quite "unique." Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin didn''t have anyone else around them, as ordinary tourists tended to keep their distance from Mo Jin. Therefore, Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin stood out. But at that moment, Liu Xing had a question in his mind. What were Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin doing? Had they already prepared for a ritual and were now enjoying themselves? Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda found an empty table and sat down. A waiter immediately approached, cing a tray with three red wine sses filled with a champagne-like liquid. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, picked up two of the red wine sses, and asked with a smile, "Is this champagne? It doesn''t quite look like it." The waiter maintained a formic smile and replied, "This is a special cocktail from our restaurant. It primarily consists of champagne, so it might resemble regr champagne in appearance. However, the taste is slightly different. We hope you''ll enjoy it." Liu Xing nodded, and after the waiter left, Juri Sonoda asked in a hushed tone, "Is there something wrong with this champagne?" Liu Xing nodded and then shook his head, saying, "I can''t be certain at the moment, but given the current situation, it''s better to be safe than sorry." Liu Xing then contacted KP Li Shunchan. "KP, can I use an inspiration to determine if this drink is suspicious?" KP Li Shunchan chuckled and replied, "Hey, Liu Xing, your inspiration is at 90. I can''t just let you off that easily. So, if you want to use an inspiration check now, and if it seeds, you can follow it up with a medical check with a 20% reduced sess rate. If the inspiration check fails, you can choose to attempt a challenging medical check. In the end, if you pass both checks, I''ll tell you the truth. If you only pass one, I can provide partial information." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, my medical skill is quite high, and as long as I can pass the inspiration check, it''s enough for me." Liu Xing, Inspiration Check: 76/90, Sess. Liu Xing, Medical Check: 43/58 (78), Sess. Fortunately, both checks were sessful. "So, when you received this cocktail, you realized that it might be suspicious. After conducting a simple analysis, you found that it likely contains a hypnotic substance. However, the hypnotic effect won''t take effect quickly," KP Li Shunchan exined. Liu Xing nodded, took a sip of the drink, and closed his eyes in contemtion for a moment. He then said to Juri Sonoda, "Don''t drink this cocktail. There seems to be a hypnoticponent inside, and it appears to be a dyed-effect type. I believe they intend to put us in a deep sleep by tomorrow morning, preventing anyone from stopping their ritual. We would then sink to the bottom of the sea along with the Yueshihao cruise." Juri Sonoda fully trusted Liu Xing''s words and nodded, saying, "I understand. I''ll send a message to Shizuka and the others, advising them not to drink these cocktails." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and also informed Yin En about the cocktail situation, asking him to ry the message to Honda Tetsuya. Yin En''s reply came quickly, confirming that he had also realized the drink was suspicious. However, as Yin En was not a professional, he couldn''t pinpoint the specific issue with the cocktail. Nheless, Yin En had warned Takayanagi Aoyin and the others not to drink it, and he had also alerted Honda Tetsuya. "Damn, these fanatics really came up with a sinister n, trying to use a hypnotic drug to make us fall into a deep sleep and prevent us from interfering with their ritual. Otherwise, I fear we''d end up sleeping with the Yueshihao cruise at the bottom of the sea tomorrow morning," Juri Sonoda expressed her frustration. Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, saying, "Well, Juri Sonoda, with your intelligence as a renowned journalist, I believe you can find the weaknesses in these fanatics'' ns. I might just read news headlines about a famous journalist exposing their conspiracy." Juri Sonoda yfully scolded Liu Xing, saying, "Hmph, Liu Xing, don''t think I can''t see through you. You''re teasing me, aren''t you? I know my limitations. If these fanatics were ordinary people, I might have a chance to find their ws. But these fanatics have a mythical creature backing them, and that''s something I can''t mess with." Liu Xing shrugged with a smile. However, he looked at the ordinary tourists indulging in food and drinks and furrowed his brow. "Sigh, although we can stop Yin En and Shizuka from drinking these doctored cocktails, we can''t prevent the other ordinary tourists. We can''t just stand up and use the cocktails of being tampered with; we have no evidence, and the effects of whatever they put in these drinks won''t take effect until tomorrow morning. We can''t prove anything right now." At that moment, Juri Sonoda shook her head, put on a mysterious smile, and said, "I''ll go to my room to get something. Liu Xing, stay here and don''t move." After saying that, Juri Sonoda left. Liu Xing watched Juri Sonoda''s departing figure and had a feeling that something was amiss. Did he just get used by Juri Sonoda? After a while, a smiling Juri Sonoda returned to Liu Xing, holding a can in her hand. As soon as Liu Xing saw the can, he felt a chill run down his spine and a sense of impending danger. It was as if opening that can would summon a terrible Great Old One! Yes, the name on the can was "Canned Sardines!" What was even more astonishing was that Liu Xing could see the attributes of the canned sardines. Canned Sardines: Large-scale biochemical weapon. When opened, it will cause a temporary sanity hit to living creatures within a certain range. They will lose 1d2 sanity points within an hour and automatically recover the lost sanity points after an hour. When used on certain mythical creatures, it will have special effects, with the specific range and duration depending on the situation. The temporary sanity hit effect is cumtive. Liu Xing had no words. The fact that Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall had ssified canned sardines as an item, with the ability to affect mythical creatures, left him stunned. He was even considering buying a few canned sardines for backup... but then again, maybe not, as canned sardines were indiscriminate, and the cumtive sanity hit effect was concerning. Liu Xing then looked at Juri Sonoda with a shocked expression and asked, his voice trembling, "Juri, why do you carry around thisrge-scale biochemical weapon? Are you also one of the fanatics?" Juri Sonoda chuckled and said, "Liu Xing, you really know your stuff. You even understand the power of these canned sardines. When I was traveling to the Nordic countriesst year, I came across these canned sardines. At the time, I didn''t know their true power, so I opened one to try it. The taste left asting impression on me, so I bought a few cans and have been carrying them with me ever since. I intended to use them in case of danger, and now, it''s the perfect time for these canned sardines to shine." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Opening that can of sardines could effectively end the dance party tonight, and the restaurant would remain closed until tomorrow. However, out of humanitarian considerations, Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda each sent a text message to Yin En and Shizuka. Liu Xing''s message to Yin En contained only four words: "Canned Sardines." Yin En''s immediate reply consisted of just two words: "Oh no!" Then, Liu Xing told Juri Sonoda, "Juri, you go ahead." Knowing the power of the canned sardines, Juri Sonoda didn''t hesitate and patted Liu Xing''s shoulder before saying, "I''ll wait for you outside." Juri Sonoda left quietly. Liu Xing took a deep breath, surveyed his surroundings, and made sure no one was watching him. When he was certain he had some privacy, Liu Xing decisively said to KP Li Shunchan, "KP, I want to use the canned sardines. Do I need to make any checks?" KP Li Shunchan sighed, sounding exasperated, and said, "Liu Xing, oh Liu Xing, I never expected you to be the kind of person who would do anything to achieve your goals, even resorting to using canned sardines, a cruel and inhumanerge-scale biochemical weapon. You''re quite ruthless. Alright, you can make a luck check now. If you fail, you''ll also be affected by the canned sardines, and others will find out that you opened it!" Liu Xing nodded; he had expected this. Liu Xing, Luck Check: 56/80, Sess. KP Li Shunchan sighed once more, expressing resignation, and said, "Fine, you''ve sessfully used the canned sardines. I hope you won''t feel guilty." With that, Liu Xing ced the canned sardines on the ground, quickly pulled the tab, and then unhesitatingly kicked it towards the center of the restaurant. Finally, he left the restaurant decisively. One secondter, the previously bustling restaurant fell silent, followed by a chorus of screams. Tourists rushed out of the restaurant, and some of those with low "Toxin Resistance" began vomiting over the cruise ship''s railings. As the initiator of the chaos, Liu Xing could only console himself that he had done it for the good of these tourists, preventing them from unknowingly falling into a deep sleep. Although the tourists were currently suffering, they would be safe from harm. At least, that''s what he told himself. Liu Xing also noticed a pale-faced Bai Hecheng and Mo Jining out of the restaurant. They knew that their first n had failed. Bai Hecheng, upon seeing Liu Xing, guessed that he was responsible for opening the canned sardines. He approached with a cold smile and said, "Liu Xing, you really live up to expectations." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, chuckled, and remained silent. Seeing Liu Xing''s reaction, Bai Hecheng could only sigh and turn away. This round, Liu Xing had won. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 242: Planning Chapter 242: nning At this moment, Yin En''s call came as expected. "Hey, Liu Xing, aren''t you a bit ruthless? This is practically fighting poison with poison. You dared to open a can of sardines in the restaurant. Luckily, I reacted in time and took Takayanagi Aoyin and the others out of the restaurant. Otherwise, I''d be leaning over the railing right now, vomiting," Yin Enined as soon as he answered the call. Liu Xing chuckled and replied, "Isn''t it for the best? Most of these regr tourists are used to vomiting after drinking their cocktails. They''ve basically emptied their stomachs now. So, tomorrow, most of them will be sober instead of sleeping like logs, unaware of being fed to the fish." Yin En sighed and said, "You have a point, but next time, be more careful. Don''t casually use such terrifying things. I feel a bit off right now. By the way, Liu Xing, I just heard from Honda Tetsuya that the headmaster has arranged for Morimoto Academy students to wake up at seven in the morning to watch the sunrise and then visit the captain''s cabin on the Yueshihao cruise ship. Honda Tetsuya can''t stop the headmaster now because the headmaster has much more authority, and Honda Tetsuya doesn''t intend to reveal the truth either. After all, apart from us, no one would believe his words..." Liu Xing nodded and after a moment of contemtion, he said, "Well, for now, all we can do is wait and see. But I n to try to persuade a few Morimoto Academy students to join our side. We''ll contact each otherter." "OK, I''ll go back to my room now, and we''ll talkter," Yin En said before ending the call. Due to the indescribable smell lingering in the restaurant, the dance party couldn''t proceed as nned, so the cruise ship''s passengers had to return to their respective rooms. However, Juri Sonoda boldly entered Liu Xing''s room without hesitation, iming her territory by upying Liu Xing''s bed. "Hey, Miss Juri Sonoda, this is a bit troublesome. This is my room," Liu Xing said with some annoyance. Juri Sonoda chuckled, pointing at Liu Xing, and said, "Do you know what dies first'' means? Do you want a beautifuldy like me to sleep on the floor?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and could only shrug. From the chair nearby, he added, "Alright, alright. You can sleep on the bed. It seems that Bai Hecheng and his group already know that you''re with me. It would be risky for you to stay in your original room. If everything goes as expected, Bai Hecheng has probably arranged for the fanatics on the ship to deal with you." "Children can be taught. My original room is right next to Bai Hecheng''s room, and if I were still there, he might have brought his people to deal with me directly. So, it''s safer for me to stay here. Besides, Liu Xing, I assume you have a weapon," Juri Sonoda said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded confidently and said, "Rest assured, I''ve prepared weapons. Those fanatics won''t stand a chance, but the real problem is if they block our way. That could be troublesome." Juri Sonoda agreed with a nod. This room was essentially a private room, and if a group of fanatics cornered them, it would be a major problem. Although Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda could choose to jump into the sea, it would be suicidal in the cold winter weather, especially given their average physical condition. At this moment, Juri Sonoda''s phone rang. "It''s Shizuka calling." After letting Liu Xing know, Juri Sonoda answered the call. After a brief conversation, she hung up and said to Liu Xing, "Shizuka wants us to go to Suneo''s room right now. They have some things they want to ask us. It''s also the best opportunity to tell them the truth." Liu Xing nodded and followed Juri Sonoda to Suneo''s room. As a second-generation rich kid, Suneo naturally had a single room simr to Liu Xing''s. Inside Suneo''s room, Shizuka Nobita and the others were all sitting. Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that Shizuka Nobita and the others looked like characters from an anime he had watched when he was a child, all grown up. Shizuka warmly pulled Juri Sonoda over and said with a smile, "Juri, is this your boyfriend? He''s quite handsome." Juri Sonoda blushed and couldn''t deny it. She said, "Why are you so concerned about this, Shizuka? Let me introduce you. This is Liu Xing, and he''s a legitimate heir of the Daoist tradition." "A Daoist heir?" Nobita and the others were curious. Liu Xing nodded and, adopting an air of authority, said, "Indeed, the reason I''m here on this Yueshihao cruise ship today is that I sensed the presence of supernatural beings. They n to use all the passengers on this ship as sacrifices to offer to some mythical creature in the depths of the sea. That''s why I''vee to stop it." Liu Xing had prepared this story with Juri Sonoda before they arrived here, intending to take the initiative and baffle Shizuka and the others, making it easier for their next actions. "That... doesn''t sound very scientific," Suneo said skeptically, looking at Liu Xing. Liu Xing chuckled and knew he couldn''t expect them to believe him right away. So, he took out the sacrificial dagger from his pocket. This sacrificial dagger had been mentioned in its descriptionit had acquired unique powers after countless ritual ceremonies, and it came with some kind of visual effect... When Liu Xing drew the sacrificial dagger from its sheath, everyone present, including Juri Sonoda, gasped in astonishment. The dagger had several almost tangible ck wisps swirling around its de. Liu Xing could also feel a noticeable drop in room temperature, and faint wailing sounds echoed in his ears. Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing inserted the sacrificial dagger directly into a book, and the book suddenly turned into ashes. "This dagger is one of the artifacts I use. You should be able to see its effects now. I must inform you that you are about to be sacrifices to a mythical creature by these cultists," Liu Xing said solemnly. Shizuka and the others immediately nodded, though they still looked at Liu Xing with puzzled expressions. Seeing their reactions, Liu Xing continued, "In simple terms, the cultists I mentioned are all the crew members on this Yueshihao cruise ship, along with the headmaster who brought you here!" "What?!" Shizuka and the others eximed in unison. Liu Xing raised his hands and continued, "Let me exin further. The cult organization behind this grand scheme is the Deep Sea Gospel Society, which includes all the top leaders of Morimoto Academy, including your headmaster, the school board members, and so on. The historical ''idents'' and suicides that have urred in Morimoto Academy''s history were mostly caused by this Deep Sea Gospel Society or their ritual ceremonies. Now, you''ve coincidentally be part of their sacrificial ritual." "What?!" Shizuka and the others couldn''t help but be shocked again. "Yes, the reason Morimoto Academy sent you on this graduation trip to Cosmic Country was to use you as sacrifices in a sacrificial ritual at sea. The mythical creature they worship, lurking beneath the sea, will surface and devour the entire Yueshihao cruise ship. Suneo, you mentioned earlier that you know Captain Choi Seok-sil, who is also the owner of apany in Cosmic Country. He is involved in this because he''s a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and he wants to participate in the ritual as well!" "By the way, Shizuka, you''ve seen that person with the Innsmouth Face before, right? He is the highest-ranking member responsible for this ritual. He is a half-blood of humans and the mythical creature, essentially a demigod in the eyes of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. That''s why your headmaster treats him with such respect. As for your headmaster asking you to visit the Yueshihao cruise ship''s captain''s cabin tomorrow morning, it''s a trap. The open space in the captain''s cabin is meant for you." "Damn, I always felt something was off before. Because of our headmaster''s terrible attitude towards our ss teacher, Mr. Honda, our ss was the most unlucky one in the entire grade. We never got any good opportunities. So when our ss was the only one allowed to go on a graduation trip to Cosmic Country, I thought something was strange. I thought our headmaster had taken the wrong medication or suddenly developed a conscience. But now you''re telling us they n to use us as sacrifices?!" Nobita eximed in frustration. Suneo, as the rich kid, took out his phone and said, "I''ll call my family now and ask them to pressure the Yueshihao cruise ship''s operator to send nearby ships to rescue us." Juri Sonoda shook her head and said, "Suneo, you should know better than us who the leaders of Morimoto Academy are. Their social status is quite high, and pressuring them won''t work. Besides, thepany operating Yueshihao cruise ship is clearly willing to sink the ship. They won''t be afraid of pressure. As for nearby ships, it''s unlikely they cane to our rescue. The ultimate goal of this sacrificial ritual is to sink the Yueshihao cruise ship, so that mythical creature from the depths of the sea can devour us. Even if your father manages to bring other ships here, these damned cultists will probably crash the Yueshihao into other ships to provide more sacrifices." After listening to Juri Sonoda''s exnation, Suneo sighed and put down his phone. Shizuka, now pale with fear, asked, "So, are we really going to be sacrifices?" Liu Xing shook his head and reassured her with a smile, "Shizuka, don''t worry too much. Since I''m standing here talking to you now, it means I have a way to help you deal with this situation. I''ve gathered information on these cultists and their ritual ns. I also have two police friends who are ready. As soon as these cultists make a move, we''ll catch them in the act. That''s the only way to resolve this." "But the problem is, you all visited the Yueshihao cruise ship''s captain''s cabin today, right? To enter the cabin, you need to pass through two iron doors, and these doors are the biggest challenge for us. Once they''re closed, they can only be opened with a key or professional breaking tools. It''s time-consuming and risky. If the cultists notice us, they will most likely resort to violence. We''ll be at a significant disadvantage because they''re numerous, probably armed, andpletely fanatical. They might do anything," Liu Xing exined. Juri Sonoda quickly continued, "That''s why we need your help. Only you can infiltrate behind enemy lines and find a way to open those two iron doors. Then we can enter the cabin and stop the ritual." Liu Xing and Juri Sonoda were aligned in their request, finally making Shizuka and the others understand what they needed to do. At this moment, Gian, who had been silent, spoke up, "No problem. We have no choice but to give it our all. We''ll help you open those two iron doors. I have confidence in my fists, and as soon as you give the signal, I''ll take care of the cultists near the doors." Suneo also nodded and opened a suitcase from a nearby cab, revealing several batons and knuckle dusters. "These are things my father gave me, fearingnguage barriers or conflicts with locals in Cosmic Country. He never thought they''de in handy here," Suneo said with a wry smile. Liu Xing nodded and said, "That''s excellent. If possible, Suneo, you should contact some trustworthy ssmates to join us in this operation. Too many people could expose us to the cultists, and they might notice the weaknesses. So, we need quality over quantity. Do you understand what I mean?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 243: Another Secret Sect Chapter 243: Another Secret Sect Suneo nodded and patted his chest, saying, "I''ll take responsibility for this. I''m confident that I can find a few brave and detail-oriented teammates. We''ll be able to cooperate with Mr. Liu Xing''s actions. After all, this is a form of self-rescue for us." "By the way, Mr. Liu Xing, may I ask you a question? What do you mean by the mythical creature you mentioned?" Shizuka asked curiously. Liu Xing took out his phone and showed a picture. The picture depicted the body of an artificial Deep One, which Yin En had obtained from the Sawada Family. "This is the mythical creature I was talking about. However, this one is an artificial monster. It may not meet your expectations, but I''m sure you can see the bullet holes on its body. This artificial monster can withstand attacks from over ten light machine guns and dozens of rifles. You can imagine how powerful this mythical creature is." "Furthermore, this type of mythical creature belongs to a group known as the Deep Ones. You can also call them fish-men. They look very simr to the fish-men in many games. However, the lifespan of these Deep Ones is almost unlimited unless they are killed by external forces. Therefore, their intelligence far surpasses that of humans. That''s why they have many followers onnd, such as the Deep Sea Gospel Society on this ship. They worship and intend to sacrifice us to that specific Deep One, which is one of the most powerful beings among the Deep Ones. I can assure you that conventional firearms won''t be able to harm it." After Shizuka and the others saw the photo and listened to Liu Xing''s exnation, they were all shocked. "So, if we encounter this Deep One, there''s no point in fighting it, right?" Nobita said somewhat dejectedly. Liu Xing shook his head and said with a smile, "The appearance fee for these mythical creatures is quite expensive. They don''t just show up casually. That''s why these cultists are holding a ritual, and you are essentially paying the deposit to that Deep One on behalf of these cultists." At this point, Liu Xing suddenly thought of a question: where did Honda Koichi get the Deep One blood? Ind Nation, whether big or small, made Liu Xing think that there was a possibility that Honda Koichi obtained the Deep One blood from the Deep Sea Gospel Society, even though they considered Deep One a god... Wait a minute, something doesn''t add up. Liu Xing realized that since the fanatical cultists of the Deep Sea Gospel Society regarded the Deep One as a god, the blood of the Deep One should be considered a sacred item. Therefore, the Deep Sea Gospel Society wouldn''t hand over the Deep One''s blood to Honda Koichi. At this point, Liu Xing remembered the information provided by Honda Tetsuya, which mentioned that the Deep One worshipped by the Deep Sea Gospel Society had once fought a powerful Byakhee and was injured, resting in the depths of the sea. So, Liu Xing realized that besides the Deep Sea Gospel Society, there should be many secret sects in Ind Nation that worshipped mythical creatures, including the Eldritch God! Among these, Liu Xing was certain that there was a sect that worshipped Byakhee or King Hastur in Yellow Robes. King Hastur in Yellow Robes, also known as the "Unspeakable One" or "Lord of the Cosmic Void," was originally a character created by another author. He was initially a god of shepherds, but H.P. Lovecraft, being a fan of this author''s works, incorporated Hastur into the Cthulhu Mythos. Hastur took the form of a strange being covered in ck wrinkles with tentacles on top, capable of flight and using sharp ws to prate human skulls. Yes, Hastur''s appearance was simr to Cthulhu''s, so inter interpretations, Hastur became associated with "wind" and became an enemy of Cthulhu. However, in some interpretations, Hastur and Cthulhu were portrayed as brothers. As a Great Old One, Hastur, like Cthulhu, was sealed away. However, Hastur was sealed on a near the ruins of the ancient city of Carcosa in the Pleiades Star Cluster, specifically near Lake Hali. Nevertheless, Hastur had many followers on Earth. His title as the "Yellow King" came from an unidentified scenario called "The King in Yellow." ording to the lore, this scenario was first discovered in France in 1895 but was immediately banned and destroyed by the government of the French Third Republic upon its publication. "The King in Yellow" consisted of two acts, with the second act being particrly shocking and leading to various idents whenever theater groups attempted to perform it. Both readers and actors gradually became controlled by Hastur, making it nearly impossible to stage the scenario. In the modern era, "The King in Yellow" has been tranted into English and can be easily found through various means. The English version is quite subtle in its content. This English version is a thin, ck-covered octavo book with the symbol of the Yellow Sign on the cover. Anyone who encounters this symbol for the first time and understands its meaning loses 0/1d6 points of sanity. However, the Yellow Sign is somewhat more useful than the Elder Sign in certain circumstances. As for Byakhee, it is one of Hastur''s minions. In simple terms, Byakhee resembles a creature simr to the Ghoul in Warcraft III, but it usually resides in the cosmos and can fly at the speed of light. As followers of Hastur, Byakhee answer the call of those who believe in Hastur and can be used as mounts. In the Cthulhu RPG game, Byakhee often appears as a mount rather than an enemy. Because of the hostility between Cthulhu and Hastur, the Deep Ones, who are Cthulhu''s followers, and the Byakhee, who are Hastur''s followers, are naturally enemies, and they generally sh when they meet. So, Liu Xing spected that there should be a secret sect in Ind Nation that worships Hastur or Byakhee, which is why the Byakhee appeared in Ind Nation and fought against the Deep Ones worshipped by the Deep Sea Gospel Society. After all, Byakhee wouldn''t normally appear on Earth. In light of this, Liu Xing believed that he would likely encounter this secret sect in his world mission. "Well, let''s get moving now. I''ll contact a few people right away. As for the specific n, we''ll follow Mr. Liu Xing''s arrangement," Suneo suddenly spoke up. Liu Xing nodded and proceeded to exin his prepared n. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 244: Loss Chapter 244: Loss In reality, Liu Xing''s n was quite simple, summed up in four words - "inside cooperation, outside merger." ording to Liu Xing''s spection, or rather, the information Yin En had obtained from Takayanagi Aoyin, there should be around twelve fanatical followers on the Yueshihao cruise ship, including Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin. The reason for this conclusion was that Takayanagi Aoyin had identified nine crew members on the Yueshihao cruise ship whose identities were suspicious. Among them were individuals like Choi Seok-sil, the CEO of a certainpany in Cosmic Country, and a professor from a university in Cosmic Country. Liu Xing estimated that this professor was probably an expert in archaeology. Of course, the fanatical cult leader, the head instructor, should also be included. So, in summary, during the uing ritual tomorrow, there should only be twelve fanatical followers in the captain''s cabin on the Yueshihao cruise ship. Moreover, these fanatics were not exceptionally skilled; in fact, they might be less capable than ordinary people. After all, individuals like Choi Seok-sil were mostly overweight and unfit, so their physical abilities were likely subpar. However, Liu Xing was certain that these fanatics would have firearms in their possession to control the students of Morimoto Academy. Therefore, ording to Liu Xing''s estimation, Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin would definitely be responsible for conducting the ritual in the captain''s cabin. At most, one or two fanatical NPC guards would be stationed at the perimeter iron gates. Additionally, there might be one or two fanatics assigned to maintain vignce at the cabin''s entrance. So, Nobita and the others only needed to find a way to deal with these two to four fanatics. It would be even better if they could take care of other armed fanatics along the way. However, causing disturbances would also suffice. Moreover, it was unlikely that there would be more than five firearms among these ten NPC fanatics, as Liu Xing and Yin En spected. After all, if every fanatic had a firearm, there would be no point in continuing the game. Furthermore, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, ritual ceremonies typically required a significant number of fanatics to participate. After all, an individual''s magical power (mp) was limited, and conducting a ritual ceremony consumed a considerable amount of mp. Therefore, in modules involving ritual ceremonies, there would often be numerous fanatic NPCs whose role was to provide mp. To maintain the seriousness of the ritual ceremony and reduce the numerical advantage of the fanatics, most modules also imposed certain requirements for ritual ceremonies, such as wearing special ritual attire and carrying ritual-specific props. After all, you couldn''t show up at a summoning ritual dressed as a hip-hop rapper. So, Liu Xing and Yin En believed that there would be at most five firearms among these fanatics, but there might also be weapons simr to the ritual dagger Liu Xing had. After all, fanatics conducting a blood ritual ceremony were not there for a friendly gathering; it was bound to get bloody. At this point, Liu Xing had Juri Sonoda take out her phone and y the recording from Shizuka''s livestream, pausing when the camera captured the panoramic view of the captain''s cabin. "Okay, everyone, look here. This is the panoramic view of the Yueshihao cruise ship''s captain''s cabin. First, we can be sure that the open space in the middle is the area where the cultists will conduct the ritual. When the timees, you will definitely be brought here, and that''s when these fanatics might be desperate and brandish their weapons to threaten you. So, this is a critical moment because these fanatics were originally just ordinary people, and they are new to this. They are likely to be nervous and unprepared, so if you initiate an attack first, you''ll have the best chance to gain the upper hand. But, of course, this is also when you''re most vulnerable because these fanatics will likely shoot if they are attacked, and you could easily get injured or killed." "Therefore, I rmend that you all avoid being too aggressive initially. Don''t confront these fanatics head-on. Instead, observe their positions and their Weapons and Equipment. Then, look for an opportunity to strike. Now, let me analyze the best moments for an attack from a professional standpoint." "First, it would be when these fanatics are preparing for the ritual. During this time, they should feel confident that they have the upper hand and rx their guard. They will start preparing for the ritual by setting up a ritual circle, bringing out ritual-specific tools or books, and beginning their prayers. Most likely, they will also try to restrict your movements to prevent any disruption to their ceremony. So, at this moment, some fanatics will likely approach you, and that''s when you should counterattack, taking advantage of their proximity." "However, it''s also possible that these fanatics are overly confident and don''t intend to restrict your movements, nning to conduct the ritual immediately. As you may know, these cultists typically perform blood rituals, and the ritual item they prefer to use is the dagger I showed you earlier. This dagger is convenient and suitable for their purposes. Usually, only one person officiates the ritual, and that person is also the executioner, typically the highest-ranking cultist present. So, at this moment, if you manage to capture the leader first, you''ll have a significant advantage." "Lastly, I will lead my friends to create chaos on the outskirts and initiate an attack on the outer fanatics. When you hear gunfire,unch your attack as well. At that point, you should be able to achieve good results." Liu Xing exined seriously. Shizuka nodded and asked, "So, it doesn''t sound too bad, right? After all, these fanatics shouldn''t be too difficult to deal with. But, on the other hand, can''t we just choose to escape directly? Do these fanatics have to use us as sacrifices? Why can''t they pick someone else?" Before Liu Xing could respond, Juri Sonoda exined, "It''s not that simple. If the cult leaders from your school chose your ss, it means that everyone in your ss shares somemon characteristics. These cultists like to select sacrifices who have something inmon because, during their ritual ceremonies, they prefer to have sacrifices who share certain traits." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and continued, "Juri is right. These cultists have specific criteria for selecting sacrifices, such as all of you being associated with water-rted elements or symbols since you are offerings to the Deep Ones." Shizuka immediately nodded and added, "That''s right! If I remember correctly, all the girls in our ss are water sign zodiacs, and I think the guys are mostly water signs too." Nobita and the others also nodded, confirming that they were indeed water sign zodiacs. Liu Xing found himself at a loss for words at this moment. Still, considering that the Cthulhu Mythos was originally a foreign import, the idea that these cultist NPCs believed in astrology didn''t seem out of ce. "So, now it''s confirmed. These cultists want to use students with water sign zodiacs as sacrifices, and they need a total of 30 people," Juri Sonoda concluded matter-of-factly. Although Liu Xing wanted to make a fewments, the current situation didn''t seem suitable for that. "Alright, I''ve already contacted some reliable ssmates, and I''ll go to themter to inform them of the situation and prepare in advance. I''ll contact youter, Mr. Liu Xing." Liu Xing nodded. Since the discussion had covered most of the necessary information, he and Juri Sonoda got up to leave, giving Shizuka and the others some time to process everything on their own. "We can rest for a while now and recharge for tomorrow''s battle. But, Juri, you should stay here tomorrow. After all, if things get violent, I won''t be able to take care of you," Liu Xing said when they returned to their room. Juri Sonoda nodded and said with a smile, "I understand. After all, I''m just a journalist, and getting involved in fights like this isn''t suitable for me. If I were to go with you, I might just be a burden. So, I''ve decided to stay here and cheer you on tomorrow." Liu Xing felt relieved that Juri Sonoda wasn''t like some naive female protagonists in movies who insisted on participating in the final battle, often causing more trouble than help. At that moment, Yin En sent a message. Liu Xing opened it and found that Yin En had already contacted the Sawada Family n regarding the situation. The Sawada Family n wasted no time and immediately dispatched personnel to contact a securitypany in Cosmic Country. They arranged for over twenty bodyguards to be on standby at the port where the Yueshihao cruise ship would dock tomorrow. They also hired a few boats as a precaution. Additionally, Yin En mentioned that he would have Juri Sonoda go to Takayanagi Aoyin''s family''s room tomorrow. If anything unexpected happened, Juri Sonoda and Takayanagi Aoyin''s family could leave in advance. Liu Xing ryed the information about Shizuka''s situation to Yin En and then informed Juri Sonoda about the message. "Alright, I''ll go there early tomorrow. But are you sure about just the three of you confronting these cultists? Isn''t it too dangerous? Shouldn''t we mobilize more passengers?" Juri Sonoda expressed her concerns. Liu Xing shook his head and said seriously, "Given the current situation, it''s better to have quality over quantity. Theyout in the captain''s cabin of the Yueshihao cruise ship won''t benefit from having more people, and it might even lead to arge-scale riot. So, we need to resolve the issue before the other passengers realize what''s happening. As for you, Juri, please be cautious." Juri Sonoda sighed and nodded, "Alright, Liu Xing, you should rest now. After all, I won''t be participating in the battle tomorrow. I''ll stay here and guard, as well as discuss the details with Shizuka and the others." Liu Xing knew the importance of rest, so he didn''t refuse this time. Hey down on the bed to rest. Before Liu Xing could contact KP Li Shunchan, he fell asleep. Mist. Liu Xing suddenly found himself in a dense, imprable mist, unable to see anything within arm''s reach. It was all white, with no visible surroundings. What was more terrifying was the eerie silence all around him. Liu Xing couldn''t hear any sounds, not even his own heartbeat! Frowning, Liu Xing realized something was wrong. In fact, he couldn''t feel his body anymore. When he tried to take a step, he felt like he was floating in nothingness. Just as Liu Xing felt like his sanity was slipping away, he saw a figure in the distance. The figure was holding an oilmp, and the faint light from themp dispelled the thick fog within a half-meter radius. The figure was slowly approaching Liu Xing, and as it got closer, Liu Xing could finally make out who it wasit was himself! Yes, the person in front of Liu Xing was "himself"! What was unsettling was that the "self" holding the oilmp had a faint smile on its face, an ordinary expression one might wear in everyday life, but it sent shivers down Liu Xing''s spine. No, actually, Liu Xing couldn''t feel his body anymore, so he couldn''t describe his feelings as shivers. However, Liu Xing noticed that "himself" didn''t intend to stop. Instead, it passed right through Liu Xing. "Himself" passed through Liu Xing. Liu Xing suddenly felt like "himself" had taken something away from him. Then, Liu Xing woke up. Liu Xing, feeling somewhat lost, sat up and saw that Juri Sonoda was sleeping on the table. He checked his phone and realized it was already 3:00 AM. Shaking his head, Liu Xing tried to push the strange dream out of his mind. He patted his face to clear his thoughts and finally felt a bit more awake. He tapped Juri Sonoda''s shoulder and said, "I''ve rested enough. Juri, you should go to bed now. I''ll let you know when it''s time. Good night." Juri Sonoda nodded, pointed at her phone, and theny down on the bed to sleep. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 245: Preparing for the Beginning Chapter 245: Preparing for the Beginning Liu Xing rubbed his temples on both sides, looking somewhat frustrated as he gazed out at the sea beyond the window. The lingering sense of mncholy that enveloped him left Liu Xing feeling somewhat dazed. The strange dream he had just experienced still lingered fresh in Liu Xing''s mind. Reflecting on it now, he believed that his dream self was more like a pure spiritual entity, which was why he had lost all five senses. However, that figure holding an oilmp, "himself," with a smile on its face, still sent shivers down Liu Xing''s spine when he recalled it. Liu Xing snapped back to reality, realizing that this dream was his second in the Cthulhu RPG Game. The first one had urred in the Earth Dragon Vige module. However, he couldn''t help but wonder why his dreams always turned into nightmares. Liu Xing suspected that the game masters were up to something sinister. "Mirror World," Liu Xing murmured as he poured himself a cup of hot water, contemting life while observing the tumultuous waves outside his window. Liu Xing remembered that an unnamed game master had once mentioned that Mirror World was actually arge-scale module. He had always believed that he would return to this Mirror World eventually. So, during his first nightmare, he had encountered that embarrassing Formless Offspring. Now, Liu Xing suddenly felt that the mist in his dream was likely the fog concealing the R''lyeh ancient city within the Mirror World. Thinking about it this way, was his current nightmare connected to the previous one? Liu Xing stroked his chin, realizing that he might enter the Mirror World again in the future, be pursued by the Formless Offspring, and find himself within that mist. But Liu Xing couldn''t help feeling like he was courting trouble. With a sigh, Liu Xing pushed aside these jumbled thoughts and began pondering the impending final battle. Although he believed he had analyzed the situation thoroughly, he couldn''t shake the feeling that there was something he hadn''t ounted for. People like Bai Hecheng were still enigmatic to him. So, Liu Xing closed his eyes, meditating on the unexpected events that might ur and how he would respond. At this point, Liu Xing felt reasonably confident in his chances of sess. He had sessfully turned Honda Tetsuya, who had nearly be a cultist, and alerted Morimoto Academy''s students to the fanatical believers. As long as nothing went terribly wrong, Honda Tetsuya should be able to lead his students to deal with the NPC threats from Bai Hecheng''s side. Then, it would be a showdown between yers. However, Liu Xing was curious about the strength of a yer who had transformed into a Ghoul. He suspected that Bai Hecheng''s abilities differed from those of regr Ghouls. After all, if Bai Hecheng had already reached the level of a Ghoul Elder, he would likely have been assigned to participate in advanced modules long ago, rather than bullying "kids" like Liu Xing here. Ghoul Elders'' abilities were something Liu Xing hadn''t witnessed personally, but based on Honda Koichi''s capabilities before he became a Ghoul Elder, it was clear that they could create shields that could withstand hundreds of points of damage and teleport instantly. These two abilities alone could spell doom for Liu Xing. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that Bai Hecheng couldn''t be a Ghoul Elder; otherwise, it would disrupt game bnce. Therefore, Liu Xing thought that Bai Hecheng was a cultist, but an advanced one with some spells at his disposal. However, after witnessing the spells used by Gu Jun, Liu Xing had lost confidence in the spells within the Cthulhu RPG Game. The conditions for their use were too demanding. Liu Xing considered that Bai Hecheng''s spells, most likely, would be impractical in the crowded environment of the driver''s cabin, especially if they required "eye guidance." In that case, their effectiveness would be limited. As for Mo Jin, he had likely acquired a new character card, so Liu Xing had no information on Mo Jin''s current strength. However, judging by Mo Jin''s Innsmouth Face, he was certainly a Deep One hybrid. Mo Jin was likely a melee character with formidable abilities, given that mythical creatures excelled in certain attributespared to humans. On Liu Xing''s side, Yin En and Takayanagi Aoyin were the main ranged damage dealers. Liu Xing figured that all he had to do was follow behind and provide support. Currently, he only had a ritual dagger, which was useful for self-defense but inadequate forbat. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to focus on his support role. The clock ticked, and it was now six in the morning. Yin En sent Liu Xing a text message, indicating that they were ready on their end. Liu Xing got up, had a quick meal, and checked his items. Apart from the ritual dagger, most of his equipment seemed to have little use, as they would primarily be facing human enemies this time. After making his preparations, Liu Xing remembered Juri Sonoda''s advice to check his phone for messages from Shizuka and the others. So, Liu Xing picked up Juri Sonoda''s phone and read the messages. In summary, Suneo had informed a total of seven ssmates, and with Shizuka and others included, there were eleven Morimoto Academy students who now understood the situation they were about to face. ording to Suneo and the others, the ten of themexcluding Shizuka due to herbat limitationswould split into pairs and position themselves to get closer to the cultist NPCs with firearms. A team consisting of Gian and Nobita would specifically deal with Bai Hecheng, as Juri Sonoda had identified him as the leader among the cultists. The timing of Suneo and the others'' attacks would follow Liu Xing''s n, and they would make audible signals to notify Liu Xing''s group to start their assault. Of course, initially, Shizuka and the others will be conducting a live video broadcast to gather evidence of Bai Hecheng and their cult ritual. However, ording to Shizuka''s spections, Bai Hecheng and his group might employ signal jammers. After all, their drugging n had failed the previous day, and most of the Yueshihao cruise passengers would likely be awake today. To prevent passengers from filming and disrupting their ns, Bai Hecheng''s group might prepare signal jammers. But Suneo, being a rich second-generation, had a satellite phone with him, which regr signal jammers couldn''t block, as they were designed for civilian use, like those used during domestic college entrance exams. So, Suneo intended to record the proceedings and transmit them outside. Liu Xing remembered that Yin En also had a satellite phone. So, using Juri Sonoda''s phone, he provided Shizuka with Yin En''s number, asking Suneo to contact Yin En as well. This way, Liu Xing and his team could monitor Bai Hecheng''s movements through voicemunication. Soon, Shizuka sent a text message, confirming that they had informed Suneo, and now the school principal had scheduled a visit to the Yueshihao cruise''s cockpit at 6:30 AM. Shizuka''s team was currently preparing for this. Seeing this, Liu Xing texted Yin En, instructing him to get ready. 6:30 AM arrived. Shizuka sent another message, stating that they were now apanying the school principal to the cockpit. Liu Xing took a deep breath and woke up Juri Sonoda. "Juri, it''s time." Juri Sonoda nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Alright, Liu Xing, please be careful. I''m going to find Aoyin''s family now." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Sure, you all be careful too. If you notice anything wrong, just use the lifeboats to escape." As he spoke, Liu Xing pushed open the door, checked the surroundings for any witnesses, and prepared to leave. At that moment, Juri Sonoda suddenly said, "If you cane back safely, I might consider your request." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling like Juri Sonoda had just set an incredible g for himself. However, he hadn''t asked Juri Sonoda for anything, had he? Could it be that he had made a deal during his nightmare earlier? Liu Xing decided that for now, it was best to y dumb. He turned back with a smile and said, "Alright, I understand." Then, Liu Xing proceeded to the rendezvous point he had agreed upon with Yin Ena spot that provided a good view of the Yueshihao cruise''s cockpit. Arriving at the rendezvous point, both Yin En and Takayanagi Aoyin were holding pistols, keeping a watchful eye on the direction of the cockpit. "How''s the situation?" Liu Xing asked quietly. Yin En took out a phone that disyed "No Signal." "Just as you expected, these guys have activated signal jammers. However, they''re using civilian-grade jammers, the kind used during domestic college entrance exams. Their effectiveness is limited, and my satellite phone can still function. I''ve already contacted the Suneo you mentioned." Yin En showed his satellite phone, which was emitting noisy voices. It appeared that it hadn''t been controlled by the cultists yet. "Honda Tetsuya just informed me that they''re gathering on the ship''s bow first before heading to the cockpit. They haven''t entered the cockpit yet. However, I saw a few crew members entering the cockpit earlier, carrying ck bags that likely contain the items needed for the ritual," Yin En informed Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded and gestured for Yin En to join him in a more secluded spot for a private conversation. After confirming that Takayanagi Aoyin couldn''t hear them, Liu Xing and Yin En contacted KP Li Shunchan to activate the Private Room feature. "The situation looks good for now. Unless there''s a major unexpected development, our NPC team on this side should be able to handle the opposing NPCs. We have an advantage because we still have Takayanagi Aoyin," Liu Xing said with a smile. Yin En nodded but expressed his concerns. "That''s true, but there are still many variables. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, dealing with NPCs is one thing, but facing yers is another. yers who can advance to the Shoggoth Region are usually quite skilled, with either strong abilities or unusual items. So, there''s a lot of uncertainty, and we don''t know if Bai Hecheng will summon Ghouls directly." Yin En''s words made sense, as yers were indeed a significant variable in the game, leading to numerous possible oues in the same module. Considering this, Liu Xing said, "Alright, let''s keep it straightforward. Don''t waste time talking to the opposition. Let''s try to kill Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin directly. That way, we can end it quickly, and if they want to use items or spells, it will take them some time." Yin En agreed but voiced his concerns. "That''s true, but there''s another problem. Thebat rounds in Cthulhu RPG Game are quite painful. Even if we canunch a surprise attack, we can at most gain an extra turn and prevent the enemy from dodging. If we''re unlucky, we might only inflict two or three points of damage." Luck was a crucial factor. "And it will take at least half a minute for us to reach the cockpit from here. While it seems short, it''s actually quite long. If those Morimoto Academy students aren''t up to the task, by the time we get there, it might already be game over. So, we need to hope that these students can hold out a bit longer, giving us a chance to intervene," Yin En added with a sigh. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 246: Death Chapter 246: Death Liu Xing''s concerns mirrored those of Yin En because Yin En knew that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin were not fools either. They were sure to take precautions against any assistance their side might receive from the students. After all, the division of the NPC factions in this confrontation module was quite obvious. Since Liu Xing was wary of the crew members, Bai Hecheng''s group should also be cautious of these students. So, Liu Xing believed that Shizuka''s chances of a sessful counterattack were less than thirty percent, but there was still a fifty percent or higher chance of creating chaos. Of course, Liu Xing and Yin En didn''t expect to rely solely on these students to deal with Bai Hecheng''s group. After all, the focus of the Cthulhu RPG Game was ultimately on the yers. "By the way, Liu Xing, do you know about World Missions?" Yin En suddenly asked. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, thinking that Yin En might have already known that he had epted a World Mission. However, upon further consideration, he realized that Yin En probably didn''t know. Seeing Liu Xing''sck of response, Yin En continued, "Well, I forgot that you just advanced to the Shoggoth Region, and you might not know much about many things. I suppose you don''t know what World Missions are." "In simple terms, World Missions are a series of interconnected missions, typical of high-risk, high-reward missions. In each parallel world, there are only a few dozen World Missions. However, if the NPCs who issue these World Missions die, the missions disappear as well." "But ording to information from high-level yers in advanced regions, World Missions are a prerequisite for advancing to the Cthulhu Region. Only yers who havepleted a World Mission are eligible to ascend to the Cthulhu Region. Moreover, it is rumored that once youplete a World Mission, you can break free from the control of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Your points won''t decrease daily, and they may even increase." "So, I suspect that Bai Hecheng has epted a World Mission. ording to the standards of ordinary yers, a mission like hosting a sacrificial ceremony shouldn''t appear in the Shoggoth Region. So, I think Bai Hecheng triggered a World Mission from the Great Old One, Ghoul King Mordiggian, and that''s why he recovered his sanity points or solidified them!" "Sane point solidification is a very special element in the Cthulhu RPG Game. In simple terms, after experiencing certain special plot events, like consuming a certain divine potion, reading a particr book, or being recruited by a Great Old One, yers may solidify their sanity points. This means their sanity points won''t decrease anymore, theoretically eliminating the worry of losing sanity points. yers with solidified sanity points can take more risks without fear." "In one sentence, yers with solidified sanity points can say, ''I have nothing to fear anymore.''" After listening to Yin En, Liu Xing nodded, also starting to believe that Bai Hecheng might have epted a World Mission. However, he had some doubts that Bai Hecheng obtained the World Mission from Ghoul King Mordiggian, as Yin En suggested. Although Bai Hecheng had indeed be a Ghoul, Liu Xing leaned more towards thinking that Bai Hecheng obtained the World Mission from the scroll of parchment in the castle. In other words, Liu Xing believed that Bai Hecheng had obtained the World Mission from Cthulhu or its projection. That''s why Bai Hecheng was now cooperating with Mo Jin, the Deep One hybrid. Thinking about this, Liu Xing initially considered sharing his thoughts with Yin En, but in the end, he decided it wasn''t crucial and didn''t mention it. At this moment, voices from nearby signaled that Shizuka and the others were preparing to head to the bridge. "All right, they''reing up. Let''s start getting ready. Let''s head back for now," Yin En said, patting Liu Xing''s shoulder before returning to their hiding spot. One minuteter, Liu Xing saw Shizuka and the others, led by the headmaster and Honda Tetsuya, entering the bridge. "I gave Honda Tetsuya a dagger, so if necessary, he can try to capture Bai Hecheng or Mo Jin. Although the chances of sess are low, it should still cause them some trouble. Most importantly, I heard that these cult rituals have a bacsh effect if interrupted midway," Yin En whispered to Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded. The ceremony that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin were about to conduct was a summoning-type spell to bring forth a powerful Deep One hidden beneath the sea. If something went wrong during the ritual, it could be catastrophic. The summoned Deep One might see it as a betrayal by Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin and retaliate, causing them serious harm. So, if they could interrupt the ritual, Liu Xing would have a significant advantage. However, he knew that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin wouldn''t be so careless. They would likely deal with Liu Xing and Yin En before proceeding with the ritual. "It''s starting," Liu Xing whispered. At that moment, voices of surprise from the students and some middle-aged men could be heard from Yin En''s phone. They were mostly trying to calm the students down and instruct them to stay quiet and crouch down. However, Suneo, who was prepared, spoke up, "Let''s all listen to them. Even though they only have ten people, those four guns are not to be taken lightly." "It seems that their numbers on the other side are even smaller than we thought. If we subtract Bai Hecheng, Mo Jin, and the headmaster, that leaves only seven crew members on their side. So, when Bai Hecheng''s group sends one or two people out for sentry duty, the students inside will have a significant numerical advantage. Hopefully, they can create some chaos," Liu Xing said. As expected, two cultists dressed as crew members, armed with pistols, arrived at the stairs outside the bridge and began their sentry duty. Surprisingly, Bai Hecheng had not ordered these two cultists to close the iron gate leading to the bridge. Overall, it seemed like a good thing. It appeared that these cultists were quite overconfident. "Yin En, do you and Takayanagi Aoyin have a way to kill these two cultists on sentry duty quietly?" Liu Xing whispered. Yin En nodded and smiled, saying, "That''s definitely doable. This distance is nothing for a marksman like me, and these two cultists aren''t very alert. When Shizuka and the others create chaos, Takayanagi Aoyin and I can take them out while they''re distracted." Speaking, Yin En contacted KP Li Shunchan, "KP, Takayanagi Aoyin and I are applying for a bonus die. We''re going to aim for the heads of two cultists, and we''ll attack when chaos breaks out in the bridge." KP Li Shunchan nodded and said with a smile, "Of course, that can be arranged. Here''s what I''ll do: I''ll give both you and Takayanagi Aoyin a +20 bonus die, but because you''re aiming at the heads of these two cultist NPCs, you''ll each receive a -20 penalty die. So, when you add and subtract them, it cancels out." Yin En nodded, and this result was within his expectations. The voices from the phone continued, but at this point, the students had been "controlled" by the cultists, so the headmaster became the spokesperson. Following the archetype of many viins in movies and TV shows, the headmaster exined the sacrificial ceremony to the students, emphasizing that Honda Tetsuya should step forward and slit the throat of the first student, signifying his initiation into the Deep Sea Gospel Society. It was evident that the ritual Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin were conducting was a blood sacrifice, where the victims'' blood would be used to draw a diagram for summoning. Hearing this, Liu Xing silently nodded and whispered, "Alright, let''s get ready." Liu Xing tightly gripped the dagger for the ritual and began preparing to advance towards the bridge. As expected, half a minuteter, a loud shout from Suneo rang out, "Attack!" Then, some male students'' voices and the headmaster''s panicked voice could be heard. At this moment, the sound of dice hitting the table indicated that Yin En and Takayanagi Aoyin were preparing to shoot. Yin En: 43/70, sessful. Takayanagi Aoyin: 66/75, sessful. Their luck was good, and both Yin En and Takayanagi Aoyin''s shooting checks were sessful. Since they were targeting the heads of the two cultists, KP Li Shunchan didn''t even roll forbat rounds; he simply ruled that the two cultists were dead. Then, Liu Xing and his group rushed into the bridge. Half a minuteter, as Liu Xing and the others entered the bridge, they were stunned by what they saw. Inside the bridge, apart from Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin, everyone else was lying on the ground, bleeding from their seven orifices, and their fates uncertain. "Damn, what''s going on here?" Yin En said loudly, aiming his gun at Bai Hecheng. Bai Hecheng, facing the ominous muzzles, replied nonchntly, "What else could be happening? These sacrifices are lying peacefully on the ground. Once their blood paints the diagram to summon Deep One Korich, the slumbering Deep One Korich beneath the sea will sink this Yueshihao cruise ship to the ocean floor, just like that ship from decades ago. Then, you''ll be Deep One Korich''s meal, while we receive the blessings of Deep One Korich and gain endless power!" Beside him, Mo Jin smiled ambiguously, not saying a word. However, Liu Xing noticed that Mo Jin had produced a ck inverted cross in his hand. The inverted cross had be a symbol of Satanism, and as Satan was considered an enemy of God, his followers were naturally a group of anti-human cultists. Liu Xing was certain that the inverted cross Mo Jin held was a powerful item, likely a defensive one, or else Mo Jin wouldn''t be so unafraid of facing guns. After all, even true Ghouls and Deep Ones couldn''t withstand gunshots. At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly thought of a Chinese idiom: "Please enter the trap willingly." It seemed that they had fallen into Bai Hecheng''s trap. The reason the two cultist NPCs hadn''t closed the iron gate was to make it easy for Liu Xing''s group to enter the bridge. After that, Bai Hecheng and his group would deal with Liu Xing and Yin En, allowing them to proceed with the ritual safely. Realizing this, Liu Xing shouted, "Damn, we''ve been tricked! Yin En, Takayanagi Aoyin, shoot now!" While saying this, Liu Xing prepared to charge forward with his dagger for closebat. However, before Liu Xing could take a step, he suddenly felt weak all over and copsed to the ground. It was then that Liu Xing saw Bai Hecheng take out a candlestick from behind him. The candle on the candlestick was ck and emitted ck smoke. It was clear now. The reason both students and cultists were lying on the ground was that they had been incapacitated by the smoke from the candle held by Bai Hecheng. Despite all their calctions, Liu Xing and Yin En were just one step short. They hadn''t anticipated that Bai Hecheng possessed such a game-breaking item. In less than a minute, they had fallen victim to it, and Liu Xing hadn''t even sensed anything unusual. Even KP Li Shunchan hadn''t given them a warning! Now, Liu Xing was too weak to speak, so he could only use his eyes to ask Bai Hecheng why. Bai Hecheng, grinning, said straightforwardly, "Liu Xing, I told you not to oppose me. The candle in my hand is a specially crafted poison smoke candle by the Deep One n. It can quickly poison ordinary people, rendering them powerless, bleeding from all seven orifices, and eventually dead. It''s colorless and odorless, allowing it to catch you off guard. But as you can see, this poison smoke candle has a significant drawback. When the smoke first appears, it''s quite conspicuous, and anyone would know it''s dangerous. So, I hid it behind my back." Liu Xing forced a smile, feeling as if he was shedding "hot tears"... or perhaps, in his case, "bleeding from all seven orifices." Mo Jin approached, holding the ck inverted cross in his hand, and said with a pretentious tone, "You can rest easy now. I will pray for you." As soon as Mo Jin finished speaking, a dagger pierced through Mo Jin''s chest. Bai Hecheng, with a smile on his face, said, "I will pray for you too. The great Deep One Korich needs more sacrifices, and you, Mo Jin, are the best offering." After killing Mo Jin, Bai Hecheng came to Liu Xing''s side, smiling as he said, "Death is just the beginning. Let me send you to your new life." With that, Bai Hecheng didn''t hesitate to plunge the de in his hand into Liu Xing''s heart. Liu Xing, dead. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 247: Killing Bai Hecheng Chapter 247: Killing Bai Hecheng Liu Xing felt a sudden pain in his chest, followed by a gradual draining of his life force. Darkness enveloped his vision, and he lost all sensation of his body. At this moment, Liu Xing could only think, "Am I dying?" However, KP Li Shunchan had a different perspective, saying, "OK, because the yer Liu Xing possesses an invitation from the Dark Party, the character card ''Liu Xing'' is now in a state of temporary death. yers can choose to use the Dark Party''s invitation to initiate a resurrection module from the main interface of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Furthermore, due to yer Liu Xing having a special, automatically activated character card, we will now create a new character cardWatanabeRyusei." "WatanabeRyusei?!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. This WatanabeRyusei must be Shizuka''s ssmate. Little did he expect that his second character card would turn into this NPC. Truly, the world was unpredictable. Upon further consideration, it made sense. Liu Xing had obtained this special character card from the beginner module, which allowed him to create a new character card after tearing one. What Liu Xing hadn''t anticipated, however, was that he would directly "inhabit" an NPC. Thinking about it, it was logical. Given the current situation, Liu Xing''s new character had to inhabit an NPC inside the cockpit, and this NPC had to be in opposition to Bai Hecheng for the module to continue. After all, if Liu Xing had "inhabited" NPCs outside the cockpit, who were unaware of the true situation, the module would have been unyable, and Liu Xing would have faced an imminent death. If Liu Xing had possessed someone like the headmaster, that might have been equally problematic. However, when Liu Xing saw WatanabeRyusei''s character card, he could only describe himself as stunned. Name: WatanabeRyusei upation: High School Student (Leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect) Gender: Male Age: 18 Traits: Leadership (receives a bonus die on relevant leadership checks), Blessing of the Yellow King (increased HP and MP, damage bonus fixed at 1, and maximum SAN value rendered fuzzy and unreadable) Background: WatanabeRyusei''s father was the first-generation leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, a secretive cult in the Ind Nation that worships King Hastur in Yellow Robes. WatanabeRyusei grew up as a devoted follower of the Yellow King and, during a ritual, received some strange powers. However, his father''s ambition led to the discovery of the cult by the Ind Nation police while preparing for the next ritual, resulting in the destruction of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. WatanabeRyusei''s father was imprisoned, but WatanabeRyusei managed to escape incarceration by pretending to be ignorant of the cult''s existence. Relevance to the Current Module: WatanabeRyusei, due to his worship of King Hastur in Yellow Robes, opposes the followers of Byakhee and Deep One. Upon discovering that the higher-ups at Morimoto Academy are Deep One worshippers, WatanabeRyusei infiltrated the school to gather evidence and dismantle the Deep Sea Gospel Society. He transferred to Morimoto Academyst month and participated in this graduation trip to collect valuable clues. Character Attributes: Special Abilities: Summon/Dismiss Byakhee (costs 10 MP, summons Byakhee after five minutes of spellcasting, dismisses Byakhee for an additional 5 MP), Summoning Ritual of King Hastur in Yellow Robes (iplete skill, currently unusable). Possessions: Cellphone, English trantion of "Yellow King" (can be read in a week, grants 5 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge uponpletion, followed by a SAN roll; sess reduces 1d3 SAN, failure reduces 1d6 SAN), "Worshipers of the Yellow Sect Scriptures" (a book on the history, development, and doctrine of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, with no special effects), Yellow Seal Pendant (a jade pendant with a yellow seal that can have unexpected effects in certain situations, more effective than the Elder Sign), Ritual Dagger (a specialized Ritual Dagger of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, deals 1d damage to enemies). Followers: Juichi Oshima bat type), Katsuya Maeda (support type), Masayoshi Takahashi (average type) Liu Xing hadn''t expected WatanabeRyusei to be not only a devout follower but also the leader of a secret cult. Moreover, this leader only had three followers. It seemed that WatanabeRyusei was quite confident, daring to infiltrate the enemy''s ranks and gather evidence against the Deep Sea Gospel Society. His attributes were impressive, and the blessing from King Hastur in Yellow Robes had boosted his strength considerably. For someone like WatanabeRyusei, who had believed in King Hastur in Yellow Robes from childhood, the blessing not only improved his physical abilities but also strengthened his unwavering faith, leading him to revere King Hastur in Yellow Robes. Hence, he was determined to eliminate the opposing cult. However, for Liu Xing, this was bad news. ying the role of WatanabeRyusei would require him to embody the qualities of a devout believer, such as spreading the faith to other yers and confronting the "heretics" at Morimoto Academy. This wasn''t going to be easy, as Liu Xing had no experience in this area. Nevertheless, it seemed that WatanabeRyusei was now lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, looking like he was on the brink of death. After taking over WatanabeRyusei''s body, Liu Xing suspected that he could do nothing but wait for his slow demise. "Alright, Liu Xing, have you understood the attributes of your new character card now?" KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. "You can now y as this new character card, and the main quest for this character is to stop the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s ritual." As KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Liu Xing regained his five senses and saw his own body. Yes, as WatanabeRyusei, Liu Xing saw the body of "Liu Xing." At this moment, "Liu Xing" was still lying motionless. After all, he was still in a state of pseudo-death. Liu Xing believed that even if Bai Hecheng sessfullypleted the ritual, "Liu Xing" would remain as aplete corpse due to certain reasons. He would then be sent to the hospital in a vegetative state until Liu Xingpleted the Dark Party resurrection module. If sessful, "Liu Xing" would naturally wake up. If unsessful, "Liu Xing" would meet his end. However, afterpletely taking control of WatanabeRyusei''s body, Liu Xing suddenly gained ess to WatanabeRyusei''s memories. This included the events mentioned in the character card''s background, but most importantly, Liu Xing learned about WatanabeRyusei''s three followers, who had also fallen unconscious outside Morimoto Academy. Now, WatanabeRyusei appeared to be in control, though he was bleeding profusely. Suneo had contacted WatanabeRyusei yesterday, so he had been prepared for this situation. Being a devout follower, WatanabeRyusei had anticipated some of the methods Bai Hecheng might use, including the poisonous smoke candles. Liu Xing couldn''t help butment that these poisonous smoke candles were like a popr item among cults, with almost every secret cult possessing a few. They were quick-acting and effective, making them essential tools for cultists during their activities. WatanabeRyusei had encountered these candles before and knew how to protect himself. Thus, the medication WatanabeRyusei had taken in advance allowed him to bleed from seven orifices when affected by the poisonous smoke candles, but he remained conscious and physically capable. Currently, WatanabeRyusei was the only one in the cockpit who was still alert, apart from Bai Hecheng. He had been waiting for an opportunity to deal with Bai Hecheng. At this point, having gained control of WatanabeRyusei, Liu Xing recalled that once the ritual started, it could not be interrupted without suffering bacsh from the magic, potentially costing one''s life. Nevertheless, Liu Xing was determined to make Bai Hecheng pay with his life. So, WatanabeRyuseior for simplicity, Liu Xingslowly stood up, retrieved a ritual dagger from his pocket. Of course, this ritual dagger was different from the one Yin En had given him; the blood on these two daggers had different levels of thickness. Bai Hecheng, meanwhile, looked surprised as he watched Liu Xingor rather, WatanabeRyuseisince he had not expected WatanabeRyusei to stand up at this point. He watched Liu Xing with a sense of being in control. Liu Xing approached Bai Hecheng, taking out the Yellow Seal Pendant hanging from his chest. Bai Hecheng looked at the pendant, suddenly understanding its significance. Liu Xing smiled and without hesitation, plunged the ritual dagger into Bai Hecheng''s chest. "Because you killed the yer Bai Hecheng, all the yers from the fanatic camp have now died. The yers from the tourist camp have won this confrontation module. Now, it''s time to conclude the scene," KP Li Shunchan announced. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief; in any case, he had sessfullypleted this module. However, Liu Xing was surprised to see that Bai Hecheng, who had already died, still had a creepy smile on his face! Before Liu Xing could react, he lost consciousness as usual and entered the god''s-eye view. "WatanabeRyusei," who had killed Bai Hecheng, immediately closed the signal jammer next to the control panel, called the police, and then used the ship''s public address system to inform the ordinary passengers on the Yueshihao cruise ship about what had happened. Finally, hey on the ground, pretending to be affected by the poison. The Yueshihao cruise ship eventually docked safely at the shore. The Cosmic Country police quickly took control of the cultists and transported "Liu Xing" and the others to the hospital. As Liu Xing had expected, "Liu Xing" was diagnosed as being in a vegetative state and was taken back to the hospital where Liu Xing worked forprehensive treatment. However, what surprised Liu Xing was that "Yin En" was also confirmed to be in a vegetative state and was taken back to the Sawada Family in the Ind Nation for treatment. This made Liu Xing somewhat puzzled, suggesting that Yin En also had a resurrection module in his possession. As for those cultists, after they regained consciousness and received treatment, they chose tomit suicide while in police custody. However, Liu Xing suspected it might have been more like "forced suicide" because the president of the Cosmic Country was also a cultist. The students from Morimoto Academy were sent back to the Ind Nation after regaining consciousness, while Morimoto Academy shifted all me onto the headmaster. The game was over. Liu Xing once again saw KP Li Shunchan, who was also smiling, and he said, "Liu Xing, you should really thank me today. If I hadn''t allowed you to possess WatanabeRyusei, you probably wouldn''t have been able to kill Bai Hecheng." Liu Xing chuckled and exposed the truth, saying, "Hehe, KP, don''t think I didn''t know. At that time, I could only possess WatanabeRyusei, right?" KP Li Shunchan, feeling exposed, said in frustration, "Well, you guys have no appreciation for me at all. Anyway, you''re the MVP of this module and have earned 1500 points. Now that all the other yers have exited, do you also want to exit at this time?" Liu Xing nodded, but he had a question, "By the way, didn''t we used to have a Q&A session? Why is it missing now?" KP Li Shunchan shook his head and exined with a smile, "There''s no need for that now. The Q&A session was part of the Ghoul Zone''s newbie service to help you familiarize yourselves with the game. Well, I''ll send you back now." Liu Xing''s vision blurred, and he returned to reality. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 248: Fate, Ineffable Wonders Chapter 248: Fate, Ineffable Wonders Back to reality. Liu Xing stretchedzily and noticed a message from Yin En. The message roughly mentioned that in this module, they were caught off guard by fervent cultist yers who possessed unexpectedly powerful items. They got thoroughly outwitted but thankfully, Yin En had an item that could put his "Yin En" character card into a near-death state during card tearing. If a yer didn''t revive the character card within three modules, it would permanently "die." In simpler terms, Yin En''s 500-point item was a three-module resurrection item. In the Shoggoth Region, yers could opt to participate in a revival module called "Hell''s Journey" at their own expense, costing 4444 points. However, it was a challenging module, andpleting it only offered a revival reward. For yers, though, this revival module was a generous offer because the character card they wanted to revive was undoubtedly their initial character card. Initial character cards were crucial to yers due to their excellent attributes, most of the primary items were stored on them, and they also held vital NPC contacts. Therefore, the initial character card was extremely valuable, even if it cost a total of 5000 points! That said, Liu Xing was grateful for receiving an invitation to the Dark Party module, which only required 2000 points and had a lower difficulty level. So, Liu Xing replied casually to Yin En''s message, expressing anticipation for their future cooperation, and then closed the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall to watch videos on Bilibili. On the Bilibili homepage, Liu Xing stumbled upon a news article. Moreover, the video''s creator dug up another piece of news: Cosmic Country had recently experienced a case of corpse theft. The identities of the two stolen corpses were confirmed to be cultists from the cult controlling the Cosmic Country''s president. It was certain that the culprits who took the corpses were also cultists. Surprisingly, the Cosmic Country authorities imed ignorance of the incident and had no intention of wasting valuable resources investigating it. In the end, the video''s creator couldn''t resist specting from a conspiracy theory angle. They suggested that the stolen corpses must have held unspeakable secrets, such as an attempt to resurrect them. Therefore, these two corpses were likely high-ranking members of the cult. After watching the video, Liu Xing couldn''t help butment that the uploader was rather naive, having not seen the real world. After all, Liu Xing had already interacted andughed with the cultists. After watching more videos for a while, Liu Xing decided it was time to rest. Although the recent death experience didn''t faze him much, the lingering sense of mncholy still weighed on his heart. So, Liu Xing believed that there was nothing a good night''s sleep couldn''t resolve. If there was something, then he would just sleep a little longer. With that thought, Liu Xing drifted into slumber. The next day, Liu Xing inexplicably found himself opening the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall once more and clicking on "Start Game." He felt a voice within him urging him to y the game. Sitting at hisputer desk, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ponder if his personality had drastically changed after dying once. Had he developed a newfound love for learning? At that moment, the game began. First, it entered the "Interlude Growth" interface. Since Watanabe Ryusei''s character card possessed such strong attributes, his "Interlude Growth" was limited to one option: "Infiltration." "Infiltration" had a 5% chance of exposing Watanabe Ryusei''s true identity while he floated as the leader of the "Worshipers of the Yellow Sect" within the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s territory. Seeing this "Interlude Growth," Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. If this "Interlude Growth" seeded, it would spell trouble for his character card. After all, the Deep Sea Gospel Society was an arch-enemy cult, and they would undoubtedly send people to hunt him down if he were exposed. Fortunately, the chance of exposure was only 5%, so unless Liu Xing was extremely unlucky, he shouldn''t get caught. 6/5, failure. Liu Xing looked at the result of the "Interlude Growth" and could only shake his head, realizing he had been overthinking it. This show''s effects were quite explosive. Scenario: "Mystery of School Suicides" Difficulty: Difficult Number of yers: 3 Background: In Morimoto High School, there was a campus legend about a red-d female ghost that haunted the old school building. She used spells to induce hallucinations and thoughts of suicide in students who remained in the school after dark, ultimately leading them to take their own lives in the old school building. Name: Watanabe Ryusei upation: High School Student (Leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect) Gender: Male Age: 18 Traits: Leadership Qualities, Blessing of the Yellow King Rtion to This Module: Due to Watanabe Ryusei''s deliberate concealment, the world was unaware that he had thwarted the Yueshihao cult event. Therefore, Watanabe Ryusei, along with other ssmates, had smoothly returned to Morimoto High School, preparing for their final year of high school. Character Attributes: Strength: 60 Constitution: 60 Willpower: 75 Luck: 70 Agility: 50 Appearance: 85 Body Size: 60 Intelligence: 80 Inspiration: 70 Education: 70 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 20 Sanity Points: 60/?? Hit Points: 12 Magic Points: 30 Damage Bonus: 1 Credit Rating: 30 Skills: Ind Nation Language 80, Library Use 60, Investigation 50, Listening 40, Persuasion 70, Combat 40, Dodge 40, ult 80. Special Skills: Summoning/Dismissing Byakya, Ritual to Summon King Hastur in Yellow Robes Personal Items: Cellphone, English Trantion of "Yellow King," "Worshipers of the Yellow Sect" Scriptures, Yellow Seal Pendant, Ritual Dagger Followers: Jiro Oshima (Combat Type), Katsuya Maeda (Support Type), Masayoshi Takahashi (Average Type), Nobita Nobi (Average Type), Shizuka Minamoto (Support Type), Suneo Honekawa (Support Type), Takeshi Gouda (Combat Type) Liu Xing was astonished when he saw Watanabe Ryusei''s list of followers. Surprisingly, Watanabe Ryusei had gained four additional followers, and their names seemed strangely familiar in various ways. It appeared that after the Yueshihao module, Watanabe Ryusei had sessfully convinced Shizuka and the others to join his cult. Now, even if this module wasbeled as difficult, Liu Xing felt much more confident with his seven followers. Wait a minute, the game''s difficulty isbeled as "difficult"? Liu Xing was somewhat surprised as he read the module description. He hadn''t expected this three-yer module to be ssified as difficult. After all, both the Yueshihao and Dark Life modules were only of medium difficulty! In the Cthulhu RPG Game, generally, the fewer yers there were for the same difficulty level, the rtively higher the difficulty coefficient of the module. This was because the game demanded a higher level of information gathering. With more yers, there was more information to gather, and duringbat rounds, the adage "strength in numbers" often held true, unless they encountered powerful higher-tier mythical creatures. So, even a three-yer medium difficulty module could be more challenging than a six-yer difficult one. However, Liu Xing suddenly thought of a possibility. The reason this module was categorized as difficult might be because of him. After all, he had seven NPC followers, which equated to seven yers in terms of information gathering andbat capabilities. So, Liu Xing felt like he might have put the other two yers at a disadvantage. As the game began, a pleasant female voice announced, "Hello, everyone. I''m the KP (Keeper) for this module, Hope Sister. You can also call me Sister Hope because I''ll bring you hope. Now, let me announce the main quest directly. Investigate the truth behind the recent series of student suicides at Morimoto High School." "Of course, Liu Xing, because you epted a world mission, your main quest has an additional requirement. Investigate the true cause of death of Higashi Meizi, a friend of Juri Sonoda, from many years ago. Once you uncover the true cause of Higashi Meizi''s death, the next world mission will be triggered." "Alright, let''s start immersing ourselves in the plot. By the way, each of you yers can have two separate private room sessions, eachsting five minutes." As soon as Sister Hope''s words ended, Liu Xing found himself sitting in a ssroom. His seat was the protagonist''s spot in an Ind Nation animean aisle seat near the window, second tost. ording to Watanabe Ryusei''s memories, Liu Xing realized that Suneo Honekawa was sitting behind him, Shizuka Minamoto was in front, Nobita Nobi was on his right, Gian Gouda was to his right front, and Jiro Oshima, one of his followers, was still behind him. The other two followers, Katsuya Maeda and Masayoshi Takahashi, were positioned near the front and back entrances of the ssroom. Apart from that, Liu Xing recalled some events that urred after the Yueshihao module: Firstly, the headteacher, who had been involved with the cult and attempted to perform a blood ritual on students, was dismissed from Morimoto High School. He was currently under investigation in the Cosmic Country. However, the headteacher''s son, Yamamoto Nihyakugo, hadn''t been influenced by his father''s actions and was still working at Morimoto High School. Honda Tetsuya, due to his "negligence in supervision, nearly leading to harm to students," was transferred to the archives room at the school and had broken up with Ms. Fujiwara. With Honda Tetsuya''s departure, a new teacher had naturally taken over as Watanabe Ryusei''s homeroom teacher. The young man standing at the podium right now introduced himself as Ming Hanxing. Liu Xing was sure that this Ming Hanxing was a yer because the name was so over-the-top and typical of what yers would choose. Moreover, Ming Hanxing had transferred to Liu Xing''s ss just as this module began. Standing beside Ming Hanxing was a transfer student named Ling Ishikawa. It was clear that Ling Ishikawa was another yer. Seeing this situation, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that all three yers in this module were on the same side and had gathered together from the start, making things much more convenient. After introducing himself, Ming Hanxing introduced Ling Ishikawa to the ss, and then the bell rang to signal the end of ss. As Ming Hanxing was somewhat of a handsome young man, female students in the ss flocked to flirt with their new homeroom teacher. On the other hand, Ling Ishikawa was surveying all the students in the ss, as if searching for something. However, Liu Xing noticed that Ling Ishikawa had a furrowed brow and seemed disappointed, indicating that he hadn''t found what he was looking for. Wait a minute! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, thinking that this couldn''t be just a coincidence. Liu Xing believed that Ling Ishikawa was most likely Yin En''s new character card! The reason was simple: Ling Ishikawa was clearly searching for thest yer in his eyes. He could also confirm that Ming Hanxing was a yer. Now, Ling Ishikawa''s expression of disappointment clearly indicated that he thought the students in this ss were not the final yer because he "knew" that these yers were all NPCs. Most importantly, Liu Xing remembered Yin En mentioning in yesterday''s message that he would create a new character card today to earn points because he didn''t have enough to pay for the resurrection module. With this in mind, Liu Xing was looking forward to the moment when Yin En realized he had "possessed" Watanabe Ryusei. He approached Ling Ishikawa, patted his shoulder, and smiled, saying, "Hello, new student." Ling Ishikawa nodded and replied with a smile, "Hello, I''m Ling Ishikawa. Nice to meet you." Liu Xing used his eyes to signal Ming Hanxing and subtly hinted to Ling Ishikawa, "Ishikawa, I didn''t expect you to transfer to our school after the Yueshihao incident and join our ss, which was almost disbanded. You''re quite daring." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow and clearly understood the undertones of Liu Xing''s words. He replied seriously, "I''ve heard of the Yueshihao incident, but so what? If I recall correctly from the reports, only two fanatical cultists died, right? There were also two brave Chinese students who tried to stop the cult ritual and are now in aa, right?" After hearing Ling Ishikawa''s response, Liu Xing was certain that Ling Ishikawa was Yin En''s "alt ount"! Fate truly worked in mysterious ways. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 249: Another Suicide Chapter 249: Another Suicide Upon confirming that Ling Ishikawa was indeed Yin En''s "alt," Liu Xing felt relieved. After all, Liu Xing was quite familiar with Yin En''s abilities, and they had enjoyed good cooperation in the previous two modules. With renewed confidence in this module, Liu Xing''s morale rose considerably. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, the importance of having a good teammate was second only to luck. Thinking about this, Liu Xing continued to ask, "They''re all good people, aren''t they? If they hadn''t warned us about the sinister intentions of those cultists in advance, we might have already ended up at the bottom of the sea. Unfortunately, their situation isn''t great now... By the way, Ishikawa, you haven''t told me why you transferred to our school." After confirming Liu Xing''s identity, Ling Ishikawa replied earnestly, "Well, you see, my father is the head of a Swordsmanship dojo, and due to some reasons, we had to move the dojo from Akita to Kyoto. So, I had no choice but toe along. And in Kyoto, Morimoto Academy offers the best value for education, with rtively low admission requirements. That''s why I chose to join Morimoto Academy." Liu Xing nodded and yfully said, "I see. Then, Ishikawa, you should be aware of the recent rumors circting about the Red-Clothed Female Ghost at Morimoto Academy, right? Although I''m not sure yet if the Red-Clothed Female Ghost actually exists." Ling Ishikawa chuckled and replied, "I''m well aware of those rumors, and I''m quite interested in this so-called Red-Clothed Female Ghost. If there''s a chance, I n to visit the old school building myself." "That''s great. Actually, I''m nning to check out the old school building as well. Since our opinions align, would you be willing to join us, Ishikawa?" Liu Xing asked with a smile. Ling Ishikawa naturally didn''t refuse this proposition and nodded immediately, saying, "Of course, strength in numbers. If there really is a Red-Clothed Female Ghost, we can face it together." Thus, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa reached a preliminary agreement. Since Watanabe Ryusei was not familiar with Ling Ishikawa at the moment, Liu Xing did not continue tomunicate with Yin En. He nned to find a chance to catch up with Ming Hanxingter. Returning to his seat, Liu Xing was approached by the newly initiated believer, Nobi Nobita, who smiled and said, "Master, I''vepiled the information you asked me to collect yesterday." As Nobi Nobita spoke, he handed a notebook to Liu Xing. From memory, Liu Xing recalled that "he" had instructed Nobi Nobita to investigate the rumors about the Red-Clothed Female Ghost yesterday. ording to Nobi Nobita''s investigation, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost had only been discovered about half a month ago. The student who first encountered the Red-Clothed Female Ghost imed to have seen her while searching for information in the archives. At that time, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost was standing in a ssroom on the third floor of the old school building, staring intently out the window at him. The student had been terrified at the time, but when he regained hisposure, he found that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost had disappeared. So, the student thought he might have been mistaken. However, the next day, another student at Morimoto Academymitted suicide by shing their wrists in the old school building. Strangely, no knife was found at the scene. Therefore, the authorities initially considered it a homicide rather than a suicide. They reviewed the surveince cameras on the only path leading to the old school building and found that, besides the student whomitted suicide, there was no one else present in the old school building at the time. As a result, the authorities had to reluctantly ssify it as a suicide and quickly closed the case. However, the student who had initially encountered the Red-Clothed Female Ghost suddenly realized, while observing themotion, that the student who hadmitted suicide was the same one he had seen in the ssroom with the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. After reading the information gathered by Nobi Nobita, Liu Xing pondered for a moment and said, "So, this Red-Clothed Female Ghost seems to have only appeared recently... Nobita, how long have we been back from the Cosmic Country?" Checking his phone, Nobita replied, "Well, we returned about half a month ago, but the school gave us a ten-day break, and we only came back to school five days ago." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, and a daring idea began to form in his mind. At that moment, noise erupted from downstairs, prompting Liu Xing to nce out of the window and see many students rushing in one directionthe direction of the old school building. Liu Xing furrowed his brow as a fellow student burst into the ssroom and loudly eximed, "Another student died in the old school building!" The students in the ssroom erupted intomotion and quickly left their seats. As expected. Liu Xing stood up and said to Shizuka and the others, "Let''s go. Let''s go check out the scene." So, Liu Xing led his believers out of the ssroom, and Ling Ishikawa naturally joined the group. Of course, Ming Hanxing followed as well. Ming Hanxing had a keen eye and immediately identified Liu Xing as thest yer. He also noticed that there were so many NPCs willing to follow Liu Xing, which led him to believe that Liu Xing was an experienced yer who had participated in modules at Morimoto Academy multiple times and was a local expert. With this in mind, Ming Hanxing asked Liu Xing, "Excuse me, do you happen to know what''s going on? I just arrived at the school, and I''m not familiar with the situation here." Before Liu Xing could respond, Suneo interjected, "Teacher, don''t tell me you know nothing at all and just came here to teach at our school." Ming Hanxing nodded somewhat embarrassedly and said, "That''s actually true. You can tell from my nameI''m a Chinese international student who just graduated from college. I was rmended to work here by a friend, so I''ve only just arrived at the school today, and I''m almostpletely unfamiliar with the school''s situation." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Ming Hanxing''s peculiar background. It appeared that Ming Hanxing had no knowledge of Morimoto Academy''s situation, but that might actually work in Liu Xing''s favor. It would make it easier for Liu Xing to persuade Ming Hanxing to join his team. With a subtle signal to Shizuka, Liu Xing conveyed his intention. Shizuka understood and proceeded to share the dark history of Morimoto Academy with Ming Hanxing, embellishing it to emphasize the school''s ominous reputation. After hearing all these details, Ming Hanxing eximed with shock, "What? So Morimoto Academy is this frightening? No wonder my friend had a conflicted expression when rmending this ce to me. They mentioned that Morimoto Academy offers high pay, but there are some hidden issues. I didn''t pay much attention back then, but now I''m starting to regreting here." Liu Xing watched Ming Hanxing''s expressive reaction and couldn''t help but think that his acting skills were impressive, albeit a bit exaggerated. At this point, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Teacher Ming, are you okay with this situation? You can resign anytime, but for us students, it''s not so easy. And if I remember correctly, Morimoto Academy has only had student suicides; there have been no casualties among the teachers." Speaking of teachers, Liu Xing suddenly remembered Honda Tetsuya. The archives room where Honda Tetsuya was located was just opposite the old school building. Additionally, if Liu Xing wanted to investigate the truth about Higashi Meizi, he would need to visit the archives room. Therefore, Liu Xing decided that after joining in themotion at the old school building, he would pay a visit to the archives room and have a chat with Honda Tetsuya. Following their memories, Liu Xing and his group arrived at a small grove between the new and old school buildings. Just as Juri Sonoda had mentioned, this small grove, although notrge, exuded a sinister atmosphere, with overgrown weeds and bushes, some tall enough to hide a person. However, the presence of many students like Liu Xing, who were eager to witness the events at the old school building, diluted the eerie ambiance of the grove. Following the crowd, Liu Xing and his group arrived in the vicinity of the old school building. The cleanliness of the area around the old school building was rtively well-maintained, mainly because there were still people working in the archives room opposite it. However, there were still plenty of weeds growing unchecked. Apart from the old school building and the archives room, Liu Xing noticed a small building in the distance. ording to Watanabe Ryusei''s memories, that small building seemed to be a storage room, but the reason for having such a storage room there was a subject of debate. One thing was clear: no student had ever opened it from what he remembered. Thus, Liu Xing suspected that there might be some hidden secrets inside that storage room. In addition to this, Liu Xing learned from Watanabe Ryusei''s memories that there was a field behind the old school building. However, due to long-term neglect, it had turned into a grassy area. In the upper left corner of the field, there was also a swimming pool. Simr to the field, the swimming pool had fallen into disrepair, with water supply discontinued, making it dpidated. As Liu Xing was lost in thought, he suddenly heard exmations from the people around him. He followed their gazes and saw the body of the student who hadmitted suicide, hanging from arge tree! Liu Xing furrowed his brow. It seemed that this student had jumped from the old school building andnded on a tree branch, which had pierced through his abdomen. He likely died from severe bleeding. "This person... isn''t he the one who imed to have seen the Red-Clothed Female Ghost?" Nobita trembled as he spoke. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and turned to Nobita, asking seriously, "Are you sure, Nobita?" Nobita carefully examined the body hanging from the tree, then nodded confidently, saying, "Yes, I''m certain. He''s the one who imed to have seen the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. If I remember correctly, he''s a freshman named Suzuki Ryu. It''s definitely him." Liu Xing looked thoughtfully at Suzuki''s body and said, "If I''m not mistaken, this Suzuki should be the first male student from our school tomit suicide during this module." The group exchanged nces, and Shizuka nodded, saying, "You''re right. So far, it has always been female studentsmitting suicide in the old school building, and there hasn''t been a male suicide until now." Liu Xing chuckled and said seriously, "It seems that someone is bing desperate and no longer concerned about appearances. We can be certain now that this isn''t a suicide; it''s murder!" As Liu Xing spoke, a female student nearby turned to look at him. She was tall and had a beautiful face, but her expression was extremely serious, and her gaze gave Liu Xing a strange feeling, as if she harbored some hostility toward him. However, the girl didn''t say anything; she simply left with her ssmates. Suneo approached Liu Xing and said, "That girl is the newly appointed Student Council President, Lu Tianya. She''s an international student from China, excels in academics, andes from a wealthy family. However, I know one of her close friends, and that friend told me that Lu Tianya seems to have spiritual abilities and often has strange dreams. It seems she came to Morimoto Academy to investigate something." Liu Xing watched Lu Tianya''s departing figure and remarked, "I see. I didn''t expect that this girl would have such a masculine name as Lu Tianya." Of course, Liu Xing could now be certain that Lu Tianya was an important NPC in this module, and it seemed that she was on the side of the yers. However, the awkward part was that Liu Xing''s current role was a Cult Leader, and he had caused several deaths. Judging by Lu Tianya''s attitude earlier, it seemed she might have already figured out his identity. This presented a tricky situation. From the beginning of the storyline, Liu Xing had shed with an important NPC, making it more challenging to advance the plot. At that moment, school administrators and the police arrived at the scene. Liu Xing and his group, along with the other students, were eventually driven out of the old school building area by the tardy security personnel. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 250: Wealth Chapter 250: Wealth A sessful strike for the students. Liu Xing, apanied by his followers, left the school alongside the enthusiastic regr students. ording to Watanabe Ryusei''s memory, Liu Xing brought his followers to a high-end apartment building next to Morimoto Academy and returned to his own home. As a Cult Leader, Watanabe Ryusei''s assets were quite substantial. After all, for some fanatical followers, wealth was inconsequential, and they had to dedicate everything to the church. Therefore, in a short span of a few years, Watanabe Ryusei''s father had umted immense wealth and acquired numerous properties. Now, this entire apartment building belonged to Watanabe Ryusei. After reviewing Watanabe Ryusei''s memories, Liu Xing couldn''t help but open his character card and check the asset bnce: 5,000,000,700... "Yes, five billion dors. I never thought I''d be a billionaire," Liu Xing self-mockingly remarked in his mind. Being a billionaire, Watanabe Ryusei wouldn''t treat himself poorly. He immediately opened up the top floor of the luxury apartment, creating a spacious room to amodate his followers. Indeed, including Shizuka, all of Watanabe Ryusei''s followers were now living in his home. They told their parents they were embarking on a high school entrepreneurship venture, as Watanabe Ryusei was now incredibly wealthy. Consequently, Watanabe Ryusei handed Shizuka and the others a million yen each, persuading their families to let them stay with him. Ling Ishikawa and Ming Hanxing also moved into Watanabe Ryusei''s home without hesitation. Due to their status as yers, their actions were quite unrestricted. Although Ling Ishikawa had a family, they rarely interfered with her affairs, unless it was essential for the module''s plot. After assigning rooms, they all gathered in the living room, with Shizuka preparing dinner. "The current situation is quite clear. The next target of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is Teacher Honda Tetsuya. It''s highly likely that she intends to take him to the swimming pool behind the old school building and kill him. After all, that''s the only ce in the old school building area associated with water. So, my n is to buy several cameras and set up surveince around the pool," Liu Xing, as the leader, began. As a second-generation rich kid, Suneo Gokawa was confident in this area. "Leader, leave this to me. I know a good securitypany. They have these excellent miniature monitors with high-quality video and HD night vision capabilities. These monitors even support real-time video recording upload, so the chances of losing footage are minimal. I think these miniature monitors are perfect for our needs." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Very well, Suneo. Price is not an issue, but you must ensure quality." Suneo Gokawa nodded earnestly, "No problem, Leader. You can trust me on this. That securitypany has been wanting our order for a while, and I should be able to easily negotiate for a batch of these miniature monitors for free. If everything goes as nned, we should have them in three days, which will allow us to set up in time for the return to school." "Excellent. However, Suneo, don''t forget to continue stirring up the students'' resistance online. Keep the pressure on the school, and don''t give them a chance for public rtions!" Liu Xing smiled as he spoke. Suneo Gokawa nodded and went to the side to make a phone call, contacting his acquaintances. At this point, Ling Ishikawa shared her thoughts, "Leader, I think we should investigate the identity of this Red-Clothed Female Ghost. I believe her identity is not ordinary." Liu Xing agreed with Ling Ishikawa. "You''re right; the identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is unusual. Based on the usual characteristics of the Cthulhu RPG Game, there''s a high probability she canmunicate. If that''s the case, she might be the key topleting this module. So, investigating her identity is necessary." "In that case, I''ll handle this part of the mission, Leader. I have a widework of contacts, and I should be able to dig up something," Nobita volunteered, as Liu Xing had unofficially designated him as the intelligence officer. However, this mission seemed rather challenging, and Nobita looked puzzled as he said, "Leader, this mission seems too difficult. Firstly, the appearance of this Red-Clothed Female Ghost was very sudden, and there are only three people who have seen her, with Teacher Honda being the only survivor. So, even if I inquire, I might not get any information unless Teacher Honda knows her personally." Nobita''s words had some merit, leaving Liu Xing momentarily speechless. However, he remained confident that they could uncover the true identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. After all, it couldn''t be an unsolvable mystery. So, Liu Xing patted Nobita on the shoulder with a smile and said, "Nobita, you need to have confidence in yourself. Remember, where there''s a will, there''s a way. So, give it your best shot. The heavier the burden, the better you must perform." Nobita nodded and started making calls to his friends, seeking information about the Red-Clothed Female Ghost''s identity. "For now, let''s set the Red-Clothed Female Ghost issue aside. Our main focus is on gathering evidence about the school. Currently, we can only prove that the recent so-called suicides were influenced by external factors, but we still can''t prove the school''s involvement. So, during our free time in the next few days, we need to find opportunities to gather evidence against the school''s top leaders. Ideally, we should establish a connection between them and the arrested vice-principal, so we can send them to the police as well," Liu Xing said. Ming Hanxing nodded and took out his phone, saying, "I have a friend who works as a private investigator in the Kyoto area. Although he has an entric personality and never reveals his true face, he''s highly skilled in tracking and investigation work. I suggest we let him handle the investigation of the school''s leadership. He should be able to provide substantial results within two days, but he does charge quite a bit." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, suspecting that Ming Hanxing''s private investigator friend might be a mythical creature like a Ghoul or a Deep One, or perhaps a wizard with stealth abilities. That could exin Ming Hanxing''s strong rmendation and guarantee of results. With this in mind, Liu Xing thought that hiring a mythical creature to help was an excellent idea, and money was certainly not a problem. So, he nodded and said, "As I mentioned before, money is definitely not an issue. If that private investigator''s skills are good enough, I can offer any amount of money. Teacher Ming, please contact him." Ming Hanxing nodded with a meaningful smile and said, "Money is not a concern, Leader. This private investigator is a foreigner named Miguel Copus." Miguel? Mi Ge! Liu Xing suddenly realized the significance. No wonder Ming Hanxing had such high regard for this private investigator. He was a Mi Go! In the Cthulhu Mythos, there were generally considered to be four major technological races. First were the Yithians, followed by the Ancient Ones, the humans who were created by the Ancient Ones, and finally, the Mi Go, often referred to as the "Yuggs Fungi." The appearance of a Mi Go typically resembled arge, five-foot-tall, red, crustacean-like creature. However, biologically, they were closer to fungi and were hence called "Yuggs Fungi." Mi Go had segmented legs simr to insects, bat-like membranous wings on their backs, and their heads were adorned with swirling elliptical lobes. Theymunicated with each other through the changing colors of these lobes, making verbalnguage unnecessary. Nevertheless, Mi Go could simte any humannguage using the vibrations of their bodily organs andmunicate with humans through a buzzingnguage. Additionally, they possessed the ability to hypnotize humans with ultrasonic frequencies. Mi Go''s wings were designed for high-speed travel in the etheric substances of outer space, but they were less effective in Earth''s atmospherepared to the vacuum of space. ording to the Cthulhu RPG Game''s lore, Mi Go had established numerous colonies in various parts of Earth, and their appearances varied depending on the region. For example, in Nepal, they took on the form ofrge apelike creatures, famously known as the Himyan Yeti. Mi Go hadnded on Earth during the Jurassic period and engaged in battles with the Ancient Ones, Yithians, Flying Hydras, and other races. They eventually gained control of the Northern Hemisphere and began setting up mining outposts to extract a unique mineral never before found on their home. Mi Go had a strong inclination towards advancing technology and had achieved remarkable feats. They even possessed some dark technologies typically exclusive to the Great Old Ones, surpassing most other races in this regard. For instance, they had created an immature Great Old One, Gadamon, from the seeds of Azathoth; they crafted the Radiant Dodecahedron, an item with unique properties rted to Nyathotep''s incarnations; and they had established awork of portals, linking their numerous outposts. As an upper-tier race, Mi Go were immensely powerful mythical creatures, seldom encountered even in the Cthulhu Mythos. Most importantly, they harbored a hostile attitude towards humanity, typically killing humans on sight. Liu Xing was incredibly curious about how Ming Hanxing knew a Mi Go. Facing Liu Xing''s inquisitive gaze, Ming Hanxing exined, "It''s a matter of fate when ites to my friend. Once, during my travels, I saw him being pursued by a group of miners. I helped him escape, and that''s how we became friends." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, understanding Ming Hanxing''s implication. Miguel Copus was likely not a true Mi Go but an artificial human created by them, with a human brain transnted into an artificial body. Mi Go''s expertise in biotechnology and surgery allowed them to craft humanoid bodies indistinguishable from real humans,plete with the ability to extract human brains intact for transntation or storage in specialized containers. Miguel Copus probably had his brain transnted into an artificial body by the Mi Go and was then assigned to perform mining work. Eventually, he managed to escape the Mi Go''s mining outpost and was rescued by Ming Hanxing. As an artificial body crafted by the Mi Go, Miguel Copus likely possessed superior physical attributespared to ordinary humans and possibly had some unusual abilities, such as invisibility. Therefore, as a private investigator, his capabilities were likely formidable. On a side note, Mi Go had mining machines capable of causing earthquakes, which made their presence in an earthquake-prone country like the Ind Nation quite fitting in a Cthulhu context. "Very well, Teacher Ming, please contact Mr. Miguel. Let him thoroughly investigate what those cultists are up to. We must strive to eradicate the Deep Sea Gospel Societypletely this time!" Liu Xing said with seriousness. Ming Hanxing nodded and smiled, "I knew you would say that, Leader. I''ve already contacted my friend, and he has agreed to begin tracking and investigating our school''s principal. We should have preliminary results by tomorrow." Liu Xing and the others continued to discuss casually, realizing that they didn''t have much to discuss at the moment. After all, they had very little information in hand, making it challenging to draw any meaningful conclusions. At that moment, Nobita furrowed his brow and said, "Leader, it seems like the student council president, Lu Tianya, is investigating you. Several ssmates from our ss have been called to the student council by Lu Tianya, and he''s been asking about you." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that he had caught the attention of Lu Tianya, and it seemed that Lu Tianya''s impression of him wasn''t favorable. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 251: Meeting Miguel Chapter 251: Meeting Miguel Liu Xing wasn''t entirely certain at the moment whether this Woman in Red was on their side or not. However, based on Liu Xing''s understanding of the Cthulhu RPG Game, there was a high probability that this Woman in Red was connected to the "suicidal" students from before. Still, it couldn''t be confirmed whether the Woman in Red possessed independent consciousness. "Alright, for now, let''s go have dinner. After dinner, Suneo, Teacher Ming, Ling Ishikawa, and I will go visit the Shrine nearby. As for the others, they are free to do as they please," Liu Xing suggested. After finishing their meal, Liu Xing, along with Ling Ishikawa and two others, left the apartment and headed to the Fujiwara Shrine, not far from Morimoto Academy. "Fujiwara Shrine, it seems this shrine must be owned by Fujiwara-sensei, or rather, it''s the property of the school''s principal," Liu Xing mused, stroking his chin. Fujiwara-sensei, the ex-girlfriend of Honda Tetsuya, was the daughter of Morimoto Academy''s principal. Suneo Kotsukawa nodded and sighed, "Truly, the heart of a woman can be the most treacherous. I used to think that Fujiwara-sensei was a gentle and beautiful teacher, but I never imagined she was a fanatic, willing to put us in harm''s way. Considering how she treated us in the past, I feel like we were just a bunch of naive little pigs in her eyes, waiting to be ughtered during a festival. Unfortunately, we managed to escape in the end. I''m sure Fujiwara-sensei must be very disappointed to hear about it." Liu Xing chuckled and agreed, "You''re right. Who would have thought that a group of ordinary students could resist a group of prepared fanatics? Buting to think of it, Honda-sensei is probably the unluckiest one among us. He not only lost his love but also his job, and now his life is also threatened. However, I hope Honda-sensei chooses to leave the school and find a new teaching position. If he stays at the school, he may not escape unscathed, even with our help." Suneo Kotsukawa nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed, if your identity as the leader hasn''t been exposed yet, then Honda-sensei will likely be med for the Yueshihao incident. If that happens, the school''s actions against him are expected. But I think I can convince my father to offer Honda-sensei a good position, or we could find an opportunity to persuade him to resign." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Suneo Kotsukawa''s idea quite appealing. At the moment, Honda Tetsuya stayed at the school to fulfill his remaining contractual obligations before seeking a new teaching job. If Suneo Kotsukawa could secure him a good position, Honda Tetsuya might be able to leave the school sooner. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but think that saving Honda Tetsuya wouldn''t be so easy. After all, Jin Ziyuan and Suzuki Ryu, both from the Plot Encounter, were beyond rescue. Moreover, Honda Tetsuya was the primary target in this module, making his rescue the most challenging. Nheless, Liu Xing believed it was worth a try. After all, what if they seeded? As fate would have it, when Liu Xing''s group approached the vicinity of the Fujiwara Shrine, they saw Honda Tetsuya in a conversation with a woman. Although the woman had her back to Liu Xing, he could tell, with his intuition, that she was Fujiwara-sensei, Fujiwara Yuko. Though they were at a distance, Liu Xing could sense that Honda Tetsuya appeared agitated. "Let''s observe for now," Liu Xing whispered. Ling Ishikawa and the others nodded, and they entered a nearby convenience store. They bought some snacks and sat near the store''s window, eating while keeping an eye on Honda Tetsuya and Fujiwara Yuko. After a while, it seemed that Honda Tetsuya and Fujiwara Yuko parted ways. Fujiwara Yuko pushed him aside and walked directly towards the Fujiwara Shrine. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and led Ling Ishikawa and the others to approach Honda Tetsuya, who looked lost and dejected. When they reached Honda Tetsuya, he finally snapped out of his thoughts and eximed in surprise, "Ryusei students, what are you doing here?" Liu Xing chuckled and replied, "We''re just showing Teacher Ming around. It''s his first time in Kyoto. We saw you talking to Fujiwara-sensei earlier, so we didn''t want to disturb you." Upon hearing the mention of Fujiwara Yuko, Honda Tetsuya sighed and said, "I apologize for that. I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw Fujiwara Yuko here. We were in a rtionship for two years, and I never imagined she was just using me..." Ming Hanxing sighed as well and patted Honda Tetsuya on the shoulder. "Well, Honda-sensei, I''ve heard about your situation from Ryusei students. I must say, you''ve had some bad luck." While Ming Hanxing chatted with Honda Tetsuya, Liu Xing exchanged a nce with Suneo Kotsukawa. Suneo knew what to do. Once the conversation between Ming Hanxing and Honda Tetsuya concluded, Suneo informed Honda Tetsuya that he wanted to offer him a position at his father''spany, with better conditions than Morimoto Academy. As expected, Honda Tetsuya declined the offer. "Suneo, I appreciate your kind offer, but I have to refuse for now. I can''t leave Morimoto Academy just yet. The Woman in Red contacted me in a dreamst night, asking me to find something very important for her. If I don''t find it, I could be in trouble. So, I must stay at Morimoto Academy for the time being." As Honda Tetsuya spoke, he opened his coat and revealed a ck handprint. Clearly, it was the infamous ghost handprint. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, finally understanding why Suzuki Ryu had been so determined to help the Woman in Red find something, rather than simply taking a leave or transferring schools. He had been threatened by the Woman in Red. However, this was within Liu Xing''s expectations. He immediately asked a question he was more concerned about, "I see. In that case, did the Woman in Red tell you what she''s looking for? We might be able to help you find it." Upon hearing Liu Xing''s words, Honda Tetsuya sighed and shook his head, saying with a bitter smile, "I hope you can help me find it too, but what Woman in Red wants me to find is quite peculiar. She only mentioned that I should find something very important to her, rted to her memories with another person." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Woman in Red''s request indeed strange. She wanted something rted to memories with another person. To Liu Xing, many objects could potentially fit this description, with photographs being the mostmon. However, beyond photographs, there were countless possibilities, such as gifts exchanged between Woman in Red and someone else. The range was vast. Liu Xing concluded that they needed to identify Woman in Red''s true identity first before they could determine what she wanted. "In that case, we need to find out Woman in Red''s real identity first. I''ve thought about it, and it''s likely that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost refers to one of the female students who met an unfortunate fate earlier. She probably wore red clothes in her life. This should narrow down our search for Woman in Red''s identity. You don''t need to risk going into locked rooms or the school''s archives. Just search online for news rted to Morimoto Academy, and we should be able to find something," Ming Hanxing suggested. Beforeing, to avoid revealing Liu Xing''s identity, Ming Hanxing was designated as the spokesperson for externalmunication. Although Liu Xing had considered recruiting Honda Tetsuya into the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, it didn''t seem like the right time. Liu Xing perceived Honda Tetsuya as somewhat infatuated, still holding some illusions about Fujiwara Yuko, even when it was clear that she was using him as a scapegoat. Liu Xing was highly skeptical that if Honda Tetsuya learned about the connection between the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect and the Deep Sea Gospel Society, he might betray the sect to gain Fujiwara Yuko''s favor. Therefore, Liu Xing decided not to disclose the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect to Honda Tetsuya at this point. After listening to Ming Hanxing''s suggestion, Honda Tetsuya nodded and smiled reluctantly, "That''s a good idea. I''ll go home and investigate Woman in Red''s identity. If I find anything, I''ll contact you." With that, Honda Tetsuya left. After bidding farewell to Honda Tetsuya, Ming Hanxing led Liu Xing and the others to find Miguel. Miguel was staying in a hotel with a view of the Fujiwara Shrine, from where he could observe it. However, the lush greenery around the shrine obscured most of the view. Liu Xing saw Miguel wearing a white mask and standing tall and robustly by the window, overlooking the Fujiwara Shrine. If Liu Xing didn''t know that Miguel had an artificial body created by Mi Ge, equipped with eyes possibly capable of infrared vision or thermal imaging, he might have wondered why Miguel was trying to appear so deep. "Miguel, this is the employer for this mission, Mr. Watanabe Ryusei," Ming Hanxing introduced. Miguel turned to face them and silently nodded, indicating that he recognized them. Seeing Miguel''s response, Liu Xing shrugged and said with a smile, "It seems Miguel is a straightforward person. I won''t waste any time. Miguel, as long as youplete my request, everything else can be negotiated. I hope you can help me monitor these individuals effectively." Miguel nodded again and spoke with a clearly synthesized electronic voice, "I understand, Mr. Ryusei. I will definitely fulfill your request. Sincest night until now, a total of eight people have entered the Fujiwara Shrine. Here are photos of these eight individuals. Mr. Ryusei, please prioritize the tracking targets." Miguel took out eight photos andid them out on the table. Based on Liu Xing''s memory, he recognized Morimoto Academy''s principal, Fujiwara Hiroshi, as well as the son of the head of discipline, Yamamoto Nihyakugo, and the recently seen Fujiwara Yuko. As for the other five individuals, Liu Xing found two of them vaguely familiar. Suneo Kotsukawa stepped forward and pointed to the two photos Liu Xing found familiar, saying, "Ryusei, you might not know these two. They are the grade advisors for the first and second-year students, Takagi Ling and Takagi Ryo. They are biological brothers. As for our third-year grade advisor, who also serves as a grade advisor for the entire high school, we haven''t found a recement yet since the previous advisor was arrested. After all, we''re graduating soon." Graduation. Liu Xing suddenly realized that his "graduation" was only about a month away. It seemed that this module would likely conclude within a month. Regarding the remaining three individuals, Suneo Kotsukawa imed not to know them. They were likely not high-ranking personnel from Morimoto Academy but members of the Deep Sea Gospel Society operating elsewhere in Kyoto. Liu Xing nodded and told Miguel, "Miguel, please start by investigating the identities of these three individuals." Miguel nodded once more and said with a smile, "I''ve alreadypared their images with my database and identified their identities. First, there''s a chubby man in ck clothing and a hat named Okabe Kyoichi. Then, there''s a middle-aged man with sses named Kudo Zuo. Lastly, the foreign woman is Alice, the owner of me Bar, currently the hottest bar in Kyoto." Liu Xing couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. He knew the identities of Okabe Kyoichi and Kudo Zuo very well, realizing that the Deep Sea Gospel Society had deep roots in Kyoto. This exined how Morimoto Academy continued to operate without raising suspicions, as they had their people on the inside. However, Liu Xing found Alice to be the most dangerous of all. Bars had always been excellent ces to gather information, making Alice the likely intelligence officer for the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s operations in Kyoto. Typically, intelligence officers were not to be underestimated, considering their importance. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 252: Miguel? Honda Tetsuya?! Chapter 252: Miguel? Honda Tetsuya?! In every corner of the world, bars and taverns served as thergest hubs for gathering intelligence. If you were willing to spend a day there, you could usually gather plenty of useful information. As the proprietor of the me Bar, Alice undoubtedly held a wealth of information in her hands. Liu Xing felt that he had a chance to meet Alice himself, and perhaps, he could acquire valuable information about the Deep Sea Gospel Society from her. With this in mind, Liu Xing turned his attention to Miguel. Given Miguel''s abilities, capturing someone like Alice shouldn''t be a problem. So, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Miguel, may I present you with a new task..." Before Liu Xing could finish speaking, Miguel shook his head and replied seriously, "I''m sorry, Mr. Ryusei, I know you want me to help you capture someone, but I can''t do that. First, I''m just a private detective, not a mercenary. Second, if Ming Hanxing brought you to me, it means he trusts you and probably informed you about my situation. You should know that I don''t intend to reveal my abilities or my identity in Kyoto." Liu Xing nodded, but he had no intention of giving up. He didn''t want to hire Miguel; he wanted Miguel to join the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. So, Liu Xing said with a smile, "Miguel, you may have noticed that the people you''re currently monitoring seem suspicious, and their identities are not simple." Miguel chuckled and replied, "Indeed, that''s true. These people shouldn''t normally associate with each other. Based on my database, their ces of birth, educational backgrounds, and residence changes shouldn''t have much ovep. Of course, there''s a possibility of a chance encounter, but it seems like they have a good rtionship, like lifelong friends. Moreover, they make a strange gesture when they meet." "And then there''s the Fujiwara Shrine. ording to my investigation, it was built over a hundred years ago and was originally called Honsho Temple. At some point, it was renamed Fujiwara Shrine and transformed from an open temple into something resembling a private club. The security measures at Fujiwara Shrine are extremely tight, clearly designed by professionals. Essentially, every potential point of entry into the Fujiwara Shrine is monitored by at least three cameras. Also, the nting of trees and flowers in the shrine is quite strategic, ensuring that no matter which angle you observe from, you can only see irrelevant ground, never the shrine''s interior." "So, I believe Fujiwara Shrine must have a significant background, possibly serving as a base for some secret organization. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have gone to such great lengths to transform it and bring together a group of seemingly unrted individuals." Liu Xing nodded; Miguel''s deductions were indeed on point, almost uncovering the truth. "Now that Mr. Miguel has guessed most of it, I''ll tell you the truth," Liu Xing said seriously, "as you mentioned, Fujiwara Shrine is actually a branch of the secret cult Deep Sea Gospel Society in the Kyoto area. These people are high-ranking members of the Deep Sea Gospel Society in Kyoto. Now, Mr. Miguel, you should understand what really happened in Morimoto Academy, the so-called idents and suicides." Because Miguel wore a mask, Liu Xing couldn''t see his expression, but from Miguel''s bodynguage, it was clear that he was frowning. This was precisely Liu Xing''s intention. Although Miguel had lost most of his memories, Liu Xing was confident that Miguel was a righteous person, considering he had been persecuted by Mi Ge before. "I see, I see. It''s starting to make sense now," Miguel suddenly realized. While Miguel was lost in thought, Liu Xing delved into his memories and suddenly came across a valuable piece of information. It was about the time when he delivered an offering to Aaron and saw him engaged in a friendly conversation with someone. After that person left, Watanabe Ryusei asked Aaron about that person''s identity. Aaron had only told Watanabe Ryusei that the person wasn''t human, just a vessel controlled remotely by Mi Ge. Aaron hadn''t continued discussing Miguel''s issue with Watanabe Ryusei and had started eating the "food" Watanabe Ryusei had brought. Seeing this memory, Liu Xing''s heart skipped a beat. Now he knew about Mi Ge''s existence, and he immediately fabricated an excuse. So, Liu Xing said, "Miguel, allow me to give you a brief introduction to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. In simple terms, the Deep Sea Gospel Society is a cult. However, what sets them apart from other cults is their genuine belief in and worship of a powerful mythical creature, the Deep One, residing in the deep sea. You can think of it as a fish person, but with incrediblebat abilities. They could easily destroy a city." Miguel nodded, somewhat puzzled, and said, "So what? I am, in essence, a mythical creature myself with this peculiar body. Perhaps I can be friends with that Deep One." "You won''t," Liu Xing asserted. "Because that Deep One is friends or rather, partners with the mythical creature that transformed you into what you are now." Miguel took a step back in surprise and eximed, "What? Are you saying you know why I look like this?!" Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Exactly. The reason you look like this is because you were modified by a mythical creature named Mi Ge. Mi Ge can create bodies that are identical to humans but vastly superior in strength. Moreover, Mi Ge possesses remarkable surgical skills, capable of extracting your brain without harm and performing cryogenic transnts. That''s why you look the way you do now. In this body of yours, only your brain remains as your own." As Liu Xing finished speaking, Kp''s sharp teeth suddenly interjected, saying, "yer Liu Xing, since your conclusion is based on fragmented information, please make an education check. If you fail, Miguel won''t believe what you just said." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, grateful that his character card, despite being that of a high school student, had gained a wealth of specialized knowledge due to his affiliation with the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. His education attribute had already reached the level of a college graduate, 70. Liu Xing, 33/70, Seeded. After Liu Xing sessfully passed the education check, Miguel spoke, "I see. So that''s why my name, as well as the names of those who want to kill me, are all Miguel. It''s just a unified numbering for sovereignty. I used to think Miguel was my real name." Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Mi Ge, as a formidable mythical creature, is most powerful in its technological abilities. For example, the earthquake mining machine you destroyed earlierthis is the primary reason behind the numerous earthquakes in the Ind Nation. Currently, Deep One intends to coborate with Mi Ge to turn that famous movie into reality." Of course, thatst sentence was something Liu Xing made up. "''Ind Nation Sinks,''" Ling Ishikawa added at the right moment. Miguel looked at Liu Xing, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Is that true?" Liu Xing nodded and said solemnly, "It is." Miguel sighed and nodded, saying, "Well then, since that''s the case, I''m willing to help you capture the person you want me to." Finished. Liu Xing chuckled and extended his hand, saying, "A pleasant cooperation, Mr. Miguel. I believe you won''t be disappointed. And, if all goes well, I''m confident I can help you recover your memories. However, your original body is likely lost." Miguel also smiled, somewhat teasingly, "Oh, Mr. Ryusei, don''t try to fool me. I''m the type of person who takes things seriously. If I can recover my memories, that would be great. Besides, apart from the face, I''m quite satisfied with this body." Liu Xing shook his head and said earnestly, "I''m not one to make jokes about this. After all, there''s a saying that goes, ''A real man keeps his word.'' So, I''ll do my best to help you regain your memories because I have the means to do so." Miguel nodded, a bit puzzled, and at that moment, Ming Hanxing approached, taking Miguel aside to start proselytizing. Ming Hanxing, 3/85, Seeded. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, impressed with Ming Hanxing''s initiative. He didn''t even need to signal him; Ming Hanxing had started proselytizing on his own. With the "Assistant Leader" character trait, Ming Hanxing''s persuasive abilities reached 85. Most importantly, Ming Hanxing''s persuasive check resulted in a critical sess, which meant Miguel had be his disciple. Opening the character card panel, Liu Xing indeed saw a new disciple - Miguel Copus (Special Type). Liu Xing had initially thought Miguel would be abat-oriented NPC, but it turned out Miguel was a Special Type NPC. It made sense, considering Miguel''s condition. Apart from his brain, everything about him might no longer be human. So, having Miguel as a Special Type NPC was reasonable. "I didn''t expect you, Mr. Ryusei, to be a leader as well. This is quite surprising. More importantly, you managed to convert Ming Hanxing into your disciple. It seems I''ve been outmaneuvered by you," Miguel said with a smile. Liu Xing chuckled and patted Miguel on the shoulder, saying, "Mr. Miguel, it seems you''ve epted your fate. Wee to the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. We are enemies of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, which means Mi Ge will be ourmon enemy. I will certainly stand up for my disciples." Miguel nodded but expressed some concern, "Leader, I''m not doubting yourmitment. It''s just that, based on what you''ve said, Mi Ge and that Deep One don''t seem easy to deal with." Liu Xing raised his eyebrow, full of confidence, "Mi Ge and Deep One are indeed formidable adversaries, but the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect are no pushovers either. You''ll see the might of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect when the timees." Miguel chuckled and nodded, saying, "Okay, I''ll wait for the leader to disy his prowess. By the way, do you want to see my true face? Let me warn you in advance; don''t be too shocked when you see it." Liu Xing nced at Ming Hanxing, who nodded gently. So, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Of course, I''m curious about your true appearance, Miguel. After all, everyone is curious about what''s behind the mask." Miguel nodded, removed his mask, revealing a...pletely distorted face. Yes, every feature on Miguel''s face waspletely misced, with each facial feature not in its proper ce. Liu Xing silently nodded. It was no wonder Miguel always wore a mask. This face was truly nightmarish, and if someone saw it at night, there would likely be a new urban legend the next day. However, Liu Xing suddenly felt that Miguel''s face, when restored to its original state, seemed oddly familiar. With this thought in mind, Liu Xing said, "Miguel, do you mind if I take a picture of you? I feel like I''ve seen your face somewhere before." Miguel raised an eyebrow, nodded, and said, "Sure, if you really recognize me, then I''ll finally know who I am." Liu Xing nodded and took a picture of Miguel''s face with his phone. He sent the photo to Shizuka, who was back at home, asking her to print it out and then restore Miguel''s facial features to their proper ces. After a while, Shizuka sent back a photo. Now, Liu Xing finally understood why Miguel''s face had seemed so familiar when restored to its original state. It was because he had just been talking to this face. That''s right; with his facial features correctly ced, Miguel''s face was almost identical to Honda Tetsuya! "What, isn''t this Mr. Honda?!" Ling Ishikawa eximed in shock. Liu Xing nodded, his expression serious. Miguel was Honda Tetsuya?! But who was Honda Tetsuya?! Liu Xing felt like his brain had turned into mush in an instant. "Could it be that Miguel''s true identity is Honda Tetsuya, and the current Honda Tetsuya is someone else in disguise?" Ming Hanxing furrowed his brow, speaking with uncertainty. Liu Xing shook his head, unable to confirm this yet, "We can''t be certain at the moment. However, the only thing we can be sure of is that Honda-sensei is likely connected to Miguel. Suneo, start investigating Honda-sensei''s past. If Honda-sensei has indeed been to Kobe..." "Honda-sensei did go to Kobe. I remember in my first year of high school, before you transferred to our school, Leader, Honda-sensei told us he had visited Kobe as part of his high school graduation trip, and there had been some incidents," interrupted Suneo Honekawa. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 253: Heading to Kobe Chapter 253: Heading to Kobe Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and asked, "Unexpected?" Honekawa Suneo nodded and replied seriously, "Yes, Teacher Honda''s exact words at that time were that after they arrived in Kobe, they were allowed free time. However, on the first day of free time, a group of students didn''t return for the night. The teachers leading the trip didn''t pay too much attention initially, as they thought such incidents urred every year due to a few troublemaker students in every ss. So, no one took it seriously." "But on the second day, those students were still missing, and other students imed they hadn''t seen them either. That''s when the lead teachers realized the seriousness of the situation. They immediately reported it to the police and organized a search. On the third morning, those missing students were mysteriously left at the hotel''s doorstep. They had no visible injuries, but they all imed to have lost their memories of the past two days. Theirst memories were of being invited by a foreign man to visit a farm, and several eyewitnesses confirmed seeing all of this." "Honda-sensei initially thought that the students might be lying, perhaps they got carried away with pranks and were afraid of facing punishment if they returned. So, they pretended to be kidnapped and only revealed themselves when they heard about the police report. They acted as if they knew nothing about it, that they were genuinely kidnapped. They even arranged for witnesses." "But in the end, Honda-sensei mentioned that after graduation, these students suddenly disappeared without a trace. They lost contact with their families, and to this day, no one has been able to find them. It seems that these students were the ones taken by Mi Ge. However, at the beginning, Mi Ge inexplicably released them temporarily, only to recapture them after their graduation." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "It seems like the Mi Ge from back then might have been new to abducting people, showing some ws in their methods. So, when they heard about the police being alerted, they were worried about being discovered and decided to release those students temporarily. However, by that time, Mi Ge had already abducted them for two days and most likely performed brain surgeries on them. So, Mi Ge had no worries and summoned them back after they graduated." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement and said, "Master, you''re absolutely right. Ipletely agree with your analysis. But if that''s the case, could Miguel be Honda Tetsuya himself?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow, rubbing his chin, and said, "It''s hard to say for sure, Suneo. Later on, please ask your friend to investigate the story Honda-sensei mentioned. See what role Honda-sensei yed in that student disappearance case. If Honda-sensei also disappeared back then, then Miguel is very likely Honda Tetsuya. However, there''s another possibility that Miguel''s current artificial body was created using Honda Tetsuya''s body as a base." At this moment, a puzzled Miguel finally snapped out of his daze and asked, "Master, are you saying that someone else is using my face?" Liu Xing nodded and retrieved a photo of Honda Tetsuya from his phone, then handed the phone to Miguel. Miguel took the phone but remained motionless. Liu Xing sighed, sat back in his chair, and closed his eyes to contemte the current issues. Firstly, what was the rtionship between Honda Tetsuya and Miguel? Liu Xing currently had three theories. First, Miguel''s brain might be Honda Tetsuya''s, and he was captured by Mi Ge long ago, his memories erased, bing Mi Ge''s ve. He had been controlled by Mi Ge until yers like Ming Hanxing rescued him, and he now acted as the genuine Honda Tetsuya. In reality, this Honda Tetsuya was a construct made by Mi Ge, and for some reason, Mi Ge had him continue to operate in human society. The second possibility was that Miguel''s body was constructed based on Honda Tetsuya''s body, and Miguel had a different brain. The current Honda Tetsuya was likely another person modified by Mi Ge. The third possibility was that Mi Ge used Honda Tetsuya''s appearance to create Miguel, but Mi Ge decided to y a prank on Honda Tetsuya by rearranging Miguel''s features. However, this theory relied on Mi Ge knowing Honda Tetsuya and Honda Tetsuya not being an ordinary person; otherwise, it wouldn''t make sense for Mi Ge, a mythical creature, to engage in such mischief against a regr human. So, Liu Xing believed that while the third possibility seemed quite fantastical, this was the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, and it was inherently science fiction. At this point, Miguel put down the phone and said, "I remember now. My name is Honda Tetsuya!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and asked seriously, "Is that true?" Miguel nodded and pointed to his head, saying, "Although my memories haven''t fully returned, when I saw this photo, something suddenly clicked. I recall an incident from many years ago when I was walking down a street with a group of people whose faces I couldn''t see. We entered a specialty shop, and after they closed the door, I smelled a strange fragrance. Within a few minutes, I lost consciousness... Before losing consciousness, I heard someone call me Tetsuya." Liu Xing nodded and turned to Honekawa Suneo, saying, "Suneo, find some photos of Honda Tetsuya for Miguel to see. Maybe it will trigger more memories." Honekawa Suneo nodded and took out his phone, standing next to Miguel and scrolling through the images. Liu Xing then called Ming Hanxing over and whispered, "Teacher Ming, do you remember the streets you walked on during your previous trip to Kobe? Let''s search for pictures of those streets to show Miguel. Maybe we can locate Mi Ge''sir." Ming Hanxing furrowed his brow, looking puzzled, and asked, "Master, are you suggesting that we go looking for trouble with Mi Ge? I must remind you that back then, Mi Ge only released three artificial beings and nearly wiped out me and the others." Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, saying, "Did you forget what I just said, Teacher Ming? I''ve actually met Mi Ge once before. If you think about it, Mi Ge is somewhat affiliated with our side. So, I want to meet Mi Ge and ask about the rtionship between Miguel and Honda Tetsuya. That''s where the truth lies." Ming Hanxing nodded but gestured towards Miguel and asked, "What about Miguel? You told him that Mi Ge is friends with those Deep One cultists, and this... won''t it..." Liu Xing continued to shake his head, smiling as he replied, "This is what we call a white lie. There are some things that Miguel and I won''t mention, and he won''t know. So, Teacher Ming, I hope you can keep this a secret." Ming Hanxing sighed in resignation and nodded, saying, "I understand, Master. I will definitely keep it a secret from Miguel. As for my trip to Kobe, because of Miguel, I still have vivid memories of what happened there." Ming Hanxing opened a map app and pointed out the names of several streets. Ling Ishikawa, on the other hand, took out phone and began searching for pictures of those streets, then sent them to Liu Xing. After a while, Honekawa Suneo walked over and said helplessly, "I couldn''t make Miguel remember anything else." Liu Xing nodded and handed his phone to Honekawa Suneo. "Suneo, please show these pictures to Miguel again. See if there''s any image of the specialty shop Miguel visited." Honekawa Suneo nodded and took the phone to Miguel. "Ling Ishikawa, I have a mission for you now. You need to try to locate Teacher Honda. We need to track Honda now," Liu Xing said seriously. Ling Ishikawa nodded and left with Honda Tetsuya''s address. Liu Xing stood up and gazed at the Fujiwara Shrine outside. "What could be inside Fujiwara Shrine?" Liu Xing muttered to himself. After a while, Miguel suddenly eximed, "That''s it!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing it was time to meet Mi Ge. Liu Xing walked over to Miguel and asked with a smile, "Are you sure, Miguel?" Miguel nodded seriously and said, "Yes, I''m certain. This is the specialty shop from my memories." Liu Xing nodded and turned to Honekawa Suneo, saying, "Suneo, please help me book a flight to Kobe. I want to visit this specialty shop." Honekawa Suneo agreed and asked, "Are you sure you want to go alone, Master? Shouldn''t you take someone with you?" Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, saying, "Yes, I must go alone this time because I''m going to meet Mi Ge. I can assure you that Mi Ge won''t dare to harm me, but I can''t guarantee their intentions towards you. So, I can''t take anyone else with me this time, and you''ll need to handle other matters." Liu Xing turned to Ming Hanxing and said, "Teacher Ming, as the Vice Master, I''m entrusting the affairs of Kyoto to you once I leave. For routine matters, you can handle them yourselves without consulting me. So, it''s up to you now, Teacher Ming, and I hope you and Suneo will cooperate well." An hourter, Liu Xing boarded a flight to Kobe. Fortunately, the Ind Nation wasn''t veryrge, so he quickly arrived in Kobe. He hailed a taxi and headed straight to the specialty shop. Upon entering the shop, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel that something was off. It was a specialty shop, but it seemed to be conducting business with the doors closed. If it weren''t for the sign that said "specialty shop," Liu Xing might have mistaken it for a nighttime bar. However, Liu Xing didn''t dwell on it and walked in. Inside the specialty shop, the lighting was dim, and various Kobe specialties were casually disyed. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said to the young man behind the cash register, "Boss, your specialty shop has quite a unique atmosphere." The young man stared at Liu Xing, remaining silent. While smiling, Liu Xing took out his Yellow Seal Pendant from around his neck. "You should recognize this, right?" The young man remained silent but nodded. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and casually said, "Well, since you know what this is, you should also know why I''m here. So, I won''t waste too much time talking. I''m here today to see Mi Ge." The young man nodded and used the same electronic synthesized voice as Miguel, saying, "Are you here on behalf of Aaron?" Liu Xing shook his head, still smiling, and replied, "No, Aaron can''tmand me. I am merely a servant of King Hastur in Yellow Robes." The young man nodded expressionlessly and retrieved a notebook from behind the counter. "If you wish to see Mi Ge, today is not the right time. Mi Ge is not in Kobe at the moment. If you have any questions, please write them in this notebook and include your contact information. Mi Ge will get back to youter." Liu Xing opened the notebook and saw that many people had left messages already. It seemed that Mi Ge was quite popr, with many peopleing to seek its assistance. After writing down his questions in the notebook, Liu Xing left. After all, the young man appeared to be an artificial being without independent consciousness, and conversing with him wouldn''t lead anywhere. However, Liu Xing was curious about where Mi Ge had gone. Did Mi Ge have its own year-end gathering as well? Liu Xing hadn''t taken more than a few steps when a mysterious figure suddenly approached him and said, "Excuse me, sir, can I bother you for a moment?" Liu Xing was about to refuse when he noticed the gun holstered at the person''s waist. Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing realized that he was lucky, or perhaps KP Fangs was after him now. Liu Xing hade to Kobe to investigate Mi Ge, which was considered cheating for this module. So, he had prepared himself for possible retaliation from KP Fangs. However, he hadn''t expected them to resort to a gun. Facing the gun, Liu Xing had no choice but to follow the mysterious figure into a coffee shop and into a private room. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 254: Cross-Module Chapter 254: Cross-Module Upon entering the Private Room, Liu Xing spotted a young man leisurely sipping coffee. "Young master, I''ve brought the person," said the man in ck before leaving the Private Room. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and unceremoniously took a seat across from the young man. He then picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip. It was bitter. But to maintain hisposure, Liu Xing forced himself to act unfazed. "It seems like you have a liking for bitter coffee," the young man remarked with a smile. Liu Xing nodded, setting down his coffee. "Of course, bitter coffee sharpens the mind. However, I still don''t understand why you''ve sought me out. We don''t seem to know each other, do we?" Liu Xing had assumed that the person looking for him would be someone known to Watanabe Ryusei, but upon seeing this young man, he realized that there was no recollection of him in Watanabe Ryusei''s memory. "Heh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Zhang Jingxu, a Chinese," Zhang Jingxu extended his hand and continued to smile. What intrigued Liu Xing even more was the peculiar tattoo on Zhang Jingxu''s wristtwo crossed long spears emitting an eerie green glow. A marker tattoo! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to discover that Zhang Jingxu was also a yer. Marker tattoos were a customary way for yers to identify each other and were the most convenient method of meeting in some modules. In scenarios where yers and NPCs mingled, these tattoos helped distinguish yers from non-yers. Furthermore, there was an advanced version of marker tattoos, allowing yers to add any color with an additional 10 points, which only other yers could see. However, Liu Xing now knew for sure that Ming Hanxing and Yin En were yers, as the ongoing module he was involved in specifically stated that there were only three yers. So, where had this yer in front of him suddenly appeared from? "Heh heh, congrattions, Liu Xing, you''ve encountered one of the key features of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hallcross-module interactions. After all, our Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall has always emphasized being the truest of all, which often results in multiple simultaneous Cthulhu RPG Games in the same parallel world. Most modules, however, are set in distant locations, so many yers may never experience cross-module encounters." KP Fangs said with a smile. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised that he hade into contact with yers from other modules. It had to be destiny. Of course, this wasrgely due to the small size of the Ind Nation''s territory. When multiple modules ran concurrently, if a yer from one module could move freely, it was highly likely to encounter yers from other modules. Wait, the name Zhang Jingxu sounded somewhat familiar. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finally recalling that Zhang Jingxu was hispanion from the temporary recruitment module when he had just advanced to the Shoggoth Region. However, at that time, Zhang Jingxu had been transformed into the appearance of a schoolboy due to the module''s requirements. Now, he had returned to his original form, so Liu Xing hadn''t recognized him right away, as the name and the previous image didn''t match. At this point, KP Fangs continued, "Well, since it''s cross-module, the two of you yers can enjoy ten minutes of Private Room time for free to catch up. After that, you can continue on your separate paths. Let''s begin the countdown now." As soon as KP Fangs finished speaking, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Wow, I didn''t expect to encounter yers from other modules. I thought you were an important NPC in my module." Liu Xing chuckled and feigned mystery, "Zhang Jingxu, do you still remember me?" Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and replied with some confusion, "Uh, do we know each other? Did you create a new character card? Let me think, the only yer who could call me a ssmate should be someone I met in the Ghoul area. After all, I graduated from school after advancing to the Shoggoth Region." Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, "You''re mistaken there. I''m Liu Xing, the doctor from the Inte Addiction Treatment Center." At first, Zhang Jingxu looked puzzled, but then he pped his thigh and said, "Ah, it''s you! No wonder you can call me a ssmate. It''s unexpected to meet here. It seems we''re quite fated. But speaking of which, Liu Xing, did you tear up your character card? I remember reading a news article about two Chinese tourists on the Yueshihao cruise ship who fell into aa while trying to stop a cult ritual. One of them was named Liu Xing, and it was quite clear that the Yueshihao incident was a module. You were the yer, but I never thought it would be you." Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Yes, that module was apetitive one. The two yers on the fanatic side were a Ghoul and a Deep One hybrid. It was quite challenging, but in the end, we managed to ovee it. I didn''te out too badly." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and asked with interest, "By the way, do you know anything about the specialty store you just entered? Any background information?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Zhang Jingxu was aware that the store belonged to Mi Ge, and this module involved a confrontation with Mi Ge. However, Liu Xing couldn''t reveal too much to Zhang Jingxu. After careful consideration, Liu Xing smiled and replied, "I do know that the specialty store belongs to Mi Ge. However, I''m not entirely sure about the specifics. I encountered an NPC modified by Mi Ge in my module, and this NPC is crucial for my module''s storyline, so I came here for a special purpose." Zhang Jingxu naturally understood that Liu Xing hadn''t been entirely truthful with him. Nevertheless, he chose not to press the issue. "I see. It seems, Liu Xing, you''ve been quite lucky. This specialty store is a trap set by Mi Ge to capture unsuspecting tourists from out of town. I''m sure you can imagine the fate that befalls those tourists, so when I saw you safely leaving the store, I assumed you were an NPC associated with Mi Ge." Liu Xing nodded and inquired, "Indeed, without prior preparation, I might have fallen into the trap of this specialty store. Bute to think of it, your module, Zhang Jingxu, seems quite challenging, involving Mi Ge." Zhang Jingxu smiled and shook his head. "Not too bad, actually. My character card''s profession is Taoist, and the main quest of this module involves assisting a local Kobe tycoon in dealing with a supernatural incident. The central character in this incident is a Void Spirit. Mi Ge''s involvement, on the other hand, is a high-reward side quest. If we can locate Mi Ge''s hideout, we''ll earn 1000 points. That''s why I''ve been here, keeping watch." Liu Xing nodded in understanding. He hadn''t expected Zhang Jingxu to be a Taoist, and a Void Spirit made for an intriguing focal point in a supernatural story. Void Spirits were lower-level mythical creatures with the ability to traverse dimensions. They possessed tough, leathery skin, covered in fur, and sportedrge ws. Their faces were t, devoid of distinct features, and had empty eye sockets. Despite their menacing appearance, Void Spirits were not particrly formidable inbat. However, they excelled at dimension-hopping, allowing them to move freely between higher and lower dimensional nes. By expending MP, they could transport objects or creatures to other dimensions. As a result, Void Spirits were known as elusive hunters. They particrly enjoyed tracking their prey across alternate dimensions, using various tactics to trap and eventually kill or abduct them. To NPCs, Void Spirits were synonymous with malevolent spirits and ghosts. Reflecting on this, Liu Xing remarked, "Void Spirits are not easy to deal with. Their ability to traverse dimensions makes them formidable. But speaking of fate, the module I''m currently in features a Red-Clothed Female Ghost, and it''s highly likely to be a genuine supernatural entity." "Oh, that''s interesting. Encountering real ghosts in a Cthulhu RPG Game is as rare as encountering them in real life, given the plethora of mythical creatures in the game," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Liu Xing shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it. "By the way, Zhang Jingxu, could you tell me about the skills and traits of a Taoist? In my current module, there might be a female Taoist NPC with whom I have a strained rtionship due to my character card''s profession, which is actually that of a fanatic." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and replied, "A female Taoist? That''s somewhat unusual. Are you sure she''s a Taoist and not a Yin Yang Master or something else? After all, Taoism is a distinct Chinese specialty, quite rare in the Ind Nation." Liu Xing nodded firmly. "I''m absolutely certain. This female Taoist is also Chinese and currently attending the same high school as my character card. But speaking of which, I assume Taoists have their own circles. Perhaps you know her? She has a rather unique and masculine nameLu Tianya." Upon hearing the name Lu Tianya, Zhang Jingxu''s expression turned shocked. "What? You mentioned Lu Tianya?!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and confirmed, "Yes, Lu Tianya. Do you know her? By the way, I heard that Lu Tianya used to partner with a student named Zhang in their high school days, conducting various exorcism rituals in Magic Capital. Could that Zhang be you?" Zhang Jingxu fell silent for a moment, then spoke with a touch of sadness, "Yes, that''s me." Liu Xing couldn''t help but furrow his brow, unsure of what to say. "Lu Tianya used to be a yer herself, and she entered this game even before I did," Zhang Jingxu continued, his tone bing somber. "Back then, I didn''t understand what Cthulhu was, but she often told me about her dreamsterrifying, indescribable things she encountered in her sleep. She would narrowly escape death in these dreams. I used to tease her, thinking she was just having wild fantasies. Looking back, I realize how young and naive I was." "Later, through a stroke of fate or perhaps inevitability, I entered the Cthulhu RPG Game myself. It was then that I finally understood what those nameless horrors she spoke of were. By that time, she had gone to the United States in search of the ultimate truth she believed in." "Then, when I advanced to the Shoggoth Region, I encountered her once more. However, she had already forgotten me by then and had be an NPC. Still, we became friends once again, just like before." "Afterward, I started investigating why she had be this way. The answer was quite simpleLu Tianya is just her initial character card. She tore up her character card due to some personal reasons and never resurrected it, so it automatically transformed into an NPC." Having finished his exnation, Zhang Jingxu took a sip of his coffee. "So, Zhang Jingxu, why didn''t you stay with Lu Tianya? Why did you choose to disappear when you graduated?" Liu Xing asked, his curiosity piqued. Zhang Jingxu sighed and smiled, saying, "Liu Xing, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers aren''t always in control. I was deceived by an Interlude Growth called ''The Road Ahead'' right before our graduation ceremony. The result I drew was ''Mountain Retreat,'' which forced me to leave her. I spent a whole year on Mount Longhu in seclusion, lost contact with her, and if it weren''t for meeting you today, I wouldn''t have known her whereabouts." Liu Xing nodded, deep in thought. "I see. Well, when the Private Room time ends, let''s steer the conversation toward Lu Tianya. This way, you''ll know where to find her, and you can give me an item as well. That way, I can help you get in touch with Lu Tianya, and she probably won''t have any reason to trouble me." Zhang Jingxu nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, Liu Xing. I appreciate it." At that moment, KP Fangs chimed in, "Time is nearly up. I''ll end the Private Room time now. But I must remind both of you not to forget your respective modules. It''s best to maintain some distance before your modules end, as both of them now involve Mi Ge. There''s a risk of chemical reactions and mutual influence between the two modules. However, the main quests in both modules won''t change, so please proceed with caution." Private Room time came to an end. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 255: The Missing Ling Ishikawa Chapter 255: The Missing Ling Ishikawa Lu Tianya nodded and took out apass, saying, "Thispass has the ability to detect ghosts, just like now. It has been pointing at you all along. Yesterday, when I heard that someone died in the old school building area, I secretly took out thispass and checked. I found that it was not pointing at Suzuki Ryu but at the old school building. At that time, I thought it was strange, and now it seems that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is probably behind this. After all, thispass can be influenced by the strength of ghosts." Liu Xing nced at thepass in Lu Tianya''s hand. The pointer remained fixed on himself, causing Liu Xing to furrow his brows. Thispass seemed to be specifically targeting him, considering he had so many Vengeful Spirits as a Cult Leader. If he was nearby, thepass would likely lock onto him. In that case, thispass had be a tracking device for him. Thinking about this, Liu Xing calmly asked, "Lu Tianya, howrge is the effective range of thispass? What if both Red-Clothed Female Ghost and I are within its search range, and it still locks onto me? Wouldn''t thepass be useless then?" Lu Tianya shook head and smiled, "Ryusei, you can rest assured. When I control thispass, it prioritizes locking onto Wandering Spirits, which are individual ghosts. Cases like yours, with Vengeful Spirits possessing you, would be its secondary target. Also, thispass''s range is limited; it can only lock onto targets within a radius of fifty meters." Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, as it seemed that thepass posed no significant threat to him. "Very well, Lu Tianya. If you''re free, let''s go to the old school building together on the night of the school opening. We''ll rely on yourpass to locate the Red-Clothed Female Ghost," Liu Xing suggested. Lu Tianya nodded confidently, saying, "You can count on me. As long as the Red-Clothed Female Ghost isn''t some powerful malevolent spirit, I should be able to locate her. However, I''m highly suspicious that there are many Vengeful Spirits in the old school building. After all, those students whomitted suicide must have harbored grievances. So, we''ll be facing quite a few enemies." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering his Main quest. He asked, "In that case, Lu Tianya, can youmunicate with these Vengeful Spirits? Maybe we can gather some useful information from them." Lu Tianya shook head and said, somewhat helplessly, "It''s true that we could, but there are two problems. Firstly, my cultivation level is not high enough yet, so I can onlymunicate with lower-level Spirits. Secondly, those lower-level Spirits are usually in a confused state, wandering around the ces they died, and are unable tomunicate... Unless we''re incredibly lucky ande across a Spirit that has regained its senses and is willing tomunicate with us, we won''t be able to obtain useful information from them." Liu Xing nodded, feeling somewhat frustrated. "I see. By the way, can the Red-Clothed Female Ghostmand these Spirits? If she has that ability, it couldplicate things for us." Lu Tianya stroked chin, pondering for a moment before saying, "I can''t be sure about that at the moment because I don''t know the Red-Clothed Female Ghost''s level. However, if she can send dreams to ordinary people and create ghostly handprints on them, it suggests her level is not low. It''s just a step away from being able to control lower-level Spirits." After discussing the details of their n to explore the old school building on the night of the school opening with Lu Tianya, Liu Xing decided to take his leave. There wasn''t much more to discuss, and he didn''t want to suspect that he was deceiving the other party. So, after exchanging phone numbers with Lu Tianya, Liu Xing left the house. Returning home, Liu Xing realized that Ling Ishikawa was nowhere to be found. "Where did Ling Ishikawa go?" Liu Xing asked Ming Hanxing while taking a sip of water. Ming Hanxing replied, "Ling Ishikawa said he wanted to visit Honda Tetsuya again at this time. After all, if Honda Tetsuya is going to leave the house today, it would only be during this time frame. So, Ling Ishikawa wanted to try his luck again." Liu Xing nodded and checked the time on his phone. It was already half-past nine in the evening, and Ling Ishikawa should be back soon. Half an hourter, Liu Xing had initially nned to wait for Ling Ishikawa to return before sharing the results of his conversation with Lu Tianya. However, Ling Ishikawa still hadn''t returned, and he hadn''t responded to Ming Hanxing''s text messages or calls either. Frowning, Liu Xing couldn''t help but worry, "Do you think something has happened to Ling Ishikawa? There''s no news from him yet." Ming Hanxing nodded and said, "I''m starting to think the same way. Ling Ishikawa wouldn''t just disappear like this without a trace. Although it''s possible that he''s currently tailing Honda Tetsuya and has his phone on silent, not noticing our attempts to contact him." Liu Xing sighed and leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes as he contemted Yin En''s current situation. First, Yin En likely hadn''t torn his card yet, as the game''s admin would notify them if a yer had torn their card. So, Yin En probably wasn''t in immediate danger of losing his life. However, Liu Xing was almost certain that Yin En had encountered trouble by now. Yin En was cautious and had prepared a distress message in case he started surveilling and tracking Honda Tetsuya. If anything unexpected happened, Yin En would have sent an SOS message to Liu Xing. Since there had been no messages from Yin En so far, it indicated that Yin En had indeed run into significant trouble, something beyond his control. Liu Xing suspected that Yin En had been captured by someone. However, if Yin En had truly been captured, it raised questions about Honda Tetsuya''s true identity. Yin En''s character card had decent attributes, and he belonged to the Swordsmanship profession, abat-oriented character card. It seemed unlikely that he could be captured without resistance or even sending a distress message. Whoever had captured Yin En must be someone extraordinary, either an NPC like Sawada Yinyin or Otonashi Takuya, the "superhumans," or perhaps even a mythical creature. Regardless of which category Honda Tetsuya fell into, it suggested that his identity was far from simple. His acting skills were impressive, as he had sessfully lured Liu Xing and Yin En from the previous module into this one. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing called over Honekawa Suneo and said seriously, "Suneo, go find out what happened to Yin En. If I''m not mistaken, there should be a convenience store or caf opposite the apartment where Honda Tetsuya lives. Ling Ishikawa should be staking out Honda Tetsuya there. Check with the staff at these ces and see if they''ve seen Ling Ishikawa." Honekawa Suneo nodded and quickly arranged for someone to investigate Ling Ishikawa''s whereabouts. "If Ling Ishikawa has indeed encountered trouble, then we need to reconsider Honda Tetsuya''s true identity. Miguel might even be Honda Tetsuya. The current Honda Tetsuya could very well be an artificial creation by Mi Ge," Liu Xing remarked with a serious expression. Nobi Nobita, who had been informed of the Miguel and Mi Ge situation by Ming Hanxing, chimed in, "But here''s the problem: if Honda Tetsuya is indeed an artificial creation by Mi Ge, what is his purpose in being a teacher at our school? Mi Ge couldn''t possibly have truly allied with these cultists. However, that doesn''t make sense either. If they have already formed an alliance, why didn''t Honda Tetsuya intervene when you, as the cult leader, killed that cultist during the ritual on Yueshihao? After all, as a high-tech artificial creation by Mi Ge, he should not be affected by mind control. So, when you killed that cultist, Honda Tetsuya should have had the ability to stop you." Nobi Nobita made a valid point, and Liu Xing nodded, lost in thought. Who was this Honda Tetsuya? Or had he wrongly used Honda Tetsuya, and someone else had captured Ling Ishikawa? Liu Xing found himself without clear answers, as there were no additional clues at the moment. At this point, Honekawa Suneo approached with his phone, his expression grave. He reported, "It seems that Ling Ishikawa has indeed encountered trouble. ording to my friend''s investigation, Ling Ishikawa was staking out Honda Tetsuya at a caf half an hour ago. Then, suddenly, he settled his bill and left. It appears he started tracking Honda Tetsuya. At the time, Ling Ishikawa seemed puzzled and anxious, asking the caf''s staff if there was a public phone booth nearby. It seems his phone might have malfunctioned." Liu Xing nodded. It was now confirmed that Ling Ishikawa had run into trouble. "I see. So, are there any public phone booths nearby? Can we determine Ling Ishikawa''s next moves?" Honekawa Suneo shook his head regretfully. "The caf''s staff only remembered that Ling Ishikawa left in the direction of the left side. Unfortunately, there are hardly any public phone booths along that road, as almost everyone has a cell phone nowadays. Public phone booths have be rare." "To the left, huh?" Liu Xing took out his phone and began searching for notable locations to the left of Honda Tetsuya''s apartment. He soon discovered a bar called "me Bar," located about a kilometer away to the left of the apartment. "me Bar. It''s highly likely that Ling Ishikawa followed Honda Tetsuya to me Bar. In that case, Ling Ishikawa might not have been captured yet. Teacher Ming, please contact Miguel and check if he''s at me Bar. If he is, instruct him to abandon surveince on Alice for now and look for Ling Ishikawa in the bar. Gian, Suneo, and Junichi, the three of you will apany me to me Bar," Liu Xing instructed as he stood up, signaling for Gian and the others to join him. Ten minutester, Liu Xing and his group arrived at me Bar. Ming Hanxing had informed Liu Xing that Miguel was not at me Bar but on the rooftop of an apartment building not far from me Bar. This location provided a good vantage point to monitor Alice''s residence, as she had not gone to me Bar today. Liu Xing decided to leave Miguel to continue surveilling Alice and instructed Gian, Suneo, and Junichi to apany him to the bar. me Bar, as the most renowned bar in the Kyoto area, was located in the basement of a shopping center and covered an area nearly the size of a football field. Liu Xing couldn''t help but marvel at the wealth of these cultists, as they managed to secure such arge space for a bar in the prime real estate of Kyoto. No wonder me Bar had be the most famous bar in the region. However, Liu Xing also noticed that me Bar didn''t bother checking the ages of their patrons. In Ind Nation, individuals under the age of twenty were not allowed to drink alcohol, and bars typically checked the driver''s licenses or medical insurance cards of those who appeared underage. Since Ind Nation didn''t issue identity cards, driver''s licenses and medical insurance cards were used to verify age. Among Liu Xing''s group, only Gian looked to be in his twenties. Liu Xing and the other two clearly appeared to be under twenty, yet the staff at me Bar didn''t seem to care. "No wonder me Bar is so popr. They don''t even check the age of their customers," Honekawa Suneo remarked in surprise. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. "Of course, because the Chief of Police is their protector. If the police evere to inspect, they''ll surely be informed in advance, and they''ll ask the underage folks to leave. Even if they get caught, the worst that can happen is a fine. Do you think the Deep Sea Gospel Society would care about such a small amount of money?" Liu Xing''s group found a booth and sat down, continuing to observe the surroundings. As a bar, me Bar had dim lighting, and it was crowded due to being the peak hours for bars. Liu Xing couldn''t spot Ling Ishikawa anywhere. Liu Xing decided to send Gian and Junichi Oshima on separate missions to search for Ling Ishikawa. He remained with Honekawa Suneo to continue observing the situation inside me Bar. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 256: Ling Ishikawa in the Alternate Dimension Chapter 256: Ling Ishikawa in the Alternate Dimension It has to be said that the interior of the me Bar is incredibly luxurious. Liu Xing took a look at the price list and it seemed quite affordable, indicating that me Bar was determined to attract customers even at the cost of operating at a loss. Although this strategy might lead to financial losses, me Bar was able to draw a substantial crowd, providing a wide array of intelligence to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Liu Xing noticed that there were a significant number of waitstaff at me Bar. There seemed to be a service member every few steps, each of them wearing what appeared to be earphones. However, Liu Xing suspected that these earphones were more like radios, likely used for better gathering information in the noisy bar environment. However, Liu Xing was seated in a booth, which could be considered the "Private Room" section of the bar. In order to ensure the privacy of the customers'' conversations, the service staff stood at the outer edges of the booth area, waiting for customers to call for their assistance. Liu Xing believed that me Bar''s monitoring approach in the booth area might be somewhat unique and receive special attention, as the customers in the booth area were more likely to share some "big news" during their conversations. Thinking about this, Liu Xing contacted KP Fangs and asked, "KP, I want to check if there are any listening devices in this booth. Is there any specific way to determine that?" KP Fangs chuckled and replied, "Well, Liu Xing, you are very cautious, but I must tell you that your attempt will automatically fail because youck the necessary expertise for this task. Moreover, I can assure you that there won''t be any visible issues on the surface of the booth." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that there was indeed something suspicious about the booth area. However, as KP Fangs had pointed out, any monitoring devices in the booth area would not be visible on the surface. After patting the leather sofa beneath him, Liu Xing concluded that the listening devices were likely concealed inside the sofa. With this in mind, Liu Xing exchanged a knowing nce with Honekawa Suneo and lightly patted the sofa. Honekawa Suneo understood and took out a small ck six-sided die from his pocket, which had a red switch on top. This was a piece of advanced technology that Honekawa Suneo had prepared specifically for this visit to the me Bar. It emitted a low-frequency interference signal within a certain range, without affecting people''smunication. This interference would significantly disrupt any listening devices. In addition, Honekawa Suneo was currently carrying a signal-blocking device for WeChat, a high-frequency yer, and various other pieces of advanced technology. ording to Honekawa Suneo''s exnation, these were custom-made gadgets he had collected over time out of boredom. They hadn''t been used before, but after joining the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Honekawa Suneo believed there might be an opportunity to make use of these gadgets, so he kept them with him. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but wonder if, in this parallel world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, Doraemon had not gone to find Nobi Nobita but had followed Honekawa Suneo instead, which would exin the presence of so many unusual gadgets. Upon reflection, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, Doraemon could indeed exist. After all, Yis People, Mi Ge, and future humans all had the ability to create Doraemon. Even Miguel, with his diverse set of tools imnted in his body, could cosy as Doraemon with a change of appearance, given Miguel''s capabilities, as exined by Ming Hanxing. With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask Honekawa Suneo, "Suneo, have you ever seen a blue-and-white, talking humanoid robotic cat?" Honekawa Suneo looked puzzled and replied, "A humanoid robotic cat? I''m sorry, Master, but I''ve never seen anything like that. Is this humanoid robotic cat important? Should I send someone to look for it?" Liu Xing felt a bit embarrassed and shook his head, saying, "It''s alright; I just suddenly thought of it. I''ve seen this blue-and-white humanoid robotic cat in a dream before." Liu Xing then realized, through Watanabe Ryusei''s memories, that there was no mention of the manga series "Doraemon" in this parallel world. That exined why Honekawa Suneo and others could be given the same names as anime characters by their parents without any issues. At this point, KP Fangs chimed in, "Liu Xing, you should know that in this parallel world, there is no ''Doraemon'' or ''JoJo''s Bizarre Adventure'' and simr works. So, when talking to others, it''s best not to mention these works or any references from them, as it could lead toplications." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised that even in this regard, there were restrictions. It seemed that ying with references needed to be done in moderation. Just then, a server arrived with the drinks and a fruit tter that Liu Xing had ordered. They ced the items on the table and said with a smile, "Sir, here are your orders. We hope you enjoy your time at me Bar. If you need anything, please use the call button on the table, and a server will assist you." The server then left the table. Liu Xing had ordered low-alcohol drinks since he was here to find Ling Ishikawa and also observe the me Bar''s situation. Liu Xing picked up a cocktail ss, looked around, and asked, "Suneo, considering Honda Tetsuya''s financial situation, if he were toe to me Bar, where is he most likely to be now?" Honekawa Suneo took a sip of his drink and analyzed seriously, "Based on what I know about Honda Tetsuya, if he is not facing any issues, his financial situation is a bit tight. Rent and living expenses in the Kyoto area are already high, and Honda Tetsuya mentioned that he sends money to his family every month because their financial situation isn''t great. He has a younger brother and sister in high school. So, theoretically, Honda Tetsuya wouldn''t be at a ce like me Bar, even though the prices here are reasonable. me Bar is, after all, one of the best bars in the Kyoto area, and the expenses can add up. So, if this is still the same Honda Tetsuya we know." Liu Xing nodded and took out his phone to check theyout of me Bar. However, he noticed that his phone''s signal had dropped to just one bar. Frowning, Liu Xing realized that although me Bar was located underground, the signal should still be reasonable. The fact that it was a bar operated by a cult made him consider conspiracy theories. With this in mind, Liu Xing said to Honekawa Suneo, "Suneo, it seems that the signal here is not great. Make sure your phone is set up for text messages." Honekawa Suneo''s phone was a satellite phone, so its signal was much stronger than Liu Xing''s. Honekawa Suneo nodded and ced his phone with the text message settings ready beside him, ensuring that he could send messages at any time. After a while, Gouda Gian and Junichi Oshima returned, shaking their heads in frustration. It seemed they hadn''t found any information about Ling Ishikawa and Honda Tetsuya''s whereabouts. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and went into deep thought. Could he have been on the wrong track? No, something was not right. Liu Xing suddenly realized that Gouda Gian and Junichi Oshima had only checked the operational area of the me Bar, and they hadn''t searched the areasbeled "No entry for outsiders." These restricted areas couldn''t be examined easily. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing considered that if Ling Ishikawa were indeed in me Bar, there was a high chance Ling Ishikawa had been captured. Fortunately, Ling Ishikawa didn''t seem to be in immediate danger or detained in a ce from which he couldn''t return quickly. So, Liu Xing decided that he needed to rescue Ling Ishikawa as soon as possible. After all, he wasn''t sure if Yin En had any new character cards left. However, for now, Liu Xing knew he couldn''t simply barge into the areas marked "No entry for outsiders" in me Bar. This ce was an important stronghold of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and Liu Xing and hispanions were not to be underestimated. Although there was currently no way to rescue Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing wanted to confirm if he was indeed in me Bar. To do that, he thought of one personMiguel. So, Liu Xing told Honekawa Suneo, "Suneo, go outside and pretend to make a phone call. Have Ming Hanxing inform Miguel toe over. Remember to meet Miguel at the entrance since he might not be able to enter with his mask." Honekawa Suneo nodded and left with his phone. Meanwhile, Liu Xing continued to drink with Gouda Gian and Junichi Oshima. The show had to go on, no matter what. At that moment, Junichi Oshima suddenly remembered something and said, "Master, while Gian and I didn''t find any trace of Ling Ishikawa and Honda Tetsuya, we noticed something strange. There are several unusual items on the bar counter, the most prominent being some Fishman figurines, which you mentioned, Deep Ones. Besides that, there are some portraits and such. I overheard a customer talking to the bartender, and the bartender mentioned that these items are giveaways that customers can receive after reaching a certain level of spending." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "I didn''t expect them to y this card. I suppose this is how the Deep Sea Gospel Society recruits followers. Later, Junichi Oshima, inquire at that bar counter about how much spending is required to get those giveaways. It would be best if you can collect a set all at once for further analysis." Junichi Oshima nodded and, holding his drink, headed towards the bar counter. At the same time, Honekawa Suneo entered with Miguel. Once Miguel was seated, he discreetly pointed to the fruit tter. No words were needed; Miguel had already discovered the listening device. What surprised Liu Xing was that the listening device was hidden inside the fruit tter. Liu Xing examined the fruit tter carefully and noticed that the base was significantly thicker than that of a regr fruit tter, and it was opaque ck. Even though Liu Xing now knew that there was a listening device hidden inside the fruit tter, he couldn''t make a scene at me Bar. He couldn''t reveal that Miguel had detected the device through his ability to track scents. Of course, Liu Xing had no intention of causing trouble over the listening device at the moment. He didn''t want to tip off me Bar prematurely. So, Liu Xing asked Miguel, "Miguel, is there a way topletely eliminate a person''s scent?" Miguel extended three fingers and replied, "Master, there are three methods I know of. First, there''s a special scent eliminator that can instantly mask all scents on a person''s body. I have a bottle of it on me, which I use to escape pursuers. However, using this scent eliminator would also erase the surrounding scents. Given that only Ling Ishikawa''s scent suddenly disappeared, this possibility can be ruled out." "The second method involves magic. While I haven''t witnessed someone performing magic myself, my database contains information about spells. One of them is a high-level Invisibility spell that can make the target invisible, devoid of physical collision volume, and simultaneously conceal all scents. However, casting this high-level Invisibility spell has strict requirements, including a specific environment and materials. It''s clear that it couldn''t be cast in this booth area, so this possibility can also be eliminated." "Finally, thest method may sound unbelievable, but if we rule out other possibilities, this is the only one left. Ling Ishikawa might have been sent to an Alternate Dimension, departing from our current dimension. That''s why his scent vanished suddenly. The only ways I know of to ess an Alternate Dimension are through magic or guidance from certain mythical creatures." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surveyed the booth area, and found nothing unusual. "Miguel, is there any way to track someone who has been sent to an Alternate Dimension?" Liu Xing inquired. Miguel shook his head and replied, "Master, tracking someone in an Alternate Dimension is incredibly difficult. Without specific knowledge or guidance, it''s nearly impossible to locate them. Alternate Dimensions operate under different rules and may not even follow thews of scent tracking or traditional tracking methods." Liu Xing sighed deeply, realizing that finding Ling Ishikawa had just be an even more daunting challenge. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 257: Tit for Tat Chapter 257: Tit for Tat The manager furrowed his brow, looking frustrated as he said, "Lady Alice, you''re absolutely right. It''s quite obvious that someone deliberately came here to cause trouble. Moreover, these people probably already know our secrets, which is why they brought this jamming device. They are intentionally provoking us, confident that we won''t be able to catch them." Alice nodded in agreement and affirmed, "Exactly. Even if we try to ess the surveince footage, we won''t be able to identify these individuals. They came prepared, and they won''t leave any loopholes for us to exploit. Unless we investigate every person who entered the bar today, and I believe these troublemakers fall into one of two categories. They are either tech enthusiasts or troublemaking gang members who found out we''re using listening devices. They want to extort money from us for some reason, but they are aware that me Bar isn''t an easy target. That''s why they''ve orchestrated this spectacle. If that''s the case, they mighte back in a few days to demand more. In that case, you should be prepared to pay them off to avoid further trouble. However, if they push their luck, you can arrange for the hunters to deal with them." The manager nodded in understanding. Alice paused for a moment, sighed, and continued, "I hope these individuals fall into the first category, but that possibility is slim. me Bar has been open for years without any incidents. After all, the Police Chief is on our side, and the underground organizations in Kyoto give us some respect. They wouldn''t dare cause trouble for us. Tech enthusiasts are unlikely to visit our bar, and our listening devices are well-hidden. Ordinary people wouldn''t think to check the fruit tter for listening devices." "So, I''m almost certain that these troublemakers belong to the second category they are our rivals within the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and they likely have a grudge against us. Rivalries aremon among peers, and Kyoto is a limited pie. We control a significant share of resources, which may have attracted their jealousy. They also know we use listening devices. However, judging from their use of this jamming device, they might still be open to negotiations, seeking benefits from us." The manager pondered for a moment and asked, "Lady Alice, are you suggesting that we should find an opportunity to eliminate them?" p! Alice pped the manager''s head, frustration in her voice. "Are you daft? Do you really think Deep Sea Gospel Society can act recklessly in Kyoto? Tell me, how many secret cults are there in Kyoto?" The manager lowered his head and cautiously replied, "If I''m not mistaken, besides us, there should be thirteen other secret cults in Kyoto, and those are just the ones in in sight. We don''t even know how many exist in secret." Alice nodded and continued seriously, "That''s correct. Currently, there are a total of fourteen secret cults in Kyoto that operate openly. Among them, five areparable in strength to Deep Sea Gospel Society. Let''s not discuss them for now. Let''s talk about the three secret cults stronger than us Dawn''s Call, Deadpools Society, and Eternal Truth Society. Now, tell me, how do wepare to these three secret cults?" The manager shook his head in silence and replied, "I have to admit that we can''tpete with those three secret cults." Alice sighed in resignation and said, "It seems you''re not entirely foolish. You understand our position in Kyoto. Right now, we''re beneath the top-tier and above the bottom. If it were Eternal Truth Society causing trouble, how would you retaliate?" The manager nodded and raised a question, "I don''t think top-tier secret cults like Eternal Truth Society would resort to such underhanded methods. They can openly overpower us, so it doesn''t make sense." Alice chuckled and shook her head. "You can''t be too sure. ording to Chinese martial arts novels, top-tier sects have to find a suitable excuse to act against lower-tier ones. They can''t simply crush us openly because it would cause them significant losses and a bad reputation. So, it''s still possible that Eternal Truth Society might be involved." "So, the n remains the same. We''ll observe the situation, determine who''s causing trouble, and if they contact you with reasonable conditions, ept them without consulting me. If they make unreasonable demands, we''ll take appropriate action when necessary. We won''t back down easily." The manager nodded with a furrowed brow, realizing that he had be the scapegoat. He knew that if anything went wrong, Alice would likely me him. "By the way, do we have any news from the Shadow n?" Alice suddenly asked. A nondescript man among the bar staff and Deep Sea Gospel Society followers spoke up, saying, "There isn''t much news from the Shadow n at the moment. We do know that they''ve decided to send people to establish a presence in the Kyoto area. They''ve also sent a representative to Kyoto with the intention of negotiating cooperation with the Eternal Truth Society since they both share the same god." Alice nodded and sighed again, picking up a ss of red wine and taking a sip. "It seems like the Shadow n is aiming for a significant expansion. If I remember correctly, Shadow n used to be just an ordinary underground organization. I wonder how they transformed into a secret cult. I''ve heard their god is quite formidable, and they''ve provided the Shadow n''s leader with many divine artifacts, enabling them to swiftly eliminate several medium-sized secret cults in Tokyo, forcing even the well-known secret cults to sign peace treaties with Shadow n. That''s why Shadow n has started expanding to neighboring regions, with the ultimate goal of spreading throughout the entire Ind Nation." The manager, who had regained hisposure, asked with curiosity, "Lady Alice, is Shadow n really that strong? I''ve heard that their organizational structure is unusual, with only the higher-ups being believers, while the lower members are just regr gang members." Alice took another sip of her wine, smiling, and replied, "You don''t understand. That''s precisely what makes Shadow n so clever. There''s a saying in China, ''Quality over quantity.'' Let''s take everyone here as an example. We are all followers of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, but besides me, do you think there''s much difference between you and ordinary people?" An awkward silence fell over the room as everyone exchanged nces, unsure of how to respond. Seeing their reactions, Alice shook her head with a smile and continued, "I hope you''ve all realized that as ordinary followers of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, you''re not that different from regr people. You simply have a unique belief. While I may possess certain abilities, I probably couldn''t defeat an unarmed strong man in a direct confrontation, let alone those gang members skilled inbat. That''s why Shadow n could dispatch their gang members to deal with those secret cults in a day. It aligns with an old Chinese saying: ''A schr may meet a soldier, but reason won''t prevail.''" "Furthermore, the advantage of having only high-ranking members as believers in Shadow n is that they can operate openly as a society. They don''t need to worry about maintaining a low profile like us, avoiding interactions with outsiders. Shadow n can almost do as they please with the cover of a society, without the need for covert operations." Alice''s analysis left everyone in the room enlightened. "Now, I''ll head back. You should tidy up and leave as well. Remember to remove all the listening devices first. Observing doesn''t mean sitting idly by. Also, consider closing the bar for a day tomorrow. Post a notice saying me Bar will be closed for a day due to special circumstances. I believe those troublemakers will understand what that means." Alice spoke as she picked up her bag and headed towards the door. Little did Alice know that every word she had just spoken had been eavesdropped on by Miguel. Tit for tat. Liu Xing was aware that me Bar had discovered their interference with the listening devices. Before leaving, Liu Xing had instructed Miguel to install additional listening devices in various locations within me Bar, including the area where Alice had just been. He wanted to eavesdrop on how Alice nned to resolve this issue. As a result, Miguelpiled the recorded audio information and sent it to Liu Xing''s phone. At that moment, Liu Xing, still gazing at the stars at a 45-degree angle, was lost in thought, contemting life. Liu Xing had set a special notification ringtone for Miguel''s number, so upon receiving a message from Miguel, he immediately opened his phone and listened to the audio file. After listening to the recording, Liu Xing fell into contemtion. He hadn''t expected the Shadow n to transform from a regr gang into a cult, and it appeared to be a recent development. On a side note, the current leader of Shadow n, Miyake Ten, was none other than the antagonist boss, Mikageichi''s father, from the Dark Lifemodule. This led Liu Xing to a daring hypothesis. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 258: The Takagi Brothers Chapter 258: The Takagi Brothers "Could it be that King Tindalos didn''t kill Mikageichi but allowed him to live freely until now, and Mikageichi even helped his father, Miyake Ten, transform the Shadow n into a Secret Cult?" Liu Xing pondered. After all, it had been less than a month since the Dark Life module had ended, and the Shadow n had suddenly transformed from an ordinary gang into a powerful rising Secret Cult. Liu Xing couldn''t help but connect this with Mikageichi. However, Liu Xing thought that ording to the setting of Yis People in the Cthulhu RPG Game, they shouldn''t need followers to worship them. After all, Yis People were ultimately a technological race and didn''t require belief support. Moreover, in the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, faith had almost no effect, and more followers for the Eldritch Gods simply meant more food. So, Liu Xing believed that the Shadow n might not be worshipping Yis People, i.e., King Tindalos, but someone else, someone who had rescued Mikageichi from King Tindalos. But who could this "someone" be? Liu Xing''s first thought was naturally Nyathotep, the scapegoat king. After all, Nyathotep''s original n in the Dark Life module had been to kill Taketori, who was supposed to be a god, and turn him into a new Eldritch God. Then, one of Nyathotep''s incarnations, Swollen Woman, had continued causing trouble... In the Dark Life module, Liu Xing could also see that Swollen Woman had a great interest in Mikageichi. Of course, it was possible that Swollen Woman saw Mikageichi as an entertaining "toy" and had granted him powers far beyond those of ordinary people. Now that Mikageichi had been tricked by King Tindalos, Swollen Woman would likely want him back. So, was the Shadow n now worshipping Swollen Woman? Liu Xing furrowed his brows. This Ind Nation was truly full of surprises. With so many Secret Cults lurking in the shadows, Liu Xing believed that he would likely have to deal with each of them in his uing world missions. Fortunately, he had switched to a different character card. If he had still been using the "Liu Xing" character card for his world missions, he would probably have been in a hostile rtionship with the Shadow n by now. However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that Alice had mentioned that the Shadow n had sent someone to Kyoto. Maybe he could use this to his advantage. As the saying goes, "In every trade, one hopes for the death ofpetitors." After all, the size of the cake in each industry was limited, and the morepetitors who fell, therger your slice of the cake. And those in the cult business were surely eager for the demise of theirpetitors, especially when it came to matters of faith. Every cult hoped to be the only one, so while cults might appear friendly on the surface, as soon as one saw an opportunity, they would go all out to eliminate their rivals. So, despite the apparent peace among the Secret Cults in the Kyoto area, there was a hidden undercurrent. As Alice had said, the other Secret Cults in the Kyoto area were all watching the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s every move, hoping to get a share of the pie. And now that the Shadow n had arrived in force, it would surely affect the interests of the other Secret Cults in the Kyoto area. Liu Xing believed he had an opportunity to guide the Shadow n into taking action against the Deep Sea Gospel Society. It would be a case of using one group to eliminate another, a beautiful strategy. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask KP Fangs, "KP, is it possible for my Watanabe Ryusei character card to know about Mikageichi''s situation? Assuming that in the previous module, my Liu Xing character card mentioned something about it or if I found rted information online?" Liu Xing thought that in order to establish contact with the Shadow n, they would need amon topic of conversation, and Mikageichi would be the perfect subject, especially since, if he guessed correctly, Mikageichi should still be alive. "Well, your request is a bit tricky," KP Fangs replied with a hint of hesitation. "Let me think... how about this, Liu Xing, you can attempt a difficult library utilization check. If you pass, your character card will gain knowledge about Mikageichi." Liu Xing nodded. Fortunately, his character card had a high library utilization skill value, so even a difficult check was worth a try. Liu Xing: 23/30. Sess. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, you''ve obtained information about Mikageichi," KP Fangs said. As soon as KP Fangs spoke, Liu Xing lost control of his body, and it "voluntarily" opened theputer, browsing through 2ce to find information about the Shadow n and the Dark Willow Gang. In the discussion thread, there was information about the rtionship between the Shadow n and the Dark Willow Gang, as well as the news of the fall of the Dark Willow Gang in Ziwu City, Mikageichi and Hisanobu Ito''s escape, and, of course, any mention of mythical creatures had been censored. In addition, Liu Xing also saw a message that Tennoji Sohide had resigned due to his involvement with the Dark Willow Gang, and now the mayor of Ziwu City was the former Police Chief, Ryochuan Taro. Liu Xing stroked his chin. Ryochuan Taro didn''t seem like a good person. Liu Xing estimated that it wouldn''t be long before Ryochuan Taro would step down as well. "Oh, by the way, KP, can I now attempt an inspiration or intelligence check to connect Mikageichi''s disappearance with the sudden transformation of the Shadow n into Secret Cult? It seems suspicious that as soon as Mikageichi disappeared, the Shadow n underwent such a drastic change," Liu Xing continued. KP Fangs thought for a moment and said, "Sure, Liu Xing, you can attempt an inspiration check. After all, your character card''s profession is a Cult Leader, so you should have some insights in this area." Liu Xing: 29/70. Sess. After sessfully passing the inspiration check, Liu Xing sighed in relief. Now all he needed to do was find the advance team sent by the Shadow n to Kyoto and have a good conversation with them about how to deal with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. At this point, Liu Xing regained control of his body. Since library utilization took some time, searching for information had taken over an hour. It was now well past midnight. So, Liu Xing closed theputer,y down, and went to sleep. The next morning, Liu Xing was awakened by Minamoto Shizuka. "Master, Vice-Master said that Miguel has new information and wants you to go see him right away," Minamoto Shizuka said. Liu Xing nodded, asking Minamoto Shizuka to wait in the living room, quickly dressed, and went to the living room. Living room, everyone was waiting for Liu Xing, making him feel a bit embarrassed. When Ming Hanxing saw Liu Xinging out, he took out his phone and said, "Master, Miguel just sent a message. He said that after monitoring Alice yesterday, he went to Fujiwara Shrine at night and found that there was no one inside!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, this news was unexpected. Wasn''t it agreed that Daikubo Sosuke and the "crow" were staying at the Fujiwara Shrine? How could there be no one there? "Teacher Ming, is Miguel absolutely certain? Could he have missed a private room or something?" Liu Xing asked, looking puzzled. Ming Hanxing shook his head and said seriously, "No, Miguel practically turned Fujiwara Shrine upside down and found no private room, nor did he find Daikubo Sosuke and the crow. In addition, there were no signs of life inside Fujiwara Shrine. In simple terms, it doesn''t look like anyone has been living there." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised that Daikubo Sosuke and the "crow" were not staying at Fujiwara Shrine. He sighed and said, "So, it seems that Daikubo Sosuke and the ''crow'' are not staying at Fujiwara Shrine. Where could they be then? By the way, Teacher Ming and Suneo, did you see the Takagi brothers leave your surveince yesterday?" Honekawa Suneo raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, "No, because we thought thatpared to the Takagi brothers, Principal Fujiwara was more important. So Teacher Ming and I were tracking Principal Fujiwara. When we started tracking, the Takagi brothers had not left Fujiwara Shrine yet. So, Master, are you saying that the Takagi brothers are Daikubo Sosuke and the ''crow''?" Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "That''s right, now I''m pretty sure that Daikubo Sosuke and the ''crow'' are indeed the Takagi brothers. The evidence we have so far supports this conclusion. Besides, you should have heard that, in theory, the Takagi brothers are not eligible to attend the meeting." "Master, you''re right. I remember that it was only after Daikubo Sosuke announced his retirement that the Takagi brothers entered Morimoto Academy. And that Takagi Ryo is usually very quiet, rarely speaking, so if everything goes as expected, Takagi Ryo is the ''crow,'' and Takagi Ling is Daikubo Sosuke," Nobi Nobita added. Liu Xing nodded and said to Nobita, "Nobita, go investigate the Takagi brothers'' address. Suneo, see if you have any suitable private detective candidates on your end and have them monitor the Takagi brothers. I''ll leave this matter to you two to handle, discuss the details among yourselves." Nobi Nobita and Honekawa Suneo nodded and went to the side to discuss their action n. However, Ming Hanxing was curious and asked, "Master, should we arrange for Miguel to monitor the Takagi brothers directly? After all, Alice''s side shouldn''t be as important as the Takagi brothers." Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, saying, "No, no, Alice''s side is more important, and she''s valuable as an asset. Last night, I received a recording from Miguel, and you can listen to it now. After listening, you''ll understand." As Liu Xing spoke, he took out his phone and yed the recording from the previous night. After the recording finished, Ming Hanxing furrowed his brow and said, "Master, are you saying that Alice didn''t genuinely join the Deep Sea Gospel Society?" Liu Xing nodded and said, "Exactly, from what Alice said in the recording, it''s clear that she didn''t truly want to join the Deep Sea Gospel Society. To her, the Deep Sea Gospel Society is like apany to work for. So, I think we have a chance to persuade Alice to our side, or at least cooperate with her. But right now, we''re missing leverage to get Alice to sit down and talk with us. So, for now, we can only let Miguel monitor her." Ming Hanxing thought for a moment and said somewhat dejectedly, "On the other hand, from this recording, we can also deduce that Alice doesn''t know anything about Ling Ishikawa." Liu Xing nodded, acknowledging that Ming Hanxing was correct. If Alice knew about Ling Ishikawa, she would have guessed that their group might be rted to him since they arrived right after his incident. So, this indirectly confirmed that Honda Tetsuya had no connection to Alice or the Deep Sea Gospel Society. "Then, Master, do we still go and monitor Honda Tetsuya now, while continuing to investigate Ling Ishikawa''s whereabouts?" Ming Hanxing asked seriously. Liu Xing shook his head and sighed, "Forget it, let''s put those two matters aside for now. We don''t have enough manpower to monitor Honda Tetsuya, and if Ling Ishikawa has truly been transported to an alternate dimension, we won''t be able to find him. Let''s just chat for now; it seems I don''t have much to do today." After breakfast, Nobi Nobita looked somewhat troubled as he said, "Master, the situation is a bit tricky. I asked many people, but none of them know the Takagi brothers'' home address, including several first and second-year teachers. The Takagi brothers have never disclosed their home address, and they usually leave the school veryte." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, saying, "I see. It seems that the Takagi brothers might actually be staying at the school!" Nobi Nobita''s eyes lit up, and he pped his thigh, saying, "Exactly! The Takagi brothers might be staying at the school. I remember on the top floor of the New Teaching Building, aside from the principal''s office, there are several unmarked rooms that have always been locked. Based on the location and number of windows in those rooms, they should each have an area of over a hundred square meters, which is more than enough for someone to live in." Honekawa Suneo, who was standing nearby, looked somewhat frustrated and said, "This could be a problem. It''s nearly impossible to monitor those rooms." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 259: Continuing the Mischief Chapter 259: Continuing the Mischief Honekawa Suneo spoke while taking out his phone and opening Kurogiri Map. He said, "This is a map of the area near Morimoto School, and we can clearly see that the New Teaching Building of Morimoto School is significantly taller than the surrounding buildings. It appears to be at least ten meters higher than the next tallest building nearby. This means we can hardly monitor the rooms on the rooftop of the New Teaching Building, especially since those rooms always have their curtains drawn, making it even more challenging for us to observe." "In addition, Morimoto School has been using frequent on-campus idents as an excuse to enhance its security measures. In simple terms, they''ve raised the walls. Currently, Morimoto School''s walls are about four meters high, and with the addition of electric fencing, they reach a height of five meters. There are high-definition cameras with night vision capabilities installed approximately every five meters. This effectively eliminates the possibility of us climbing over the wall into Morimoto School." "Furthermore, within the New Teaching Building, high-definition cameras are installed at the stairwells on each floor and in important offices. The top floor of the New Teaching Building cannot be essed directly by stairs; it can only be reached using a specialized elevator. This elevator can only be activated by scanning a specific QR code, which is essible only to Morimoto School''s higher-ups. Most importantly, this specialized elevator automatically shuts down at night, rendering it impossible for anyone, including Miguel, to enter unless they can glide directly from another building to the top of the New Teaching Building." HonekawaSuneo''s words left Liu Xing feeling frustrated. He could only ask, "In that case, it seems quite challenging... However, speaking of which, I remember that the security measures in the Old Teaching Building area are rtivelyx. Can we enter the main teaching building through the Old Teaching Building area?" HonekawaSuneo shook his head and switched the Kurogiri Map to the Old Teaching Building area. He continued, "Master, you can see that although the security measures in the Old Teaching Building area are weaker, the terrain there is quite unfavorable. The Old Teaching Building area has been abandoned for a long time, and the weeds have grown almost as tall as a person. It might be rtively easy to sneak in, but it''s also prone to various idents, as there are rumors of venomous snakes residing there." "Even if we manage to safely enter the Old Teaching Building area, it would be very troublesome to bypass the cameras and enter the New Teaching Building. Archives Room and the Old Teaching Building both have numerous cameras installed, and I''m not entirely sure about the exact positions of these cameras. What I can confirm is that all ess points from the Old Teaching Building to the New Teaching Building have cameras installed, and their positions are quite tricky, such as those located on the exterior walls around the third floor of the New Teaching Building... So, if we want to infiltrate the New Teaching Building without exposing our identities, we would have to disable those cameras. However, if we do that, the Deep Sea Gospel Society will undoubtedly increase their security measures. In other words, we would only have one chance to infiltrate." Liu Xing sighed helplessly and said, "This is incredibly challenging... By the way, Suneo, do you know how many security guards are in the school? Is there any way we can bribe some security guards to enter Morimoto School discreetly at night?" "It''s unlikely," HonekawaSuneo replied. "From what I know, the security guards at Morimoto School are most likely devout followers of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. The reason is simple: Morimoto School hasn''t changed any security guards in nearly five years, and they''ve never changed securitypanies since its founding. So, it''s safe to assume that this securitypany is affiliated with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. As for the exact number of security guards at Morimoto School, it should be around fifty, working in two shifts. This means that under normal circumstances, there are only twenty-five security guards at Morimoto School. At night, there should be only five security guards on night duty. However, this is just what the securitypany tells the public, so I can''t be sure of the actual numbers." Liu Xing nodded and suddenly remembered something. He asked, "By the way, all the recent incidents on campus, none of them were discovered by the school''s security guards, right?" HonekawaSuneo and the others thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. Liu Xing chuckled and said to HonekawaSuneo, "That''s good news. It means we have a reason to cause some trouble again. SuneoNobita, you two should contact our acquaintances within the school and prepare for another round of protests after the students return. However, this time, our goal is not just to protest but to pressure Morimoto School into changing its securitypany, as the current securitypany is clearly inadequate." HonekawaSuneo understood and nodded, saying, "I get it, Master. I will make sure the school yields to our demands. By the way, I know of a suitable securitypany. Should I have them bid for the contract?" Liu Xing nodded in approval and said with a smile, "That''s even better. If we can rece Morimoto School''s security guards with our own, our future actions will be much easier. Remember to be cautious and avoid revealing that we are behind this to the Deep Sea Gospel Society." "Master, I understand. I will arrange a spokesperson to contact other students. If all goes well, we canplete the initial coordination work before the students return. When you give the order, we can begin the second protest." HonekawaSuneo said seriously. Afterward, HonekawaSuneo went to discuss the specific n with NobiNobita, while Liu Xing sat on the sofa, pondering the current situation. As the module progressed, Liu Xing started to feel increasingly worried because certain developments were beyond his expectations. He initially thought the module would be straightforward, given his powerful character card and the reliability of his NPC followers. He believedpleting the module would be a simple task. However, now, with Ling Ishikawa''s sudden disappearance and the mystery surrounding HondaTetsuya''s identity, Liu Xing felt overwhelmed and uncertain about how to proceed. Nevertheless, Liu Xing suddenly recalled another matter he had not addressed yet the identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. He realized that he had yet to uncover her true identity. At this point, Liu Xing strongly suspected that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost might be Higashi Meizi, a close friend of Juri Sonoda. After all, Liu Xing''s main quest was rted to Higashi Meizi, and within the module, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost was the only NPC connected to her. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 260: Dark Tide Chapter 260: Dark Tide Alice furrowed her brows, addressing the followers of the Deep Sea Gospel Society beside her, "Please make a call and notify the other seniors toe over." After Alice finished speaking, she sat silently in the nearby chair. Ten minutester, those who had heard about the intrusion into the Fujiwara Shrine by unidentified individuals, the damage to the Deep One statue, and the Takagi brothers hurriedly arrived at the Fujiwara Shrine. Seeing the shattered Deep One statue strewn across the floor, the expressions on everyone''s faces turned grim. However, the Takagi brothers and the others were individuals with deep-hidden intentions, and soon their expressions returned to calm. "Let''s have a few people tidy up the main hall, and we''ll discuss matters in the side hall," Takagi Ling spoke up. The others nodded in agreement and followed Takagi Ling out of the main hall, heading to the side hall of the Fujiwara Shrine. They took their seats, while Takagi Ryo positioned himself behind a folding screen. If Liu Xing were to witness all of this, he would undoubtedly confirm that Takagi Ling was Daikubo Sosuke, and Takagi Ryo was the so-called "Crow." Daikubo Sosuke took a sip of tea and then addressed Alice, "Alice, as the security head of our Deep Sea Gospel Society''s Kyoto branch, can you exin what happened today?" Alice nodded and replied seriously, "It''s quite evident that this was a premeditated and organized intrusion. Those two masked individuals must have known the ins and outs of our Fujiwara Shrine. They were aware that there are usually no people around, which is why they boldly entered the Fujiwara Shrine, ignoring the numerous surveince cameras. They ransacked the main hall without restraint. Most importantly, it seems like they knew when our people would arrive at the Fujiwara Shrine. They left right on time." Upon hearing this, the Police Chief couldn''t help but voice his professional concerns, "Alice, are you suggesting that we have a mole within the Deep Sea Gospel Society?" Alice nodded affirmatively and continued, "Indeed, I believe there is a mole within our Deep Sea Gospel Society, but it''s highly likely that it''s just some low-ranking members who were persuaded by the other side. Because from the way these two individuals acted, it''s clear they had no knowledge of the valuable items stored in the Fujiwara Shrine. They didn''t even know what was inside the shrine. It''s evident that they only knew the Fujiwara Shrine belonged to our Deep Sea Gospel Society. Their purpose seems to be to provoke us, as they casually took an inexpensivepass and smashed our worshiped statues." After Alice finished speaking, everyone fell into contemtion, pondering her words. After a moment, Daikubo Sosuke spoke up, "Alice, arrange for some people to investigate the background of those two individuals. Additionally, have some reliable individuals look into the mole issue." Alice smiled and replied, "Don''t worry, I''ve already assigned people to do that. I believe we''ll have results soon. However, right now, I strongly suspect that these two individuals might be from the Shadow n." As soon as Alice mentioned the Shadow n, the others present furrowed their brows. "What? Shadow n members? Alice, you''re not joking, are you? We shouldn''t have any conflicts with the Shadow n within our Deep Sea Gospel Society," the Education Chief expressed his surprise. Alice shook her head and recounted the events that had urred at the me Bar the previous day. Daikubo Sosuke furrowed his brows and nodded, "In that case, it''s indeed possible that the Shadow n is causing trouble for us. After all, the Shadow n is expanding aggressively, aiming to establish their influence in the Kyoto area. We''ve be their target because the Red-Clothed Female Ghost incident at Morimoto Academy has gained so much attention. If the Shadow n stabs us in the back at this point, we''ll have to give up everything in Kyoto. But you all should be aware that if we do that, our headquarters won''t forgive us easily." As Daikubo Sosuke spoke, he nced at Fujiwara Hiroshi, who was the principal of Morimoto Academy and responsible for all its affairs. Fujiwara Hiroshi sighed and said seriously, "The current situation is indeed unfavorable. Even though I''ve arranged for some PR to downy the Red-Clothed Female Ghost incident, it''s only escting further. It''s clear that there are hidden forces trying to continue to hype up the incident, putting us in a passive position. So, for now, I''ll keep the identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost concealed and then n our next steps." Daikubo Sosuke nodded, looking somewhat frustrated. "It seems that everyone is trying to take advantage of us now. Crow, can you go back to headquarters and inform the leader of our current situation? Ask for reinforcements; otherwise, our Deep Sea Gospel Society''s Kyoto branch won''tst much longer." Crow remained silent and emerged from behind the folding screen. After nodding at Daikubo Sosuke, he left the side hall, apparently intending to return to the Deep Sea Gospel Society headquarters in Reed Vige. After Crow''s departure, the meeting continued. The Police Chief checked his phone and sighed in helplessness, "Those two guys are quite cautious. I had the surrounding surveince cameras checked, and it''s clear that they were extremely careful, taking a very secluded route and even changing their appearance. So, we can''t determine their identities for now. Moreover, the Deputy Chief of Police seems to have some powerful connections and frequently challenges me. Alice, could you assign a few people to help me investigate who''s backing that Deputy Chief of Police, so I can decide on the next steps?" As soon as the Police Chief finished speaking, the Education Chief added, "What? Are you saying that you''re also facing issues on your end? We had a new Deputy Chief parachuted in yesterday, and he''s been causing trouble for me. It seems like someone is targeting us." Alice nodded and said seriously, "It appears to be the work of the Shadow n. I''ll arrange for some people to investigate the two Deputy Chiefs you mentioned and look into the Shadow n''s specific situation. If we have any results, I''ll inform you immediately. However, I''m currently short on manpower here, so please assign a few trustworthy individuals to assist me." At that moment, Alice''s phone rang, and she frowned upon checking it. Daikubo Sosuke, noticing Alice''s expression, asked with curiosity, "Alice, what''s happened?" Alice sighed and replied, "The representative sent by the Shadow n to Kyoto was ambushed and killed on his way back to his residence yesterday, right after discussing cooperation matters with the Eternal Truth Society. Now, the Shadow n is furious. They''ve dispatched the second son of the Shadow n''s leader, Miyake Ken, to oversee the situation in the Kyoto region. They intend to further expand their influence in Kyoto and identify the mastermind behind the assassination, nning to retaliate." Upon hearing this, everyone in the room furrowed their brows. "Who could be so audacious as to dare to assassinate a Shadow n representative? Could this be an ident?" Fujiwara Hiroshi questioned with a puzzled expression. The Police Chief shook his head and replied, "I''ve heard about this incident. Initially, I thought it was a simple gang-rted feud. However, I never expected that the victim would turn out to be a Shadow n representative. But this morning, the detectives informed me that they had ruled out the possibility of it being a gang-rted feud. Based on the nearby surveince footage, there were a total of five individuals involved in the assassination of the Shadow n representative. Their behavior and actions suggest that they are not professionals, and the police suspect that three of them might even be minors." Daikubo Sosuke furrowed his brow and said, "In that case, it''s likely the work of a Secret Cult, using their followers to assassinate the Shadow n representative." Of course, if Liu Xing were present at that moment, he would undoubtedly think that the five individuals responsible for the assassination of the Shadow n representative were yers. "Let''s not meddle in this matter for now. It''s best to observe from the sidelines to avoid provoking the Shadow n and inviting trouble," Daikubo Sosuke suggested after some thought. However, Alice had a different perspective. "I believe we can''t stay uninvolved any longer. Sosuke, as you can see, these assassins are likely followers of a Secret Cult. So, I don''t think the Shadow n will let this opportunity pass by without causing us trouble. I even suspect that the assassination was orchestrated by the Shadow n themselves." Daikubo Sosuke raised an eyebrow and replied, "There is indeed that possibility. But let''s not add more usations without evidence. I believe the Shadow n wouldn''t sacrifice one of their representatives just to target us." Alice shook her head and continued seriously, holding her phone, "That may not be the case. I''ve just received another message. The assassinated representative was Miyake Ban''s subordinate, the confirmed heir of the Shadow n. And I''m sure you all know the rtionship between Miyake Ban and Miyake Ken. They''ve had numerous conflicts over the position of the Shadow n''s heir. With Miyake Ban''s subordinate killed, and Miyake Ken personally involved, it appears that Miyake Ken might be behind this." Fujiwara Hiroshi interjected, "It seems that the trouble at the city gate has affected the entire city. The internal conflict within the Shadow n has spilled over to us. Moreover, I''ve heard about this Miyake Ken. Compared to Miyake Ban, who excels in strategy and prefers fair and openpetition, Miyake Ken is known for using various schemes and conspiracies without any moral constraints. He''s a formidable opponent." Fujiwara Hiroshi''s words left everyone in silence once again, as they contemted the challenge posed by someone like Miyake Ken. "Alright, let''s leave it at that for now. Many things will depend on you from now on, Alice. Principal Fujiwara, please do your best to stabilize public opinion. I''ll try to figure out a way to contact the Shadow n and at least understand their perspective," Daikubo Sosuke said as he stood up and left the side hall. As for the Police Chief and the Education Chief, it was still working hours, so they couldn''t stay longer and headed back to their respective units. Alice returned to the me Bar to begin organizing her subordinates to investigate various matters. Of course, Liu Xing remained unaware of all these developments. At this moment, Liu Xing had arrived at Lu Tianya''s home. Lu Tianya looked at thepass and talisman on the table with surprise and asked, "Where did you get these?" Liu Xing chuckled and said, "Today, I visited the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s headquarters and found these two items. I thought you, Lu Tianya, might know how to use them, so I brought them directly to you." Lu Tianya nodded, picked up thepass, andmented, "Thispass is an excellent item. It''s far superior to the one I use. Mypass can only detect the locations of Spirits, and powerful malevolent spirits can block its detection. Plus, its range is limited. But thispass is different. Its detection ability is incredibly strong. Unless it''s a Legendary Ghost King-level malevolent spirit, it can''t evade detection. I haven''t even infused it with my own spiritual power yet, but it can already sense all the Spirits within a two-kilometer radius. I believe that once I infuse it with enough spiritual power, I can use it to suppress Evil Spirits." Although Liu Xing couldn''t fullyprehend Lu Tianya''s exnation and found it somewhat cryptic, he understood one thing: thispass possessed formidable abilities. Thinking this, Liu Xing didn''t hesitate and handed thepass to Lu Tianya, saying with a smile, "Well, in that case, consider it a gift. Since you find it so valuable, you should keep it." Lu Tianya quickly shook her head and declined, "No, no. Thispass is too precious. If I were to sell it within our circle, I could easily get tens of millions for it. I can''t ept it." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn that Taoists like Lu Tianya earned such high ies. Otherwise, apass wouldn''t fetch such a hefty price. However, Liu Xing wasn''t short of money at the moment, and giving thepass to Lu Tianya was also an investment. Even if he couldn''t persuade Lu Tianya to join the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, having Lu Tianya in possession of thispass could help solve many problems in this module. Moreover, as long as he didn''t leave the Ind Nation, he could seek Lu Tianya''s assistance in future modules. But Liu Xing had anticipated that Lu Tianya might not ept the gift, so he said, "Since you''re unwilling to ept thispass, how about I lend it to you for now?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 261: The Third Victim Chapter 261: The Third Victim Nothing to do. Liu Xing suddenly found himself with nothing to do at the moment. His subordinates, though not numerous, were all working diligently to serve him. Liu Xing felt like he could now lead a life of leisure, with everything provided at his beck and call. After discussing the next steps, Liu Xing found himself idling on the couch, pondering about life... or rather, daydreaming. The current situation of this module had taken Liu Xing by surprise. He couldn''t help but feel that this module had turned into a modified version, far from its original purpose. Originally, this module was meant for yers who had just arrived at the new school, taking on the roles of students and teachers, to meticulously explore the hidden truths behind the school. But now, due to Liu Xing''s unique character card, the yers'' behavior had taken a drastic turn, and their primary objective seemed to have shifted towards confronting the puppeteers behind the scenes. This module was now like a movie that had taken an unexpected turn during production. In a scene where the actors were supposed to be unarmed, suddenly, someone appeared with an unlimited supply of bullets and a zing Gatling gun. How should this movie be filmed? As the director of the Cthulhu RPG Game, KP had no choice but to modify the module and adjust some plotlines. So, in the previous module, Honda Tetsuya, who had been behaving normally, had suddenly transformed into a mysterious figure with a powerful background. The Shadow n, originally just a gang organization, had also morphed into a formidable Secret Cult, swiftly expanding into the Kyoto region. Liu Xing was certain that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Shadow n would have a significant role in this module, and it might even have an impact on other modules. Because Liu Xing was almost certain that the five individuals who had assassinated the Shadow n''s spokesperson were yers from another module. Currently, both sets of yers were in Kyoto, and there was a high likelihood that they would cross paths or even form connections due to the Shadow n''s involvement. Liu Xing hadn''t forgotten that KP Fangs had warned him just yesterday that if the two modules influenced each other, the oue might not be favorable. Swift resolution was needed. Liu Xing believed that ending this module as quickly as possible would help prevent further unexpected incidents. However, due to the interference of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, uncovering the identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost had be even more challenging for their side. At that moment, Liu Xing''s phone suddenly rang. Liu Xing picked up his phone and saw that it was a message from Honda Tetsuya. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing hadn''t expected to receive another message from Honda Tetsuya, especially since he no longer considered Honda Tetsuya an ally after his mysterious transformation. Thinking this, Liu Xing didn''t immediately open the message. Instead, he called Ming Hanxing and got straight to the point, saying, "Teacher Ming, I''ve just received a message from Honda Tetsuya." Ming Hanxing also furrowed his brows and expressed his skepticism, "What does Honda Tetsuya want by sending a message now? Is he trying to provoke us with information about Ling Ishikawa?" Liu Xing shook his head, replying, "I don''t think so. We can now confirm that Honda Tetsuya has no connection to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. In the audio we just listened to, there was no mention of Honda Tetsuya by the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Although we still don''t know the reason why Honda Tetsuya sent Ling Ishikawa to an alternate dimension, I believe he wouldn''t send us a message just to provoke us." As Liu Xing spoke, he opened the message from Honda Tetsuya. Upon seeing the beginning of the message, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise because Honda Tetsuya had started the message by mentioning the possible identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. Ming Hanxing, who was watching Liu Xing''s screen, eximed, "What? Honda Tetsuya has actually found out the identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, and he''s actually informing us? Why?" Liu Xing was now just as curious as Ming Hanxing about why Honda Tetsuya had decided to keep his promise and share the identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost with them. Liu Xing and Ming Hanxing exchanged nces, both recognizing the perplexity in each other''s minds. Liu Xing continued scrolling through the message, and as expected, the identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost was revealed to be Juri Sonoda''s close friend, Higashi Meizi. ording to Honda Tetsuya''s message, when Higashi Meizi hadmitted suicide five years ago, he had been wearing red clothes. Most importantly, when Higashi Meizi''s body was sent to the funeral home, her parents were convinced that their daughter didn''t die by suicide. This was because some of Higashi Meizi''s personal belongings had gone missing, and the missing items were ones she held dear and wouldn''t have casually discarded during a suicide. Furthermore, at the request of Higashi Meizi''s parents, an examination of her body at the funeral home had revealed some injuries that didn''t match the method of suicide. This only solidified her parents'' belief that their daughter had been murdered and hadn''t taken her own life. However, after being "persuaded" by Morimoto Academy, Higashi Meizi''s parents ultimately epted the fact that their daughter hadmitted suicide and received a pensation" from Morimoto Academy. After that, they left Kyoto, their hearts heavy with grief. In thest part of Honda Tetsuya''s message, it was mentioned that three years ago, Higashi Meizi''s family had perished in a fire, and the local authorities had ruled it as an "idental event." After reading Honda Tetsuya''s message, Liu Xing fell into deep thought. Firstly, Liu Xing was sure that the information about Higashi Meizi possibly being the Red-Clothed Female Ghost was not something Honda Tetsuya had obtained from Morimoto Academy''s Archives Room. After all, Morimoto Academy wouldn''t record anything detrimental to their own interests, especially regarding what had happened to Higashi Meizi''s family. Secondly, the level of detail in this information showed that Honda Tetsuya had considerable resources at his disposal. It was evident that Honda Tetsuya''s identity was far from ordinary. Lastly, Liu Xing was most curious about one thing: if the next victim turned out to be Honda Tetsuya, could the Deep Sea Gospel Society make it look like a "suicide"? Considering the current intelligence, there was a high probability that Honda Tetsuya could be the next one targeted, especially since he imed to have seen the Red-Clothed Female Ghost and had a handprint on his chest. However, since Honda Tetsuya had the ability to transport Ling Ishikawa to an alternate dimension, he must also have the capability to defeat the Red-Clothed Female Ghost with ease, and even single-handedly dismantle the Kyoto branch of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Therefore, Liu Xing felt that, given the extent of modification in the current module, Honda Tetsuya might have lied. While Honda Tetsuya may have indeed encountered the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, the next sacrifice target of the Deep Sea Gospel Society might not be Honda Tetsuya, but someone else. Honda Tetsuya might have known about his own status from the beginning, which is why he acted surprised when they met in the Archives Room. Moreover, if this spection was correct, then Honda Tetsuya''s message was a reminder to their group: "Don''t waste time on him." Thinking this, Liu Xing couldn''t help but say to Ming Hanxing, "It seems that we were yed by Honda Tetsuya from the beginning. He guessed my identity and our initial intentions and deliberately misled us. If Ling Ishikawa hadn''t been sent to an alternate dimension by Honda Tetsuya, we might have continued to be deceived." Ming Hanxing nodded, but he was still puzzled. "That''s true, but I can''t figure out why Honda Tetsuya would do this. After all, he''s not on the side of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Why would he want to deceive us like this? Is he just bored?" Shrugging, Liu Xing replied, "Who knows? Honda Tetsuya''s behavior is indeed very strange. In the Yueshihao incident, he appeared weak and helpless. Now, he''s transformed into a formidable presence. But I have to admit, his acting skills are exceptional." Ming Hanxing nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, when I first met Honda Tetsuya, I thought he was insane. Little did I know that he was just ying a role. But for now, Honda Tetsuya has revealed the true identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost to us, so we don''t need to invest so much effort in the investigation. However, Honda Tetsuya is quite a tricky character. He only told us half of the story. Regarding the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, or rather, Higashi Meizi, she likely wants the personal belongings she lost before her death. Honda Tetsuya should know what Higashi Meizi desires, but he didn''t borate." Liu Xing and Ming Hanxing sighed simultaneously, feeling somewhat disheartened as they sat on the couch. After all, Liu Xing and Ming Hanxing were both yers, and they understood that the current module was extremely unfriendly to yers. Honda Tetsuya was like a bug, capable of eliminating them at any moment. Of course, there was also a high likelihood of being sent to the alternate dimension to meet Ling Ishikawa. However, speaking of Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing was now more at ease. Since he hadn''t received any card-tearing messages from Ling Ishikawa, it indicated that the danger level in the alternate dimension where he had been sent was not high, and he might even return before the module ended. "By the way, Leader, this means we need to continue our investigation because I believe the next target of the Deep Sea Gospel Society may not be Honda Tetsuya, but someone else," Ming Hanxing said seriously. Liu Xing nodded and then called over Honekawa Suneo and the others, recounting the information Honda Tetsuya had sent them. Honekawa Suneo was quick to grasp Liu Xing''s intention. He spoke, "I understand, Leader. I''ll go find someone to investigate the next real victim. As always, I''ll be careful and ensure we don''t get discovered by the Deep Sea Gospel Society." Liu Xing nodded and told Honekawa Suneo, "Suneo, it''s on you now. Just as before, be cautious, and don''t let the Deep Sea Gospel Society catch wind of our actions." As Liu Xing finished speaking, his phone rang again. He was surprised because, despite having gained favorability with Lu Tianya through their previous exchange, he still sensed a certain level of wariness from him. He hadn''t expected Lu Tianya to call him voluntarily this time. Liu Xing gave a nod to Honekawa Suneo and others, signaling them to stay quiet, and then he answered the call while activating the speakerphone. He smiled and said, "Lu Tianya, what can I do for you?" On the other end of the phone, Lu Tianya sounded anxious. "There''s trouble at the school again, Ryusei. Your former homeroom teacher, Honda Tetsuya, has been found dead in the Old Teaching Building!" Liu Xing''s smile gradually disappeared. He eximed, "What happened?!" "Just a few minutes ago, a local YouTuber climbed over the school''s wall and started live-streaming in the Old Teaching Building area. He discovered Honda Tetsuya''s body floating in the swimming pool, which should have been dry by now. The YouTuber has already called the police, but his livestream is still ongoing. You can watch it on YouTube," Lu Tianya continued. Liu Xing furrowed his brows and said to Lu Tianya, "Thank you for the heads-up, Lu Tianya. I''ll watch the livestream now. We''ll get in touchter." Liu Xing hung up the phone, and Nobi Nobita had already found the livestream mentioned by Lu Tianya. He handed his phone to Liu Xing, who saw a blood-red liquid-filled swimming pool on the screen. In the center of the pool, Honda Tetsuyay lifeless, with a pale face and closed eyes. ording to the livestreamer''s description, he had entered Morimoto Academy by climbing over a copsed wall just five minutes ago. While passing by the swimming pool, he discovered Honda Tetsuya''s body. As for the unidentified red liquid in the pool, the livestreamer imed not to have detected any blood odor, and he even dared to scoop up some of the liquid with his hand. Strangely, once removed from the pool, the liquid turned transparent. Security guards from the school and nearby police officers had arrived at the scene, along with some onlookers. Among the crowd, Liu Xing spotted Oko Hayato, the policeman who had previously struck up a conversation with their group and seemed more like a member of an unruly mob. "Let''s go. We should check out the situation at the school," Liu Xing said, closing his phone and getting up from the couch. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 262: The Return of Juri Sonoda Chapter 262: The Return of Juri Sonoda As Liu Xing pondered, he didn''t think introducing Juri Sonoda to Oko Hayato would be considered overstepping any boundaries. So, with a smile, Liu Xing turned to Oko Hayato and said, "Officer Oko, I just remembered someone you might have heard of, Juri Sonoda." Oko Hayato nodded, a hint of curiosity in his voice, "Juri Sonoda? Of course, I know that name. She''s a respected journalist. Recently, she fearlessly reported on the local gang issues in Ziwu City, even going undercover to gather evidence, which ultimately allowed the police to take down those troublemaking gangs. But why do you bring up Juri Sonoda all of a sudden, Ryusei? Do you know her?" Liu Xing smiled and retrieved Juri Sonoda''s contact information from his phone, which he had obtained during their time on the Yueshihao cruise ship. "This is Juri Sonoda''s number. She was also on the Yueshihao cruise ship at that time and was with the two Chinese individuals who are still unconscious. They all worked together to thwart the evil ritual of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. That''s how we got in touch with her. What''s more, Juri Sonoda was a student at Morimoto Academy. Given her age, she should be acquainted with Higashi Meizi, and it''s even possible that they were ssmates." Oko Hayato nodded once more, took Liu Xing''s phone, copied Juri Sonoda''s contact information, and said, "Alright, then I''ll contact Ms. Juri Sonoda on behalf of the police. Hopefully, we can obtain some useful information." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, knowing that if Juri Sonoda were aware that the police were investigating Higashi Meizi''s death, she would likely share any information she had with Oko Hayato. But then, something struck Liu Xing. He recalled that when he triggered the world mission tied to Juri Sonoda, she had mentioned that Higashi Meizi had recently broken up with her boyfriend before her death, which left her heartbroken. So, could it be that the cherished item Higashi Meizi wanted to reim was a photo of her and her ex-boyfriend or perhaps a gift from him? After all, people who have just experienced a breakup, especially high school girls like Higashi Meizi, often cling to memories of their past rtionships. However, Liu Xing soon questioned his own theory. Juri Sonoda had also mentioned that Higashi Meizi had already recovered from her breakup on the day of her ident, suggesting that she was in a stable emotional state. With a sudden insight, Liu Xing considered that the cherished item might actually be something given to Higashi Meizi by Juri Sonoda herself. After all, Juri Sonoda was Higashi Meizi''s best friend, and the world mission originated from Juri Sonoda. Unable to contain his thoughts, Liu Xing turned to Oko Hayato and said, "Officer Oko, what do you say we contact Ms. Juri Sonoda now? It might be best if I use my phone because, as you know, Ms. Juri Sonoda made enemies with the gang back then and is currently hiding in the Cosmic Country. If she receives a call from an unknown number, she might be suspicious and refuse to answer." Oko Hayato considered this and handed his phone to Liu Xing, saying with a smile, "Alright, Ryusei, you can make the call now. If you pass a luck check, you''ll get through. If not, Juri Sonoda won''t answer for half an hour." Liu Xing made the call, and the result of the luck check was 39/70, indicating sess. As soon as the result came in, Juri Sonoda answered the phone. "Ryusei, do you need something?" Hearing Juri Sonoda''s voice once again, Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel a wave of emotions. Most importantly, he was now assuming a different identity, which felt somewhat strange. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Liu Xing began, "Juri Sister, I recall you mentioning that you attended Morimoto Academy, right?" Juri Sonoda chuckled and replied, "That''s correct, I did attend Morimoto Academy for high school. Why do you suddenly bring that up? By the way, you can just call me Juri." After organizing his thoughts, Liu Xing continued, "Well, you see, I was wondering if you''re aware of the recent events at Morimoto Academy regarding the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. Just now, Mr. Honda''s body was found near the abandoned swimming pool next to the Old Teaching Building." There was a moment of silence from Juri Sonoda on the other end of the line, and then she spoke, "I didn''t expect Mr. Honda to meet such a fate... I''vee across rumors of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost online, given my profession as a journalist. But, Ryusei, are you suggesting what I think you are? That the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is merely a diversion created by the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and these so-called suicides are actually murdersmitted by members of the society?" Indeed, Juri Sonoda''s sharp instincts and knowledge of major Ind Nation news events were evident. She had already guessed the truth behind the events. With that in mind, Liu Xing continued earnestly, "Yes, that''s what I believe. However, I have reason to think that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is not a mere distraction but an actual entity. I have also made some preliminary progress in uncovering the true identity of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. It turns out she is a girl who was killed by the Deep Sea Gospel Society five years ago..." "Wait a minute. Are you saying that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is real and was indeed killed by the Deep Sea Gospel Society five years ago? Are you not joking, Ryusei?" Juri Sonoda interrupted Liu Xing, her tone filled with tension. Liu Xing knew that Juri Sonoda had likely deduced that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost was Higashi Meizi. After all, if she still sought justice for her close friend, Higashi Meizi, she would undoubtedly remember what Higashi Meizi was wearing when she was alive... Liu Xing sighed and said earnestly, "That''s right, Juri, Nobita and I conducted various investigations, and we are convinced that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is indeed real and not under the control of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Most importantly, we have identified the Red-Clothed Female Ghost''s true identity. Given the rarity of female students whomitted suicide wearing red clothes in the Old Teaching Building, and considering Mr. Honda''s description of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost''s appearance when I met him recently, I''m now more than 80% certain that the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is actually a girl named Higashi Meizi. I checked the timing of Higashi Meizi''s death, and it seems that you and she were in the same grade, or perhaps just one or two years apart. So, Juri, I wanted to ask if you have any information about Higashi Meizi?" Silence. Liu Xing anticipated how Juri Sonoda might react to his inquiry about Higashi Meizi and patiently waited for her response. After a long pause, Juri Sonoda finally spoke, "Are you sure it''s Higashi Meizi?" Without hesitation, Liu Xing replied with just one word, "Certain." Juri Sonoda let out a long sigh and said with a hint of mncholy, "I see. Ryusei, it seems you''vee to the right person. If the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is indeed Higashi Meizi, then I never thought I''d have a female ghost as a close friend. Yes, I know Higashi Meizi, and we were not only ssmates but also very close friends." Liu Xing pretended to be surprised and said, "What? Juri, you''re actually Higashi Meizi''s close friend? That''s incredible! Juri, have you seen the news about Higashi Meizitely? It mentions that she''s trying to find something very important to her. In my investigation, I also discovered that after her body was taken to the mortuary, her parents noticed that she had lost some personal belongings. So, I believe that what Higashi Meizi is trying to find is among the items that went missing. Could you please provide any clues or information about it?" Juri Sonoda thought for a moment and then replied, "If you can investigate whether Higashi Meizi still had those items with her at the mortuary, I might be able to deduce what she lost. Right now, I can recall three possible items. First, a pure silver bracelet that her ex-boyfriend gave her on her birthday. Second, a protective amulet given to her by her grandmother before her passing. And third, a coin purse I gave her during our trip to Tokyo. It had a design of a magical girl named Wizard on it." "As far as I remember, Higashi Meizi used to carry these three items with her at all times, and they were her favorites. So, I think what she''s trying to find should be among these three. When you investigate further, we should be able to determine exactly what it is. By the way, I''ve already purchased a ne ticket back to Ind Nation. If all goes well, I should arrive in Kyoto tonight. We can meet and discuss further then." With that, Juri Sonoda hung up the phone. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Juri Sonoda had chosen to return to Ind Nation. It seemed her emotional attachment to Higashi Meizi ran deep. However, a new problem emerged. With Juri Sonoda''s sudden return to Ind Nation, what would happen to "Liu Xing"? Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel a bit despondent at the thought of his "body" being left alone in the Cosmic Country. On the other hand, Oko Hayato, sitting across from Liu Xing, grinned and said, "Looks like we got lucky. We''ve found the key yer." Liu Xing nodded and said in all seriousness, "However, Officer Oko, the next steps will rely on your efforts. I hope you can investigate Higashi Meizi''s records from back then, ideally finding out what she lost during her time at the mortuary. This will help us determine what we need to look for." Oko Hayato patted his chest confidently and said, "Ryusei, rest assured. My father is a vice bureau chief, and investigating this kind of matter should be no problem. But I must admit, I''m quite curious about your skills, Ryusei. You seem to have some impressive methods to gather information." Liu Xing knew that Oko Hayato was hinting at something, so he replied with a smile, "Well, gathering this information was actually quite straightforward. Nowadays, the inte is very advanced, and you can find a lot of information online. In addition, my friends and I bought a lot of old newspapers and magazines from secondhand bookstores. We also managed to gather useful information by offering money to the employees at the mortuary. With these resources, we pieced together the puzzle." Oko Hayato nodded thoughtfully, and the two of them continued chatting about various topics, ending their lunch on a cheerful note. After finishing their meal, Liu Xing and Oko Hayato went their separate ways. As Liu Xing watched Oko Hayato walk away, he couldn''t help but sigh. He realized that although Oko Hayato might appear to be a "spoiled" cop who got his position through family connections, he was astute enough to sense that something was amiss. It seemed that Oko Hayato had more potential than he initially thought. However, this also posed a dilemma for Liu Xing. He had hoped that Oko Hayato would provide him with information and assistance without being too clever. Now, it seemed that he and Oko Hayato were drifting apart. Back at home, Liu Xing shared the events of the afternoon with Honekawa Suneo and the others. He emphasized the need to avoid revealing their true identities in front of Juri Sonoda and to refrain from mentioning the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. After all, Liu Xing didn''t want to recruit Juri Sonoda into the sect. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but worry about "Liu Xing" and Yin En, who had likely been sent back to China for treatment. Since Juri Sonoda would arrive in Kyoto tonight after only half a day''s travel, it indicated that "Liu Xing" and Yin En were most likely in a coastal area. Liu Xing needed to determine their exact location because different locations often influenced the modules that urred. After all, reality modules could differ between Western and Japanese settings. At 9:40 in the evening, Liu Xing arrived at Kyoto Airport, where a ne from China was about tond in just ten minutes. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 263: Preparations Chapter 263: Preparations Ten minutester, Liu Xing spotted Juri Sonoda walking out of the airport carrying a small bag, her other hand holding a phone as she looked at something intently. Liu Xing got out of the car, asking Ming Hanxing to wait for a moment. Although Liu Xing knew how to drive, Watanabe Ryuseicked this skill. If he attempted to drive forcefully, KP Fangs would surely subject him to a basic driving check, and a failed check would result in a direct Plot Encounter. Therefore, Liu Xing didn''t dare to risk the consequences of a Plot Encounter and could only have Ming Hanxing, who possessed driving skills, drive him to the airport. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but wonder if he would receive a rapid progress buff if he were to learn how to drive now, considering he already knew how. When Liu Xing approached Juri Sonoda, she finally snapped out of her reverie and said with some surprise, "Wow, Ryusei-kun, how did you know I''d be in Kyoto now? Did you wait for a long time?" Liu Xing smiled and shook his head before responding, "Actually, I just arrived at the airport a moment ago. At noon, I heard you mention that you had already bought a ticket and would arrive in Kyoto tonight. So, I checked the flight schedule and found out that you would be on this flight, as the next flight from China to Kyoto won''t arrive until tomorrow morning." Juri Sonoda ced her phone back in her bag and chuckled, "I was actually thinking about calling you to pick me up, considering how few taxis are avable at this hour. Besides, I''m in a bit of a hurry this time, and I didn''t bring any money with me. I have to say that Ind Nation can be quite troublesome in terms of payment, unlike China, where you can just use your phone for everything." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. China was indeed at the forefront of convenient mobile payments. Even in a small county town, you could use your phone for transactions. Currently, Ind Nation still heavily relied on physical currency or various credit cards, especiallypared to some European and American countries. Ind Nation''s credit card system, however, had its own peculiarities. In Liu Xing''s wallet, he had over a dozen different credit cards, each with specific functions or discounts, some meant for dining expenses, and others for transportation costs. Overall, Liu Xing felt that China was much more convenient in this regard, as a mobile phone could easily handle all payment needs. "That''s good. Let''s get in the car then. If you don''t mind, Juri-chan, you can stay at my ce. After the Yueshihao incident, I discussed it with Nobita and the others, and we believe that the Deep Sea Gospel Society will continue to target us. So, to avoid being picked off one by one, Nobita and the others are currently staying at my ce. We have some empty rooms, and of course, you can choose to stay in the same room as Shizuka if you prefer." To persuade Juri Sonoda to stay at his home, Liu Xing had deliberately arranged for Minamoto Shizuka to convince her younger sister to temporarily return home. This way, Liu Xing could use the reason of "staying with Minamoto Shizuka" to persuade Juri Sonoda. However, Liu Xing''s primary concern was Juri Sonoda''s safety. She was now an NPC inserted into this module, and her actions would influence the course of the story. After all, Juri Sonoda was a close friend of Higashi Meizi. If Higashi Meizi recognized Juri Sonoda, she might join the yer''s side, disrupting the module''s original "bnce." Therefore, Liu Xing was certain that KP Fangs would target Juri Sonoda intentionally, perhaps sending the Shadow n to cause trouble for her. Since the Shadow n had recently expanded into the Kyoto area, if they knew Juri Sonoda''s whereabouts, they would surely send someone after her. Liu Xing didn''t want anything to happen to Juri Sonoda. Fortunately, Cthulhu RPG Game was a game that valued "realism" and logical storytelling. It wouldn''t trigger an immediate "alert" the moment Juri Sonoda arrived. The Shadow n wouldn''t instantly discover her presence in Ind Nation and send dozens of people to hunt her down. So, Liu Xing hade to the airport to pick her up and hoped to keep her whereabouts as discreet as possible, or at least dy any exposure. Juri Sonoda, aware of her precarious situation, nodded and said, "Yes, this is good. I had hoped to stay with you all anyway, as you should know that I came on the Yueshihao cruise to escape trouble abroad. So, my return to Kyoto is still quite risky." While saying this, Juri Sonoda nced around. Liu Xing nodded and escorted Juri Sonoda into the car. He then said, "Indeed, it''s better to be cautious for now. But honestly, Juri-chan, you don''t have to take such risks. Even if the Red-Clothed Female Ghost in the Old Teaching Building is Higashi Meizi, she''s already a ghost now. Perhaps she won''t even recognize you, and she has shown some aggression. If you get hurt, it won''t be good." Initially, Liu Xing had wanted to suggest that Juri Sonoda go back and take care of "Liu Xing." However, upon reflection, he realized he didn''t have a valid reason to make that request. Juri Sonoda shook her head firmly and said, "No, no, no. Since I''m here now, there''s no way I''m going back just like that. Besides, Higashi Meizi was my good friend back then, and I didn''t get a chance to see her onest time. Now that I have the opportunity to meet her again, I won''t miss it, even if she has be a ghost. I believe she''ll still remember me!" Seeing this, Liu Xing decided not to say anything more. After all, his words wouldn''t change anything. Instead, he asked a question he was genuinely concerned about, "Alright then, Juri-chan, rest assured that as long as nothing unexpected happens, you''ll be safe. After all, I have some resources here in Kyoto. But speaking of which, how are Liu Xing and Yin En doing now?" To be honest, it felt awkward for Liu Xing to call himself "big brother." "Thank you for your concern," Juri Sonoda replied with a smile. "Liu Xing and Yin En are in stable condition. Although they haven''t shown any signs of waking up yet, their vital signs are very good. They''re currently receiving treatment at the best hospital in the Imperial Capital of China. The doctors say that it''s only a matter of time before they wake up." Hearing Juri Sonoda''s reassuring words, Liu Xing finally felt at ease. With that, Liu Xing provided Juri Sonoda with the information he knew while Ming Hanxing drove them back home. Of course, the information Liu Xing provided to Juri Sonoda had been carefully filtered. After listening to Liu Xing''s ount, Juri Sonoda nodded and said, "It seems the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is indeed Higashi Meizi. I never expected that Higashi Meizi''s family members were also killed by the Deep Sea Gospel Society." Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "To eradicate the root cause, the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s actions were somewhat anticipated. Unfortunately, Higashi Meizi''s parents didn''t foresee this. If they had insisted a bit more, they might have had a chance to expose the dark side of Morimoto Academy. So many lives wouldn''t have been lost now..." As a close friend of Higashi Meizi, Juri Sonoda stood by Higashi Meizi''s parents. "Ryusei-kun, you''re being a bit too idealistic. Higashi Meizi''s family had modest means, and her parents had responsibilities to take care of. They couldn''t afford to confront the Deep Sea Gospel Society head-on. Even if they did, the Deep Sea Gospel Society held the upper hand. They could easily send a couple of devotees as assassins." Liu Xing nodded, sighing once more. Liu Xing couldn''t believe how well Juri Sonoda understood the Deep Sea Gospel Society, but it didn''t change the situation. Back at home, Liu Xing introduced Ming Hanxing to Juri Sonoda. In Liu Xing''s words, Ming Hanxing was an "honest person" who, upon learning the truth about the Yueshihao incident, didn''t want to follow in Honda Tetsuya''s footsteps and decided to join Liu Xing and the others. As Juri Sonoda entered the room, KP Fangs intervened once again, saying, "Hehe, now that Juri Sonoda is back in Ind Nation, it''s time for you, Liu Xing, to make a luck check to determine if Juri Sonoda was spotted by the Shadow n when she got off the ne today. By the way, from now on, every time Juri Sonoda goes out, she''ll need to make a luck check as well." MMP. Liu Xing hadn''t expected KP Fangs to be even more tricky than he had imagined. To have Juri Sonoda make a luck check every time she went out, and to be spotted by the Shadow n right awayit was clear that if the Shadow n found Juri Sonoda, they would most likelye after her within half a day. This situation was troublesome. However, for now, Liu Xing had no choice but to ept the reality. Liu Xing, 51/70, seeded. Thank goodness. Liu Xing was relieved that "Watanabe Ryusei''s" luck score was rtively high. As long as Juri Sonoda didn''t go out too often before leaving Kyoto, she should remain undiscovered by the Shadow n...hopefully. On the other hand, Minamoto Shizuka had already taken Juri Sonoda aside to have a private conversation, while Liu Xing gathered the others to discuss what they should do after the school reopened the next day. "Leader, I''ve arranged everything. As soon as you give the order, we can organize another strike, and I''ve already found a suitable spokesperson who will propose recing the security guardspany to the school''s higher-ups and suggest an open bidding process," NobitaNobi said with a smile. HonekawaSuneo added, "I''ve also contacted several reporters from different TV stations. They''ll put pressure on the school through public opinion. I believe FujiwaraHiroshi will choose to rece the securitypany if he still has a functioning brain." Liu Xing nodded and said, "That''s good. Tomorrow, we''ll assess the situation first and then decide when to initiate the strike. But regardless, Suneo, your team of reporters can start working now. Process the existing information and make sure they report it." HonekawaSuneo understood and nodded. Ming Hanxing then took out his phone and said to Liu Xing, "Leader, I just received a message from Miguel. Alice has dispatched over ten subordinates today, and currently, only one group has returned to report to Alice. They provided information about the new Deputy Police Chief, OkoHayato''s father. In short, Deep Sea Gospel Society cannot target OkoHayato''s father at the moment. While OkoHayato''s father doesn''t have any powerful backing, other forces are closely watching the Deep Sea Gospel Society. If they were to harm OkoHayato''s father, they might face retaliation from those other forces." "So, Alice ns to go after OkoHayato instead, to use him as leverage and force OkoHayato''s father to surrender. Alice has already assigned someone to track OkoHayato, with the intention of findingpromising information to use as a threat. Interestingly, the person Alice sent to tail OkoHayato is actually working for the Police Chief, and they''ve already shared the information with the Police Chief. Now, the Police Chief ns to be more direct and intends to stage a scenario for OkoHayato, making it look like he ''died in the line of duty.''" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, it seems there are some serious internal issues within the Deep Sea Gospel Society. They''ve nted a mole among their own colleagues, and they''re making different decisions. It looks like the Police Chief is trying to shift me onto Alice. Our chances of turning Alice to our side have increased by ten percent again. Teacher Ming, please tell Miguel that we hope he can find an opportunity to make Alice aware of the mole in her midst." Ming Hanxing nodded and said with a smile, "Leader, no problem. When Miguel met the mole who went to see the Police Chief, he took several high-resolution, untraceable photos." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 264: The Yielding Deep Sea Gospel Society Chapter 264: The Yielding Deep Sea Gospel Society Fujiwara Hiroshi adjusted his emotions and forced himself to muster a smile that looked even uglier than crying. After all, in the current situation, Fujiwara Hiroshi knew that if he dared to show a bad attitude to the students, there would be no room for negotiation. He wouldn''t even have to wait until the end of the semester to "retire." The hushed murmurs persisted for a while, and under the guidance of the "kind-hearted" individual, the students quieted down once again. Fujiwara Hiroshi took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Dear students, let''s have a civilized conversation. Blocking the school entrance like this is starting to affect traffic. Can we please go back inside the school and return to your respective ssrooms?" Silence. Because they had coordinated their efforts in advance, the ordinary students present knew they were just here to y their part and cooperate with the "main actors." At this moment, the "main actor" of this drama made their entrance. Lu Tianya stepped forward from the crowd and earnestly said to Fujiwara Hiroshi, "Principal, we are not obstructing traffic, and we can discuss matters here. I believe you''ve already heard what the students had to say from inside your car. We don''t want to enter this school that feels so unsafe." Indeed, the "main actor" of this performance was Lu Tianya, as she was the Student Council President of Morimoto Academy. It was only fitting for Lu Tianya to represent Morimoto Academy in this matter, both in terms of reason and propriety. Although, theoretically, the "main actors" should have been the yers, Liu Xing, as the instigator, couldn''t show up due to his unique identity. If the Deep Sea Gospel Society were to discover that he was the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Liu Xing would have to prepare to go into hiding. As a newly hired teacher, Ming Hanxing couldn''t take the lead either. As for Ling Ishikawa, it was unclear in which dimension they were currently located. In the end, they decided to delegate the role of "main actor" to Lu Tianya. Seeing Lu Tianya step forward, Fujiwara Hiroshi felt a headacheing on. He knew that Lu Tianya was just the "frontman," and there was someone else behind the scenes orchestrating this second strike. Fujiwara Hiroshi had heard about the students preparing for a second strike because, among the students at Morimoto Academy, there were quite a few followers of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. However, Honekawa Suneo was extremely cautious. When organizing the coordination work, Honekawa Suneo had used a false identity to contact some trustworthy students from various sses. Then, through an entirely anonymous messaging app, he had conveyed the specific details of the second strike to those selected students, who would then organize the ordinary students in their respective sses, sharing only vague details. So, Fujiwara Hiroshi only knew that the students were preparing for a second strike, but he had no knowledge of the specific timing or methods. However, as an experienced old fox, he had sensed that the people behind organizing this second strike had big ns. Therefore, Fujiwara Hiroshi had nned to follow the trail and expose the mastermind behind the scenes. What Fujiwara Hiroshi hadn''t expected was that the second strike would begin right at the school gate. However, it was a fortunate coincidence. Originally, Liu Xing had nned to initiate the second strike after sses, but due to the incident, Nobi Nobita had shed with the security guards, aligning perfectly with the goals of the second strike. Liu Xing had allowed the situation to escte, and the onlookers, ordinary students, had mistaken it for the start of the second strike, leading to the current situation. In other words, it was just an ident. However, this ident had disrupted Fujiwara Hiroshi''s ns. After handling the "suicide" of Honda Tetsuya yesterday, Fujiwara Hiroshi had taken the opportunity to deploy a team to install hidden cameras in the ssrooms of various sses, intending to monitor the activities of the students. In essence, as soon as Liu Xing instructed Honekawa Suneo to notify other students to start the second strike, Fujiwara Hiroshi could use the recorded footage from the hidden cameras to identify Honekawa Suneo and even deduce that Liu Xing was the mastermind behind the scenes. So, this unexpected turn of events allowed Liu Xing to escape unscathed. "Principal, do you have anything else to say?" Lu Tianya asked, looking at the somewhat distracted Fujiwara Hiroshi. Fujiwara Hiroshi snapped back to attention and said, "Alright, Lu Tianya, let''s discuss it here. But first, I need to rify something. Can you represent the other students? I hope we can resolve this matter as quickly as possible." Not far away, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Fujiwara Hiroshi was indeed a cunning old fox; it was clear he was trying to trap Lu Tianya with his words. However, Lu Tianya wasn''t just an ordinary high school student. She knew Fujiwara Hiroshi was scheming, so she remained silent and simply nodded toward the students behind her. The students, ying the role of "supporting actors," understood the signal and began voicing their support for Lu Tianya. Seeing this, Fujiwara Hiroshi sighed inwardly, shook his head slightly, and said, "Alright, Lu Tianya, we can discuss it here now. How can we ensure that you and your fellow students are willing to return to ss?" Lu Tianya chuckled and pointed to the students behind her, saying, "Principal, you should know what the students want. We study at Morimoto Academy, and our most basic need is safety. Without safety, we can''t continue our studies here at Morimoto Academy. I think about it every day now, wondering who the next victim will be, and if it might be me." Watching Lu Tianya''s assertive demeanor, Fujiwara Hiroshi felt like he wasn''t dealing with a high school girl anymore but with Daikubo Sosuke himself. Meanwhile, among the crowd, Liu Xing nodded with a smile. Today, Lu Tianya''s performance was much better than Liu Xing had expected. Fujiwara Hiroshi knew that he was now pushed into a corner by Lu Tianya, so he could only reluctantly say, "You''re right, there have been some issues at Morimoto Academy. But I''ve already started working on resolving these problems. So, Lu Tianya, can you give the school a bit more time? We''ll provide you with a satisfactory response soon." It was a dying tactic. Lu Tianya, however, wasn''t falling for Fujiwara Hiroshi''s tactics. Without hesitation, Lu Tianya shook his head and said, "We don''t have much time to wait. Given the current situation at the school, every day there''s a possibility of a student meeting an untimely end. Do you expect us to wait and risk our lives, Principal Fujiwara?" Fujiwara Hiroshi sighed, growing slightly irritated. "Alright, then, Lu Tianya, what exactly do you want the school to do? But let me make it clear in advance, if your demands are too unreasonable, even if I agree, the school''s board of directors won''t. And you should be aware of how much Morimoto Academy has provided for students like you!" Lu Tianya still wore a smile on her face as she responded earnestly, "To put it simply, no matter how good the conditions are, without safety, everything is just empty talk. So, Principal Fujiwara, our request is quite simple. We want the current securitypany at the school to be dismissed, and we, the Student Council, will decide on a new securitypany. This new securitypany will be solely responsible for us, the Student Council. But rest assured, Principal Fujiwara, the costs associated with this new securitypany will be covered by us, the Student Council." Hearing Lu Tianya''s words, Liu Xing couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow and nce back at Honekawa Suneo. Lu Tianya''s current request was slightly different from what Liu Xing had instructed earlier. However, it had to be admitted that Lu Tianya''s proposal was even better. Honekawa Suneo shook his head, indicating that this was Lu Tianya''s own idea. As for Fujiwara Hiroshi, he was now fixedly staring at Lu Tianya. Lu Tianya''s request had touched upon the core elements of the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s influence at Morimoto Academy. Over the years, the Deep Sea Gospel Society had been able to orchestrate numerous "idents" and "suicides" at Morimoto Academy primarily due to three factors: first, theirplete control over the school; second, their protection at the official level in Kyoto; and third, their involvement in the current external securitypany of Morimoto Academy, which was another industry controlled by the Deep Sea Gospel Society. These three elements had allowed the Deep Sea Gospel Society to act with impunity within Morimoto Academy. Now, if the securitypany at Morimoto Academy were to be reced, the new securitypany could easily detect anomalies, making it much harder for the Deep Sea Gospel Society to create "idents" or "suicides" in the future. Fujiwara Hiroshi, who understood this well, decisively refused, "Lu Tianya, the request you''ve made is not realistic. We have a contract with the current securitypany, and we cannot change securitypanies within ten years. If we breach the contract, we''ll have to pay a substantial penalty." Fujiwara Hiroshi could only hope that Lu Tianya would back down. However, Lu Tianya had already anticipated Fujiwara Hiroshi''s response and said decisively, "That''s not a problem. The Student Council has prepared one billion yen. We believe this amount is sufficient to cover the penalty that the current irresponsible securitypany wants. Moreover, we probably won''t even need to pay a penalty because this irresponsible securitypany has never prevented any idents or suicides. I doubt they would have the audacity to demand a penalty. But even if they do, we can take them to court and make thempensate the school for the penalty." Fujiwara Hiroshi furrowed his brow. Lu Tianya''s words had almost left him with no way out. He realized that the situation was bing increasingly difficult to handle. Seeing Fujiwara Hiroshi remain silent, Lu Tianya decided to y her final card, "Principal Fujiwara, the weather is terribly cold today, and we''d rather not stand here in the freezing wind. We hope you can give us an answer within five minutes." Lu Tianya finished speaking and gazed quietly at Fujiwara Hiroshi. Fujiwara Hiroshi knew that there was no room left for negotiation. He could only retreat to his car and call Daikubo Sosuke and the others. Five minutester, with a grim expression, Fujiwara Hiroshi emerged from the car and said, "Lu Tianya, I have just discussed it with the school''s board of directors, and we agree to your demands." As soon as Fujiwara Hiroshi spoke, the students erupted in victorious cheers. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 265: Ling Ishikawas Return Chapter 265: Ling Ishikawas Return Upon entering the Old Teaching Building, Liu Xing felt an inexplicable chill that asionally passed through his body. He couldn''t help but think of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. However, he quickly realized that it was just the asional cold wind blowing in from the windows at the end of the corridor. Although the Old Teaching Building had been abandoned for a long time, it was still frequented by people due to the "idents" and "suicides" that asionally urred there. As a result, most areas were rtively clean. Liu Xing''s group was assigned to the fourth floor of the Old Teaching Building because Juri Sonoda remembered that Higashi Meizi had been found dead by "suicide" from the fourth floor back in the day. So, Liu Xing and his team nned to investigate the scene. Of course, Liu Xing and Ming Hanxing didn''t necessarily expect the fourth floor to be the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s primary murder site for Higashi Meizi. After all, even though the Old Teaching Building was abandoned, killing someone in a ce like this could still leave behind some difficult-to-erase evidence. Most importantly, if Deep Sea Gospel Society was killing for ritual purposes, the location for such a ceremony wouldn''t be chosen so casually. Therefore, Liu Xing didn''t expect to find any useful evidence on the fourth floor. He just hoped to establish contact with Higashi Meizi since she had always been active in the Old Teaching Building. So, Liu Xing decided to go alone. Although it was a risky move in the Cthulhu RPG Game, Liu Xing believed that Higashi Meizi probably posed little danger at the moment and wouldn''t attack him. Thus, he decided to take the risk. Most importantly, Liu Xing had obtained a "protective charm" from Juri Sonoda, which was a bracelet given to her by Higashi Meizi years ago. Liu Xing believed that since Higashi Meizi was still searching for her lost cherished item, it indicated that she might retain some memories from the past. Therefore, the bracelet he had in his possession should have some effect. With this in mind, Liu Xing exchanged a nce with Ming Hanxing. Then, Ming Hanxing, apanied by Honekawa Suneo and others, led the security guards in another direction, providing cover for Liu Xing to head to the outermost ssroom on the fourth floor, the same ssroom where Higashi Meizi had supposedly mitted suicide." Entering the ssroom, Liu Xing didn''t feel the eerie sensation he had anticipated. It seemed that horror movies and novels were deceiving. Liu Xing carefully observed the ssroom. Due to the long abandonment of the Old Teaching Building, the desks and chairs were piled up in the corners. However, it was evident that this ssroom hadn''t been visited in years, as it was covered in thick dust. Every step Liu Xing took seemed to have an otherworldly quality to it. Approaching the ssroom''s window, Liu Xing noticed that all the windows had been sealed shut with welding. It seemed that Morimoto Academy had taken these measures to prevent any further "idents" or "suicides" by students. However, Liu Xing lightly tapped on the ss and found it to be the kind of very thin, old-fashioned ss that could easily be broken even with bare hands, let alone with all the chairs in the room. So, these were just Morimoto Academy''s feeble attempts to cover up the truth, as everyone knew that such measures were ultimately futile. Seeing this, Liu Xing decided to talk to KP Fangs. "KP, can I conduct an investigation now to find some clues?" KP Fangs chuckled and replied, "You can, but you''ll need to pass a very difficult Investigation Judgment to get results." Liu Xing furrowed his brow. His Investigation Skill value was only 50, and if he had to pass a very difficult Judgment, it would be reduced to 10. However, since a very difficult Investigation Judgment implied the possibility of obtaining valuable information, Liu Xing decided to take the risk, embracing the idea of "nothing ventured, nothing gained." So he proceeded. Liu Xing, 100/10, critical failure. Liu Xing fell silent. He didn''t expect his luck to be this bad, rolling a 100. Now, Liu Xing was worried about the consequences of this critical failure in his investigation. The greater the reward, the greater the risk, and Liu Xing suspected that he might have made a grave mistake. At that moment, KP Fangs smiled and said, "Liu Xing, now you can make an inspiration Judgment." Liu Xing sighed in relief. If he could make an inspiration Judgment, it meant that the consequences of his failed investigation weren''t severe, and there might even be some unexpected benefits. Since he could make an inspiration Judgment in a ce like this, where the possibility of the supernatural was high, it likely meant that there were indeed supernatural elements at y. Liu Xing, 63/70, sess. After passing the inspiration Judgment, Liu Xing noticed that the dust-covered floor suddenly disyed clear footprints, silently approaching him step by step. To be honest, when Liu Xing saw this, he couldn''t help but feel nervous. Despite his mental preparedness, he knew that he was about to face something supernatural, and his heart rate increased. At this moment, KP Fangs spoke at the right time, "Liu Xing, you don''t need to make a sanity check because your Cthulhu Mythos knowledge has reached a certain level." Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that his character card was quite advantageous since he didn''t have to lower his sanity when facing these situations. This was a significant advantage, considering that ordinary yers tended to go insane through repeated sanity checks. Just then, Liu Xing saw that the footprints had stopped in front of him. Liu Xing couldn''t help but swallow hard and said, "Is it you?" Liu Xing received no response to his words, but he felt like he was standing in front of an open refrigerator, experiencing a continuous wave of cold air that made his teeth chatter. Liu Xing cautiously took a step to the left, but the two footprints still appeared right in front of him. This left Liu Xing feeling somewhat perplexed. What was Higashi Meizi thinking? Why didn''t she reveal herself? However, it seemed that Higashi Meizi had no intention of attacking him at the moment. So, Liu Xing decided to boldly take another step forward. Once again, the footprints appeared about half a meter in front of him. Seeing this, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. He took several steps and reached the ssroom''s doorway. This time, the footprints didn''t appear outside the ssroom. Liu Xing turned back with a puzzled expression. This time, the footprints had appeared behind him. Liu Xing sighed and spoke once more, "Higashi Meizi, or whoever you are, if you truly are Higashi Meizi or remember being her, please reveal yourself andmunicate with me. We are on the same side, and we both want to make the Deep Sea Gospel Society pay." Still no response. Liu Xing shook his head in frustration. Why wasn''t Higashi Meizi acknowledging him? However, Liu Xing soon thought of a possibility: Higashi Meizi might have already revealed herself, but due to the differences between the living and the dead, he couldn''t see her yet. So, Liu Xing believed he needed a bottle of Bull''s Tears. But because Liu Xing had entrusted Bull''s Tears to Ming Hanxing, he had to find Ming Hanxing first. With that, Liu Xing had to leave the ssroom. In another ssroom on the far side, he found Ming Hanxing and others. The security guards were busy installing surveince equipment. Seeing Liu Xing at the door, Ming Hanxing and the others exited the ssroom. Honekawa Suneo was the first to speak, "Leader, did you discover something?" Liu Xing nodded and shared everything that had just happened and his thoughts. Ming Hanxing took out Bull''s Tears from his pocket and handed it to Liu Xing. "It seems like that should be Higashi Meizi, and it''s safe to say that she hasn''t lost her sanity and doesn''t pose any threat." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Exactly, that''s what I think. Now let''s go to that ssroom together. I also find it suspicious, so we should search it." Ming Hanxing and the others agreed, and they followed Liu Xing. Meanwhile, on the first floor, Lu Tianya, apanied by Yuan Meixiang, had reached the fourth floor. Seeing Lu Tianya holding apass, Liu Xing knew that Lu Tianya must have sensed Higashi Meizi''s presence. Lu Tianya saw Liu Xing and the others and furrowed her brow. She said, "You must have seen Higashi Meizi, right? Are all of you nning to confront her together? Higashi Meizi has be a Spirit now. Unless her level reaches a certain point, she can''t appear in front of so many people. Your presence will destabilize her spiritual form because your anger disrupts her. That''s why Ghosts don''t appear in crowded ces." Liu Xing felt embarrassed and nodded. He had forgotten about this important detail. Lu Tianya shook her head, pointing at Liu Xing. "Ryusei and I can handle this alone. You all should stay here as backup. If anything unexpected happens, we''ll call for help loudly, and you cane over." Lu Tianya then led Liu Xing into the ssroom. As a Taoist, Lu Tianya deftly took out a small box from her pocket and removed a ck, unidentified substance that resembled a clump of grass. He began reciting a Chinese incantation that Liu Xing couldn''t understand. Liu Xing couldn''t understand the words because, as an "Ind Nation" character, he hadn''t learned the skill "Other Languages: Chinese." Therefore, Liu Xing couldn''tprehend what Lu Tianya was saying. This feeling made Liu Xing somewhat frustrated. However, it was clear that Lu Tianya was performing a spell, and the incantation had been going on for almost a minute. This indicated that the spell had a long preparation time, which seemed to be a characteristic of the Cthulhu Mythos. Finally, after a five-minute-long chant, Lu Tianya''s spell wasplete. The ck, unidentified substance in her hand quickly burned away, turning into a white mist that filled the ssroom. At that moment, Liu Xing''s vision blurred, and he saw a teenage girl in Morimoto Academy''s school uniform standing before him. Liu Xing had previously seen Higashi Meizi''s photo with Juri Sonoda, and the girl in front of him looked identical. Indeed, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost was Higashi Meizi. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Miss Higashi, we finally meet." Higashi Meizi appeared puzzled. She nced at Lu Tianya and then fixed her gaze on Liu Xing. "Who are you people? Why did you suddenly appear in our ssroom, especially you? Why were you walking around in our ssroom and calling my name?" Liu Xing was bewildered. He had no idea what Higashi Meizi was talking about. Meanwhile, Lu Tianya furrowed her brow, looking at Higashi Meizi with surprise as she carefully observed her. Liu Xing, concerned that Higashi Meizi might be displeased with Lu Tianya''s actions, tried to divert her attention. However, before Liu Xing could speak, Lu Tianya, now a woman, interjected. "It''s okay. We just wanted to pay a visit to Higashi Meizi upon hearing she was here. But we have other matters now, so we''ll leave first," she said, her voice carrying a different, softer tone than before. With aposed demeanor, Lu Tianya led Liu Xing away. Liu Xing was puzzled by her abrupt decision to leave without questioning Higashi Meizi, but he trusted Lu Tianya''s professionalism and followed her lead. Once outside the ssroom, Lu Tianya closed the door and sighed deeply. She turned to Liu Xing and expressed her concerns, her feminine intuition giving her a different perspective on the situation. "This isn''t good. It seems someone has been misleading Higashi Meizi," she said thoughtfully. Liu Xing, troubled, inquired further. Lu Tianya, pausing to gather her thoughts, exined her suspicion of a Taoist or Yin Yang Master deceiving Higashi Meizi into believing she was still alive. She spoke with conviction, her insights tinged with a unique blend of empathy and determination. As they discussed the rming possibility of someone manipting Higashi Meizi, they were interrupted by the exmations of Ming Hanxing and others, reacting to the sudden appearance of Ling Ishikawa. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 266: Hybrier Chapter 266: Hybrier Liu Xing arrived at Ling Ishikawa''s side and noticed that Ling Ishikawa appeared much wearier than before. He had a scruffy beard, and his clothes showed signs of damage and stains. Seeing this, Liu Xing understood that Ling Ishikawa must have suffered during his time in the alternate dimension. Fortunately, Ling Ishikawa didn''t appear to be injured. Looking at the dazed expression on Ling Ishikawa''s face, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask, "Ling Ishikawa, are you okay?" It was only then that Ling Ishikawa snapped back to reality, looking shocked as he said, "Oh, I mean... Ryusei, what are you doing here? Wait, how did Ie back?" Ling Ishikawa had initially intended to address Liu Xing as "Master," but upon seeing Lu Tianya by his side, he quickly corrected himself. However, Liu Xing could deduce from Ling Ishikawa''s words that he had returned from the alternate dimension without realizing it, which exined his surprise. Speaking of the alternate dimension, Liu Xing was quite curious about where Ling Ishikawa had been during this time. So, he couldn''t resist asking, "Ling Ishikawa, where have you been all this time? I thought you weren''ting back." Ling Ishikawa managed a weak smile and said, "How should I put it? This is quite a long story. Initially, I was transported to a pitch-ck space where I encountered a Ghoul, a Deep One, a Byakhee, and a Void Spirit. It wasn''t easy for me to escape that ce, and I ended up in a location that exists only in legends Hybrier." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Yin En, using his new character card, had managed to survive in thepany of four mythical creatures. However, upon closer consideration, Liu Xing realized that this wasn''t entirely unexpected. After all, Deep Ones and Byakhees were natural enemies due to their worship of opposing Great Old Ones, so they would prioritize fighting each other. Void Spirits, from the Cthulhu Mythos, were opportunistic by nature, and as long as one was cautious, they could fend off a Void Spirit''s attacks. The Ghoul posed the most significant challenge, with formidable closebat abilities and natural armor, making it challenging for Yin En to harm it unarmed. As for what happened afterward, Liu Xing couldn''t have anticipated Yin En''s arrival in Hybrier, the home of Ibon, the author of the "Book of Ibon." However, he didn''t know the specific background of the Hybrier Yin En had reached. As per KP Fangs'' previous exnation, in this real Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, every parallel world was built on the foundation of the Cthulhu Mythos but had variations in specific details. This meant that some famous anime and other cultural elements might be missing or different in this world. Therefore, a ce like Hybrier, rooted in legend, could vary significantly depending on the chosen background. For instance, in the traditional Greek mythology, Hybrier was a mythical kingdom located far north, possibly near the Ural Mountains, where the sun never set, and Greek gods resided. In this setting, it was entirely normal for Greek gods to exist, especially considering the events rted to Taketori''s ascension to godhood in the previous Dark Life arc. Apart from Greek mythology, many famous Greek and Roman authors, like Pliny the Elder, Herodotus, Virgil, and Cicero, had described Hybrier in their works. ording to their ounts, the people of Hybrier enjoyed a lifespan of a thousand years, lived in great happiness, experienced only one sunrise each year, and possessed vast amounts of gold guarded by Gryphons. So, if Yin En''s Hybrier was inspired by the worldview of these ancient authors, it would be a rtively peaceful ce, unlike the more chaotic version seen in Greek mythology. However, if Yin En''s Hybrier drew from the Cthulhu Mythos version of Hybrier, Lu Tianya had some doubts. "Hybrier, are you referring to the Hybrier from Greek mythology? ording to modern research, Hybrier is likely located near the Arctic Circle, as many records mention the existence of pr day and night." Being an NPC, Lu Tianya''s thoughts naturally deviated from those of yers. Ming Hanxing chimed in, "I don''t think this is the time for casual conversation. We need to be cautious because this is the territory of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Maybe we should head back first, and I can see that Ling Ishikawa needs some rest and recuperation." Ming Hanxing''s suggestion received unanimous support. After bidding farewell to the Red Eagle Security Company''s security guards, Liu Xing and his group left the Old Teaching Building and headed to Liu Xing''s home. Initially, they had nned to leave Morimoto Academy in groups, each going their separate ways and maintaining contact through online video conferencing. Given the recent events and the fact that the Deep Sea Gospel Society had been outmaneuvered by Liu Xing''s group, they expected the society tounch investigations. Therefore, staying together at this time would likely raise suspicion. However, now Liu Xing''s group had fewer concerns. The hidden camera had captured Liu Xing and Honekawa Suneo''s conversation, and even though it only recorded video, the Deep Sea Gospel Society could employ experts to lip-read. Additionally, Lu Tianya mentioned that the society had a professional Taoist who had manipted Higashi Meizi. If that Taoist were tomunicate with Higashi Meizi again, she would undoubtedly reveal the recent events, making it inevitable for the society to discover Liu Xing''s group. So, they had little to fear now. Back at Liu Xing''s home, while Ling Ishikawa went to shower and change, the rest of the group settled down to discuss the day''s events. As a professional, Lu Tianya expressed some concern, "The situation is gettingplicated. Higashi Meizi has been influenced by Taoist magic, and with my current abilities, I can''t reverse it." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 267: Evolution of Yin En, Ibon Chapter 267: Evolution of Yin En, Ibon Liu Xing contemted for a moment and expressed his frustration, saying, "Lu Tianya, are you suggesting that the precious item Higashi Meizi values so dearly doesn''t actually exist? And even if we could find it, it wouldn''t have any effect?" Lu Tianya sighed and replied, "It seems that way, but I can''t be entirely sure. I can only say that if we can truly locate that cherished object, there''s a possibility, perhaps around twenty percent, that it might work." Hearing Lu Tianya''s words, Juri Sonoda couldn''t help but ask, "Lu Tianya, are there any other ways to awaken Higashi Meizi''s consciousness? Maybe by having her meet someone familiar?" Lu Tianya nodded and continued, "There''s a slight possibility in that. If there is indeed such a person and we can arrange a meeting between them and Higashi Meizi, it''s possible that Higashi Meizi could break free from the enchantment caused by that sorcery. If I remember correctly, the sorcery traps Higashi Meizi in a state of obsession with a day from her life before death, and during that day, that person should exist. So when Higashi Meizi realizes there are two identical individuals, she might recognize that she''s living in an illusion. However, this approach carries risks, as when someone bes aware of their own death, it can lead to a mental breakdown. So, unless it''s absolutely necessary, I don''t rmend it." Lu Tianya''s reasoning was sound, and Liu Xing couldn''t help but agree. If he were in Higashi Meizi''s shoes, living happily in an illusory world and suddenly being told that he was already dead, everything around him was false, his mental state would likely shatter. He might even me the person revealing the truth. Ming Hanxing sighed in resignation, "That''s a tough situation, Lu Tianya. Are there really no other options? Are we going to abandon the Higashi Meizi lead? If we do that, solving the Morimoto Academy problem will be extremely difficult. Moreover, time is not on our side. Although we caught Morimoto Academy off guard today, once they recover, we''ll be in trouble. It''s not toote for them to settle scores." Lu Tianya closed her eyes in contemtion for a moment before speaking, "Apart from the methods I mentioned earlier, I can only think of three alternatives. The first is to find a Taoist with sufficient abilities to break the sorcery. However, most of the powerful Taoists I know are reclusive and unlikely to leave their territories. I also don''t have their contact information, so it would depend on whether you can find a willing Taoist. Of course, if you can''t find a suitable Taoist, we could consider finding some nearby Yin Yang Masters, as they originated from Taoism and are more skilled in dealing with spirits." "The second method is to take a direct approach and destroy the ssroom. Sorceries like this usually require the caster to construct formations within the room for the magic to work continuously. I sensed the presence of a formation in that ssroom earlier. However, my current abilities are inadequate to pinpoint the core of the formation, so we would need to destroy the entire room." "The third method is the most troublesome one: finding Higashi Meizi''s ashes. All spirits can recognize their own remains at a nce, whether they are bones or ashes. So, if we obtain Higashi Meizi''s ashes, we can awaken her consciousness." In Liu Xing''s eyes, all three methods seemed challenging. Firstly, seeking help from relevant individuals. If even Lu Tianya, an insider, couldn''t find assistance, Liu Xing felt even less hopeful. Although he believed that Zhang Jingxu, as a yer, might have the ability to help, he didn''t know if Zhang Jingxu''s module had ended. If not, involving Zhang Jingxu in this could be risky. Secondly, using force to break the sorcery by destroying the ssroom. Liu Xing finally understood why he had to undergo such a difficult Investigation Judgment. However, Liu Xing believed it was feasible, especially with the assistance of the Red Eagle Security Company. They could easily nt explosives in the ssroom. But the aftermath of an explosion in a school would be challenging to handle. After the Aum Shinrikyo cult''s subway gas attack, the Ind Nation police were highly vignt about incidents rted to cults, terrorism, and especially explosions in schools. If it were discovered that their group was responsible, they would be in serious trouble. As for thest method, it was the mostplicated. Higashi Meizi''s ashes might have already been taken by her parents, lost, or even fallen into the hands of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. The best-case scenario would be if Higashi Meizi''s ashes were still in Kyoto, and Juri Sonoda knew their precise location. In that case, Liu Xing''s group would need to steal Higashi Meizi''s ashes. With all these considerations, Liu Xing had no choice but to say, "In that case, our only option now is to find Higashi Meizi''s ashes. Juri, do you know where Higashi Meizi''s ashes are currently located?" Juri Sonoda nodded and furrowed her brow, "If I remember correctly, Higashi Meizi''s ashes should be at the Fujiwara Shrine." In the Ind Nation, many people chose to ce their loved ones'' ashes in shrines to ensure better offerings. However, Fujiwara Shrine was owned by the Deep Sea Gospel Society. What was even more concerning was that the security around Fujiwara Shrine had increased significantly since Liu Xing and Ming Hanxingst visited. There were at least ten Deep Sea Gospel Society followers patrolling inside the shrine, and ording to Miguel''s surveince, there were at least twenty more stationed nearby. They could reach Fujiwara Shrine within five minutes. Therefore, secretly infiltrating Fujiwara Shrine to retrieve Higashi Meizi''s ashes was out of the question. Even Miguel admitted his inability to help. Did they have no choice but to confront the situation head-on? Liu Xing nced at the people present and knew that forcibly taking Higashi Meizi''s ashes from the Fujiwara Shrine was impossible. They were outnumbered andcked the necessary weapons. However, at this moment, Ming Hanxing shared his viewpoint, saying, "I don''t think Higashi Meizi''s ashes are at the Fujiwara Shrine. When the Deep Sea Gospel Society had Higashi Meizi y the role of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost, they would have taken extra precautions and ced her ashes in a more secure location. The Fujiwara Shrine''s defenses seemedx when Ryusei and I entered, so it doesn''t appear to be the kind of ce where valuable items would be stored." Ming Hanxing''s reasoning made sense, but it raised a new question: Where could this more secure location be? Liu Xing''s first thought was Morimoto Academy, specifically Daikubo Sosuke''s room, where he was associated with the "Crow." However, Juri Sonoda chimed in, "If they wanted to store something valuable, I think that small building next to the Old Teaching Building is suspicious. I remember that the small building has never been opened as far as I know. Moreover, during my first year, there was an earthquake that caused some damage to the small building. Normally, such unused buildings would be demolished, but this one was repaired. It seems like there''s something inside that small building." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, recalling that he had also been suspicious of that small building when he first saw it. Its architectural style didn''t match the Old Teaching Building or the Archives Room, making it stand out. Moreover, it seemed unnecessary. Now, it appeared that the small building held some secrets. With this in mind, Liu Xing made a quick decision and said, "Alright, let''s change our n for tonight. We''ll still visit the Old Teaching Building area, but this time, we''ll start with that small building. Nobita, please try to buy a few hatchets, as we may need to force our way in, and we could encounter danger." Nobi Nobita nodded and left to find a ce to purchase hatchets. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa, who had just finished showering and changed into clean clothes, walked out of her room and remarked, "Ah, it''s been a while since I had a bath. Feels great." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn''t help but ask, "Ling Ishikawa, where have you been these past few days? You said you were going to me Bar to keep an eye on Professor Honda, but then you suddenly disappeared and ended up in some strange ce. Most importantly, you managed to return." Ling Ishikawa rubbed the back of her head and replied with some helplessness, "I didn''t n for things to go this way. When I followed Professor Honda into me Bar, I saw him drinking with a few other people who seemed to be his ssmates. I could tell because Professor Honda took out arge photograph from his bag, and typically, you only have such photos taken for family portraits or graduation photos. But Professor Honda and the others didn''t look like that at all." "Later, I sat at the bar, asionally ncing at Professor Honda. Since me Bar was crowded at the time, he didn''t notice my presence. After all, I had only briefly encountered him before. However, when I was getting ready to leave the bar, I suddenly felt like my body was being controlled. I involuntarily walked to the booth where Professor Honda and his friends were sitting, and Professor Honda looked at me with a strange smile." "Then, everything started spinning, the noisy sounds around me disappeared in an instant, and when I regained consciousness, I found myself in a pitch-ck, silent space. Fortunately, the four Monsters I told you about appeared quickly; otherwise, I might have gone insane in that pitch-ck space. In those two short minutes, I was already on the verge of losing my sanity." "But even in a one-on-one fight, I couldn''t defeat any of those four Monsters. So, I had to resort to strategies like ''encircling Wei to save Zhao,'' ''making distant friends while attacking nearby enemies,'' and ''luring the enemy deeper.'' Eventually, I managed to deal with those four Monsters. Then, a door appeared in front of me, and I decisively pushed it open and walked out. I found myself in a barren in, not far from a tall tower that resembled the mage towers I''ve seen in some fantasy movies. Although I was worried that the owner of this mage tower might be an evil wizard, I was desperate, hungry, and there was no sign of human habitation nearby. So, I had no choice but to try my luck and head for the mage tower." "As a result, the mage tower''s owner, who introduced himself as Serak, warmly weed me. By the way, it was indeed a mage tower because he dressed exactly like the wizards you see in movies and TV shows. Serak provided me with food and shelter, allowing me to rest. Afterward, he asked about my identity and where I came from." "Unfortunately, I had to lie and say I was an orphan with the alias Yin En, who had been separated from my family at a young age. Serak seemed to ept that and even fabricated a backstory for me, saying that I probably came from a city called Ikuwa. He imed that the Ikuwa''s Deer Goddess Church expelled many residents every year, and it was near this mage tower." "Then, Serak told me that he was a well-known mage among the Hybriers and that he was looking for an apprentice to pass on his magic. Since he thought I had potential and was an orphan like myself, he offered to teach me magic. At that time, I thought I might never return, so I reluctantly agreed to be Serak''s apprentice." "But I had only been Serak''s apprentice for a day when I was listening to his teachings and meditating. Suddenly, I heard your voices. When I opened my eyes, I found myself sitting in a dusty ssroom. So, I came down in confusion and saw all of you." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing and Ming Hanxing exchanged shocked nces. In the world of the Cthulhu Mythos, someone who had been expelled from the city of Ikuwa by the Deer Goddess Church, became an orphan, and apprenticed under Wizard Serak, was undoubtedly Ibon! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 268: Yin Ens Fantastic Journey Chapter 268: Yin Ens Fantastic Journey Liu Xing was now quite surprised. If Yin En hadn''t lied, then Yin En''s experiences were eerily simr to Historical Ibon''s. Moreover, as a yer, Yin En also had some knowledge of Ibon''s life. So, if Yin En intended to, there was a real possibility of bing Ibon. With this thought in mind, Liu Xing couldn''t help but nce at Lu Tianya, who seemed rather unresponsive. Although Lu Tianya knew some of Ibon''s deeds, the difference in pronunciation between Yin En and Ibon''s names in the Ind Nation Language was significant, which is why Lu Tianya hadn''t connected the dots right away. However, Liu Xing suddenly realized a crucial point. Even though Yin En had be Wizard Serak''s disciple, it didn''t necessarily mean that Yin En had reced the real Ibon. Unless, of course, Yin En was indeed Ibon in this parallel world! So, Liu Xing couldn''t resist asking, "By the way, Ling Ishikawa, I''m very curious about one thing. When you mentioned that Wizard Serak wanted to pass on all his knowledge of magic to you, does that mean Serak only has you as his apprentice?" Ling Ishikawa naturally understood Liu Xing''s inquiry and replied with a smile, "I initially thought the same, but after I agreed to be Serak''s apprentice, I discovered that Serak actually has more than twenty apprentices. These apprenticese from various ces, and there''s even one whose background is identical to the fabricated one I created. No wonder Serak improvised so much." The apprentice Ling Ishikawa mentioned was, of course, the real Ibon. Hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and sighed, "I see. It''s a shame you returned too early. If you had stayed a bit longer at the Mage Tower, you might have learned a few spells from Wizard Serak. It could have made dealing with the Deep Sea Gospel Society much easier for us." Upon hearing Liu Xing''s words, Ling Ishikawa couldn''t help but wear a somewhat resigned smile. He shrugged and said, "I thought the same initially. If I could learn a few spells from Serak and then return to the modern world, it would have been fantastic. However, the reality was quite different from my expectations. As I mentioned earlier, in Serak''s Wizard Tower, there are over twenty apprentices. Most of them only know one or two spells, and those are often insignificant parlor tricks. The rules of the Mage Tower are harsh, allowing only the most talented and dedicated apprentices to receive Serak''s guidance and be true Wizards. The rest either continue to serve as Menials within the tower or seek other paths outside." "So, after I became Serak''s most recent andst apprentice, he announced that there would be an Inheritance Ceremony in ten years to determine which apprentice would be his true sessor. During this time, some of the slower apprentices would be eliminated each year. However, this also means that even if I don''t be Serak''s direct disciple, as long as I endure long enough, I can still learn a significant amount of magic." "Then, Serak started teaching us meditation, allowing us to sense the presence of magic. Before me, several apprentices had already sensed magic''s existence, but I was utterly clueless. I couldn''t perceive magic at all. In the end, I returned to the modern world in this bewildered state. So, I don''t think I have what it takes to be a Wizard." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that Yin En''s luck had its ups and downs. Yin En had be thest apprentice of Wizard Serak, but the Judgment of sensing magic had possibly ended in a significant failure. "Nevertheless, since Ling Ishikawa, you''ve already returned, it''s unlikely you''ll go back to Hybrier. So, let''s put all this behind us and not dwell on it too much," Ming Hanxing said, patting Ling Ishikawa''s shoulder. Ling Ishikawa shook his head, feeling perplexed. "That may not be the case. For some reason, I feel a vague connection to Hybrier even now. I sense that I could be transported back to Hybrier at any moment. It''s a strange feeling." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that Yin En was probably in a situation simr to his own, epting a world mission. With this in mind, Liu Xing suggested, "Well, let''s prepare ourselves now. We''ll meet at the Old Teaching Building at nine o''clock tonight." After Liu Xing adjourned the meeting, he exchanged nces with Ling Ishikawa and Ming Hanxing. The three of them found a quiet corner away from the others and initiated a private conversation. "Wow, Yin En, you''re incredibly lucky to have traveled back to Hybrier and be an apprentice magician. You even share the same lineage as Ibon. It''s like you''ve epted a world mission," Ming Hanxing said, envious. Yin En nodded and replied with a wry smile, "That''s true, but you only see the surface. In that unknown space, I had to face four mythical creatures all by myself. It felt like walking on thin ice with every step, and each Judgment filled me with dread. Luckily, the Dice Goddess favored me, allowing me to survive and escape that ce." "Furthermore, that Mage Tower is even more terrifying than I described earlier. I could sense from some details that Serak worships a giant toad-like entity. I believe the historical Ibon''s faith in the giant toad was influenced by Serak. As a result, Serak, despite iming that eliminated apprentices have the option to leave, might actually use them as sacrifices to the giant toad. So, if I were eliminated, it would be a dire situation." The giant toad Yin En mentioned referred to Tsathoggua, one of the Great Old Ones, bearing a resemnce to arge toad. "You''re right. Since it''s a world mission, failure would likely result in a card tear. But this also means that you''ll have to keep traveling back and forth. It sounds quite troublesome," Liu Xing said with a smile. Yin En sighed helplessly and continued, "Exactly. This world mission is incredibly challenging. I have toplete two missions within the module''s timeframe, and they appear unrted. It''s not very yer-friendly." Of course, this type of world mission was also unfriendly to Yin En''s teammates. After all, you never knew when your teammate would suddenly disappear, when they''d return, or if they''d return at all... So, Yin En somewhat embarrassedly said, "It seems I''ll have to rely on both of you in the future. I hope you won''t abandon me during the Interlude Growth." Currently, Liu Xing and hispanions were practically bound together. After all, Ming Hanxing and Ling Ishikawa were Liu Xing''s disciples, and unless they chose to "leave the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect" or "go abroad" during Interlude Growth, they would remain tied to this destiny. This was why Yin En expressed such sentiments. Yin En was currently considered a character who mightg behind, but Liu Xing had high hopes for Yin En''s future performance. If Yin En could be Wizard Serak''s direct disciple, Yin En''s abilities would be incredibly formidable. The "Book of Ibon" might even turn into the "Book of Yin En." So, Yin En was like a high-risk, high-reward long-term investment. Seeding would result in a reliable and powerful teammate in the future, while failure could lead to card tearing. However, due to their enjoyable coboration so far and the fact that Liu Xing also had a world mission, he was willing to "invest" in Yin En. After all, only yers with world missions could advance to the Cthulhu region, so Liu Xing was already making ns. With this in mind, ` Liu Xing decisively said, "Well then, I''ll reluctantly agree. But, Yin En, you better repay me well." As for Ming Hanxing, he appeared somewhat conflicted. After all, he was new and hadn''t established much trust with Liu Xing and Yin En yet. Deciding to venture with them now was a tough choice for Ming Hanxing. However, Ming Hanxing didn''t hesitate for long and ultimately made up his mind. He nodded and said, "Very well, I''ll take the risk today too. I hope Yin En won''t disappoint me." Upon hearing Liu Xing and Ming Hanxing''s agreement, Yin En couldn''t help but smile and say, "Of course, when I learn magic in the future, I''ll be invincible. You''ll be able to rely on me. But speaking of which, there''s something I''m very curious about. In Serak''s study room, I saw abeled tag with a specific name highlightedConan." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Here, Conan definitely didn''t refer to the death god elementary school student but rather to a barbarian. "Conan the Barbarian" was a novel by Robert E. Howard, depicting the adventures of a barbarian named Conan in Hybrier. ording to widely epted beliefs, "Conan the Barbarian" and the setting of the "Book of Ibon" existed in the same era in Hybrier. Therefore, theoretically, these two works were connected, and Conan might know Ibon, as they were contemporaries. So, since Yin En had seen Conan''s name, it indicated that, in this parallel world, Conan had entered the Cthulhu RPG Game. Thinking about this, Liu Xing said with enthusiasm, "Yin En, your character card was originally focused on Swordsmanship, right? Why don''t you find a way to leave the Mage Tower and learn swordsmanship from Conan? That way, your strength should increase rapidly. After all, Conan should be a powerhouse with stats like Strength 99, Constitution 99, and Combat Skills 99." Yin En raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I feel like I''ve entered a wolf''s den by going into Serak''s Wizard Tower. Since Serak has already closed the tower, I suspect that if I attempt to escape, it might be game over for me. After all, Serak, as Ibon''s teacher, is likely a formidable figure. So, it''s better not to take unnecessary risks. However, if I can be Serak''s direct disciple, I might consider seeking Conan as my master and switching to a melee mage ss." These days, if a mage couldn''t handle meleebat, they weren''t much different from a fish out of water. With this in mind, Liu Xing suddenly thought of the most important question. "By the way, you still haven''t figured out why Honda Tetsuya sent you to the Alternate Dimension without any warning, right? Did Honda Tetsuya give you any special hints? And, it''s likely that you were able to return because of Honda Tetsuya''s intervention." Yin En pondered for a moment and then said, "Well, I can confirm that I was indeed sent to an Alternate Dimension by Honda Tetsuya. However, after that, Honda Tetsuya didn''t actively contact me. Based on the information I obtained when I epted the world mission, it seems that Honda Tetsuya is nning to nurture something. That''s why he initially sent me to confront those four mythical creatures and then ced me near Serak''s Mage Tower, where I had topete with the other apprentices." Nurture something? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Honda Tetsuya''s thought process quite peculiar. Sending Yin En into such dangerous situations, it was evident that Honda Tetsuya was trying to create a Human Gu King. What was Honda Tetsuya nning to do? Nevertheless, Liu Xing felt that Honda Tetsuya had significant ambitions. At this point, KP Fangs reminded them that the Private Room time had ended. Having said what they needed to, Liu Xing and hispanions dispersed to prepare for their nighttime exploration of Morimoto Academy. However, Liu Xing sought out Lu Tianya to confirm some final details. "Lu Tianya, do you think the author of the Ghostly Talisman and the owner of thispass are the same Taoist who confused Higashi Meizi?" Lu Tianya thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "It''s likely because there are very few Taoists with genuine abilities. Moreover, I can sense that thispass was used recently, and it can automatically track Higashi Meizi." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 269: Passing the Test Chapter 269: Passing the Test Zhang Jingxu looked at Lu Tianya and smiled, "Long time no see, Lu Tianya." Lu Tianya nodded with a smile, not saying a word but gazing affectionately at Zhang Jingxu. There was a history between them that needed no words. Then, Zhang Jingxu embraced Lu Tianya warmly, making Liu Xing feel like he and Juri Sonoda were mere bystanders. Zhang Jingxu''s intentions seemed to go beyond a simple reunion. Liu Xing couldn''t help but feel a bit frustrated. He hadn''t expected to find himself in a Cthulhu RPG Game, ying the role of a third wheel between a yer and an NPC. Could he even enjoy the game like this? After their disy of affection, Zhang Jingxu released Lu Tianya and turned to Liu Xing, saying, "Ryusei, thank you for your assistance in helping me reconnect with Lu Tianya. I learned some things about Morimoto Academy online, and I understand that you might need the expertise of someone like me. That''s why I came here afterpleting my previous assignment." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that the current "Zhang Jingxu" was likely an NPC. Zhang Jingxu had chosen the option to e to help Lu Tianya" during the Interlude Growth phase afterpleting the previous module. However, it was fortunate that Zhang Jingxu had arrived in time. Otherwise, Higashi Meizi would have most likely gone berserk, causing trouble for their group. Speaking of Higashi Meizi, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask, "How can you say you came uninvited? Mr. Zhang Jingxu, your willingness to help us is greatly appreciated. But, back to the point, how is Higashi Meizi doing now?" Zhang Jingxu nodded with a smile and replied, "Ryusei, there''s no need to call me ''Mr.'' It''s a bit too formal. We are all peers, so you can just call me by my name. As for Higashi Meizi, she''s doing well. I used the Soul-Calming Incense to stabilize her emotions. It will just take some time for her to fullye to terms with the situation. However, Lu Tianya, you seem to have forgotten what I told you earlier. ''Haste makes waste.'' Even if you want Higashi Meizi to see the truth, you must take it step by step. You can''t just present the truth to her directly; it would only lead to her mental breakdown." Lu Tianya remained silent, still smiling at Zhang Jingxu. Another serving of affectionate moments. Liu Xing shook his head in resignation. He hadn''t expected that as a single yer in this Cthulhu RPG Game, his gaming experience would be filled with such moments. At this point, Zhang Jingxu nced at Higashi Meizi and extinguished the Soul-Calming Incense on the ground. He then said to Juri Sonoda, "I heard from my friend at the staircase that Higashi Meizi was your close friend in her lifetime. So, you should bid her farewell now. Higashi Meizi has already realized the truth, and considering she was artificially enhanced with spiritual intelligence, she has about ten minutes left before her soul undergoes reincarnation." In other words, Zhang Jingxu''s timely arrival had prevented a potentially disastrous situation. Otherwise, Liu Xing would have started the next module with a detrimental condition, which could havested for the entire module. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt genuinely thankful to Zhang Jingxu. He said, "In that case, I must thank you once again, Zhang Jingxu, for your timely assistance. But I am curious, does reincarnation really exist in this world?" Zhang Jingxu shrugged and replied, "I''m not entirely sure. It''s a matter of belief. I only know that Higashi Meizi''s spiritual state is currently very unstable. Her spiritual body may disappear suddenly, and the ten-minute timeframe I mentioned was just a random estimate. Whether her spiritual body truly goes through reincarnation or simply dissipates, I don''t know. I merely told a well-intentioned lie." Liu Xing nodded in understanding, realizing theplexity of the situation. They returned to the ground floor, where Liu Xing''s group met up with Ling Ishikawa''s team, who had already arrived at the Old Teaching Building. "When I arrived, I was concerned that Lu Tianya might mishandle the situation, causing the Spirits to go berserk. So, I had them leave the building first. Spirits, in their berserk state, would indiscriminately attack people within a certain range. While it''s unlikely to cause death, it would leave people feeling disoriented and powerless for a long time, with nothing going their way." With that in mind, Liu Xing thanked Zhang Jingxu once more and asked, "So, how is Higashi Meizi doing now?" Juri Sonoda finally descended the stairs after bidding farewell to Higashi Meizi. From her expression, Liu Xing could tell that she was still saddened by the situation. However, now wasn''t the time to console Juri Sonoda. Liu Xing led his group out of Morimoto Academy, as the Kyoto police had been notified and were on their way. It was essential for them to leave quickly to avoid anyplications, especially with members of the Deep Sea Gospel Society among the police forces. To pass the time, Liu Xing shared the recent events with Ming Hanxing and the others, who breathed a collective sigh of relief. After about five minutes, Juri Sonoda finally joined them. From her expression, it was clear she was still feeling sorrowful. However, this wasn''t the moment to offerfort. Liu Xing led the group away from Morimoto Academy and back home. Of course, Liu Xing didn''t forget to hide the evidence in a discreet location, as he had arranged with Oko Hayato. If he found any evidence, he would hide it, and Oko Hayato would retrieve it once he arrived at Morimoto Academy. They were both concerned about the possibility of the Deep Sea Gospel Society getting their hands on the evidence, and Liu Xing couldn''t keep it in his possession. Additionally, Liu Xing had Honekawa Suneo inform the Red Eagle Security Company to delete all the surveince footage from tonight and send someone to pretend they had discovered the underground private room. This way, Liu Xing and his group could remainpletely uninvolved. Afterpleting these tasks, Lu Tianya and Zhang Jingxu bid their farewells, and Liu Xing retired to his room to rest. Afterpleting all the tasks at hand, Liu Xing spent a quiet night, eagerly anticipating the next day when they would clear the module. The next morning, Juri Sonoda bid farewell to Liu Xing, as she had aplished her mission and staying in the Ind Nation would only make her a target for the Shadow n. Therefore, she decided to return to the China Magic Capital to continue looking after "Liu Xing." She had already bought her ne ticket the day before. Liu Xing didn''t have much to say about it and arranged for Minamoto Shizuka to apany Juri Sonoda to the airport. Later, Liu Xing received news that the Fujiwara Shrine had been sealed, and the me Bar had closed due to the loss of protection. The Deep Sea Gospel Society''s branch in Kyoto had met its demise. Overall, Liu Xing had achieved his goals. The Deep Sea Gospel Society''s decades-long efforts in the Kyoto area had been shattered. If there were a progress bar for his world mission, it would have made a significant leap. However, there was a minor inconvenience as Morimoto Academy had been indefinitely closed down, bing a thing of the past. This meant that Liu Xing, a high school senior at Morimoto Academy, would never receive his graduation certificate. Students like Lu Tianya, who were in their second year, also became "school dropouts." But for Liu Xing, this was just a minor issue. As the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, he had no intention of continuing his education in college. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, universities could be considered treacherous ces with a wide variety of modules, mythical creatures, and teammates with various degrees of recklessness. So, Liu Xing wasn''t interested in attending college. After breakfast, Ming Hanxing hesitantly said, "Master, my family saw the news about Morimoto Academy and realized that I''m currently unemployed. They''ve asked me to return home for a while. But don''t worry, I''ll be back soon." This was an unavoidable situation. Liu Xing had heard from Ming Hanxing that his character card came with a peculiar trait called "Family-Oriented." After sessfully clearing each module, a random event rted to his family would ur. For example, after the previous module, Ming Hanxing received a package from his family containing a unique item: a pink suit that, when worn, could affect NPC favorability. After clearing the module before that, Ming Hanxing''s family had him go on twelve consecutive blind dates, resulting in a loss of 3 sanity points but gaining 20 points in the fast-talking skill. In summary, Ming Hanxing found his character trait to be quite troublesome. So, Liu Xing patted Ming Hanxing on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Safe travels. Take care." Ming Hanxing nodded with determination, and Liu Xing was reminded of a line from a poem: "The wind blows cold, the waters of the Yi are frigid, a stalwart leaves, never to return." Once Ming Hanxing left, Ling Ishikawa and the others also departed one by one. After the incident at Morimoto Academy, their families would undoubtedly be worried. Left alone in his empty house, Liu Xing yed with his phone in boredom and decided to skip lunch, nning to clear the module at noon. However, around 11 o''clock, Oko Hayato called Liu Xing and asked to meet at the same restaurant where they had dinedst time. He had something to discuss with Liu Xing. So, Liu Xing decided to meet with Oko Hayato. After all, Oko Hayato''s father had made significant contributions by sessfully dismantling arge cult organization. Moreover, with Oko Hayato''s father''s qualifications and the position of Police Chief now vacant, Oko Hayato''s father had sessfully ascended to the position. Liu Xing believed that maintaining a good rtionship with Oko Hayato was necessary, as he expected that his uing modules would likely take ce in the Kyoto region. Having a Police Chief as an ally would be beneficial. When he arrived at the restaurant where they had dined before, Oko Hayato exined what had happened after Liu Xing and his group had left Morimoto Academy. In summary, after obtaining conclusive evidence at Morimoto Academy, Oko Hayato''s team had conducted a raid on Fujiwara Hiroshi''s residence, apprehending both Fujiwara Hiroshi and Fujiwara Yuko. Unfortunately, Fujiwara Hiroshi had taken sole responsibility for all the charges, leading to Fujiwara Yuko''s release. Of course, Oko Hayato had also cleaned up all traces left behind by Liu Xing''s group at Morimoto Academy. This would ensure that the Deep Sea Gospel Society couldn''t trace their identities or discover their involvement. Liu Xing and Oko Hayato continued to chat and dine, and before they knew it, it was already noon. Suddenly, Liu Xing felt a familiar sensation, and then he saw "Watanabe Ryusei" and Oko Hayato chatting and eating happily. Then, the perspective shifted, and Liu Xing found himself in a ssroom, with KP Fangs, the fox-masked woman, standing at the podium. Yin En and Ming Hanxing were seated beside him. "Congrattions to all the yers for passing the module. You have not onlypleted the main quest but exceeded it, so I have a special reward for you. I believe you have noticed some interesting things," KP Fangs said with a smile. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 270: Is Wang Qi Dead? Chapter 270: Is Wang Qi Dead? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that thest scene he witnessed turned out to be a favor from KP Fangs. Nheless, Liu Xing considered this favor to be quite valuable. At the very least, he now knew that OkoHayato was a member of the Shadow n. This revtion made Liu Xing reevaluate his coboration with OkoHayato. Of course, Liu Xing was also curious about one thing: why hadn''t OkoHayato informed the Shadow n about Juri Sonoda''s existence? ording to the information provided by KP Fangs, the Shadow n should still be hunting Juri Sonoda. Therefore, as a member of the Shadow n, OkoHayato must have been aware of Juri Sonoda''s situation. This was a matter worth pondering. "Alright, you now have one minute of free conversation time, and then I will send you back to the real world," KP Fangs announced. "But before that, I have something to inform you. You''ve all been listed as candidates for promotion by the system. Once youplete the next module, you will begin the promotion module. The requirements are the same as for advancing from the Shoggoth Region to the Ghoul Area. If you wish to advance from the Ghoul Area to the Hound of Tindalos Area, you mustplete two out of three promotion modules. If you fail or die in a promotion module, your card will still be torn, so be prepared." Liu Xing nodded, surprised at how quickly he was advancing to another promotion module. He had thought that after failing in the previous module, his standing with the system would drop significantly, making promotion modules a distant prospect. However, regardless of the circumstances, this was a good thing. To escape the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall more quickly, he needed to reach higher-level gaming areas, which would allow him to earn points faster. But this time, the promotion requirements were more stringent. Failing in a promotion module this time would truly mean the end. "Leader, it seems that I won''t be able to join you in the next module," Ming Hanxing said with a smile. "But I hope we can allplete the next module together. The three of us have a high chance of advancing together, as we know each other well, and our cooperation is efficient." Yin En nodded in agreement and said to Liu Xing with a smile, "Liu Xing, when we return to reality, let''s discuss when we should start the next module. But if possible, let''s do it as soon as possible. Although I have enough points to revive in a module, if I revive my character card, I won''t have a chance to join you in the promotion module. My character card is still in China, and I can''t contact you." "So, I''d like to start the new module tomorrow. This will allow my character card to level up a bit. I think I can learn some spells in the next module if Iplete the World Mission. This will give my character card a significant power boost, and it will be more useful in the promotion module. Besides, from what I''ve heard, during the promotion module from the Shoggoth Region to the Hound of Tindalos Area, we can only use one character card, and the rest will be frozen, even if they are in torn card status. The revival countdown will be locked until after the promotion module ends." Before Liu Xing could respond, KP Fangs sent him back to reality once again. Back in the real world, Liu Xing hadn''t fully regained his senses when he received a phone call from his father, asking him to attend a banquet that evening. It turned out that one of Liu Xing''s cousins was getting married, and the banquet was conveniently located nearby. Liu Xing agreed to attend and decided to go downstairs to withdraw some cash for a gift. Of course, before leaving, Liu Xing shut down hisputer and used his phone app to contact Yin En. As he was about to purchase the gift, Liu Xing overheard a middle-aged man next to him who was buying cigarettes talking to hispanion. "Did you hear about the murder case near the sports institute yesterday?" Sports institute, student, organization. Hearing these words, Liu Xing suddenly thought of Wang Qi, who had participated in the Castle module with him. Thinking about it, Liu Xing couldn''t help but strike up a conversation with the middle-aged man. "Excuse me, is the student you''re talking about named Wang Qi?" The middle-aged man looked at Liu Xing with some surprise, thought for a moment, and said, "The news didn''t specify the name, but the student seemed to have thest name Wang. Young man, from the way you''re talking, do you know the student whomitted suicide?" Liu Xing reluctantly nodded and said, "It''s highly likely it''s him. We met as friends one evening a while back in the real world, and during our meeting, he wanted me to join an organization, but I didn''t agree." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 271: The Cause of Wang Qis Death Chapter 271: The Cause of Wang Qis Death Upon hearing Liu Xing''s words, a middle-aged man appeared seasoned and remarked, "It''s a good thing you didn''t believe in that online friend of yours..." Liu Xing hade across a recent post that mentioned the person who hadmitted throat-slitting suicide was none other than Wang Qi! What was even more significant was that the person who posted it happened to be Wang Qi''s roommate. He mentioned that everything had seemed normalst night when Wang Qi returned to the dormitory. They were all chatting andughing together, even ying a few rounds of League of Legends. But after one game, Wang Qi suddenly stood up expressionless and retrieved a dagger from his closet, an exceptionally ornate and seemingly valuable one. At that moment, Wang Qi''s roommates thought he was just showing off again. Lately, Wang Qi had experienced an unexined surge in wealth and frequently unted it in the dormitory, treating his roommates to drinks and meals. Moreover, he seemed to have a new girlfriend every few days, which left his roommates both envious and puzzled. After all, Wang Qi had previously mentioned that his family was well-off but not excessively so. One of Wang Qi''s roommates became particrly curious and asked him what was going on, as Wang Qi wasn''t the type to buy lottery tickets, and his overnight riches were raising eyebrows. Wang Qi exined that he had joined a club dedicated to the Cthulhu RPG Game, where he had made some wealthy friends who were taking care of him. He even wanted to persuade his roommates to join the Cthulhu RPG Game with him. However, Wang Qi''s roommates had never heard of the Cthulhu RPG Game and suspected that Wang Qi might have gotten involved in some kind of pyramid scheme. They advised him against participating further, but Wang Qi just smiled and shook his head, telling them there was no turning back now and asking them not to dissuade him. So, Wang Qi''s roommates reluctantly abandoned their efforts to persuade him. Thus, when Wang Qi''s roommates saw him take out the dagger, they initially assumed he was going to show off histest acquisition. However, to their shock, Wang Qi proceeded to slit his own throat without hesitation. As blood spurted out, his roommates were paralyzed with disbelief. It was only after Wang Qi copsed due to excessive bleeding that they rushed to try and save him. Unfortunately, Wang Qi had slit both his carotid artery and his windpipe, leading to excessive bleeding and choking on his own blood. What unnerved Wang Qi''s roommates the most was hispleteck of reaction throughout the ordeal. Typically, someone suffocating ormitting suicide would disy intense struggling or resistance, as it''s a normal physiological response. However, Wang Qi remained emotionless and unresponsive from start to finish. Just as Liu Xing was about to turn the page, he realized that the post had already been deleted. Nevertheless, Liu Xing had already obtained the information he sought. Clearly, Wang Qi couldn''t havemitted suicide. However, Liu Xing wasn''t entirely certain whether Wang Qi had been eradicated by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall due to losing all his character cards andcking enough points to buy a new white character card. With this in mind, Liu Xing messaged Yin En to inquire about how yers were eliminated in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Yin En''s response was swift, and within a minute, he provided a lengthy exnation. In essence, if a yer lost all their character cards and didn''t have enough points to purchase a new white character card, their remaining points would be converted at a ratio of ten to one into the number of days they could continue to exist in the real world. Once those days were depleted, the yer would vanish from the real world and disappear into an uninhabited location. Yin En was confident in this information because many yers from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall had attempted to save their friends. Some had tied their friends up, others had installed cameras and monitors on them, and some had even sealed their friends in apletely sealedpartment, with over a dozen people using various light sources to monitor their friends. All these efforts had proven futile. Without exception, their friends had escaped their restraints and Private Rooms with inhuman speed and strength, vanishing into thin air within the blink of an eye. No one could discern how those eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall disappeared. After reading Yin En''s message, Liu Xing ruled out the possibility of Wang Qi being eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. After all, Wang Qi hadmitted suicide in front of his roommates, and his body was still awaiting autopsy at the police station to determine if he had ingested any hallucinogenic substances before his death. With the elimination of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s involvement, Liu Xing was now certain that Wang Qi had been killed by the society he had mentioned earlier. As Liu Xing contemted this, he couldn''t resist opening his phone and searching for the society in question. Sure enough, he found a society called "Rongcheng Offline Exchange." The society''s description mentioned that its members currently resided in Rongcheng''s city center, frequently organizing offline gatherings to discuss their experiences with the Cthulhu RPG Game and trade items. Joining the society and attending an offline gathering even came with the bonus of receiving a white character card. If everything went as expected, Wang Qi had joined this society. As for how Wang Qi had been murdered by this society, Liu Xing already had a rough idea. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, controlling someone tomit suicide typically involved using spells or items. However, as previously mentioned, the spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game were notoriouslyplex, and controlling-type spells were particrly advanced. Even yers from the Cthulhu region might struggle to learn them, ruling out the possibility of their use. Therefore, Wang Qi had been killed using an item. Unable to sleep, Liu Xing decided to catch up on what had happened the previous day. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 272: Of Course, Forgiving Her Chapter 272: Of Course, Forgiving Her As Liu Xing contemted the situation, he decided to confide in Yin En about Wang Qi''s death and inquire if Yin En possessed any items that could have such an effect. In Liu Xing''s eyes, Yin En was a seasoned veteran driver and should have knowledge of the answer to this question. After a while, Yin En responded to the message. To Liu Xing''s satisfaction, Yin En indeed knew the answer to this question. In Yin En''s memory, he had seen or heard of at least three items capable of controlling Wang Qi tomit such actions. The first was the Control Device of Yis People, a piece of advanced technology created by Yis People. It could control one''s mind, but acquiring this item was nearly impossible for yers. Yis People''s items were not easily obtainable, and even if one managed to obtain the Control Device, using it effectively was another challenge. The second was the Oath Scroll, a item that yers who had advanced to the Cthulhu region could purchase. This scroll allowed two yers to make an unbreakable pact, even if it involved one yer requesting the other''s death. However, the Oath Scroll was extremely expensive, costing a whopping 10,000 points, and required both yers'' consent to activate. The third item was rather unique; it was called the "Heaven and Earth Twin Longevity." It allowed a yer to bind themselves to a character card, increasing the points gained frompleting modules by twenty percent. Additionally, it made the yer immune to most forms of death, except for certain specific circumstances. However, when the bound character card was destroyed, the yer would die in the same manner as the card. Moreover, a yer using the "Heaven and Earth Twin Longevity" character card could not participate in revival modules. Although this item was avable for purchase in the Hound of Tindalos region for just 100 points, few yers were willing to buy it. Most yers who reached the Hound of Tindalos region already possessed several character cards. Therefore, acquiring this item meant sacrificing other character cards, resulting in a significant point loss and leaving them with only one life. Upon reading this information, Liu Xing dismissed the first two possibilities. Yis People''s Control Device was a bug-level item that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall wouldn''t allow yers to obtain easily. As for the Oath Scroll, it was prohibitively expensive and using it to eliminate Wang Qi would be a wasteful overkill. In Liu Xing''s eyes, the third possibility had be a reality. Since Liu Xing had exchanged items into reality before, he knew that items exchanged in this manner wouldn''t disy their effects as they did in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Therefore, the culprit, the Club President, had exploited the information asymmetry, informing Wang Qi only of the item''s point-boosting capabilities while concealing its side effects. So, the ignorant Wang Qi had happily used the item, and when his usefulness had been exhausted, the Club President had disposed of him in the Cthulhu RPG Game. The bizarre manner of Wang Qi''s death led Liu Xing to suspect that the Club President might have a character card as the leader of the Secret Cult, with Wang Qi''s character card now converted into one of his followers. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing sighed. He couldn''t believe there were people who would set up such a scam to deceive new yers. It seemed that in such a vast world, anything could happen. However, Liu Xing felt fortunate that he had realized the situation wasn''t right and had declined Wang Qi''s invitation back then. Otherwise, it wouldn''t have been just Wang Qi suffering the consequences. After a moment of silence in memory of Wang Qi, Liu Xing decided to stop dwelling on the matter. With his current abilities, there was no way he could deal with a society dedicated to scamming new yers. So, his best option was to keep his distance and avoid any contact with the organization. Returning home, Liu Xing rested for a while, and then it was time to attend a wedding banquet. Since most working people couldn''t attend midday weddings in Rongcheng, such events were often kept brief, with the main celebrations taking ce in the evening. The wedding was that of Liu Xing''s cousin, just a month or two older than Liu Xing himself. Their rtionship was quite good. However, as Liu Xing thought about his cousin getting married, he couldn''t help but feel a bit mncholic. In Liu Xing''s family, among the male members in the same age group, Liu Xing and his cousin were the only ones who hadn''t married yet. He could already foresee the impending pressure to get married. Liu Xing thought to himself that he would rather participate in a real Cthulhu RPG Game than go through an arranged marriage. Nevertheless, Liu Xing arrived at the wedding venue and handed over his gift money to his cousin with a smile. Then, he found a seat among familiar faces. As the wedding ceremony proceeded ording to tradition, Liu Xing began to feel a bit bored. Weddings usually followed a standard script and didn''t offer much excitement. However, his boredom was interrupted when the emcee announced, "Now, let''s invite the bride and groom''s boss, Mr. Yin En, toe up and give a speech." Liu Xing, who had been daydreaming, couldn''t help but think to himself, "Why do young couples these days always invite their bosses to give speeches at their weddings?" Wait a minute, what was his cousin''s boss''s name again? Liu Xing was surprised as he raised his head and saw a familiar figure standing beside his cousin. It was none other than Yin En, the person he had just contacted. At the same moment, Yin En, who was delivering his speech on stage, happened to turn and look in Liu Xing''s direction. Their eyes met. It was a small world indeed. Seeing Liu Xing, Yin En concluded his speech and, with a smile, took out his phone and walked down from the stage. Liu Xing understood the message and quickly checked his phone. Yin En had sent a message asking to meet in the restroom. Although it felt a bit unusual, Liu Xing went to the restroom and found Yin En there, smiling. "I can''t believe we''d meet under these circumstances. I''m actually here on a business trip to Rongcheng, and after today, I''ll be heading back. That''s why I suggested we continue our gaming session tomorrow afternoon," Yin En said with a smile. Liu Xing shrugged and replied with a smile, "My cousin is the groom. If my parents weren''t too busy to attend the wedding, I wouldn''t be here either. It''s quite a coincidence." They exchanged smiles. "Well, getting back to the matter you asked about earlier, it''s rted to the student from Rongcheng Sports University, right? I overheard someone mention that this student was also a yer at the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall," Yin En said as he handed a pack of cigarettes to Liu Xing. Liu Xing shook his head, indicating that he didn''t smoke. "That''s right. The student from Rongcheng Sports University was my teammate during my first Cthulhu RPG Game. We met in real life once, andter, he invited me to join a local offline club in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall in Rongcheng. I had a bad feeling about it, so I declined. Now, it turns out he''s gone missing." Yin En took a drag from his cigarette and nodded. "Unless it''s one of those offline clubs organized by the bigshots from the Cthulhu region, most of these so-called offline clubs are unscrupulous organizations that exploit neers. Unfortunately, that student had bad luck and fell into the hands of one of the worst kinds of organizations." "Alright, let''s head back now. Two grown men spending so much time in the restroom is suspicious. After the banquet ends, we can go have a drink and continue our conversation," Yin En suggested with a cheerful smile. Liu Xing agreed with a nod, and the two of them left the restroom, returning to the banquet to join the festivities. When the time was about right, Liu Xing got up and left the wedding banquet, only to realize that Yin En had disappeared. Soon after, Liu Xing received an apology message from Yin En, exining that he had been taken away by otherpany bosses during the banquet and wouldn''t have time to join Liu Xing for a drink. Although Yin En was also a yer of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, he was not a "jobless wanderer" like Liu Xing. In reality, Yin En had various social obligations due to his role as a boss. Liu Xing understood the situation and headed home on his own. The next afternoon, after a good night''s sleep, Liu Xing opened the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall and waited for Yin En''s message. After a while, Liu Xing received a message from Yin En and immediately clicked to start the game. This time, Liu Xing didn''t have to wait long before he began a new module. Of course, Liu Xing didn''t forget to perform his Interlude Growth. As the leader of the Secret Cult, Liu Xing had only two Interlude Growth options, both of which were quite peculiar. The first Interlude Growth option was to "Increase Knowledge Level," with a 50% chance of randomly increasing 1d6 points in attributes or skill values. However, failure would result in an unexpected event. The second option was "Worshipers of the Yellow Sect Disciples." This had a 100% sess rate and could provide Liu Xing with 2d3 new disciples. However, if it ended up a critical failure, it would lead to various enemies seeking trouble. Following his "people-first" principle, Liu Xing chose the second Interlude Growth option. After all, as the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, he felt he had too few disciples. The number of new disciples gained was 2d3=3. Scenario: "Of Course, Forgiving Her" Difficulty: Hard Number of yers: 5 Story Background: On a small ind in the southern part of the Ind Nation, there exists a secluded vige where the yin energy prevails over the yang. Therefore, every year, many young women from the vige venture out to find their lifelong partners and bring them back to the vige for a shared life. In one week, a grand wedding will take ce... Name: Watanabe Ryusei upation: Jobless Wanderer (Leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect) Gender: Male Age: 18 Traits: Leadership Qualities, Blessing of the Yellow King Connection to This Module: After graduating from Morimoto Academy, Liu Xing, who had been idle, received an invitation from a longtime online friend, Dogo Aige, to attend his wedding on a southern ind. Since he had nothing better to do, Watanabe Ryusei decided to attend Dogo Aige''s wedding... Character Attributes: Strength: 60 Constitution: 60 Willpower: 75 Luck: 70 Agility: 50 Appearance: 85 Size: 60 Intelligence: 80 Inspiration: 70 Education: 70 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: 20 Sanity: 60/?? HP: 12 MP: 30 Damage Bonus: 1 Credit Rating: 30 Skills: Ind Nation Language 80, Library Use 60, Investigation 50, Listening 40, Persuade 70, Brawl 40, Dodge 40, ult 80. Special Skills: Summoning/Dismissing Byakhee, Ritual for Summoning King Hastur in Yellow Robes Carried Items: Smartphone, English version of "The Yellow King," "Worshipers of the Yellow Sect" Scriptures, Yellow Seal Pendant, Ritual Dagger for Sacrifice, 6 Poisonous Smoke Candles, Statue of the Deep One for Offering. Liu Xing had so many disciples now that they had been separated into a separate interface. However, Liu Xing''s current curiosity was piqued by the module''s name. It seemed unbelievably outrageous. What could this module possibly entail with a title like that? From a literal interpretation, Liu Xing had already begun to mourn for his online friend, Dogo Aige, as it seemed like his bride had already prepared a "gift" for him... Nevertheless, it was apparent from the story background that the secluded vige on the southern ind, isted from the world, was most likely a gathering ce for the Deep Ones or their hybrids. It was highly probable that this was rted to the Deep Sea Gospel Society, as Liu Xing had already encountered them before. Sure enough, Liu Xing soon saw his new world mission: "Investigate the Truth of Fisher Vige and Seize the Opportunity to Destroy Fisher Vige." At this moment, a voice spoke, "Hello, yers. I am the KP (Keeper) for this module, Green Light. Actually, from the name of this module, you should already have an idea of the Main Quest, which is to find a way to make your online friend, the groom, Dogo Aige, forgive his fiance and sessfullyplete the wedding ceremony. Sessfullypleting the Main Quest will reward you with 1000 points." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 273: Fishers Village Chapter 273: Fishers Vige KP Green Light continued, "Of course, this module is a bit different from the usual ones. It has many side quests, and some offer rewards greater than the main quest. But as you yers know, these side quests are quite challenging, especially when they ovep with the main questit''s almost as tough as the main quest in the Cthulhu region." "Now, let''s officially enter the introductory plot of this module. All yers are currently en route to Fisher''s Vige via various means of transport. Once there, you''ll rely on your skills. However, I must remind you to be careful with your personal belongings." Liu Xing nodded silently. The module was as he expected. A secluded vige like Fisher''s Vige was bound to hide many secrets, possibly triggering a side quest with the slightest action. KP Green Light mentioned personal items, and now Liu Xing was a bit panicked. His belongings included a ceremonial dagger, a peculiar Deep One statue, and his sensitive identity as ''Watanabe Ryusei.'' He feared that using public transport might lead him straight to police questioning. At that moment, Liu Xing officially entered the module. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself on a small cruise ship. ording to ''Watanabe Ryusei''s'' memory, Fisher''s Vige was on a remote ind in the southern part of the Ind Nation. The local government, to save costs, arranged only this small ship to service the route once every seven days, arriving at Fisher''s Vige around six in the evening. In short, this small cruise was the only way yers could leave Fisher''s Vige unless they could swim for over ten hours to the nearest inhabited ind. So, although the main quest was merely to ensure Dogo Aige''s wedding goes smoothly, Liu Xing guessed the real challenge was leaving the ind on this ship. Liu Xing gazed at the sea, disheartened to recall from ''Watanabe Ryusei''s'' memory that he couldn''t swim, making him feel trapped on this lonely ind. Then, he heard a familiar voice, "Leader, what are you doing here?!" Turning around, he saw Ling Ishikawa. In ''Watanabe Ryusei''s'' memory, after Morimoto Academy was indefinitely closed, Ling Ishikawa and others went home. ''Watanabe Ryusei'' even gave his followers a break and nned to establish apany in March to employ them, a form of "whitewashing." So for Dogo Aige''s wedding, ''Watanabe Ryusei'' went alone, without informing Ling Ishikawa. Pretending to be surprised, Liu Xing said, "Ling Ishikawa, what brings you here? This ship only goes to Fisher''s Vige. Are you also attending Dogo Aige''s wedding?" Ling Ishikawa, equally surprised, replied, "Yes, Dogo Aige was my English teacher in middle school. He said he''s the son of a chieftain from an African tribe. I was the English ss representative, so we were close. He invited me to his wedding." Liu Xing was intrigued. Dogo Aige was African? He felt the module''s author had some malice towards Dogo Aige. After chatting with Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing surveyed the other passengers. It was a five-yer module, and besides Liu Xing and Yin En, there should be three others. Surprisingly, he saw only one young man engrossed in his phone. This meant at least two yers had arrived by other means. Since the young man seemed uninterested in interacting, Liu Xing chatted idly with Ling Ishikawa until they reached Fisher''s Vige. The ind hosting Fisher''s Vige was quiterge, with a Hawaiian irsandy beaches and coconut trees suggesting potential as a vacation paradise. At the vige dock, Liu Xing immediately recognized Dogo Aige, the sole African man there. Dogo Aige, tall and robust, somewhat resembled a ck celebrity. In Liu Xing''s eyes, most ck people looked simr, just as Westerners might think all Asians look alike. Beside Dogo Aige stood his fiance. "Wee! I''m delighted you could attend my wedding. My family in Africa couldn''t make it due to the distance, so I''m grateful to have friends like you here," Dogo Aige said. After Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa offered their congrattions, Dogo Aige introduced his fiance, "This is Matsui Yui, my fiance. We met during my university studies." Matsui Yui smiled gently, "Pleased to meet you. I''m Dogo Aige''s fiance, currently a senior in Tokyo. You can call me Kuri." Liu Xing nodded but felt something familiar about Matsui Yui from ''Watanabe Ryusei''s'' memory, though he couldn''t ce where he''d seen her before. After pleasantries, Dogo Aige led them into Fisher''s Vige. Despite its name suggesting backwardness, Fisher''s Vige resembled a resort, dotted with luxurious three-story vis. Dogo Aige led them into one such vi. "This is a public housing unit for guests attending weddings. As I''ve mentioned before, Fisher''s Vige is peculiar, historically favoring women over men, so the vigers are quite weing to male visitors," he exined. Liu Xingughed, "I see, Fisher''s Vige is quite affluent to afford such vis." Dogo Aige nodded, curious himself. "I wonder how Fisher''s Vige became so wealthy. Yui told me it''s historically isted. It shouldn''t afford such luxury, and many vigers don''t even know they''re part of the Ind Nation. Speaking of which, she asked me to remind you of some local rules: Don''t discuss the outside world with vigers to avoid unsettling their worldview; limit modern items like phones to the vi; and respect local customs, as Fisher''s Vige has developed unique traditions over its long istion." Hearing this, Liu Xing confirmed his earlier suspicion: Fisher''s Vige was indeed a breeding ground for Deep One hybrids, isted to propagate their kind with asional vigers venturing out to bring back "studs" from the outside world. What intrigued Liu Xing was the vige''s policy of keeping its residents ignorant. Those who had never left didn''t even know about the existence of the Ind Nation, confirming that Fisher''s Vige, as KP Green Light said, was full of mysteries. "By the way, Teacher Dogo Aige, are Ryusei and I the only ones attending your wedding? I heard the ferry to Fisher''s Vige runs only every seven days, and there was only one other person with us... Wait, that person didn''t get off the ferry when we left," Ling Ishikawa suddenly remarked. Liu Xing thought hard and realized that was indeed the case. The young man engrossed in his phone hadn''t disembarked. Who was this person, and what were they up to? Dogo Aige pondered and then shook his head, "Maybe he was just a crew member. By the way, the ferry stays in Fisher''s Vige for half an hour before returning, so you can catch it back after dinner." "Before you came, three of my friends had already arrived. I picked them up in my fishing boat. They''re probably resting in their rooms. Ling Ishikawa, you and your friends can pick a room, settle in, ande down for dinner." Three friends? That meant the young man with the phone might indeed have been just a crew member, as Dogo Aige suggested. Liu Xing had more questions for Dogo Aige, but after speaking, Dogo Aige left. Liu Xing could only shake his head and follow Ling Ishikawa upstairs. The second floor had five rooms, three marked as vacant, indicating another yer chose to stay on the third floor as the first floor had no rooms. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa picked adjacent rooms for mutual support. The room''s decor was impressive, akin to a five-star presidential suite, but notablycked any modern amenities like air conditioning, television, orputers. Liu Xing checked his phone and, as expected, found no signal. Sighing, he realized Fisher''s Vige was essentially arge private room, a module designed to cut off all outside contact. Leaving his room, Liu Xing saw a bewildered Ling Ishikawa. "Leader, there''s definitely something off about Fisher''s Vige. I''ve seen no modern items, and there''s no mobile signal." Liu Xing nodded, "Exactly. Since Dogo Aige shared about Fisher''s Vige, I suspected something was amiss. Now, I''m sure of it, and it likely involves our old friends, the Deep Sea Gospel Society." "Ah," Ling Ishikawa feigned surprise. "Just the name Fisher''s Vige hints at a connection to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. But aren''t we walking into a trap?" Liu Xing replied, "Let''s wait and see. If the Deep Sea Gospel Society wanted us, we wouldn''t be here now. It''s probably just a coincidence, no need for undue worry." With that, they headed to the first-floor hall, where Dogo Aige had prepared avish dinner. Liu Xing noticed two familiar figuresZhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya. He wasn''t surprised, considering the limited pool of yers in the Ind Nation. It''s tricky to assemble a module''s yers, considering their locations, upations, and previous module experiences. You wouldn''t suddenly send a tribal illiterate from Africa to Area 51 in the United States to study future technology. However, seeing Lu Tianya with Zhang Jingxu was unexpected. As Zhang Jingxu saw Liu Xing, hisposure wavered, and Lu Tianya turned red and looked away. Liu Xing chuckled and addressed them, "What a small world! I didn''t expect you two to be friends with Dogo Aige as well. We must be fated to meet." Regaining his calm, Zhang Jingxu replied, "Indeed, it seems we''re destined to cross paths. But I believe, Ryusei, you''ve noticed something by now." Liu Xing nodded, understanding without words. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 274: A Special Setup Chapter 274: A Special Setup At that moment, another person descended from the upstairs, and this time, to Liu Xing''s relief, it was not someone he knew. The neer was a middle-aged, chubby man who appeared very amiable. However, this was the Cthulhu RPG Game, where yers often concealed their ruthlessness behind a benign facade. Thus, Liu Xing grew cautious of him. The man was friendly and said with a smile, "Oh, it seems I''mte. I didn''t expect everyone to be here already. My name is Panda Pig. No choice there; my parents just loved these three animals, and since my father''s surname is Xiong (which means ''bear''), I ended up with this peculiar name. By the way, I''m a colleague of Dogo Aige, a health teacher." Clearly, Panda Pig mistook Lu Tianya for another yer. But then, could that young man on the cruise ship, who was glued to his phone, actually be thest yer? And where could this yer have gone now? Perhaps this is what they call a ''jungle-type'' yer. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, while following the module strictly is usually the safest bet, there are always those thrill-seeking yers who choose to venture off the beaten path. These yers operate on the fringes of the module, constantly testing the limits and clearing Side Quests along the way. They are known as ''jungle-type'' yers. Moreover, Liu Xing had heard of another kind of yer, the ''OB-type,'' who pretend to be dead throughout the game. Just when you think they''re NPCs, they reveal themselves as yers and help youplete the module. However, neither jungle-type nor OB-type yers are popr with the mainstream crowd. Their unorthodox methods often don''t contribute to thepletion of the module and can inadvertently burden other yers. But now wasn''t the time for such discussions, as Dogo Aige spoke up, "Alright, let''s sit down and eat. It seems one friend won''t be able to make it." As everyone took their seats, Dogo Aige gave a few instructions and then left. In Fisher''s Vige, there''s a custom where all sons-inw must stay alone in a straw hut and have their meals arranged separately before their wedding ceremony. After Dogo Aige''s departure, KP Green Light said with a smile, "OK, now we enter the main storyline. Each yer can now choose to take on three Side Quests. The first is to enter the straw hut where Dogo Aige resides, which awards 200 points uponpletion. The second is a nighttime stroll around Fisher''s Vige, rewarding 100 points for circling the main road after midnight. The third is to collect three lost letters scattered around Fisher''s Vige for 1000 points." "Additionally, this module has a special setting concerning Matsui Yui''s tension level. Any yer action might increase her tension, and when it reaches 100, she will randomly attack a yer. Killing a yer reduces her tension back to 50." "As for the Private Room time everyone is curious about, this module has a special arrangement. Every night from seven to eight, as long as yers are seated around this table, Private Room time will activate. At other times, it can''t be initiated." Liu Xing frowned. The situation was moreplex than he anticipated, especially with the Side Quests seeming easy but likely harboring hidden dangers. He was particrly concerned about the sensitivity of Matsui Yui''s tension level; if it were too easily triggered, yers could easilyplete the module without much effort. He also worried about potential Plot Encounters that might force yers into action. However, the unique Private Room times seemed advantageous, offering substantial opportunities for discussion. In short, the module appeared simple but was fraught with hidden dangers. "Alright, I believe everyone now understands what this module entails. Let''s continue the game. But a word of advice, don''t just sit and wait," KP Green Light said with augh. The game resumed. Zhang Jingxu, wanting Panda Pig to realize that Lu Tianya wasn''t a yer and avoid any misjudgments, gratefully said while holding Lu Tianya''s hand, "Ryusei, I must thank you. Without your help, it would have been difficult for me to reunite with Lu Tianya. I''m truly grateful." Liu Xing understood Zhang Jingxu''s intent and responded warmly, "Oh, it''s nothing, Zhang Jingxu. I merely lent a hand. But it''s our fate that brought us together in Kobe. It seems we''re kindred spirits." Emphasizing "kindred spirits," Liu Xing signaled Panda Pig, who cast a surprised look at Lu Tianya. Liu Xing caught the hint of confusion in his eyes. Everyone at the table, curious about the whereabouts of thest yer, assumed they must be on the ind. With no sign of the final yer and a harmonious atmosphere, everyone shared their identities and got to know each other better. Liu Xing was particrly interested in Zhang Jingxu''s background. Even though he had some understanding from the previous module, Zhang Jingxu''s actions in calming Higashi Meizi made Liu Xing realize his knowledge was only the tip of the iceberg. Zhang Jingxu was a Taoist, a profession Liu Xing found intriguing. "Zhang Jingxu" was born into a declining Taoist family with a long lineage of Taoists. Unfortunately, his father nearly lost his life during a demon exorcism when ambushed by a Zombie King (actually a Ghoul Elder) and surrounded by zombies. He escaped only by using all his talismans and depleting his life force. Therefore, "Zhang Jingxu''s" father, wishing to spare his son the same fate, severed all ties with their Taoist lineage. Nheless, Zhang Jingxu identally met his father''s fellow disciple, learned a few tricks, and began "exorcising demons and defending the Tao" at School alongside Lu Tianya. When his father learned that Zhang Jingxu had be a Taoist regardless, he resigned himself to fate and arranged for Zhang Jingxu to go into seclusion and train, which led to the loss of contact with Lu Tianya. Eventually, after Zhang Jingxu and his masters sessfully killed the Zombie King that had ambushed his father, he was deemed ready to graduate from his training. However, due to the mysterious disappearance of a brother in the Ind Nation, Zhang Jingxu volunteered to investigate, thus embarking on a global mission. It became clear that the disappearance was likely tied to the Deep Sea Gospel Society, as yers on world missions often find their modules interconnected with such overarching narratives. "Panda Pig," like Liu Xing''s "Watanabe Ryusei" character card, was also his second character card. He''d chosen the name on a whim and was surprised to embody it in the game. Panda Pigmented his mediocrity, knowing a little about many things but mastering none, jokingly referring to himself as a "jack of all trades." In the Cthulhu RPG Game, versatile character cards like Panda Pig''s are quite valuable. While specialized characters like Liu Xing''s might excel in certain modules, they falter in others. In contrast, Panda Pig''s type could find a ce in most scenarios. Thus, Liu Xing considered Panda Pig a potential good ally. However, due to the particrities of his "Watanabe Ryusei" identity, Liu Xing had to maintain a facade of a "virtuous young man." After dinner, noticing it was already half-past seven, Liu Xing signaled Zhang Jingxu, who quickly found a reason to send Lu Tianya away and initiate Private Room time. Yin En teased Zhang Jingxu for getting along so well with Lu Tianya so quickly. Zhang Jingxu sighed and shared Lu Tianya''s situation with everyone. Panda Pig, upon hearing this, recounted a simr experience with a character card retaining memories from previous modules but behaving almost like an NPC. He mentioned a friend''s character card that had inexplicably died,ter learning the yer had been eliminated from the game. Zhang Jingxu was excited at the possibility of Lu Tianya still being alive and participating in the game with another character card. Panda Pig cautiously agreed but couldn''t confirm the theory entirely. He then asked to be called Liu Hao instead of Panda Pig, revealing his true identity and expressing his dissatisfaction with having to y a character so different from his real self. Liu Xing felt fortunate not to have been assigned a less desirable character and proposed they focus on the current situation. He suspected thest yer was a young man from the cruise but noted the yer''s stealthy arrival at Fisher''s Vige. Liu Xing suggested they stay vignt, especially against OB-type yers who might jeopardize the module. The group agreed, recognizing the unusual nature of the module and the potential risks posed by Matsui Yui''s tension level. Yin En proposed they gather more information in Fisher''s Vige before deciding on the Side Quests, given their deceptive difficulty. Panda Pig, revealing he had already made some discoveries, pulled out his phone with a smile. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 275: The Peculiar Fishers Village Chapter 275: The Peculiar Fishers Vige Panda Pig had four photos on his phone, all depicting vis in Fisher''s Vige. However, Liu Xing quickly noticed a distinctioneach vi''s lintel bore a small symbol. The four symbols were hands, a book, a scepter, and swords. Frowning, Liu Xing asked, "Panda Pig, are you suggesting that in Fisher''s Vige, the vigers'' professions are differentiated by these symbols?" Panda Pig nodded, smiling, "Exactly. When I entered Fisher''s Vige, I requested and passed a challenging inspiration Judgment from KP. Thankfully, I seeded, and that''s how I discovered these symbols. Their meanings should be quite straightforward, right?" "Hands represent ordinary people or followers, given this is the world of Cthulhu RPG Game. In such isted ces, it''s likely that a cult worshiping the Eldritch Gods could arise. If I''m not mistaken, the book symbolizes teachers or preachers, the scepter signifies senior members among the followers, and the swords are for those guarding Fisher''s Vige." "After passing the inspiration Judgment, I encountered twelve vis. Six bore the symbol of hands, four of swords, and the remaining two each disyed a book and a scepter. As for the vi we''re currently in, its lintel bears no symbol." Listening to Panda Pig, Liu Xing stroked his chin, saying, "Your guess is right. Behind Fisher''s Vige stands a Secret CultDeep Sea Gospel Society. This cult venerates the Deep Ones. However, as far as I know, the mainir of the Deep Sea Gospel Society is in Reed Vige, Hokkaido, not here." Zhang Jingxu, intrigued, suddenly eximed, "I yed a Cthulhu-themed game called ''Mist Ind'' in the real world (it''s quite fun and has an official Chinese version on Steam). It''s about a yer leading a Secret Cult on an ind, proiming the world''s end and the ind''s inhabitants as survivors under the protection of a Great Old One. It seems Fisher''s Vige shares a simr setup with ''Mist Ind.''" "So, I suspect Fisher''s Vige might be a testing ground set up by the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Long ago, they deceived the original inhabitants and through centuries of ignorance, made them believe in the Society''s narrative. Hence, the vigers don''t realize they''re Ind Nation people and are restricted from using modern items or discussing the outside world." Liu Xing''s mind raced with the word "domestication." If what Zhang Jingxu said was true, then the vigers were indeed being "domesticated" by the Deep Sea Gospel Society, more pitiable than ancient tribes in the Amazon, living perpetually in deception. However, Liu Xing remained skeptical, saying, "That''s all well and good, but why would the Deep Sea Gospel Society do this? If they just wanted more followers, there''s no need for such borate setups. Fisher''s Vige, limited by geography, can only grow so much. The Society would be better off proselytizing inrger cities like Kyoto." Yin En agreed, adding his questions, "Yes, and considering the weekly cruise ship visits, even if Fisher''s Vige''s dock is secluded, the vigers must have seen it. What do they think of such a vessel? And what about women like Matsui Yui from Fisher''s Vige, or perhaps Deep One hybrids, who leave to find mates? Matsui Yui has been outside for quite some time and must recognize the differences between the outside world and Fisher''s Vige. So, the Deep Sea Gospel Society must have ulterior motives beyond just controlling the vige." The group fell into contemtion, unsure of the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s actual intent. After a while, Panda Pig hypothesized, "What if the Society simply wants to turn Fisher''s Vige into a breeding ground, where the vigers mate with the Deep Ones to mass-produce hybrids? The women leaving to find mates could just be a way to bring in new blood and prevent the entire poption from turning into Deep Ones over generations." Liu Xing shook his head, responding, "I considered that, but if true, isn''t the Society ying god, or rather, spheming? And if it''s about mass-producing hybrids, why not have the followers sacrifice themselves directly? Why go through all this trouble?" With a heavy sigh, Panda Pig agreed. Yin En lightened the mood, suggesting, "Let''s drop this topic. We can''t deduce much with the information we have, and it''s gettingte. Our private room time ends in two minutes. Let''s rest and reconver." Everyone nodded and went to their rooms. In his room, Liu Xing sought KP Green Light for an Investigation or inspiration Judgment to ensure no hidden cameras or peculiarities were present. KP Green Light assured him the vi, serving as a safe point, warranted no Judgment. Liu Xing approached the window, wanting to observe Fisher''s Vige at night. However, with no streetlights and absent moon or starlight, he saw nothing. He realized the vige likely had no electricity. Curious, he checked the bathroom and found a wooden structure resembling a northeastern kang bed, with arge metal tub filled with water and ready with kindling belowsuggesting a life without modern conveniences. Upon witnessing the primitive bathing setup, Liu Xing thought humorously, "Cooking oneself in a cauldron..." Deciding against trying such a bathing method due to theck of a lighter and his inability to use flint and steel, Liu Xing resigned to lying in bed. He considered using his phone but realized conserving its battery was crucial since it was his only link to the outside world, despite theck of signal in Fisher''s Vige. Regretting not bringing a satellite phone, which would have allowed him to call for help or even expose Fisher''s Vige''s secrets, Liu Xing acknowledged he had to y along with the game without external assistance. So, without the option to use his phone, he opted for sleep. After requesting a sleep package from KP Green Light, Liu Xing slept until 7 am. Waking up to the cold, he washed his face with cold water, unable to heat it himself. Realizing he had to endure six more days in these conditions, he sighed at the thought of the challenging days ahead. Observing Fisher''s Vige in the early hours, Liu Xing noticed the vigerscked the "Innsmouth Look" and seemed younger, with no middle-aged individuals in sight. Surprisingly, he saw more young male vigers than females, contradicting Dogo Aige''s im of a significant gender imbnce favoring women. Liu Xing wondered if he or Dogo Aige had been misled. As time passed, Liu Xing found the vigers'' behavior odd. The young people merely walked around without interacting or engaging in any activities, and after about ten minutes, they simultaneously returned home, leaving the streets empty again. This strange pattern intensified Liu Xing''s suspicion that something was amiss in Fisher''s Vige. When Dogo Aige knocked and invited him for breakfast, Liu Xing joined the others downstairs. After Dogo Aige reminded everyone to respect the vige''s customs, he left. The group discussed the primitive living conditions, with Ling Ishikawaining about theck of modern amenities and the difficulty of starting a fire without a lighter. Panda Pig, a smoker, offered his lighter formunal use. Liu Xing shared his observations of the young vigers'' peculiar behavior, noting the unexpected male majority. Ling Ishikawa spected it might be a unique local custom, while Zhang Jingxu pondered two possibilities: either the vige''s women married younger men due to a genuine gender imbnce or Matsui Yui had deceived Dogo Aige about the vige''s demographics to secure his integration into Fisher''s Vige. The group remained thoughtful, considering these anomalies and what they might imply about the true nature of Fisher''s Vige. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 276: Feigning Ignorance With Clarity Chapter 276: Feigning Ignorance With rity Rtively speaking, Liu Xing and others definitely lean more towards the second possibility, suspecting Matsui Yui of deceiving Dogo Aige, as Fisher''s Vige hasn''t shown signs of the prophesied decline. "However, if that''s the case, I don''t see why Matsui Yui would need to lie to Dogo Aige. Even without doing so, I believe Dogo Aige would still have been willing to marry into Fisher''s Vige," Panda Pig began. "After all, though Dogo Aige is the son of a chieftain from an African tribe, his tribe isn''t powerful, barely numbering over a hundred people. With many siblings, Dogo Aigecks the standing to be chieftain himself. His background is quite ordinary, which is why his family didn''t attend the wedding in Fisher''s Vige the cost of ne tickets alone could bankrupt them." Liu Xing frowned, surprised by Dogo Aige''s poor family circumstances, especially since in the game ''WatanabeRyusei,'' Dogo Aige boasted of being an African tycoon, soon to return and inherit his vast family estate. Thus, Liu Xing realized his misunderstanding about the module''s goal; he thought resolving Matsui Yui''s issue would suffice, not foreseeing theplications with Dogo Aige. Liu Xing was sure, based on the Cthulhu RPG Game''s traits, that Dogo Aige must have boasted about his wealth and influence in Africa to win Matsui Yui over. If Matsui Yui discovered the truth before the wedding, it would certainly be off. "With the current situation," Liu Xing said gravely, "I suspect Dogo Aige lied to Matsui Yui. If she discovers the truth, it''s over for Dogo Aige, and the wedding can''t proceed. We need to find a way to keep this secret, ensuring neither Matsui Yui nor her family and friends find out." Ling Ishikawa and others nodded in agreement, understanding Liu Xing''s intent. Just then, an elderly man in simple clothes entered the living room, smiling. "Wee to Fisher''s Vige. I am Matsui Ichiro, the Vige Chief, and Matsui Yui''s father." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; Matsui Ichiro looked to be in his sixties, easily believable as Matsui Yui''s grandfather. However, Liu Xing found it reasonable; it''s not umon for an old tree to bloom. As the eldest and closest to Dogo Aige, Panda Pig stepped forward to represent the group, greeting, "Hello, Mr. Vige Chief." Matsui Ichiro nodded, slightly embarrassed, "Apologies for the inconvenience. Our Fisher''s Vige is quite limited in amenities. We don''t have electricity or inte, which might be ufortable for you all. But, there''s no helping it. Our isted Fisher''s Vige would find it extremely difficult and costly to modernize, and frankly, unnecessary, as you''ve seen, there''s little here that requires electricity." Everyone shared an awkwardugh at Matsui Ichiro''s blunt honesty, wondering how to respond. "It''s fine; it''s a chance to get back to nature. But honestly, we''re quite bored. Vige Chief, do you have any activities to suggest, like fishing?" Panda Pig said with a smile. Panda Pig''s intention was simple: to use Matsui Ichiro''s authority to explore Fisher''s Vige and locate the fishing boats, presenting another way to leave the vige. Matsui Ichiro thought for a moment and nodded, "You''re right; with six days until the wedding, you''ll be bored. Feel free to move around Fisher''s Vige and talk with the vigers, but you must adhere to certain rules." "First, as Dogo Aige mentioned, don''t discuss the outside world with the vigers or show modern items like phones, as most have never encountered such things." "Second, there are forbidden areas in Fisher''s Vige. The easternmost part of the ind is our Graveyard, where vigers have been buried for centuries. It''s only open during our annual memorial day or a viger''s death. Also, the thatched hut where Dogo Aige lives is reserved for sons-inw; it''s off-limits to you as it would jeopardize the wedding if discovered." "Lastly, our Ancestral Hall isn''t exactly forbidden but is where we conduct ceremonies. Vigers may enter, but as outsiders, it''s not open to you, and modern items are prohibited. You must wear traditional attire, which we''ll provide." After Matsui Ichiro finished, he turned to leave. However, Zhang Jingxu spoke up with a smile, "Vige Chief, I have a question. Why not let the vigers learn about the outside world? I believe modernizing Fisher''s Vige would greatly improve their lives." Liu Xing sensed Zhang Jingxu''s hidden sharpness. Frowning, Matsui Ichiro replied, "It''s our tradition. I know modernization can improve lives, but... well, we can''t abandon our ancestors'' ways." Clearly, Matsui Ichirocked a better reason and left. Zhang Jingxu chuckled, "Interesting. It seems the wise in Fisher''s Vige prefer to feign ignorance. I suspect there''s a conspiracy behind this." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 277: The Sinister Intentions of the Module Chapter 277: The Sinister Intentions of the Module Liu Xing nodded and began, "I believe this Fisher''s Vige is very likely to be a ce where vigers are being kept." With these words, Liu Xing initiated the investigation into Fisher''s Vige by the yers. While yers were aware that something was amiss in Fisher''s Vige, it mattered who uncovered this "secret." Typically, whoever unveiled the secret would be the leader of this module. Thus, Ling Ishikawa, as a follower of Liu Xing, would not seize the spotlight at this moment. Panda Pig, adhering to the "middle path," was also unsuitable to step forward, given the character traits defined by his character card. So, eliminating the yer whose whereabouts were still unknown left only Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu. However, Liu Xing knew that Zhang Jingxu was also reluctant to take the lead. That''s why he deliberately brought up the topic to take charge. As the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Liu Xing was determined to deal with the Deep Sea Gospel Society, even though it hadn''t been confirmed whether they were behind Fisher''s Vige. "Well, what''s our next step then? I confronted Matsui Ichiro earlier, and I suspect he might be on guard now," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Liu Xing shrugged and replied, "It doesn''t matter; we''re not nning to directly vite Fisher''s Vige rules at the moment. Matsui Ichiro won''t be able to cause trouble for us. So, I intend to split our forces. One group will go look for Dogo Aige to see if we can gather more information from her. The other group will chat with the vigers to find out what they know." Panda Pig nodded, stood up, and said, "How about Zhang Jingxu, Lu Tianya, and I go talk to the vigers? After all, I''m a teacher, and I''m most confident in casual conversations with others." Panda Pig could tell that Ling Ishikawa was allied with Liu Xing, so he decisively ced himself on Zhang Jingxu''s team. Even though there was also Lu Tianya, an NPC... After the assignments were made, Liu Xing and the others finished their breakfast and began their separate tasks. It was already 8:30 in the morning, but Fisher''s Vige still appeared lifeless. There were no vigers moving around on the streets. Liu Xing even paid special attention to the vis on both sides of the street, but he couldn''t hear any sounds. This was clearly abnormal because Liu Xing had seen vigers enter these vis before. Normally, human activity would be easily heard without the need for Listening Judgment. Unless these vis had exceptional soundproofing, or all the vigers were asleep. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. If there were no reason not to, he would have wanted to knock on the doors and investigate. Dogo Aige''s thatched cottage was located at the edge of Fisher''s Vige, facing the sea. However, it was still winter, and Liu Xing couldn''t be sure if Dogo Aige''s cottage would provide afortable stay. But one thing was certain: if any Deep Ones came ashore from the sea, Dogo Aige would be in big trouble in that flimsy thatched cottage. Because Dogo Aige''s cottage was indeed just that, a small thatched hut that looked like it could be blown over by a strong gust of wind. It was also quite small, with an area of about ten square meters. Most importantly, a wire mesh surrounded Dogo Aige''s cottage, and Liu Xing could see that this wire mesh had been smeared with some kind of green substance of unknown effect. "I wonder if this wire mesh has been poisoned," Ling Ishikawa couldn''t help butment. Liu Xing nodded silently. His first impression of that green substance was that it might be some sort of venom. At that moment, Dogo Aige, carrying a tray, emerged from his cottage. He saw Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa and eximed in surprise, "Ryusei, Ling Ishikawa, what brings you here? You should know you''re not allowed in here." Liu Xing chuckled and nodded. "Of course, we know we can''t enter. We just came to check on you, but we have no intention of going inside." Dogo Aige breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you both. I''ve been quite bored here alone. You know, Fisher''s Vigecks basic amenities, and there''s not much to do in this small thatched hut." Liu Xing nodded and casually asked, "By the way, Dogo Aige, do you know why the residents of Fisher''s Vige don''te out sote, and there''s absolutely no activity? When Ling Ishikawa and I walked over here, it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, with no sounds at all." Dogo Aige pondered for a moment and replied uncertainly, "Well, I''m not entirely sure, but I''ve heard from Lizi that the vigers have a tradition. They only start going out in the afternoon, which is considered the beginning of their day. This tradition dates back to when Fisher''s Vige experienced a tsunami in the past. The vigers who went out to sea in the morning were engulfed by the tsunami. As a result, Fisher''s Vige established a rule: no one goes out to sea in the morning. Over time, this evolved into not going out in the morning at all." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding this tradition rather peculiar. Upon closer reflection, he realized that he hadn''t seen any vigers when he entered Fisher''s Vige with Dogo Aige yesterday. "Speaking of which, Dogo Aige, do you know what this green, unknown substance is? Could it be poison?" Ling Ishikawa pointed at the wire mesh. Dogo Aige chuckled and shook his head, saying, "No, it''s not poison. It''s just a highly adhesive nt extract. When youe into contact with this green substance, it sticks to your body, and it won''t fade for at least a week. This way, we can tell if anyone else has entered this cottage. Unless they''re Olympic athletes, there''s no way they can get past this wire mesh." "By the way, I feel like I''m being kept like an animal. Lizi onlyes with tools to move this wire mesh and lets me out for some fresh air when it''s time to deliver meals. After I finish delivering the food, I have to return here and stay put," Dogo Aige said with a hint of helplessness. Liu Xing chuckled, thinking that Dogo Aige had a good sense of self-awareness, knowing that he was essentially being kept. On the other hand, Ling Ishikawa couldn''t help but quip, "Dogo Aige, you''re living quite an oppressive life here. I almost feel like you''re being kept like a pet." Dogo Aige had a good-natured personality and didn''t take offense at Ling Ishikawa''s teasing. He smiled and said, "Well, I was prepared for this from the beginning. Lizi told me about this tradition in Fisher''s Vige and how it''s a way to test the groom. I just didn''t expect it to be this troublesome and require so much self-discipline." Liu Xing chuckled, agreeing that it indeed required a lot of self-discipline. At that moment, Liu Xing suddenly recalled something and looked up at the lintel of the thatched cottage. Sure enough, he saw a symbol a drop of blood. The position of this symbol was very discreet, and if Liu Xing hadn''t deliberately searched for it, he wouldn''t have noticed it. A drop of blood, the meaning of this symbol was clear; it must be rted to the sacrifice ritual. With this realization, it was almost certain that Dogo Aige had be the new victim of Fisher''s Vige, and this so-called wedding ceremony was likely a sacrificial ritual. If that were the case, Fisher''s Vige was nothing but aplete lie. Dogo Aige noticed that Liu Xing seemed uneasy and asked with concern, "Ryusei, are you okay? You look a bit ufortable." Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Dogo Aige. I just thought of something strange, that''s all." Dogo Aige nodded and said earnestly, "That''s good. The weather has been coldtely, and this ce is by the sea. It''s easy to catch a cold, and there are no doctors on this ind. If you get sick, the only option is to take a boat out to sea." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, thinking that Dogo Aige was indeed a nice person... Wait a minute! Liu Xing furrowed his brow, suddenly understanding the sinister intentions of this module. As mentioned before, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers had to embody their character cards, even if they knew they shouldn''t do certain things. Due to their character cards, there were some actions they couldn''t avoid. In this module, there was a deliberate trap set. It portrayed Dogo Aige as a good friend and forced yers to adopt his perspective. Moreover, judging by the module''s title, Liu Xing believed that the probability of Matsui Yui betraying Dogo Aige was one hundred percent. So, after this revtion, if he and the other yers found out that Matsui Yui had betrayed Dogo Aige, they would face a dilemma: whether or not to tell Dogo Aige. In Liu Xing''s view, this was something they couldn''t tell Dogo Aige. After all, any normal man, not to mention someone who wasn''t entirely honest, would definitely choose to refuse the marriage. In that case, the wedding ceremony couldn''t proceed, and the main quest of this module would fail. However, as Dogo Aige''s friend, Liu Xing felt that they couldn''t keep this from him either. It was a predicament where the yers might be able to endure, but their character cards couldn''t. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 278: Alices Debut Chapter 278: Alices Debut Therefore, Liu Xing felt that the Main Quest of this module was exceptionally treacherous, almost forcing yers into a life-or-death situation. After all, from the perspective of character cards, they were helping their friende to terms with reality and preventing Matsui Yui, this siren, from causing harm. The worst-case scenario would be getting expelled from Fisher''s Vige. Among the known four yers, Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu, one as a ruthless Cult Leader and the other as a peaceful Taoist, still had the option to "forgive" Matsui Yui for her involvement in Dogo Aige''s predicament. Ling Ishikawa, under Liu Xing''s influence, might also make a simr choice. However, as Dogo Aige''s colleague and friend, Panda Pig would undoubtedly side with Dogo Aige. Thus, "Panda Pig" would likely reveal everything they knew to Dogo Aige, and "Watanabe Ryusei" and the others would be powerless to stop "Panda Pig." Aside from these factors, there were two other unstable elements. The first was Lu Tianya, an NPC. Unlike yers who couldmunicate through Private Room time and coordinate ns, Lu Tianya''s actions were unpredictable. If Lu Tianya suddenly had a change of heart or if KP Green Light manipted him to reveal the truth to Dogo Aige, it would pose a significant problem. ording to Yin En, KP had some control over NPCs in the module, allowing them to arrange Plot Encounters with yers. The other unstable factor was the yer who had been missing for almost a day. Since they didn''t know the yer''s whereabouts, there was a chance that this yer had a close rtionship with Dogo Aige. That could potentiallyplicate matters. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but ask Dogo Aige, "By the way, Dogo Aige, besides us, did you invite anyone else to Fisher''s Vige?" Dogo Aige thought for a moment, looking somewhat dejected. "Actually, I did invite one more person. It''s probably the young man you mentioned earlier, Miyako Goudong, who''s into mobile games. He''s my teacher''s son. Since my teacher couldn''te to Fisher''s Vige due to health reasons, he sent Miyako Goudong in his ce." "Miyako Goudong is quite an entric person. He always likes to give himself bizarre roles and changes them periodically. I suspect that he has currently adopted the role of an adventurer, which is why he didn''t board the ship with you all. He''s probably out there in the wilderness on this ind, trying to survive." Liu Xing couldn''t help but smirk. He never expected to encounter someone with chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) in a Cthulhu RPG Game. However, now that they knew about Miyako Goudong, Liu Xing thought that anything was possible with a chuunibyou like him. So, he decided that when he returned, he would arrange with Zhang Jingxu and the others to search for Miyako Goudong on the ind. At that moment, Dogo Aige suddenly remembered something and said, "I almost forgot, Lizi''s friend will be arriving on the ind today. Make sure to get along with Lizi''s friend." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Matsui Yui''s friend wasing to Fisher''s Vige today. More importantly, he suspected that Matsui Yui''s friend was likely associated with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Thinking this, Liu Xing exchanged a meaningful nce with Ling Ishikawa, who then politely excused themselves from Dogo Aige. As Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa walked back, Liu Xing couldn''t help but speak up, "Ling Ishikawa, you must have seen that symbol, right?" Ling Ishikawa nodded and replied seriously, "Yes, I saw the symbol. It''s a droplet of blood, which most likely signifies a ritual sacrifice." Liu Xing sighed, saying with resignation, "In that case, Dogo Aige is in danger. It seems that Fisher''s Vige may indeed be under the control of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Here''s what we''ll do, Ling Ishikawa: find an opportunity to fake an illness and leave Fisher''s Vige. Then, call Honekawa Suneo and the others, and have them prepare toe and rescue us." Ling Ishikawa nodded but expressed some concern, "Master, I have a feeling that I might be sent to an Alternate Dimension by Honda Tetsuya again. I wonder if this time I''ll end up in Hybrier..." Liu Xing feigned surprise, looking at Ling Ishikawa and asking, "What? Can Honda Tetsuya still control you?" Ling Ishikawa reluctantly nodded and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a strange tattoo on his arm hundreds of chaotic, ovepping circles. Most importantly, when Liu Xing saw this tattoo, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of unease. At that moment, KP Green Light chuckled and said, "Hehe, I didn''t expect Liu Xing, your character card, to have such a high level of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Being able to undergo a sanity check in the Shoggoth Region surprised even me, the KP. But it''s because your character card''s Cthulhu Mythos knowledge has reached a certain threshold that you only lost 1 point of sanity in this sanity check and gained 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not anticipating a sanity loss. It was clear that the tattoo on Ling Ishikawa''s arm possessed great power. This also hinted at the formidable strength of Honda Tetsuya. "Master, what''s wrong?" Ling Ishikawa looked at Liu Xing, concerned. Liu Xing snapped out of his thoughts and said with lingering unease, "It seems that Honda Tetsuya''s power is even greater than we imagined. Just this tattoo made me feel ufortable." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement. Ling Ishikawa then gestured for Liu Xing to follow and led him to hide behind a vi. "What''s going on?" Liu Xing asked, puzzled. Ling Ishikawa used his eyes to signal Liu Xing to look for himself. Carefully, Liu Xing peeked out and was surprised to see Alice! ording to Watanabe Ryusei''s memories, me Bar had closed shortly after Morimoto Academy was sealed off, and Alice had been missing since then, as Miguel had seen her off on a ne headed for Italy. So, Liu Xing hadn''t expected to encounter Alice in Fisher''s Vige. It was a pleasant surprise, but upon reflection, it was also somewhat expected. After all, Alice was a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and now that the society''s Kyoto branch was no more, it was reasonable for her to be working elsewhere. However, Liu Xing thought that there was no need to hide from Alice. She probably didn''t recognize him. Ling Ishikawa noticed Liu Xing''s confusion and exined, "Well, Alice might not recognize you, Master, but she might recognize me. After all, I was sent to an Alternate Dimension by Honda Tetsuya at me Bar, and if Alice knew about it, she would know what I look like. Meeting her now could be problematic." Liu Xing nodded, acknowledging the possibility. So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa decided to wait and see. When Alice finished her conversation with Matsui Yui and entered the vi alone, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa waited a bit before following her inside. By this time, Zhang Jingxu and the others had also returned and were sitting in the main hall, chatting. Alice was nowhere to be seen; she had likely gone upstairs. Liu Xing signaled Zhang Jingxu and the others, and they all gathered in Liu Xing''s room. "Ryusei, what''s going on?" Zhang Jingxu asked, puzzled. Liu Xing carefully chose his words and then said, "The woman who just came in is named Alice. She''s an important member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s Kyoto branch. She''s here in Fisher''s Vige under the guise of being Matsui Yui''s friend, and I suspect she has ulterior motives." Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow, saying, "Is that so? We chatted with Alice earlier and thought she was a nice person. It''s unbelievable that she''s part of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. If that''s the case, Fisher''s Vige is indeed their territory." Liu Xing nodded, continuing, "That''s correct. We can now be fairly certain that Fisher''s Vige belongs to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Also, I saw a symbol on the lintel of the hut where Dogo Aige is staying. The symbol is a droplet of blood, and I believe you all know what that signifies." Zhang Jingxu sighed, shaking his head. "It looks like we''re in trouble. This ce is probably a base for the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and Dogo Aige was lured here as a sacrifice. Being a foreigner, even if he goes missing in the Ind Nation, it might not raise much attention." Panda Pig, looking bewildered, asked, "What is this Deep Sea Gospel Society? I don''t understand what you''re talking about." After all, Panda Pig was just a regr physical education teacher, and he was not familiar with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Ling Ishikawa proceeded to provide Panda Pig with a brief overview of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, causing Panda Pig to be concerned. "So, this Deep Sea Gospel Society is a cult, huh? Are we at risk of being taken as sacrifices too?" Regarding this, Liu Xing held a different view, as the Main Quest had stated that as long as they sessfully held the wedding, the yers would be safe. "So, the key now is whether we should abandon Dogo Aige?" Zhang Jingxu asked bluntly. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 279: The Unspoken Dilemma Chapter 279: The Unspoken Dilemma Just as Liu Xing had anticipated, the most pressing question in this module was whether to abandon Dogo Aige. If all the yers were given the option to forsake Dogo Aige, the chances of sessfullypleting this module would increase significantly. Therefore, Liu Xing let out a mock sigh and spoke with a conflicted expression, "Personally, though I am unwilling to see Dogo Aige fall into the lion''s den, the reality is that we are already deep within the tiger''sir, to put it bluntly. Fisher''s Vige seems to be filled with followers of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and considering that Fisher''s Vige is isted from the outside world, our current group''s strength alone wouldn''t be enough to rescue Dogo Aige. It would likely result in a lost cause." Although Liu Xing''s words were quite pessimistic, it was hard to deny the logic behind them, as everyone present nodded in agreement. As a staunch ally of Liu Xing, Yin En knew it was time to add some perspective. "I believe Ryusei''s analysis is correct. Fisher''s Vige has be an extremely dangerous ce for us, and what we''ve seen so far might only scratch the surface. After all, the Deep Sea Gospel Society has gone to great lengths to create this eerie Fisher''s Vige, and it''s certainly not just a simple sacrificial site." Panda Pig chimed in seriously, "That''s right. If Ryusei observed correctly this morning and those peculiar vigers are any indication, it''s clear that something is amiss here. Moreover, when we tried to talk to the vigers to gather information earlier, we discreetly paid attention to any activities in the surrounding vis. We passed by a total of twenty-one vis, and not a single one made a sound. I''m starting to think that Fisher''s Vige is a ghost town." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing immediately nodded and continued, "You''re absolutely right. When Ling Ishikawa and I went to find Dogo Aige, we didn''t hear any signs of human activity along the way. It''s worth noting that I witnessed those vigers entering the vis. However, Dogo Aige informed me that these vigers follow a local custom, which dictates that their activities only start in the afternoon. So, theck of activity in the morning is normal. But on that note, Zhang Jingxu, did you manage to find any vigers?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head and replied with a smile, "No, we were lucky. We saw a viger near the pier who initially tried to avoid us. However, after some persuasion, the viger agreed to talk to us and provided us with valuable information. But he refused to reveal his name." "Firstly, this viger confirmed our earlier spection. The markings on the vi lintels represent the roles that the residents y within Fisher''s Vige. Each family specializes in a specific aspect, much like the Matsui family, responsible for the Vige Chief position. Every Matsui family head bes the Vige Chief of Fisher''s Vige." "In addition to that, the Shimada family manages fishing and crop cultivation for Fisher''s Vige, the Takagi family interprets the teachings of the religious doctrine, the Tusheng family oversees the Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall, or church, the Yokota family handles Fisher''s Vige''s defense, and finally, there''s the Inoue family. The Inoue family''s role is to bear sins." "It''s clear that this viger belonged to the Inoue family, as we suspected. So, we began to inquire about the meaning of their family''s role. However, the viger remained silent on the matter, so we had to give up that line of questioning." "Then, we switched to a different question and asked the viger about his perspective on us. His response was intriguing. In his eyes, we outsiders were, in a sense, just like him people burdened with sins. That''s why he was willing tomunicate with us." "Finally, we asked the most important question: the deity worshiped by all the vigers of Fisher''s Vige. The viger''s answer was a deity from the ocean. This deity saved Fisher''s Vige from almost being submerged by a tsunami and has continuously protected it from the intrusion of deep-sea monsters. Most importantly, in the backdrop of the ocean devouring thend, this deity would establish Fisher''s Vige as humanity''sst paradise." "Having said that, we initially wanted to discuss other matters with the viger, but when Matsui Yui went to the pier to greet Alice, the viger left upon seeing her from afar. So, we had no choice but to return." Listening to Zhang Jingxu''s ount, Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully and said, "Those who bear sins, in other words, the so-called sinners, on this religiously dominated ind, serve as either backup sacrifices or cautionary examples for the other vigers. I tend to lean toward thetter, especially considering the hereditary system in ce within Fisher''s Vige. If the Inoue family, which has long borne sins, were responsible for being sacrificial, they would have been wiped out by now." "Furthermore, Inoue family members, unlike other vigers, are active in the morning, which suggests that they don''t adhere to some of Fisher''s Vige''s traditions. I think we can use this as a starting point to gather more information from Inoue family members." "Lastly, the deity worshiped by Fisher''s Vige residents is from the ocean. So, it''s safe to say that it''s the Deep Sea Gospel Society. And most likely, Deep Sea Gospel Society has been brainwashing the vigers, making them believe they are protected by the Deep One and that Fisher''s Vige will be humanity''sst paradise. This is why Matsui Ichiro forbids us from revealing anything we know to the vigers because our knowledge contradicts what they believe." The others nodded in agreement. "In fact, we can go further and specte that Deep Sea Gospel Society has been deceiving the vigers of Fisher''s Vige. In their eyes, most of the world''snd has been swallowed by the ocean, and it''s only by the grace of their deity that they''ve survived, much like that game I mentioned earlier," Zhang Jingxu added earnestly. What exactly does Deep Sea Gospel Society want in Fisher''s Vige? Liu Xing was now more puzzled than ever, only certain that they aimed to create a major sensation. "Speaking of which, if we were to abandon Dogo Aige, I would be reluctant to do so. Dogo Aige is a good person, and we''ve worked together for two or three years now. During that time, Dogo Aige has helped me numerous times. So, to suddenly abandon him would weigh heavily on my conscience..." Panda Pig expressed his reservations. As Liu Xing had expected, there would surely be yers in this module who were unwilling to abandon Dogo Aige. After all, if all the yers had a negative rtionship with Dogo Aige, they could simply coast through the module, quietly observing the developments. And now, Panda Pig had taken on that role. "Panda Pig, now is not the time for impulsive decisions. You are well aware of our current situation. The only way to rescue Dogo Aige is for us to return alive and inform the local authorities to rescue him from Fisher''s Vige. Moreover, we have no way to convince Dogo Aige to leave with us right now. After all, someone who has let love cloud their judgment is not thinking rationally," Ling Ishikawa said seriously. However, Panda Pig still looked conflicted, and Liu Xing suddenly realized that Panda Pig might be hiding something. In the past, when Liu Xing had spare time, he would watch tabletop role-ying game (TTRPG) videos on tforms like Bilibili. Now that he had Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, he started lurking in the chat rooms and forums within the tform, where yers shared their TTRPG sessions. These sessions were more realistic and provided valuable insights for Liu Xing. Among these TTRPG sessions, Liu Xing hade across a yer who, while using a newly created character card, had sessfully possessed an NPC. This yer, after essing the NPC''s memories, initially found nothing unusual about the character. However, in a subsequent module, they encountered an unidentified device left behind by the Yis People. This triggered the hidden memories of their character card, revealing that it had once belonged to a serial killer who targeted residents of single apartments. This character card had infiltrated the home of a recluse, but the recluse turned out to be a Yis People. To avoid trouble, the Yis People had sealed the character card''s memories, making it believe it was just an ordinary office worker. After watching these memories, the yer could only exim in disbelief at their character card being a serial killer. Furthermore, such serial killers typically had motives and developed a penchant for murder, which meant that the yer had only one choice in the subsequent "Interlude Growth" tomit a murder. However, the sess rate of this Interlude Growth was only thirty percent because the character card had been out of practice for a long time. In the next module, the yer''s character was exposed as a wanted criminal due to their serial killer identity, resulting in a manhunt by local authorities. Eventually, the yer was forced to drop out of the module for straying too far from the designated area. They also learned the truth everything had been set up by a Yis People. The unidentified device in the previous module was designed to restore memories and simultaneously transmit information about the serial killer to the authorities, leading to the yer''s expulsion from the game. Therefore, the yer concluded in their post, advising others not to create character cards with the sole intention of possessing NPCs. Nobody knew what hidden dark histories NPCs might hold. Just like Liu Xing''s current character card, which appeared to be an exemry student but concealed the identity of a bloodthirsty Cult Leader. So, Liu Xing suspected that Panda Pig might have some hidden history or a dark secret, possibly rted to Dogo Aige. With this in mind, Liu Xing tried to inquire of Panda Pig, "Panda Pig, did you make a promise to Dogo Aige?" Panda Pig nodded, but remained silent, confirming Liu Xing''s suspicions. "Can you tell us about it?" Zhang Jingxu continued to ask. Panda Pig remained silent. Liu Xing exchanged a nce with Zhang Jingxu and shook his head, giving up on pressing Panda Pig further. They would find out the truth during the Private Room sessionter tonight. Most of what needed to be said had been covered, so Ling Ishikawa knew it was time for him to speak up. Of course, because his arm tattoo could cause sanity loss just from looking at it, Ling Ishikawa decided not to roll up his sleeves this time. "Zhang Jingxu, I have a question and I''m seeking your help. You''ve probably heard from Lu Tianya that I was sent to the distant past, to Hybrier, by Honda Tetsuya, who was supposed to be dead or at least faking death. Then, I was inexplicably sent back to the present, and now I have a strange tattoo on my arm. I also have a strange premonition that I will be sent to Hybrier again soon." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, Ling Ishikawa, could you show me the tattoo by rolling up your sleeve? I need to examine it to determine Honda Tetsuya''s origins and figure out how to remove the tattoo for you." Ling Ishikawa nodded but expressed some concern, "However, this tattoo seems to have a strange magical aura. Just looking at it makes me feel uneasy and nauseous. Are you sure you want to see it?" His implication was clear looking at this tattoo could result in sanity loss, and if they insisted on seeing it, she wouldn''t be held responsible. Zhang Jingxu, as an experienced Taoist, had seen it all, but Panda Pig and Lu Tianya were different. So, Panda Pig decided to temporarily step aside, as the module had just begun, and losing sanity in an unrted context would be disadvantageous. Lu Tianya was also persuaded by Zhang Jingxu to temporarily leave, as an NPC''s sanity was not as straightforwardly represented as a yer''s and was more prone toplications. When Panda Pig and Lu Tianya left the room to avoid the tattoo, Ling Ishikawa rolled up his sleeve, revealing the mysterious tattoo on his arm. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 280: Confusion Chapter 280: Confusion As expected, when Zhang Jingxuid eyes on that tattoo, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice hitting the ground. Finally, KP Green Light smiled and said, "Zhang Jingxu, you''re quite lucky. You''ve only lost 2 points of sanity and gained 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Now, Zhang Jingxu, you can choose to undergo a difficult Inspiration Judgment or a regr Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge Judgment. However, you can only make one choice now and cannot make another after a failed choice." After some consideration, Zhang Jingxu decided to go for the difficult Inspiration Judgment. After all, in most cases, even a difficult Inspiration value would be higher than regr Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Zhang Jingxu, 23/40 (80), seeded. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the result. It seemed that Zhang Jingxu had good luck, and they could finally understand Honda Tetsuya''s origins. However, Zhang Jingxu shook his head and shared the information KP Green Light had provided, "The tattoo on Ling Ishikawa''s body is, in reality, a magic array. It''s a magic array that allows Ling Ishikawa to safely travel to the ancient Hybrier. What''s most important is that this magic array should exist in pairs. When the other magic array is infused with magic power, Ling Ishikawa will be transported to ancient Hybrier. If the magic power of the other magic array is depleted, Ling Ishikawa will be sent back to the present." "As for the origin of this magic array, it should have originated from ancient Hybrier. If we divide it carefully, it seems to have originated from the far north, possibly connected to some powerful deity. However, it''s likely not the Deer Goddess, who was initially prominent in Hybrier, but rather an evil entity named Zhatuogua." "Zhatuogua is another name for Tsathoggua, because in Hybrier and the far north, there exist civilizations of mythical creatures like snake people alongside humans. Therefore, Tsathoggua has different names in different civilizations." "So, if things go as expected, this magic array is somehow rted to Tsathoggua. Does this imply that Honda Tetsuya is a follower of Tsathoggua? As one of the Great Old Ones, Tsathoggua, known as the ''Lazy Divine,'' has a form resembling a toad, amorphous and ever-changing." There''s a saying that goes, "You can judge a person by their name," and it applies to the Great Old Ones as well. Tsathoggua, as the "Lazy Divine," rarely intervenes personally. Due to its unique family background (Tsathoggua''s father seemed to oppose cannibalism, and Tsathoggua appears to be a cousin of Cthulhu), Tsathoggua is the most tolerant of all Eldritch Gods when ites to humans. Most of the time, it doesn''t kill or devour humans and even bestows various forms of knowledge upon them. However, due to itsziness, Tsathoggua generally doesn''t leave its underground abode. So, for humans to meet Tsathoggua, they must venture into the perilous depths of the underground, where many mythical creatures reside. Therefore, most humans who enter the underground abyss are devoured by those mythical creatures before they can even catch a glimpse of Tsathoggua. Thinking about this, Liu Xing believed that Honda Tetsuya must have been one of the lucky ones who received knowledge from Tsathoggua. However, Liu Xing couldn''t quite understand why Honda Tetsuya would send Ling Ishikawa to Hybrier. Did he really intend for Ling Ishikawa to rece Ibon? Liu Xing was perplexed. At this point, Ling Ishikawa spoke, "In that case, Zhang Jingxu, do you have any way to help me remove this magic array? Ancient Hybrier is incredibly dangerous, and I''ve joined a wizard tower that''s currently hosting apetition. If I fail, it''s very likely I''ll have no way out because my master, Serak, is researching some dark magic." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, knowing that Yin En had done his homework. Wizard Serak had always been researching forbidden dark magic, and Serak met his demise when his research went awry, turning him into a snake person, which was discovered by Ibon. Ibon, in a panic, threw a bottle of strong acid at Serak''s face, effectively ending Serak''s life. However, to research such forbidden magic, one would surely need a substantial supply of experimental material, and the avable material here was most likely humans... Zhang Jingxu shook his head with regret and said, "Forgive me, but I''m not skilled enough to remove this magic array that''s integrated into your body. With my abilities, it''s impossible to help you dispel it. You''ll have to find a way to destroy the other magic array so that you stop being transported back and forth. I can confirm that when you''re transported to Hybrier, the other magic array will be within a straight-line distance of no more than twenty meters from you." Ling Ishikawa nodded, a look of despair on his face. "In that case, it seems I won''t be able to find the other magic array. The height of the wizard tower is around twenty meters, and there''s also a deep underground level. In total, there are ten floors, each with an area of nearly three hundred square meters, filled with various items. Finding the other magic array is like searching for a needle in a haystack, and there are many ces I can''t ess..." Liu Xing could only pat Ling Ishikawa''s shoulder to offerfort. After resolving Ling Ishikawa''s magic array issue, Lu Tianya and Panda Pig returned to the room, and everyone continued to discuss their next steps. "In the current situation, I believe it''s best for everyone to wait and see what happens in the afternoon. After all, there isn''t a single person on the streets of Fisher''s Vige right now. But the most troublesome part is that we''ll have to spend a whole six days with Alice upstairs. Ling Ishikawa disappeared in the me Bar, which is under Alice''s jurisdiction, so there''s a high chance she might recognize Ling Ishikawa," Liu Xing suggested. Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement and said, "I can only hope that when Honda Tetsuya sent me to Hybrier, he erased the footage of my disappearance. But for added safety, I think it''s best for me to remain hidden. If Alice recognizes me, we''ll be in serious trouble." "Most importantly, we need to ascertain whether the Deep Sea Gospel Society will send anyone else to Fisher''s Vige besides Alice. Rituals like these usually involve professionals, and if it''s those individuals from Morimoto Academy who escaped, we''ll be in deep trouble," Liu Xing remarked. In the Morimoto Academy case, only Fujiwara Hiroshi was caught, while Daikubo Sosuke, Crow, and Fujiwara Yuko managed to distance themselves from Morimoto Academy. Both the Education Chief and Police Chief had retired after achieving their goals. So, in summary, while the branch of the Deep Sea Gospel Society in the Kyoto region was disbanded, most of the main members escaped sanctions, and they are currently in a "jobless" state, so it''s not surprising that they were sent to Fisher''s Vige. However, individuals like Fujiwara Yuko would surely recognize Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Lu Tianya... Just thinking about it is quite thrilling. "Let''s do this then. Panda Pig and I will go downstairs for now. After confirming Alice''s location, I''lle back up to inform you," Zhang Jingxu proposed. Liu Xing nodded and said, "That works, but Panda Pig, since you''ll be staying with Alice on the third floor, you''ll have to keep an eye on her. If Alice does anything suspicious,e down immediately and let us know. But the most important thing is, we need to find an opportunity to sneak into Alice''s room and see what she brought to Fisher''s Vige this time. I believe Alice might have brought a satellite phone to stay in contact with the outside world, which we can use to get help." Panda Pig chuckled and patted his chest, saying, "Leave it to me. Alice lives right next door to me, and as you all know, the sound instion conditions here are very poor. I''ve faintly heard Alice talking in her room, so if she''s not talking to herself, Alice should be on the phone." Perfect. At this moment, KP Green Light suddenly spoke, "Attention, yers. Matsui Yui''s anxiety level has risen to 10. Please analyze the specific reasons for this increase." Everyone furrowed their brows. They didn''t expect Matsui Yui''s anxiety level to suddenly increase by 10 points at this moment. However, Liu Xing could roughly guess why Matsui Yui''s anxiety had spiked. The reason was quite simple: Matsui Yui had somehow learned about their actions in the morning, which had made her worried. "For now, let''s leave it at this. Everyone should stay cautious, and avoid doing anything that might make those in power in Fisher''s Vige feel nervous. If they suddenly decide to abandon this ritual and eliminate us, we''ll be in danger," Liu Xing reminded them. Everyone nodded in agreement and returned to their respective rooms, as there was currently nothing worth discussing. Lying on his bed, Liu Xing suddenly remembered somethingthe issue of Alice''s allegiance. If Liu Xing remembered correctly, Alice had joined the Deep Sea Gospel Society not out of genuine loyalty. From her words and hints, it was apparent that Alice wasn''t wholeheartedlymitted to the society. So, if only Alice hade to Fisher''s Vige this time, Liu Xing had a bold assumption: the true force behind Fisher''s Vige might not be the Deep Sea Gospel Society but someone else entirely. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt a headacheing on. After all, he had just stirred up trouble with the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and now he might be antagonizing another Secret Cult. Liu Xing wondered if he was making too many enemies. Liu Xing took out his phone and noticed that it was only 10 in the morning, with two more hours until lunch. With no entertainment facilities avable, he felt quite bored. Was this what they called a "Buddha-like module"? Liu Xing remembered seeing a few so-called Buddha-like modules in reality. These modules were typically designed for single yers and mostly involved being nagged and berated by the game master. yers didn''t need to take any actions; all they did was roll dice. yers would often engage in self-soothing and self-encouragement, trying not to lose their minds... So, in Cthulhu RPG Game, the oues of Buddha-like modules were usually madness, as the hypnotic tunes of the game master were far from pleasant. Of course, there was also another type of module that was incredibly frustrating. In these modules, there were no mythical creatures at all, and yers had to outwit the air itself. In essence, the game master was ying pranks on the yer characters. If the yer characters found out that this was the case, they''d probably want to track down the game master and confront them. Liu Xing remembered that when Wu Lei was the game master, he had used this type of module, and the yer characters had expressed their desire to know Wu Lei''s contact information afterward to express their gratitude for the unique gaming experience. Of course, if possible, they''d also like to know Wu Lei''s home address to visit and thank him personally. Speaking of Wu Lei, Liu Xing realized he hadn''t contacted him in a while. During this period, Liu Xing had been immersed in real Cthulhu RPG Games and asionally yed video games or read novels during his spare time. Liu Xing rubbed his chin and decided that after this module, he would go see Wu Lei. After all, he was about to start advancing to higher-level modules, and it was time to listen to Wu Lei''s experiences as a game master again. With nothing else to do, Liu Xing decided to take a short nap. He could always set an rm with KP Green Light. Noon. Liu Xing woke up right on time and went to the window to observe the situation outside. He could see smoke rising from the chimneys of all the vis in sight, and some children hade out to y games on the streets. Suddenly, the children scattered, as if they had seen something terrifying. It turned out to be Dogo Aige. Once Dogo Aige entered the vis, the children returned to the streets. It seemed that, except for the Inoue family, the other vigers were not allowed to meet outsiders or were considered "sinners." After a while, Zhang Jingxu knocked on the door and said, "Ryusei, it''s time for lunch. Alice just left, and Lu Tianya had a brief conversation with her. Alice said she''s going to meet Matsui Yui." Liu Xing stepped out, somewhat surprised. "What? Alice went to see Matsui Yui?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and said confidently, "That''s right, Alice should be meeting Matsui Yui. After all, in this Fisher''s Vige, Alice can''t go anywhere else." Liu Xing furrowed his brow and said, "That''s strange. Logically, Alice should be an outsider like us, right?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 281: Miyako Goudong in the Late Stage of Chuunibyou Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said with a smile, "That''s true, but Alice is Matsui Yui''s best friend, and Matsui Yui is the daughter of Fisher''s Vige Chief. We are friends with Dogo Aige, who happens to be Fisher''s Vige''s son-inw. The difference between the two situations is clear, so Alice''s treatment is different from ours." Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "It seems that no matter where you go, fairness is just a concept. But it''s fine; we don''t have to dine with Alice anymore. After all, Alice is not on our side." Of course, more importantly, Alice is currently a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society on the surface, and as the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Liu Xing felt that "he" would not want to share a table with Alice, exchanging jokes andughter. He even felt a subtle inner voice urging him to find a way to deal with Alice. That''s what they call the subconscious. In this real Cthulhu RPG Game, each character card has its own subconscious, urging yers to do things that align with the character card''s setting. With the increase in area levels, the subconscious bes even more powerful. Liu Xing heard that yers in the Cthulhu area couldn''t perform actions that contradicted their character card''s subconscious unless they used special items or spells. And now, "Watanabe Ryusei''s" subconscious felt like a cicada on a summer day, constantly chirping in his ears. Fortunately, there was a barrier of ss, so the sound was somewhat tolerable. Liu Xing followed Zhang Jingxu to the first-floor hall, where today''s meal consisted mainly of seafood. After all, Fisher''s Vige was surrounded by the sea, with hardly any farnd, and they didn''t engage in trade with the outside world. So, in Fisher''s Vige, fish was the staple food. Liu Xing thought that after leaving Fisher''s Vige, he probably wouldn''t like seafood anymore. While they ate, the group discussed their ns for the afternoon. This time, they didn''t intend to split up but decided to act together. After the morning exploration, they had a rough idea of the size of Fisher''s Vige, roughly equivalent to ten standard football fields. So, it seemed there wasn''t much to explore on the surface. Therefore, it was more convenient and efficient to stay together. Their goal for this action was essentially an ind-hopping tour to create a map of Fisher''s Vige and investigate if there were any hidden passages on the ind. Of course, if they could find thest yer, it would be even better. But when it came to Miyako Goudong, Liu Xing remembered that she had only brought a regr backpack when they were on the cruise ship. Liu Xing suspected that Miyako Goudong must look quite disheveled by now. After finishing lunch, they set out. First, they headed towards the grass hut where Dogo Aige was located. This grass hut should be an important area in this module, as there was a Side Quest specifically requiring yers to enter it. However, Liu Xing thought this Side Quest was quite manageable. The challenge was how to enter the grass hut without touching the green liquid. Liu Xing had a bold idea that even if they touched the green liquid, it might not have serious consequences. After all, unless there were some hidden secrets inside the grass hut, Matsui Yui would definitely not let Dogo Aige, the "honest man," go so easily. So, at most, it would just increase Matsui Yui''s tension. Moreover, Liu Xing''s group needed to ask Dogo Aige about the locations of Matsui Yui''s home and Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall. These two ces were likely the final boss points of this module, and they needed to prepare in advance. While Liu Xing and his group were on their way to the grass hut, they finally saw many Fisher''s Vige vigers. However, these vigers were quite strange. They didn''t avoid Liu Xing and his group like they did with Dogo Aige. Instead, they stood in ce, motionless, with nk expressions, regardless of age or gender. Liu Xing felt uneasy under the vigers'' gaze because they reminded him of something: dolls. Liu Xing had always disliked dolls, especially their eyes. Dolls'' eyescked life and gave the impression that they were perpetually staring at you, and when Liu Xing looked into doll''s eyes, he would inexplicably fear that the doll might blink. Most importantly, Liu Xing had been scared by a doll once when he was a child. It happened one night when he had to get up to use the bathroom, and the moment he opened his eyes, he saw a doll ced by his pillow. Their eyes locked, and Liu Xing was drenched in cold sweat. He screamed in terror but thankfully didn''t wet the bed. Since then, Liu Xing had developed a deep aversion and apprehension towards dolls. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing came up with a daring hypothesis: these vigers were very likely actual "dolls"! Based on Liu Xing''s observations, these vigers strictly followed certain rules and acted in perfect unison. Furthermore, these vigers moved with nk expressions, and their interactions seemed mechanical, like they were going through the motions. There was no sense of intimacy among them. Liu Xing couldn''t help but make eye contact with one of the vigers, only to find a cold and silent gaze in return. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa whispered, "Why do these vigers keep staring at us with nk expressions, like we owe them money? Shouldn''t we try tomunicate with them and break this awkward atmosphere?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head and whispered, "Forget it. I think there''s something wrong with these vigers. Let''s not have too much contact with them for now. Caution is our top priority." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, as these vigers did indeed seem abnormal. With that, Liu Xing and his group left the main gathering ce of Fisher''s Vige, under the watchful gaze of the vigers, and arrived at the grass hut where Dogo Aige should be. However, to their surprise, Dogo Aige was not inside. The group exchanged puzzled looks since Dogo Aige should have been in the grass hut by all ounts. "Dogo Aige, where did he go? Could he have gone to see Matsui Yui?" Liu Xing asked. Panda Pig shook his head and said with some confusion, "I don''t think so. When Dogo Aige brought us food earlier, I asked him a few questions, and he said he would be staying in the grass hut these days, encouraging us toe and chat with him. So, Dogo Aige should be in the grass hut now." Ling Ishikawa crouched down and pointed at footprints on the beach, saying, "Look at these footprints here. Besides Dogo Aige''s footprints, there are footprints of another person, and the footprints Ryusei and I left this morning have already been erased, indicating that someone else was here not long ago." Dogo Aige''s grass hut faced the sea, so the surroundings were sandy beaches, making it easy to leave footprints. However, due to the sea breeze, footprints could easily be erased. "Judging from the size, shape, and depth of these footprints, the other person should be a slim man, and he''s wearing sneakers. Could it be Miyako Goudong?" Panda Pig analyzed. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and shook his head, saying, "It doesn''t make sense. Based on the footprints, it seems that Dogo Aige left voluntarily with someone else. Besides, the other person didn''t enter the area around the grass hut, indicating that they must be familiar with Fisher''s Vige''s rules. Also, if it were Miyako Goudong, where could she have taken Dogo Aige? Unless..." "Unless Miyako Goudong found something on this ind and it''s rted to Dogo Aige. That''s why she came to find him and took him away. But then again, with the current situation, these footprints are still quite clear. Shouldn''t we follow these footprints to find Dogo Aige?" Zhang Jingxu suggested. Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Since we have nothing else to do right now, why not take a trip? Let''s see what''s going on. Besides, I have a feeling that we''ll gain something from this journey." So, Liu Xing and his group continued to follow the footprints. Since the footprints were still clear, they didn''t need to make any judgments. They eventually reached a beach where the footprints disappeared into the water. "What''s going on? Did Dogo Aige and the others go out to sea?" Ling Ishikawa looked around, puzzled. Liu Xing observed the calm sea and said, "I don''t think so. There are no signs of boats docking here. I remember checking the map of Fisher''s Vige before we came. Although Fisher''s Vige didn''t appear on the official map, the surrounding inds were marked. The nearest ind in this direction should be a three to four-hour journey by boat, even with a rtively fast one. As you can see, the boats at the Fisher''s Vige pier are mainly powered by manpower, so it would take even longer. So, it''s unlikely that they went to other inds." Panda Pig nodded seriously and said, "That''s right. This beach is rtively secluded with no houses around, and the tall grass provides cover. However, the water here is not deep enough for anything other than small boats, like rafts. So, there are three possibilities right now: someone took Dogo Aige out to sea for fishing, but that person''s identity might be questionable since they left from here. Another possibility is that Dogo Aige was nning to elope, but considering the current situation, that seems unlikely because there were no signs of such ns from Dogo Aige. Thest possibility is that there are one or more unrecorded inds near Fisher''s Vige, rtively close by." Among the three possibilities mentioned by Panda Pig, Liu Xing felt that thest one was the most usible. After all, Fisher''s Vige wasn''t thatrge, and it couldn''t hide too many secrets. "So, what should we do now? Should we just leave since we don''t have a boat?" Ling Ishikawa sighed and asked. Liu Xing nodded and was about to speak when he saw a glint of light reflecting from the grass nearby. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, turned to look at that patch of grass, and the others also sensed that something was amiss. They instinctively spread out, surrounding the grass. "Can I make an Investigation or Inspiration Judgment now to confirm what''s in that grass?" Liu Xing contacted KP Green Light. KP Green Light thought for a moment and then smiled, saying, "No need. Because the grass patch isn''t that big, and whatever''s in there poses no threat to you. So, you can just go ahead and pull the grass aside." Since KP Green Light said so, Liu Xing and the others didn''t hesitate. They walked toward the grass, as KP''s words were considered the ultimate truth in the Cthulhu RPG Game, unless it was an ambiguous situation. In that case, KP''s words were absolutely reliable. Suddenly, a young man wearing ck-framed sses, pants pulled up high, and a disheveled appearance, jumped out of the grass. There was no need to say more; this young man was Miyako Goudong. The group stared at Miyako Goudong in bewilderment, not expecting him to look like this now. "Are you Miyako Goudong?" Lu Tianya asked knowingly. Miyako Goudong didn''t answer Lu Tianya''s question. Instead, he pushed up his ck-framed sses and said to Liu Xing, "How did you discover me? My hiding ability has reached the legendary level of a Grandmaster, and in theory, I should be impossible to find by a lowly soldier like you." It was indeed a case of chuunibyou. Liu Xing shook his head in amusement and pointed to Miyako Goudong''s sses, saying, "That''s because the reflection from your sses gave you away. I noticed you hiding in the grass because of that. But anyway, Miyako Goudong, why didn''t you disembark with us yesterday, and why are you hiding in this grass patch now, looking like this?" Miyako Goudong blushed and said defensively, "Don''t call me Miyako Goudong. You should address me as Goudongsama (a Japanese transliteration, meaning ''Your Excellency'' or ''Your Highness''). The reason I didn''t join youmoners in your actions is that my True Eye detected something unusual in Fisher''s Vige. I wanted to investigate it alone, so that you lowly soldiers wouldn''t hinder my investigation." Liu Xing couldn''t help but think that Miyako Goudong was in thete stage of chuunibyou. Chapter 282: The First Letter As Liu Xing gazed at Miyako Goudong, he felt it necessary to express his gratitude to the yer portraying "Miyako Goudong" because embodying such a chuuni personality like Miyako Goudong''s was undeniably embarrassing. With Miyako Goudong''s sudden appearance, everyone had to temporarily change their ns. They brought Miyako Goudong back to the vi for a makeover because his current appearance was rather disheveled. After a bath and a change of clothes, Miyako Goudong finally looked somewhat presentable. The group gathered in the mansion''s ground-floor hall and began their interrogation of Miyako Goudong.edit Firstly, they inquired about Miyako Goudong''s activities from yesterday afternoon to today. What had he been doing all day? ording to Miyako Goudong''s confession, upon arriving at Fisher''s Vige yesterday, he sensed a strange force at work within the vige. Therefore, he decided not to enter Fisher''s Vige immediately but instead conducted observations and research on its outskirts. Miyako Goudong slowly disembarked from the cruise ship after Dogo Aige took Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa away, making his way to a forest where the Fisher''s Vige buildings were not visible. There, Miyako Goudong used a flint he had treasured for years to prepare a meal. However, he had a sudden insight that preparing a meal might draw unwanted attention (Liu Xing suspected it was because Miyako Goudong couldn''t use the flint properly to start a fire), so he decided to abandon the idea of cooking. Even though he couldn''t make a fire, being an Ind Nation resident, Miyako Goudong opted to have sashimi for dinner. He found a suitable wooden stick in the forest, took out a fishing line and hook from his backpack, and dug up some earthworms. Thus, his fishing kit was ready. However, at the moment hepleted his fishing setup, Miyako Goudong felt a pang of empathy (Liu Xing suspected it was because Miyako Goudong realized he had no boat to go out to sea, and fishing at the shoreline was nearly impossible, as ocean fish generally do note close to the shore). So, Miyako Goudong had no choice but to eat snacks from his backpack. After consuming a few bites, Miyako Goudong decided to explore the area around Fisher''s Vige since the weather was favorable. He embarked on his ind-wide tour. The first ce Miyako Goudong visited was the Graveyard of Fisher''s Vige. Miyako Goudong noticed that Fisher''s Vige''s Graveyard was not veryrge. The tombstones were closely arranged and in a neat formation. This led him to specte that the vigers of Fisher''s Vige might opt for cremation after death, cing only ashes in the Graveyard. However, Miyako Goudong also observed a peculiar detail¡ªthe Graveyard of Fisher''s Vige was surrounded by a thorn-like iron wire disguised as a fence. Miyako Goudong carefully touched the iron wire with his belt and discovered it was electrified! Hearing this, Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces. After all, ording to Matsui Ichiro, Fisher''s Vige could not have electricity, and having an electrified wire required specialized facilities. So, Matsui Ichiro was lying. Liu Xing furrowed his brows and asked Miyako Goudong, "Goudong, how big do you think this Graveyard is?" Miyako Goudong pondered for a moment and replied somewhat uncertainly, "It should be about the size of a football field, but I''m not entirely sure because it was getting dark by then, and I didn''t want to use my phone and reveal my location. So, my view was a bit blurry." A football field''s size. Liu Xing calcted the perimeter of Fisher''s Vige Graveyard and then said, "A high-voltage wire about three to four hundred meters long would require substantial supporting facilities. Goudong, did you notice any suspicious structures around the Graveyard?" Miyako Goudong thought for a moment and replied earnestly, "No, if I remember correctly, there were no structures within five hundred meters around the Graveyard." Liu Xing nodded in affirmation and said, "In that case, it''s very likely that there is an underground base in Fisher''s Vige, and the power generation equipment is located there." The others nodded in agreement. Fisher''s Vige appeared small on the surface and didn''t seem like it could hide many secrets, but if there was an underground base, it could conceal more mysteries. Moreover, ording to Matsui Ichiro, the vigers of Fisher''s Vige were not allowed to enter the Graveyard under normal circumstances. In addition to the Graveyard, Matsui Yui''s home and the Ancestral Hall of Fisher''s Vige also had the potential to be entrances to the underground base since these ces were off-limits to the vigers. Of course, the grass hut where Dogo Aige currently resided also had a moderate chance of being the entrance to the underground base, but the probability was around fifty percent. After all, if the entrance were discovered by Dogo Aige, it would be aplicated situation. At this point, Miyako Goudong continued to recount his experiences. Due to the tight security of the electric wire around Fisher''s Vige Graveyard, Miyako Goudong believed he couldn''t safely enter the Graveyard. So, he left the area and continued circling around Fisher''s Vige. Soon, in a forest by the sea, Miyako Goudong spotted a dpidated brick-and-tile house. Originally a two-story structure, the second floor had mostly copsed, and the doors and windows were already damaged. Therefore, Miyako Goudong easily entered the house. Inside the house, there were only some furniture that had been damaged for many years and a ck-and-white photo lying on the ground. The photo depicted five people¡ªa senior couple, a young couple, and a small girl who appeared to be about one or two years old. The background of this ck-and-white photo was the very famous Tokyo Tower in the Ind Nation, and Miyako Goudong also noticed the photo''s date, which was in the year 199x. The passage of time had caused the photo to be blurry. Miyako Goudong handed the photo to Liu Xing while recounting his experiences. After examining the photo, Liu Xing spoke, "If the people in this photo are indeed Fisher''s Vige residents, it suggests that Fisher''s Vige maintained some form ofmunication with the outside world over a decade ago. Furthermore, it seems that the vigers of Fisher''s Vige were quite fashion-conscious at the time. If I''m not mistaken, the clothing worn by the young couple in the photo was trendy for those years." Zhang Jingxu, standing nearby, nodded and expressed his confusion, "Indeed, though the time in the photo has be somewhat blurred, based on the clothing, I would estimate it to be around 1993 to 1995. However, there''s something strange about this photo. Why is it in ck and white? Considering the advanced color photography technology at the time, taking a color photo shouldn''t have been a challenge." Ling Ishikawa stroked his chin and suggested, "Perhaps the people in the photo used their own camera, and due to issues with the camera or film, it ended up being in ck and white? But that''s not the focus here. The key question is, who are these five people in the photo?" Liu Xing pondered for a moment and asked Miyako Goudong, "Goudong, did you find anything else in that house?" Miyako Goudong nodded and continued, "In that house, I also found a photo frame matching this picture. It was tucked away behind a cab, and most importantly, the frame had not been used yet. There was abel on the frame, and using it would have required breaking thebel." "What''s strange is that, apart from ordinary furniture, items like clothing and tableware had all disappeared from the house, as if someone deliberately took them. Additionally, some small pieces of furniture, like tables and chairs, were overturned, giving the impression that a struggle had taken ce here." "Finally, I climbed up to the second floor, which had four rooms. In these rooms, I also found furniture knocked over, suggesting that someone had searched through them. Everything besides the furniture had vanished. But in thergest room, within a drawer''spartment, I found a letter." "A letter?!" Liu Xing instantly recalled the three Side Quests, where the most rewarding one involved finding three letters. Realizing this, Liu Xing hurriedly asked, "A letter? What was written in the letter?" Miyako Goudong shook his head and replied, "I couldn''t understand the content of the letter because it was written in Chinese characters." Although both Liu Xing and Yin En were Chinese, their character cards, "WatanabeRyusei" and "Ling Ishikawa," didn''t have the skill "Other Language: Chinese," so they couldn''t read Chinese characters. This situation felt quite awkward. However, among those present, Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya were genuine Chinese individuals. Zhang Jingxu took the letter from Miyako Goudong and began reading it aloud. In essence, the letter was addressed to someone named Li Yongjie, who appeared to be a journalist residing in Tokyo, Ind Nation. The sender of the letter was a Fisher''s Vige viger, likely the owner of the house where the letter was found. In the letter, the house''s owner first thanked Li Yongjie for his hospitality during their stay in Tokyo, creating pleasant memories for their family. However, the tone of the letter changed as the sender mentioned that Fisher''s Vige vigers had be increasingly peculiar. Several close friends who used to have a good rtionship with the sender were now cold and indifferent, not even acknowledging greetings as they used to. Even when the sender gave them gifts, these vigers remained silent and only nodded in response, creating an ufortable atmosphere. The letter then mentioned that Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall had beenpletely transformed into a church. The ancestral tablets that were once disyed had disappeared, reced by strange and grotesque statues. The sender had also encountered Matsui Ichiro, who hade to preach, and he had spoken to the sender with a condescending attitude and even taunted the sender''s efforts. Most importantly, the sender expressed concern about the religion Matsui Ichiro was spreading in Fisher''s Vige, describing it as foolish and inexplicable. The vigers were starting to believe Matsui Ichiro''s nonsense, and this greatly disturbed the sender. Frustrated and suspecting Matsui Ichiro''s religion was a cult, the sender hoped Li Yongjie could report on Fisher''s Vige and, ideally, portray Matsui Ichiro''s religion¡ªOcean True Deity Sect¡ªas a cult. This might prompt local authorities to investigate Fisher''s Vige. The letter abruptly ended at this point, with ink smudges suggesting something unexpected had urred when the sender was writing it. The sender had hurriedly ced the letter in the drawer''spartment, and it had never been retrieved since. It was evident that the house''s owner had likely met an unfortunate fate. However, more importantly, the letter revealed significant information. Firstly, it confirmed that Matsui Ichiro had told many lies. Fisher''s Vige had started following the so-called Ocean True Deity Sect only around twenty years ago, not the hundreds of years as Matsui Ichiro imed. Secondly, Matsui Ichiro was not a native of Fisher''s Vige but an outsider missionary. Yet, in just twenty years, he had managed to transform Fisher''s Vige into its current state, indicating Matsui Ichiro''s formidable capabilities. Lastly, Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall had now be a ce of worship, making it the most dangerous location in this module. However, it led Liu Xing to a realization. He had initially assumed that the "ss division" in Fisher''s Vige was hereditary, but it turned out to have been established only in recent years. This made Liu Xing think of a term¡ªsocial experiment. In many Western countries, experts conducted various social experiments to address cultural, political, economic, social, and natural issues. These experiments tested new hypotheses, assumptions, principles, theories, or verified existing ones in scientific research. Liu Xing recalled a movie he had seen years ago called "The Wave," which depicted a teacher conducting a social experiment within his own ssroom. Chapter 283: Mr. Inoue Collectivism overwhelmed individualism, much like Germany during the Second World War. Today, the residents of Fisher''s Vige, now transformed into "foreign dolls," had lost all traces of individuality in Liu Xing''s eyes. Thus, Liu Xing suspected that Matsui Ichiro had been tasked with conducting a social experiment in Fisher''s Vige, one that aimed to subjugate ordinary people through faith. However, Liu Xing found it puzzling why Matsui Ichiro was preaching in Fisher''s Vige under the name "Ocean True Deity Sect" rather than the "Deep Sea Gospel Society." After all, for these Secret Cults, they believed in the principle of "once named, forever named," as their ultimate goal was to recruit others into their faith. Though Ocean True Deity Sect and Deep Sea Gospel Society shared simrities in their names, their doctrines appeared almost identical on the surface. Yet, just like Buddhism and Catholicism had various sects, the rtionships between the branches of these organizations were far from harmonious... Therefore, Liu Xing now believed that Ocean True Deity Sect and Deep Sea Gospel Society were two distinct Secret Cults. This was getting interesting. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and voiced his thoughts, "So, it seems that Ocean True Deity Sect should be the one controlling Fisher''s Vige, not Deep Sea Gospel Society." Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, his brows furrowed in thought. Liu Xing noticed Zhang Jingxu''s hesitation and curiously asked, "Zhang Jingxu, do you know about this Ocean True Deity Sect?" "I''m not certain if this Ocean True Deity Sect is the same Secret Cult I heard of in the past, as that Secret Cult disappeared from public view decades ago," Zhang Jingxu sighed and continued, "But regarding that Secret Cult, I can provide some information." "Over a hundred years ago in Magic Capital, due to the political climate, numerous foreign missionaries entered China, using Magic Capital and Magic City as their initial bases forrge-scale missionary activities. Besides the well-known Green Faith and various Catholic branches, there were also some lesser-known religions like the Moon Goddess Artemis worshippers and the Voh Religion from Persia." "Furthermore, there were cults eager to exploit the situation. Since the majority of the Chinese popce was not well-educated at the time, they were easily deceived. So, these cults flocked to the region, including one Secret Cult that believed in an oceanic deity." "ording to my master, this Secret Cult had aprehensive mythos, with twelve primary oceanic deities. The appearances of these deities were based on deep-sea creatures. The cult''s doctrine imed that these twelve deities created humanity, then entered a dormant state within luxurious underwater pces. When the oceans eventually swallowed the continents, these deities would awaken to save their faithful followers, creating a final paradise ind for them." "Because this Secret Cult had a well-structured belief system, it quickly amassed arge following in the Magic Capital area. However, as mentioned earlier, there were many foreign missionaries in Magic Capital, and the influential Catholic missionaries could not tolerate this Secret Cult. They contacted foreign officials in the concession and coborated with local authorities in Magic Capital to eradicate the cult''s leadership." "As a result, the Secret Cult disappeared without a trace, and most rted records were destroyed. So, even the name of this Secret Cult is unknown today. However, my master heard that the foundation of this Secret Cult was actually in Ryukyu. Fisher''s Vige, where we currently are, theoretically belongs to Ryukyu, and the doctrine of this Secret Cult bears a striking resemnce to the one mentioned by Matsui Ichiro." Liu Xing nodded in understanding. Indeed, the Secret Cult Zhang Jingxu mentioned had certain simrities with the Ocean True Deity Sect. However, Liu Xing found that Secret Cult rather Cthulhu-like, given that its twelve oceanic deities were depicted in the form of seafood. By the way, H.P. Lovecraft designed most of the Great Old Ones and Eldritch Gods in his Cthulhu Mythos with seafood imagery because he despised seafood. At this point, Miyako Goudong, who had been looking bewildered, finally grasped the current situation after Ling Ishikawa''s exnation. He expressed his relief, saying, "Wow, so Fisher''s Vige is actually this terrifying? It seems I was lucky nothing happened to mest night." Liu Xing nodded and chuckled, "Goudong, you''re indeed fortunate. You managed to survive a night in the wilds of Fisher''s Vige without incident. But please continue, after leaving that house, did you encounter anything else?" Miyako Goudong shook his head and continued, "After finding that letter, I decided to rest in that house. It waspletely dark by then, and the coastal temperature at night was too cold. I couldn''t risk sleeping outside. Although the house was in ruins, it provided some shelter. So, I arranged furniture on the ground floor to make a makeshift bed and used a nket I found on the second floor to sleep for the night." "The next morning, I restored the furniture to its original state. I didn''t want to leave any evidence behind. Afterward, I continued my journey. I came across a strange ce¡ªa small greenhouse filled with various flowers. I couldn''t identify most of the flower species, but I could tell that the owner of this greenhouse cared deeply for them and tended to them beautifully." "Because I was worried that the owner might return at any moment, I didn''t linger in the greenhouse for long. Instead, after having a bit to eat, I prepared to head to the seaside to find a small boat for fishing. In a small fishing vige like this, there should be boats scattered around. Soon enough, I spotted a target: a man in his twenties rowing a small boat offshore. He then swam to the shore, carrying a bow on his back. Although the bow seemed crudely made, I didn''t dare to make any rash moves. Typically, individuals like him, ording to the conventions in novels and anime, are often experts. So, I stayed hidden in the thicket where you eventually found me." "After some time, the man rested against a coconut tree, leaving me to ponder life while lying in the bushes. Fortunately, there weren''t many mosquitoes on this ind; otherwise, I wouldn''t have been able to endure. However, just as I was getting bored and feeling like dozing off, I saw the man get up and leave. After a while, I saw him return with a ck man. I didn''t recognize the ck man, but in Fisher''s Vige, there''s only one ck person, and that''s Dogo Aige." "Then I saw the man and Dogo Aige swim back to that small boat. They rowed away in the northeast direction. Just as I was about to continue my journey, I ran into all of you." Hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly realized, "I see, no wonder the footprints disappeared at the beach, and there were no signs of boats docking. It''s because the boat was directly on the water. But speaking of which, Goudong, did you hear Inoue and Dogo Aige talking? Did they mention where they were going?" Miyako Goudong thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "They didn''t specify where they were going, but I heard Dogo Aige address that man as Mr. Inoue and thank him for taking him fishing at sea to pass the time. I think they were probably just going fishing." "Inoue, huh?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "In Fisher''s Vige, the Inoue family is considered criminals. I suspect it''s because when Matsui Ichiro hadn''tpletely taken control of Fisher''s Vige, the Inoue family opposed him. So Matsui Ichiro settled scores, making members of the Inoue family criminals. And most likely, the owner of that house is a member of the Inoue family." "Now, the Inoue gentleman who came to pick up Dogo Aige is probably also a member of the Inoue family. However, for some reason, he left Fisher''s Vige and is in an antagonistic rtionship with it. Otherwise, this Inoue family member wouldn''t havee to Fisher''s Vige with a bow and arrow, acting so cautiously." "But now the question is, why did this Inoue gentleman contact Dogo Aige? Moreover, it seems their rtionship is quite good. I doubt this Inoue gentleman is here to congratte Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui on their wedding." Ling Ishikawa sighed and spoke seriously, "In that case, the reason this Inoue gentleman sought out Dogo Aige is likely straightforward. He probably wants to disrupt Dogo Aige''s rtionship with Matsui Yui, prevent the wedding from taking ce, or perhaps this Inoue gentleman already knows that the wedding here is actually a sacrificial ritual. So, he wants to rescue Dogo Aige." At this point, Panda Pig shook his head, looking concerned. "But if this Inoue gentleman merely wants to reveal the truth to Dogo Aige, it could be challenging. You see, I know Dogo Aige very well. He''s the kind of person who would rather die with his friends than leave them behind. If he learns the truth, he might find a way to escape on his own, and then our situation will be quite awkward." After all, the main quest of this module wasn''t just to leave Fisher''s Vige but to ensure the smooth wedding between Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui. Even if Dogo Aige managed to escape, Liu Xing and the others could still leave Fisher''s Vige safely, but failing the main quest would result in their cards being shredded. "This could be challenging. When Dogo Aigees to deliver foodter, we''ll need to inquire about what this Inoue gentleman told him. If possible, I''ll handle this since Dogo Aige trusts me a lot. After all, too many people mightplicate things, and Dogo Aige has a lot of trust in me," Zhang Jingxu said with a serious expression. Zhang Jingxu''s seriousness was due to Lu Tianya. After all, Lu Tianya was an NPC. If the module failed, yers had the chance to resurrect, but Lu Tianya might face unforeseen circumstances. Even if Lu Tianya didn''t face any danger, if Zhang Jingxu couldn''t save his character card through the resurrection module, he might lose Lu Tianya again. Creating a new character card in the parallel world could be quite random, and even if Zhang Jingxu created a character from the Ind Nation, there was a chance he might "be born" in a different country, making it extremely difficult to reconnect with Lu Tianya. Therefore, Zhang Jingxu was the one who hoped the most to seed in this module among all the yers. "By the way, we still don''t know what your rtionship with Dogo Aige is, Zhang Jingxu, and why he trusts you so much," Panda Pig asked curiously. Zhang Jingxu smiled and exined, "As you all know, I''m a Taoist. Dogo Aige met me through a friend, and he asked me to calcte his and Matsui Yui''s marriage fate. At that time, I calcted that they were naturally a perfect match and helped them confirm the wedding date, which is six days from now." Everyone fell silent. In a sense, Zhang Jingxu had organized this module... However, since the wedding date for Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui had been set by Zhang Jingxu, it meant that Dogo Aige had a great deal of trust in him. So, letting Zhang Jingxumunicate with Dogo Aige would likely yield the best results. Quick conversations or persuasions with Judgment would have bonuses. Thus, everyone agreed with Zhang Jingxu''s suggestion. At this point, Liu Xing was quite curious about the greenhouse Miyako Goudong had passed through. After all, it seemed out of ce in Fisher''s Vige. So, Liu Xing suggested, "It''s still early. Should we go for a walk and try to find the Ancestral Hall in Fisher''s Vige? We can see what statues it contains. If it has a Deep One statue, it means this Ocean True Deity Sect is the Deep Sea Gospel Society. If it has statues of a different form, it means it''s the Secret Cult that Zhang Jingxu mentioned." Therefore, the group decided to head out to find the Ancestral Hall of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. However, while walking along the way, Zhang Jingxu suddenly suggested, "By the way, we should split up and look for members of the Inoue family in Fisher''s Vige. If everything goes as nned, these Inoue family members should know Mr. Inoue, and we might obtain information about him from them." So, Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya split up to find members of the Inoue family in Fisher''s Vige. Chapter 284: A Bold Speculation Because Fisher''s Vige had a rtively small poption, the main buildings in Fisher''s Vige were not veryrge. Therefore, Liu Xing and his group quickly circled around Fisher''s Vige. However, what was strange was that Liu Xing and his group did not find Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall. All the buildings they saw were the standard three-story vis. "What''s going on? Could it be that Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall isn''t here? Normally, the Ancestral Hall should be in the center of the vige," Ling Ishikawa said with some confusion. Liu Xing nodded and spoke, "You''re right. I observed the door lintels of these three-story vis, and I didn''t find any markings of the Inoue family or the Matsui Family. This indicates that neither the Inoue family nor the Matsui Family members reside in the vige." Furrowing his brow, Ling Ishikawa continued, "As for the Inoue family, it''s understandable that they wouldn''t be allowed to live in the vige, considering their history of wrongdoing. After all, the Inoue family member you talked to earlier lived by the docks. However, as for the Matsui Family, who are the actual rulers of Fisher''s Vige, they should ideally be residing in the vige to maintain control." "Moreover, let''s not forget that we now know that Matsui Ichiro came to Fisher''s Vige for missionary work over twenty years ago. So, there should be no existence of a Matsui Family in Fisher''s Vige. After all, how can one person be called a family..." At this point, Ling Ishikawa''s statement was interrupted by Panda Pig, "Well, the so-called Matsui Family shouldn''t just consist of Matsui Ichiro. Besides Matsui Ichiro, there''s Matsui Yui. If Matsui Yui exists, it implies that Matsui Ichiro has a wife, and who knows, maybe Matsui Yui has siblings too?" Shaking his head, Ling Ishikawa said with a serious expression, "As far as I know, most religious doctrines in the world include elements rted to abstinence. Sects like the Ocean True Deity Sect, which is considered a secret cult that operates covertly, tend to have extreme interpretations. They either indulge excessively or exercise absolute restraint." "Based on Matsui Ichiro''s appearance and age, I estimate he''s around sixty years old. So, when Matsui Ichiro came to Fisher''s Vige for missionary work over twenty years ago, he was already in his forties. Typically, missionaries like him operate independently; it''s not feasible for them to bring their families along." "Furthermore, Panda Pig, as you mentioned, Matsui Yui must have parents. However, until now, we haven''t seen or heard Matsui Yui or Matsui Ichiro mention this mother. Most importantly, Dogo Aige mentioned that Matsui Yui was a college student. So, Matsui Yui''s current age should be around twenty. This suggests that Matsui Yui could have been born before Matsui Ichiro came to Fisher''s Vige for missionary work. Unfortunately, the Ind Nationcks a proper registration system, so we can''t confirm Matsui Yui''s actual age. If we can confirm it, then I can make a daring hypothesis." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding Ling Ishikawa''s bold hypothesis. "You mean to say that Matsui Yui is highly likely to be a member of the Inoue family, the little girl in the photograph?" Panda Pig directly voiced it. Ling Ishikawa nodded, saying earnestly, "Yes, that''s what I think. Based on the information hinted in that photograph, if that little girl from the Inoue family didn''t meet with any misfortune, she should be in her twenties now. Combining my previous spections, if Matsui Ichiro didn''t establish a family of his own, he might have chosen to adopt Matsui Yui, or rather, Inoue Yui." "Of course, I understand that you might find this idea too far-fetched, like something out of movies or novels, where the protagonist''s parents who raised them turn out to be their sworn enemies. But I want to remind you that some things in reality are often stranger than fiction. While I also wonder why the antagonist in those stories doesn''t finish the job, if we look at it from Matsui Ichiro''s perspective, adopting Inoue Yui could have more advantages than disadvantages." "After all, it''s highly likely that the author of that letter, as well as Inoue Yui''s other family members, met with unfortunate fates. It''s also very likely that Matsui Ichiro had a hand in it. How could a middle-aged man in his forties back then kill Inoue Yui''s four family members? He probably had to rely on the name of the Ocean True Deity Sect to incite the Fisher''s Vige residents, whom he had charmed, to rise up against them. This is likely why the author of the letter suddenly stopped writing and hid it in the drawer. They must have heard something extraordinary." "Moreover, the letter indicates that the author strongly opposed Matsui Ichiro''s missionary work in Fisher''s Vige. That''s why Matsui Ichiro retaliated. To solidify his authority and leadership in Fisher''s Vige, he decided to adopt Inoue Yui, who was still young and easily influenced. If my hypothesis is correct, then Matsui Ichiro indeed seeded." Ling Ishikawa''s spection mirrored exactly what Liu Xing had been thinking. After seeing that photograph and hearing the contents of the letter, Liu Xing believed that Matsui Yui was very likely Inoue Yui, especially considering the established context of this module. The possibility of this spection being true was quite high. Furthermore, if Matsui Yui was indeed Inoue Yui, it posed a significant challenge for the yers. Matsui Yui would be a person who had been deceived into believing Matsui Ichiro was her father, and the yers would have to consider how to protect her since she would technically be one of their own. If they could make Matsui Yui see the truth, the "Matsui Yui''s Anxiety" setting could be resolved, and they could gather valuable information from her. Most importantly, there was likely a side quest rted to Matsui Yui''s background, and the rewards forpleting such a quest would likely be substantial. However, Liu Xing understood that convincing Matsui Yui of the truth wouldn''t be easy. First, they needed concrete evidence, not just spective guesses. After all, who would believe a stranger who suddenly imed that their current father was their sworn enemy without any evidence? Besides, Matsui Yui had been under Matsui Ichiro''s influence for many years. But if they could seed in a difficult persuasion judgment, they might be able to make Matsui Yui believe in the truth. After all, this was the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game. However, the risk involved in this approach was enormous. If the judgment failed, it could result in a game over for this module. So, Liu Xing spoke up, "Now, we must find some evidence to prove that Matsui Yui is indeed Inoue Yui. This way, we can make Matsui Yui aware of the truth, and then we''ll just have to deal with Matsui Ichiro in this Fisher''s Vige... No, wait, there''s also Alice." Liu Xing suddenly remembered that he had almost forgotten about Alice. However, Liu Xing didn''t consider Alice to be a significant threat to their group. Based on her performance in the previous module, Alice excelled at gathering and analyzing information, but herbat abilities were likely not impressive. Speaking ofbat abilities, Liu Xing realized that their own group didn''t fare much better. Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya, as Taoists, could deal substantial damage to mythical creatures, but their effectiveness against humans would be limited. As for Panda Pig, as an all-rounder yer with bnced abilities, hisbat skills were only passable. Miyako Goudong, a hardcore chuunibyou (middle-school syndrome) patient, probably hadbat abilities simr to Panda Pig''s at best and might even be a liability. Regarding Liu Xing himself, he had to admit that his character card''sbat abilities were rathercking. As "Watanabe Ryusei," the Cult Leader, he wasn''t expected to engage in physicalbat. As for Ling Ishikawa, the designatedbat specialist among the yers, hisbat abilities were decent. However, due to his involvement in a tricky world mission, Liu Xing couldn''t predict when Ling Ishikawa might be transported to Hybrier, so they couldn''t rely too heavily on him. Nevertheless, Liu Xing believed that in this module, their enemies would likely consist only of Matsui Ichiro and the followers he had manipted, without the involvement of mythical creatures. At this point, Miyako Goudong spoke, "If we need evidence, I think Mr. Inoue should have it. After all, he''s a member of the Inoue family, and it seems like he left Fisher''s Vige only after those incidents happened. He should have a clear understanding of what urred back then. So, I believe it''s necessary for us to make contact with Mr. Inoue." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "In that case, let''s go to the thicket where you stayed before, Goudong. We''ll continue to stake out Dogo Aige and Mr. Inoue. I believe they''re likely to choose to return the way they came." Following Liu Xing''s n, the group arrived at the designated location and began their surveince of Dogo Aige and Mr. Inoue. Miyako Goudong had chosen an excellent hiding spot within the thicket. It allowed them to observe any movement along the coastline while remaining concealed themselves. "By the way, I just remembered something. If all goes well, there should be another small ind near Fisher''s Vige that isn''t recorded on official maps. Mr. Inoue should be living on that ind, as his boat, based on the official map, would take at least three or four hours to row from the nearest ind," Liu Xing mentioned. "That''s true. However, speaking of which, Fisher''s Vige already has established maritime routes. Why isn''t this small ind included on official maps? It seems like local officials are quite corrupt," Ling Ishikawa couldn''t help butment. Liu Xing shrugged and was about to speak when he noticed a small boat in the distance, with Dogo Aige aboard. The ck figure on the boat was unmistakably him. "What should we do? Should we reveal ourselves, or..." Panda Pig whispered. Liu Xing thought for a moment and said, "Let''s take a detour over there and act as if we just came from the grass huts, looking for Dogo Aige. We can pretend we didn''t find him there. However, I believe Mr. Inoue is likely to stay on the boat and note ashore. So, I''ll approach Dogo Aige and persuade him to introduce us to Mr. Inoue." Following Liu Xing''s n, the group acted as if they were casually passing by and coincidentally encountered Dogo Aige and Mr. Inoue, who were still on the water. As soon as Mr. Inoue spotted Liu Xing''s group, he immediately nocked an arrow and aimed it at Liu Xing. The situation became somewhat awkward. Liu Xing hadn''t expected Mr. Inoue to be so straightforward and immediately ready to attack him. However, Dogo Aige, who was still on the boat, reacted promptly. He quickly pressed down on Mr. Inoue''s bowstring, preventing the arrow from being released, and began exining the situation to him. After a while, Dogo Aige and Mr. Inoue rowed the boat ashore. It was then that Liu Xing noticed that Mr. Inoue bore some resemnce to Matsui Yui. It seemed that Matsui Yui was indeed likely to be Inoue Yui. Of course, it couldn''t be ruled out that the various families within Fisher''s Vige had intermarried, which could exin the resemnce among some residents. "Why are you all here?" Dogo Aige asked somewhat awkwardly. Liu Xing chuckled and said, "We happened to find Miyako Goudong, so we wanted to chat with you at the grass huts. But we didn''t find you there, so we got a bit bored and decided to take a walk along the coastline. Unexpectedly, we ran into you and your friend here..." Dogo Aige awkwardly smiled in response. Chapter 285: Inoue Haruto "Alright, Dogo Aige, we won''t tell your sister-inw about your little escapade. You can rx," Liu Xing reassured Dogo Aige, giving him a calming pill. After all, Dogo Aige had mentioned that he couldn''t leave the grass hut freely during these days. However, it was clear that Dogo Aige was not an honest person. Upon hearing Liu Xing''s words, Dogo Aige immediately grinned and said, "Thank you, thank you. You all know I''ve been bored staying in that grass hut all day, so I thought of going out and finding something to do. That''s how I met Mr. Inoue here. Mr. Inoue offered to take me fishing at sea, so I took this opportunity to sneak out." At this point, Dogo Aige realized that he hadn''t introduced Mr. Inoue to Liu Xing and the others, so he enthusiastically said, "This is Mr. Inoue, whose real name is Inoue Haruto. Mr. Inoue used to be a viger from Fisher''s Vige, but now he lives on another small ind. He asionally returns to Fisher''s Vige to visit his family. I just met Mr. Inoue the day before yesterday, and we''ve be good friends. Don''t be fooled by Mr. Inoue''s serious appearance; he''s actually quite easygoing." Liu Xing, upon hearing Dogo Aige''s introduction of Inoue Haruto, couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that Inoue Haruto hadn''t revealed the truth of the matter to Dogo Aige, or else Dogo Aige wouldn''t have introduced him so candidly. Furthermore, it appeared that the Inoue family member Zhang Jingxu and the others encountered earlier in the morning was indeed a direct rtive of Inoue Haruto. "Oh, hello, Mr. Inoue Haruto. We''re all good friends of Dogo Aige. You should know that Dogo Aige''s family can''te to Fisher''s Vige for his wedding, so it''s up to us to support him," Liu Xing said with a smile to Inoue Haruto. After hearing Liu Xing''s introduction, Inoue Haruto finally rxed. After all, he didn''t know the true identities of Liu Xing and the others and assumed that they were unaware of the inner workings of Fisher''s Vige and his own situation. Inoue Haruto nodded and said with a smile, "Very well, I''m Inoue Haruto. Nice to meet all of you. You should all be aware that Fisher''s Vige has many inexplicable rules, so I don''t dare return openly. I can only sneak ashore like this. I hope you won''t reveal my whereabouts; otherwise, I''ll have to find another ce tond in the future." Liu Xing chuckled and patted his chest, saying, "I understand, no need to worry, Inoue-san. We won''t disclose your whereabouts. After all, we''re all good friends of Dogo Aige, so we''re friends as well, and friends don''t need to discuss such matters." Inoue Haruto nodded and said, "That''s good. I have other matters to attend to, so I''ll take my leave for now. We can chat againter." "Inoue-san, wait a moment. I have some questions I''d like to ask you about Fisher''s Vige," Liu Xing said as he noticed Inoue Haruto''s intention to leave. Naturally, Liu Xing had many questions he wanted to ask Inoue Haruto. Liu Xing then signaled Ling Ishikawa and the others to take Dogo Aige away, allowing him to have a private conversation with Inoue Haruto. Seeing this, Inoue Haruto seemed to understand something and looked at Liu Xing cautiously, saying, "Do you have any questions? I left Fisher''s Vige many years ago, so I only have limited knowledge of the current situation." Liu Xing smiled and said, "This morning, while we were strolling around, we noticed various markings on the lintels of all the vis in Fisher''s Vige. We learned the exact meaning of these markings from a viger, who happens to be a member of the Inoue family." Inoue Haruto furrowed his brows and nodded, saying, "The viger you mentioned is my uncle, Inoue Saburo, and he is thest surviving member of the Inoue family in Fisher''s Vige. I''m surprised that he was willing to share this information with you. However, you should also know what the Inoue family represents in Fisher''s Vige." Liu Xing nodded, saying, "I''m well aware, but I also know that there''s more to it than meets the eye. After all, Vige Chief Matsui Ichiro has told too many lies. One simple point is that Matsui Ichiro imed that Fisher''s Vige has had no contact with the outside world for a long time. But those three-story vis in Fisher''s Vige couldn''t have appeared out of thin air." Liu Xing noticed that when he mentioned Matsui Ichiro, Inoue Haruto visibly frowned and showed a look of disgust. Inoue Haruto thought for a moment and said, "You''re right, Matsui Ichiro is a person full of lies who has deceived the vigers of Fisher''s Vige. Unfortunately, he has deep roots in Fisher''s Vige, and there are some things we can''t change." It was clear that Inoue Haruto knew a lot. Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "So I''m afraid that Dogo Aige will have a difficult time with a father-inw like him." Inoue Haruto nodded in agreement and said, "Certainly, Matsui Ichiro is a despicable person. By the way, if you have no further questions, I should leave. I need to get back to the small ind where I reside before nightfall. As you can see, my boat is not suitable for traveling at night." Liu Xing thought for a moment and said, "Alright, there''s onest question I''d like to ask, Inoue-san. Where is Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall located? Matsui Ichiro told us that we couldn''t enter Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall because it''s forbidden, but Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui''s wedding is supposed to take ce there. We wanted to explore the area around the Ancestral Hall but couldn''t find it after searching the vige." Liu Xing once again noticed that when he mentioned Matsui Yui, Inoue Haruto disyed a hint of sadness, suggesting that Matsui Yui might be rted to Inoue in some way. "Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall, well, Fisher''s Vige was relocated twenty years ago, but the Ancestral Hall remained in the original location of Fisher''s Vige, which is near the pier. After all, the vigers of the old Fisher''s Vige relied on fishing for their livelihoods and used to live by the sea. The Ancestral Hall used to be open to the public; anyone could enter as long as they wanted to pay their respects. There was no such thing as a forbidden area. It''s just that Matsui Ichiro has changed many things," Inoue Haruto exined. Liu Xing pped his hands in realization and said, "That makes sense. Fisher''s Vige''s residents must have lived by the sea. Thank you, Inoue-san, for your guidance. You''ve been very helpful, and I apologize for taking up your time." Inoue Haruto shook his head, checked the time, and bid farewell. This time, Liu Xing didn''t stop Inoue Haruto and watched as he rowed away. After Inoue Haruto left, Liu Xing and his group escorted Dogo Aige back to the grass hut. Surprisingly, Dogo Aige''s jumping ability was exceptional. He effortlessly cleared the barbed wire fences surrounding the hut, avoiding the green liquid smeared on them. It appeared that all they needed to do wasplete a Jumping Judgment to aplish the first Side Quest. "You all should leave now. Someone will release meter to bring you food. If they see you here, it might cause some trouble," Dogo Aige said with a smile. So, Liu Xing and the others returned to the vi. On the way, Panda Pig couldn''t help but ask Liu Xing, "Ryusei, I''ve been observing your conversation with Inoue Haruto. Why didn''t you ask him about the letter and Matsui Yui?" Liu Xing nodded and replied seriously, "In all things, a gradual approach is essential. I need to make sure that Inoue Haruto is on our side before I dare to ask deeper questions. Moreover, it was our first meeting with Inoue Haruto, and I could sense that he was somewhat wary of us. So, I didn''t want to ask sensitive questions right away. Therefore, I had to settle for getting information about Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall. Otherwise, finding Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall would require a lot of effort." Ling Ishikawa added, "If I recall correctly, there are indeed many buildings near the pier, but they all seem to be single-story houses, and some of them are already damaged." Miyako Goudong chimed in, "That''s right. There are single-story houses near the pier, and some of them have copsed. I originally nned to set up camp there, but I heard movement in the area, so I left just to be safe. However, I remember that there''s arge building in the center of that area, and it seems to have been recently renovated. However, even though I only saw it from a distance, I still felt that the Ancestral Hall was eerie, and it didn''t have any windows." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall had indeed been transformed into some kind of cult gathering ce. At that moment, KP Green Light spoke up again, saying, "Congrattions, yers, you''ve triggered another Side Quest. That is to enter Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall before Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui''s wedding. The most important part is that you''ll receive 100 points for every 10 minutes spent inside the Ancestral Hall, with no maximum limit. However, this reward is only avable the first time each yer enters Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall." Liu Xing and his group exchanged nces, surprised to have triggered a Side Quest. Moreover, the Side Quest offered rewards based on time spent inside the Ancestral Hall, suggesting that there might be hidden secrets within. However, Liu Xing felt that Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall might be under surveince, just like Morimoto Academy''s Old Teaching Building. If yers entered Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall recklessly, they would likely be caught by Matsui Ichiro and his vigers within a few minutes. Thinking this, Liu Xing said, "Considering the existence of security measures like electric fences in Fisher''s Vige, I suspect that there may be surveince devices in Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall. After all, ording to the information in the letter, Matsui Ichiro has been transforming Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall into the Ocean True Deity Sect''s church. Now that Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall has be a forbidden area, it''s certain that there are significant security measures in ce. We can''t enter recklessly." Everyone understood Liu Xing''s point and nodded in agreement. "However, I believe it''s necessary to investigate Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall in advance, to find out what''s inside. Also, I have a signal jammer in my backpack. If the surveince devices in Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall rely onwork signals, my signal jammer mighte in handy," Panda Pig said with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Panda Pig carried a signal jammer with him. He couldn''t help but ask, "What? Panda Pig, why do you carry a signal jammer with you?" Panda Pig chuckled and replied, "Although I''m a physical education teacher, I''m sometimes responsible for the school''s logistics. These signal jammers were introduced by the school to prevent cheating during exams. I just grabbed one and put it in my bag. After all, I have to get it from the storage room every time we have an exam. It''s more convenient this way." "Alright, let''s go back and meet with Zhang Jingxu and the others," Liu Xing said. Back at the vi, Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya were resting in the living room. Liu Xing exined their situation. "I see. It seems that the likelihood of Matsui Yui being rted to Inoue is at least seventy percent or more. However, it won''t be easy to win over Matsui Yui because the brainwashing abilities of these Secret Cults are quite strong. Even if Matsui Yui learns that Matsui Ichiro is her father''s killer, she might still side with him," Zhang Jingxu sighed andmented. "And it''s possible that Matsui Yui already knows that Matsui Ichiro is her father''s killer, especially if Matsui Ichiro told her personally. However, Matsui Ichiro would likely frame her parents as criminals, just like what''s happening with the Inoue family now," added Lu Tianya. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that their words made sense. People who believed in Secret Cults were capable of anything, especially in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game. Therefore, whether to win over Matsui Yui had be a major dilemma. "By the way, I had a conversation with a member of the Inoue family, Inoue Saburo. He gave me another letter and a story," Zhang Jingxu said, taking out a letter. Chapter 286: The Story Another letter. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to receive the second letter so soon. "This letter should be from Li Yongjie to Inoue Kenjiro, and Inoue Kenjiro is the owner of that house. But before discussing the contents of this letter, I must first tell you a story," Zhang Jingxu began. "More than twenty years ago, Fisher''s Vige was an isted fishing vige. Its first-generation residents had fled to this ind over a hundred years ago, so they had little interaction with the outside world. Moreover, due to the turbulent times, few outsiders visited Fisher''s Vige." "Until more than twenty years ago, a journalist named Li Yongjie heard rumors about Fisher''s Vige and came here alone. He was the first outsider to visit Fisher''s Vige in many years. Inoue Kenjiro, the most outgoing person in Fisher''s Vige, weed Li Yongjie and became good friends with him." "Then, Li Yongjie began gathering information in Fisher''s Vige and established a connection between Fisher''s Vige and the outside world. Inoue Kenjiro also learned Chinese from Li Yongjie. A yearter, when Li Yongjie decided to leave, he gave Inoue Kenjiro a jade pendant and continued to send him a letter every month." "A yearter, Matsui Ichiro arrived in Fisher''s Vige and began promoting the Ocean True Deity Sect. He imed that he hade to Fisher''s Vige under the guidance of the true ocean gods. Some superstitious vigers were deceived by Matsui Ichiro, but most remained skeptical." "Then, Matsui Ichiro started performing various small magic tricks in the vige, which he referred to as miracles. Because the vigers of Fisher''s Vige had been isted from the world for so long, more and more of them fell under Matsui Ichiro''s deception, bing fervent followers of the Ocean True Deity Sect." "However, Inoue Kenjiro firmly opposed Matsui Ichiro and had many conflicts with him. At that time, Inoue Kenjiro''s father was the old Vige Chief, so he had significant authority in Fisher''s Vige. Even most of the vigers who believed in the Ocean True Deity Sect sided with Inoue Kenjiro." "But as Matsui Ichiro organized multiple ceremonies, which were essentially bizarre rituals involving burning incense and bowing to strange statues in his house, those followers became more and more devoted to Matsui Ichiro. They turned into fanatical followers of the Ocean True Deity Sect, regarding Matsui Ichiro as their leader." "However, Inoue Kenjiro saw the situation deteriorating and began urging the remaining vigers to keep their distance from the fanatics and Matsui Ichiro to prevent more vigers from being brainwashed. Unfortunately, it backfired. More and more vigers transformed into fanatical followers of the Ocean True Deity Sect. During this time, Inoue Saburo also became a fanatical follower of the Ocean True Deity Sect for reasons he can''t recall. Only recently did he regain his sanity." Zhang Jingxu''s words left everyone in silence. As a Cult Leader, Liu Xing quickly understood from "Watanabe Ryusei''s" memories how Matsui Ichiro had brainwashed the vigers of Fisher''s Vige. Liu Xing sighed and said, "If my assumptions are correct, Inoue Saburo probably used special materials infused candles during those ceremonies. When these candles burn, they have a hypnotic effect on ordinary people nearby. If someone were to take an antidote at that moment, they could potentially resist the hypnotic effect. The effectiveness of brainwashing depends on the individual''s willpower, but with repeated brainwashing, even the strongest-willed can bepletely controlled." "Oh, wow, that''s quite powerful," Ling Ishikawa eximed in surprise. Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Indeed, these candles are incredibly potent. However, their supplier is limited, making them expensive and in low supply. Usually, onlyrge Secret Cults can acquire them. Theoretically, one candle can hypnotize up to ten ordinary people. Matsui Ichiro possessing these valuable candles and using them on the vigers of Fisher''s Vige is unexpected." Zhang Jingxu chimed in, "You''re talking about the Hypnotic Incense produced by the ck market, right? My master once mentioned that this ck market deals in all sorts of mystical items." Liu Xing nodded again. ording to "Watanabe Ryusei''s" memories, a figure d in a ck robe, known as "the ck market," annually sent invitations to well-known Secret Cults worldwide on January 1st, inviting them to attend a unique auction held on September 9th at 9:09 AM. The location changed each year, and when the auction began, the ck market would appear with a cart containing various magical items. During the auction, anyone could bid for the items the ck market disyed. The highest bidder would im the item, and once all items were sold, the ck market would disappear. Over the years, Secret Cult leaders had attempted to attack or steal from the ck market, believing they were invincible. However, anyone who challenged the ck market met a grisly fate, as did those who ordered the attacks. As a result, Secret Cult leaders had learned not to provoke the ck market, which sold superior itemspared to those in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, and they could be purchased with money, no points required. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but wonder if the ck market was the embodiment of someone taking the fall. After all, Hypnotic Incense was one of the lowest-tier items sold by the ck market. Some of the higher-tier items could even be used against Great Old Ones. Returning to the topic, if the Ocean True Deity Sect could purchase Hypnotic Incense from the ck market, it indicated their significant status among Secret Cults. But why did they target Fisher''s Vige, a remote ind? And why did they invest so heavily in it? Could there be some dark secrets hidden in Fisher''s Vige? Chapter 287: The Second Letter Liu Xing couldn''t help but think that Fisher''s Vige could now be renamed "Mist Ind," given the thick fog that shrouded it. If Matsui Ichiro only intended to conduct a social experiment, there would be no need for him to use something as valuable as the Hypnotic Incense. It would be both wasteful and counterproductive, as using the Hypnotic Incense would wash the minds of Fisher''s Vige''s residents entirely, rendering any experiment meaningless. So, Liu Xing began to suspect that his earlier hypothesis might have some ws. Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect behind him must have some other motives for Fisher''s Vige. "That ck market is quite peculiar," Zhang Jingxu said, somewhat frustrated. "It only sends invitations to Secret Cults, but most mainstream religions like Catholicism, Buddhism, and Taoism never receive these invitations. Only certain branches of the Green Faith get them." Liu Xing raised an intrigued eyebrow. "I see. So, what happens if someone without an invitation manages to find out the location of the ck market''s auction through other means and sneaks in?" There was no mention of this in "Watanabe Ryusei''s" memories. Zhang Jingxu pondered for a moment and replied, "You can go in, but the auctions are usually held inside a specific building. Only those with invitations can enter, while those without will encounter an invisible barrier. However, the barrier recognizes invitations, not individuals. So, if you have an invitation, you can enter. I heard that a bishop from a new church managed to get in using this method." "Of course, getting in is one thing; getting out is another," Zhang Jingxu continued. "After the ck market finishes auctioning off all the items, it immediately leaves. This is the most dangerous time, as the auction participants are often ruthless individuals, and conflicts may arise. After each ck market auction, there are usually minor or major disputes. In the case of the new church''s bishop, he was identified by his enemies, and by the time the rest of the church members arrived at the auction site, he was already gone." Ling Ishikawa nodded and asked further, "In that case, why don''t we inform the authorities to deal with these Secret Cults? It could be a way to eliminate them all at once." Zhang Jingxu shook his head, smiling. "That''s easier said than done. These Secret Cults have far more influence than you can imagine. Even the United States of America wouldn''t dare to take military action against any particr Secret Cult without careful consideration. These Secret Cults have too many followers, and their influence extends into various aspects of society. Unless you can control all the followers of a particr Secret Cult at once, it will lead to serious acts of terror. You should all be familiar with the Jonestown Massacre." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. The Jonestown Massacre was a well-known collective suicide event in recent history and a popr theme in Cthulhu RPG games. On November 18, 1978, 913 followers of the People''s Temple, a Secret Cult in the United States of America led by Jim Jones,mitted mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Among them were 276 children. Those who refused to die by suicide were either forcibly poisoned, shot, or strangled, and Jim Jones ultimatelymitted suicide as well. In Jonestown, only four people survived. Two escaped, while the other two were elderly individuals with limited mobility and deafness, who were overlooked by other followers and thus survived. They revealed the truth about the mass suicide event, which shocked the world and became known as the "Jonestown Massacre" or the "People''s Temple Massacre." The root cause of this tragedy was a United States Senator''s investigation into Jonestown after hearing reports of unusual activities. In response, Jim Jones ordered his followers and his private armed forces to attack the investigative team, resulting in the murder of the senator. Panda Pig chimed in, "I know about this. The storyline of ''Escape 2'' is inspired by the Jonestown Massacre." Zhang Jingxu nodded and added, "Many horror games have drawn inspiration from the Jonestown Massacre. It underscores the potent brainwashing abilities of these Secret Cults. With just a few words from their leaders, they can convince arge number of followers to willingly die for their cause. So, these powerful Secret Cults are confident and unafraid. If the authorities dare to send forces to capture them during the ck market auctions, they will mobilize their followers for protests, demonstrations, and evenrge-scale suicide events, leading to social upheaval." Miyako Goudong had an epiphany. "I see now. That''s why these Secret Cults have never been eradicated. After all, if a massive suicide event like that were to ur, the ruling party would likely face criticism from the opposition, and there would be a high chance of them being ousted from power. That''s why the authorities use a policy of appeasement." Liu Xing agreed, acknowledging Miyako Goudong''s insight. "You''re right. After all, the People''s Temple had around a thousand followers, and they caused such a huge and terrifying societal impact. In this Cthulhu RPG Game, therger Secret Cults have tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of followers as a baseline. So, if a mass suicide event involving tens of thousands were to happen, the ruling party would undoubtedly be forced to step down." Liu Xing rubbed his chin, concluding, "Well, let''s not dwell on these issues for now. We need to focus on the matter at hand. We can be sure that if Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect are willing to spend such a fortune to control the vigers in Fisher''s Vige, there must be something valuable within Fisher''s Vige that justifies their actions. It can''t be as simple as Matsui Ichiro wanting to be the Vige Chief of Fisher''s Vige." The group nodded in agreement, acknowledging Liu Xing''s point. "So, I believe that there must be some hidden secrets beneath Fisher''s Vige. We''ve explored most of the things on this ind, and there doesn''t seem to be anything noteworthy on the surface. The truth likely lies within the ind, and we''ve already confirmed the existence of at least one power station underground in Fisher''s Vige. The next step is to find a way down and investigate," Liu Xing concluded. "But for now, let''s listen to the letter that Li Yongjie wrote to Inoue Kenjiro. Inoue Saburo preserved this letter for so many years, and I''m sure it contains valuable information. So, Zhang Jingxu, could you please tell us about the contents of this letter?" Liu Xing continued. Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "Of course, I''d be happy to. Inoue Saburo told me that he didn''t remember exactly when he received this letter. However, since the letter was written in Chinese, Inoue Saburo, who didn''t understand it, decided to keep it safe. After all, it''s a memento of Inoue Kenjiro." "As I mentioned earlier, this letter is from Li Yongjie to Inoue Kenjiro, and most likely, it was written shortly after Matsui Ichiro arrived at Fisher''s Vige and began preaching. Li Yongjie, after exchanging pleasantries, mentioned the Ocean True Deity Sect. So, in a letter that Inoue Kenjiro wrote to Li Yongjie before this one, he probably talked about Matsui Ichiro and his preaching methods. Li Yongjie assisted Inoue Kenjiro in investigating the origin of the Ocean True Deity Sect." "ording to Li Yongjie''s investigation, the Ocean True Deity Sect originated on a small ind in Ryukyu, and its original name cannot be verified. They used to worship Mazu, but about a century ago, when a new leader took over, they began worshipping the twelve Ocean True Gods, which the sect now follows." "Due to the beliefs of the Ocean True Deity Sect and the political climate in Ryukyu at the time, it quickly became the most prominent emerging religion there. However, as it''s widely known, the Ind Nation took over Ryukyu and started a campaign to ''de-Ryukyuanize,'' suppressing local culture, including the Ocean True Deity Sect, causing it to fade into obscurity." "However, the leader of the Ocean True Deity Sect was clever and chose to relocate the sect from Ryukyu to the maind of the Ind Nation to continue their mission. Although they faced resistance and exclusion from the maind''s existing religious organizations initially, the sect''s leader managed to establish a presence through negotiation andpromise." "Nevertheless, based on Li Yongjie''s findings, the Ocean True Deity Sect is not considered a mainstream religion. Therefore, he hopes that Inoue Kenjiro can try to prevent Matsui Ichiro from spreading its teachings, and ideally, force Matsui Ichiro to leave Fisher''s Vige to avoid unnecessary trouble. Li Yongjie believed that the vigers in Fisher''s Vige had been isted from the outside world for many years and could be easily swayed by Matsui Ichiro''s influence." "Finally, Li Yongjie mentioned something crucial. Inoue Kenjiro actually had another son at that time, who was only about two years old. However, this older son suffered from a severe illness. So, when Li Yongjie left Fisher''s Vige, Inoue Kenjiro entrusted his eldest son to Li Yongjie''s care, hoping that Li Yongjie could take him to Tokyo for treatment." "Therefore, Li Yongjie informed Inoue Kenjiro that, after some time of treatment, his older son''s health had improved significantly, and he was soon going to undergo surgery. If the surgery seeded, it would cure the illnesspletely, and after some recovery time, he would return to normal. So, Li Yongjie invited Inoue Kenjiro''s entire family to visit Tokyo, which should be the content mentioned in Inoue Kenjiro''sst letter." After Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, Liu Xing couldn''t help but say, "So, if Inoue Kenjiro had another son receiving medical treatment in Tokyo during his unfortunate events, Inoue Haruto must be that older son." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said seriously, "That''s what I believe as well. Inoue Haruto''s age matches, and from your previous interactions with him, it''s clear that he knows how dangerous it is to be discovered by Matsui Ichiro. That''s why he arrived on the ind with a bow and arrow and appeared so nervous when he saw you. However, I suspect that Inoue Haruto might also be nning to take the opportunity to seek revenge on Matsui Ichiro for his father''s death." Ling Ishikawa chimed in with a somewhat tricky question, "In that case, wouldn''t Inoue Haruto and Matsui Yui potentially be siblings? If that''s the case, will Inoue Haruto still reveal the truth to Dogo Aige? After all, it could involve his sister''s true love." Ling Ishikawa''s question was a bit tricky, leaving Liu Xing unsure of how to respond. At that moment, Liu Xing heard footsteps approaching. It was still early, so it couldn''t be Dogo Aige delivering food. The owner of the footsteps was likely Alice. Since the living room on the first floor was spacious and had no hiding ces, Ling Ishikawa had to take out his phone and pretend to be engrossed in a game. Liu Xing, on the other hand, had left his phone in the bedroom, so he pretended to be engaged in a conversation with Miyako Goudong. A few secondster, Alice walked in. "Oh, it seems we have new friends here to attend Yui-chan and Dogo Aige''s wedding. Nice to meet you all. I''m Alice," Alice said with a smile, looking at everyone in the living room. To avoid raising suspicion, Liu Xing could only reply with a smile, "Hello, I''m Watanabe Ryusei, and this is Miyako Goudong. This is Ling Ishikawa. Nice to meet you, Miss Alice. Please don''t mind Ling Ishikawa''s rudeness; he''s just a gaming addict and tends to ignore people when he''s ying." As he spoke, Liu Xing also contacted KP Green Light, "KP, I want to perform an Investigation Judgment on Alice to observe her facial expressions." Liu Xing, 19/50, seeded. In the moment of the sessful Investigation Judgment, Liu Xing felt like Alice''s face was the only thing in his field of vision. Chapter 288: Discussion on the Second Night Liu Xing''s quick thinking came to his aid in this situation. Because "WatanabeRyusei''s" character cardcked the "Psychology" skill, he couldn''t perform a psychological judgment on Alice to confirm whether she knew Ling Ishikawa. Therefore, he had to rely on an "Investigation Judgment" to observe Alice''s subtle facial expressions and use his professional knowledge to draw conclusions. While in the Cthulhu RPG Game, dice rolls could clearly reflect oues, even without relevant judgment skills, one could still utilize their own abilities to y the game. For instance, Liu Xing knew that in reality, some experienced yers could, even without skills like persuasion or fast talking on their character cards, make convincing arguments through their logical thinking andnguage skills to persuade the Keeper in real life, achieving the same effect as a sessful persuasion judgment. Furthermore, there was the option of investigation. Although, in many cases, using "Investigation" could help yers quickly discover desired items or information after a judgment, one could also achieve the same results by carefully examining all the objects within their scope. After all, a room had a limited number of items, and with time and opportunity, you could find what you were looking for. Moreover, Liu Xing was currently engaged in a real Cthulhu RPG Game, not a text-based one like in the real world. He could directly observe and utilize his own subjective initiative. Of course, there were limitations. For example, while Liu Xing could determine someone''s illness based on their description, as a real-world doctor, he possessed such expertise. However, even if he knew the illness, his character, "WatanabeRyusei,"cked this knowledge, so he could only pretend to be ignorant. Nevertheless, Liu Xing could still roughly assess Alice''s psychological state by observing her micro-expressions, drawing from his psychology ss in college and the books he had read on micro-expression analysis. Even if the Keeper tried to push him into a corner, Liu Xing could resort to "a man''s intuition" or "gut feeling" to evade the issue. "It''s alright; I tend to get deeply absorbed in what I''m doing and pay little attention to the outside world too. So, I understand our friend here. I''m sorry, but I have some work-rted matters to attend to, so I won''t be able to chat with everyone here," Alice said with a smile. Liu Xing could sense that Alice had probably not recognized him or Ling Ishikawa because she had maintained a polite smile throughout, with almost no change in expression. However, it was also worth noting that although Alice and Fujiwara Hiroshi were both key figures in the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s Kyoto branch, they had different areas of responsibility. Even if they were a married couple, they had their own secrets, so Fujiwara Hiroshi might not have informed Alice about Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa. As for Ling Ishikawa''s sudden appearance at me Bar and being sent to Hybrier by Honda Tetsuya, it seemed that Honda Tetsuya was a considerate person who had erased any traces of this incident. Therefore, Alice, as the owner of me Bar, was likely unaware of these events. This made Liu Xing breathe a sigh of relief. After all, if Alice had recognized him and Ling Ishikawa, it could have been troublesome. However, there was also the possibility that it wouldn''t be troublesome. Currently, Alice was appearing in the territory of the Ocean True Deity Sect, which seemed unusual. If Li Yongjie''s investigation was correct, the Ocean True Deity Sect originated in Ryukyu and had now taken root in the Ind Nation as an external Secret Cult. Meanwhile, the Deep Sea Gospel Society was a Secret Cult originating from the Ind Nation itself. It was almost certain that the Ocean True Deity Sect and the Deep Sea Gospel Society could not be the same Secret Cults, and there was a high likelihood that they were in opposition. Therefore, Alice, a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, appearing in the territory of the Ocean True Deity Sect indicated a potential betrayal. Liu Xing saw this as an opportunity. He could use this situation to coerce Alice into cooperation or try to reach a consensus with her on dealing with the Deep Sea Gospel Society together. However, these were just thoughts. After all, he needed to strengthen himself first. Currently, Liu Xing had only a dozen or so followers, making it difficult to negotiate with Alice individually, as his own abilities were limited. After watching Alice go upstairs, Liu Xing spoke, "It seems that Alice doesn''t recognize me or Ling Ishikawa, and I can now be sure that she is no longer loyal to the Deep Sea Gospel Society." Pretending to be engrossed in his phone, Ling Ishikawa raised his head upon hearing Liu Xing and said, "That''s good. We don''t need to avoid Alice anymore, and we also have some leverage against her now. The next time we meet Alice on Deep Sea Gospel Society''s turf, we''ll have an additional card to y." Liu Xing nodded and continued, "But let''s put Alice aside for now. She doesn''t have much relevance to our current concerns. We need to find answers to several questions. First, is Matsui Yui really Inoue Kenjiro''s daughter? If she is, then the second question arises: Does Matsui Yui know about the events and the truth of what happened back then? As for the third question, it concerns Inoue Haruto''s true rtionship with Matsui Yui and his current attitude toward her. Lastly, what exactly is beneath our feet!" Zhang Jingxu contemted and replied, "To get answers to these questions, I believe we should approach Inoue Saburo. After all, he was a firsthand witness to the events from that time and should remember some details. Additionally, Inoue Haruto mentioned that he often visits Fisher''s Vige to see Inoue Saburo. However, Inoue Saburo''s memories haven''t fully recovered yet. When Lu Tianya and I questioned him earlier, he experienced symptoms like headaches. It seems he has notpletely shaken off the effects of the Hypnotic Incense. So, for now, we''ll have to wait a bit longer before we can approach Inoue Saburo for more information. As for what lies beneath our feet, we''ll need to find the right opportunity to investigate further." Liu Xing, aware of the capricious nature of the Cthulhu RPG Game, believed that Inoue Saburo might encounter an unfortunate fate soon. However, visiting Inoue Saburo at this moment wouldn''t yield much new information. As for the underground world beneath Fisher''s Vige, they had no way to ess it currently, as they hadn''t even located the entrance definitively. So, Liu Xing could only nod and say, "Hmm, let''s leave it at that for now. It''s gettingte, so how about we chat about some light and pleasant topics to relieve the tension of the past two days?" The module had been active for less than two days, and it was still in its early stages. However, due to the efforts of the yers, they had already gathered a significant amount of information. Liu Xing felt that they were currently in a lull, unable to gather more information. It seemed that the only way to obtain further information at this point would be to approach Matsui Ichiro or Matsui Yui. Zhang Jingxu and the others naturally understood this, so they began to engage in casual conversation. Of course, this "casual conversation" wasn''t really casual; everyone was taking the opportunity to supplement their character''s backstory. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, some character cards came with dark histories, just like "WatanabeRyusei." If someone found out the identity of "WatanabeRyusei''s" Worshipers of the Yellow Sect leader, Liu Xing would face two choices: recruit that person into the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect or eliminate them. Regardless of whether the person was a yer or an NPC, Liu Xing had to make this decision. So, during their "casual conversation," Liu Xing and the others subtly or directly mentioned some of their character''s "dark histories" to prepare the other yers and ensure that such topics wouldn''t be brought up, just like Liu Xing mentioning how his "father" had ended up in prison. During this conversation, Panda Pig mentioned how he disliked being called a "greasy middle-aged man" or someone who "didn''t look like a respectable person." Miyako Goudong mentioned that he didn''t like it when others called him "suffering from chuunibyou" or "living in his own world." As for Zhang Jingxu, he mentioned his hostile feelings towards "Secret Cults." As a legitimate Taoist, he had a deep understanding of the actions of Secret Cults, so it was natural for him to harbor enmity towards them. At this point, Zhang Jingxu gave Liu Xing a meaningful look, as he already knew Liu Xing''s true identity. As for Ling Ishikawa, there wasn''t much to say because his character card had just been created, and Yin En''s research on "Ling Ishikawa" was not very thorough. The only dark history was bing one of Liu Xing''s followers. After this "casual conversation," everyone had a general idea of the boundaries of their exchanges. At this moment, Dogo Aige arrived with dinner as nned, and this time, Matsui Yui also came. However, Matsui Yui hade to deliver food to Alice. After some pleasantries with Liu Xing and the others, Matsui Yui took the food upstairs to find Alice. After dinner, when both Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige had left, Zhang Jingxu found a reason to dismiss Lu Tianya, and the group began their Private Room session. "I didn''t expect that in just one day, we received two letters. It seems we''re not far frompleting that Side Quest," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. Liu Xing shook his head and replied, "You can''t say that yet. There''s a saying, ''The first ny miles are easy, but thest ten are the hardest.'' As long as we haven''t obtained thatst letter, the Side Quest isn''t consideredplete. Besides, if nothing unexpected happens, thatst letter won''t be easy to acquire." Zhang Jingxu smiled and nodded, saying, "You''re right. Thatst letter is most likely in Matsui Ichiro''s possession. Based on the information we have, Inoue Kenjiro''s house was raided by Matsui Ichiro, which is why Inoue Kenjiro''s home was left empty. Thatst letter should be in Matsui Ichiro''s hands, and we still haven''t confirmed the location of Matsui Ichiro''s house." "However, we''ve been rtively lucky. We''ve already figured out the cause and effect of this module within two days. But the most crucial information is probably still in thatst letter. So, we have a lot of ces to go now: the Ancestral Hall at Fisher''s Vige''s former location, Matsui Ichiro''s house, the Fisher''s Vige Graveyard surrounded by the high-voltage electric fence, and Dogo Aige''s shack," Miyako Goudong added. Lying on the table, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something and reminded everyone, "By the way, I almost forgot something very important. We need to be cautious because Matsui Ichiro might still have the Hypnotic Incense. If my character card''s memory hasn''t deviated, Hypnotic Incense is colorless, odorless, and smokeless, taking effect in just about a minute. We''ll need to pass a difficult Willpower Judgment when it activates, so we should arrange for someone to keep watch at night to prevent Matsui Ichiro from attacking us." Ling Ishikawa nodded and confirmed, "I believe Matsui Ichiro probably still has the Hypnotic Incense because these items are likely extra rewards given to us by the module. After all, no matter which area the module is set in, there will always be some bonus items." Miyako Goudong chimed in, "I think so too. Besides the Hypnotic Incense, there''s probably another very useful item in Fisher''s Vige¡ªthe jade pendant that Inoue Saburo mentioned Li Yongjie gave to Inoue Kenjiro. ording to the information we have, most of the vigers in Fisher''s Vige have been manipted and controlled by Matsui Ichiro using Hypnotic Incense, and Inoue Saburo was unknowingly affected as well." "So, why didn''t Matsui Ichiro control Inoue Kenjiro, especially since Inoue Kenjiro was a staunch opposition figure? Eliminating Inoue Kenjiro would have made Matsui Ichiro''s proselytizing ns much smoother. Therefore, we can specte that Matsui Ichiro attempted to use Hypnotic Incense on Inoue Kenjiro but failed, and the likely reason for this failure was the special effect of that jade pendant," Miyako Goudong continued. "The most important thing to remember is that in the Cthulhu RPG Game, items are generally not mentioned without reason," Miyako Goudong concluded. Chapter 289: Wall-Passing Technique Liu Xing hadn''t even spoken when Panda Pig chimed in with a smile, "Well, it''s not necessarily the case. Although there''s a possibility, don''t forget that from the photos and the content of thest letter, the Inoue Kenjiro family seemed to be in a normal state at that time. This suggests that the Hypnotic Incense didn''t affect the Inoue Kenjiro family. I don''t think a jade pendant alone would have such a good effect." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and said, "You''re right. I also think that a jade pendant alone wouldn''t have such a strong effect. Besides, it was just a farewell gift from Li Yongjie to Inoue Kenjiro. But speaking of Li Yongjie, I''m really curious about him. He seems far from ordinary." "That''s right. Li Yongjie is obviously not an ordinary person. First of all, he managed to find a ce as isted as Fisher''s Vige, and he even investigated the origins of the Ocean True Deity Sect. You know, these Secret Cults are usually well-hidden. I''ve been trying to investigate one of them in the past few modules, and I''ve made no progress so far. But Li Yongjie managed to uncover the history of the Ocean True Deity Sect in just a month. That''s not simple at all," Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement. Miyako Goudong was a bit defiant and said, "I also think this Zhang Yongjie is not ordinary. That''s why I believe the jade pendant is special." Seeing the situation, Liu Xing had to persuade, "You have a point, but if that jade pendant can reallypletely counteract the effects of the Hypnotic Incense, then it''s a treasure. If we were in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall''s shop, it would easily sell for at least 2000 points. So, I don''t think there will be such good benefits in the Shoggoth Region module." Miyako Goudong couldn''t argue with that because Liu Xing made a valid point. "Alright, let''s not talk about this topic anymore. Let''s discuss how to visit the Ancestral Hall in Fisher''s Vige. It''s likely that Matsui Ichiro has transformed it into a ce for conducting ritual ceremonies, and it''s also the final battlefield for this module. So, we need to go inside and take a look. But everyone should prepare mentally in advance because ces like these usually cause a loss of sanity," Ling Ishikawa stepped in to mediate. That was indeed a problem. Although Liu Xing was no longer concerned about his sanity, Ling Ishikawa and the others still had to undergo sanity checks. Given their identities, if they had a stroke of bad luck, they could easily fall into temporary madness, which would be a big issue. Thinking about this, Liu Xing sighed and volunteered, "I''ll take on the mission to explore the Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall. My character card''s sanity value is almost fixed, so as long as nothing major happens, I won''t go temporarily insane. So, I''ll go to Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall first to scout, and if everything looks fine, you can follow." Ling Ishikawa and the others agreed wholeheartedly when they heard Liu Xing''s offer. "Okay, let Liu Xing be the vanguard. But I think getting into Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall won''t be easy. Miyako Goudong mentioned earlier that the Ancestral Hall can probably only be entered through the main entrance, and Matsui Ichiro likely has various security measures in ce, including how to unlock it. Let me make it clear; I don''t have any Lockpicking Skill," Zhang Jingxu said seriously. Everyone exchanged nces, and only Panda Pig raised his hand and said, "I did learn Lockpicking Skill, but I learned it during an Interlude Growth. So, my Lockpicking Skill value is only 20." A Lockpicking Skill value of 20 was nearly equivalent to having none at all. The situation looked bleak. Everyone fell silent because if they couldn''t unlock the door, their n to enter the Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall would be nothing more than wishful thinking. They couldn''t just resort to forced entry, especially when facing Matsui Ichiro, unless Liu Xing and his group wanted to confront Matsui Ichiro head-on. "Well, what should we do then? If we fail to unlock it, not only will we be unable to enter the Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall, but it may also raise Matsui Yui''s anxiety level. So personally, I think we shouldn''t risk the one in five chance," Ling Ishikawa said in resignation. Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "Indeed, we can''t rely entirely on Lockpicking Skill. But I have a bold idea. Liu Xing, are you willing to give it a try?" Liu Xing felt a chill run down his spine suddenly, sensing that Zhang Jingxu might have something up his sleeve. Nevertheless, for the sake of the greater good, Liu Xing reluctantly nodded and said, "Tell me more." Zhang Jingxu grinned and took out a small bottle from his pocket. He exined, "This small bottle contains a special powder, a necessary material for me to use the Wall-Passing Technique. If I pour this powder on you and recite the incantation, you will gain the ability to pass through walls for a certain amount of time." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So, what''s the catch? Everyone knows that the Magic Spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game are one disappointment after another. Besides, this Wall-Passing Technique of yours sounds quite suspicious. Let me put it this way, Zhang Jingxu, have you ever used this Wall-Passing Technique?" Zhang Jingxu chuckled and shook his head, then proceeded to exin the details of the Wall-Passing Technique. The Wall-Passing Technique was an exclusive skill for Taoist characters. Only yers with the Taoist ss could learn and use it. To activate the Wall-Passing Technique, a special powder made from a mixture of various materials had to be evenly applied to someone''s body. Then, the incantation for the Wall-Passing Technique had to be recited. The sess rate of gaining the ability to pass through walls depended on the caster''s MP consumption. However, it was important to note that the sess rate of using the ability to pass through walls was calcted separately. For example, for Liu Xing to enter and exit the Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall, he would have to go through two separate Wall-Passing Technique judgments. Moreover, there was a prerequisite for using the Wall-Passing Technique: one had to forcefully hit their head against the wall to activate it. Without meeting this requirement, even if the Wall-Passing Technique judgment seeded, it would not be possible to pass through the wall. Zhang Jingxu grinned and said, "Liu Xing, do you dare to try the Wall-Passing Technique? Currently, in my experience, the sess rate of the Wall-Passing Technique is as high as 25 percent. Even if it fails, you''ll just end up with a few bumps on your head." Chapter 290: A New Speculation Liu Xing looked at Zhang Jingxu with a puzzled expression and said, "Can you really say something like that? Aren''t you concerned about my well-being? What if my luck isn''t in my favor, and I end up hurting myself by crashing into a wall?" Zhang Jingxu chuckled and began to exin in a serious tone, "You can''t put it that way. If the Wall-Passing Technique fails, there''s a 50% chance of an injury judgment. Only if the judgment seeds, you''ll lose 1d2 HP. So, Liu Xing, you have to believe in your luck. It won''te to that." Liu Xing sighed in resignation, feeling conflicted. "This Wall-Passing Technique can indeed allow me to enter Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall, but if my luck takes a bad turn, I might lose some HP. If there''s abat round in the uing module, I''ll be at a disadvantage. Besides, in Fisher''s Vige, I doubt there are any doctors or means to recover HP." At this point, Zhang Jingxu took out a small bottle from his pocket and interrupted Liu Xing, saying, "You don''t have to worry about that, Liu Xing. This small bottle contains a Healing Potion specially made by my sect. Regardless of the type of injury, a single dose can restore 1 HP. However, each yer can only use three Healing Potions during each module. I believe three Healing Potions should be sufficient." Liu Xing looked at the bottle in Zhang Jingxu''s hand and realized that he might indeed be manipted by Zhang Jingxu. It seemed he was really being pushed to crash into the wall. With this in mind, Liu Xing had to bravely say, "Alright, let me test the power of this Wall-Passing Technique. But let''s make it clear now, Zhang Jingxu, you must give me ten Healing Potions aspensation for my mental and medical expenses." Liu Xing didn''t want toe out on the losing end, especially if the Wall-Passing Technique failed, which would result in a real collision with a wall. The mental pressure was already significant, so he needed to gain some benefits from Zhang Jingxu. Besides, Zhang Jingxu''s Healing Potions were valuable. Although each Healing Potion could only restore 1 HP, and a yer could only use three during a module, they could ignore damage types, making them extremely useful. However, Liu Xing''s request shocked Zhang Jingxu, and he eximed, "Wow, Liu Xing, are you trying to extort me? You''ve seen the size of this bottle; do you think I have that many Healing Potions? I only have around ten at most right now, and unless I can return to my sect, I won''t be able to replenish Healing Potions. So, I can''t give you ten Healing Potions." Liu Xing knew that Zhang Jingxu couldn''t provide that many Healing Potions, as he could tell the small bottle couldn''t hold so many. But Liu Xing wanted the effect, so he negotiated. Therefore, Liu Xing had to pretend to be disappointed and said, "In that case, how about half? Give me five Healing Potions." Now, Zhang Jingxu understood Liu Xing''s intentions, and for the sake of the bigger picture, he reluctantly agreed, "Alright, let''s settle for that. After the Private Room session ends, we''ll y out this scenario, and I''ll give you five Healing Potions." With the deal in ce, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Alright, that''s settled then. But should we seize the opportunity and go to Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall tonight? We can alsoplete that Side Quest and explore Fisher''s Vige while we''re there." Yin En chimed in, "That''s possible, but we should send someone to scout ahead. After all, it''s just a Side Quest, and unexpected situations might arise. To avoid a party wipe, I think we need a suicide squad." Miyako Goudong shook his head, expressing his concerns, "I don''t think it''s a good idea to visit Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall at night. The dark night can bring various unforeseen dangers. I believe it''s safer to go in the morning. The vigers of Fisher''s Vige should be in their homes at that time, unable to monitor us. In the afternoon, they start activities, and that''s when it gets crowded." Panda Pig, on the other hand, had a different opinion, "Forgive me for saying this, but I think going in the morning might be riskier. We don''t know what the Fisher''s Vige residents are up to. Are they secretly observing us? Danger oftenes from the unknown. I believe it''s best to go in the afternoon when the vigers are out in the open. I observed them this afternoon, and they were all engaged in activities. If we take precautions and leave a couple of people behind to monitor them, we should be safe." Miyako Goudong and Panda Pig presented valid arguments, leaving Liu Xing unsure of what to say. However, Liu Xing realized a possibility, considering that Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall had been transformed into the Ocean True Deity Sect''s church. As the head of the Fisher''s Vige branch, Matsui Ichiro might be living in the Ancestral Hall itself. After all, the small ind where Fisher''s Vige was located was notrge, and ording to Miyako Goudong, she had circled around Fisher''s Vige without seeing any building that could be Matsui Ichiro''s residence. So unless Matsui Ichiro was living underground, he might indeed be in the Fisher''s Vige Ancestral Hall. Liu Xing couldn''t help but wonder, was Matsui Ichiro living in Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall? So, Liu Xing quickly spoke up, "In that case, Matsui Ichiro could be living in Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall, and the Side Quest we triggered earlier requires us to enter Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall. I used to think there might be traps or mythical creatures guarding the Ancestral Hall, but now, if Matsui Ichiro resides there, entering might lead us straight to him." Liu Xing''s words left everyone in silence for a moment. Finally, Liu Xing''s loyal ally, Yin En, spoke up, saying, "I think Liu Xing is right. Matsui Ichiro, as an Ocean True Deity Sect missionary, living in Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall makes sense. Besides, Matsui Ichiro referred to the Ancestral Hall as a forbidden ce, so it''s likely filled with secrets he''s guarding personally." Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, "Indeed, but if that''s the case, our n to enter Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall besplicated. Even if Liu Xing uses the Wall-Passing Technique to get inside, he might easily be discovered by Matsui Ichiro. If that happens, unless Liu Xing gets incredibly lucky with persuasion or quick talking, or if he can eliminate Matsui Ichiro right away, Liu Xing might have to forfeit the game." "In that case, if the Wall-Passing Technique fails, my headache and HP loss will be the least of my concerns. If Matsui Ichiro hears any noise, I''m in deep trouble," Liu Xing couldn''t help butment. Miyako Goudong patted Liu Xing on the shoulder and smiled, "That''s not necessarily the case. With Matsui Ichiro''s methods as a fanatic of the Secret Cult, Liu Xing, you won''t go down so easily." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Miyako Goudong was correct. From what he had seen in "WatanabeRyusei''s" memories, the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect had a special department dedicated to handling individuals detrimental to their cause. This included apostates and those who posed a threat to the sect. The methods employed by this special department were varied and unimaginable. So, Liu Xing felt that if he fell into Matsui Ichiro''s hands, his fate would be abstractly horrifying. Thinking about it, Liu Xing couldn''t help but shiver. This was a real Cthulhu RPG Game, and the sensations from any harm were no different from reality. He had already experienced the horror of standing on the brink of death when the "Liu Xing" character card was poisoned. Even now, the memory of that feeling sent chills down his spine. So, Liu Xing voiced his concerns, "Let''s put our n to enter Fisher''s Vige''s Ancestral Hall on hold. We should wait until we confirm whether Matsui Ichiro is indeed residing there before making a decision." Yin En and the others nodded, as they understood that if Liu Xing got into trouble, their situations wouldn''t be any better. Matsui Yui''s anxiety would likely skyrocket, and someone might have to apany Liu Xing to the afterlife. "Here''s an idea. Does anyone here have tracking skills? I think Alice will probably go to see Matsui Yui again tomorrow. We can simply tail Alice, and she''ll lead us to Matsui Ichiro''s residence," Yin En suggested. However, they faced the same issue again. None of the yers present had tracking skills. But Liu Xing shook his head and said with a smile, "We don''t necessarily have to actively tail Alice to find out Matsui Ichiro''s location. We can wait for her at the Fisher''s Vige''s old site." So, Liu Xing and the others decided to have Miyako Goudong be on standby at the Fisher''s Vige''s old site early the next morning. But Liu Xing was curious about what it was like to y as "Miyako Goudong," a character with an over-the-top Chuunibyou attribute. In response to Liu Xing''s question, Miyako Goudong sighed and said, "What kind of game experience can I have with a character card like this? Cards with a Chuunibyou attribute are tough to y. After all, they''re practically designed to be sacrificial in Cthulhu RPG Game. I''ve been on the brink of tearing up my card multiple times due to this attribute. I''ve yed eight modules with this character card, and every time, I barely avoided tearing it up. It''s all because of this attribute that forces me to take risks and face danger alone." What was even more challenging for "Miyako Goudong" was that every time they encountered a mythical creature, they had an inexplicable confidence and believed they could take it on alone. So, Miyako Goudong had to charge in first, only to start nning their escape afterward. Therefore, Miyako Goudong felt that their character card in this Cthulhu RPG Game was akin to Don Quixote. After listening to Miyako Goudong''s story, Liu Xing felt fortunate that his character card wasn''t too troublesome, at least in terms of personalitypatibility. He didn''t have to make many choices that went against his character... for now. Chapter 291: The Disappearance of Ling Ishikawa Liu Xing couldn''t help but think that if his character card could survive a few more modules, he could be a true Secret Cult leader. He had a feeling that he would be in over his head by then. After all, as the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Liu Xing had some decisions to make, like how to deal with the heretics from the Deep Sea Gospel Society... With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing couldn''t help but sigh. He could already see his hands stained with blood. Just then, Yin En suddenly spoke up, "Damn, why do I feel like..." Before Yin En could finish his sentence, Liu Xing saw a sh of white light in front of him, and when he looked back at Yin En, he realized that Yin En had disappeared without a trace. There was no need to say more; Yin En had been sent to Hybrier by Honda Tetsuya. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and said with frustration, "I can''t believe it, the teleportation happened too early this time. We haven''t evenpleted half of the module''s progress, and now we''re short one person." Miyako Goudong, who was nearby, nodded and said, "ns can''t always keep up with changes. But it''s not a big problem. We still have plenty of time. We can use these two days to prepare properly and wait for Ling Ishikawa to return before we take action. The tricky part is that if any NPCs besides Lu Tianya find out about Ling Ishikawa''s sudden disappearance, Matsui Yui''s anxiety level is likely to skyrocket." Liu Xing sighed in resignation. As Miyako Goudong had pointed out, if anyone outside of Lu Tianya, even Dogo Aige, found out about Yin En''s sudden disappearance, it would be a big problem. Dogo Aige might inform Matsui Yui, especially since Yin En was his guest, and now he had vanished within Fisher''s Vige, which was currently cut off from the outside world. For Matsui Yui, or rather Matsui Ichiro, having someone mysteriously disappear within the vige he controlled, and not being able to find that person, would surely make him extremely anxious. After all, Fisher''s Vige was now isted from the outside world. If Matsui Ichiro panicked, Matsui Yui''s anxiety level would definitely rise, and it wouldn''t be a one-time increase. It would gradually increase over time. So, Matsui Yui''s anxiety level was sure to exceed a hundred eventually, and as for how much higher it would go, that was uncertain. Zhang Jingxu proposed a solution, "Let''s tell everyone that Ling Ishikawa is sick and needs istion and treatment. After all, only Dogo Aigees to deliver food every day, so as long as we send him away, the other NPCs shouldn''t pay much attention to Ling Ishikawa." Everyone nodded in agreement; it seemed like the only viable option at the moment. Just then, KP Green Light spoke up, "Alright, today''s Private Room time is almost up. yers, please prepare yourselves. At the same time, I''d like each yer to undergo a sanity check because you witnessed Ling Ishikawa''s sudden disappearance. However, since Ling Ishikawa had already informed all yers except for Miyako Goudong about these events, only Miyako Goudong will need to make a sanity check, with a sess resulting in a loss of 1d3 sanity points and a failure resulting in a loss of 2d3 sanity points. The other yers will undergo a sanity check as well, with a sess resulting in no loss of sanity and a failure resulting in a loss of 1d3 sanity points. Of course, due to Liu Xing''s special circumstances, he will not need to undergo this sanity check." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing he had forgotten about this part. Fortunately, his special status exempted him from the sanity check. However, the unluckiest one was Miyako Goudong, as he had been acting alone on the first night and hadn''t heard Ling Ishikawa''s warning. Zhang Jingxu: 13/70, sess. Panda Pig: 75/76, sess. Miyako Goudong: 64/58, failure. Miyako Goudong: 2d3=3. Liu Xing was surprised to see that Miyako Goudong''s sanity was only 58 points. He hadn''t expected it to be so low, but then he remembered Miyako Goudong''s fascination with mysterious events and how he eagerly participated in sanity checks that could have been avoided. So, his low sanity was understandable. With a sympathetic nce, Liu Xing, Zhang Jingxu, and Panda Pig looked at Miyako Goudong. "Alright, this time only Miyako Goudong loses 3 sanity points. Private Room time is officially over. yers, you can now start ying your roles," KP Green Light said with a cheerful smile. As soon as KP Green Light finished speaking, Miyako Goudong jumped up and eximed, "What''s going on? How did Ling Ishikawa suddenly disappear?!" Panda Pig, sitting next to Miyako Goudong, stood up and patted his shoulder, exining Ling Ishikawa''s situation. After hearing Panda Pig''s exnation, Miyako Goudong suddenly realized, "So Ling Ishikawa is the chosen one from the legends. When he returns, I must spar with him and discuss Magic Spells with him." Faced with Miyako Goudong''s over-the-top enthusiasm, everyone had no words. Due to Ling Ishikawa''s sudden disappearance, the group decided to temporarily postpone their earlier ns and returned to their rooms to rest. Liu Xing went back to his room, stood by the window, and observed the outside as usual. As expected, due to theck of moonlight, the world outside was pitch-ck. With a sigh, Liu Xing washed up and went to sleep. The next morning, Liu Xing woke up on time, but he could hear the sound of rain outside. It was raining. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that after participating in so many modules, he had finally encountered rainy weather. However, this rainy day had both good and bad aspects. The good part was that because of the rain, Ling Ishikawa''s "sickness" could be considered reasonable. The bad part was that the rain prevented Liu Xing and the others from going outside. In a small vige like Fisher''s Vige, the roads became muddy, and the sea was not calm during rainy days. So, Liu Xing and his group had no suitable reason to go outside. Attempting to do so would arouse suspicion from Matsui Yui and Matsui Ichiro, potentially raising Matsui Yui''s anxiety level once again. Therefore, Liu Xing sighed and realized that he would have to stay in the vi and rest today. Just then, Liu Xing heard a knock on the door, and Dogo Aige was outside, saying, "Ryusei, it''s time to eat." Liu Xing responded and quickly put on his clothes before opening the door. He saw Dogo Aige about to knock on Ling Ishikawa''s door. Seeing this, Liu Xing hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Dogo Aige, Ling Ishikawa caught a cold while he was out for a walk yesterday because of the sea breeze. So, he has been feeling unwell sincest night, and he''s probably still asleep. After all, rainy days are perfect for resting." Dogo Aige nodded with concern and said, "I see. It''s easy to catch a cold on the ind, especially with the weather being not so good these days. You all need to take care of yourselves. However, fortunately, Matsui Yui''s father knows some medicine. Should I go find him now to check on Ling Ishikawa?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised that Matsui Ichiro had medical knowledge. But upon reflection, it made sense for Matsui Ichiro, as a missionary, to have some medical skills. Throughout history, many religious missionaries possessed basic medical knowledge. They would use their medical skills to treat illnesses and convert people, attributing the recovery of patients to faith. However, Liu Xing certainly wouldn''t let Matsui Ichiro treat Ling Ishikawa because Ling Ishikawa wasn''t sick; he had just disappeared suddenly. So, Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, saying, "There''s no need for that. When we came to Fisher''s Vige, we prepared somemon medicines. Ling Ishikawa has already taken some, so all he needs now is rest." Dogo Aige listened to Liu Xing and nodded, saying, "Alright, if Ling Ishikawa''s condition doesn''t improve, Ryusei, you cane to my thatched hut, and I''ll take you to Matsui Yui''s father for help." Liu Xing nodded and asked, "Sure, but by the way, Dogo Aige, is your thatched hut okay with this rain? Won''t it leak?" Dogo Aige shrugged and said with a smile, "My thatched hut is fine for now. Although it looks a bit simple, it hasn''t leaked. The only trouble has been the journey here. Well, let''s not chat here. It wouldn''t be good if we woke up Ling Ishikawa." With that, Liu Xing and Dogo Aige went to the vi''s first floor. On the first floor, Liu Xing saw Matsui Yui chatting with Alice. When Dogo Aige came down, Matsui Yui exchanged greetings with Liu Xing and the others and then left with Alice. Dogo Aige also exchanged pleasantries with them and then left the vi. Liu Xing sat down in his spot and said, "Dogo Aige almost found out about Ling Ishikawa''s disappearance just now. Fortunately, I stopped him in time. Now, let''s coordinate our story. I''ll say that Ling Ishikawa caught a cold while taking a walk yesterday and has been bedridden since. After all, rainy days are ideal for resting. But please don''t slip up, and I really didn''t expect Matsui Ichiro to know how to treat illnesses." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "It''s actually quite normal. For example, I have some medical knowledge too. Taoists like me often travel around, and even though I usually operate in the city these days, I still asionally go on missions in remote areas. In case of emergencies in the wilderness, I need to ensure I can take care of myself or help others." "But on another note, it seems like our luck isn''t that great. We''ve encountered a rainy day, and now we can''t go outside. After all, we don''t even have an umbre. If we get caught in the rain and catch a cold, it could be troublesome." Liu Xing looked at the rain outside. Although it wasn''t heavy, the cold weather could easily lead to a judgment on whether they caught a cold if they got wet. "So, for now, we can only rest in the vi and wait for the rain to stop. But if I remember correctly, rain on the ind tends tost quite a while, as the ocean continuously provides moisture to the rain clouds. So, I think this rain willst for at least a day or two, if not longer," Panda Pigmented. Hearing Panda Pig''s words, Liu Xing began to suspect that this was the module''s automatic correction mechanism. Since they had gathered too much information, the rain was likely a deliberate obstacle to keep them inside the vi, effectively wasting a couple of days. Liu Xing sighed and leaned back in his chair, saying, "Well, it looks like we''ll have to stay here and contemte life for the next couple of days. Do any of you have ying cards or something to pass the time? We can''t go outside now." Panda Pig nodded and said, "You know what? I actually brought a deck of ying cards in my backpack because when I received Dogo Aige''s invitation, I had a feeling this trip to Fisher''s Vige might be a bit boring. So, I brought a deck of cards since they don''t take up much space." As Panda Pig spoke, he got up and went upstairs. Soon, a deck of cards appeared on the living room table. However, at that moment, Liu Xing realized that the lighter on the table was missing. Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing said, "By the way, where did the lighter on this table go? I remember Miyako Goudong put it back after he finished showering yesterday. So, one of you must have it. If you''re not using it, can you give it to me? I''m thinking of taking a shower today." Everyone looked at each other, and it was evident that none of them had the lighter. The truth became clear: the lighter was with Ling Ishikawa. "If I remember correctly, when I put the lighter back yesterday, Ling Ishikawa took it, saying he intended to take a shower at night. But he disappearedst night," Miyako Goudong confirmed. "Well, that''s a problem. It seems we won''t be able to take showers until Miyako Goudong returns. We''ll have to make do without it for now," Liu Xing said with frustration, thinking about that impractical fire starter. However, Zhang Jingxu suddenly said, "Wait a minute, we might be in luck. If Dogo Aige didn''t misspeak, Fisher''s Vige has hosted many Wedding Ceremonies, so the vi we''re staying in might have some interesting items left behind by previous guests." As Zhang Jingxu spoke, KP Green Light chimed in, "Congrattions, yers, you''ve triggered the fifth Side Quest: ''Find Suspicious Items in the Vi.'' If you find five suspicious items, you''ll receive 500 points." Chapter 292: Taming Beasts Just as KP Green Light had initially mentioned, there were indeed numerous Side Quests within this module. Unexpectedly, a casual remark triggered one. However, the activation of this Side Quest validated Zhang Jingxu''s spection that there were indeed remnants of previous upants in this vi, and they were suspicious items. "Suspicious" is an interesting word. Everyone exchanged nces, and Liu Xing stepped forward, suggesting, "Since that''s the case, and we have some spare time, why don''t we y a treasure hunt game in the vi? After all, ordinary vigers of Fisher''s Vige wouldn''t enter this ce. So, those who lived here before might have left behind some interesting things." At this moment, Lu Tianya looked at Liu Xing with some amusement and remarked, "Ryusei, I didn''t expect you to still be so childish. You actually want to y a treasure hunt game? Tsk, tsk." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that he had been teased by Lu Tianya. But when he thought about it, Liu Xing realized that his suggestion did seem a bit childish. However, it was because of the Side Quest. Lu Tianya, being an NPC, didn''t know about the Side Quest, which was why he responded that way. To mediate, Zhang Jingxu, sitting next to Lu Tianya, smiled and said, "Lu Tianya, how can you say that? Ryusei''s suggestion isn''t bad at all. After all, Fisher''s Vige has limitedmunication with the outside world, and those who lived here in the past probably wouldn''te back to search for lost items after leaving Fisher''s Vige. It would be too troublesome. So, if this vi hasn''t been thoroughly cleaned, we might find quite a few things." "Most importantly, if Fisher''s Vige really poses a threat to the male rtives of our group, then this vi might hold some evidence. We can be prepared. So, while Alice is away, let''s search this vi thoroughly. Hopefully, we can find something useful." Thus, everyone started to divide the tasks. Since the first floor was rtively spacious with few ces to hide things, Miyako Goudong took charge of searching it. On the second floor, Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu were responsible for the search, while on the third floor, Panda Pig conducted the search. Regarding whether they should take the opportunity to enter Alice''s room, opinions were divided among the group. Miyako Goudong and Panda Pig believed they should enter Alice''s room while she was away to see what she had brought to Fisher''s Vige and potentially deduce her purpose. However, Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu thought it best to be cautious, as Alice was responsible for intelligence work at the Deep Sea Gospel Society''s Kyoto branch. Her counter-investigation measures were likely well-prepared. Rushing into her room could leave traces, leading toplications. At the very least, Matsui Yui''s anxiety would increase. So, concerning Alice''s room, the group decided to wait and watch for now and refrain from entering it casually to avoid unexpectedplications. Liu Xing returned to his room and contacted KP Green Light, saying, "KP, I want to perform an inspiration judgment to think about which ces in this room might conceal something." KP Green Light immediately replied, "Of course, you can do that, but this time the inspiration judgment will be hidden, and I''ll provide you with different information based on the result." Liu Xing, ???/70, ??? After performing the inspiration judgment, Liu Xing had an idea. Under the bed, in the closet, and in the bathroom were likely ces to find hidden items. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, knowing that his inspiration was likely just an ordinary sess or even a failure. He would have searched these three ces regardless, without needing an inspiration judgment. After the inspiration judgment, Liu Xing heard a series of dice being rolled, indicating that other yers were also making various judgments. Sighing, Liu Xing activated the shlight mode on his phone, got down on the floor, and began inspecting under the bed. As expected, there was nothing under the bed, not even a speck of dust. Fisher''s Vige was secluded, and few people visited, so there was little chance for dust to umte. Typically, if something of one''s own was lost under the bed, it could be easily found by bending down. Next, Liu Xing started rummaging through the closet and, to his surprise, found something unusual in a small cab ¨C a thumb-sized Pikachu toy, one of those cheap stic toys sold on the streets. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing that someone, likely a child, had stayed in this room at some point. However, when Liu Xing picked up the Pikachu toy, he noticed that it felt unusually heavy. He suspected that there was a piece of metal inside, covered with ayer of stic. This was clearly abnormal because no toy manufacturer would use metal to make children''s toys due to the high cost. Carefully, Liu Xing took out a ritual dagger from his backpack and delicately cut open the stic covering the Pikachu toy. Inside, he found a piece of pink-colored metal. Liu Xing furrowed his brow again; this pink metal was clearly unusual. He had never seen metal of this color before. Furthermore, based on thews of nature, things with strange colors were usually not a good sign. So, Liu Xing wrapped the unknown metal in a piece of paper and put it in his bag. Next, he proceeded to inspect the bathroom. The bathroom was rtively spacious, but there were few ces to search. Soon, Liu Xing found a partially burned notebook hidden beneath the ashes in the bathtub. The notebook had an anime-style cover, and Liu Xing had a hunch that it belonged to the same person as the strange metal. "This is getting interesting. Logically, the owner of these two items should be a child, but how could a child have this strange-colored metal or toy?" Liu Xing muttered to himself. Liu Xing opened the notebook, and fortunately, the owner had also been an Ind Nation person, so Liu Xing could read its contents. Although the notebook didn''t reveal the owner''s name, it was evident from the handwriting and content that the owner was a primary school student. The notebook was essentially a diary, recording trivial everyday events. Liu Xing skimmed through the elementary school student''s diary and found one noteworthy clue: the diary ended on November 3, 2010. In the entry for that day, it mentioned terms like "wedding," "sister-inw," and "brother." Clearly, the owner of this diary had a brother who got married to a woman from Fisher''s Vige on November 3, 2010. The diary had somehow ended up here and was partially burnt for unknown reasons. Liu Xing spected that since the diary wasn''tpletely destroyed, the room had likely remained unopened since November 3, 2010, indicating it had been vacant for several years. From this, he deduced that Fisher''s Vige might not have held any weddings or rituals in these years. Liu Xing frowned, recalling what Dogo Aige had said about Fisher''s Vige frequently hosting weddings, especially because male rtives of the vige had to return for weddings. So, Liu Xing believed Dogo Aige had been misled. Liu Xing ced the diary and the unidentified metal on the table and continued searching the room. Ten minutester, Liu Xing made another discovery. He noticed peculiar scratches on the window frame. These scratches appeared random, but he felt there was some connection. Liu Xing decided to ask KP Green Light, "KP, can I perform an inspiration judgment on these scratches now?" KP Green Light thought for a moment and said, "Of course, but you can also choose to make an ultism Judgment on them." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. His inspiration score was 70, while his ultism skill score was 80. So, he chose to make an ultism Judgment. Liu Xing: 16/80, Sess. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed luck was on his side. KP Green Light then exined, "You''ve discovered that these scratches appear to form abination of several magical runes. If you want to analyze the specific effects of these runes, it will take 5 hours, and you''ll need to make an ultism Judgment for each rune." Liu Xing''s eyes lit up. He hadn''t expected these scratches to form magical runes, and multiple runes at that. However, it wasn''t the right time to analyze their effects. He needed to take the diary and the unidentified metal he found earlier downstairs. After finishing the search in his room, Liu Xing entered Ling Ishikawa''s room. Since Ling Ishikawa was one of his staunch allies, Zhang Jingxu assigned Liu Xing the responsibility of searching his room. Upon entering, Liu Xing noticed a backpack haphazardly ced on the table with the zipper open. ording to scientific research, most people tend to be curious about others'' privacy and unconsciously want to pry into it, especially when they are sure that the person is not present and won''t return soon. Although Liu Xing was an exception, when he nced inside the backpack, he saw a talisman. Curiosity got the better of him, and he reached in to take the talisman. The moment he touched the talisman, Liu Xing received information about it. A Calming Talisman that could make the holder feel calm andposed. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. The description of this Calming Talisman was intriguing, but it didn''t seem to reduce Sanity (San) loss, which was what mattered in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Only the effects specifically mentioned would be effective. However, Liu Xing couldn''t help but wonder why Ling Ishikawa had this talisman in his backpack. Curiosity killed the cat, they say, and Liu Xing''s curiosity had now been piqued twice. Liu Xing couldn''t resist reaching into Ling Ishikawa''s backpack again and found another item ¨C the Beast Tamer''s Notes. The Beast Tamer''s Notes were written by a famous beast tamer and detailed how this tamer had tamed powerful and unruly beasts. Interestingly, the tamer was eventually attacked and killed by one of the beasts he had tamed. To read and understand this book, yers needed to spend 36 hours on it, and uponpletion, they would gain a Beast Taming skill value of 1d20+20. Beast Taming skill? Liu Xing furrowed his brow. Why would Ling Ishikawa want to learn Beast Taming? Did he intend to change his character from a swordsman to a druid? However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something Wu Lei had mentioned ¨C a peculiar yer who had persuaded KP to let him use the Beast Taming skill on a wild Formless Offspring. The result had been outstanding, and he sessfully tamed the Formless Offspring. In a way, mythical creatures were not much different from lions or tigers, just more intelligent and powerful. So, learning Beast Taming might indeed be a feasible option. Liu Xing stroked his chin and decided to ask Ling Ishikawa about it when he returned. First, he put Ling Ishikawa''s items back in his backpack. After searching Ling Ishikawa''s room, Liu Xing went to the window. As expected, there were simr scratches on Ling Ishikawa''s window frame, identical to the ones on his own window frame. Chapter 293: Video With this discovery, Liu Xing could now confirm that every room in this vi, even every window, was adorned with theseplex magical arrays. Liu Xing didn''t yet understand the purpose of these arrays, but he was certain they wouldn''t bode well for him and hispanions. But then again, was Matsui Ichiro truly a wizard, or was there a hidden wizard somewhere in Fisher''s Vige? Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing that if there were indeed wizards in Fisher''s Vige, it wouldn''t be good news. Setting aside his questions for now, Liu Xing searched through Ling Ishikawa''s room, but found nothing significant. If anything could be considered a discovery, it was a small stain on the curtain. However, the shape of this stain was peculiar, resembling a squid-like form with a single elongated tentacle. Liu Xing felt that it might be some sort of totem. So, Liu Xing took out his phone and captured an image of the stain. After searching Yin En''s room, Liu Xing headed straight to the ground floor''s living room, where the others were already seated, each with some small items in front of them. Seeing Liu Xing''s arrival, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Alright, now that everyone is here, let''s start by sharing what we''ve found. Allow me to begin." Zhang Jingxu picked up a memory card and continued, "I found this memory card beneath my bedsheet in my room. It looks just like an ordinary memory card, but the crucial part is the content it holds. So, I''m going to insert it into my phone now." As he spoke, Zhang Jingxu took out his phone and inserted the memory card. At that moment, KP Green Light stepped forward and said, "Alright, let''s have yer Zhang Jingxu attempt a Luck Judgment. If he doesn''t pass this Luck Judgment, the memory card will be considered damaged." Zhang Jingxu rolled the dice: 33/60, a sess. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Zhang Jingxu''s luck value was so low, just barely passing the threshold with a score of 60. Fortunately, this time, the Luck Judgment was sessful. Zhang Jingxu felt the gazes of Liu Xing and the others and spoke somewhat resignedly, "I almost forgot to mention, my luck hasn''t been great, so I suspected this memory card might be damaged." Lu Tianya chimed in, nodding knowingly, "I remember that time Zhang Jingxu bought three instant noodle packs, and none of them had seasoning packets. Those were three different brands from different ces, mind you." Lu Tianya''sment brought smiles to everyone''s faces, and Liu Xing guessed that Zhang Jingxu must have experienced three major luck failures at that time. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhang Jingxu quickly changed the topic and said, "It seems I had some luck this time. The memory card seems fine. Let''s all take a look. The files on this card are mostly videos, so it appears to be meant for recording videos." Hearing Zhang Jingxu''s words, everyone gathered around him. He proceeded to y one of the videos. Judging by the video''s thumbnail, it was filmed in front of a female dormitory. Liu Xing was sure of this because he saw numerous clothes hanging on every balcony. The video began,sting just over ten minutes. As expected, the video showed a young man setting up red candles in the shape of a heart in front of the dormitory. It appeared that the person recording was his roommate, chatting with others. From their conversation, it was clear that the young man was a student from a Tokyo university who had met a girl from another university at a social event. After several interactions, he had developed feelings for her and decided to confess his love. To gather courage, he had brought along his roommate and asked him to record the moment. Therefore, the owner of this memory card was the young man in the video. After a while, the young man lit the candles and bravely shouted, "YamadaYuko, I love you!" Momentster, the female lead of the video finally appeared, and Zhang Jingxu was so startled by her appearance that he paused the video. The reason for his surprise was that the "YamadaYuko" in the video looked exactly like Matsui Yui. "This... This ''YamadaYuko'' must be Matsui Yui," Zhang Jingxu eximed in astonishment. Liu Xing nodded in agreement, saying, "Absolutely, this has to be Matsui Yui. Unless there''s another person who looks identical to her." The video was so clear that Liu Xing could be so sure. "Let''s continue watching. We need to see what happens next in the plot. Maybe Matsui Yui isn''t really ''YamadaYuko''; perhaps she just happened to pass by," Miyako Goudong suggested with an unusual exnation. However, everyone present understood that Matsui Yui was undoubtedly the "YamadaYuko" referred to in the video. After all, the memory card had ended up in Fisher''s Vige. So, they resumed watching the video. As the young man saw Matsui Yui, he knelt down on one knee and confessed his feelings, addressing her as "YamadaYuko." Eventually, Matsui Yui epted his confession, and they embraced and kissed amid the cheering of the onlookers. The scene left Liu Xing and the others in stunned silence. The video ended. Liu Xing sighed and said, "What on earth is going on? How did Matsui Yui be ''YamadaYuko,'' and why did she ept another guy''s confession? Most importantly, how did this memory card end up here?" Zhang Jingxu checked the video''s properties and exined, "This video was recorded on January 15, 2010. At that time, Dogo Aige probably didn''t even know Matsui Yui. Maybe Matsui Yui used an alias while attending university, as some universities in the Ind Nation allow admission with just money. Besides, it''s not a big deal for Matsui Yui to have been in a rtionship with that guy; after all, we value rtionship freedom nowadays." "As for how this memory card ended up here, I think it''s because Matsui Yui brought this guy to Fisher''s Vige for someone else''s wedding. So, that guy identally left the memory card here. But let''s make it clear right now: we can''t let Dogo Aige find out about this video." Zhang Jingxu had to provide this exnation forcefully because if they didn''t, the yers would be in a difficult situation. After all, if Dogo Aige were to see this video, even if he didn''t say anything, he would surely feel ufortable. As Dogo Aige''s good friends, Liu Xing and the others would sympathize with him upon seeing this video. Sharing the contents of the video with Dogo Aige would be understandable. Therefore, Zhang Jingxu wanted to preemptively prevent everyone from discussing it. The others nodded in agreement. Panda Pig, who was most likely to reveal the truth to Dogo Aige, reluctantly agreed as well, saying, "Dogo Aige is a bit stubborn. If he finds out about this Matsui Yui video, he probably won''t take it well. He''ll most likely lose his temper, confront Matsui Yui, and the wedding will be ruined. So, it''s necessary for us to keep this video a secret." Panda Pig''s words served as a reminder to Liu Xing and the others: they must not let Dogo Aige find out about these events, as it could spell disaster for the module. Zhang Jingxu quickly suggested, "How about we break this memory card right now to eliminate the evidence? It would be a clean solution." However, Panda Pig shook his head and said, "No rush, let''s finish watching the other videos first. There are over ten more, and who knows, there might be useful information hidden in them." Liu Xing agreed with Panda Pig''s approach, even though it carried some risk. They believed that the remaining videos might contain crucial information, and the potential benefits outweighed the drawbacks. So, Zhang Jingxu reluctantly agreed and proceeded to open the next video. In this video, Matsui Yui and the young man, now identified as Yamashita Kojiro, were having a candlelit dinner together. The video was once again recorded by Yamashita Kojiro himself. As they watched the subsequent videos, it became clear that most of them showcased Yamashita Kojiro and Matsui Yui enjoying their time together as a couple, often disying affection. Even Liu Xing began to feel ufortable watching them, and there were still two videos left. "I can''t believe Yamashita Kojiro loves making videos, especially these lovey-dovey ones," Miyako Goudong grumbled, revealing his single status. Zhang Jingxu looked at Lu Tianya and opened the second-tost video. This video was shot inside a KTV room, with Yamashita Kojiro singing a romantic song to Matsui Yui. After finishing the song, Yamashita Kojiro got down on one knee again and presented a red box, presumably containing a ring. To everyone''s surprise, Matsui Yui epted Yamashita Kojiro''s proposal. "What?! Matsui Yui actually epted Yamashita Kojiro''s proposal? What the hell? Are you kidding me?" Panda Pig eximed in disbelief. Lu Tianya, too, furrowed his brow and said, "Could it be that Matsui Yui is already married? This is just too..." Liu Xing shook his head, realizing that things were not as straightforward as they seemed. After all, this was the world of Cthulhu RPG Game. Liu Xing believed there was more to discover in the final video, and it held the answers to their questions. With a sigh, Liu Xing said, "Alright, let''s watch thest video. I believe this video will provide the answers we need." Zhang Jingxu nodded and opened thest video. Surprisingly, this video was shot in Fisher''s Vige, seemingly on the beach. Most importantly, the video showed preparations for a wedding ceremony! It confirmed Liu Xing''s suspicions. Liu Xing had figured it all out. In the background voices of the video, they mentioned that this was the wedding of Matsui Yui and Yamashita Kojiro. Matsui Yui was now referred to as YamadaYuko. In the end, amidst the blessings of those present, Yamashita Kojiro and Matsui Yuipleted their wedding ceremony. The final videosted half an hour, and as they watched it from start to finish, their hearts felt heavy. Liu Xing was now certain that the wedding in Fisher''s Vige was undoubtedly a trap. Yamashita Kojiro was most likely deceased, or else this memory card wouldn''t have been left behind. Furthermore, it was evident that Matsui Yui had approached Dogo Aige with the intention of making him a sacrifice. Liu Xing and his rtives were likely to be caught up in it as well. "It seems the situation is even more serious than we imagined. Dogo Aige has fallen into a trap, and we''ve been ensnared as well," Panda Pigmented. Liu Xing nodded and took out the unidentified metal and diary he had found. He said, "If everything goes as expected, these two items I discovered should belong to Yamashita Kojiro''s family. The diary mentions the wedding, after all." Chapter 294: The Hidden Truth - Main Quest Liu Xing shared the contents of the diary with everyone. "It seems that the people who left these things behind are likely the same group, all here to attend the wedding of Yamashita Kojiro and Matsui Yui. Most importantly, these people should all be deceased by now, or else these items wouldn''t be left here," Liu Xing said with a solemn expression. Zhang Jingxu nodded and added, "Learning from others'' mistakes, we are now in the same predicament as those who left these items. It seems this wedding might be more dangerous than we anticipated. After all, this is Matsui Ichiro''s territory, and the vigers of Fisher''s Vige are now under hismand. We are outnumbered and outmatched." Silence fell among the group as they contemted their options. Initially, Liu Xing had thought that their mission was simply to convince Dogo Aige to go through with the wedding, perhaps with some minor disagreements between Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige. But now, it appeared that attending the wedding was the least of their concerns; they were in the midst of a dangerous conspiracy. "So, what should we do now? We are almost certain that the Ocean True Deity Sect is just another Secret Cult like the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and we are about to be their sacrificialmbs," Liu Xing pondered aloud. Zhang Jingxu sighed and replied, "Given our current strength, our best option is to outsmart them rather than confront them head-on. Ocean True Deity Sect is much more powerful than us. If we engage in a direct conflict, we wille out as the losers." "However, we have few cards to y at the moment, or rather, we have no cards to y. We are trapped on this ind with no means ofmunication with the outside world. We alsock any leverage to make Matsui Ichiro think twice about his actions. So, our only chance is on the day of the wedding when a small cruise ship will be avable, or if luck is on our side, we might be able to escape using the small boats at the Fisher''s Vige pier." Liu Xing nodded, wearing a bitter smile. "That seems unrealistic. Matsui Ichiro, if he''s of normal intelligence, won''t give us that opportunity. He will likely strike before the cruise ship docks, and I suspect the crew on that cruise ship may be followers of the Ocean True Deity Sect." "True," Miyako Goudong added. "If I recall correctly, there''s a small shack at the Fisher''s Vige pier, and an old man sits there to oversee the boats. If we show any intention of taking a boat, that old man will surely alert Matsui Ichiro. We won''t be able to escape." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, acknowledging the uracy of Miyako Goudong''s statement. In his memory, he had seen the small shack when he and Ling Ishikawa disembarked from the cruise ship. However, due to Dogo Aige''s warm wee, Liu Xing hadn''t paid much attention to it. Furthermore, Liu Xing remembered that the location of the small shack was strategic, offering a clear view of the Fisher''s Vige pier with no hiding spots nearby. If they were to attempt to take a boat and escape, every move would be observed by the old man overseeing the boats. "In that case, we might as well take a bold approach and go for the boats at the Fisher''s Vige pier directly. I doubt that old man even has a gun," Panda Pig suggested firmly. Lu Tianya interjected, "Even if we manage to seize a boat, we still face a problem. Can we actually row it away? If Matsui Ichiro truly wants us as sacrificialmbs, he might have tampered with the boats at the Fisher''s Vige pier. He could have punctured holes or taken the oars, leaving us unable to sail away. Plus, we don''t even have apass; we wouldn''t know which way to navigate." Lu Tianya''s words deted Panda Pig''s enthusiasm, causing him to slump in his chair. "So, what should we do? Are we just going to wait for our doom?" Liu Xing pondered the options and then spoke, "We still have three possible courses of action. The first is to capture the ringleader, Matsui Ichiro, directly. Since the vigers of Fisher''s Vige are under his control, once we apprehend Matsui Ichiro, the remaining vigers should pose no threat. However, this option has its own uncertainties, mainly involving Matsui Yui and Alice, as they are the only individuals in Fisher''s Vige not under Matsui Ichiro''s control." "The second option is to seek help from Inoue Haruto. Since he is on our side, I believe Inoue Haruto would be willing to assist us. We can use his boat to leave Fisher''s Vige. However, as you''ve all seen, Inoue Haruto''s boat is quite small, and he can only take two or three of us at a time. If we intend to rescue Dogo Aige, we would need to make multiple trips to and from Fisher''s Vige, which would consume a lot of time. Moreover, if Matsui Ichiro discovers our n, those who remain in Fisher''s Vige would be in jeopardy." "Lastly, the third option, and the most uncertain one, is to gamble on what''s beneath us. If whatever is under our feet can make Matsui Ichiro hesitate, then we can escape safely. However, if it turns out to be nothing more than a small power station, we will have no way out." Liu Xing referred to these as the "three courses of action," and the group fell into deep contemtion. Liu Xing himself leaned towards the second option. He knew that capturing Matsui Ichiro was not a simple task, especially given Matsui Ichiro''s apparent absence from their sight since their arrival in Fisher''s Vige. To capture Matsui Ichiro, they would have to wait until the wedding ceremony had officially concluded. However, at that point, they would be surrounded by danger. In case Alice or Matsui Yui gain control over the vigers of Fisher''s Vige and abandon Matsui Ichiro, our situation would be extremely perilous. Trying to escape by capturing Matsui Ichiro poses too great a risk. As for the third option, as Liu Xing mentioned, it relies heavily on luck. We only know that something is underground, but we have no knowledge of its nature or quantity. Moreover, if we were to choose this path, the timing would be awkward. We must ensure that weplete the Main quest first. So, Liu Xing believes that the best course of action for now is for the yers to leave the wedding venue promptly after ensuring that Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui havepleted their wedding. Then, they should head to Inoue Haruto''s boat to depart from Fisher''s Vige. However, at that point, the situation would be tricky because Inoue Haruto''s boat has limited space and can''t take everyone at once. It''s understood that only those who act swiftly at the beginning will have a chance to leave Fisher''s Vige. Once Matsui Ichiro catches up, he will mobilize the vigers to capture the yers and offer them as sacrifices to the so-called Ocean Twelve True Gods. Those left behind will likely have a grim fate. KP Green Light chimed in, "I have a question. After weplete the Main quest, will we directly reach the ending screen?" KP Green Light chuckled and shattered Miyako Goudong''s hopes, "Well, don''t you all already have a clear understanding now? Let me tell you the truth. After youplete the Main quest, you''ll initiate a Hidden Quest or, you could call it the real Main quest - ''Escape from Fisher''s Vige.'' Completing this mission will earn you another 1000 points. The goal of this mission is quite simple: you must get out of the Fisher''s Vige''s sphere of influence, essentially, putting at least twenty kilometers between you and Fisher''s Vige." "But rest assured, if you choose not to ept this Hidden Quest or fail during it, you won''t be instantly kicked out. Instead, you''ll be given another special module. However, considering your current capabilities, entering this special module will be a life-and-death gamble. No, it should be ny-nine lives at stake." KP Green Light''s words prompted everyone to sigh collectively. Although they had suspected this oue before, hearing KP Green Light confirm it still took the wind out of their sails. Liu Xing spected about the contents of that special module. It was highly likely that they would be captured by Matsui Ichiro and taken to the Ocean True Deity Sect''s headquarters or an important branch, with the mission being to escape that perilous ce. "Alright, let''s not dwell on this for now. We''ll cross that bridge when wee to it. Let''s continue sharing what we''ve found. Perhaps, among these discoveries, we can find more clues or a new escape route," Zhang Jingxu suggested with a forced smile. Liu Xing nodded and ced the pink metal piece on the table. "This pink-colored metal was disguised as a stic Pikachu toy. When I picked it up, I noticed it was too heavy for a toy, so I used a knife to remove the stic cover." Panda Pig furrowed his brow and said, "Strange-colored metals like this could possibly be radioactive. They wouldn''t be used to make toys." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. "That''s what I thought too. So, I believe there''s a significant secret behind this metal, and it''s worth exploring further." Suddenly, Zhang Jingxu picked up the metal, examined it closely, and said, "I think I have a vague memory of this metal. My master mentioned something about it in the past. However, I can''t recall its specific function right now. Give me some time, and I might remember." As Zhang Jingxu spoke, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice being rolled, indicating that KP Green Light had conducted a hidden toss to determine how much time Zhang Jingxu would need to remember the information rted to the metal. Liu Xing continued, "By the way, I made an additional discovery. On the window frames in my and Ling Ishikawa''s rooms, there are etchings that resemble magical symbols. These symbols ovep and appear like ordinary scratches, which is why I didn''t notice them before. Most likely, the window frames in your rooms also have these symbols." "These symbols'' specific effects will require some time for research. I need to first separate them and then decode each one. So, after lunch, I''ll start the research. Please try not to disturb me." Hearing Liu Xing''s words, the group was taken aback. "What? The scratches on the window frames are actually magical symbols? I noticed those scratches earlier, but I couldn''t make sense of them and thought they were just ordinary marks," Miyako Goudong eximed in surprise. Clearly, Miyako Goudong had not made use of his knowledge in ultism judgment. Panda Pig nodded and added, "I noticed the same thing on the window frames earlier, but I didn''t dismiss them entirely. These symbols are likely set up by Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect, and their effects are probably detrimental to us, such as eavesdropping, surveince, or hypnosis." Chapter 295: The Mysterious Ring Liu Xing furrowed his brow. Panda Pig was right; those magical arrays on the window frames could very well be responsible for these effects. After all, Matsui Ichiro had a significant need for them, as they allowed him to monitor everything happening inside and outside the vi, and even weaken the abilities of outsiders. "Hey, if that''s really the case, then everything we do in this vi is probably being observed by Matsui Ichiro. Our current conversation might already be within his earshot. Why bother trying so hard? We might as well just give up," Miyako Goudong said with frustration and a sense of resignation. Liu Xing looked at Miyako Goudong''s demeanor and shook his head. He hadn''t expected Miyako Goudong to be so quick to give up, especially considering his edgy personality. He wondered how Miyako Goudong had survived in this module. Unless... Miyako Goudong was simply a very lucky person. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, luck could truly let you do as you pleased. "Well, even if Matsui Ichiro is indeed monitoring us right now, we still have to continue our discussion on escaping. We can''t just sit around and wait for our fate. Besides, I don''t think Matsui Ichiro can monitor us in real-time. These magical arrays, even if they have surveince capabilities, usually require a powerful mage to extract and view the stored information," Zhang Jingxu said seriously. Of course, Zhang Jingxu had this thought because if Matsui Ichiro could truly monitor the vi in real-time, there would be no way for the Private Room sessions to take ce every night. Thus, Zhang Jingxu made this conjecture. Liu Xing nodded and said, "You''re right, Zhang Jingxu. So let''s continue. Who wants to introduce what they''ve found?" As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, Lu Tianya raised his hand and said, "Let me go first because what I found should be rted to what Zhang Jingxu and Ryuusei found." Lu Tianya took out a ring from his pocket, and in that moment, Liu Xing received the attributes of the ring. Unknown Ring: A ring imbued with mysterious powers. Its true nature can be determined through knowledge of the ult, Cthulhu mythos, and other forms of judgment. Currently, the ring is in a dormant state, but it can be activated by a drop of the owner''s blood. The ring''s power will exceed your imagination once activated. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Just from reading the description, he knew this ring was extraordinary. The mention of mysterious powers likely came from a Great Old One, making it a legendary artifact in any other game. However, Liu Xing had suspicions about thest sentence in the description, not because he doubted its authenticity but because he felt it was iplete. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers would descend into madness even from learning things that defied logic. Therefore, owning a ring with such powerful, mysterious abilities in the hands of yers was like a ticking time bomb. Liu Xing suspected that once activated, the ring would require yers to sacrifice sanity points, mana points (MP), or even health points (HP) to use its abilities, effectively leading to a slow form of self-destruction. Despite the initial excitement among the yers in the room, they quickly sobered up and began to contemte how to survive through multiple modules if they were to possess this ring. "I found this ring in a gap in the floor. It appears to be a women''s ring, but the style is quite old-fashioned. I suspect it may be an antique. However, it seems that the previous owner of this ring was unaware of its true nature, as itcks proper maintenance and has some scratches," Lu Tianya exined. Liu Xing carefully examined the ring, and as Lu Tianya had mentioned, it was indeed scratched. Moreover, the scratches seemed to have urred at different times, and Liu Xing also noticed some other types of marks, such as burn marks and blunt force damage. It appeared that this ring, despite its status as an artifact, had a tumultuous history. However, what puzzled Liu Xing was that the style of the ring did not appear to be women''s jewelry. It was a gold ring with a red gemstone on the face, surrounded by intricate patterns, giving it the appearance of a blood-red eye. This did not resemble an old-fashioned women''s ring at all. Liu Xing expressed his doubts, saying, "Lu Tianya, this ring doesn''t seem like a women''s ring at all. The style is quite modern, in fact." Miyako Goudong nodded in agreement, saying seriously, "That''s right. This ring has a cool design, and it doesn''t look like a women''s ring. The deep ck color suits me well." "ck color?!" Everyone eximed in unison. Liu Xing realized that this ring was truly extraordinary. Following Liu Xing''s suggestion, everyone described the appearance of the ring as they perceived it. In Lu Tianya''s eyes, the ring appeared as an ordinary silver ring with a very conventional style, simr to the rings worn by female protagonists in many Western ck-and-white films. In Miyako Goudong''s eyes, the ring had a ck metal band with a ck gemstone in the shape of a dragon''s head on the face. Panda Pig saw a massive diamond ring with a dazzling sparkle. Lastly, Zhang Jingxu perceived the ring as a finger guard with an octagonal diagram representing Daoism. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said seriously, "It seems this ring is not as simple as it appears. It allows us to see what we want to see." Of course, when Liu Xing mentioned "us," he referred to Lu Tianya, the NPC, and the yers'' character cards. Each saw a different form of the ring. "Watanabe Ryuusei" saw the eye of the Yellow King, "Miyako Goudong" saw a ring with a distinct edgy charm, "Panda Pig" saw a priceless diamond ring, and "Zhang Jingxu" saw a finger guard representing Daoism. However, Liu Xing was somewhat surprised as he looked at Lu Tianya. Based on what Lu Tianya saw when she looked at the ring, it seemed that Lu Tianya''s inner desires were that of a young girl, particrly the artistic and somewhat bourgeois type, who enjoyed watching European and American arthouse ck-and-white films and wished to own a ring simr to what the female protagonists wore. This was quite different from Lu Tianya''s usual demeanor. Lu Tianya, of course, noticed Liu Xing''s gaze. With the keen intuition of a girl, Lu Tianya quickly understood what Liu Xing was thinking and gave him an irritated re. Liu Xing promptly averted his gaze. "In that case, this ring is quite intriguing. It can reflect our inner desires. However, my master once told me that things capable of revealing people''s desires are generally not a good sign. Such things tend to have sinister intentions, possibly manipting us through our desires," Zhang Jingxu said seriously. Liu Xing was now curious about Zhang Jingxu''s master. Who could this master be to provide Zhang Jingxu with so much knowledge? Liu Xing even suspected that the image of the ring Zhang Jingxu saw might originate from a finger guard that belonged to Zhang Jingxu''s master. "In that case, we should refrain from trying on this ring too hastily. Many movies and novels have a plotline where anyone who wears such a ring bes ensnared by it, unable to remove it," Miyako Goudong chimed in. Therefore, although everyone was curious about the ring, they decided to wrap it in a few sheets of paper and ce it at the center of the table, considering the potential dangers it might pose. The yers'' character cards didn''t know that the ring would only activate when recognized with a drop of blood, so they proceeded with caution. After handling the ring, Panda Pig produced a key. However, the key''s design seemed rather small and didn''t appear to be for opening doors. "I found this key in my own room under the pillow. I''ve been having headachestely, and at first, I thought it was just me. But it turns out, it was because of this key. Judging by its design, it should be used to open a safe or start a vehicle or boat," Panda Pig exined while taking out the key and showing it alongside the one on the table, which looked very simr. "Keys, huh? That''s interesting. Maybe we''ll have use for itter," Liu Xing remarked with a meaningful tone. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, keys that appeared were generally crucial items, either used to open something important to acquire vital information or as essential tools for escaping. However, what piqued Liu Xing''s curiosity was how this key had ended up lost in this vi. It seemed unusual because Liu Xing believed the owner of the key should be Matsui Ichiro. Despite his confusion, KP Green Light suddenly stood up and announced, "Congrattions to all yers forpleting the fifth Side Quest and finding five peculiar items in this vi. As a reward, each yer will receive 500 points. However, due to Ling Ishikawa''s unique status, he will not receive any points." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn''t expected Lu Tianya''s discovery of the ring to be included, and there was no need to verify what Miyako Goudong had found; theypleted the mission directly. However, this also indirectly highlighted the importance of the key, as it was listed as a mission item. As the seemingly most reliable yer in the module, Zhang Jingxu took charge of the key, and then Miyako Goudong revealed what he had found¡ªa small lock. Pointing to a corner of the living room cab, Miyako Goudong said, "I found this small lock under that cab. When I found it, it was covered in dust, suggesting it had been forgotten in this vi for many years." Zhang Jingxu examined the small lock andmented, "This lock is clearly of traditional Chinese style, with the words ''peace and safety'' written on it. Without any surprises, this lock should belong to Inoue Kenjiro, who intended to give it to Matsui Yui." Liu Xing nodded in agreement because, despite the differences between the Ind Nation and Chinesenguages, he could read the four characters "peace and safety." It reminded him of the time when his grandmother had given him a simr lock as a child. "So, if that''s the case, why was this lock left in this vi? Matsui Yui wouldn''t have stayed here for long. Besides, such a lock is usually worn around the neck and should have been easy to find if it fell off, especially in such an empty living room," Liu Xing raised a valid question. Just then, Liu Xing heard footsteps approaching, and to his surprise, Alice had returned early in the morning. The group quickly tidied up the items on the table, and they saw Alice carrying a thermos. "It''s quite cold today, so Matsui Yui made some fish soup. Everyone should have a bit to warm up. You should know that Matsui Yui is an excellent cook, and this fish soup is delicious," Alice said with a smile as she ced the thermos on the table. The group exchanged nces, all aware that the fish soup likely contained some "seasoning." As a result, everyone imed to have already had breakfast and declined the offer for fish soup. Alice didn''t insist and, after chatting briefly with Liu Xing and the others, went upstairs. "What should we do about the fish soup?" Liu Xing whispered. Zhang Jingxu looked at the thermos and said, "Let me open it and take a look. After all, it''s a gesture from Matsui Yui, and we should acknowledge it." Zhang Jingxu deliberately emphasized the words "gesture" and "acknowledge." Chapter 296: The Special Summoning Technique Just as Zhang Jingxu had mentioned, Liu Xing felt the need to offer some exnation to Matsui Yui. After all, this seemed to be something close to her heart, though it remained uncertain whether Matsui Yui''s intentions were benevolent or not. What Liu Xing could be certain of, however, was that if they presented the fish soup exactly as they received it, Matsui Yui''s anxiety would surely escte. In case Matsui Yui had not added any "seasoning" to the soup this time, it would be a disadvantageous situation for them. On the other hand, if Matsui Yui had indeed added some "seasoning" to the soup, it was imperative to determine its effects. They would then need to discreetly dispose of the soup. After all, Liu Xing and the others had to put on a wless performance to convincingly demonstrate that they had consumed the soup. Failure to do so might only increase Matsui Yui''s suspicions. Therefore, Zhang Jingxu, being a Taoist, stepped forward. Zhang Jingxu possessed some knowledge of pharmacology and had dealt with various Secret Cults in the past, making him quite familiar with their methods. However, Liu Xing, despite being a "Veteran Driver," chose not to reveal himself just yet. If he did, his true identity would be exposed, which could put Zhang Jingxu in a delicate position. Zhang Jingxu had a deep-seated hatred for Secret Cults, and if he found out that Liu Xing was the leader of one, he would surely oppose him and seek to bring him to justice. This would lead to internal conflict just when they were dealing with external threats. Furthermore, Liu Xing believed that he had another way to sessfully navigate this situation without Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya''s involvement. That option was to use Magic Spells ¨C specifically, to summon or dismiss Byakhee. Unless Matsui Ichiro was truly a wizard or Fisher''s Vige possessed some formidable weaponry, Liu Xing could escape without any trouble by summoning Byakhee. In fact, he could even order Byakhee to deal with Matsui Ichiro and take control of Fisher''s Vige. The challenge, however, was that if he summoned Byakhee, it would put him in direct conflict with "Zhang Jingxu." If "Zhang Jingxu" were to die in Fisher''s Vige or the headquarters of the Ocean True Deity Sect, it couldplicate matters further. "Zhang Jingxu" was a formidable adversary, and Liu Xing would have to face off against him repeatedly if he survived. Summoning Byakhee was not a straightforward task either. After all, "WatanabeRyuusei" was ultimately an ordinary person, and controlling these mythical creatures could be challenging. Moreover, the Magic Spells for summoning and dismissing Byakhee that "WatanabeRyuusei" possessed were special versions personally taught by King Hastur in Yellow Robes. The original version of the spell required an enchanted whistle made of silver and meteorite alloy, which needed an entire day of enchantment. The more willpower invested in the whistle during the enchantment, the stronger its power would be, enhancing the summoner''s sess rate in summoning and controlling Byakhee. However, this whistle could be reused and was considered standard equipment for powerful wizards, as Byakhee made excellent mounts and servants. The Magic Spells to summon Byakhee required the caster to blow the enchanted whistle while reciting incantations. It only worked during the nights when Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) rose above the horizon, preferably between October and March. Summoned Byakhee would descend from the sky, extremely cold due to their interster travel, potentially causing frostbite to those unprepared for their arrival. Furthermore, sessfully summoning Byakhee did not grant immediate control over them. The caster would need to use a binding spell to make Byakhee submit and carry out theirmands. Failure in the binding spell would result in Byakhee attacking the summoner and returning to their origin. Therefore, summoning Byakhee required preparation for potentialbat. It''s worth mentioning that most mythical creatures had specific binding spells that did not interoperate, making it challenging to control multiple mythical creatures. Returning to the current situation, Liu Xing did not have an enchanted whistle, nor did he possess knowledge of enchanting whistles. Therefore, the traditional method of summoning Byakhee was not an option for him. However, King Hastur in Yellow Robes had an alternative in mind. He taught "WatanabeRyuusei" a different version of the summoning spell, specially designed for summoning a particr Byakhee named Christine. To summon Christine, the yer had to spend 2 sanity points and 5 magic points. After chanting the spell for five minutes, Christine would arrive at the yer''s location in 1d20+10 minutes and follow the yer''s orders. However, the yer needed to meet Christine''s conditions, or she would refuse to cooperate. Failing to fulfill her conditions would reduce her favorability towards the yer, affecting the sess rate of future summonings. The first summoning attempt always had a 100% sess rate. In the closing notes of the summoning spell description, it was mentioned that Christine''s favorability towards "WatanabeRyuusei" was set at 60. Liu Xing was quite satisfied with this special version of the summoning spell. It was far more convenient than the standard version, allowing him to summon Byakhee any time, day or night, throughout the year, without the need for an enchanted whistle. Furthermore, if he considered Byakhee as a shared bicycle, Christine was his personal bicycle. He wouldn''t have to scan (use a binding spell) every time he summoned her, avoiding the risk of failure and potential harm. Most importantly, ording to "WatanabeRyuusei''s" memories, King Hastur in Yellow Robes had described Christine as an elite-level Byakhee, significantly more powerful than the average. Since Christine had favorability settings, Liu Xing believed that building a good rtionship with her would result in more assistance. If favorability reached 100, he might have a reliable Byakhee "friend." In the world of the Cthulhu RPG game, friends were the true treasures! However, what made Liu Xing hesitate was that while summoning Christine was easy, convincing her to do his bidding and increasing her favorability required meeting her demands. This led Liu Xing to recall Aaron, the Byakhee that had bewitched "his father" into founding the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. Aaron''s favorite pastime was devouring humans because it could restore its powers. It reminded Liu Xing of a famous quote by Lu Xun: "I opened the Cthulhu Mythos, which had no chronology. Crooked words ''K sends sugar'' were written on every page. I couldn''t sleep straight, but I examined it carefully all night. It wasn''t until after midnight that I could see the words through the gaps. The whole book was written with just two words: ''eat people''!" He chuckled. But jokes aside, it had to be acknowledged that for Great Old Ones and mythical creatures alike, humans were synonymous with good taste. So Liu Xing was genuinely concerned that both Christine and Aaron might demand him to provide human sacrifices. "WatanabeRyuusei" might have no qualms about such matters, but Liu Xing did. Therefore, this was another reason why Liu Xing was reluctant to use the Magic Spells for summoning Byakhee. Besides, there was another issue. The full name of this Magic Spells was "Summon/Dismiss Byakhee," indicating that yers needed to use the Magic Spells again to dismiss Byakhee. It was easier to call a deity than to send it away. Summoning mythical creatures worked simrly. The most critical factor was that Liu Xing found the description for dismissing Byakhee to be vague, giving him an uneasy feeling. Thus, Liu Xing believed it would be better not to use this Magic Spells unless absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, Zhang Jingxu had already opened the insted container and was inspecting the fish soup. Zhang Jingxu''s method of inspecting the soup was also quite traditional ¨C he used a silver needle. The silver needle poison test was a ssic scene in many ancient-themed movies and TV shows. In simple terms, a silver needle was inserted into the food or drink, and if the silver needle turned ck, it indicated the presence of poison. However, the silver needle poison test had limitations. It relied on the reaction between sulfur and silver to create ck silver sulfide. In ancient times, the mostmon poison was arsenic, which, while primarilyposed of arsenic, often contained sulfur due to limited purification techniques. Therefore, the silver needle test could only detect poisons containing sulfur. It was evident that Zhang Jingxu''s silver needle was a prop purchased from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. After a moment, Zhang Jingxu looked at the unchanged silver needle and said, "I''m now about seventy percent certain that this bucket of fish soup hasn''t been tampered with, and it even smells quite delightful. The vor should be excellent." Liu Xing took a sniff, and indeed, the fish soup had an enticing aroma, whetting one''s appetite. "Then let''s go ahead and drink this. It''s only the third day, and there''s no reason for Matsui Ichiro to harm us yet," Miyako Goudong suggested. Liu Xing pondered for a moment. Although no toxicponents were detected in the soup, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG game, some things were more terrifying than poison. So, Liu Xing remained cautious and said, "I think we should abstain from drinking it. Even though there may be no poison in the soup, we should exercise caution. Besides, we now know that Fisher''s Vige is a dangerous ce, and Matsui Ichiro may not have good intentions." Liu Xing''s words found agreement from more members of the group. Surprisingly, Miyako Goudong shook his head and said, "Well, since none of you want to drink it, I''ll just have it by myself. After all, there''s only one insted container, and it wouldn''t be practical to share." With that, Miyako Goudong proceeded to drink directly from the insted container. The rest of the group exchanged puzzled looks, not expecting Miyako Goudong''s stubbornness. It seemed that "Miyako Goudong" still had a touch of adolescence, despite his age. "Well, the taste is indeed excellent," Miyako Goudong remarked after putting down the container with a smile. Just then, Liu Xing heard Aliceing down the stairs. "Oh, you finished the fish soup so quickly. I thought I''d have to return the insted container this afternoon. Now, I can take it back to Matsui Yui on my way," Alice said, looking surprised as she saw the empty container on the table. After all, Alice had only been upstairs for less than ten minutes. Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "We thought it over, and since it''s a thoughtful gesture from Miss Matsui Yui, we decided to enjoy the fish soup. It''s delicious; she''s quite the cook." Alice was delighted by Zhang Jingxu''s words and chuckled, "Of course. You all should know that Matsui Yui''s mother passed away when she was very young, so she learned to cook from a young age. Moreover, in this Fisher''s Vige, it''s fish all day, every day, so Matsui Yui''s fish dishes are exceptionally tasty." "Well, I should get going now. Matsui Yui is waiting for me to return. If you''re feeling bored, I have a deck of cards here. You can y with them, but please don''t wander around too much. The rain outside is quite heavy, and catching a cold wouldn''t be good." Alice took out a deck of cards from her pocket and ced it on the table. Then, Alice left with the insted container, disappearing into the rain. "Alright, since we have some free time, let''s y cards," Liu Xing said, picking up the deck and smiling. Chapter 297: A Casual Game Chapter 297: A Casual Game With some idle time on their hands, Liu Xing and the others decided to start ying poker. However, due to the presence of five people, Liu Xing suggested they y Texas Holdem. Furthermore, Liu Xing went the extra mile and got KP Green Light involved to perform a Luck Judgment, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a Cthulhu RPG Game for their Texas Holdem game. Zhang Jingxu and the rest quickly grasped Liu Xings idea and requested the same treatment. So, except for Lu Tianya, everyone performed a Lucky Judgment as soon as they received their cards, essentially using the results to assess the strength of their hands. Then, they began investigating, convincing, and disguising, among other judgments... The sound of dice hitting the table filled the room for a moment. After a round of y, KP Green Light couldnt help but say, "Alright, you guys are just ying cards, and theres not even any real stakes involved. Why go through so many Judgments? Im out; you can continue without me." Regardless of their attempts to contact KP Green Light, he remained unresponsive. Seeing this, Liu Xing and the others chuckled; after all, Cthulhu RPG Game masters were known to challenge yers, and now, as yers, they had managed to challenge a master. They couldnt help but feel satisfied. Only Lu Tianya looked puzzled, staring at the smiling group, not understanding why they were allughing at once. ying cards made time pass quickly, and without realizing it, Dogo Aige arrived with food. At this moment, Liu Xing noticed something different about Dogo Aige. He was wearing a shiny green hat... "Uh, Ling Ishikawa, is he still suffering from his cold symptoms? Should I go and..." Dogo Aige expressed concern. Before Dogo Aige could finish his sentence, Liu Xing interrupted, "No, no, Ling Ishikawas cold symptoms have improved significantly. However, as you know, colds are highly contagious, and the living room can be quite chilly. To be safe, weve asked Dogo Aige to rest in his room." Dogo Aige nodded in agreement, trusting Liu Xings words. "Well then, lets have dinner. The weather isnt great today, so Ill go fetch a heater for you all in a bit to keep you warm. We dont want anyone catching a cold," Dogo Aige said after cing the food on the table. Liu Xing nodded and said, "Thank you, Dogo Aige. But can you also bring us some umbres? Weve been sitting here all morning, and we feel like were starting to mold. We thought of going for a walk." Dogo Aige pondered for a moment and said, "Well, that might be a bit troublesome. As you can see, I didnt bring any umbres when I came here in the rain. I dont know if there are any umbres avable in Fishers Vige, and the vigers here tend to stay indoors when it rains because they believe its a sign of their deitys anger." "And Fishers Vige doesnt have paved roads; some areas have turned into mud puddles. If you go for a walk ande back, you might end up covered in mud. Besides, I assume you didnt bring spare shoes either." Liu Xing nodded, confirming what Dogo Aige said. He had brought spare clothing, but shoes took up too much space, so he hadnt packed any extras. "Alright, lets forget about it then. Well stay here," Zhang Jingxu said resignedly. Dogo Aige looked apologetic and said, "It was my oversight. I didnt anticipate the challenging conditions in Fishers Vige initially and didnt prepare you adequately. I apologize for the inconvenience. I hope you can endure a few more days. Please enjoy your meal, and Ill go get the heater now." After saying that, Dogo Aige left the vi. "Lets eat. Remember to set aside a portion of the meal for Ling Ishikawa; after all, hes part of the performance," Liu Xing said as he picked up his chopsticks. After a while, Dogo Aige returned with a basin filled with firewood. "Sorry, theres no heater in Fishers Vige, so well have to make do with this," Dogo Aige said helplessly. After some effort, Dogo Aige managed to light a fire in the basin. Once everything was in order, he excused himself. Watching Dogo Aiges retreating figure, Panda Pig couldnt help but remark, "Dogo Aige looks like a dog..." Liu Xing sighed and said, "Dogo Aige has had it tough. Im starting to consider telling him the truth; I dont want to see him so immersed in his fantasies anymore." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said seriously, "That wont do. In my judgment, someone like Dogo Aige, if his long-held illusions are shattered, hes likely to develop extreme thoughts. If that happens, Dogo Aige will probably go after Matsui Yui, and considering what we know about Matsui Yuis background, that would be a fatal mistake, one that might even drag us into it." "Furthermore, if Matsui Yui is indeed Inoue Yui, then shes also a pitiable individual, manipted by Matsui Ichiro. If Inoue Yui truly has feelings for Dogo Aige, then if they were to be a couple, it might not be a bad thing. After all, as they say, in order to survive, you need a bit of green on your head," Panda Pig chimed in with baseless spection. "Lets just observe for now," Liu Xing suggested, getting up and looking at the now slightly reddened basin. "Speaking of which, I hope this basin wont get damaged by the heat. This vi is made of wood, and if a spark falls on the floor, it could lead to a massive fire. Then, this vi might turn into ashes." Liu Xings words sparked an idea in Miyako Goudongs mind. He smiled and said, "Youre right. How about we create an artificial fire disaster? If we manage to burn down this vi, well have a legitimate reason to stay elsewhere. We might even end up in Fishers Viges former location or even Matsui Ichiros house. And with the excuse of rescuing Alices belongings, we can enter Alices room and find out the truth." Miyako Goudongs idea seemed practical, but Liu Xing shook his head and said, "Miyako Goudong, while your idea has merit, youve forgotten a crucial detail. Ling Ishikawa hasnt returned yet, and if we set fire to something now, wed need to create a fake body for him. Otherwise, his disappearance would raise suspicions. Also, if we wait for Ling Ishikawa to return before implementing the n, we might not have rainy weather to help us, and it could also arouse suspicion from Matsui Ichiro." Miyako Goudong nodded and sighed, saying, "Youre right, I didnt consider that. But on the other hand, how long until Ling Ishikawaes back? His absence is limiting us in many ways, and no matter how well we hide it, his disappearance will eventually be noticed." Liu Xing felt like Miyako Goudong had set a g... After some thought, Liu Xing said, "Regarding when Ling Ishikawa will return, its hard to predict because the first time he went to Hybrier, it took him several days toe back. ording to his description, he spent at least half a month there. So, I think time flows differently in Hybrierpared to our world. Therefore, well have to wait quietly for Ling Ishikawa to return." Liu Xings words led to a collective sigh from everyone. Yin Ens world mission was truly a challenge. Just then, Liu Xing heard a crisp cracking sound, as if wood had splintered. Liu Xing nced down and saw that the wooden floor beneath the iron basin had deformed due to the high temperature, eventually breaking apart. "Oh, the floor has cracked!" Liu Xing couldnt help but exim, and he tried to move the iron basin away cautiously. Once the basin was moved, Zhang Jingxu eximed in astonishment, "Whats going on? Theres nothing beneath this floor!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, turned to see that there was indeed a fist-sized, pitch-ck hole where the basin had been. Everyone quickly moved the table aside, and Liu Xing turned on the shlight mode on his phone to examine the hole. Through his observation, Liu Xing estimated that the depth of the hole was about two meters, and it seemed to have a stone floor at the bottom. Liu Xing raised his eyebrow and said, "Without any surprises, this seems to be an underground tunnel." "An underground tunnel! It seems theres something beneath Fishers Vige. So, what do we do now? Should we erge this hole and enter the tunnel?" Panda Pig furrowed his brow and asked. Zhang Jingxu shook his head, saying, "Lets not rush. This hole is right in the living room, and Dogo Aige and others will see it as soon as theye in. If we hastily widen this hole, itll be evident that its a deliberate act, and once Alice notices, Matsui Ichiro will be suspicious ande after us." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Zhang Jingxu was right. Erging the hole now would be risky and might lead to Matsui Ichiros intervention. Matsui Yuis anxiety would be the least of their problems then, as it would no longer matter. "So, what should we do? We know theres something beneath Fishers Vige, possibly something significant since theyve constructed a tunnel. But if we dont investigate now, were just waiting for trouble. I believe that before Dogo Aige and Matsui Yuis wedding ceremony, we must explore this tunnel!" Miyako Goudong asserted earnestly. Liu Xing pondered and began tapping the floor with his hand. Soon, he determined the direction of the tunnels extension. "While we cant erge this hole to enter the tunnel directly, we can find a discreet spot to excavate and ess the tunnel. Look at the direction of this tunnel; it passes right by the cab where Miyako Goudong found the hidden lock earlier. This cab is conveniently situated in the corner, and its size is suitable. With some care, we can enter the tunnel from under the cab, hide the hole perfectly, and as long as no one intentionally searches for it, they wont notice it," Liu Xing pointed at the cab. Lu Tianya nodded, pointing at the existing hole and asked, "Liu Xing is right. But how should we handle this hole? Even if we dont erge it, if Alice or Matsui Yui sees it, theyll be alert, and our newly dug hole will be discovered." Zhang Jingxu, standing nearby, smiled and looked at Liu Xing. He then ced the extinguished fire basin into the hole. It fit perfectly, covering the hole entirely. "Alice wont dine with us, and Matsui Yui will at most stand in the living room for a while. They shouldnt pay attention to this fire basin. If they do ask about itter, we can say that Dogo Aige brought it to keep us warm, and we didnt move it in case we needed it," Zhang Jingxu exined with a smile. So, after moving the table back to its original position, Liu Xing and the others began to contemte how to remove the wooden floor beneath the corner cab. The floor was incredibly sturdy, around ten centimeters thick, and made of a tough material. Panda Pig attempted to cut it with his Swiss army knife, but it proved imprable. "This floor is too solid. Should we use the fire basin to create an opening like before?" Miyako Goudong said, feeling frustrated. Liu Xing shook his head, realizing that the appearance of the previous hole was clearly a Plot Encounter, specially designed to reveal the existence of this underground tunnel to the yers and provide them with an entrance to Fishers Viges underground world. Attempting to replicate this operation now was practically impossible. Faced with the tough floor, everyone furrowed their brows, unable toe up with a solution. At that moment, Zhang Jingxu suddenly smirked at Liu Xing and said, "Ryuusei, my friend, we can actually use the Wall-Passing Technique I mentioned earlier here as well." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 298: The Mysterious Circular Space Chapter 298: The Mysterious Circr Space Because Zhang Jingxu had only mentioned the Wall-Passing Technique during their time in the Private Room, he proceeded to exin the effects and usage guidelines of the technique once again. In a sense, this floor indeed resembled a "wall," meeting the conditions for the Wall-Passing Technique. Liu Xing¡¯s initial reaction was to use his head to make contact with the ground. After all, ording to the requirements of the Wall-Passing Technique, one¡¯s head had to hit the "wall" first. However, this "wall" was exceptionally unique. While regr walls would allow Liu Xing to simply close his eyes and extend his head to pass through, using the Wall-Passing Technique on this particr "wall" required Liu Xing to leap from the table and execute a diving motion with his head. Anyone could tell that using this method would surely result in injuries for Liu Xing. Apart from reducing his HP, he could suffer debuffs like "fracture," "unconsciousness," or even face an instant death judgment. Therefore, Liu Xing looked at Zhang Jingxu with an expression that seemed to say, "Are you trying to get me killed? If I attempt the Wall-Passing Technique now, I¡¯ll be at least partially disabled. In the worst-case scenario, I might die right here." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and replied to Liu Xing, "Not necessarily. Although the Wall-Passing Technique has some strict requirements, there¡¯s room for flexibility in certain aspects. For instance, while it demands that you start by forcefully hitting your head against a wall, Ryuusei, you can simply lie on the chair and use your head to strike the ground. So, in reality, all you need to do is bow, and at most, you might get a minor bump. I¡¯ve even prepared healing potions just in case." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding some logic in Zhang Jingxu¡¯s exnation. With that, Liu Xing positioned himself on the chair, and Zhang Jingxu began sprinkling the special powder required for the Wall-Passing Technique. Liu Xing was reminded of itching powder as he felt a slight difort on his skin due to the small amount of powder adhering to it, making him itch. Once Liu Xing was prepared, Zhang Jingxu contacted KP Green Light, saying, "KP, I¡¯m about to use the Wall-Passing Technique on Liu Xing, and I intend to spend 5 MP." KP Green Light promptly responded, "Oh, then yer Zhang Jingxu sessfully used the Wall-Passing Technique on yer Liu Xing. The effect of the Wall-Passing Technique on Liu Xing willst for fifty minutes, with a sess rate of twenty-five percent each time. Of course, if yer Liu Xing wishes to undergo a Willpower Judgment, the sess rate of the Wall-Passing Technique will increase to fifty percent. However, if the Willpower Judgment fails, the sess rate will decrease to twenty percent, and you¡¯ll take one point of damage. Also, if yer Liu Xing fails to use the Wall-Passing Technique, I will determine the likelihood and extent of HP loss based on his posture during the attempt." The Daoist philosophy emphasizes the importance of sincerity, which is why KP Green Light offered the option of Willpower Judgment. Liu Xing remembered watching a domestic animation in his childhood where a character learned Magic Spells from a Daoist and was told that Wall-Passing Technique required strong belief in one¡¯s ability to pass through walls for it to seed. Considering his Willpower attribute value was 75, Liu Xing thought it was a good deal to request a Willpower Judgment. So, Liu Xing decisively asked KP Green Light to perform a Willpower Judgment. Liu Xing, 63/75, seeded. Seeing the result, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh with relief. After all, there was a significant difference between a twenty-five percent sess rate and a fifty percent sess rate. At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt a surge of confidence and was eager to dive headfirst into the floor. Therefore, Liu Xing requested a judgment for the Wall-Passing Technique from KP Green Light. Liu Xing, 33/50, seeded. As soon as the judgment result was announced, Liu Xing feltpelled to dive towards the ground. Even though he knew the Wall-Passing Technique had seeded, he couldn¡¯t help closing his eyes. The sensation of passing through the wooden board was incredibly peculiar. It felt like jumping into jelly, but in an instant, he emerged on the other side of the "jelly." Liu Xing had sessfully arrived in the underground passage of Fisher¡¯s Vige. In the pitch-ck underground passage, Liu Xing took out his phone from his pocket and activated the shlight mode. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu, who was above Liu Xing, remarked, "Tsk tsk, Ryuusei, you¡¯re really lucky. I hadn¡¯t used this Wall-Passing Technique before. My master once told me that even with my current strength, my sess rate would be at most twenty-five percent. I didn¡¯t expect you to seed so easily." Liu Xing could sense that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s tone was somewhat weak, as using 5 MP was equivalent to half of an average person¡¯s MP. However, for the sake of a convincing performance, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but jokingly scold, "You, Zhang Jingxu, why didn¡¯t you tell me the sess rate of the Wall-Passing Technique earlier? If it weren¡¯t for my good luck, I might not have made it down here." Zhang Jingxu also smiled and replied, "Sincerity is crucial in our Daoist Magic Spells. As long as you firmly believe that the Magic Spells will seed, there¡¯s a good chance they will. Well, Ryuusei, keep this in mind. You only have fifty minutes to explore the underground of Fisher¡¯s Vige. If you can¡¯t use the Wall-Passing Technique to return to the surface after fifty minutes, you¡¯ll have to search for an exit in this underground passage. So, I wish you good luck." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Got it." He then began preparing to explore the underground world of Fisher¡¯s Vige. However, at this moment, just a few steps into his journey, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something crucial. He had impulsively leaped into the underground passage without testing the air quality. If this underground passage had been sealed for a long time, the air inside could be dangerously scarce. Although there was a venttion opening above his head to temporarily satisfy his breathing needs, Liu Xing became concerned that if he continued forward, he might risk losing consciousness due to oxygen deprivation. This would be troublesome, and it could even lead to his demise. Therefore, Liu Xing took a step back andmunicated with Zhang Jingxu above, saying, "Zhang Jingxu, please pass down a lit candle so that I can assess the air quality in the underground passage. I don¡¯t want to risk my life down here, and you won¡¯t even know if something happens." After a while, Zhang Jingxu handed down a lit candle from the hole. This candle had undergone special treatment by Zhang Jingxu, as it was wrapped with an oil-soaked cloth and had a small wooden stick inserted at the base, turning it into a small torch. However, at this moment, Liu Xing realized another significant problem: the distance between his head and the ground was approximately half a meter. This meant that unless he could achieve a highly sessful jumping judgment, he wouldn¡¯t be able to jump high enough to use the Wall-Passing Technique. So, Liu Xing immediately used his phone¡¯s shlight to illuminate the ground around him. To his disappointment, he couldn¡¯t find any suitable stepping stones. This was a predicament. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, contemting his options. Firstly, for safety reasons, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t bring stepping stones from elsewhere and ce them here for jumping. Even if he seeded in using the Wall-Passing Technique, he wouldn¡¯t be able to carry those stepping stones with him. If someone passed through this areater, they might discover the conspicuous stepping stones and deduce that an outsider had entered. Therefore, Liu Xing attempted to jump higher by treading on the surrounding walls. Fortunately, after two tries, Liu Xing sessfully touched the wooden board above his head. However, the strange noises he made while attempting this rmed Miyako Goudong, who asked nervously, "Ryuusei, are you okay underground? What¡¯s that sound?" Liu Xing chuckled awkwardly and replied, "It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just trying to see if I can jump high enough to reach the wooden board. After all, this underground passage is quite deep. Alright, I¡¯m setting off now. Wish me luck." With that, Liu Xing began moving forward into the unknown. Although the candle¡¯s light was decent, Liu Xing decided to use his phone¡¯s shlight to ensure better visibility and navigate more effectively. Based on the signs of aging on the walls, Liu Xing was surprised to discover that Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s underground passage had been constructed at least twenty years ago. This was evident because the underground passage did not appear to be constructed using machinery. If it had been Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect that dug this underground passage, they would have likely used some small-scale machinery. Relying solely on manualbor would be time-consuming, strenuous, and hazardous, which wouldn¡¯t align with Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect¡¯s standards. Therefore, Liu Xing spected that this underground passage had been built before Matsui Ichiro arrived in Fisher¡¯s Vige for missionary work. However, if that were the case, new questions arose. Who built this underground passage in the first ce, and what was its purpose? Due to time constraints, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t delve deep into these thoughts, so he continued forward with his questions unanswered. Soon, Liu Xing arrived at a three-way intersection. Based on Liu Xing¡¯s previous analysis of the underground passage¡¯s direction, he was fairly certain that the middle path led to Dogo Aige¡¯s underground grass hut, while the left path likely led to the Fisher¡¯s Vige Graveyard. As for the right path, it seemed to lead to... the seabed? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow because the right path appeared to have nothing overhead, and continuing forward for a few dozen meters would likely lead to the shoreline. So, barring any surprises, the right path was either a dead end or possibly extended deeper into the seabed. Thinking this, Liu Xing decided to explore the right path, as he had a fairly good idea of where the other two paths led. He didn¡¯t need to rush to those destinations; he would explore this unknown path first. Therefore, Liu Xing entered the right path. Of course, to avoid getting lost, Liu Xing drew a directional marker on the ground at the intersection. After walking for more than ten meters, Liu Xing suddenly saw a wooden door in front of him. Fortunately, this door wasn¡¯t locked, so Liu Xing easily pushed it open. Beyond the wooden door, Liu Xing¡¯s surroundings immediately expanded because he had entered a massive circr space. Liu Xing estimated that the area of this circr space was approximately the size of the Bird¡¯s Nest Stadium. His conclusion was based on both the simr size of this circr space and the countless wooden strips of varying lengths and sizes affixed to the walls, which reminded Liu Xing of the Bird¡¯s Nest Stadium. Liu Xing tentatively tried to remove one of the wooden strips but found that they seemed to be seamlessly integrated with the walls. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t detach them. This only heightened Liu Xing¡¯s curiosity. Who had constructed this underground passage in Fisher¡¯s Vige, and why had they built this peculiar circr space? Now, Liu Xing was certain that as long as he maintained his sense of direction, this circr space was already located below sea level. Liu Xing reached out to measure the height of the circr space, which was approximately three meters. This suggested that he was descending after entering the underground passage, even though it felt like he was walking on level ground. Otherwise, this circr space couldn¡¯t have such a height, unless the upper walls of this circr space were only a few centimeters thick. Because the circr space was vast, and Liu Xing¡¯s phone shlight had limited visibility, he could only proceed along the walls. Soon, Liu Xing noticed that every five meters or so on the walls of the circr space, there were stone urns, but these urns appeared to be empty. Frowning, Liu Xing realized that this circr space might be some kind of sacrificial site, given the presence of so many urns. However, based on Liu Xing¡¯s earlier spections, this underground passage likely wasn¡¯t constructed by Matsui Ichiro or the Ocean True Deity Sect, so it couldn¡¯t be their sacrificial site. So, could this be the sacrificial site of a secret cult? Chapter 299: Moon Beast Chapter 299: Moon Beast Liu Xing could reasonably conclude that this circr space was most likely a sacrificial site constructed by a secret cult. After all, only a secret cult would go to such lengths to build a circr space underground, or rather, underwater. So, if this circr space was indeed a sacrificial site, then the central area of the circr space should have an altar or some kind of magical array. With this thought in mind, Liu Xing proceeded straight towards the central area of the circr space. Sure enough, in the central area of the circr space, Liu Xing saw a massive magical array, and the materials used to draw this array emitted a familiar scent¡ªthe smell of blood. "It seems like my guess was correct. This is indeed a site where this secret cult conducts sacrificial rituals. However, judging from this magical array, the secret cult that built this ce doesn¡¯t seem to be the Ocean True Deity Sect or the Deep Sea Gospel Society," Liu Xing muttered to himself. Aside from some moremon magical arrays, magical arrays used for sacrificial purposes like this one generally had distinct characteristics. For example, the magical arrays of the Deep Sea Gospel Society had abstract Deep One symbols around them, as well as some wave patterns representing the ocean. However, the magical array under Liu Xing¡¯s feet didn¡¯t have these simr patterns and symbols. Instead, Liu Xing noticed some symbols that resembled Ancient Tribe totems. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. If these unique symbols were indeed Ancient Tribe totems, could it be that the builders of this circr space were from some Ancient Tribe? But this was an isted ind, and under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for a tribe to thrive here, especially toplete such a challenging underground construction. After some thought, Liu Xing decided to contact KP Green Light. "KP, I want to perform a mystical judgment now to study this magical array." KP Green Light chuckled and immediately replied, "Liu Xing, have you thought this through? To perform a mystical judgment on this magical array, you not only need to pass a difficult judgment but also spend an hour, as this ce is quite dim." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and continued, "So, if I can fully illuminate this magical array, can I perform the judgment faster?" "Of course, if you canpletely illuminate this magical array, the time required will be reduced to forty minutes, and the sess rate for the mystical judgment will only be lowered by 20%," KP Green Light said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and decided to temporarily leave the circr space. After all, he could only stay in this underground world for fifty minutes, and he couldn¡¯t afford to waste all his time here. Besides, even if he could perform the mystical judgment, Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect to gain much useful information, at most, it might reveal another new faction. So, Liu Xing decided to take another round inside the circr space and then proceed to explore other areas. Just as Liu Xing returned to the wall of the circr space, he suddenly saw a pile of bamboo slips inside the deity pot in front of him. Seeing this, Liu Xing immediately reached out and took one of the bamboo slips and started reading it. However, he soon realized that he couldn¡¯t understand the content of the bamboo slip. Moreover, the most crucial thing was that Liu Xing could be certain that the writing on the bamboo slip was neither Chinese characters, Ind Nation script, nor English or any othernguage he knew. If he had to describe it, Liu Xing felt that the writing on the bamboo slip resembled pictograms, as many characters looked like drawings. Liu Xing vaguely remembered that some of these characters appeared in the magical array he had just seen. Liu Xing understood that this magical array and the bamboo slips in his hand were probably rted. Furthermore, the bamboo slips indirectly confirmed that the underground world of Fisher¡¯s Vige had been constructed by an Ancient Tribe, as pictograms were a significant characteristic of Ancient Tribes. However, this raised the question of how an Ancient Tribe could exist on this small ind, especially one that could aplish such a highly challenging underground project. Liu Xing sighed, took photos of the content on the bamboo slips with his phone, and then put the bamboo slips back in their original ce before continuing along the edge of the circr space. After a few more steps, Liu Xing noticed a Bronze Gate directly across from the entrance to the circr space. Initially, he hadn¡¯t seen the Bronze Gate because its color was simr to the surrounding walls. On this Bronze Gate, Liu Xing spotted a lock, which was rather small and reminded him of the key that Panda Pig had found earlier. Liu Xing took a photo of the lock on the Bronze Gate topare it with the keyter. However, he was now very curious about what might be behind this Bronze Gate. Continuing forward, Liu Xing eventually reached the entrance of the circr space again but didn¡¯t make any other discoveries. Therefore, Liu Xing retraced his steps and returned to the three-way intersection. This time, Liu Xing decided to take the middle path because, without any surprises, it should lead to Dogo Aige¡¯s grass hut. He advanced along this path, feeling like he had walked a considerable distance, yet the road ahead remained endless. After walking for a while longer, it was still the same. Liu Xing realized that something seemed off. Based on his walking speed, he had already covered more than a thousand meters since entering the middle path. In theory, he should have not only passed Dogo Aige¡¯s grass hut by now but also be underwater. This made Liu Xing suspect that he might be experiencing the phenomenon known as "hitting a wall." In simple terms, hitting a wall urs when a person loses their sense of direction due to being in a rtively dark environment andcking proper reference points, leading to getting lost. From a scientific perspective, it¡¯s rted to the inherent traits of living organisms. Most creatures, including humans, tend to move in a circr path when deprived of vision, as their two feet or wings are not perfectly identical. This results in minor inconsistencies, which umte into significant errors over time, forming a closed circr path. Of course, the situation Liu Xing was currently facing could also be due to the middle path not being perfectly straight but having a certain degree of curvature, eventually forming a rtively closed circr path. So, Liu Xing decided to contact KP Green Light, "KP, I want to perform an inspiration judgment now to determine if I¡¯ve hit a wall or if there¡¯s something wrong with this path." KP Green Light thought for a moment and then spoke, "Well, I can rify this for you without going through the formal process. You haven¡¯t encountered a ¡¯hitting a wall¡¯ situation, and there¡¯s nothing wrong with this path. You¡¯ve been using a shlight all along, so if there were any issues, you would have noticed them by now." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that KP Green Light was straightforward and gave him the answer directly. However, KP Green Light was correct. Upon closer examination, Liu Xing realized that there didn¡¯t seem to be any issues with the path. Moreover, he had been hugging the edge of the road, so if the path had a significant curvature, he should have been aware of it. As for the concept of "hitting a wall," Liu Xing found it unscientific and unrted to the Cthulhu RPG Game, so he dismissed it. Therefore, Liu Xing considered two possibilities: The first possibility was that this path was indeed as long as it seemed and extended underwater like the right path. The second possibility was that he had entered a magical array or had fallen under a magical influence, causing him to experience an illusion. After all, this was the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, and Liu Xing believed it was necessary to consider magical and supernatural factors. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing pinched himself to check if he was under any magical influence. Feeling the pain, he ruled out the second possibility. In reality, Liu Xing leaned towards the first possibility. Given the precedent set by the right path, he believed that the middle path could also lead deep into the sea. So, Liu Xing checked the time on his phone and realized he had been underground for twenty minutes. To be safe, he decided to continue walking for another five minutes. If he didn¡¯t find any results, he would turn back. After walking a few more steps, Liu Xing made a new discovery. On the walls on both sides of the path, there were numerous murals drawn with white powder. The murals depicted humans engaged in activities such as hunting, nting, and cooking. As Liu Xing continued forward, the scenes in the murals transitioned to depict warfare and sacrificial rituals. In the war scenes, the camp of the mural artist was armed with strange weapons, easily defeating enemies wielding spears and clubs. However, what shocked Liu Xing even more was that the sacrificial scenes depicted were not blood sacrifices, as he initially thought. The people on the magical array seemed to be bound, but this was likely the same sacrificial site as the circr space on the right. In the subsequent murals, a priest-like figure, after reciting some sort of ritual, approached the Bronze Gate with a key. Upon opening the Bronze Gate with the key, a terrifying group of Monsters poured out from it and dragged the people from the magical array into the Bronze Gate. These Monsters had pale, eyeless, frog-like bodies with wide mouths and wed hands. Instead of noses, they had short tentacles in the nasal area. Liu Xing immediately recognized them as Moon Beasts! Moon Beasts were mythical creatures with high intelligence. Besides their appearance in the murals, Moon Beasts possessed the ability to freely change their body shapes. They resided on the dark side of the moon in the Dreamrealm. Speaking of Dreamrealm, it was a parallel dimension formed by subconscious and imaginative thoughts, with vastly different physicalwspared to reality. Dreamrealm was inhabited by numerous mythical creatures, and Moon Beasts were just one of them. To enter Dreamrealm, humans could conveniently do so through dreaming or by firmly believing in Dreamrealm¡¯s existence, bing "dreamers." They could also enter through small rifts in Ghoul caves. There were even rumors that certain tree forests in the real world were connected to the Enchanted Forest in Dreamrealm. Other gates to alternate dimensions might also be linked to Dreamrealm. Therefore, many modules in the Cthulhu RPG Game took ce in Dreamrealm, like the Blood Soup module Liu Xing had previously experienced with Zhang Jingxu. Speaking of the Blood Soup module, Liu Xing was curious about what had happened to his remaining teammates after he was "killed." Returning to the main topic, unlike the moon in the real world, the moon in Dreamrealm had extensive forests and oceans. Moon Beasts, living there, fed on living creatures, extracting a unique substance from their bodies and souls as sustenance. Moon Beasts were highly adaptable, capable of surviving in various climates and environments. They used advanced technology to expand their territories. As a result, Moon Beast colonies could potentially be found almost anywhere, whether in the real world or Dreamrealm. For instance, based on photos taken by the Apollo 11 spacecraft, there could be a Moon Beast colony on the dark side of the moon in the real world. Apart from colonies, Moon Beasts were involved in ve trading in Dras-Lynn Port, an important city in Dreamrealm. They traded rubies for ves and gold. Due to Dreamrealm¡¯s unique properties, Moon Beast ves came from various ces and races in the universe, but Moon Beasts mostly preferred humans as ves. Moon Beasts spent a significant amount of time torturing and tormenting their ves, deriving cruel pleasure from their suffering. What was even more crucial was that Moon Beasts used mental Magic Spells to control their ves, preventing them from resisting. Thus, the fate of creatures enved by Moon Beasts was exceptionally grim, with no hope of escape. In the subsequent murals, Moon Beasts ced peculiar objects on the magical array, and under the priest¡¯s supervision, they opened the Bronze Gate. A horde of horrifying Monsters poured out and dragged the people from the magical array into the Bronze Gate. Seeing this, Liu Xing finally understood some things. Firstly, the underground world of Fisher¡¯s Vige was indeed constructed by an Ancient Tribe, which had formed some kind of cooperation with Moon Beasts. The Bronze Gate served as a passage to Dreamrealm. [Thanks for reading at Patreon/maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 300: Astonishing Revelation Chapter 300: Astonishing Revtion Liu Xing took a moment to ponder, piecing together the origins and developments of the situation. Firstly, it was the Ancient Tribe that stumbled upon the Bronze Gate. Due to their technological backwardness, the Ancient Tribe had likely not mastered the art of bronze smelting. As a result, they regarded the Bronze Gate as a sacred artifact and constructed a circr space dedicated to worship. Behind the Bronze Gate, the Moon Beasts from the Dreamrealm may have identally entered the real world or somehow sensed the presence of the Ancient Tribe. In any case, the Moon Beast appeared before the Ancient Tribe. For an Ancient Tribe, a creature as peculiar in appearance as the Moon Beast, which couldmunicate through inspiration and was akin to a mythical creature, was undoubtedly a divine being in their eyes. Therefore, the Ancient Tribe quickly began to worship the Moon Beast. Of course, it was also possible that the Moon Beast had directly exerted mental control over the people of the Ancient Tribe... In any case, the Moon Beast realized that the Ancient Tribe could serve as its pawns to capture more humans for very in the real world. Thus, the Moon Beast bestowed powerful weapons upon the Ancient Tribe, urging them to attack other Ancient Tribes, capture their human members, and offer them as sacrifices. This led to the creation of these murals. However, what troubled Liu Xing was the sudden appearance of the Moon Beast. The Moon Beast was a watershed among mythical creatures. Lesser creatures like Ghouls and Deep Ones could be fought by ordinary humans, especially if they were armed. With firearms, defeating Ghouls or Deep Ones was even possible. But when it came to the Moon Beast, ordinary humans were essentially defenseless. The Moon Beast could use mental control to manipte them into submission, rendering them powerless. Furthermore, despite the "beast" in its name, the Moon Beasts technological prowess far surpassed that of humans. The Moon Beast and Yis People held diametrically opposing views on technology. Yis People refrained from delving into advanced technology until absolutely necessary, while the Moon Beast eagerly absorbed and developed any technology that benefited itself. Hence, the Moon Beast was considered one of the most technologically advanced mythical creatures in the Cthulhu RPG Game. So, encountering the Moon Beast in the Cthulhu RPG Game not only required vignce against its mental control but also caution regarding its constantly evolving and diverse ck technologies. As the Moon Beasts ves came from various races, it had acquired the technologies of many different races. "This is troublesome," Liu Xing thought. "I didnt expect this module to be rted to the Moon Beast, and it seems there may be multiple Moon Beasts. However, the only constion is that the Moon Beast is still behind the Bronze Gate. Hopefully, it wont make an appearance." After all, in "Watanabe Ryuuseis" memories, there was no information about the Moon Beast. So, for now, Liu Xing had to pretend not to recognize the Moon Beast depicted in the murals. However, as Liu Xing walked further, the murals began to depict a recurring cycle. The Ancient Tribe obtained new ck technologies from the Moon Beast, used them to defeat another hostile tribe, and then offered the captives to the Moon Beast. What surprised Liu Xing was the appearance of aircraft tank-style weapons in the murals. Upon seeing this, Liu Xing couldnt help butment, "No wonder there are so many news reports nowadays iming that ancient technologies are beyond modern replication. It turns out all those things were imported." Just as Liu Xing finished speaking, the mural before him changed abruptly. A group of massive Monsters appeared and began hunting the members of the Ancient Tribe. Theserge Monsters resembled Cthulhu, with octopus-like heads and wings. They were the Star Kin, considered the kin of Cthulhu. Liu Xing couldnt help but admire the mural artists skill in portraying the bizarre and unstable nature of the Star Kins bodies. Of course, it was also possible that the artists hands were trembling due to fear. As the devoted servants of Cthulhu, Star Kin considered themselves the closest beings to Cthulhu and were incredibly loyal to him (though Cthulhu sometimes treated them poorly). Consequently, Star Kin did not have a fixed form and shaped themselves in the likeness of Cthulhu. This resulted in their striking resemnce to Cthulhu in appearance. Due to their amorphous nature, Star Kin could contract one part of their body while rapidly expanding another during battle. This ability allowed them to dramatically increase the reach of their ws and tentacles, often catching their enemies off guard. For this reason, there was a spection that Star Kin were essentiallyrge, powerful slimes... It is worth noting that although Star Kin appeared simr to Cthulhu, resembling enormous mutated octopuses, they were not aquatic creaturesor perhaps "terrestrial" would be an inadequate term to describe them. After all, Star Kins influence extended to the seas,nds, and skies. However, due to most Star Kin sightings urring near the ocean, many people perceived them as aquatic beings, often associating them with Deep Ones or considering them their superiors. In reality, Star Kin were indifferent towards the native inhabitants of the world, treating them as insignificant as ants. However, for the sake of expanding Cthulhus dominion and transforming the world into the image Cthulhu desired, Star Kin tended to eradicate the indigenous inhabitants of the regions they explored. They would then introduce other mythical creatures loyal to Cthulhu to inhabit these territories. Therefore, Star Kin could be seen as the vanguard of Cthulhus forces. They frequently attacked others or alternate dimension worlds, even once upying Earth when Cthulhu was sealed within it. However, due to a prolonged and widespread war involving multiple mythical creature races on Earth, Star Kin eventually had to relinquish control of the. The subsequent peace treaty granted them the right to upy most of Earthsnd, with the exception of the oceans and some ancient territories, particrly Antarctica, which remained reserved for the Ancient Ones. At this point, its worth briefly mentioning the Ancient Ones. They are another mythical creature race originating from outer space, but they arrived on Earth in the Antarctic region around a billion years ago. They were among the first mythical creatures to set foot on Earth and, like most mythical creatures, they do not age or die naturally. In the ancient past, as these mythical creatures upied different regions of Earth due to their immortality and the continuous birth of new offspring, it led to a poption explosion. They needed more territory for reproduction, which eventually led to a great war. This war involved various mythical creature races, including the Star Kin, Deep Ones, Yis People, and Flying Hydra. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldnt help but raise an eyebrow. Star Kin had seldom appeared on Earth after that massive war. After all, they understood that Earth had be a perilous ce with many powerful mythical creature races inhabiting it. Star Kin didnt dare to cause trouble on Earth casually. Therefore, the fact that Star Kin were attacking the Ancient Tribe now suggested that the existence of this Ancient Tribe had been around much longer than Liu Xing had imagined. This wild idea began to give Liu Xing a headache. If that were indeed the case, this Ancient Tribe, or rather this ancientmunity, might not be a human tribe but a race that had already been exterminated by Star Kin. Because in the final mural, Liu Xing saw that Star Kin hadpletely destroyed this ancientmunity. The remaining members of this ancientmunity were forced into a cave, and then the sea water was flooded into the cave... The mural abruptly ended at this point, most likely because the murals creator had died at that moment. Liu Xing, who had been looking up at the murals, suddenly realized that he had unconsciously entered a huge circr space again. This circr space was many timesrger than the one on the right, as Liu Xings mobile phones light couldnt reach the opposite wall. This made Liu Xing furrow his brows and hesitate, as he had no idea howrge this circr space was. Moreover, under the light of his mobile phone, Liu Xing saw various scattered items on the ground, including a massive tank... This tank was roughly the same size as arge excavator, but it had a short barrel, less than half a meter in length, and a trapezoidal muzzle, giving it a futuristic appearance. However, this tank was severely damaged, appearing as if it had been cut in half by Star Kins ws. In addition to this tank, Liu Xing also saw many damaged ck technology weapons. It seemed that the ck technology weapons provided to the ancientmunity by the Moon Beast couldnt withstand the attacks of Star Kin. Liu Xing sighed after a moment of reflection. He hadnt expected this underground area to be soplex. He was also running out of time to explore the underground world. If he got lost in this circr space, he might have to find another exit to leave Fishers Viges underground world. Furthermore, Liu Xing felt that he had gathered enough explosive information. His mind was starting to feel overwhelmed, so it was best to return as soon as possible. With that decision made, Liu Xing decided to retrace his steps. The journey back was smooth, and Liu Xing finally returned to the spot where he had descended. Zhang Jingxu, who had heard themotion from above, quietly called out, "Liu Xing?" "Its me. Make some room for me, Iming up," Liu Xing replied. Having said that, Liu Xing contacted KP Green Light to perform Willpower Judgment and Wall-Passing Technique Judgment. "I originally intended to have you perform a Jump Judgment, but that seems a bit too troublesome, and youve already tested that you can touch the ceiling by yourself. So, as long as you pass the Willpower Judgment and Wall-Passing Technique Judgment, theres no need for a Jump Judgment," KP Green Light said with a smile. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, KP Green Light was flexible and willing to adapt. Otherwise, he might have had to jump dozens of times if he needed a preliminary Jump Judgment. Liu Xing, Willpower, 69/75, sess. Liu Xing, Wall-Passing Technique, 48/50, sess. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It seemed that luck was on his side today. Although he had narrowly seeded in both Judgments, they were still sessful. With that, Liu Xing felt his cosmos surge, and he leaped effortlessly, hitting the ceiling. Then, Liu Xing returned to the ground floor of the vi. Zhang Jingxu and the others gathered around him, bombarding him with questions about what he had seen underground. However, Liu Xing hadnt forgotten about his reward. He reached out to Zhang Jingxu and said, "What about the medicine you promised?" Zhang Jingxu sighed and pulled out a small porcin bottle from his pocket, handing it to Liu Xing. "The medicine in here can be considered a cure-all. Just take one pill at a time. However, remember the saying less is more. You can take a maximum of three pills in a month, as taking too many may have side effects." Liu Xing nodded and put the small bottle in his pocket. Then, he stood up and said, "Lets go back to my room upstairs to discuss. The underground situation is moreplex than you can imagine." Everyone nodded and followed Liu Xing upstairs. Once upstairs, Liu Xing took a deep breath and began to exin, "The Fishers Vige were currently in used to be the territory of a powerful tribe many years ago. This tribe became powerful through a trade with a certain type of Monsters." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 301: Daring Zhang Jingxu Chapter 301: Daring Zhang Jingxu Next, Liu Xing proceeded to describe the appearance of the Moon Beast. All the yers present were seasoned drivers, and they naturally understood that the Monsters Liu Xing mentioned were indeed Moon Beasts. "Moon Beast?" Miyako Goudong furrowed his brow and spoke. Everyone raised an eyebrow, surprised that someone as unreliable-looking as Miyako Goudong knew about the existence of Moon Beasts. As mentioned earlier, Moon Beasts were rarely seen in the real world on Earth, and even if they did appear, they wouldnt interact much with humans. To Moon Beasts, ordinary humans were merely ves, to be captured and taken to the Dreamrealm upon sight. Therefore, there were very few eyewitness reports of Moon Beasts in the real world, and folklore about Moon Beasts was scarce. Hence, even someone like "Zhang Jingxu," a Taoist, was unaware of their existence. Miyako Goudong cleared his throat and continued, "Regarding Moon Beasts, I learned about them from a folk story collection in the Nine Provinces region. Legend has it that Moon Beasts are divine creatures residing on the moon, hence the name Moon Beast. While Moon Beasts dont speak, they canmunicate with ordinary people through mental inspiration." "In the past, there was a vige called Moon Beast Vige in the Nine Provinces. The viges original name is lost to history because Moon Beasts appeared and stayed there, prompting the vigers to rename it Moon Beast Vige as a sign of respect." "At that time, Moon Beast Vige was under attack by bandits, and Moon Beasts happened to appear. They took control of all the bandits and sent them into an alternate dimension. Moon Beasts informed the Vige Chief of Moon Beast Vige that they hade from the moon to protect the vige from imminent danger." "As a result, Moon Beasts chose to stay in Moon Beast Vige upon the Vige Chiefs request. With Moon Beasts incredible strength, it ensured the safety of the vige. During that period, the Ind Nation was in a chaotic Warring States era, with warlords fighting endlessly, andwlessness prevailed. Having Moon Beasts protecting the vige meant Moon Beast Vige could rest easy." "Naturally, the vigers of Moon Beast Vige didnt want their guardian to leave, so the Vige Chief decided to relocate the vige. With Moon Beasts protection, they could find a better ce with more resources. Moon Beasts offered to guide them to a new, ideal location." "Thus, the migration of Moon Beast Vige began. However, one viger, in order to bid farewell to their rtives or convince them toe along, visited nearby viges. Due to a sudden downpour, this viger couldnt return to Moon Beast Vige on time. When they finally returned to the old site of Moon Beast Vige, the entire vige had vanished." "Since then, no one has seen the people of Moon Beast Vige again, but everyone believes that they must have truly gone to an idyllic paradise with Moon Beasts. The viger who didnt return on time became synonymous with bad luck. I used to think this story was a fabrication of past generations, but now it seems to be true." After listening to Miyako Goudongs story, Liu Xing couldnt help but inwardly criticize the author of this tale for writing without verifying the facts. The Moon Beasts in this story were portrayed as entirely positive figures, while in reality, Moon Beasts were seen as antagonists. Therefore, Liu Xing found Miyako Goudongs story unhelpful and potentially misleading, as it gave "Watanabe Ryuusei" and others an inurate impression of Moon Beasts, which could lead to misguided decisions when encountering them in the future. Liu Xing sighed andmented, "I dont think its necessarily the case. In reality, Moon Beasts arent as benevolent as depicted in this story. I discovered Moon Beasts trade with an ancient tribe through a series of murals in an underground passage. In these murals, Moon Beasts provided various weapons to the tribe, enabling them to conquer other tribes and deliver the captives to Moon Beasts. Moon Beasts then transported these captives to an alternate dimension, so I believe Moon Beasts enved those captives, as well as the bandits and vigers from Moon Beast Vige mentioned in Miyako Goudongs story. I highly doubt Moon Beasts are as good-hearted as portrayed." Liu Xings words immediately gained support from Zhang Jingxu, who said, "Youre absolutely right. In my experience, even legendary divine creatures often have a dark history. After all, even divine beings have their own desires and emotions, and in this world, no one, be it human or deity, is good to you for no reason. So, Ryuusei, I support your statement that this Moon Beast may not be a benevolent entity." Miyako Goudong, seeing both Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu in agreement, shrugged and said, "Perhaps. I only came across information about Moon Beasts by chance, so I havent delved deep into their nature." Liu Xing smiled and said earnestly, "Moreover, this Moon Beast is different from the typical Monsters we have in mind. You wouldnt believe what kind of weapons they provided to that ancient tribe." "Could it be machine guns and cannons?" Lu Tianya chuckled. Liu Xing shook his head and disyed the photos on his phone to everyone. "You didnt misinterpret this. I found this damaged tank in a huge circr space after the murals. Though I cant be certain of the exact area of this circr space, I can confirm that its more than ten timesrger than Fishers Vige. I saw at least a dozen futuristic-looking war machines like this in my field of vision." Zhang Jingxu, looking at the photos, said in disbelief, "What? Are these the weapons that Moon Beasts provided to the ancient tribe? These weapons seem even more powerful than the mainbat arsenal of the United States of America today!" Miyako Goudong, standing beside them, was equally astonished. He said, "The style of this story has changed too quickly. It was initially historical fantasy, and suddenly it has turned into science fiction. Whats more, judging by the damage on this tank, it looks like it was cleaved open by some enormous creatures ws?" Liu Xing nodded and revealed the existence of the Star Kin. The appearance of the Star Kin surprised Zhang Jingxu and the others, as Moon Beasts were already extraordinary to encounter in this module. Now, with the sudden introduction of the Star Kin, they had to rethink their entire situation. However, they knew little about advanced mythical creatures like the Star Kin, just like "Zhang Jingxu" and others, so they decided to set aside thoughts of the Star Kin for now. Liu Xing continued to narrate his entire underground expedition. In conclusion, he said, "Apart from these obvious findings, this underground expedition led me to a bold hypothesis. That is, the ind were on right now was once part of a continent many years ago, although I cant determine how many years precisely. Anyway, this underground passage has existed for tens of thousands of years. In those days, this area was probably just a cave within a mountain range. The two circr spaces, one serving as the ancient tribes ritual site and the other as their refuge, are part of this undergroundplex. Were currently situated on the mountaintop." "Moreover, I think its possible that this ancient tribe wasnt human, as significant geological changes like this would take hundreds of thousands of years. There likely werent humans around during that time." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "Thats not the main focus. The crucial point is how Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect view this underground relic. Based on your findings, Ryuusei, it seems that the contents of this underground relic havent been removed by Matsui Ichiro. There are no signs of excavation either. So, I believe theres a good chance Matsui Ichiro hasnt discovered this underground relic yet. He might have merely built an underground power nt next to it." Zhang Jingxus analysis made sense, and Panda Pig agreed, saying, "If thats the case, then Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect are sitting on a treasure trove without even realizing it. There are so many valuable items right here, even the damaged Weapons and Equipment could fetch a high price or be used as bargaining chips with government organizations. After all, the technological content here is outstanding. So, I think if Matsui Ichiro had truly found the underground relic, he would have figured out a way to bring all these items out of Fishers Vige over the past decade." Although Panda Pigs theory was intriguing, Liu Xing knew from his experience that some Cthulhu Mythos tabletop role-ying game modules featured secret cults that worshiped machinery, futuristic technology, and extraterrestrial technology. These secret cults might seem bizarre, but they were a valid part of the Mythos, and their fanatic followers couldnt be underestimated. "However, if thats the case," Liu Xing continued, "then this underground relic definitely contains more than what I saw. So, I think its necessary for someone else to explore it again. Who knows, we might make some new discoveries." Miyako Goudong, smiling, looked at Liu Xing and said, "But my dear Ryuusei, it doesnt necessarily have to be you next time. My phone is out of battery, and the mental stress down there is quite intense." At this moment, Zhang Jingxu made a bold suggestion, "Using the Wall-Passing Technique drains a significant amount of my energy, so I cant use it again within a day. Lets discuss the Wall-Passing Technique tomorrow. However, what do you think about using the key to open that Bronze Gate?" "No!" Everyone eximed in unison. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 302: The China Sect Base in Dreamrealm Chapter 302: The China Sect Base in Dreamrealm Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised by Zhang Jingxu¡¯s audacious proposal. It was now evident that the Bronze Gate within the underground ruins served as a passage to an alternate dimension known as Dreamrealm. Furthermore, it was highly likely that this dimension was connected to the territory of some Moon Beasts or within their operational range. In light of this, if they were to open the Bronze Gate as Zhang Jingxu suggested, they might very well encounter the Moon Beasts. Given the Moon Beasts¡¯ predatory behavior, Liu Xing and the others would likely be their ves. After all, Moon Beasts saw all humans present as potential ves... However, it was also possible that things had changed drastically within the Dreamrealm behind the Bronze Gate. Moon Beasts might have been driven away by other mythical creatures or even by humans. Within Dreamrealm, humans still possessed a certain degree of influence. Aside from a few who inadvertently entered Dreamrealm, most humans intentionally entered, and these individuals undoubtedly had their strengths. They were either skilled wizards, masters of martial arts, or wielded powerful artifacts. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t dare venture into Dreamrealm, a ce fraught with danger. Therefore, within Dreamrealm, multiple human factions controlled various regions, and even the Moon Beasts dared not provoke them without good reason. Liu Xing believed that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s intention to open the Bronze Gate was a risky move. He assumed Zhang Jingxu wanted to take a gamble, seeking assistance from the human factions in Dreamrealm. If they could secure help from these factions, Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect would no longer pose a significant threat. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s n was overly daring. The human factions in Dreamrealm also had their share of ws, notably their penchant for infighting. While they united against external threats posed by other mythical creatures, they tended to engage in power struggles for their own interests when there were no immediate external threats. Therefore, Liu Xing doubted whether Zhang Jingxu, an outsider, would receive assistance from the human factions in Dreamrealm, unless... With this thought in mind, Liu Xing looked at Zhang Jingxu and said, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, are you out of your mind? We just discussed this, haven¡¯t we? There¡¯s a high probability that the area beyond that Bronze Gate belongs to the Moon Beasts. Moon Beasts delight in turning humans like us into their ves. Won¡¯t opening the Bronze Gate be like walking into a trap?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, "Ryuusei, what you said isn¡¯t entirely wrong. But that¡¯s because you don¡¯t know what lies beyond that Bronze Gate. I happen to know that behind that Bronze Gate lies a ce known as Dreamrealm." As expected, Zhang Jingxu indeed knew of Dreamrealm¡¯s existence. "Dreamrealm? What is that ce?" Panda Pig asked. Zhang Jingxu smiled again and continued, "In simple terms, Dreamrealm is a ce simr to the real world but with significant differences in certain details. Some fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, individuals can enter Dreamrealm through their dreams, which is why it¡¯s called Dreamrealm. You can think of Dreamrealm as a parallel dimension." "In Dreamrealm, aside from humans, there are numerous mythical creatures. They are called mythical creatures because, on asion, they can leave Dreamrealm and appear in the real world through various special means. Once witnessed by humans, some of these creatures be the stuff of legends, whether as divine beasts, auspicious creatures, or monsters. That¡¯s why we collectively refer to them as mythical creatures." "Among these special means is the existence of Alternate Dimension Gates that connect the real world to Dreamrealm. These Alternate Dimension Gates can appear anywhere in the real world and take various forms. For example, the Bronze Gate beneath our feet is one such Alternate Dimension Gate." "And the reason I know all this is because a friend of my master, while traveling through the mountains in China with other Taoist practitioners, stumbled upon an Alternate Dimension Gate. This particr gate looked like a decrepit wooden nk obstructing the entrance to a cave. My master¡¯s friend and hispanions entered the gate and found themselves in Dreamrealm." "They arrived in a ce within Dreamrealm called the Forgotten Hills. It was barren, devoid of flora, fauna, or any living beings. Sensing something amiss, they promptly retraced their steps and returned to the real world. After their return, they began researching Dreamrealm." "Once they confirmed the existence of Dreamrealm and gathered some basic information, the Taoist practitioners of China unanimously decided to establish a base in Dreamrealm. There are many things in Dreamrealm that don¡¯t exist in the real world, and as you may know, we Taoists are particrly fond of crafting magical artifacts and alchemical elixirs. Many of the materials for these itemse from certain mythical creatures. The legendary Elixir of Immortality, for example, required the hearts of nine specific mythical creatures capable of granting immortality, including the Deep Ones worshipped by the Deep Sea Gospel Society." "Thus, the China Sect organized arge group to enter the Alternate Dimension Gate, arriving at the Forgotten Hills in Dreamrealm, where they established a base. They continued to send resources and manpower to maintain and develop this base because the surrounding mythical creatures, upon detecting the anomaly in the Forgotten Hills, were the first to attack." "After paying a significant price, the China Sect finally seeded in establishing their base and gained the recognition of the surrounding mythical creatures. My master was involved in the entire process of establishing this base and obtained numerous Guiding Tokens." At this point, Zhang Jingxu retrieved a token that resembled a shard of pottery from his pocket. "This Guiding Token can only be used within Dreamrealm, and it¡¯s crafted from a marvelous stone called the Mother-Child Stone. However, the Guiding Token is made from the child stone within the Mother-Child Stone. By infusing sufficient mana, the Guiding Token will automatically carry the holder at incredible speed toward the designated meeting stone, which is, naturally, the mother stone within the Mother-Child Stone." "So, unless something unexpected happens, I can activate the Guiding Token the moment we enter the Bronze Gate, and I¡¯ll be transported directly to the China Sect base in the Forgotten Hills of Dreamrealm. Then, I can seek help from the China Sect. If this mission seeds, we¡¯ll be able to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige safely. After all, the individuals within the China Sect base are all top-tier experts in the world today, including one of my senior martial brothers," Zhang Jingxu proudly dered. After listening to Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help raising an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected the China Sect to be so powerful, even establishing a base in Dreamrealm. It was worth noting that Dreamrealm was home to numerous formidable mythical creatures. Furthermore, Zhang Jingxu seemed to have quite good luck to have joined such a powerful organization. Liu Xing believed that Zhang Jingxu must have a significant world mission, as the saying goes, "Heaven will bestow a great task upon a worthy individual." However, Liu Xing was surprised that within the Cthulhu mythos, the materials for the Elixir of Immortality were the hearts of nine immortal mythical creatures. But then again, it made sense in a way. There was an old Chinese saying, "Eat what youck," implying that if you wanted immortality, you had to consume beings with immortality. Additionally, there was another Chinese saying that "nine" representedpletion and new beginnings, making nine immortal creatures a fitting requirement. Liu Xing sighed, but it was all within his expectations. He knew that KP Green Light didn¡¯t want Zhang Jingxu to go to Dreamrealm to seek reinforcements, as it would potentially allow yers to bypass the module by simply waiting for Zhang Jingxu to arrive at the China Sect base and roll a judgment to determine the oue. So, Liu Xing believed that Lu Tianya¡¯s discouragement was influenced by KP Green Light. "Hey, can you yers please have more optimistic thoughts? Don¡¯t think of me, your KP, as so devious and scheming. Besides the Plot Encounters clearly mentioned in the module, I don¡¯t take arbitrary actions. So, Lu Tianya¡¯s words were entirely her own thoughts, unrted to me," KP Green Light said somewhat annoyed. However, Zhang Jingxu was even happier after KP Green Light¡¯s words, as it seemed that Lu Tianya genuinely cared about him. At that moment, KP Green Light continued, "Since you yers dared to question your dear KP¡¯s character, I must issue a warning. Because, apart from Zhang Jingxu, none of the yers were aware of Dreamrealm¡¯s existence. Therefore, upon learning this information, yer Liu Xing will lose 1 sanity point and gain 1 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge point. yers Miyako Goudong and Panda Pig will each lose 2 sanity points and gain 2 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge points." Liu Xing knew that KP Green Light was joking, as he had prepared himself to lose sanity points when Zhang Jingxu shared Dreamrealm information, meeting the criteria for an oral check. However, Liu Xing was surprised that he hadn¡¯t triggered a sanity check when using the Wall-Passing Technique, or even triggered one for Panda Pig. Since Liu Xing could justify hisck of a sanity check by being the secret cult leader, and Miyako Goudong could attribute it to his chuunibyou (middle school second-year syndrome), he couldn¡¯te up with a reason for Panda Pig. So, Liu Xing believed that Panda Pig might have a hidden backstory. Since Lu Tianya had discouraged Zhang Jingxu¡¯s n, Liu Xing and the others had no choice but to disregard Dreamrealm¡¯s existence and shift the conversation back to Liu Xing. "Liu Xing, since you¡¯ve already been down there once, why don¡¯t you continue exploring once Zhang Jingxu has restored his mana? After all, you¡¯re already familiar with it," Panda Pig suggested with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and pulled out his phone, saying, "Look, my phone¡¯s battery is only at around 20% now. Smartphones drain battery quickly, and even if I stop using it now, by tomorrow, it¡¯ll be down to 10% at most. If I go back down, it won¡¯t take long before my phone dies, and I¡¯ll be blind in the pitch-ck underground ruins. So, if you want me to go down again, you¡¯ll have to lend me your phones. Who¡¯s willing to do that?" Liu Xing¡¯s words left Panda Pig and the others silent. In this modern society, the importance of smartphones was self-evident. They contained a lot of sensitive personal information, so even in the real world, very few people would be willing to lend their phones to others, let alone in the Cthulhu RPG Game. As for Liu Xing, if someone did lend him their phone, he would have the opportunity to learn their home address, allowing him to conduct a "home visit" with his followers in the future. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 303: "Sacred Artifact" Chapter 303: "Sacred Artifact" For Liu Xing, lending his cellphone to anyone was out of the question, even if it were his closest ally, Yin En. After all, his phone contained a trove of important information. To put it bluntly, Liu Xing believed that if his phone were discovered by a stranger, that person would undoubtedly call the authorities to apprehend him... However, just then, Miyako Goudong said earnestly, "Well, if Liu Xing is willing to go down there, I can lend you my phone." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Miyako Goudong was willing to lend him his phone. But upon further reflection, he understood why. Given Miyako Goudong¡¯s personality, his phone likely held only some entric, juvenile history. So, for him, lending his phone to him wasn¡¯t a big deal... Since Miyako Goudong had said so, Liu Xing reluctantly nodded and said, "Alright, since you all insist, I¡¯ll make another trip down there next time." In truth, Liu Xing was quite willing to venture into the underground ruins again. He believed that he might find useful items in the underground ruins, especially since the things Moon Beast had given to the ancient tribe were valuable. Moon Beast was a pragmatist, so even after tens of thousands of years, there should still be something worthwhile in the underground ruins. Furthermore, Liu Xing felt that there were other secrets hidden in the underground ruins. To obtain firsthand information, he thought it was necessary for him to go himself. Of course, there were risks involved. Liu Xing suspected that the underground ruins might hold dangers, such as thest line of defense for the ancient tribe. The massive circr space in the middle was likely the tribe¡¯sst refuge, so it should be equipped with some defensive measures. If he, as an "intruder," entered recklessly, he might trigger these defenses and put his life in danger. Nevertheless, Liu Xing had a premonition that something in the underground ruins was calling him, and that something was of great importance to him...After resolving the issue of who would go to the underground ruins tomorrow, Dogo Aige arrived at the vi with food. At the same time, Dogo Aige brought some mixed news. "By the way, there¡¯s an event tomorrow afternoon. We need to go to Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall together to pay respects to the ancestors of Fisher¡¯s Vige by offering incense. After that, Matsui Yui and I will have our wedding ceremony at the beach, so we won¡¯t need to go to Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall again," Dogo Aige said with a smile. Everyone exchanged nces; this news came quite unexpectedly. The reason it was considered mixed news was that it was good because they could directly investigate Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall, confirming some of their previous spections and gathering useful information. However, the bad part was that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s return from Hybrier was still uncertain. If Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t return by tomorrow afternoon, it could arouse suspicion from Dogo Aige, Matsui Ichiro, and Matsui Yui. If they delved deeper, they might not be able to keep Ling Ishikawa¡¯s sudden disappearance a secret. So, after Dogo Aige left, everyone ate in silence, wearing troubled expressions. After finishing dinner, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t help but speak up, saying, "Alright, let¡¯s not dwell on this. While Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation is uncertain, we can still use his old ailment as an excuse to continue deceiving Dogo Aige and the others. This won¡¯t hinder our investigation into Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall. Let¡¯s divide our tasks." "First, we need to confirm who else will be at Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall besides Dogo Aige. If we¡¯re lucky and it¡¯s just us and Dogo Aige, we can have one or two people distract Dogo Aige while others explore Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall to see if there¡¯s anything worth noting." "If, on the other hand, Matsui Ichiro, Matsui Yui, and Alice are also present, we¡¯ll need to find opportunities to discreetly observe the details of Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall. ording to my knowledge, if Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall has indeed been transformed into a ce of worship for Ocean True Deity Sect¡¯s deity statue by Matsui Ichiro, it should contain some sacred artifacts. After all, Ocean True Deity Sect invested heavily in controlling Fisher¡¯s Vige, so they must attach great importance to it. Thus, having some sacred artifacts in Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall is only natural." Liu Xing nodded and added, "Indeed, let¡¯s put Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation aside for now. We must focus on investigating Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall. Based on my understanding, if Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall has truly been converted into a ce of worship for Ocean True Deity Sect¡¯s deity statue by Matsui Ichiro, there should be some Ocean True Deity Sect sacred artifacts inside. After all, Ocean True Deity Sect went to great lengths to control Fisher¡¯s Vige, so they must value it highly. It¡¯s only reasonable for them to keep some sacred artifacts in Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall." Liu Xing¡¯s statement was rooted in the memories of "Watanabe Ryuusei." In those memories, Worshipers of the Yellow Sect had developed five branches at their peak, and Watanabe Masao, Liu Xing¡¯s father in those memories, had distributed different quantities and grades of "sacred artifacts" to each branch, depending on their size and importance. However, as a recently established secret cult without a historical background, Worshipers of the Yellow Sect couldn¡¯t possibly possess any sacred artifacts. So, these so-called "sacred artifacts" were all fabricated by Watanabe Masao. For instance, an ordinary bracelet avable for a few dors online became "King Hastur in Yellow Robes¡¯ gift to the saint Louise" in Watanabe Masao¡¯s words. The term "saint Louise" was adapted from the names of the first twelve characters Watanabe Masao hade across in a foreign novel... While these so-called "sacred artifacts" were most likely fabrications by the leaders of the secret cult, they held a sacred and invible status for the faithful believers. Therefore, when Liu Xing mentioned the possible Ocean True Deity Sect "sacred artifacts" in Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall, it was to remind other yers that they could try to take these "sacred artifacts" to threaten Matsui Ichiro and force him topromise. Miyako Goudong quickly grasped Liu Xing¡¯s intention and immediately said, "I see what you mean. In many novels and anime, evil and mysterious organizations like the Ocean True Deity Sect love to have all sorts of random things as their sacred artifacts. And for fanatical believers like Matsui Ichiro, these artifacts are even more important than their own lives. If we can obtain these sacred artifacts, I believe Matsui Ichiro wouldn¡¯t dare to harm us recklessly." Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, stroking his chin. So, everyone unanimously decided that during their visit to Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall the next day, they would do their best to find any possible Ocean True Deity Sect "sacred artifacts" that might be kept there, giving their group another ace up their sleeve. As evening approached at seven o¡¯clock, Zhang Jingxu, as usual, found an excuse to send Lu Tianya back to her room and then initiated the Private Room session for the day. "Man, what¡¯s up with this module? Moon Beast and Star Kin showing up?!" Panda Pig couldn¡¯t help butment. Liu Xing nodded and shrugged, saying, "I think Moon Beast and Star Kin are probably just making a cameo appearance to set the stage for the story. After all, whether it¡¯s Moon Beast or Star Kin, having any one of them show up could lead to an instant game over for us. So, unless this module is truly insane, Moon Beast and Star Kin shouldn¡¯t make a formal appearance." Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts received support from Zhang Jingxu. "You¡¯re right. We¡¯re still in the Shoggoth Region, so it¡¯s unlikely that Moon Beast or Star Kin, such powerful mythical creatures, would appear here. And you should all know this interesting tidbit about the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall: the name of each region represents the most powerful mythical creature that can appear in that area. So, in this Shoggoth Region module, the most we should encounter is Shoggoth. Moon Beast and Star Kin will probably appear in the uing Hound of Tindalos region. However, these mythical creatures can potentially appear in any region, and their reputations and legends persist throughout." "But speaking of special modules, it¡¯s possible for any mythical creature to show up, and if their strength surpasses the region¡¯s limit, they may be subject to restrictions, such as not being able to attack yers, or they may only be able to attack a certain number of times and disappear after killing a certain number of yers, or they might have fatal weaknesses." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; he had actually been unaware of this interesting fact about the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. However, it made sense, as in the previous Ghoul region, Liu Xing had encountered Ghouls, Deep Ones, and Formless Offspring. Of course, entities like Aughra had been automatically ignored by Liu Xing... Thinking of this, Liu Xing suddenly remembered the question he had wanted to ask Zhang Jingxu earlier. He immediately turned to Zhang Jingxu and said, "By the way, Zhang Jingxu, what was the oue of the Blood Soup module we did together?" Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Liu Xing, you¡¯ve forgotten already? I was the first to clear that module. However, I know another yer who told me what happened next, including the part where you were poisoned by your teammate." "After you were poisoned by your teammate and opened therge door, which alerted the Dread Hunter inside, the Dread Hunterunched an attack and killed the NPC girl directly. But as I mentioned earlier, mythical creatures in special modules like this one have limitations. So, after killing the NPC girl, the Dread Hunter disappeared. In the end, the remaining yers passed through without further incidents." Liu Xing nodded; the oue of that module was as he had expected. After all, it was a welfare module with reduced difficulty, so everyone clearing it was quite normal. "However, speaking of this module, I have a feeling that it¡¯s not as simple as we think. The appearance of this underground ruin seems to foreshadow something," Miyako Goudong mused, stroking his chin. Liu Xing chuckled, teasingly saying, "Miyako Goudong, did your character card infect you with chuunibyou? Why do you have such thoughts?" Miyako Goudong smiled and shook his head, speaking seriously, "To be honest, my sixth sense has always been quite urate. It¡¯s one of the reasons I¡¯ve survived this long with my character card." Panda Pig raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "I never thought you were one of those yers with a sixth sense. I¡¯ve heard that yers like you are considered mystical in tabletop role-ying games. They always seem to dance on the edge of danger but miraculously survive each time." Miyako Goudong nodded, still with a touch of trepidation in his voice. "That¡¯s right. I recall some situations now and feel a bit scared afterward. Especially one time, I almost became a sacrifice for a certain secret cult. But my sixth sense kicked in, and I sensed something was wrong with the tea that NPC had given me. Luckily, my character card¡¯s chuunibyou attribute aligned with my sixth sense, so I had a reason not to drink that tea. In the end, I narrowly escaped." Liu Xing had always found the concept of a sixth sense quite fantastical, but he couldn¡¯t deny its existence. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 304: The Three Top Professions Chapter 304: The Three Top Professions To be honest, Liu Xing believed that he had a pretty good sixth sense. However, there was a slight issue with Liu Xing¡¯s sixth sense... Liu Xing could only foresee imminent unfavorable events for himself, and they were events that couldn¡¯t be reversed. For example, during high school, while Liu Xing was ying with his phone in ss, he suddenly realized that he might get caught by the headmaster for ying with his phone. So, Liu Xing decided to temporarily put his phone away. However, after more than ten minutes, he couldn¡¯t resist taking a quick nce at his phone, and he was caught by the headmaster who appeared out of nowhere, leading to his phone being confiscated. Another example from his junior high days: Liu Xing had once "modified" his end-of-term report card and sessfully deceived his parents. But one afternoon, while he was happily ying with his friends, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if he were about to be in big trouble. He immediately rushed back home, only to find his mother sitting on the couch with the altered report card lying next to her. It was only yearster that Liu Xing discovered that his mother had met his junior high ss teacher that afternoon, and that¡¯s when she learned about his true grades. So, Liu Xing always felt that his sixth sense, while urate, wasn¡¯t of much use. It only prepared him for impending unfortunate events in his future. "If that¡¯s the case, let Miyako Goudong lead the way. This way, she can make the most of her sixth sense and clear the path for us," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Miyako Goudong reluctantly nodded and self-deprecatingly said, "I don¡¯t need you to tell me that. My character card practically forces me to take the lead. If I hadn¡¯t asked KP, and if KP had confirmed that there were no ¡¯mine-clearing¡¯ traits, I would have been a mine-clearer by now." After some casual banter, the conversation returned to the main topic. Clearing his throat, Liu Xing spoke, "Setting aside Miyako Goudong¡¯s sixth sense, considering the current situation, this module truly lives up to its ¡¯difficult¡¯ difficulty level. We now know that Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui¡¯s wedding is nothing more than a celestial farce. Although the objective of this celestial farce isn¡¯t money but our lives." "But the contents of this memory card still trouble us. Given our character cards, our first instinct in a situation like this would be to find an opportunity to escape. However, our Main quest requires us to attend Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui¡¯s wedding, making it challenging to simply run away. If we escape early, we¡¯ll probably be considered eliminated," Zhang Jingxu agreed.Zhang Jingxu continued, "So, for now, we must focus onpleting the Main quest before attempting to escape. However, as we discussed before, the most feasible escape route is through Inoue Haruto¡¯s small boat, which can amodate a maximum of three people. We currently have six people here." Zhang Jingxu¡¯s reminder left everyone in silence. They all understood that the chance of safely leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige was only fifty percent. "Hey, don¡¯t avoid discussing this issue. Although it¡¯s ufortable, we must address it now. It¡¯s better to voice our concerns here to avoid conflictster," Zhang Jingxu emphasized. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Zhang Jingxu was right; this issue was inevitable. Sharing their thoughts now would prevent future conflicts. Panda Pig sighed and raised their hand, saying, "It¡¯s true that we should discuss this. But I have to say this: my character card tends to be selfish. So, even if I promise now not to fight for a spot on Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s boat, I¡¯ll still be true to my character card¡¯s nature. I¡¯ll definitely try to secure a ce on Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s boat by any means, even if it means betraying you guys." After hearing Panda Pig¡¯s words, everyone exchanged nces. Liu Xing had to admit that Panda Pig was straightforward, not hiding their intentions until the end. However, Panda Pig¡¯s character card had a rather undesirable personality, and it could potentially disrupt their ns when it came time to execute them. Many movies and TV shows featured wellid ns falling apart due to one person¡¯s selfishness. Liu Xing decided to y the "viin" and said, "I think we should wait for Ling Ishikawa to return and decide by drawing lots. If Panda Pig happens to have bad luck, we¡¯ll be cautious of their actions. If they n something treacherous, we¡¯ll intervene. How does that sound?" Panda Pig nodded and opened their hands, saying, "That¡¯s fine with me. It works for me, as I¡¯m not inherently selfish, and my character card isn¡¯t that great. It hasn¡¯t cost me many points, time, or effort. So, even if I get eliminated, I won¡¯t be too bothered." Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Panda Pig¡¯s agreement. That was the kind of teammate they needed. Just then, Miyako Goudong also nodded and said, "I agree with Liu Xing¡¯s suggestion. When Ling Ishikawa returns, we can roll the dice with KP Green Light. The three with the lowest rolls, or based on the maximum capacity of Inoue Haruto¡¯s boat, will be chosen. Of course, we all have to abide by this decision. My character card has no issues; after all, my chuunibyou personality makes me aspire to be a just ally. I won¡¯t go back on my word." Liu Xing nodded as well but suddenly realized that Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s character was not much better than Panda Pig¡¯s. Because "Watanabe Ryuusei," the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, enjoyed the favor of King Hastur in Yellow Robes, there was undoubtedly some arrogance within him. He considered himself superior, especially when it came to non-Yellow King believers like "Zhang Jingxu" and "Miyako Goudong." Therefore, when faced with a life-and-death decision, "Watanabe Ryuusei" would likely choose to save himself, regardless of the means. So, Liu Xing awkwardly said, "Uh, I just remembered an issue. The personality of my character card is also quite problematic. It¡¯s even worse than Panda Pig¡¯s character card, and I would say it¡¯s on par with it. The thing is, my character card has a unique identity." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and replied, "If I¡¯m not mistaken, Liu Xing, your character card¡¯s profession is actually that of a secret cult leader, right? You mentioned earlier that your character card¡¯s father was a secret cult leader already arrested by the Ind Nation police. I¡¯ve also learned from Lu Tianya that you¡¯ve done certain things in the previous module. You¡¯ve gathered a group of NPCs and yers to serve you. So, it¡¯s safe to say that you¡¯ve sessfully transitioned into one of the top three professions in the Cthulhu RPG Game: the secret cult leader." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Since Zhang Jingxu had already guessed most of it, there was no need to hide anymore. Now, Liu Xing was quite curious about what Zhang Jingxu meant by the "top three professions in the Cthulhu RPG Game." Before Liu Xing could ask, Miyako Goudong chimed in, "What? Liu Xing, your profession is a secret cult leader? Your luck is incredible! But,e to think of it, Zhang Jingxu, what are you talking about regarding the ¡¯top three professions in the Cthulhu RPG Game¡¯? I¡¯ve never heard of them." Zhang Jingxu smiled and shook his head, saying, "Don¡¯t you people ever browse the forum on the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall? There¡¯s a lot of useful information there, and in some seemingly casual posts, experienced yers share their thoughts and experiences. One such yer discussed their views on various professions in the Cthulhu RPG Game in a post, and after extensive discussions by many yers, the consensus emerged on the top three professions." "First, there¡¯s the high-ranking official profession. Due to the high reputation value of this profession, you can ess a significant amount of reliable information and even mobilize enough manpower for investigations or pursuits when necessary. However, there are drawbacks. Obtaining this profession is challenging, typically requiring gradual growth through the Interlude Growth of the civil servant profession, which consumes a considerable amount of time and effort. Furthermore, I know that the Interlude Growth for high-ranking officials after transitioning can be quite perilous." "The second profession is the millionaire. And I¡¯m not talking about just any millionaire; you need a worth of at least tens of billions to qualify. The millionaire profession emphasizes wealth, and even in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, money can often solve problems. For example, hiring hundreds of bodyguards. However, the problem lies in the peculiar modules of the millionaire profession, often leaning towards what we call ¡¯stream of consciousness¡¯ modules, which diminish the effectiveness of wealth." "Lastly, there¡¯s your profession, Liu Xing, the secret cult leader. Since the secret cults in this world are often associated with mythical creatures, even Great Old Ones, secret cult leaders typically possess some magic spells and the ability tomand certain mythical creatures, along with arge number of followers. But the secret cult leader profession has its downsides as well. Firstly, secret cults are never officially recognized, so they face suppression and even extermination by the authorities. Secondly, due to hostile rtionships among some mythical creatures or Great Old Ones, secret cults often have rival secret cults. Your adversary, Liu Xing, is probably the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Lastly, because secret cult leaders easilye into contact with entities unknown to themon popce, they are prone to madness and may eventually be forced to tear their character cards." Liu Xing nodded, appreciating the insight provided by Zhang Jingxu. Now, he understood how fortunate he was to acquire the "Watanabe Ryuusei" character card. "It makes sense. If my character card wasn¡¯t weakened, it would make the game too imbnced, considering I couldmand dozens or even hundreds of followers with a singlemand," Panda Pigmented enviously. After discussing Liu Xing¡¯s character card, Zhang Jingxu had an awkward request to make, saying, "By the way, regarding the uing lottery, I need to talk to you all about something. Liu Xing, you probably understand what I mean, right?" Liu Xing nodded, knowing that Zhang Jingxu wouldn¡¯t abandon Lu Tianya¡¯s chance to survive, even though Lu Tianya was currently an NPC. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 305: Somethings Amiss In the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, although NPCs were hardly distinguishable from real people, it was, after all, just a game. yers and NPCs still had their differences. So, in most cases, yers preferred to stick together, and if they were going to sell something, they would sell to NPCs. Therefore, even in Liu Xing''s eyes, Lu Tianya was the first to be considered disposable when necessary. So, Zhang Jingxu first disclosed his rtionship with Lu Tianya to Panda Pig and Miyako Goudong. "Zhang Jingxu, are you suggesting that Lu Tianya, as an NPC, should participate in the lottery like us? Forgive me for being blunt, although I understand your idea, Lu Tianya is, after all, an NPC," Panda Pig said, furrowing his brows. Zhang Jingxu sighed and nodded, saying, "I understand that, but I have no other choice now. My character card must be shared with Lu Tianya, so I need to discuss this lottery with you. My idea is as follows." "First, Lu Tianya will participate in the lottery with us. After all, it''s impossible for us to bypass Lu Tianya and conduct the lottery in a Private Room separately. That could lead to problems. Therefore, I suggest we use a draw of straws to decide." "However, as a condition for letting Lu Tianya participate in the lottery, if only one of us, Lu Tianya or I, draws the short straw, then neither of us will board Inoue Haruto''s small boat. Of course, if we are lucky and both of us draw the short straws, I hope you will let us board Inoue Haruto''s boat together." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Zhang Jingxu''s idea was somewhat expected, but from a probabilistic standpoint, it was not in Zhang Jingxu''s favor. If Inoue Haruto''s small boat had three avable slots, Zhang Jingxu had a three-fifths chance of securing a slot. If Lu Tianya was included, Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya each had a fifty-fifty chance of securing a slot. However, the probability of both Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya securing slots simultaneously was uncertain, as Liu Xing''s math skills werecking. Nevertheless, Liu Xing believed it was likely less than three-fifths.N?v(el)B\\jnn Therefore, Liu Xing nodded in agreement and said, "Since you put it that way, Zhang Jingxu, I support your idea." Miyako Goudong and Panda Pig, understanding the situation, also nodded in agreement. Another problem resolved. By now, half of the Private Room time had passed. Liu Xing took out the pink, unidentified metal object from his pocket and said, "I don''t think this unidentified metal is radioactive; it seems to be a special metal unique to the Dreamrealm. However, I still don''t know why this metal was fashioned into a stic toy or its specific purpose." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and smiled, saying, "I think we''ll find out the purpose of this unidentified metal soon, without any surprises. After all, this unidentified metal is one of the Mission objectives in this Side Quest, indicating that it will y a role in this module. If it trulyes from the Dreamrealm, I believe it will reveal its purpose tonight." Liu Xing nodded, holding the unidentified metal and saying, "In that case, I''ll ce this unidentified metal by my pillow tonight. If I don''t wake up naturally tomorrow night, pleasee into my room and wake me up." "Well, of course, but what should we do with this key now? After all, this key can open the Bronze Gate, granting ess to the Dreamrealm," Panda Pig said, holding the key. Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said, "Let''s not go to the Dreamrealm. Although I still have a chance to fetch reinforcements there, the risks are too high. If the Bronze Gate leads to a Moon Beast or another mythical creature, we''ll be in trouble. Opening and closing this kind of alternate dimension gate is not easy with our abilities; it''s not an ordinary gate." Panda Pig agreed, handing the key to Liu Xing and saying, "Then you take the key, Liu Xing. If you encounter danger in the Underground Ruins, you can take a gamble and open the Bronze Gate as ast resort. After all, if something happens to you in the Underground Ruins, the rest of us won''t survive." Liu Xing epted the key, realizing that there were only three potential sources of danger in the Underground Ruins. The first was any remaining security measures within the ruins, likely passive triggers that wouldn''t harm them. The second was mythical creatures that might reside in the Underground Ruins, given that it was a paradise for such beings. And thest source of danger was Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect. It was highly likely that Matsui Ichiro had already discovered the Underground Ruins and reported it to the sect. Thus, Liu Xing anticipated encountering either Matsui Ichiro or members of the Ocean True Deity Sect. Considering the dangers, Liu Xing wasn''t too concerned about holding the key. It was a gamble they were all in together. "By the way, do any of you have any thoughts about that ring?" Miyako Goudong suddenly asked. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Miyako Goudong was interested in the ring. Liu Xing had always considered it a cursed ring, providing short-term benefits but ultimately demanding a heavy price in return. Therefore, he had avoided giving it much thought. "Miyako Goudong, have you really thought this through? That ring isn''t something good. After all, this is the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, not some fantasy novel world. A blood-bonded ring like that isn''t some Grandpa''s artifact; it''s more likely to be a malevolent magic ring," Zhang Jingxu cautioned. Miyako Goudong rubbed his head and sighed, saying, "I''m well aware of that, but you all know my character card''s personality is chuunibyou. So, for someone with chuunibyou tendencies, facing such a shy ring, how could I not have thoughts about it? Right now, my only thought is to obtain that ring..." Liu Xing patted Miyako Goudong''s shoulder in understanding. Panda Pig stroked his chin and said with a smile, "In that case, Miyako Goudong, you can choose to sacrifice your small self for the greater good. Based on the description of that ring''s properties, it seems to possess incredible abilities. If you can use that ring, our chances ofpleting this module will significantly increase." Miyako Goudong sighed, shrugged, and said, "I''ll decide based on the situation. If things continue to worsen, I might as well use the ring. After all, if we can''t clear this module, it''s game over. If I manage to clear this module using the ring, I can consider it an investment. I''ve spent about 2000 points on this character card, andpleting this module should give me over a thousand points. As long as I can clear the next module, I''ll break even. Using the ring to clear modules afterward would be pure profit." Hearing Miyako Goudong''s words, Liu Xing suddenly became interested in the ring. "Alright, let''s make this decision. If Miyako Goudong is willing, then the ring belongs to him. You cane to me anytime to get the ring. But when you bond with it, make sure to inform us of its properties afterward," Zhang Jingxu agreed with a nod. There was nothing more to discuss about the videos on the Memory Card and the contents of the diary. They had beenid out in the open. So, Liu Xing decided to discuss the safety lock instead. "By the way, what are your thoughts on the safety lock Miyako Goudong found? I think it''s not ordinary." Miyako Goudong took out the safety lock from his pocket, examined it, and said, "The weight of this safety lock seems fine, and it''s likely made of silver, based on the materials. I have a simr safety lock in the real world." Liu Xing nodded and said, "I think this safety lock appears normal on the outside, but there might be something inside. So, why don''t we open it and see? It doesn''t seem to serve any purpose in its current state. It''s unlikely to be as clich¨¦d as those movies and novels, where showing it to someone suddenly triggers their memory." Miyako Goudong agreed, and with the approval of Zhang Jingxu and Panda Pig, he decided to open the safety lock. Panda Pig hesitated and said, "Personally, I think we should refrain from destroying the safety lock for now. What if the safety lock has other uses we''re unaware of? We might run into trouble." Miyako Goudong shook his head and, with the safety lock securely fastened, used a small, sharp dagger he had to carefully cut it in half. He was cautious, not wanting to damage any potential contents inside. With everyone watching, the safety lock split in half, and a folded yellow paper fell out from its interior. Upon seeing the yellow paper, Liu Xing immediately recognized it as a talisman. He knew that such yellow paper was typically used for drawing talismans. As the only professional among the yers, Zhang Jingxu took the yellow paper and unfolded it, revealing intricate runes. Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu contacted KP Green Light and said, "KP, I want to perform a Mystery Knowledge Judgment to determine the exact purpose of this talisman." Zhang Jingxu, 23/75, seeded. After a moment, Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and said, "What is this? This talisman isn''t a safety talisman but an Evil Suppressing Talisman. Moreover, it''s specifically meant for suppressing malevolent spirits?!" Clearly, something was amiss. Chapter 306: The Ancient One Chapter 306: The Ancient One "Evil Suppressing Talisman, as the name suggests, is used to suppress various Evil Spirits. However, due to the different types and abilities of Evil Spirits, as well as their varying levels of threat, there are various types of Evil Suppressing Talismans. In general, when cing an Evil Suppressing Talisman in a protective amulet, only the lowest level of Evil Suppressing Talisman is used, serving as a warning. After all, as the saying goes, ¡¯The dose makes the poison,¡¯ and the same applies to Evil Suppressing Talismans." "Forparison, an Evil Suppressing Talisman is simr to a signal generator, constantly emitting a signal that is threatening to Evil Spirits and can even cause harm. Therefore, the better the Evil Suppressing Talisman, the stronger the signal it can emit. However, this signal also affects humans to some extent. For ordinary people, only the lowest level of Evil Suppressing Talisman can be kept close. If a higher-level one is kept nearby, it can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and even mental disorders in severe cases." "Therefore, apart from professionals, ordinary people cannot handle higher-level Evil Suppressing Talismans. Even if I wanted to carry some higher-level ones, I would have to take appropriate precautions. Otherwise, I would be affected. But you can rest assured that this Evil Suppressing Talisman, even though it is the highest level, haspletely lost its effectiveness due to its age andck of professional maintenance," Zhang Jingxu exined. After Zhang Jingxu¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask, "So, you mean to say that this highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman, if ced in a protective amulet, would be a death sentence for ordinary people?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and said seriously, "Liu Xing, you¡¯re right. This highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman is definitely more of a curse than a blessing for ordinary people. My master once told me that this highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman could essentially be turned into a death curse for humans because, for humans and the lower-level mythical creatures, a death curse could easily kill them." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the incredible power of the highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman. "In that case, what¡¯s the deal with this protective amulet? It¡¯s like a deadly weapon. What does Li Yongjie want to achieve? Does he want to harm Inoue¡¯s family?" Miyako Goudong furrowed his brow. Zhang Jingxu nodded and then shook his head, "Miyako Goudong, you¡¯re right. Talismans of the highest level, like this one, are typically out of reach even for my master. Such highest-level Evil Suppressing Talismans are usually created by grandmasters of the seal script world and require significant resources and time to make. Therefore, a highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman like this, if it were in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s store, would cost at least 10,000 points." "So, we can be sure that Li Yongjie is not an ordinary person. He¡¯s definitely not just a journalist, as Inoue Kenjiro believed. After all, even if a journalist happened to obtain a highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman by chance, they would still be affected by it. So, I suspect that Li Yongjie is most likely the leader of some secret cult, and possibly even the leader of the Ocean True Deity Sect.""Based on the content of Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s two letters, Matsui Ichiro arrived in Fisher¡¯s Vige after Li Yongjie left. This suggests that Li Yongjie may havee to Fisher¡¯s Vige first to gather information and then had Matsui Ichiroe to Fisher¡¯s Vige to execute his n." "Furthermore, it was Li Yongjie¡¯s invitation that led Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s family to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige for Tokyo. This happened during the intense confrontation between Inoue Kenjiro and Matsui Ichiro. During their absence, Matsui Ichiro brainwashed the remaining vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige." "Lastly, considering the highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman found inside the protective amulet, I believe Li Yongjie knew its purpose and intentionally gave it to Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s daughter, Matsui Yui. His goal might have been to harm Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s family. However, for some reason, this highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman failed to work." Liu Xing nodded, convinced by Zhang Jingxu¡¯s reasoning. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that the situation was moreplex than it seemed. If Li Yongjie were indeed the leader of the Ocean True Deity Sect, why would he use such a powerful Evil Suppressing Talisman to kill Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s family? It seemed like a waste. There was also a saying, "To kill the roots of the grass." Furthermore, Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s son, Inoue Haruto, was still alive and knew the truth of what happened years ago, indicating that Li Yongjie might not be as ruthless as they thought. But it could also mean that Li Yongjie was confident and didn¡¯t care about Inoue Haruto¡¯s existence. However, one thing still puzzled Liu Xing: Why would Li Yongjie ce the highest-level Evil Suppressing Talisman inside the protective amulet? "But don¡¯t forget one detail," Panda Pig interjected. "The protective amulet was left in this vi. ording to the information we have, this vi was established after Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s family had their incident. In other words, this protective amulet should have been dropped here over a decade ago. At that time, Matsui Yui would have been just a child. So, Matsui Yui wouldn¡¯t have thrown away the protective amulet herself. The question is, how did the protective amulet end up under that cab? After all, if it were Matsui Ichiro¡¯s doing, the protective amulet wouldn¡¯t be here." Liu Xing pondered and replied, "That¡¯s indeed a question. If Matsui Yui didn¡¯t discard the protective amulet over a decade ago, then it must have been someone who happened to obtain it by chance. Zhang Jingxu continued, "It¡¯s possible, but it seems too coincidental. After all, Matsui Yui wouldn¡¯t have been in this vi often. So, I think the protective amulet wasn¡¯t voluntarily discarded by Matsui Yui. It might have been dropped here by someone who came across it by chance." Before Zhang Jingxu could finish his sentence, KP Green Light interrupted, "Attention, yers. The Private Room session has ended. Please be mindful of your roles." With that, Zhang Jingxu shifted the conversation, "Well, let¡¯s not dwell on theseplicated matters for now. It¡¯s best to get some rest since we¡¯ll be visiting the Ancestral Hall in Fisher¡¯s Vige tomorrow. We need to be in good shape." Zhang Jingxu concluded and prepared to go upstairs to sleep. Liu Xing thought for a moment, then picked up the unidentified metal object. After bidding everyone goodnight, he returned to his room. Because his phone was almost out of battery, and Lighter had been taken by Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing didn¡¯t bother trying to start a fire for a bath. Instead, after a simple wash-up, he ced the unidentified metal object beside his pillow. Without contacting KP Green Light, hey down and went to sleep. As Liu Xing expected, he soon found himself in a dream. In his dream, Liu Xing found himself in an empty room. The room¡¯s walls were painted with a peculiar shade of ck with hints of blue, making him feel as if he were underwater. The color of the walls made Liu Xing ufortable, and he even started to feel a touch of Thssophobia if he stayed in this room for too long. After a while, bored and staring at the peculiar walls, Liu Xing suddenly noticed something surprising. What he initially thought were walls turned out to be ss, as he saw a massive deep-sea creature swim past. "Am I underwater?" Liu Xing muttered to himself. At that moment, the door finally opened, but it wasn¡¯t a person who entered; it was a nt-like entity with a twisted appearance resembling a "seastar" head. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to see what he had previously mentioned as the "Ancient One." The Ancient One had an elongated head resembling a five-pointed star, with five eyes, five proboscis-like tubes, and a set of cilia for perceiving its surroundings in low-light conditions. Its feet resembled ax-shaped limbs, used for walking and other forms of movement. Additionally, the Ancient One had five pairs of leathery wing-like structures and five sets of tendrils sprouting from its main body. Overall, the Ancient One¡¯s appearance closely resembled that of a nt. When Liu Xing first saw it, he thought it was a nt with a "seastar" head. Recalling the Ancient One¡¯s background information, Liu Xing realized that it was one of the most symmetrical mythical creatures in the Cthulhu RPG Game, with a radial symmetry in its overall structure, including five brain lobes. From a biological perspective, the Ancient One exhibited characteristics of both nts and animals, leaning more towards animals. It also had amphibious qualities, making it adaptable to bothnd and water. The Ancient One¡¯s bodily tissues were extremely resilient, capable of withstanding immense pressure in the deep sea, which allowed it to dominate Earth¡¯s oceans over a billion years ago. However, it was important to note that the Ancient One was considered one of the most disgraceful mythical creatures because it had colonized Earth¡¯s various oceans and Antarctica, taking control of the during its early days. The Ancient One had a highly developed civilization with aplex social structure that possibly resembled China¡¯s system and was considered aplete body. Due to its amphibious nature, the Ancient One had constructed massive cities both onnd and underwater, engaging in extensive trade activities within and between cities. In trade, the Ancient One used t, inscribed, small five-pointed star-shaped objects as currency. Since the Ancient One reproduced through spores, it didn¡¯t have a tight-knit family structure but formed groups with its preferredpanions, living together inrge rooms. It would stack objects in the center of caves and leave the walls for decoration. Reflecting on this, Liu Xing began to suspect that the Underground Ruins might have been built by the Ancient One but had been taken over by others. The Ancient One could absorb nutrients from inorganic matter like nts but had a preference for organic food, especially animals. While living in the sea, it would swallow uncooked marine life, but onnd, it would cook its food before consumption. The Ancient One hunted and raised livestock, and its traces were sometimes mistaken for prehistoric human remnants. However, because the Ancient One had initially dominated Earth and led afortable life, it had regressed over time, losing its adaptability to outer space and cold resistance. Consequently, it was defeated by other mythical creature races and retreated to the depths of the sea, no longer interacting with the outside world. In the modern modules of the Cthulhu RPG Game, the Ancient One had be rather insignificant. Aside from its peculiar appearance, which could reduce a yer¡¯s sanity (san value), itsbat abilities were quite average. Therefore, Liu Xing was losing some sanity. "Because yer Liu Xing saw the strange-looking Ancient One, we will now conduct a sanity judgment. Since this is a dream, yer Liu Xing only needs to make one sessful roll to lose 0 sanity points or fail to lose 1 sanity point," KP Green Light said with a smile. Liu Xing: 49/??, Sess. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that his character card had more than 50 sanity points, which was more than he had imagined. "So, yer Liu Xing, you probably think that the Ancient One in front of you is just a weird creature from your dream, and therefore, you haven¡¯t lost any sanity points," KP Green Light said somewhat disappointedly. Before Liu Xing could respond to KP Green Light¡¯sment, the Ancient One in front of him smiled and said, "Hello, dear friend. I am Sirius, the master of this ce." Liu Xing, feeling puzzled, replied, "Hello, I am Liu Xing. May I ask where this ce is?" One of Sirius¡¯s tendrils reached out towards Liu Xing, holding the pink unidentified metal object. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 307: "Grandpa" Chapter 307: "Grandpa" As Liu Xing gazed at the pink, unidentified metallic object in Ancient One Sirius¡¯s hand, he realized that this pink metal was very likely some advanced technology created by Ancient One. Despite Ancient One¡¯s fondness for living in caves and engaging in farming and animal husbandry in the past, their technology had always been highly advanced. After all, Ancient One had been capable of constructingrge underwater cities, engaging in gic engineering to create new life forms, and even holding their own against the Star Kin and Yis People during the early stages of the war. "This is my Soul Casket," Sirius said with a smile, as if reading Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts. "As the name suggests, it can store my soul, which is essentially my consciousness. My physical body was damaged in the battle against the Star Kin, so I had to transfer my consciousness into this Soul Casket, waiting for my brethren to bring me back to the old continent and create a new body for me to be resurrected." Liu Xing nodded in understanding, realizing that by "old continent," Sirius referred to the Antarctic Continent. The primary reason for Ancient One¡¯s conflict with the Star Kin had been their desire to im a newly emerged continent due to Earth¡¯s crust movements, which wouldter be the location of R¡¯lyeh. However, what caught Liu Xing¡¯s attention even more was Sirius¡¯s mention of the "Soul Casket." This concept seemed reminiscent of the magical artifacts found in certain xianxia novels he had read in the real world, especially those with self-contained powers like the "Grandpa" ring. Of course, Liu Xing believed that this Soul Casket was likely inspired by the Yis People¡¯s ability to transfer their souls, allowing them to achieve immortality by inhabiting different bodies. This Soul Casket served a simr purpose, preserving Ancient One¡¯s consciousness and offering a chance for resurrection in a new body. Considering these factors, Liu Xing had a strong suspicion that the Underground Ruins in Fisher¡¯s Vige were Ancient One¡¯s creation, abandoned temporarily after their defeat by the Star Kin andter upied by an ancient tribe. Otherwise, the Soul Casket would not be here. "By the way, my friend, I have a question for you," Sirius inquired with curiosity. "How is our current situation in the war against the Star Kin? Since you can enter my Soul Casket with your consciousness, it should mean that the Star Kin who originally attacked this ce have been repelled, right?" Liu Xing furrowed his brows, realizing that Sirius¡¯s question was a tricky one. While he knew that the Ancient Ones had been suppressed deep beneath the sea by other mythical creatures, such as the Star Kin, trembling in fear and unable to leave, he was unaware of the details regarding "Watanabe Ryuusei." Now, Liu Xing found himself in a dilemma about how to respond to Sirius¡¯s question. Given the current circumstances, he could offer two general responses.The first option was to provide an answer based on the avable information, suggesting that "Watanabe Ryuusei" might deduce that the Ancient Ones had beenpletely defeated, possibly even wiped out, considering the vast amount of time that had passed since their conflict with the Star Kin. Liu Xing could also update Sirius about the current state of Earth. The second option was to deceive Sirius, using evasivenguage or diplomatic tactics to mislead him, iming that the Star Kin were no longer active on Earth but that Ancient One was in a period of recovery due to significant losses suffered in previous battles. Choosing the first option, Liu Xing worried that Sirius might not handle the truth well, as he could sense Sirius¡¯s hopeful anticipation that his race would defeat the Star Kin and resurrect him from the Soul Casket. Moreover, Liu Xing was currently inside Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket, and if Sirius were to go into a rampage upon learning the truth, Liu Xing would be in trouble. Nevertheless, Liu Xing ultimately decided to go with honesty. He believed that it was better to tell the truth to avoid the risk of Sirius discovering his deceptionter on. After some contemtion, Liu Xing shook his head and sighed, saying, "Sirius, I hope you are mentally prepared for this. In reality, it is highly likely that your race has already been defeated. The time that has passed since your race fought against the Star Kin is tens of thousands of years, if not longer. And as you may have noticed, I and any race you are familiar with lookpletely different. This is because my race came into existence only after the final battle between your race and the Star Kin. Before that, I had no knowledge of the existence of your race." Liu Xing¡¯s words plunged Sirius into silence. However, Liu Xing also pondered why Sirius had shown such warmth and affection towards him. They were not of the same race, and there had been minimalmunication between humans and Ancient Ones. Ancient Ones had secluded themselves in the deep sea long before humans appeared on Earth. ording to Cthulhu Mythos, humans had only confirmed the existence of Ancient Ones through the discovery of their remains in Antarctica. Therefore, Liu Xing considered their rtionship to be that of strangers, and he had suddenly intruded into Sirius¡¯s "home." So, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Sirius was so friendly towards him, even calling him a friend. After a while, Sirius finally regained hisposure and asked, "Well, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ve been in the Soul Casket for a very long time. It seems that the world has undergone significant changes. If you could, Liu Xing, please enlighten me about the current state of the world, would you?" Sirius¡¯s polite request left Liu Xing unable to refuse, and he nodded in agreement. "I must rify that I have no knowledge of your race¡¯s conflict with the Star Kin, as it happened so long ago. However, I can share the history left behind by my own race." "Firstly, my race is known as humans, and our scientists have not yet determined our exact origins. So, I can only say that my race, as it exists now, evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago. At that time, Earth was home to various other species, but none of them developed the necessary intelligence. Eventually, my race, humans, emerged as the dominant species on Earth, conquering most of the continents thousands of years ago." Upon hearing this, Sirius couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Liu Xing, "Does this include most continents, including the old continent and the new continent I mentioned?" Sirius projected a global map of Earth from its memory as it spoke, highlighting both the Antarctic Continent and the continent where R¡¯lyeh was located. Pretending to examine the map seriously, Liu Xing pointed at the Antarctic Continent and said, "The Antarctic Continent still exists on Earth. We call it the Antarctic Continent because it remains covered in snow year-round. Besides a few scientists conducting research there, hardly anyone ventures onto the continent anymore. As for the other continent you mentioned, it no longer exists or may have sunk beneath the ocean." Sirius furrowed his brow¡ªwell, if one could call it a brow¡ªand eximed, "What? The old continent is now covered in ice? The central city of my race was on the old continent, and my kind doesn¡¯t fare well in cold environments. I suppose I must believe your words, my friend. It¡¯s highly likely that my race has been defeated. However, the good news is that the Star Kin have suffered even worse. The new continent where they resided is no more." Liu Xing nodded, though inwardly he couldn¡¯t help butment on Sirius¡¯s ancient age and possibly declining memory. After all, the Star Kin, like the Ancient Ones, were capable of surviving both in the ocean and onnd. Even if the new continent, where R¡¯lyeh was located, had sunk beneath the sea, it wasn¡¯t necessarily cause for celebration. Having shared the state of Earth during human dominance, Liu Xing continued, "During our reign on Earth, although asionally, we encountered some peculiar creatures like you, Sirius. However, these beings were mostly rare sightings and had minimal impact on the course of human history. Any influence they had remained hidden at deeper levels and was not widely known among ordinary people." "Of course, for certain reasons, I have encountered many so-called mythical creatures and had dealings with them. I¡¯ve also learned that some humans have established beliefs and worship rted to these mythical creatures. Most importantly, I¡¯ve recentlye into conflict with a secret cult that worships the Deep One¡ªa species of creatures resembling fish-headed humanoids." As Liu Xing spoke, he observed Sirius¡¯s reaction closely. He mentioned the Deep Sea Gospel Society and the Deep One, hoping that Sirius might offer some assistance, as the Deep One were among the Ancient Ones¡¯ adversaries. As expected, when Liu Xing mentioned the Deep One, Sirius couldn¡¯t help but react, eximing, "What? The Deep One still exists? These creatures are my archenemies. Back when the Star Kin attacked this ce, they had the support of the Deep One; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to breach our defenses." Hearing Sirius¡¯s reaction, Liu Xing knew that this approach had seeded. Continuing to embellish the story, Liu Xing said, "Indeed, the Deep One has persisted for so long. I once encountered a Deep One myself, and if I hadn¡¯t been prepared, I might have been killed by that Deep One. Fortunately, I managed to defeat it in the end." Liu Xing was referring to Mo Jin, who, although he knew, was not a pure Deep One but rather a hybrid. Liu Xing chose to ignore this fact and categorized Mo Jin as a Deep One. "I see. So, my judgment was correct; we arerades on the same side," Sirius said, looking pleased. His expression seemed somewhat eerie to Liu Xing. At this point, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Sirius, although I now consider us friends, we wereplete strangers before, right? So, why did you allow me to enter your Soul Casket?" Sirius smiled and pointed at Liu Xing, saying, "I could sense the mark of that great entity on you." Liu Xing suddenly understood. The "great entity" Sirius referred to was undoubtedly the King Hastur in Yellow Robes. As an enemy of Cthulhu, King Hastur in Yellow Robes might have chosen to aid the Ancient Ones, which exined why Liu Xing had been allowed into Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket. Now that Liu Xing had gained some rity, he realized that having Sirius as an ally could be beneficial. Even though Sirius existed in a purely consciousness-based form, his knowledge could prove invaluable. With this thought in mind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel like the protagonist of a certain novel, as he was now in a situation akin to having a "Grandpa." After confirming their rade" status, Liu Xing finally rxed and proceeded to ask an important question, "Sirius, was there a Bronze Gate connecting your former post to the Dreamrealm?" Liu Xing wanted to ascertain whether Sirius was a "local" or if he had been brought to Fisher¡¯s Vige from elsewhere. Sirius nodded and smiled, saying, "I didn¡¯t expect you to know about the Dreamrealm. Yes, there was indeed a Bronze Gate at my former post that connected to the Dreamrealm. Behind that Bronze Gate was an unidentified grassy in within the Dreamrealm, serving as an escape route. However, when my kind and I were initially in a standoff with the Star Kin, the Deep One suddenly attacked our rear, leading to our swift defeat. We had no time to escape through the Bronze Gate into the Dreamrealm and then return to our capital through another alternate dimension gate in the Dreamrealm." Liu Xing nodded, now convinced that the Underground Ruins in Fisher¡¯s Vige dated back to the Ancient One era. He wondered if Sirius had left anything behind in the Fisher¡¯s Vige Underground Ruins. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 308: A New Mission Chapter 308: A New Mission ording to Sirius, he and the other Ancient Ones were ambushed by the Star Kin and Deep Ones in the past, leaving them no time to escape into the Dreamrealm. Therefore, Liu Xing deduced that there should still be something left behind by Sirius or other Ancient Ones in the Underground Ruins of Fisher¡¯s Vige. With this in mind, Liu Xing decided to inform Sirius about his current predicament. "Sirius, my situation is extremely precarious right now. I¡¯ve been manipted by a secret cult that may also worship the Deep Ones. I find myself alone in their territory. However, the good news is that I am currently in the same ce where you were stationed years ago. I even saw a circr space with walls and ceilings adorned with numerous branches resembling Fragrant Trees." "Ah, if I¡¯m not mistaken," Sirius chuckled, "the ce you saw earlier should be my old room. Those decorations are indeed made of Fragrant Tree branches, which emit a soothing fragrance, helping one to calm their mind quickly." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, relieved to hear this. He had been concerned that Sirius¡¯s room might have been damaged over the geological changes spanning billions of years. So, Liu Xing continued, "I see. In that case, Sirius, did you leave anything useful in your room? After all, I¡¯m currently trapped in their of these cultists and need to find a way to escape." Sirius rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a moment before replying, "Let me think. If I remember correctly, there are indeed some items in my room, but most of them are everyday objects that may not be of much use to you. Besides, I ced those items randomly in the room, and over the years, they might have either been damaged or taken by others." "However, there are two safes in my room. One of them holds valuable items, which you won¡¯t be able to open because it requires my brainwave verification. But the other safe can be opened using my Soul Casket, as the Soul Casket can serve as a key." "In that safe, you should find some items that could be useful to you. But, as I mentioned, due to the passage of time, I can¡¯t be certain if those items are still functional. Also, you should be aware that our physical structures are quite different, so some items I can use may not be suitable for you." Liu Xing nodded and said nonchntly, "That¡¯s not a problem. As long as you consider me a friend and are willing to help, it¡¯s enough. Actually, I have a way to escape from this cult¡¯sir, but the price I¡¯ll have to pay might be quite steep."Sirius smiled and replied, "Since you put it that way, Liu Xing, I¡¯ll transfer part of my Soul Casket¡¯s permissions to you now. Once you return to my room, my Soul Casket will guide you to the safe. You just need to insert my Soul Casket into the lock of that safe, and it will automatically open." As Sirius spoke, his Soul Casket suddenly emitted a burst of red light, scanning Liu Xing. "There you go, my permissions have been transferred. When the timees, you can go to my room and retrieve what you need. Moreover, if you ever want to enter my Soul Casket, simply hold it and think in your mind that you want to enter, and it will happen." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that this journey had indeed been worthwhile, having gained the help of Sirius, his "Grandpa." However, even after resolving the matter of the items, Liu Xing still had some doubts. Why was Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket designed as a stic toy? After all, ording to Sirius, it should have been left in the Underground Ruins of Fisher¡¯s Vige. It didn¡¯t make sense for it to be turned into a stic toy. Unless Matsui Ichiro had a strange sense of humor. After discovering the Underground Ruins of Fisher¡¯s Vige and finding Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket, he might have decided to turn it into a stic toy. So, Liu Xing curiously asked, "Sirius, I have a question about your Soul Casket. Can it observe events in the outside world? When I found your Soul Casket, it had been transformed into a stic toy, which raises some questions. I want to know if you are aware of what happened to your Soul Casket." Of course, Liu Xing had more than one reason to ask this question. It wasn¡¯t just about the "cosy" transformation of the Soul Casket. He also wanted to ascertain whether Sirius could use the Soul Casket to monitor his actions. After all, he didn¡¯t want to be constantly surveilled by Sirius. Ultimately, Sirius was not the kind of "Grandpa" from some random fantasy novel who would go to great lengths to provide advice and assistance to the protagonist. Moreover, Liu Xing didn¡¯t believe he was the protagonist of any story, and he doubted that Sirius would serve him willingly. Most importantly, this was the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game. In the Cthulhu RPG Game world, or within the Cthulhu Mythos, there was a saying that held true: "Different species, different hearts." In the Cthulhu RPG Game world, or within the Cthulhu Mythos, almost no species would form alliances with others. Only certain powerful species would subjugate weaker ones. So, Liu Xing knew that King Hastur in Yellow Robes had helped the Ancient Ones during the war solely to spite their arch-nemesis, Cthulhu. But the Ancient Ones certainly wouldn¡¯t consider King Hastur in Yellow Robes as their ally, because he was overwhelmingly powerfulpared to them. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t imagine that any powerful being would help someone without a clear reason. Therefore, he was certain that the Ancient Ones must have been wary of King Hastur in Yellow Robes. Hence, Liu Xing didn¡¯t believe that he and Sirius would be trusting allies. At most, they would have a mutually beneficial rtionship. And Liu Xing was confident that Sirius shared this perspective. So, for now, Liu Xing was merely ying along with Sirius, but he still wanted to confirm how much Sirius knew and how much impact he could have on him. After all, the fact that Sirius could pull his consciousness into the Soul Casket without his consent raised concerns for Liu Xing. He worried that Sirius might be capable of doing more, potentially putting him in danger. For instance, during a battle, Sirius might suddenly pull his consciousness into the Soul Casket, leaving him vulnerable. Therefore, Liu Xing remained cautious of Sirius, and he knew that Sirius was also wary of him. "Well, I really don¡¯t know about that," Sirius admitted. "Once my consciousness enters the Soul Casket, I go into a deep sleep and lose all awareness of the outside world. Maintaining the normal operation of the Soul Casket itself consumes a great deal of my energy. If it weren¡¯t for you awakening me today, I might have perished in my dreams due to being unable to sustain the Soul Casket¡¯s normal operation after ten thousand years." "But now, I can ess the activity log of my Soul Casket in the real world to see what it has experienced over these billions of years, and it won¡¯t drain too much of my energy. So, let me retrieve the Soul Casket¡¯s activity log and take a look." Sirius smiled. He closed his eyes, and his Soul Casket projected a world map. Liu Xing noticed a small red dot near Fisher¡¯s Vige, representing Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket. After a while, the red dot began to move, but its movement appeared chaotic and erratic within the boundaries of the Ind Nation, likely influenced by the Earth¡¯s crust movements. Eventually, the projection¡¯s time reached the year 1960, and Sirius slowed down the time flow. At this point, Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket had remained in the vicinity of Fisher¡¯s Vige for hundreds of years, almost motionless. However, when the time reached 1990, Liu Xing observed Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket suddenly move to the location of the Ryukyu Inds and then to Tokyo. Seeing this, Liu Xing was convinced that Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket had been taken away by Li Yongjie. But what followed in the Soul Casket¡¯s movement trajectory left Liu Xing baffled. After spending two years in Tokyo, Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket moved to San Diego, United States of America, and then quickly traveled to Washington. In the following year, it passed through over a dozen cities in the United States of America. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t make sense of this frequent movement, whether Li Yongjie was a journalist or the leader of the Ocean True Deity Sect. Afterward, Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket returned to Tokyo in the Ind Nation and remained motionless for over ten years, until it finally returned to Fisher¡¯s Vige five years ago. Based on this, Liu Xing realized that his previous assumption was incorrect. Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket was not brought by the owner of the diary, indicating that more than one person had experienced the "ascension." "Liu Xing, judging by your expression, it seems that this movement trajectory isn¡¯t helping you much?" Sirius said regretfully. Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Indeed, I had some theories based on the existence of this Soul Casket, but it seems they have been directly invalidated. It looks like I¡¯ll have to start looking for clues from scratch." Just then, Liu Xing suddenly felt a strong tremor, causing him to sit down on the floor. Due to his unique nature, Sirius remained stable on his end and didn¡¯t tumble like Liu Xing. However, Liu Xing could tell that Sirius¡¯s expression had be serious. "It seems that something is happening in the real world, which has destabilized my Soul Casket. For your safety, I should send you back to the real world now. But before I do that, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask for your help with if you¡¯re willing," Sirius said with a grave expression. Liu Xing could already guess what Sirius wanted to ask. Most likely, he wanted Liu Xing to help him locate his fellow Ancient Ones, allowing him to regain his original state. Liu Xing didn¡¯t mind this request, as he considered it a side quest that couldn¡¯t be aplished in the short term. After all, the Ancient Ones had retreated into the depths of the ocean in this era, and he had no means to reach them. So, Liu Xing nodded without hesitation and replied, "Of course, you can count on me. We¡¯re already friends, so I¡¯m happy to help." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Thank you once again, Liu Xing. However, if possible, I hope you can find my fellow Ancient Ones sooner rather thanter because I can no longer enter a dormant state. If I can¡¯t obtain a new body within a hundred years, I¡¯ll dissipate." Liu Xing was taken aback by this revtion. He had initially thought that Sirius¡¯s mission would be a side quest, something he could tackle if he happened toe across an Ancient One. However, he now realized that this had be part of the world mission, implying that he would likely encounter other Ancient Ones in the future and might even enter their underwater cities. Thinking about it, Liu Xing felt a sense of anticipation. While he had experienced many real Cthulhu RPG Games, most of the locations and events had been quite simr to the real world, with the exception of mythical creatures. Being able to visit Ancient One-built underwater cities promised a novel and exciting experience. So, Liu Xing confidently patted his chest and said, "OK, consider it done. I¡¯ll do my best to help you find your fellow Ancient Ones." Sirius was relieved and responded, "That¡¯s great to hear. I appreciate your willingness to help. Let¡¯s hope we can find a solution before it¡¯s toote." With that, Sirius began the process of sending Liu Xing back to the real world, and Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the challenges and adventures thaty ahead in his new mission to find the Ancient Ones. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 309: Ling Ishikawa Returns Chapter 309: Ling Ishikawa Returns One hundred years... Liu Xing looked somewhat speechless as he gazed at Sirius. For an Ancient One like Sirius, who was immortal and ageless, one hundred years was indeed too short. However, for a human like Liu Xing, one hundred years was already the limit of his own lifespan, unless... Liu Xing looked at Sirius, contemting whether Sirius knew of any methods to extend one¡¯s life. Suddenly, a question crossed Liu Xing¡¯s mind. Sirius seemed to always address him as "Liu Xing" rather than "Ryuusei." With this in mind, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion as he asked, "Sirius, why do you call me Liu Xing?" Sirius chuckled and pointed to Liu Xing¡¯s heart, saying, "Some things do not change with the alteration of the physical form, so you are Liu Xing, not Ryuusei, right?" Liu Xing looked at Sirius in astonishment, not expecting Sirius to discern his "true self." This was getting interesting. In Liu Xing¡¯s impression, only powerful beings like Aughra had the ability to recognize him as a yer.Therefore, Liu Xing thought that Sirius might be more than meets the eye. However, Sirius continued, "I must apologize to Liu Xing here. Since you entered my Soul Casket in a conscious state, I read some of your memories, including the fact that your original name was Liu Xing. So, initially, I thought you came from the so-called ¡¯great race,¡¯ the Yis People, as they excel in soul exchanges." Upon hearing Sirius¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a "reasonable" exnation for why Sirius knew he was originally "Liu Xing." Moreover, Liu Xing saw this as an opportunity for his "self" to acquire knowledge about the Yis People. So, Liu Xing feigned ignorance and asked Sirius, "Great race? Yis People? I¡¯ve never heard of them before." Sirius chuckled and replied mockingly, "Yis People are nothing more than a bunch of sly tricksters. They use their ability to traverse time and space and exchange souls to cause trouble everywhere in the universe. I nearly had my soul exchanged by a Yis Person once. In short, Liu Xing, just know that Yis People are not good folks." Sirius then proceeded to share some knowledge about the Yis People with Liu Xing. After Sirius had finished his exnation, KP Green Light spoke, "As yer Liu Xing received Ancient One Sirius¡¯s exnation and acquired knowledge about the Yis People, due to the unique circumstances of yer Liu Xing using the ¡¯Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯ character card, the results of this oral check are as follows: yer Liu Xing will lose 2 sanity points and gain 2 Cthulhu Mythos knowledge points." A small smile crept onto Liu Xing¡¯s lips. Indeed, the "Watanabe Ryuusei" character card was quite useful. After clearing his doubts, Liu Xing requested that Sirius send him out of the Soul Casket. The moment Liu Xing left the Soul Casket, it felt like he had been awakened from a nightmare. However, he suddenly realized that he was experiencing sleep paralysis, as his body remainedpletely immobile. Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing hadn¡¯t expected to encounter sleep paralysis in the Cthulhu RPG Game. He had experienced it several times in the real world, with the most recent urrence during his first semester of college. He had woken up in the middle of the night, unable to move. Back then, Liu Xing wasn¡¯t frightened because he had already experienced sleep paralysis many times and had developed a method to alleviate it. He knew that by trying to move one of his limbs, he could break free from the paralysis. Typically, only one limb was mobile, but moving just one could end the episode (a technique he had perfected, having never failed to ovee sleep paralysis). However, in this moment, Liu Xing sensed that something was amiss. The atmosphere was bing increasingly eerie, and even his dormitory roommates seemed lifeless, with no audible breathing. Then, Liu Xing heard an eerie sound of wind. Given that it was winter, all the doors and windows were tightly closed, except for the bathroom window used for venttion. Therefore, there should have been no sound of wind inside. Realizing that things were getting unsettling, Liu Xing decided to see if he could summon a ghost, just as he had heard in some ghost stories. However, he quickly grew apprehensive as the atmosphere became even more unsettling. It seemed that everyone in the dormitory was dead, and even their breaths were inaudible. Soon, Liu Xing heard strange whispers in the wind. He knew that it was impossible to hear the wind inside the room due to the sealed windows and doors. Liu Xing promptly abandoned his idea and tried to free himself from the sleep paralysis, which he sessfully managed. Everything returned to normal, and Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. As a medical student, this experience prompted Liu Xing to study the phenomenon of sleep paralysis further. Before this, he only knew that sleep paralysis was a sleep disorder. Through his research, he learned that sleep paralysis was a symptom of sleep paralysis disorder in sleep neurology. During sleep, patients would enter a semi-wakeful state, often experiencing hallucinations, which exined the sensation of encountering ghosts. In this state, the patient¡¯s muscle tension reached its minimum, allowing them to open their eyes and perceive their surroundings, but they couldn¡¯t move their torso or limbs or produce sound. In severe cases, it could lead to difficulty breathing, which exined the connection to ghosts. However, Liu Xing reminded himself that this was the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game. In this realm, phenomena like sleep paralysis, which could be exined scientifically in the real world, might actually involve real supernatural elements. With this realization, Liu Xing immediately took action to break free from his "sleep paralysis" state. However, he discovered that his efforts were in vain. He was still trapped in the state. This made Liu Xing start to panic, wondering if he had attracted the attention of some malevolent entity. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t panic for long. Liu Xing realized that he was not experiencing sleep paralysis but rather an out-of-body experience. He could see his own body lying beside him. With this understanding, Liu Xing faced another challenge: how to return to his body... After contemting for a moment and taking a deep breath, Liu Xing focused intently on moving his consciousness back toward his physical body. Surprisingly, it worked. Although he had only moved his consciousness a few centimeters closer, Liu Xing felt as if he had just run a kilometer. If he had a physical body at this moment, he believed he would be out of breath. And so, Liu Xing spent over fifty minutes to finally synchronize his consciousness with his body. Once he regained normalcy, Liu Xing sat up and started breathing heavily. Although he didn¡¯t experience any physical fatigue, mentally, he felt more exhausted than if he had run a non-stop marathon. "Wow, I never thought astral projection would be so exhausting. How do those Taoist characters in xianxia novels do it so effortlessly,ing and going as they please?" Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help butin. At that moment, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Liu Xing instinctively nced at the window and noticed that it was already daylight. He furrowed his brow, realizing that he had spent much more time inside Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket than he had thought. He initially believed it had only been about an hour. However, now was not the time to dwell on these matters, so Liu Xing quickly got up and asked, "Who is it?" To his surprise, the voice of Ling Ishikawa came from outside the door, "It¡¯s me, Ling Ishikawa." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Ling Ishikawa to return so soon. However, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s early return was beneficial, especially since they had to attend the Ancestral Hall in Fisher¡¯s Vige that afternoon. If Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t make it, it would certainly cause problems, and Matsui Yui would likely be more anxious. Thinking of this, Liu Xing immediately opened the door and said, "Ling Ishikawa, your return is timely. If you hadn¡¯te back today, we would have been in trouble." Ling Ishikawa scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and said, "Uh, that¡¯s my fault. Fortunately, my luck was quite good this time, and I sessfullypleted the mission from my master, Serak. That¡¯s why I could return early and not cause you any more trouble." Liu Xing nodded and was about to speak when he heard someoneing up the stairs. Liu Xing knew it was most likely Dogo Aige. Liu Xing immediately whispered to Ling Ishikawa, "Ling Ishikawa, because you were suddenly transported to Hybrier before, and we were afraid that Dogo Aige or Matsui Yui might inquire about your presence, I discussed it with Zhang Jingxu and the others. We decided to tell them that you were resting in your room due to a cold. Don¡¯t reveal any inconsistencies." Ling Ishikawa nodded. At that moment, Dogo Aige had already reached the second floor and said, "Hey, Ling Ishikawa, are you feeling better from your cold?" Ling Ishikawa nodded and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Dogo Aige. I rested well yesterday, and my cold is basically gone." Dogo Aige patted Ling Ishikawa on the shoulder and said, "That¡¯s good to hear. I was actually thinking about finding an excuse for you if you couldn¡¯t make it to the Ancestral Hall this afternoon. After all, it¡¯s important for everyone to attend the event." After chatting for a while, Dogo Aige left to wake up Alice and Panda Pig on the third floor. ording to Dogo Aige, Matsui Yui had requested that Alice be woken up every morning, and she would join them for meals at Matsui Yui¡¯s house. Once Dogo Aige left, Ling Ishikawa signaled Liu Xing to enter the room for a private conversation. After closing the door, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t wait to say, "Leader, my trip to Hybrier was quite productive. I learned three new Magic Spells from Wizard Serak!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Ling Ishikawa¡¯s good fortune in learning three Magic Spells from Wizard Serak. "Oh, that¡¯s impressive. But you mentioned that Wizard Serak is nning to have you apprenticespete, right?" Liu Xing asked curiously. Ling Ishikawa nodded and smiled, "Yes, that¡¯s right. However, as I mentioned earlier, I¡¯m really lucky. I¡¯ve already passed the first round of tests. But how I did it, I¡¯ll have to keep you guessing for now. I promise to reveal itter at the dining table. For now, let me demonstrate one of the Magic Spells I learned." With that, Ling Ishikawa closed his eyes and began chanting an incantation. After a moment, a light sphere the size of a ping pong ball appeared in his hand, emitting a bright light. "This is the Light Orb Art, an entry-level Magic Spell. Although it¡¯s primarily used for illumination at the moment, I believe it has great potential. Once my abilities grow stronger, I can use it as a shbang or to assist you during your proselytizing missions in the future," Ling Ishikawa exined with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, considering that the Light Orb Art seemed to have untapped potential. Then, Ling Ishikawa closed his eyes again, chanted a spell for a while, and suddenly produced a fireball the size of an egg in his hand. Just as this happened, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t hold back a sneeze, inadvertently extinguishing the small fireball in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s hand. The situation became somewhat awkward. Ling Ishikawa smiled wryly and said, "Well, my second Magic Spell is the Fireball Art. However, due to my current limitations, it¡¯s only a small fireball. But don¡¯t worry, Leader, as my abilities grow, the Fireball Art¡¯s power will increase exponentially. Just like Wizard Serak, I¡¯ll be able to create fireballs the size of washbasins with ease, and their firepower will be greater than hand grenades." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words, Liu Xing could only nod reluctantly, indicating his trust in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 310: Misleading Prophecy Chapter 310: Misleading Prophecy It¡¯s the same old story. Liu Xing had always felt that the magic in the Cthulhu RPG Game, in essence, was quite useless. These magic spells either had demanding conditions for use, low sess rates, or simplycked substantial effects. Take, for instance, the fireball art that Ling Ishikawa was currently using. It sounded decent enough because, in many fantasy novels or movies and TV series, fireball art had a high appearance rate and delivered satisfactory results. However, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, fireball art appeared ratherckluster. Firstly, Liu Xing could now see that casting fireball art required a certain amount of casting time. Moreover, for an apprentice-level Wizard like Ling Ishikawa, the effectiveness of fireball art was almost on par with a lighter... What¡¯s more important was that the ceiling for the development of fireball art was too low. Even if it was wielded by a Wizard with a renowned name in the Cthulhu Mythos, Serak, the power of his fireball art was equivalent to that of a hand grenade. To be honest, that level of power didn¡¯t impress much. And let¡¯s not forget that the Cthulhu RPG Game¡¯s backdrop was mostly set in the modern era. So, Liu Xing could easily obtain a batch of hand grenades, pistols, and other modern weapons. These modern weapons were undoubtedly more convenient and efficient than fireball art. Therefore, Liu Xing considered Ling Ishikawa¡¯s fireball art to be quite subpar. ording to the current pace of the game, by the time Ling Ishikawa could attain the same level of power as his cheap master, Serak, Liu Xing would have already organized a private army. When the time came, if he and Ling Ishikawa were to engage in a fight, he would most likely emerge as the victor. Of course, Yin En understood this too. He could see that Liu Xing was just going through the motions or consoling himself. However, because "Ling Ishikawa" was unaware of this fact and took pride in bing a Wizard, Yin En could only choose to ignore it. "Alright, now I¡¯m going to show you, our leader, my final Magic Spells. This Magic Spells, though it won¡¯t have any substantial effect, is incredibly powerful. So, leader, are you interested in guessing what myst Magic Spells is?" Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Judging by Ling Ishikawa¡¯s descriptions, thest Magic Spells he had learned from Wizard Serak must be something extraordinary.So, Liu Xing, with great interest, said, "Oh, it seems like Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯ve found a treasure from Wizard Serak. Let me take a guess then. If the Magic Spells you¡¯ve learned won¡¯t have any substantial effects, it means it won¡¯t be an offensive Magic Spells like fireball art or ice arrow spells. It also won¡¯t be auxiliary Magic Spells like ice armor or restoration art. So, I guess yourst Magic Spells, Ling Ishikawa, should be rted to the mind, like mind-reading art, right?" The reason Liu Xing guessed that Ling Ishikawa had learned mind-reading art was that it belonged to a rtively low-level category of Magic Spells, fitting the descriptions Ling Ishikawa had given earlier. But Ling Ishikawa shook his head, pretending to be mysterious, and said, "Leader, you¡¯ve guessed wrong, and you¡¯re underestimating me. I wouldn¡¯t bother learning low-level Magic Spells like mind-reading art. After all, if I wanted to delve into mind-rted skills, I¡¯d go to a university and study psychology. So, I¡¯ll reveal the answer now. Thest Magic Spells I learned from Wizard Serak is none other than the legendary Prophecy Art!" Prophecy Art?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking surprised at Ling Ishikawa. In any game, Prophecy Art could be considered one of the top-tier Magic Spells. Although it couldn¡¯t produce any tangible effects, the ability to foresee the future was almost enough to make the caster invincible. Even in the Cthulhu RPG Game, as long as there wasn¡¯t an entity like Nyathotep disrupting things, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ability to foresee the future would practically guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard. He could predict how to pass through each module, avoiding triggering plot encounters. Of course, this was in the best-case scenario. In reality, Ling Ishikawa wouldn¡¯t achieve a hundred percent sess rate in his predictions, and he wouldn¡¯t have enough MP to use Prophecy Art countless times. Nevertheless, as long as Ling Ishikawa could sessfully use Prophecy Art at a critical moment within a module, it would be a guaranteed win. Therefore, what Liu Xing was most curious about right now was the quality of the Prophecy Art that Ling Ishikawa had learned from Wizard Serak. Even if they shared the same name, the specific effects of Magic Spells could vary depending on the creator. So, Liu Xing asked with great anticipation, "In that case, Ling Ishikawa, what¡¯s your sess rate with this Prophecy Art? Would you like to predict something right now?" Hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Ling Ishikawa smiled awkwardly and said with a hint of hesitation, "Well, leader, you should be able to guess. I¡¯ve just be a Wizard, and my abilities are limited at the moment. It¡¯s generous to even say that I¡¯m a novice. I¡¯ve only learned this Prophecy Art a few hours ago. So, even though I should be able to use Prophecy Art, I can¡¯t guarantee the sess rate, or whether the Prophecy Art¡¯s predictions are urate." As Ling Ishikawa spoke, he sent the description of Prophecy Art to Liu Xing. Prophecy Art (Serak¡¯s version), a Prophecy Art developed by Serak, the disciple of Ibon, after receiving guidance from the Great Old One, Tsathoggua. However, this Prophecy Art is still in its most basic form, so its effectiveness is debatable. When using this Prophecy Art, yers will consume 5 MP and perform a 50-minute continuous spell chant. Afterward, the yer will receive a prophecy message. As for the uracy of this prophecy message, it¡¯s up to you to judge. Liu Xing looked at the description of this Prophecy Art and felt baffled. In simple terms, this Prophecy Art was essentially a ck hole, aplete shot in the dark, as it didn¡¯t even specify a sess rate. In other words, this Prophecy Art can be summed up as aplete shot in the dark, only giving you a result to guess. From a certain perspective, this Prophecy Art seemed utterly useless. However, as yer characters, Liu Xing and Yin En could infer from the description of this Prophecy Art that it didn¡¯t have much practical utility. But "Ling Ishikawa" was unaware of this fact, so Yin En, ying the role of "Ling Ishikawa," was still quite pleased with having learned such a powerful Magic Spells. They knew but didn¡¯t let on. Moreover, Liu Xing could extract an important yet seemingly unimportant piece of information from the description of this Prophecy Art: Wizard Serak was now associated with Tsathoggua. The reason Liu Xing considered this information unimportant was that it held no significance for him. He believed he wouldn¡¯t have any encounters with Wizard Serak or Tsathoggua. On the other hand, it was important for Yin En, as it was evident that Yin En¡¯s world mission was likely linked to Tsathoggua. Initially, Liu Xing had thought that Yin En¡¯s world mission might involve Ibon, either bing friends with him or recing him. Now it seemed that Yin En¡¯s mission was still connected to Tsathoggua. Liu Xing was currently contemting another question ¨C what would his world mission ultimately entail? Would it involve Cthulhu or Hastur? After all, his enemies were Cthulhu¡¯s followers, and "he" was a follower of Hastur. So, it was possible that he might encounter both Cthulhu and Hastur, or even both simultaneously. Thinking about this, Liu Xing decided it was best not to dwell too far into the future. It was starting to feel like needless worry, considering that meeting the Great Old One Cthulhu required entry into the Cthulhu zone. And right now, he wasn¡¯t even sure if he could advance to the Hound of Tindalos zone. So, Liu Xing shook his head and spoke to Ling Ishikawa, saying, "Well, Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯ll need to try out this Prophecy Art to see its effectiveness. How about after breakfast, you give it a shot and predict how Matsui Yui will deal with us?" Hearing Liu Xing¡¯s suggestion, Ling Ishikawa felt confident and patted his chest, saying, "Sure, since you say so, leader. I¡¯ll give this Prophecy Art a tryter. But ording to my master Serak, this Prophecy Art requires an extremely long spell chant, approximately an hour of preparation. So, I¡¯ll need you all to cover for me when the timees." Liu Xing was about to agree when he heard footstepsing down the stairs. It seemed Dogo Aige, Panda Pig, and Alice wereing downstairs. "Let¡¯s go. We should head downstairs now to avoid raising any suspicion from Dogo Aige and Alice," Liu Xing suggested. After all, it felt a bit strange for a group of men to be alone in one room. So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, upon hearing Dogo Aige and the others reach the first floor, went downstairs together. By this time, the first-floor living room was filled with people. Zhang Jingxu, Lu Tianya, and Miyako Goudong had strategically taken seats on the outer side of the table, forming a barrier to obstruct Dogo Aige and Alice¡¯s view of the fire pit. Of course, Dogo Aige and Alice didn¡¯t notice anything unusual about the fire pit, so they didn¡¯t linger in the living room for long. After exchanging a few words with Liu Xing and the others, they left. Once Dogo Aige and Alice left, the rest of the group showed great interest in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s return and began to inquire about his experiences in Hybrier. Ling Ishikawa then took out the Lighter and said to Panda Pig, "Mr. Panda Pig, I want to thank you for this. When I was forcibly summoned to Hybrier, I happened to have your Lighter with me. Little did I know that this Lighter would be of tremendous help to me, or rather, it saved my life!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that a Lighter could have saved Ling Ishikawa¡¯s life. However, upon closer thought, he seemed to understand the Lighter¡¯s role. Ling Ishikawa continued, "Here¡¯s what happened. When I returned to Hybrier, it was in the evening, and I was still in shock when my fellow apprentice called me to the cafeteria. There, my mentor Serak was giving a lecture, exining that the first round of the Mage Tower¡¯s elimination round had begun. The task of this elimination round was simple: Serak was teaching us fireball art." Ling Ishikawa then demonstrated the fireball art. Fortunately, no one sneezed this time, so his small fireball seemed somewhat convincing. However, Ling Ishikawa was aware that his fireball was weak, so to avoid any idents, he extinguished it. He continued, "Though I had learned the spell for fireball art right from the start, I was too nervous to cast it. After all, this round of elimination would eliminate half of the apprentices. Based on what Ryuusei and the others had guessed earlier, the apprentices who were eliminated might be experimental subjects for Serak¡¯s magic research, essentially facing a fate worse than death." "The immense pressure made me fail multiple times in my attempts. Moreover, the apprentice named Ibon sitting beside me was the first to sessfully cast the fireball art. This only added to my frustration because it felt like taking a critical exam. When you¡¯re still thinking about how to answer the questions, someone in front of you has already turned in their paper. It makes you anxious, fearing that more students will submit their papers one after another." "So, I was practically on the verge of a mental breakdown. I was even thinking about what would happen if I couldn¡¯t return here, whether you all would be affected by my sudden disappearance. While I was lost in my thoughts, I discovered that there was a Lighter in my pocket." "I almostughed at myself because the goal of this elimination round was to use fireball art. However, because the fireball art cast by Wizard apprentices had limited power, there were some easily ignitable hay piles ced in front of us. Once these hay piles were set on fire, it counted as a sessful use of fireball art." "So, I found an opportune moment when no one was paying attention to me, and I used the Lighter to ignite those hay piles. Then, I acted as if I had sessfully cast the fireball art, fooling Serak. But everyone knows that using a Lighter makes some noise, so I was noticed by Ibon." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 311: The Way to Wealth Chapter 311: The Way to Wealth Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise as he hadn¡¯t expected such a turn of events. Ling Ishikawa had actually used a Lighter to mimic the sessful execution of a fireball art... Ling Ishikawa paused for a moment and continued, "Although Ibon noticed my unusual actions, he didn¡¯t know what Lighter was, so he didn¡¯t say anything. That¡¯s how I became the second apprentice to sessfully perform the fireball art." "After the elimination round, I, along with Ibon and a few other apprentices, followed Serak into the library. We received the reward Serak offered, which was the privilege to study Magic Spells in the library. However, Ibon, the third apprentice to perform the fireball art, and I were taken to a private room by Serak. He told us that we could learn three Magic Spells from him." "Serak presented us with ten options: Frost Arrow Art, Ice Armor Art, Light Orb Art, Charm Art, Enhanced Fireball Art, Slowdown Art, Paralysis Art, Restoration Art, Acid Rain Art, and Prophecy Art." When Ling Ishikawa mentioned Prophecy Art, everyone in the room, except for Liu Xing, was taken aback. They looked at Ling Ishikawa with astonishment in their eyes. In the eyes of Zhang Jingxu and the others, Prophecy Art was an extraordinary Magic Spell. Especially for Miyako Goudong, who had an intense fascination with all things rted to magic, he eagerly asked, "Wow, Ling Ishikawa, did you also learn Prophecy Art? It sounds incredibly powerful." Ling Ishikawa nodded and smiled, saying, "Of course, I had the same thought as you. When I heard that I could learn Prophecy Art from Serak, I didn¡¯t hesitate to choose it. However, this Prophecy Art is somewhat different. It¡¯s a new Magic Spell that Serak recently developed. While it¡¯s easy to learn, its sess rate is uncertain. Even Serak himself isn¡¯t sure about its sess rate. Moreover, it requires nearly an hour of preparation time before it can be used." Miyako Goudong and the others looked enlightened by Ling Ishikawa¡¯s exnation. They now understood the challenges and limitations of the Prophecy Art he had learned. However, they kept their thoughts to themselves. But Zhang Jingxu, being a professional, couldn¡¯t resist speaking up, "I see. So, Ling Ishikawa, the Prophecy Art you¡¯ve learned may not be as powerful as you think. In the history of Chinese Daoism, many experts have created various Prophecy Arts. However, most of them were too demanding for their users, so those Prophecy Arts didn¡¯t survive. The ones that have survived are usually low-cost, low-reward Prophecy Arts or mere divination techniques.""So, I believe that the Prophecy Art you¡¯ve learned, considering it¡¯s a recent creation by Serak, may not match up to some of the ancient Chinese divination techniques. Serak might be using you all as guinea pigs to help refine this new Prophecy Art." Most of the time, the truth could be quite harsh. Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t look pleased with Zhang Jingxu¡¯sment, even though Yin En knew that Zhang Jingxu was speaking the truth. As "Ling Ishikawa," he wouldn¡¯t want to believe it. After all, he had acquired this Magic Spell at a cost. But for Ling Ishikawa, this was also an opportunity. So, Ling Ishikawa said somewhat defiantly, "Since Mr. Zhang Jingxu feels that way, I¡¯ll demonstrate the Prophecy Art I¡¯ve learned to you allter!" With Ling Ishikawa¡¯s challenge, everyone raised their hands in agreement. They were all eager to see the practical effects of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Prophecy Art, including Ling Ishikawa himself. So, after the chat concluded, Ling Ishikawa decided to showcase his Prophecy Art to the group. "At the time, when my ¡¯cheap¡¯ master Serak gave us the options, Ibon, that guy, and I immediately chose Prophecy Art. Fortunately, Serak didn¡¯t impose any restrictions on the number of apprentices who could learn it. He taught us all Prophecy Art. Interestingly, when Ibon used the Prophecy Art for the first time, it only required him to chant the spell for ten minutes. However, the oue was quite peculiar. He predicted that he would kill a snake-person with sulfuric acid." Ling Ishikawa continued, and his words surprised everyone in the room. Apart from Lu Tianya, who was an NPC, all the other yers knew that Ibon¡¯s prediction hade true. After that event, Ibon did use sulfuric acid to kill a snake-person, and that snake-person happened to be Wizard Serak, who had gone mad while researching snake-person magic and transformed into one himself. This revtion made Liu Xing admire Ibon¡¯s "Protagonist¡¯s Halo" even more. Ibon, a human Wizard who would leave a mark in the Cthulhu Mythos, had managed to improve Serak¡¯s Prophecy Art and sessfully make a prophecy. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask, "So, Ling Ishikawa, did your ¡¯cheap¡¯ master Serak have anything to say about Ibon¡¯s prophecy? After all, Ibon¡¯s speed in using the Prophecy Art was different from what Serak had described." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, my ¡¯cheap¡¯ master Serak felt the same way. He thought Ibon was just talking nonsense, that his prophecy was fabricated. So, he scolded Ibon and told him not to fake things just to impress him." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Serak, as the creator of Prophecy Art, likely couldn¡¯t foresee his own death at Ibon¡¯s hands. However, Liu Xing¡¯s curiosity was piqued. What if Ling Ishikawa, using the Prophecy Art as leverage, had told Serak that Ibon might kill him? What would Serak do? Would he choose to kill Ibon? If Serak did kill Ibon, it could potentially lead to the disappearance of the famous "Book of Ibon" in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Of course, it might also be the "Book of Yin En." This thought excited Liu Xing. If that were the case, all he needed was for Ling Ishikawa to dictate the content to him, and he could have an original "Book of Yin En." He might even mass-produce it, and it would fetch a handsome sum of points. So, Liu Xing felt like he had stumbled upon a path to riches. Ling Ishikawa continued, "Later on, I chose Prophecy Art, Light Orb Art, and an enhanced version of the fireball art. The initial fireball art we learned was meant to test the aptitude of us apprentices. It was a simplified version, and even a Wizard like my ¡¯cheap¡¯ master Serak would produce results simr to using a lighter when using it." Liu Xing nodded, and another thought crossed his mind. Ling Ishikawa had been sent to Hybrier and missed out on yesterday¡¯s events, which were crucial to the storyline. So Liu Xing began, "By the way, Ling Ishikawa, while you were absent yesterday, a lot of things happened. Now, I¡¯ll brief you on what happened yesterday. However, be prepared; it might be overwhelming." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, knowing that if Liu Xing was saying this, he must have missed some significant events yesterday. So Ling Ishikawa nodded and said earnestly, "Please, go ahead." Liu Xing proceeded to share the information about the items they found in the vi, including the contents of the Memory Card and his discoveries in the Fisher¡¯s Vige Underground Ruins. Suddenly, Liu Xing remembered one more thing ¨C he had forgotten to investigate the Composite Magic Array on the window frame. It seemed like too much had happened yesterday, and he had been quite overwhelmed. Aftering up with a suitable excuse for himself, Liu Xing rxed. As for Ling Ishikawa, KP Green Light had a task for him. "yer Ling Ishikawa, because you¡¯ve heard this explosive information, we need to conduct a sanity check. Sess means you lose 1 sanity point but gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Failure will cost you 3d3 sanity points and corresponding Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." Liu Xing was surprised by the harsh penalty for failing the sanity check. Losing up to 9 sanity points meant a significant risk of temporary insanity. Moreover, if Ling Ishikawa went insane and itsted too long, their visit to the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall that afternoon could be problematic. So everyone¡¯s attention turned to Ling Ishikawa, hoping he would seed in the sanity check. Ling Ishikawa: 36/50 - Sess. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Ling Ishikawa had passed the sanity check. However, Liu Xing noticed something odd about Ling Ishikawa¡¯s sanity points. He remembered that thest time he checked, Ling Ishikawa hadn¡¯t had such a low sanity score. After all, the "Ling Ishikawa" character card had only gone through one module, so it shouldn¡¯t have dropped to 50 sanity points. Liu Xing was curious, and he realized he needed to have a private conversation with Ling Ishikawater. "Okay, it seems like Ling Ishikawa, you got lucky. Since you¡¯ve been through time and space several times, these things probably don¡¯t bother you as much. So, you lose only 1 sanity point and gain one point of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge," KP Green Light said with a smile. Ling Ishikawa sighed and then smiled, saying, "I never thought I¡¯d miss out on so much. But now that I¡¯m back, if you, Ryuusei, n to go back to the Underground Ruinster, my Light Orb Art can assist you. It can apany you as you advance andsts for an hour." Liu Xing nodded, surprised at the versatility of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Light Orb Art. However, Liu Xing still had a dilemma. Should he reveal the existence of Sirius and the Soul Casket? It was clear that if he shared this information now, Ling Ishikawa and the others would likely undergo sanity checks, especially considering Ling Ishikawa had already lost 1 sanity point. Apart from concerns about their sanity, Liu Xing had some selfish motives as well. He didn¡¯t want Ling Ishikawa and the others to know about Sirius, and he definitely didn¡¯t want to share the fact that he could enter the Soul Casket due to his status as a "chosen" follower of King Hastur in Yellow Robes. If someone like "Miyako Goudong" were to demand ess to the Soul Casket to meet Sirius, it could pose some problems. So Liu Xing began to contemte his decision. However, before Liu Xing could think too long, Zhang Jingxu asked, "Liu Xing, did you figure out the purpose of the unknown metal? Did you have any strange dreamsst night?" Caught off guard by Zhang Jingxu¡¯s sudden question, Liu Xing couldn¡¯te up with a convincing lie. He could only say, "Uh, about that unknown metal, it¡¯s actually a Soul Casket containing a being named Sirius, who ims to be from the Ancient One lineage. Currently, he exists in a spiritual state and can only stay within the Soul Casket." Upon hearing the name "Ancient One," Zhang Jingxu and the others raised their eyebrows. They were aware of the Ancient One¡¯s existence and the potential sanity checks Liu Xing might trigger. However, since there was no reason to keep silent, Zhang Jingxu asked, "Ancient One? I think I¡¯ve heard of such a mythical creature before. Liu Xing, could you provide a detailed description of the Ancient One¡¯s appearance? I¡¯d like to confirm if it matches what I¡¯ve heard about this mythical creature." Reluctantly, Liu Xing nodded and described the appearance of the Ancient One. At that moment, a dice hit the table, indicating that Zhang Jingxu was making a secret roll. "I see. It appears that I have indeed heard of this Ancient One¡¯s existence before. And if I recall correctly, there is said to be an Ancient One living in China¡¯s Magic Capital as well," Zhang Jingxu said. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 312: Another Eccentric Ancient One Chapter 312: Another entric Ancient One Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected Zhang Jingxu to know the whereabouts of the Ancient One, and that too, in ChinaMagic Capital. It seemed like Liu Xing might have a chance toplete this unique world mission ahead of schedule. Unable to contain his curiosity, Liu Xing asked, "Is it true, Zhang Jingxu, that there¡¯s an Ancient One in ChinaMagic Capital?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and chuckled, "Indeed, I distinctly remember my master mentioning that many years ago, while wandering through Magic Capital and on the rmendation of a friend, he encountered an Ancient One. ording to the Ancient One¡¯s ount, he had roamed China since the dawn of humanity. Most importantly, he imed to have aided humanity inbating an evil mythical creature named Shoggoth. Eventually, he earned the enmity of the Shoggoth n, leading to his capture over five thousand years ago. He was imprisoned in a cave in Magic Capital." "This Ancient One goes by the name Chrisiano and is tight-lipped about his more distant past. He only speaks of his continuous presence in China since the birth of humanity. Moreover, he possesses extensive knowledge of human affairs due to his encounters with numerous prominent figures in the Chinese Daoistmunity during his imprisonment. As a result, this Ancient One has be an honorary member of the Chinese Daoistmunity, residing in a vi in ChinaMagic Capital¡¯s residential area." "Indeed," Zhang Jingxu continued, "In the eyes of my master, this Ancient One is quite the homebody. He spends his days ying games, watching anime, and recently, he has be a fan of the Ind Nation¡¯s girl group, AKB48. Strangely enough, this Ancient One even offered ancient Daoist techniques aspensation to recruit skilled illusionists from the Daoistmunity to apany him to the Ind Nation for their concert. My master was one of those recruited." As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in disbelief. Liu Xing smiled politely, concealing his embarrassment. It seemed that this Ancient One named Chrisiano, ording to Zhang Jingxu, was quite entric. Firstly, Liu Xing was certain that this Ancient One was lying, as he knew the true nature of the rtionship between Shoggoth and the Ancient Ones. So, the im of "helping humanity at the cost of enmity with Shoggoth" made by this Ancient One was clearly a falsehood. The Ancient One had acted out of self-preservation, as Shoggoth, the instigator of the rebellion, had always harbored a hostile attitude towards its creators, the Ancient Ones. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t surprising that this Ancient One had been besieged by Shoggoth¡¯s n over five thousand years ago and subsequently imprisoned.Furthermore, Liu Xing believed that being confined in the cave for thousands of years was likely a choice made by the Ancient One. As mentioned earlier, Shoggoth had a policy of direct and lethal action against the Ancient Ones, so the Ancient One would not have been captured unless he had chosen to be imprisoned. However, due to certain circumstances, he might have been unable to reopen the mechanism to release himself, thus enduring thousands of years of confinement. Therefore, in order to support the initial lie, this Ancient One had to fabricate another lie iming that he was captured and imprisoned by Shoggoth. Once one lie was spoken, more lies were required to sustain it. Nheless, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t deny that this Ancient One was quite clever. He was willing to lower his pride and interact with humans who were essentially "newbies" in his presence. Moreover, he had managed to be an honorary member of the Chinese Daoistmunity, holding a prominent position within it. Unbeknownst to Liu Xing, an image of an Ancient One in Daoist robes appeared in his mind, and he couldn¡¯t help but find it quite appealing. In addition to all this, Liu Xing was surprised to learn that an Ancient One could be a recluse and even join the fanbase of AKB48. Furthermore, he had used his illusion skills to attend their concert. Just the thought of an Ancient One wearing a support headband, waving five support sticks, and cheering for the idols on stage made Liu Xing feel like he was losing his sanity. This Ancient One was indeed a peculiar character. However, as a fan of AKB48 in real life (the author had stepped back after Watanabe Mayu graduated), Liu Xing felt that he could be friends with this Ancient One. After all,pleting the mission would be a breeze. Of course, Liu Xing suspected that this Ancient One might not possess the means to help Sirius obtain a new body. ording to the Ancient One¡¯s ount, he had arrived in the ChinaMagic Capital region only a little over ten thousand years ago. By that time, the Shoggoth rebellion had forced them to retreat into the deep-sea city, which had been sealed off from the outside world. This meant that the Ancient One likely didn¡¯t know why he had left the deep-sea city for thend. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that this Ancient One probably didn¡¯t have the equipment to help Sirius reshape his body. After all, if they could reshape the Ancient One¡¯s body, they should also be able to reshape a human¡¯s body. Thus, it seemed unlikely that this clever Ancient One would miss such a business opportunity. Regardless, this wasn¡¯t Liu Xing¡¯s concern. Sirius had tasked him with finding a fellow Ancient One, and whether this Ancient One could assist Sirius or not was not his primary focus. Even if Sirius presented new missions afterward, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for Liu Xing. After all,pleting a world mission and gaining mission rewards was an achievement in itself. With this in mind, Liu Xing continued, "I see. So, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, can you please provide me with the specific address of that Ancient One now? Sirius, the Ancient One in the Soul Casket, hopes that I can visit one of his kindred." Of course, Liu Xing chose to keep Sirius¡¯s true purpose hidden. Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s request, Zhang Jingxu understood that Liu Xing had epted a mission from the Ancient One. Driven by goodwill, Zhang Jingxu decided to reveal the address. However, as Zhang Jingxu recalled certain details, he felt a sense of awkwardness. He said, "Um, I can indeed share the Ancient One¡¯s address with you, Ryuusei, but I just remembered something. Recently, this Ancient One has been enthusiastic about traveling around the world and spends only about a month per year in Magic Capital. Additionally, the residential area where he lives is actually the office of the Chinese Daoistmunity in Magic Capital." "So, the security system in this residential area is extremely advanced, you could say it¡¯s a perfectbination of modern technology and ancient Daoist arts. Therefore, aside from individuals associated with the Chinese Daoistmunity, it¡¯s impossible for anyone else to enter this residential area without a rmendation letter. Unfortunately, my qualifications don¡¯t allow me to write a rmendation letter, so I don¡¯t think I can help you, Ryuusei." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting this situation. However, he persisted, saying, "In that case, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, please provide me with the address of that residential area. Whether I can enter or not will depend on my abilities. I¡¯ll also take the chance to enter the Soul Casket and ask Sirius if he can establish contact with the Ancient One." Since Liu Xing had spoken in this manner, Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t see any reason to refuse. He proceeded to share the address with Liu Xing. At this point, Miyako Goudong, who had been impatiently waiting, interjected, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, isn¡¯t the address of that residential area for the Chinese Daoistmunity supposed to be confidential? Why did you just disclose it?" Zhang Jingxu chuckled and shook his head in response, "No, no, no, the residential area isn¡¯t considered a confidential address. To put it simply, it¡¯s more like a guesthouse for the Chinese Daoistmunity. Practically everyone familiar with the Chinese Daoistmunity knows about this ce. As for the truly confidential locations belonging to the Chinese Daoistmunity, I¡¯ve only heard of them. I don¡¯t know the specific addresses." With that matter settled, Liu Xing continued sharing, "By the way, Sirius also told me that the Underground Ruins of Fisher¡¯s Vige were actually a fortress constructed by their Ancient One in the past. However, it waster captured by the Star Kin and the Deep Ones. So, inside these Underground Ruins, there are not only remnants of the ancient tribe but also many valuable items left by the Ancient One." Everyone¡¯s eyes lit up at this revtion. As the saying goes, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and even a dpidated ship has three pounds of nails. This treasure could be considered the Ancient One¡¯s legacy, and it was likely from a time when their technology far surpassed that of humans. Liu Xing decided to share this information because if they did find items left behind by the Ancient One in the future, they would likely be used within this module. It was better to disclose it now to avoid the need for deceptionter. Of course, as a self-interested individual, Liu Xing had already made up his mind to secretly keep a portion of the items left by the Ancient One. After all, once useful items were taken out, they couldn¡¯t be retrieved, and Liu Xing didn¡¯t have ownership rights over these items. Zhang Jingxu then smiled and said, "The next step depends on you, Liu Xing. I believe that once we find the items left behind by the Ancient One, we won¡¯t need to fear Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect anymore. From what I know, the technology of the Ancient One during their prime was hundreds or even thousands of years ahead of our current human technology." Liu Xing mentally corrected Zhang Jingxu¡¯s statement from "thousands of years" to "tens of thousands of years" but nodded and replied, "Leave it to me. I already know where the Ancient One¡¯s items are within the Underground Ruins. I can retrieve them whenever the time is right." Another issue was resolved. With nothing else to do, the group continued chatting while Ling Ishikawa prepared to perform the Prophecy Art. Since the casting of Prophecy Art required a lengthy preamble of fifty minutes, they passed the time by conversing. "By the way, I almost forgot that I haven¡¯t examined the magic arrays on the window frames yet. After Ling Ishikawa demonstrates the Prophecy Art, I¡¯ll go back to my room to study those magic arrays. However, because I¡¯ll be engrossed in my research, there might be unexpected situations, like Alice or others returning suddenly," Liu Xing mentioned. Panda Pig nodded and reassured him, "Okay, Liu Xing, leave it to me. My eyesight should be the best among everyone here. In the exams I¡¯ve proctored, no student has dared to cheat. In school, they call me the ¡¯Hawk-eyed¡¯ proctor." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Panda Pig had this particr skill. However, it made sense since, in Liu Xing¡¯s experience, teachers generally had sharp eyes. With someone watching his back, Liu Xing felt relieved. Researching the magic arrays would indeed take a long time, and he didn¡¯t expect Zhang Jingxu and the others to help him deter any potential interruptions from Alice or Matsui Yui. In case of unexpected situations, Liu Xing hoped that luck would be on his side and that nothing would happen while he was deeply engrossed in his research. He didn¡¯t want to abandon his progress. Then, Miyako Goudong brought up another matter, "By the way,st night around midnight, I woke up to use the restroom and heard some strange noises. I looked out the window and saw three male Fisher¡¯s Vige residents, all in their thirties, it seemed. After a brief, silent exchange or perhaps because their voices were too quiet for me to hear, they all headed in the direction of Dogo Aige¡¯s hut." "Because it was dark and slippery outside, I didn¡¯t dare to follow them, so I took out my phone to check the time. It was around 11:50 PM. Based on our previous experiences, if those three vigers were indeed heading to Dogo Aige¡¯s hut, they should have arrived around midnight. I waited for them to return and they did so around 12:30 AM." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 313: Lost Memories Chapter 313: Lost Memories "What are these vigers up to?" Panda Pig voiced the question that lingered in the minds of everyone present. Liu Xing nodded and began, "I believe these vigers must have gone to Dogo Aige¡¯s thatched cottage. After all, in that direction, there is only Dogo Aige¡¯s cottage. Unless these vigers decided to take a leisurely stroll by the seaside, but yesterday¡¯s heavy rain has turned the entire Fisher¡¯s Vige into a mess. The beach might have turned into a mud pit, so I doubt anyone would leisurely walk in a mud pit." "So, in my personal opinion, these vigers might be monitoring Dogo Aige or doing something ndestine while Dogo Aige sleeps... Panda Pig, why are you smirking like that? This situation is not as amusing as you seem to think." Panda Pig, sporting a mischievous grin, rubbed his chin and said, "Well, based on my years of knowledge about Dogo Aige, I must say that Dogo Aige also has a strong allure to males. It might be a racial gift, but Dogo Aige has always imed to be a ¡¯straight as an arrow¡¯ kind of guy." Liu Xing¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile, ready to tease Dogo Aige, but Miyako Goudong interrupted, saying, "I think the situation might not be as straightforward as it seems. The appearance of those few vigers we saw on the road the day before yesterday, they all seemed like puppets, stiff movements, lifeless eyes. Butst night, those three vigers appeared much more agile." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "Is that so? Could it be that these vigers, like Inoue Haruto¡¯s uncle, have also regained some self-awareness?" "It¡¯s a possibility. If these vigers have strong willpower and Matsui Ichiro hasn¡¯t used Hypnotic Incense on them for a while, then it¡¯s possible they¡¯ve regained some self-awareness. However, it seems that during the day, these vigers are still under Matsui Ichiro¡¯s control, and only in the evening, these three vigers have a chance or a certain amount of time to regain their senses. But this period should only be about an hour, so that¡¯s why theye and go in a hurry," Liu Xing exined. At this point, Lu Tianya furrowed his brow and asked, "If that¡¯s the case, why did these three vigers go to find Dogo Aige?" Lu Tianya¡¯s question left everyone in the room astonished. If these three vigers had indeed regained some self-awareness, then their purpose in seeking out Dogo Aige could only be one thing: to reveal the truth about Fisher¡¯s Vige and discuss how to help Dogo Aige escape.If that were the case, it would be a significant problem. Because all the preparations made by Liu Xing and the others were based on the assumption that Dogo Aige was unaware of the truth. After all, Liu Xing and the others had prepared to sell Dogo Aige, knowing that desperate times call for desperate measures. But now, a new issue arose. What if Dogo Aige already knew the truth? What would Liu Xing and the others do? Firstly, if Dogo Aige knew the truth, he would likely never agree to marry Matsui Yui. Thus, Liu Xing and the others would fail toplete their main quest, and they would be facing a dire oue. Secondly, there was the matter of their escape n. If Dogo Aige¡¯s escape n conflicted with theirs, it would pose a significant problem. Lastly, there was the issue of Dogo Aige¡¯s acting skills. If Dogo Aige¡¯s acting skills werecking and Matsui Yui discovered any ws, they would be in big trouble. After all, the tension that Liu Xing and the others had managed to create couldn¡¯tpare to Dogo Aige¡¯s potential betrayal. So, it was indeed a major concern. At this moment, Panda Pig couldn¡¯t resist adding, "Well, I have to rify one thing now. Dogo Aige is the kind of person who enjoys the good life, only seeking riches and avoiding hardships. So, if he knows the truth, he will most likely choose to escape on his own unless our escape n can benefit him. Moreover, if we confront Dogo Aige now, he will probably deny everything." Liu Xing sighed and said, "So, what should we do now? If Dogo Aige already knows the truth, his first thought will be to escape just like us, as staying in Fisher¡¯s Vige would be a dead end. But if, as Panda Pig said, our escape ns ovep, then we¡¯re in trouble. And now that Inoue Haruto and Dogo Aige have be friends, they can n together without our knowledge. Dogo Aige might already be far away, leaving us to face the wrath of Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect." "This is troublesome. We might be cornered in a no-win situation!" Miyako Goudong said with frustration. Liu Xing forced a smile and said, "Well, the situation might not be as dire as we imagine. Our spections are based on the assumption that Dogo Aige already knows the truth. If he doesn¡¯t, then we¡¯re just worrying unnecessarily. However, I still think it¡¯s necessary to send someone to monitor Dogo Aige, just in case he decides to make a premature escape." Liu Xing knew he was trying to reassure himself because the actions of those three vigers suggested they might have regained some self-awareness. If Liu Xing were one of them, regaining consciousness after being controlled would make escaping the top priority. And trying to find other original residents in the vige right now is definitely not a reliable option. After all, if they themselves are under control, then the other original residents are undoubtedly also in a controlled state. Approaching them would be walking into a trap. So, for now, they can only look for the outsiders who have just arrived in the vige, as the chances of them being controlled are lower. Among these outsiders, Dogo Aige seems to be the most reliable option. After all, Dogo Aige is the main character of this wedding, or rather, the main sacrificial offering for the ritual. So, coborating with Dogo Aige appears to be the most sensible choice. People like Liu Xing and his group are just extras in this scenario. Moreover, the presence of more people means moreplications, and those three vigers can¡¯t be certain if there are any friends of Matsui Yui or spies for Matsui Ichiro among Liu Xing¡¯s group. Therefore, those three vigers would likely avoid approaching Liu Xing and his group just to be safe. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He had thought that with Sirius¡¯s help, their chances of clearing this module would increase, but now, another unexpected problem had arisen. Wait a minute. Liu Xing suddenly remembered a discrepancy. He seemed to have forgotten the name of the old man from the Inoue family who had provided them with information. Moreover, why did he remember that the old man was Inoue Haruto¡¯s uncle? Zhang Jingxu also seemed to have forgotten the old man¡¯s name and referred to him as Inoue Haruto¡¯s uncle. Uncle and uncle-inw were two different concepts, and Liu Xing couldn¡¯t believe his memory had deteriorated so much in just a few days that he had forgotten the name of an important NPC. So, Liu Xing furrowed his brow and said, "Wait a minute, I think I¡¯ve noticed something strange. I¡¯ve forgotten the name of the old man from the Inoue family who provided us with information." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, everyone looked at each other and then shook their heads, saying, "I seem to have forgotten the name of the old man from the Inoue family too." "In that case, it seems that one of the magic arrays on the window frame is designed to erase our memories. However, the effectiveness of this magic array seems to be rtively moderate, more like the style of gradually boiling a frog in warm water. So far, we¡¯ve only forgotten some people and events that didn¡¯t have much presence in our memories. But with time, I believe we will forget more and more, because apart from the old man from the Inoue family, I¡¯ve noticed that I¡¯ve forgotten the names of several other people I once knew." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and began to recall. Sure enough, he had forgotten some of his middle school ssmates¡¯ names, and most importantly, he seemed to have forgotten someone¡¯s name. That someone was the female yer he had encountered during his first formal Cthulhu RPG Gamemodule. Now, Liu Xing only remembered that her surname was Wang. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, trying to recall information about the Wang surname female yer, but he came up empty-handed. Most importantly, Liu Xing was certain that he hadn¡¯t forgotten the name of that female yer normally because he still remembered details from that module and the names of other yers and NPCs. It was only that the Wang surname female yer¡¯s memory had be fuzzy in his mind. This was not good news. Liu Xing had initially thought that he had only forgotten some irrelevant information about "Watanabe Ryuusei," but now it seemed that even "Liu Xing" had memory issues. The power of this magic array was more formidable than he had imagined. It could affect the memories of his other character cards. However, Liu Xing thought about it and realized it wasn¡¯t a problem. Since Sirius knew that Liu Xing was actually "Liu Xing," it was understandable that the magic array affected his memories rted to "Liu Xing." This made Liu Xing conclude that if a person had multiple character cards in the same parallel world, they would essentially be in a situation simr to the game "Twin Souls," where one person had two independently acting bodies. Finally, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but recall his own memories, and fortunately, he didn¡¯t find any abnormalities. It seemed that this magic array wasn¡¯t as powerful as he had feared. "Damn it, this magic array that gradually erases memories is quite insidious. Initially, we only lost some insignificant memories, ones that we wouldn¡¯t normally remember. Even if we noticed missing memories when trying to recall them, we would simply assume that we had forgotten them. We wouldn¡¯t suspect any other issues." "As time goes on, we will gradually forget more important memories. By then, we¡¯ll be in a hopeless situation. Losing so many memories, we might even forget why we ended up in Fisher¡¯s Vige and our own names," Zhang Jingxuined. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and suddenly thought of a possibility. "Wait a minute. Is it possible that the people Matsui Yui had enchanted before weren¡¯t actually offered as sacrifices by Matsui Ichiro, but rather had their memories wiped and were left in Fisher¡¯s Vige? After all, don¡¯t you think there are too many people in Fisher¡¯s Vige now? For an isted ind like this, having seven or eight households is already a lot, but now Fisher¡¯s Vige has more than ten households." Liu Xing¡¯s idea received agreement from the others. "That¡¯s right, Liu Xing, your idea is quite usible. When I first entered Fisher¡¯s Vige, I also felt that there was something odd about the poption. However, I didn¡¯t have any concrete evidence, so I didn¡¯t mention it to you," Panda Pig added, admitting his oversight. Liu Xing nodded but still had some doubts. "If that¡¯s the case, then why does Matsui Ichiro need so many people? These few people wouldn¡¯t be able to provide much in terms of faith, money, orbor. Moreover, a case where an entire family suddenly disappears would definitely attract the attention of the local authorities, wouldn¡¯t it?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 314: Prophecy Outcome (Additional Update) Chapter 314: Prophecy Oue (Additional Update) As Liu Xing¡¯s voice fell silent, Panda Pig couldn¡¯t help but shake his head with a mocking tone. He said, "Ryuusei, you¡¯re being a bit too naive. The police in the Ind Nation these days tend to adopt a ¡¯better to do less than more¡¯ attitude. Even in cases where over a dozen people have gone missing at once, if they can¡¯t gather enough information quickly, they¡¯ll find various reasons to close the case." "Moreover, the interpersonal rtionships in the Ind Nation have be quite cold. I believe most of you here, except perhaps Zhang Jingxu, know this. Even neighbors who live next door may only see each other a few times a year and exchange greetings even less frequently. So, in cases of an entire family disappearing, it¡¯s rare for neighbors to report it. If the family isn¡¯t closely connected with rtives, it might take about a year before anyone notices and reports it." Listening to Panda Pig¡¯s words, Liu Xing felt that Panda Pig had a story behind him, and that "disappearance of over a dozen people" probably came from a previous module he had been a part of. "Panda Pig, you¡¯re being a bit too absolute in your judgment. I know many responsible policemen," Miyako Goudong said, furrowing his brow. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, sensing that "Miyako Goudong" and "Panda Pig" probably didn¡¯t get along well, as they tended to sh whenever they spoke. To prevent a possible argument between Miyako Goudong and Panda Pig, Zhang Jingxu quickly spoke up, "Alright, let¡¯s not dwell on whether the Ind Nation police are responsible or not. After all, that¡¯s not our main focus. What matters now is what we should do next. If we want to confirm Liu Xing¡¯s hypothesis, we just need to pay attention to the faces of Fisher¡¯s Vige residents. I remember that Yamashita Kojiro had distinctive facial features. I believe that if he appears in front of me, I¡¯ll be able to recognize him." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s not get bogged down in details for now. Our priority should be finding people, as we have quite a few individuals we need to locate. First is Inoue Haruto, and our chances of escaping depend on him. Second is Yamashita Kojiro. If we can find him, it would prove that Matsui Ichiro isn¡¯t as swift in his actions as we thought. We might have some time if we break the magic array on the window frames. Lastly, it¡¯s up to Miyako Goudong. We hope you can recognize those three vigers, so we can establish contact with them." Panda Pig and Miyako Goudong, persuaded to cooperate, both nodded, but Liu Xing could still sense their mutual antipathy. However, it didn¡¯t matter as long as the yers didn¡¯t generate conflicts. "Panda Pig" and "Miyako Goudong" wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble.Just then, the sound of dice hitting the ground interrupted the conversation. It seemed that Ling Ishikawa, who had been muttering incantations on the side, had finallypleted the Prophecy Art. Unfortunately, the Prophecy Art had no visible effects. In Liu Xing¡¯s opinion, even though Ling Ishikawa¡¯s version of Prophecy Art was only a "0.1 test version," it should still have some future-seeing abilities. So, at the very least, it should have some minor effects. However, the moment the Prophecy Art waspleted, nothing happened. Despite this, everyone¡¯s attention remained fixed on Ling Ishikawa, eagerly awaiting the results of his prophecy. Meanwhile, Ling Ishikawa wore a peculiar expression, hesitating to speak. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Hey, Ling Ishikawa, why don¡¯t you just tell us the result of the Prophecy Art? What are you waiting for? Even if your prediction is that we¡¯ll die in Fisher¡¯s Vige, we can ept it calmly. After all, you did mention that your sess rate with this Prophecy Art is impressive." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Miyako Goudong chimed in, "Yeah, to be honest, I¡¯m not taking Ling Ishikawa¡¯s prophecy results seriously at all. Your Prophecy Art doesn¡¯t seem to be anything special. Unlike those masters I¡¯ve seen in movies and novels, when they use Prophecy Art, there are usually all sorts of extraordinary phenomena. Even if it doesn¡¯t make the heavens tremble, it should at least have some dramatic effect, right?" Miyako Goudong¡¯sments made Ling Ishikawa smile wryly, and he said helplessly, "Well, I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, Miyako Goudong. Regarding the result of my Prophecy Art, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a sess or a failure." Hearing this, Liu Xing grew even more curious about the oue of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Prophecy Art, so he urged him, "Ling Ishikawa, don¡¯t beat around the bush. Just tell us the result of the Prophecy Art. I¡¯m really curious now." Since the leader had given the order, Ling Ishikawa nodded and said, "Um, after I used the Prophecy Art, I received a result that Matsui Yui had once acted in a short film..." Everyone: ... Liu Xing¡¯s mouth twitched a few times, not expecting such an unrted result from Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Prophecy Art. They were supposed to predict whether their group could sessfully escape Fisher¡¯s Vige, but it seemed to have veeredpletely off track, predicting Matsui Yui¡¯s previous profession. "Ling Ishikawa, are you joking? How did youe up with this prediction?" Lu Tianya appeared skeptical, regarding the prophecy result as potentially fabricated. It seemed that Lu Tianya was doubting whether this prophecy result was just a fabrication by Ling Ishikawa. If Liu Xing didn¡¯t know Ling Ishikawa inside out, he might have been suspicious too. Ling Ishikawa sighed and rubbed the back of his head, saying, "Well, how could I randomly make up a result to fool you guys? After I finished chanting the incantation for the Prophecy Art just now, my mind wentpletely nk, and then I saw the cover of a short film. I¡¯m one hundred percent sure that the female lead on the cover was Matsui Yui!" Upon careful consideration, Liu Xing realized that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Prophecy Art could produce such results, considering that it relied entirely on random elements. So, whatever results it yielded were entirely possible. However, what intrigued Liu Xing more now was whether this result was actually true. If it was, it could potentially lead to a storyline rted to Matsui Yui¡¯s past. Of course, if such a storyline did emerge, Liu Xing believed that Dogo Aige could also consider a career change to be the Incredible Hulk... [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 315: The Intricate Composite Magic Array Chapter 315: The Intricate Composite Magic Array Regarding Ling Ishikawa¡¯s prophecy, everyone chose to dismiss it with a smile. After all, setting aside their roles as yers, everyone found the prophecy to be ratherical, including Ling Ishikawa himself. Once they had finished listening to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s prophecy, everyone went about their own business. Liu Xing returned to his room and contacted KP Green Light, saying, "KP, I want to analyze the magic array on the window frame now." KP Green Light immediately replied, "Of course, but because you¡¯ve already discovered that this Composite Magic Array includes a magic array that gradually erases memories, you should choose whether to undergo an inspiration judgment. If the inspiration judgment seeds, you will establish a correct analytical approach. When you analyze the Composite Magic Arrayter, there won¡¯t be a mystical judgment, but instead, there will be a special judgment with an 85% sess rate, and each magic array will only take half an hour." "Of course, Liu Xing, if luck is not on your side, and you don¡¯t pass the inspiration judgment, don¡¯t worry too much. Even if you¡¯ve determined an incorrect analytical direction, it will only reduce the sess rate by 10% in subsequent mystical judgments. It won¡¯t increase your analysis time. So, I assume you¡¯ll choose to undergo the inspiration judgment." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, thinking that KP Green Light was stating the obvious. His inspiration attribute was as high as 70, and the benefits of an inspiration judgment far outweighed the risks. Therefore, he was definitely going to take a chance. So, Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Of course, KP Green Light, please help me with an inspiration judgment." Liu Xing, 66/70, sessful. Fortunately.Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that his luck wasn¡¯t too bad today. As long as he passed the judgment, he would be fine. During the inspiration judgment, a thought urred to Liu Xing. It seemed that the other magic arrays should be simr to the one that gradually erased memories, all belonging to the category of magic arrays that could subtly influence people over time. This was what he considered the correct approach. Liu Xing smirked, slightly disdainful, and said, "Is that it? I thoughting up with this so-called correct approach would be much more difficult. It¡¯s not as impressive as I expected. So, KP, if I had proposed this correct approach earlier, could I have received a bonus without going through the inspiration judgment?" KP Green Light chuckled and said without hesitation, "Impossible. If you had directly proposed this approach, you would still need to pass an inspiration judgment. Although you would gain a 10% sess rate bonus, your final sess rate would be 80%, and each analysis would take 45 minutes. After all, you would be taking a shortcut." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by KP Green Light¡¯s shamelessness. However, that was not important now. Liu Xing had already started analyzing the magic array on the window frame. Liu Xing, 35/85, sessful. Liu Xing chuckled, off to a good start. Then, Liu Xing felt like he had entered a state of absorption. His eyes were fixed on the magic array on the window frame, or more precisely, one of the magic arrays within the Composite Magic Array. He couldn¡¯t hear any sounds. In this way, even though Liu Xing felt only a minute had passed, in reality, half an hour had gone by, and the information about the first magic array had already appeared in his mind. It was an improved version of a memory-erasing array, capable of continuously affecting all sentient beings within five meters of this magic array, causing them to gradually lose their memories. Because this was an improved version, it would erase memories starting from the least significant ones in the minds of sentient beings. As the magic array sessfully erased a certain amount of memories, its influence would be more pronounced. (Due to the high requirements for drawing this magic array, you are currently unable to draw it and are unaware of its usage requirements). Liu Xing furrowed his brow, thinking that he could learn how to draw this improved memory-erasing array. However, he was surprised to find that he couldn¡¯t meet the requirements for drawing it, and he couldn¡¯t even see the usage requirements. This left Liu Xing somewhat speechless. He was the leader of a secret cult, possessed extensive knowledge of Cthulhu Mythos, and his knowledge of mysticism was at a levelparable to that of a university professor in other disciplines. How could he not meet the requirements? However, this also reminded Liu Xing that the person who had drawn this Composite Magic Array, or the mythical creature behind it, had formidable strength. Of course, Liu Xing thought it was unlikely that Matsui Ichiro was the author of this Composite Magic Array. If Matsui Ichiro possessed such incredible power, there would be no need for the existence of this Composite Magic Array. He could simply use magic on them directly, efficiently resolving the situation. Furthermore, Liu Xing had discovered a crucial point about this improved memory-erasing array. Its effect could be described as a snowball effect. Over time, the influence of this improved memory-erasing array on yers would increase exponentially. Therefore, Liu Xing felt a sense of unease now. If he hadn¡¯t discovered this Composite Magic Array, by the seventh day, he and his group would lose most of their memories, which would be extremely dangerous. Furthermore, Liu Xing noticed that the effect of this improved memory-erasing array was to "erase memories." In other words, memories lost due to the influence of this array would be nearly impossible to recover through normal means. With this in mind, Liu Xing felt a sense of urgency. It was already close to 10 AM, so he decided to try and analyze all these magic arrays before lunchtime. That way, he could directly disrupt this Composite Magic Array and avoid further influence. So, Liu Xing immediately requested a new analysis from KP Green Light. Liu Xing, 29/85, sessful. Once again, Liu Xing entered a state of absorption. Half an hourter, the information about the second magic array appeared in Liu Xing¡¯s mind. Distracting Array: It can affect intelligent beings within a five-meter radius, temporarily reducing their Willpower by 1 point per day, with a maximum cumtive reduction of ten times. When an intelligent being leaves the range of the Distracting Array for 12 hours, their temporarily reduced Willpower values will be restored. (Due to the high requirements for drawing this magic array, you are currently unable to draw it and are unaware of its usage requirements). As expected, Liu Xing realized he couldn¡¯t learn this magic array either. It seemed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to learn the remaining magic arrays either. What surprised Liu Xing, however, was that the Distracting Array¡¯s effect was to temporarily reduce one¡¯s Willpower. But now that he thought about it, when he had undergone a Willpower Judgment yesterday, his Willpower value hadn¡¯t changed. Thinking about this, Liu Xing contacted KP Green Light and asked, "KP, there can¡¯t be an error in the information about this magic array, right? My Willpower value wasn¡¯t temporarily reduced when I underwent a Willpower Judgment yesterday." KP Green Light chuckled and exined, "Of course not. To prevent you from immediately realizing the effects of the magic array, the reduction in Willpower values is concealed. In simple terms, if the actual dice result should be 50, due to the influence of this magic array, the result disyed is 55." "Of course, to maintain fairness, if the original dice result is a significant sess of 5 or lower, the magic array¡¯s effect won¡¯t be disyed. And if you¡¯re undergoing difficult or extremely difficult Judgments, the effect of the magic array will be correspondingly reduced. In any case, the effect of this magic array definitely exists, and I wouldn¡¯t manipte things in secret to deceive you." Hearing KP Green Light¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but look skeptical. After all, if KP Green Light had manipted things in secret, as a yer, he wouldn¡¯t have known. So, Liu Xing had to rely on KP Green Light¡¯s professionalism. That said, the effect of this Distracting Array was indeed powerful. If given enough time, it could temporarily reduce a yer¡¯s Willpower by 10 points, which was a significant debuff. Liu Xing continued with his analysis. Liu Xing, 77/85, sessful. Half an hourter, Liu Xing had analyzed the effect of another magic array. Unnamed Magic Array: This is a magic array you¡¯ve never seen before. However, you managed to discern some clues from its pattern, suggesting that this magic array is likely to possess psychological suggestion capabilities. (Due to the high requirements for drawing this magic array, you are currently unable to draw it and are unaware of its usage requirements). Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unexpected nature of this magic array. Compared to the magic arrays documented in the rulebook, these unknown magic arrays posed a greater challenge to yers since they couldn¡¯t immediately determine their effects. However, Liu Xing was relieved that he now had a rough idea of this magic array¡¯s effect. Considering the current storyline, the psychological suggestion effect of this magic array likelyplemented the previous two magic arrays, aiding Matsui Ichiro in sessfully hypnotizing the yers and turning them into Fisher¡¯s Vige vigers. Losing memories, losing willpower to resist, and nting psychological suggestions ¨C it was truly a Composite Magic Array where the effects of the three magic arrays were interconnected. But there was still one more magic array. Liu Xing looked at this final magic array, curious about its effect. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 316: Great Old One Chapter 316: Great Old One In Liu Xing¡¯s view, having these three magic arrays should be sufficient. The cumtive effect of these three magic arrays was already considered close to perfection, and there was little need to add more magic arrays. However, after analyzing the three magic arrays, Liu Xing discovered another one within the Composite Magic Array, and theplexity of this magic array¡¯s incantations far surpassed the previous three. It is worth noting that the easiest and quickest way to assess the strength of a magic array is by examining its intricacy. The artistry of drawing magic arrays is also a factor, and typically, more powerful magic arrays tend to appear more borate, as they require the depiction of a greater amount of content. Of course, if the person drawing the magic array possesses sufficient strength, they can simplifyplex incantations into a more ordinary appearance, although the effects remain undeniable. However, Liu Xing could tell that these magic arrays all originated from the same person. This assurance allowed Liu Xing to conclude that the final magic array would likely be the most powerful among the four. Therefore, despite the tight schedule and the possibility of Dogo Aige arriving to deliver food at any moment, Liu Xing resolutely decided to analyze thisst magic array. Liu Xing: 1/85, critical sess. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that he had achieved a critical sess at such a crucial moment. He couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge his good fortune. While pondering, Liu Xing entered a state of deep concentration.However, just as Liu Xing entered this state of intense focus, KP Green Light chuckled. The sound of dice hitting the table followed, as KP Green Light initiated a covert action, unbeknownst to Liu Xing. During this time, all the yers, except for Liu Xing, received a notification from KP Green Light. "Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level has risen to 80." Zhang Jingxu, who was checking the remaining potions he had, furrowed his brow. He immediately contacted KP Green Light, asking, "KP, what¡¯s going on? How did Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level suddenly jump to 80? That¡¯s awfully fast, especially since we¡¯re all just staying inside the vi right now." KP Green Light replied with a smile, "yer Zhang Jingxu, please understand that it¡¯s not only yer actions that can increase Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level. NPC behavior can also contribute to it. We can¡¯t have you all idly doing nothing in the game, after all." Zhang Jingxu nodded in understanding and sighed, "I see. So, KP, can you tell us why Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level spiked so dramatically this time?" "I cannot disclose that. Please explore it on your own," KP Green Light responded before falling silent. Zhang Jingxu shook his head in resignation, realizing that they would need to figure out why Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level had suddenly surged. However, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t help but nce at Liu Xing¡¯s room. Although KP Green Light had mentioned that it could be NPC behavior affecting Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety, Liu Xing was currently making progress in his research on the Composite Magic Array on the window frame. This made Zhang Jingxu suspect that Liu Xing¡¯s advancements in understanding the Composite Magic Array might be the cause of Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety spike. As everyone became equally anxious about Matsui Yui¡¯s sudden increase in anxiety, Liu Xing finallypleted the analysis of thest magic array. This unnamed magic array left Liu Xing uncertain about its effects. However, he could faintly sense that it might be connected to a powerful entity. Though he was reluctant to admit it, this formidable entity might be on par with King Hastur in Yellow Robes, whom he held in high regard. At this point, KP Green Light chimed in, saying, "Okay, yer Liu Xing, you have sessfully analyzed all the magic arrays within the Composite Magic Array. You can find ways to preserve these four magic arrays, and when you have the ability to use them, the system will notify you." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and immediately took out a notebook from his backpack. He sketched all four magic arrays that he could remember clearly. In an instant, his notebook transformed into an item¡ªa record of the magic arrays. After noting down these four magic arrays, Liu Xing fell into contemtion. He hadn¡¯t expected thest magic array to be rted to the Great Old One, and it seemed that the connection between this magic array and the Great Old One was not simple. Moreover, Liu Xing believed that, without a doubt, this Great Old One was none other than Cthulhu. After all, even among the Great Old Ones, there were different tiers of power, such as Cthulhu and Hastur, being some of the more formidable ones. Therefore, since this magic array¡¯s description mentioned Hastur, Liu Xing naturally connected it to Cthulhu. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think that this module was filled with intricate plots. It involved not only Moon Beasts, Star Kin, and Ancient Ones¡ªpowerful mythical creatures¡ªbut had also brought forth the Great Old One. Liu Xing began to suspect if Nyathotep¡¯s incarnation might be the scapegoat of this module. Fortunately, his luck had held, and he had achieved a critical sess. Otherwise, he would have gained nothing from analyzing this final magic array. Just as Liu Xing was lost in his thoughts, he heard Ling Ishikawa¡¯s voice from outside the door. "Master, how is it going?" Ling Ishikawa asked in a hushed tone. Liu Xing opened the door and nodded, saying, "I¡¯vepleted my study of this Composite Magic Array. I¡¯ve understood everything I can, and for those aspects I couldn¡¯t grasp, there¡¯s nothing more I can do. So, Ling Ishikawa, please inform the others to gather in the downstairs living room." Ling Ishikawa nodded and headed to the third floor to find Panda Pig and Miyako Goudong. Meanwhile, Liu Xing knocked on Zhang Jingxu¡¯s door. As he opened the door, Zhang Jingxu eagerly asked, "How did it go?" Liu Xing nodded and then shook his head, saying, "I¡¯ve analyzed the magic array on the window frame to a reasonable extent. The effects of these magic arrays are simr to what we previously thought. However, the current situation is far from optimistic. Let¡¯s go downstairs first, and we¡¯ll discuss further when everyone is present." Zhang Jingxu nodded and called for Lu Tianya from the adjacent room. Liu Xing, Zhang Jingxu, and Lu Tianya then proceeded downstairs. Once everyone had taken their seats, Liu Xing began, "Firstly, concerning the Composite Magic Array on the window frame, it likely consists of four different magic arrays. The first one is the Memory Loss Array we¡¯ve already discovered. This array can erase our memories, making it nearly impossible to retrieve the forgotten memories we¡¯ve mentioned before." Upon hearing this, Panda Pig breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That¡¯s a relief. At least this Memory Loss Array didn¡¯t target our most important memories. We¡¯ve only lost some insignificant memories, which shouldn¡¯t have much impact." Liu Xing nodded and sighed, saying, "Indeed, we¡¯re fortunate to have discovered this early. You see, this Memory Loss Array is quite sophisticated. Once we lose a certain amount of memories, it won¡¯t slowly erode us anymore. Instead, it will swiftly and aggressively wipe out as many memories as possible in a short period. So, if we hadn¡¯t noticed this Composite Magic Array, we might have woken up tomorrow morning not remembering our own names or why we¡¯re here." Hearing Liu Xing¡¯s exnation, everyone looked horrified. Liu Xing paused and continued, "As for the second magic array, itplements the Memory Loss Array because its effect is to weaken our willpower. In simple terms, it can make us lose our mental strength, and like the Memory Loss Array, it gradually undermines us, causing harm over time." At this point, Zhang Jingxu, as a professional, had already grasped the situation and said, "I see. So, Matsui Ichiro intends to turn us into Fisher¡¯s Vige residents. Most spiritual spells or magic that affect the mind essentially involve a battle of wills between the caster and the target. If your willpower is strong enough, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s magic won¡¯t affect you, but if your will is weak, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s magic will easily control you." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly. You see, the effect of this third magic array is to nt a psychological suggestion in us. While I can¡¯t determine the specific effects of this psychological suggestion, we can make educated guesses." Ling Ishikawa sighed and said helplessly, "It seems we¡¯ve fallen right into the trap. This Composite Magic Array has us thoroughly calcted. Fortunately, Liu Xing, you noticed something amiss early on. Otherwise, we would have been in real trouble, not even knowing how we¡¯d meet our end." "Now it appears that Yamashita Kojiro and the others have indeed be residents of Fisher¡¯s Vige. The things left behind in this vi were forgotten because their owners lost their memories. In addition, Matsui Ichiro doesn¡¯t attach much importance to these items, which is why we discovered them," Lu Tianya added. Zhang Jingxu looked at Liu Xing and asked, "But Liu Xing, you mentioned that this Composite Magic Array contains four different magic arrays. What could be the purpose of the fourth magic array? In my opinion, thebination of these three magic arrays is already perfectly effective. There seems to be no need to add a fourth one." Liu Xing shook his head, acknowledging that the fourth magic array was indeed optional. It had almost no direct connection with the first three magic arrays. However, Liu Xing believed that the first three magic arrays were meant to serve the fourth one. "As for this fourth magic array, I can¡¯t say for sure," Liu Xing began. "My research on this magic array has yielded little. I can only make some bold spections. This fourth magic array likely involves a powerful entity, something that could be called a god." Although Miyako Goudong also understood that Liu Xing was referring to the Great Old One when he mentioned "god," he pretended to be surprised and asked, "A god? Is it possible that gods truly exist in this world, Ryuusei-kun? You¡¯re not joking, are you?" To y along with Miyako Goudong, Ling Ishikawa also chimed in, "Ryuusei-kun, are you referring to the Deep One that the Deep Sea Gospel Society worships when you mention ¡¯god¡¯?" Liu Xing shook his head and turned to Zhang Jingxu, saying, "It¡¯s a bit challenging to exin. I¡¯m not entirely sure myself. I believe Mr. Zhang Jingxu, you already understand my point, and you probably have a better grasp of the definition of this ¡¯god.¡¯ So, please enlighten us." Liu Xing deferred to Zhang Jingxu because he was concerned that appearing too knowledgeable about everything might arouse "Zhang Jingxu¡¯s" suspicion. After all, "Zhang Jingxu" had already warned him about being cautious regarding the secret cult. Therefore, Liu Xing needed to appear more modest now. Zhang Jingxu, understanding Liu Xing¡¯s intention, nodded without hesitation and said, "Ryuusei-kun, when you mention ¡¯god,¡¯ you¡¯re most likely referring to the Great Old One, as per legends." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that "Zhang Jingxu" was familiar with the concept of "Great Old One." In the Cthulhu RPG Game, most yers, upon encountering Great Old Ones, referred to these indescribable entities as "gods" or "Eldritch Gods," rather than using the term "Great Old One." After all, most yers were not acquainted with the concept of "Great Old One." Therefore, in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s forum, there was a belief that anyone who knew the concept of "Great Old One" within the Cthulhu RPG Game, whether yer or NPC, was someone not to be trifled with. For example, "Watanabe Ryuusei," despite receiving the favor of King Hastur in Yellow Robes, viewed King Hastur in Yellow Robes as a god. As for King Hastur in Yellow Robes¡¯ adversary, Cthulhu, "Watanabe Ryuusei" regarded Cthulhu as just another Eldritch God. Hence, "Watanabe Ryuusei" did not yetprehend the concept of "Great Old One." Now, Liu Xing realized that his SAN (sanity) value was at risk. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 317: Shadows Chapter 317: Shadows Since Zhang Jingxu was about to talk about the Great Old One, Liu Xing felt that his sanity was in danger. Although his character card was very unique and had received special treatment in previous sanity checks, the information about the Great Old One was too explosive. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu also spoke up, saying, "The concept of the Great Old One was told to me by my master. Because my master was once entrusted by the Chinese Taoist sect to go on a mission, he ended up returning severely injured after a few months of recuperation. He then told me why he had been so gravely wounded during the mission." "The original goal of this mission was to deal with a secret cult that worshipped the Earthworm. This secret cult conducted live human sacrifices, throwing innocent victims directly into a bottomless pit where this Earthworm lived. This Earthworm, known as the Earth-boring Demon Worm, is a mythical creature that resembles an earthworm in form. They reside deep within the Earth¡¯s Core and rarely surface. In general, they do not interfere with the surface world. So my master and hispanions believed it would be no problem to deal with this secret cult. After all, under normal circumstances, the Earthworms should not have assisted the cult." "But when my master¡¯s group infiltrated the secret cult¡¯s headquarters and sessfully located the key members, ready to capture them all, an unexpected incident urred. The cult¡¯s leader suddenly produced a stone and summoned five Earth-boring Demon Worms. However, even the cult¡¯s leader couldn¡¯t control these five creatures, so the Earth-boring Demon Worms began to destroy the cult¡¯s main base." "Based on prior intelligence, there were at least several hundred followers praying inside the cult¡¯s main base at that time. Most of these followers were merely followers who could be used as backup sacrifices. So my master¡¯s group decided to rescue them while engaging inbat with the five Earth-boring Demon Worms." "Originally, in my master¡¯s opinion, these five Earth-boring Demon Worms, although formidable, had a clear weakness ¨C they were highly averse to water. Fortunately, my master had some knowledge of water-based Taoist arts, which allowed him to barely control the Earth-boring Demon Worms. However, what no one expected was the appearance of a sixth Earth-boring Demon Worm, or rather, the cult leader transformed into one. The cult leader¡¯s upper body appeared on top of the Earth-boring Demon Worm¡¯s head, and it retained a clear consciousness, shouting and screaming." "And this special Earth-boring Demon Worm did not share the aversion to water that the others had. It immediately lunged at my master, resulting in a fierce battle. My master was severely injured, and several of hispanions were also injured. It was only after a fierce struggle that they managed to defeat this unique Earth-boring Demon Worm. Fortunately, the remaining five Earth-boring Demon Worms chose to retreat underground when the unique one was defeated, or else my master¡¯s group would have been wiped out." "Investigations by the Chinese Taoist sect afterward revealed that the stone used by the cult leader was actually the chieftain of the Earth-boring Demon Worm n, a Great Old One named Shudei¡¤Meier. This is why the cult leader was able to summon five Earth-boring Demon Worms and transform himself into one. These Great Old Ones, as the name implies, were once powerful beings that ruled over the Earth and even the sr system and gxy. So calling them gods would not be an exaggeration." "However, despite their great power, these Great Old Ones were not invincible. They were defeated by other powerful beings long ago. But since most of these Great Old Ones are immortal, the other powerful beings could only seal them away. Many of these Great Old Ones are currently sealed on Earth and still retain some level of consciousness and action, which is how the cult leader obtained that stone.""In summary, the Great Old One represents one of the most formidable forces in the world. If even one of them were to awaken on Earth, it could easily destroy the. Creatures like Ghouls and Deep Ones also worship certain Great Old Ones. However, even in the Chinese Taoist sect, the knowledge of the names of Great Old Ones is limited and not publicly disclosed. So my master only knew of Shudei¡¤Meier among the Great Old Ones." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s master had encountered Earth-boring Demon Worms, referred to as Earthworms. This made Liu Xing wonder if the secret cult was located in the southwestern region of China. However, Liu Xing knew he couldn¡¯t ask such questions, as Earth Dragon Vige belonged to his "Liu Xing" memory, not "WatanabeRyuusei¡¯s" memory. At this point, KP Green Light spoke up, "Since everyone has heard about the Great Old One now, let¡¯s proceed to the verbal sanity check. However, because Zhang Jingxu¡¯s knowledge about the Great Old One is iplete, the result of this sanity check is that everyone except Zhang Jingxu loses 2 sanity points and gains 2 Cthulhu Mythos knowledge points." As expected, Liu Xing did not receive any special treatment this time. Furthermore, at this moment, KP Green Light specifically contacted Liu Xing, saying, "yer Liu Xing, you can now choose to use an Inspiration Judgment to determine if your faith in King Hastur in Yellow Robes is indeed a Great Old One." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing became cautious. After all, there was a saying that went, "Give a dog a bad name and hang him." Now, for "WatanabeRyuusei," King Hastur in Yellow Robes was his deity, which was not an issue. But if he were to believe that King Hastur in Yellow Robes was a Great Old One, that would pose a significant problem. After all, "deity" and "Great Old One" were twopletely different concepts. Gods were saviors and benefactors, while Great Old Ones aimed to destroy the Earth. So even as the leader of a secret cult, "WatanabeRyuusei" was not like the typical superviins from movies or TV shows who simply wanted to destroy the Earth for no reason. "WatanabeRyuusei" desired power and influence, which was why he worshipped King Hastur in Yellow Robes. Therefore, if he were lucky, or rather unlucky enough to pass this Inspiration Judgment, he would consider King Hastur in Yellow Robes a "Great Old One." This would lead "WatanabeRyuusei" to doubt his own unwavering faith in King Hastur in Yellow Robes, ultimately forcing him to make the decision of "opposites do not work together." However, what was even more crucial was that "WatanabeRyuusei" had received the favor of King Hastur in Yellow Robes. This was equivalent to beingbeled by King Hastur in Yellow Robes, and Liu Xing even began to suspect that "WatanabeRyuusei" was being monitored by King Hastur in Yellow Robes. If "WatanabeRyuusei" were to doubt King Hastur in Yellow Robes, would King Hastur in Yellow Robes subject "WatanabeRyuusei" to some kind of divine punishment? Thinking about this, Liu Xing decisively said to KP Green Light, "Never mind, thank you for your kindness, but I¡¯d rather not undergo this Inspiration Judgment." KP Green Light chuckled, using a tempting tone, "Oh, Liu Xing, are you really sure you don¡¯t want to undergo the Inspiration Judgment? You know, there¡¯s a difference between being proactive and passive." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn¡¯t help but ponder the underlying meaning behind KP Green Light¡¯s words. Was KP Green Light implying something to him? For instance, after this, would "WatanabeRyuusei"e to realize that King Hastur in Yellow Robes was a Great Old One through some other means? So now, Liu Xing was torn about whether to undergo the Inspiration Judgment. After a moment of contemtion, Liu Xing decided not to undergo the Inspiration Judgment. After all, staying alive was better than the alternative, and finding out that "King Hastur in Yellow Robes was a Great Old One" could wait a little longer. However, on second thought, Liu Xing was bing increasingly interested in Zhang Jingxu¡¯s master. He hadn¡¯t expected Zhang Jingxu¡¯s master to have such a rich history. What¡¯s more, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s master might also be a yer. With this in mind, Liu Xing decided that during the private room timeter that night, he would have a proper conversation with Zhang Jingxu. "Well, in that case, the Ocean True Deity Sect is even more formidable than we imagined, given that they directly serve a Great Old One," Ling Ishikawa spoke up. Zhang Jingxu nodded, somewhat despondent, and said, "That¡¯s right. You see, whether it¡¯s humans or mythical creatures, they need the recognition of a Great Old One to qualify for using magic or items rted to that Great Old One. So, Liu Xing, if you haven¡¯t misunderstood, it¡¯s safe to assume that Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect are connected to a Great Old One. Escaping from Fisher¡¯s Vige may prove to be much more challenging than we initially thought." Even though everyone knew that this module wouldn¡¯t involve a Great Old One directly, it could still be troublesome if Matsui Ichiro had items rted to a Great Old One. Hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, everyone fell silent. To break the tension, Liu Xing had to step in, saying, "Well, don¡¯t worry too much, everyone. My knowledge of magic arrays is only average, so it¡¯s possible that my analysis is off. Maybe thisst magic array is rted to some powerful mythical creatures rather than a Great Old One. Let¡¯s just rx for now." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t do much by overthinking it now. We¡¯ll have to take it step by step. And even if Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect are connected to a Great Old One, our previously discussed escape n should still work unless a Great Old One intervenes, which is highly unlikely." Finally, the atmosphere returned to normal. But just then, Dogo Aige brought in the food. "Everyone, Matsui Yui will take you to the Ancestral Hall in Fisher¡¯s Vige for a ceremony shortly. Due to certain reasons, I cannot apany you to the Ancestral Hall, so I hope you¡¯ll listen to Matsui Yui. You should be aware that Fisher¡¯s Vige has its own rules and some peculiar customs," Dogo Aige said somewhat apologetically. Liu Xing nodded and then smiled as he ventured, "Dogo Aige, did you sleep wellst night? It rained for a long time yesterday, and I hope there were no issues with your grass hut." When Liu Xing began to ask questions, everyone instinctively started observing Dogo Aige¡¯s expression. Dogo Aige, in a natural manner, shook his head and said, "There were no issues. Although the grass hut may seem fragile, it¡¯s actually quite sturdy. There were no signs of leaks, and it¡¯s well-insted. However, I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night because I heard strange noises outside the hut. I was worried that something might happen, so I didn¡¯t dare to go out and see what was going on." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected the situation to be different from what he had imagined. If Dogo Aige wasn¡¯t lying, then the noisesing from outside the hut were likely caused by the three Fisher¡¯s Vige vigers. Furthermore, Liu Xing carefully observed Dogo Aige¡¯s facial expressions and found nothing unusual. In other words, Dogo Aige probably wasn¡¯t lying unless he had an Acting skill level of 80. So, Liu Xing put on a curious look and asked, "Oh, what kind of noises were they? If I remember correctly, the area around your grass hut is mostly empty." Dogo Aige nodded and said with some confusion, "That¡¯s right, there¡¯s almost nothing around my grass hut, and the noises I heard came from the seaside. It sounded like many people walking in the water simultaneously, and there were no other sounds." Walking in the water? Could it be that the three vigers went swimming by the seasidest night? Liu Xing immediately ruled out this possibility, as it didn¡¯t make sense. "Well, I¡¯ll take my leave now. Please enjoy your meal," Dogo Aige said as he left. Once Dogo Aige had left, Liu Xing brought up the issue of how to deal with the magic arrays. He was concerned that if they didn¡¯t destroy these magic arrays, they would continue to be affected by them. However, if they did destroy the magic arrays, he was worried that Matsui Ichiro would find out, as many magic arrays had built-in rm systems that alerted the person who had drawn the magic array if it was destroyed. Zhang Jingxu took a sip of fish soup and chuckled, "It seems that Ryuusei is not very familiar with magic arrays. The rm systems of magic arrays are typically triggered by physical means." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 318: Crafting an Item Chapter 318: Crafting an Item Zhang Jingxu set down his chopsticks and continued, "In most cases, the simplest way to disrupt a magic formation is through physical means. Magic formations can be understood asplex circuit diagrams. If you cut off a part of the circuit diagram, the entire diagram bes ineffective. So, all we need to do is scratch the Composite Magic Arrays in our respective rooms with a knife, and these magic formations will naturally be useless." "But, as Ryuusei just mentioned, physical destruction is crude and can easily trigger the rm devices specifically left behind when drawing the magic formation. These rms are special runes, akin to a fuse. Once the magic formation loses its effect, it sends a unique signal to the person who drew it." "So, I believe this Composite Magic Array definitely contains that special rune. After all, the existence of this Composite Magic Array is meant to make it easier for Matsui Ichiro to manipte our minds. Therefore, if we use physical destruction to deal with it, Matsui Ichiro will definitely know about it immediately." "And if Matsui Ichiro learns that we¡¯ve disrupted the magic formation, it will be troublesome. If we can¡¯te up with a suitable exnation, he will surely be suspicious and eventually confront us, possiblyunching an attack. So, it¡¯s better if we avoid using physical destruction to solve this Composite Magic Array." Upon hearing this, Miyako Goudong was the first to speak up, "Um, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, if that¡¯s the case, how should we go about dealing with this Composite Magic Array? We¡¯re constantly affected by it, and if we keep dying like this, it will definitely be to our detriment." Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, "Of course, we can¡¯t afford to dy any longer. However, it¡¯s not the right time yet because what I¡¯ve prepared is not yetplete. Once my preparations are done, we can nullify the effects of this Composite Magic Array and avoid triggering that special rune, unless Matsui Ichiro manages to infiltrate our rooms. Otherwise, he won¡¯t detect any issues." Miyako Goudong continued with curiosity, "So, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, what is it that you need toplete?" Zhang Jingxu took out a t, circr box from his pocket, resembling a makeuppact. At the sight of this box, Liu Xing immediately recognized what it was. He had seen the icon for this item in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s shop, and it was identical to the box in Zhang Jingxu¡¯s hand.The item¡¯s name was "Anti-Magic Dust." Anti-Magic Dust, as the name suggested, was a type of dust that could counteract magic and render it ineffective. It didn¡¯t require any judgments; it simply needed to meet certain usage conditions to counter most types of magic. This Anti-Magic Dust was sold in the shop for just 100 points and could be used five times. While magic in the Cthulhu RPG Game was generally considered subpar in terms of effectiveness, if an enemy¡¯s magic managed to seed, it could still cause significant trouble. So, purchasing a couple of boxes of Anti-Magic Dust seemed like a reasonable investment to counteract magic, especially in the presence of Wizards. However, there was a catch. Even though Anti-Magic Dust was affordable and seemingly practical, it had a critical drawback rted to its usage conditions. The usage condition for Anti-Magic Dust was quite strict¡ªit had to be removed from the box and kept active for an hour before it could effectively counteract magic. Its effects would onlyst for about a minute after that. In simple terms, Anti-Magic Dust had a lengthy activation time, and most magic in the game was instant orsted only for a short time. Therefore, Anti-Magic Dust was practically useless since it couldn¡¯t be deployed in time to counter enemy magic. Furthermore, Anti-Magic Dust was called "dust" for a reason. It dispersed into the air, and after an hour, it was either on the ground or carried away by the wind. As a result, Anti-Magic Dust had received much criticism on the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s forum and had been voted as one of the "Top Ten Completely Useless Items in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall Shop." So, when Liu Xing had initially seen the description of Anti-Magic Dust, he had dismissed it as a worthless item. Now, to his surprise, Zhang Jingxu was using Anti-Magic Dust to counter the Composite Magic Array. "This is Anti-Magic Dust, a rather... unique item. Although it can nullify the effects of many types of magic, it has very stringent usage conditions. It must be removed from this box at least one hour before use, and these particles of Anti-Magic Dust need to be continuously moved to remain active. After an hour, these particles can finally exhibit their intended effects." "So, it¡¯s almost impossible to expect this Anti-Magic Dust to counter magic effectively, as our enemies won¡¯t cooperate with us. However, it works quite well against static magic formations like the ones in our rooms. As you can see, this box contains only this much Anti-Magic Dust, and it¡¯s quite expensive." "So, if we want to use it against the magic formation that Ryuusei encountered in the Underground Ruins yesterday, we would need to spend a fortune and buy hundreds of boxes of Anti-Magic Dust. But to deal with the smaller Composite Magic Arrays in our rooms, one box of Anti-Magic Dust will be more than sufficient," Zhang Jingxu exined with a smile. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Zhang Jingxu¡¯s n seemed feasible, and it appeared that he also needed to purchase some Anti-Magic Dust. After all, Liu Xing had participated in role-ying games in the Shoggoth Region, and magic elements were prevalent. He expected magic to continue being a factor in future adventures. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa expressed some confusion, "Um, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, you mentioned earlier that this Anti-Magic Dust you¡¯re talking about has dust-like properties. How did you use it to deal with the magic formation? Because I¡¯ve learned some knowledge about magic formations from my inexpensive master, Serak, in Hybrier. Just as you said, a magic formation is like an electrical circuit. Mr. Zhang Jingxu, it seems that the Anti-Magic Dust you used is like graphite, which can temporarily short-circuit the magic formation. But what if the Anti-Magic Dust gets carried away by the wind or falls due to Earth¡¯s Core gravity after it has been activated? It would lose its effect, wouldn¡¯t it? And, if I understood correctly, this Anti-Magic Dust can¡¯t maintain its effect continuously, right?" Just as Zhang Jingxu was about to answer, his phone suddenly rang. "Oh, perfect timing! The Anti-Magic Dust will be effective in five minutes. Let¡¯s go to my room now, and Ling Ishikawa, you will have the answer then," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. So, everyone followed Zhang Jingxu to his room. As soon as they entered Zhang Jingxu¡¯s room, Liu Xing heard the sound of a juicer running. Following the noise, he saw a juicer on the table in the room. However, the green, shining liquid inside made Liu Xing feel uneasy as it reminded him of Dogo Aige¡¯s head. "This looks like a juicer, but in reality, it¡¯s a modified juicer I altered to keep the Anti-Magic Dust active continuously. I also added a special substance inside. I don¡¯t know its exact name, but this mud-like substance can extend the duration of Anti-Magic Dust¡¯s effect significantly. I estimate it willst about a day, although it weakens the Anti-Magic Dust¡¯s potency." As Zhang Jingxu spoke, he took out a metal tin from his backpack and shared the item information. Stable Alchemical y: Alchemical y developed by an unnamed alchemist. After thorough mixing with certain items, it enhances the stability and duration of their effects but also weakens their potency. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such an item. Thebination of Anti-Magic Dust and Stable Alchemical y was perfect, as it could potentially create an entire set of Anti-Magic Armor. "This unidentified substance was a gift from a friend of mine. He said he obtained it from an alchemist, and he discovered that it could be used in conjunction with Anti-Magic Dust. So, I¡¯m just following his lead," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, the juicer stopped running. The fully blended mixture of Anti-Magic Dust and Stable Alchemical y had transformed into a new item. Magic Suppression y (Self-Crafted Item, Namer¡¯s Game ID: Carlo): A type of y that exhibits strong resistance against most forms of magic. Duration: twenty-four hours. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow again. He hadn¡¯t expected this Magic Suppression y to be a yer-crafted item. In fact, Liu Xing hadn¡¯t realized that yers could craft their own items. At this moment, KP Green Light suddenly spoke, "Oh, I didn¡¯t expect you, Zhang Jingxu, to know the craft of yer-made items. It seems you had a good teammate in a previous module. However, considering that none of the other yers here seem to know what yer-made items are, let me exin." "yer-made items, as the name suggests, are entirely new items created by yers through various means, using different materials. They are distinct from the pre-existing items in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Take this Magic Suppression y, for instance. While there have been simr items withparable effects before, this item is unique as it results from thebination of two items, resembling y. Therefore, it has been recognized as a yer-made item." "Of course, in addition to yer-made items, there are also yer-created spells or magic. yers who craft their own items or create their own magic typically enjoy certain advantages. They not only gain naming rights for the yer-made item or the created magic but also receive additional points as a reward. The specific amount of points awarded depends on the effectiveness of the yer-made item or the created magic." After listening to KP Green Light¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing¡¯s eyes lit up with a bold idea. He considered creating his own yer-made item. After all, he currently possessed many items, and his character card¡¯s special status meant he would acquire even more items in future modules, with most of them having impressive effects. So, Liu Xing suddenly felt confident and believed he could create his yer-made item. However, just as he was thinking about this, KP Green Light stepped in to pour cold water on his enthusiasm, "Alright, I know that many of you yers here may think of yourselves as chosen ones, protagonists, and believe that you can create yer-made items just like that. But I want to make it clear that it¡¯s not as simple asbining a few items that seempatible. Creating a yer-made item is not easy. Currently, there are only 261 yer-made items and 334 yer-created spells in the entire Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. So, having ideas is good, but you all need to face reality and recognize your own abilities." Liu Xing¡¯s previously overflowing confidence was shattered by KP Green Light¡¯s few words. "Alright, let¡¯s continue the game," KP Green Light said. Zhang Jingxu then took out a stack of yellow paper from his backpack and divided the Magic Suppression y into six portions. "You can evenly spread this y over the Composite Magic Array in your respective rooms. It will temporarily disable the Composite Magic Array for one day. Tomorrow at this time, I¡¯ll create a new batch to maintain the effect," Zhang Jingxu exined while distributing the Magic Suppression y. At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered a question: Would Alice¡¯s room also have this Composite Magic Array? [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 319: Visit to the Ancestral Hall (1) Chapter 319: Visit to the Ancestral Hall (1) If there were Composite Magic Arrays in Alice¡¯s room as well, then things would be troublesome. Liu Xing had previously analyzed the magic array information and mentioned that the influence range of these magic arrays was about five meters. Therefore, if there were Composite Magic Arrays in Alice¡¯s room, they would essentially affect everyone because Alice¡¯s room was located at the very center of the third floor. Thinking about this, Liu Xing spoke up, "Uh, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, did you forget about one room?" Zhang Jingxu paused for a moment and finally remembered Alice. "Well, this is a bit tricky. I actually forgot about Alice¡¯s room," Zhang Jingxu said somewhat embarrassed. Liu Xing nodded and looked at the greenish magic-suppressing y in his hand, saying, "Even if you remember Alice¡¯s room, we can¡¯t just eliminate the Composite Magic Array in Alice¡¯s room easily. After all, this y is quite conspicuous. Alice could easily spot it with just a nce." Helplessly, Zhang Jingxu shook his head and sighed, "Ryuusei, you¡¯re right. This y is indeed quite conspicuous, but there¡¯s no other color option for it. So, the finished product has to be this color." "So, what should we do now? Can¡¯t we just ignore the possibility of a Composite Magic Array in Alice¡¯s room?" Miyako Goudong asked with confusion. Liu Xing shook his head and replied seriously, "Unfortunately, we can¡¯t ignore the possibility of a Composite Magic Array in Alice¡¯s room. This Composite Magic Array can influence a significant area. If Alice¡¯s room has one, even if we deal with the ones in our rooms, we¡¯ll still be affected in the end."Ling Ishikawa stroked his chin and said, "I don¡¯t think there necessarily has to be a Composite Magic Array in Alice¡¯s room. After all, Alice is Matsui Yui¡¯s close friend and may also be associated with the Ocean True Deity Sect. Matsui Ichiro wouldn¡¯t harm his own people, especially since this is a permanent memory loss." Lu Tianya interjected, shaking his head, "Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re jumping to conclusions? There¡¯s a possibility that Alice is just an innocent bystander, like us, who doesn¡¯t know the truth and came to Fisher¡¯s Vige." Lu Tianya¡¯s words woke everyone up. Liu Xing realized that he had indeed been too quick to judge. He had assumed from the beginning that Alice belonged to the opposing faction because she had worked for the Deep Sea Gospel Society in the previous module. In his subconscious, he had already considered Alice an enemy. Now, Liu Xing began to think that if Alice was just an NPC like them in this module, he needed to reconsider his earlier judgments. For example, why did Matsui Yui call Alice to her every day? "So, what should we do now? Shouldn¡¯t we go check Alice¡¯s room while she¡¯s not here?" Panda Pig, feeling the tension in the room, suggested somewhat impatiently. Panda Pig¡¯s suggestion made sense, as the saying goes, "Practice is the sole criterion of truth." Liu Xing also felt it was necessary to visit Alice¡¯s room. However, at this moment, Ling Ishikawa shook his head and said seriously, "I personally think we shouldn¡¯t go into Alice¡¯s room because Alice was responsible for intelligence work in the Deep Sea Gospel Society. I believe she would be cautious, and there may be anti-investigation measures in her room. If we enter her room unprepared, she will definitely notice us." Although Liu Xing wanted to explore Alice¡¯s room, as an ally of Yin En and the leader of "Ling Ishikawa," he had to support Ling Ishikawa¡¯s decision. Thus, with the opposition of Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, the group decided not to take the risk of entering Alice¡¯s room and instead agreed to deal with the Composite Magic Arrays in their own rooms first. After that, they would wait for a day to confirm whether there was a Composite Magic Array in Alice¡¯s room and then n ordingly. So, Liu Xing returned to his room with his magic-suppressing y and removed the Composite Magic Array from the window frame. However, the bright green y stood out, and anyone entering the room would immediately notice it. To be safe, Liu Xing decided to draw the curtains to conceal the conspicuous green y. After dealing with the Composite Magic Array, Liu Xing joined the others downstairs. Once everyone was assembled again, Liu Xing began to discuss the next issue: how to divide tasks and n their actions when they arrived at Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall. "I can keep watch for you all. My vision is quite good," Panda Pig volunteered. Liu Xing gave Panda Pig a meaningful look. Rather than just keeping watch, he felt that Panda Pig would likely choose to flee when faced with danger. But he kept this thought to himself because, in all fairness, he was not much different; if they encountered real danger, he would summon Byakhee to escape, no matter the cost. "Alright, Panda Pig, you¡¯ll be in charge of keeping watch. But you also need to ensure the escape routes are clear in case of emergencies. We need a safe way to leave the Ancestral Hall quickly, considering how dangerous it is," Zhang Jingxu nodded. Panda Pig patted his chest and promised, "No problem, you can count on me. I¡¯ll make sure everyone has a path to escape even if it costs me my life." With the lookout position settled, they needed to decide who would be responsible for covering the rear. After all, if everyone tried to escape at once, there was a good chance that no one would make it. So, they decided to appoint two people to cover the rear this time: Ling Ishikawa and Miyako Goudong. Although Ling Ishikawa had changed his ss to Wizard, he had not abandoned his basic swordsmanship skills. Essentially, he was the only closebat character in this module. As for Miyako Goudong, although hisbat abilities were not strong, he could be considered a physically fit ordinary person. Due to his "Miyako Goudong" chuunibyou attribute, he had to step up and "save the world." Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya would pretend to be a couple, or perhaps they were already a couple, in order to attract the attention of Matsui Yui and others. Finally, Liu Xing would be responsible for finding an opportunity to take away anything that could potentially threaten Matsui Ichiro. This was the n that Liu Xing and his group had carefully devised. "Alright, if something unexpected happens, we may have to give it our all because, unless we get lucky and encounter Inoue Haruto or find a functioning boat, it¡¯s impossible to leave this ind of Fisher¡¯s Vige," Zhang Jingxu said. "So, Liu Xing and I better find an opportunity to take Matsui Ichiro or Matsui Yui hostage. Ling Ishikawa and Miyako Goudong will do their best to create chaos and prevent any Fisher¡¯s Vige residents froming to the rescue. As for Panda Pig, you should find an opportunity to call Dogo Aige. After all, Dogo Aige is our friend, and we can¡¯t just abandon him. Of course, if ites down to it, we might have to sell him out," Zhang Jingxu concluded. At that moment, Matsui Yui and Alice arrived at the vi. "Everyone, are you ready? Let¡¯s head to the Ancestral Hall in Fisher¡¯s Vige now," Matsui Yui said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and asked, "No problem, we¡¯re all prepared, but Miss Matsui Yui, Dogo Aige mentioned that there might be some special rules in the Ancestral Hall of Fisher¡¯s Vige. Could you please exin them to us now so that we don¡¯t identally break any rules?" Matsui Yui thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there are indeed some special rules in the Ancestral Hall of Fisher¡¯s Vige. First, you should not disturb anything in the Ancestral Hall. It¡¯s best to turn off your phones to avoid any strange noises, even though we don¡¯t have a signal here." "Secondly, it¡¯s advisable not to touch any of the Ancestral Hall¡¯s furnishings to prevent idents. Many of these furnishings are considered antiques, and my father values them greatly. Any damage to them would not be good." "Next, it¡¯s about our unique faith in Fisher¡¯s Vige. Dogo Aige might have mentioned it to you before. We have developed a unique belief system due to our istion from the outside world. So, our beliefs might seem strange to you, but I hope you can respect them." "Lastly, our purpose for visiting the Ancestral Hall today is to perform a blessing ceremony for our family and friends. Only you and I will enter the Ancestral Hall to conduct the ceremony. I hope you all will follow my father¡¯s instructions and carry out the ceremony smoothly." Liu Xing nodded. The rules mentioned by Matsui Yui were quite standard and expected. With that, they proceeded ording to the original n. Liu Xing and the others followed Matsui Yui to Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall. As Miyako Goudong had mentioned, the Ancestral Hall was indeed located at the center of the Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s former site. However, it was not the unique building without windows that Miyako Goudong had described; instead, it appeared to be an unremarkable single-story house nearby. However, theyout and style of this Ancestral Hall reminded Liu Xing of the Earth Dragon Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall. The two Ancestral Halls had somewhat simryouts. At this moment, Matsui Yui entered the Ancestral Hall to find Matsui Ichiro, leaving Liu Xing and the others waiting outside. During the wait, Liu Xing observed the surroundings of Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s former site. Most of the buildings there were constructed with polished stones. Despite being abandoned for many years and exposed to the elements, they had not copsed extensively. However, what surprised Liu Xing was that the windows and doors of these buildings had been reinforced with cement,pletely sealing them shut. It was strange because, in Liu Xing¡¯s opinion, if these buildings were merely abandoned, there was no need to seal them with cement. Could there be something inside these buildings? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and casually walked toward one of the single-story houses. He pretended to tie his shoces while secretly listening for any soundsing from inside. Soon, Liu Xing indeed heard a strange sound, resembling the sliding of a snake on sand. It seemed that there was something inside these buildings after all. Just as Liu Xing was contemting whether to continue listening to the sounds from inside the building, Matsui Yui emerged from the Ancestral Hall with Matsui Ichiro. Liu Xing quickly stood up and rejoined the group. "First of all, I want to thank all of you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend my daughter Matsui Yui¡¯s and Dogo Aige¡¯s wedding. We are truly grateful. However, due to some unique customs in our Fisher¡¯s Vige, we have invited you here to our Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall to hold a blessing ceremony for family and friends. I hope that once we enter the Ancestral Hall, you will follow my instructions and carry out the ceremony smoothly. Now, let¡¯s enter the Ancestral Hall together," Matsui Ichiro said with a smile. With that, Matsui Ichiro led the group into the Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel that this Ancestral Hall was indeed a dangerous ce, just as Miyako Goudong had warned. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for whatever unexpected events might ur next. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 320: Journey to the Ancestral Hall (1) Chapter 320: Journey to the Ancestral Hall (1) In Liu Xing¡¯s eyes, the purpose of KP Green Light¡¯s secret infiltration into the KP Green Light was undoubtedly to set up some arrangements against the yers, such as the number of vigers lurking near Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall, the types and quantities of items ced in in sight within the Ancestral Hall, and Matsui Ichiro¡¯s uing behavior patterns. Therefore, Liu Xing could be certain that this trip to the Ancestral Hall was the pivotal turning point for this module. The main challenge for the yers now was Matsui Yui¡¯s skyrocketing tension. Liu Xing was sure that this trip to the Ancestral Hall would most likely trigger Matsui Yui¡¯s tension. Currently, Matsui Yui¡¯s tension had reached a critical point, or it could be said that it was like a tightly drawn bowstring. All it needed was a slight disturbance, and the "arrow" would be shot towards one of the yers. Thinking about the concept of "Matsui Yui¡¯s tension," Liu Xing felt a headacheing on. This concept was a near-death setting. Once "Matsui Yui¡¯s tension" reached its maximum value, one of the yers would undoubtedly meet their demise. There was almost no chance of survival, except for killing Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui before that happened. Liu Xing¡¯s eyes lit up as if a new world had opened before him, and he had a bold idea in mind. Without hesitation, Liu Xing immediately contacted KP Green Light and asked, "KP, do you think the Nether Wedding can be considered a wedding? Can it count aspleting the Main quest?" After a few seconds of silence, KP Green Light responded with surprise, "What? Liu Xing, why would you suddenly think of this? ording to various wedding customs in this parallel world, the Nether Wedding does indeed exist and is recognized in certain regions. Therefore, I believe the Nether Wedding can be considered a wedding and count aspleting the Main quest... Are you nning to kill Matsui Yui?" A faint smile curved on Liu Xing¡¯s lips as he tacitly agreed with KP Green Light¡¯s statement. Indeed, Liu Xing¡¯s bold idea was that if the Nether Wedding could also be considered a wedding, it would be better to seize the opportunity to kill Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui. Although Matsui Ichiro might possess some magical abilities, he was just an ordinary person when facing an attack. As for Matsui Yui, she was even less of a threat.The reason for killing Matsui Yui for the Nether Wedding instead of forcing her to marry Dogo Aige was because Liu Xing believed in taking all necessary measures. If Matsui Yui continued to assist Matsui Ichiro in his evil deeds, she couldn¡¯t be considered a good person. Liu Xing had no sympathy for the idea that "Matsui Yui was just brainwashed and forced to assist in evil deeds, so she is just a victim who took the wrong path." Of course, Liu Xing¡¯s primary concern for killing Matsui Yui was to prevent any potential trouble. If Matsui Yui refused to participate in the wedding or, worse, reported to the police after Liu Xing and the others left Fisher¡¯s Vige, they would bebeled as "fugitives from a murder case." In future module interludes, they would have to deal with "evading police pursuit." To be on the safe side, after killing Matsui Yui, Liu Xing nned to find a reason for Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui to hold a Nether Wedding, effectivelypleting the Main quest of this module. However, Liu Xing had some reservations about this bold idea. The biggest variable in his n was the other intelligent NPCs in the module. The vigers in Fisher¡¯s Vige were still under Matsui Ichiro¡¯s control, so they could be set aside for now. The remaining NPCs were Alice, Inoue Haruto, and the Inoue family elder, whose name Liu Xing had already forgotten. The Inoue family elder could be disregarded, as despite regaining some memories, he had deteriorated to the point of resembling someone with dementia. Therefore, Liu Xing could easily ignore him. Alice, on the other hand, was causing some inner conflict. If Alice sided with Matsui Yui, Liu Xing could kill her without hesitation. However, if Alice, like the yers, was a victim deceived intoing to Fisher¡¯s Vige by Matsui Yui, Liu Xing found it difficult to go through with it. Although for "Watanabe Ryuusei," Alice was already an enemy as a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, Liu Xing still hesitated because he hadn¡¯t had a direct conflict with her in reality. Moreover, the most significant reason was that Liu Xing was starting to hesitate when it came to killing "people." Though this was just a Cthulhu RPG Game, it felt incredibly real. Liu Xing even began to doubt if he and the other yers were ying in another parallel world. As a result, despite his prior mental preparation, Liu Xing warned himself that as the game progressed, he would eventually find himself opposed to human NPCs while dealing with mythical creatures. To survive in such situations, he would have to eliminate these human NPCs. So, during Professor Yang¡¯s module, Liu Xing had contemted, for the first time, taking action against Professor Yang if necessary. Now, Liu Xing believed that he could kill Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui without any psychological burden because they were viins and opposed him. To secure his own survival, Liu Xing could go through with it. However, when it came to Alice, who might be innocent but still an "enemy," Liu Xing hesitated. After all, in reality, he was just an ordinary person who couldn¡¯t even harm a chicken. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing felt a headacheing on. This Cthulhu RPG Game was indeed too realistic, making it impossible for him to fully treat it as a game. So, for now, Liu Xing had to shelve his bold idea. He was still too hesitant at the moment. He would have to seek advice from Ling Ishikawa and others during their Private Room time in the evening. At this moment, Liu Xing and the others had already followed Matsui Ichiro to the central area of Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall. The weather was decent today, so the lighting inside the Ancestral Hall was adequate. However, Liu Xing could still sense an inexplicable chill in the air. And, just like Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s letter had mentioned, Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall indeed housed a plethora of deity statues, and the style of these deity statues... was incredibly Cthulhu-esque. Liu Xing surveyed the Ancestral Hall, noticing that there were over thirty deity statues inside. Most of them were rtively small, about thirty centimeters in size, resembling the typical statues of wealth deities found in many households. However, their style was undeniably eerie, featuring humanoid figures with fish heads and various tentacles. Among the mentioned fish heads, Liu Xing could identify shark heads, octopus heads, crab heads, and simr variations. But what was most important were the twelve rtivelyrge and intricately crafted deity statues among them. These statues appeared to be the true focus of the Ocean True Deity Sect, representing the so-called Twelve True Gods. At this moment, Alice suddenly remarked to Matsui Ichiro, "Mr. Matsui Ichiro, you have quite a variety of deities in your vige, and the style of these sculptures is rather avant-garde." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Alice was the first to ask, and it seemed that Alice¡¯s tone was somewhat unfriendly. Given Alice¡¯s rtionship with Matsui Yui, she should address Matsui Ichiro as "Uncle Matsui." This was intriguing. If Alice and Matsui Ichiro were not acting, it could prove that Alice¡¯s role in this module was that of an innocent bystander, which had now turned into a Taoist of sorts. It was worth noting that disputes among secret cults weremon, as secret cults typically had a focus on "self-supremacy" and viewed other secret cults as heretics, even if they worshiped the same deity. So, it seemed that Alice needed to speak up for her secret cult. As for Liu Xing and the others, they focused their attention on Matsui Ichiro and Alice, prepared to witness the unfolding drama. After all, it wasn¡¯t their concern, so they maintained a bystander¡¯s attitude. Matsui Ichiro chuckled and pointed at the statues, saying, "Regarding these sculptures, they were brought back by some vigers who went out in the past. They said these were crafts from Ryukyu and found them very interesting. They are believed to have warding-off-evil effects, so the former Vige Chief decided to ce these deity statues in the Ancestral Hall." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Matsui Ichiro¡¯s exnation of the presence of these deity statues. Could it be that Matsui Ichiro was not a member of the Ocean True Deity Sect? After all, for believers of secret cults, deity statues were considered sacred objects. Believers wouldn¡¯t casually discuss these statues or refer to them as crafts from elsewhere. However, based on the two letters written by Inoue Kenjiro, it was clear that Matsui Ichiro was spreading his faith in Fisher¡¯s Vige and using Hypnotic Incense on the vigers. These facts indicated that Matsui Ichiro should be a secret cult believer and likely a member of the Ocean True Deity Sect. After all, if Matsui Ichiro belonged to another secret cult, he would not willingly allow deity statues from the Ocean True Deity Sect to be disyed in his presence; this was a matter of principle. Therefore, Liu Xing was increasingly puzzled about who Matsui Ichiro really was. Suddenly, Liu Xing recalled a childhood memory when he had visited his grandparents¡¯ hometown. His grandfather had mentioned a swindler who hade to a neighboring town, disguised as a wandering Taoist, and had scammed many people of their belongings. This swindler had also gathered a group of followers and nned to establish a Taoist temple on the spot. Fortunately, during that time, a real Taoist hade to visit a friend in the neighboring town and had noticed something was amiss. After some confrontation, the swindler had been exposed and fled the town in embarrassment. (This was an actual event the author had experienced, and he even went to see the so-called "Taoist" and his fraudulent practices.) Therefore, Liu Xing had a suspicion that Matsui Ichiro might be a swindler who had stumbled upon Fisher¡¯s Vige by chance. Seeing that Fisher¡¯s Vige had been isted for many years and its residents were simple, Matsui Ichiro might have had ill intentions, wanting to take control of the vige. Matsui Ichiro had likely chosen to use the guise of a religious leader to make the vigers his followers. So, Matsui Ichiro had presented the deity statues he had acquired through certain means,bined with some mythological stories he had heard, to create a new secret cult. However, to maintain credibility, Matsui Ichiro dared not call himself the cult¡¯s leader and instead referred to himself as a missionary, as the idea of a solitary cult leadercked conviction. But what had frustrated Matsui Ichiro was encountering someone like Inoue Kenjiro, who saw through his ns and prompted Matsui Ichiro to use the Hypnotic Incense he possessed. Although Hypnotic Incense was beyond the reach of ordinary people, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game modules, anything was possible. Liu Xing had once read a forum post in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, where a powerful wizard with an impressive background turned out to be a destitute beggar. He had merely stumbled upon a magical book by chance, and the spells within the book were all superficial, causing minimal harm. However, at first, both the yer and their team were unaware of this, so they proceeded with extreme caution, fearing to provoke the wizard and risk being killed by his spells. They were also wary of the powerful forces behind him. In the end, the desperate yers, after several crucial judgments had failed, had to face a life-and-death battle with the wizard. Liu Xing found himself smiling at the memory of this post. In the end, these yers, who had be somewhat desperate, had exhausted all their brainpower and devised a nearly perfect n to confront the wizard. They had sessfully defeated the wizard. Those yers who had learned the truth were left with mixed emotions. They posted on the forum to vent their frustrations and advised other yers not to be overly cautious and not to oveplicate matters, especially when dealing with human enemies who had too many set parameters. With these thoughts, Liu Xing began to doubt whether Matsui Ichiro was just a paper tiger, relying on luck more than anything else. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 321: The Visit to the Ancestral Hall (2) Chapter 321: The Visit to the Ancestral Hall (2) In this world, lucky individuals were never in short supply. Just like Liu Xing¡¯s teammate, Bai Hecheng, in his first module. Even in the Cthulhu-themed module, he managed to obtain items rted to Cthulhu, ones that could even trigger a world mission. Although that parchment was found by Liu Xing himself... So, if Matsui Ichiro¡¯s luck was good enough, stumbling upon so much Hypnotic Incense by chance seemed usible. It could also exin why Matsui Ichiro was sovish in using the precious Hypnotic Incense against the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige. Thinking about this, Liu Xing was about fifty percent certain regarding this conjecture. However, for Alice, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s exnation didn¡¯t satisfy her. She continued, "Oh, are these crafts from Ryukyu? The style of these crafts is rather peculiar. Even the Ind Nation¡¯s Ukiyo-e style doesn¡¯t go this far. Though if I saw these crafts in a horror movie or game, I probably wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all." Even Liu Xing, as an observer, could tell that Alice was subtly disparaging these deity statues. So, Liu Xing shifted his attention to Matsui Ichiro, eager to see how he would react. After all, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s response could help confirm Liu Xing¡¯s suspicions. However, just then, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling. "Oh, I see. Although I¡¯ve been in Fisher¡¯s Vige for many years, or rather, I haven¡¯t watched any horror movies or yed any horror games in my entire life, these crafts do indeed look eerie. On days with bad weather, Ancestral Hall can be quite ominous. Sometimes I get startled by these crafts when I enter, even though I¡¯ve prepared myself mentally for it," Matsui Ichiro said with a cheerful smile. Interesting. Watching Matsui Ichiro¡¯s natural expression and rxed tone, Liu Xing became increasingly convinced that Matsui Ichiro was a fortunate fraudster. Alice¡¯s subtle mocking of the deity statues didn¡¯t seem to affect Matsui Ichiro at all. So, unless Matsui Ichiro had an extremely deep understanding of human psychology and exceptional acting skills, he couldn¡¯t possibly be a missionary from the Ocean True Deity Sect.Even now, Liu Xing only had about sixty percent confidence in his conjecture about Matsui Ichiro¡¯s identity. There were still three unresolved issues. Firstly, the Composite Magic Array ¨C if Matsui Ichiro were indeed a fortunate rogue, who drew this Composite Magic Array? Moreover, the final effect of this Composite Magic Array required the assistance of a Wizard, so there should be a Wizard in Fisher¡¯s Vige. Currently, Matsui Ichiro was the only candidate for that role. Secondly, why did Matsui Ichiro arrange for Matsui Yui to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige and bring back people to act as vigers? It couldn¡¯t be that Matsui Ichiro had nothing better to do and wanted to develop Fisher¡¯s Vige. This kind of action could attract the attention of the Ind Nation¡¯s authorities, and any oversight could lead to an investigation by the police. In that case, Matsui Ichiro wouldn¡¯t escape me. Lastly, Liu Xing had heard a strange sound from the room adjacent to the Ancestral Hall, which had been "abandoned" for years and sealed with concrete. Although he couldn¡¯t yet identify the sound, he was certain it was produced by some kind of creature¡¯s movement. The reason these rooms were sealed with concrete was likely to contain these creatures, and Matsui Ichiro seemed to be aware of it all. Therefore, until these three doubts were cleared up, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t definitively conclude whether Matsui Ichiro was simply a lucky rogue or perhaps a fortunate rogue with real power. As Liu Xing was lost in thought, Alice hadn¡¯t given up on probing Matsui Ichiro. "I see, Matsui Ichiro, have you ever thought about getting rid of these crafts? After all, they don¡¯t quite match the overall atmosphere of Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall." Matsui Ichiro nodded without hesitation and said with a smile, "Alice, you¡¯re absolutely right. These crafts indeed don¡¯t belong in the Ancestral Hall. However, I heard from others that these crafts can ward off evil spirits, so I decided to ce them here. Besides, they¡¯ve been here for many years now, so it¡¯s not easy to dispose of them. If the vigers who bought these crafts found out, they¡¯d probablyin." Alice saw this as an excuse in Matsui Ichiro¡¯s eyes, and she continued to press, "I see. While I¡¯ve heard that you Ind Nation people believe in so-called eight million gods, that is, everything is a deity, the style of these crafts doesn¡¯t seem to align with your Ind Nation¡¯s view of deities. So, even though I¡¯m a foreigner, I¡¯d like to suggest, Mr. Matsui Ichiro, that you dispose of these crafts. I can arrange to bring you a batch of more suitable crafts for the Ancestral Hall from outside. What do you think, Mr. Matsui Ichiro?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Alice¡¯sst sentence was in an affirmative tone, not a question. Thus, Alice, who had been relentless, intensified the atmosphere in the room. Matsui Ichiro, on the other hand, looked at Alice with a serious expression and remained silent for a long time. Liu Xing nced at Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa beside him, and they both shook their heads in unison, indicating they were watching and waiting. Liu Xing took a step back, distancing himself slightly from the confrontation between Matsui Ichiro and Alice, just in case things escted and someone got hurt. However, at that moment, Miyako Goudong suddenly spoke up, "Uh, Mr. Matsui Ichiro, Miss Alice, I think you should sit down and have a proper discussionter. After all, these crafts really don¡¯t belong in the solemn Ancestral Hall. They look quite sinister, and from an outsider¡¯s perspective like mine, these strangely-shaped crafts make our Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall seem like a dragon¡¯sir or a tiger¡¯s den." Miyako Goudong¡¯s unexpected interruption surprised both Alice and Matsui Ichiro, but Liu Xing thought that Miyako Goudong was giving them a chance to back down gracefully. After all, Liu Xing felt that Alice must have realized she was being too pushy at this point, and she was in Matsui Ichiro¡¯s territory, isted without support. So Alice might have decided it was time to back down a bit. Matsui Ichiro didn¡¯t want to dwell on this issue any longer, so he nodded first and said, "No problem. Time is of the essence, so let¡¯s proceed with the ceremony now, and then, Miss Alice, we can discuss these matters slowly." "Alright, we can talkter," Alice replied. The matter was temporarily put to rest. Liu Xing shook his head in disappointment, thinking that Alice and Matsui Ichiro might erupt into conflict and engage in a heated argument, which would have allowed his group to benefit from the situation. However, if Alice had truly provoked Matsui Ichiro, Liu Xing¡¯s group might have be coteral damage. "Alright, let¡¯s not waste any more time. Let¡¯s start the ceremony now. I hope all our friends here can remain silent because even though the main theme of the ceremony is to bless the newlyweds, it¡¯s still a rather solemn asion. So I hope everyone can cooperate," Matsui Ichiro said earnestly. Liu Xing nodded and asked with a smile, "Understood, Mr. Matsui Ichiro. Besides staying silent, are there any other rules we need to follow, or anything else we should do?" Matsui Ichiro chuckled and replied, "There¡¯s no need for any particr rules. Just focus on blessing the couple with your whole heart. Even closing your eyes and meditating is fine. Just listen to me ramble on for a bit." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, bing alert. ording to Matsui Ichiro, his group only needed to empty their minds, and that was precisely when one¡¯s willpower became vulnerable. So, Liu Xing suspected that Matsui Ichiro was nning something. Taking advantage of Matsui Ichiro and Alice not paying attention, Liu Xing gave Zhang Jingxu and the others a subtle look, hinting that they should pay attention to Matsui Ichiro¡¯s actions. At this moment, Liu Xing noticed that Panda Pig, who was standing on the outskirts, had secretly taken out a pair of earplugs and inserted them into his ears. Indeed, Panda Pig was quite sly. Liu Xing thought that Panda Pig¡¯s approach was quite prudent. After all, unless it was a spell like Cthulhu¡¯s, which could prate deep into the souls of sentient beings, the type of magic spells Matsui Ichiro might cast now would require a crucial precondition: the person being affected had to hear the spell. This ensured the sess of the magic spell. Therefore, Panda Pig, who had put on earplugs, had added an extrayer of protection. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel speechless about Panda Pig¡¯s selfishness. Panda Pig had realized this, yet he hadn¡¯t mentioned it, as if he were afraid that his earplugs would be taken away by their group... At this moment, Matsui Ichiro took out several cushions and ced them in front of the ancestral tablets. Liu Xing¡¯s group also knelt down in a cooperative manner. But at this moment, Liu Xing saw Matsui Ichiro carefully retrieve an incense stick from a small cab. Hypnotic Incense?! That was Liu Xing¡¯s first thought, and his only thought. After all, the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige had learned their lesson, so Liu Xing naturally assumed that the incense stick in Matsui Ichiro¡¯s hand was Hypnotic Incense. As they say, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. So, Liu Xing immediately asked, "Mr. Matsui Ichiro, what is that incense stick in your hand?" Matsui Ichiro was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and replied, "You mean this incense stick? It was given to me a long time ago by an outsider who imed to be a travel writer. He came to Fisher¡¯s Vige for inspiration and spent a long time here. Eventually, he wrote a book he was very satisfied with. When he left Fisher¡¯s Vige, as a token of his gratitude, he gave me many things he didn¡¯t need anymore." "Among them were these incense sticks. The travel writer said he brought them from the China region, and they were made by a famous incense maker in his hometown. It took a lot of time, effort, and valuable materials to make these. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the travel writer had previously helped the incense maker write a biography, I wouldn¡¯t have received these incense sticks." "These incense sticks are indeed excellent. When they are lit, they emit a wonderful fragrance and can help calm one¡¯s mind. That¡¯s why the travel writer used to light one whenever he wrote. When I passed by the travel writer¡¯s room, I could smell the fragrance even from several meters away. So, every time I conduct various ceremonies in the Ancestral Hall now, I light one of these incense sticks to create the atmosphere." Matsui Ichiro¡¯s words surprised Liu Xing, as the description of the "travel writer" sounded remarkably simr to Li Yongjie. However, Li Yongjie was supposed to be a journalist, not a travel writer. Could it be that Matsui Ichiro used this altered story about "Li Yongjie" as a convenient excuse? But when Liu Xing looked at Matsui Ichiro¡¯s utterly natural expression and tone, he suddenly felt that Matsui Ichiro might not be lying. Could it be? Liu Xing furrowed his brow, just about to continue questioning when Alice spoke up beside him, "Uh, Mr. Matsui Ichiro, if you don¡¯t mind, please don¡¯t light that incense stick because I¡¯m a bit sensitive to certain scents. As you mentioned, these incense sticks were made with many valuable materials, and I believe they might contain scents that could affect me." Matsui Ichiro raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "Alright, I won¡¯t light this incense stick." This was getting more confusing. Liu Xing was now a bit bewildered. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 322: The Visit to the Ancestral Hall (Final) Chapter 322: The Visit to the Ancestral Hall (Final) To Liu Xing¡¯s surprise, Matsui Ichiro unexpectedly gave up on using the incense. After all, in Liu Xing¡¯s eyes, the incense in Matsui Ichiro¡¯s hand was the Hypnotic Incense, and this Hypnotic Incense was undoubtedly Matsui Ichiro¡¯s most important treasure and the crucial item for this so-called ritual. Initially, Liu Xing had thought that Matsui Ichiro might have Alice leave the Ancestral Hall first, as she might be allergic to the spices, and then proceed with their group. However, Matsui Ichiro had chosen to forego using the Hypnotic Incense altogether. What kind of decision was this? Liu Xing watched Matsui Ichiro with a puzzled expression, wondering if he had overthought the situation. Before Liu Xing coulde up with a reasonable exnation, Matsui Ichiro ced the incense back in its container and motioned for Liu Xing and the others to take their positions again. Matsui Ichiro himself stood at the front, his back turned to Liu Xing and the rest. "Now, my friends, please prepare yourselves. I shall begin the ceremony now. I rmend that you all close your eyes and clear your minds, focusing only on blessing the new couple. Of course, if you prefer to keep your eyes open, that¡¯s fine too, as long as you refrain from looking around or making sudden movements. Please try to endure these five minutes," Matsui Ichiro said, bowing three times towards the memorial tablets in front of him. Then, Matsui Ichiro began the ceremony using anguage that Liu Xing couldn¡¯t understand. Nevertheless, Liu Xing could discern that Matsui Ichiro was speaking some dialect from the Ind Nation Language system because he asionally understood a phrase or two from Matsui Ichiro¡¯s recitation. Liu Xing was certain that Matsui Ichiro was reciting a ritual because he could make out words like "ancestors" and "blessings." Thus, he was sure that Matsui Ichiro was reciting a ceremony and not performing magic. This left Liu Xing even more puzzled. Did Matsui Ichiro have no intention of taking action today? As time passed, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s recitation sped up, and Liu Xing could no longer understand what he was saying. Matsui Ichiro¡¯s tone also gradually increased, and Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by Matsui Ichiro¡¯s stamina, given his age. However, why did Liu Xing feel so drowsy all of a sudden? Liu Xing suddenly realized that his eyelids were starting to droop, and Matsui Ichiro¡¯s recitation was bing fainter in his ears. He had fallen into a trap. Although Liu Xing had recognized that something was amiss, he had lost the ability to resist. He couldn¡¯t even move or make a sound.Liu Xing understood that this was a "Plot Encounter." ording to the proper procedure, it should involve a "Willpower Judgment." So, Liu Xing could only sigh inwardly in resignation. However, he wasn¡¯t too worried because, in the current situation, this Plot Encounter shouldn¡¯t turn deadly. As Liu Xing was contemting this, he suddenly heard a faint but distinct rustling sound behind him. It was the same sound he had heard in the corner of the adjacent room earlier. This startled Liu Xing. Could it be that the unidentified creature from the neighboring room hade here? However, no matter how hard Liu Xing tried, he couldn¡¯t determine the source of this strange noise. It was so elusive that he couldn¡¯t pinpoint its origin. Nheless, Liu Xing spected that the strange sound likely came from underground. Given theyout of the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall, there were no hidden corners or ces to hide. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that the unidentified creature producing this sound must have originally been in the houses surrounding the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall, sealed off by cement. It had onlye to the Ancestral Hall after hearing Matsui Ichiro¡¯s ritual recitation. Thinking this through, Liu Xing wanted to see what this unidentified creature looked like. However, he realized that he had been forced to close his eyes, and everything before him was pitch ck. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing realized the situation was bing problematic. He couldn¡¯t ascertain the identity of this unidentified creature, its intentions, or why Matsui Ichiro had summoned them. However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered an exception among those present: Panda Pig. Panda Pig had worn earplugs, which should have provided some immunity to Matsui Ichiro¡¯s ritual recitation. So, Liu Xing thought Panda Pig might have a chance to see the true form of this unidentified creature. Just as Liu Xing was thinking this, he heard a short exmation from behind him. Judging by the tone, it was Panda Pig. Then, KP Green Light chimed in gleefully, "Heh heh, Panda Pig, you thought you were clever, wearing those earplugs, acting all self-assured. Does it feelfortable now? Did you see something you shouldn¡¯t have? Originally, this Plot Encounter was just a formality, advancing the plot and preparing you for the possible appearance of a mythical creature. I didn¡¯t expect someone to stir up trouble. So, Panda Pig, it¡¯s time for your sanity check, as you¡¯ve encountered an indescribable mythical creature." Mythical creature? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow ¨C or at least he assumed he did since he had temporarily lost control of his body. He hadn¡¯t expected this unidentified creature to be a mythical creature, let alone an extraordinary one, given KP Green Light¡¯s choice of words. Fortunately, this Plot Encounter shouldn¡¯t cause any substantial harm to the yers. Or so Liu Xing hoped. ording to the rules of the Cthulhu RPG Game, when a yer¡¯s character card encounters a mythical creature for the first time, they usually undergo a sanity check. Sess results in losing 1d6 sanity points, while failure leads to losing 1d20 sanity points, along with gaining an equal amount of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. Liu Xing could only pray that Panda Pig¡¯s sanity check would go smoothly. However, Liu Xing had a hunch about what mythical creature Panda Pig had seen. KP Green Light continued, "Alright, let¡¯s proceed with the sanity check. yer Panda Pig, you will undergo a check. On sess, you¡¯ll lose 1d6 sanity points; on failure, you¡¯ll lose 1d20 sanity points and gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge equal to the amount lost." 1d20?! Liu Xing was taken aback. He hadn¡¯t expected the failure penalty for this sanity check to be so high. If Panda Pig failed the sanity check, there was a three-quarters chance of falling into temporary insanity. This situation was starting to look grim. As Liu Xing tensely focused, trying to determine Panda Pig¡¯s sanity check result, KP Green Light chuckled and said, "Due to certain special circumstances, Panda Pig¡¯s sanity check will be rolled secretly. Hehe." Then, the sound of dice rolling followed. Even though Panda Pig¡¯s sanity check was secret, Liu Xing could tell from theck of significantmotion behind him that Panda Pig was probably lucky enough not to have fallen into temporary insanity. At this point, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s ritual recitation was nearing its end, and his tone had once again slowed down. The strange rustling sound had gradually faded away. These five minutes felt like an eternity to Liu Xing. When Matsui Ichiro finished reciting the ritual, he announced, "Alright, the ceremony is over. Thank you all for your cooperation. You may now leave the Ancestral Hall and return to the vi to rest." Liu Xing noticed that Alice, standing next to him, was scanning the Ancestral Hall, as if searching for something. It seemed that Alice had also heard the strange noise. However, what concerned Liu Xing more at the moment was Panda Pig¡¯s condition. Liu Xing turned around to see Panda Pig still kneeling on the cushion, tightly closing his eyes. Judging from Panda Pig¡¯s facial expression, he appeared to be in a state of tension and fear. It seemed that while Panda Pig hadn¡¯t fallen into temporary insanity, he was still quite shaken. So, Liu Xing exchanged a nce with Ling Ishikawa, who understood and joined him in helping Panda Pig up. Zhang Jingxu also stepped forward at the right moment to engage Matsui Ichiro in conversation, distracting Matsui Ichiro and Alice¡¯s attention so they wouldn¡¯t notice Panda Pig¡¯s distress. Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Miyako Goudong then led Panda Pig out of the Ancestral Hall. As for Lu Tianya, she had already exited the Ancestral Hall and started a conversation with Matsui Yui outside. Upon leaving the Ancestral Hall, Liu Xing noticed that Panda Pig had improved slightly, although his mental state was still somewhat fragile. However, at least he could move independently. Back at the vi, Ling Ishikawa asked Liu Xing to watch over Panda Pig while she went to fetch something. After a while, Ling Ishikawa returned with a ss of water and a box of medicine. "This is a calming medication. It should help with Panda Pig¡¯s current symptoms," Ling Ishikawa exined. Liu Xing took the box of medicine, but there was no item information disyed, indicating that it was just regr medication. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, items not categorized as such could still serve their intended purposes. This box of medicine could calm the mind but wouldn¡¯t restore sanity. In the current situation, this medication was a wee relief. After Panda Pig took the medicine, he improved noticeably, though calming medications often had sedative effects. Therefore, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa helped Panda Pig back to his room to rest. Liu Xing had a suspicion about the mythical creature Panda Pig had seen, and he was confident in his guess, so he didn¡¯t press Panda Pig for precise answers. After escorting Panda Pig to his room, Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya returned. As for Alice, Liu Xing guessed she might be discussing something with Matsui Ichiro. "How is Panda Pig doing?" Zhang Jingxu inquired as soon as he entered. Liu Xing pointed upstairs and said with a smile, "Panda Pig¡¯s condition is not bad now. He has regained the ability to move independently, but he still seems a bit dazed. We just gave him a calming medication, and right now, Panda Pig is resting in his room. I believe that once he wakes up, his mental state should return to normal." Zhang Jingxu nodded but furrowed his brow, saying, "What happened to Panda Pig? It¡¯s been just a few minutes, and he looks as if he¡¯s been greatly frightened. Could there be an issue with Matsui Ichiro¡¯s ritual recitation?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Zhang Jingxu hadn¡¯t mentioned the strange noise. It appeared that if Liu Xing hadn¡¯t heard that noise from the neighboring building initially, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed it during the ceremony. In light of this, Liu Xing decided to share the information, saying, "Uh, didn¡¯t you all hear that strange noise, like a rustling sound? It seemed like Panda Pig noticed it and saw something he shouldn¡¯t have. However, you should have noticed that the buildings in the Fisher¡¯s Vige site, except for the Ancestral Hall, have their doors and windows sealed with cement. They¡¯ve be private rooms. Before entering the Ancestral Hall, I heard that strange noise from the neighboring building. I suspect there may be something sinister in those rooms." Ling Ishikawa and the others were taken aback by Liu Xing¡¯s words because they had also guessed the true identity of the mythical creature. ording to Liu Xing, if there were indeed so many of these mythical creatures, their group wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Not even against a single mythical creature. What was more, these mythical creatures might be following Matsui Ichiro¡¯s orders. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 323: Shoggoth Chapter 323: Shoggoth Given the current circumstances, Liu Xing could reasonably conclude that Matsui Ichiro possessed the ability to control those mythical creatures to some extent. After all, Matsui Ichiro could summon those mythical creatures simply by reciting incantations, and once he finished reciting them, the creatures would automatically depart. However, Liu Xing was still unclear about Matsui Ichiro¡¯s purpose in summoning these mythical creatures this time. After all, these creatures had merely observed their group and had not taken any action. If it weren¡¯t for Panda Pig¡¯s keen observation, these mythical creatures wouldn¡¯t have had any impact on them at all. So, what was the significance of this plot encounter? "Speaking of which, don¡¯t you find Matsui Ichiro¡¯s incantations a bit strange?" Ling Ishikawa asked seriously. "He had just recited them for a while, and I began to feel my consciousness blur. When I regained consciousness, Matsui Ichiro had already finished reciting the incantations." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said sternly, "You¡¯re right, there is something off about Matsui Ichiro¡¯s incantations. I was mentally prepared from the moment he started reciting them, silently reciting a calming spell in my mind to stabilize my psyche. But I was still easily hypnotized. It seems that the level of the incantations Matsui Ichiro was using is quite high." Liu Xing chuckled; this plot encounter was something Zhang Jingxu could have easily avoided with a simple calming spell. However, it indirectly proved that the simplest way to protect against Matsui Ichiro¡¯s potential magic spells was to block one¡¯s ears. "In that case, our previous spections about the Hypnotic Incense can be set aside," Liu Xing stated. "Now that we¡¯ve witnessed Matsui Ichiro¡¯s abilities, he can hypnotize us even without using the Hypnotic Incense. We were probably misled initially, imagining our opponent to be too powerful and adding too many assumptions." As a loyal ally of Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa immediately agreed, "You¡¯re absolutely right. I think we may have overthought this. Matsui Ichiro might have just lit some incense to create an atmosphere, and we interpreted it as Hypnotic Incense. He might be an ordinary wandering Taoist or a slightly powerful con artist in the Jianghu, and we mistakenly associated him with the Ocean True Deity Sect, turning him from a nobody into a boss." Great minds think alike.Liu Xing looked at Ling Ishikawa and nodded in satisfaction, not expecting their thoughts to align so perfectly. At the same time, Zhang Jingxu, after some contemtion, also nodded and spoke, "You¡¯re both correct. We may have overthought things at the beginning. Our perception of Matsui Ichiro was mostly based on those two letters from Inoue Kenjiro and Li Yongjie, as well as our own assumptions, without any actual investigation." "While I was in the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall, trying to attract Matsui Ichiro and Alice¡¯s attention, I also asked Matsui Ichiro a question about the content of his incantations. He told me that those incantations had been passed down through his ancestors and the Vige Chiefs of Fisher¡¯s Vige for generations. They were meant to bring peace to one¡¯s mind and temporarily forget the troubles of this world, in other words, a form of hypnosis." "I carefully observed Matsui Ichiro¡¯s expression and found that he appeared sincere, not like someone telling lies. After this visit to the Ancestral Hall and my interaction with Matsui Ichiro, I have a bold hypothesis. Matsui Ichiro might not be an outsider or a missionary; he could be the real Vige Chief of Fisher¡¯s Vige!" Miyako Goudong frowned and asked, "So, Zhang Jingxu, are you suggesting that the Inoue family members are the antagonists, and Matsui Ichiro is a good person?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and rified, "No, I¡¯m not saying that the Inoue family members are antagonists. Just like Liu Xing mentioned earlier, our initial perception of Matsui Ichiro was built on those two supposed letters from Inoue Kenjiro and Li Yongjie. But who can guarantee the authenticity of those two letters? Or even that Inoue Kenjiro truly knew Li Yongjie?" Facing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s doubts, Liu Xing fell into deep thought. He hadn¡¯t expected Zhang Jingxu to delve so deeply into the matter. However, as Zhang Jingxu pointed out, who could ensure the truthfulness of those two letters¡¯ contents? After all, the Side Quest only required them to find three letters, without specifying their authenticity. So, it was entirely possible that they had jumped to conclusions,beling Matsui Ichiro as the antagonist boss. If that were the case, Liu Xing realized that all their previous spections could be overturned, as they were all based on the premise that Matsui Ichiro was an antagonist. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa asked, "If Matsui Ichiro is not a bad person, then who created the Composite Magic Array in this vi, and what was its purpose? And how do we exin the video about Matsui Yui on the Memory Card?" The first to respond to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s questions was Lu Tianya. "Let me share my thoughts. Firstly, I want to address yourst question, Ling Ishikawa. The video on the Memory Card is easily exined. It shows that Matsui Yui was indeed married before, but for some reason, perhaps the sudden death of Yamashita Kojiro or a broken rtionship, she returned to being single. She met Dogo Aige and fell in love again. Although Matsui Yui concealed this from us, it¡¯s, at most, a form of deception and not a significant issue given our current situation." "Regarding your previous two questions, they can be summarized as follows: There might be a hidden boss in Fisher¡¯s Vige, and Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui could be working under this boss, or they could be advanced puppets capable of autonomous action and thought. Did any of you notice that the ordinary vigers in Fisher¡¯s Vige seem to be like wind-up dolls, following predetermined actions?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, impressed by Lu Tianya¡¯s observation. The Fisher¡¯s Vige vigers did indeed resemble puppets controlled by invisible strings, following a predetermined schedule of actions. Just like the morning they had witnessed, as soon as the designated time came, the vigers rushed out of their homes and seamlessly found their coborators, as if they had rehearsed it hundreds of times with wless precision. Liu Xing had felt something was amiss with these vigers back then, and now, thanks to Lu Tianya¡¯s reminder, he was certain that something was seriously wrong with them. Furthermore, if Lu Tianya¡¯s theory held true, that there was a hidden boss controlling Fisher¡¯s Vige and leaving Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui as its spokespersons, it could also exin the presence of the mythical creatures in Fisher¡¯s Vige. This hidden boss was likely the leader of these creatures. This would rify many things. But the role of the Inoue family in this module remained a mystery to be solved. Now, all they had to do was wait for Panda Pig to wake up and describe the appearance of the mythical creature. Everyone understood this and continued chatting while awaiting Panda Pig¡¯s descent. After a long while, they finally heard some movement from upstairs, and all eyes turned towards the staircase. Panda Pig descended slowly, still looking a bit weak but with improved spirits. "How are you feeling, Panda Pig?" Liu Xing asked with concern. Panda Pig smiled and shook his head, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Ryuusei. I¡¯m much better now. While I was in the Ancestral Hall, I suddenly saw a monster, and it gave me quite a fright. Fortunately, I only caught a glimpse at that moment; otherwise, I would have gone insane." Hearing Panda Pig¡¯s revtion, Ling Ishikawa immediately asked, "What? Panda Pig, you saw a monster? What did it look like?" Panda Pig thought for a moment and replied, "The monster¡¯s appearance was very strange. At first, I thought it was a snake, but I quickly realized it wasn¡¯t. It appeared like flowing oil, with eyes that would appear and disappear!" Indeed. Liu Xing nodded, confirming the name of these mythical creatures: Shoggoth. Yes, it was the Shoggoth of the Shoggoth Region. Liu Xing hadn¡¯t expected to encounter Shoggoth in this module, as he believed he would encounter it when advancing to the next module. However, when he faced Ancient One Sirius, he had already guessed that Shoggoth might make an appearance since it was a mythical creature created by the Ancient One. Before life existed on Earth, the Ancient One created Shoggoth as a construction tool to facilitate their colonization of the. Initially, the Ancient One created Shoggoth as a construction tool. However, to make Shoggoth more versatile and capable, they added some features that they woulde to regretter. Each cellprising Shoggoth¡¯s amorphous body possessed remarkable shapeshifting and self-evolving abilities. As amorphous entities, Shoggoth cells could rapidly reorganize and mimic various forms and organs, allowing Shoggoth to transform into any shape as instructed by its controller, exhibiting both flexibility and strength. Ancient One used Shoggoth to construct magnificent underwater cities. But Shoggoth was still a form of life rather than a mere tool. As time passed, Shoggoth evolved gradually and developed its own consciousness. It began to resent the Ancient One¡¯s unbridled exploitation and chose to rebel against its creators¡ªthe Ancient One n. Initially, Ancient One sessfully suppressed Shoggoth¡¯s rebellion, keeping a close watch on them. During this time, Shoggoth evolved to possess the ability to live onnd. This development was not what Ancient One had hoped for. By this point, Shoggoth had evolved to possess intelligence, and it understood that outright rebellion against the Ancient One was unwise. Instead, it decided to appease its creators and find a way to strike a fatal blow at the right time. In Shoggoth¡¯s lore, it was believed that Shoggoth once took on human-like appearances to please the Ancient One. As a result, some believed that in the world of the Cthulhu Mythos, Shoggoth might be the ancestors of humanity. Shoggoth had mastered the art of biding its time. As Ancient One ceded more and more territory to the Great Old Ones and other mythical creatures, Earth¡¯sndscape underwent significant changes. The Ancient One, once the sole ruler of the, was forced to abandonrge portions of their domain and suffered severe defeats in crucial battles, weakening significantly. This prompted Shoggoth tounch a new uprising, forcing the Ancient One to retreat to the deep sea. Here, Liu Xing recalled a point Wu Lei had once made to him: H.P. Lovecraft used the Ancient Ones as a metaphor for humanity, and Shoggoth represented artificial intelligence. This was H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s prophecy that artificial intelligence would evolve like Shoggoth, develop true intelligence, and eventually overthrow its creators¡ªthe Ancient Ones, or in this case, humanity. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 324: The Shoggoth in Disguise as Villagers?! Chapter 324: The Shoggoth in Disguise as Vigers?! In Liu Xing¡¯s perspective, Sirius entered the era of the Soul Casket during the initial suppression of the Shoggoths. Therefore, in the Fisher¡¯s Vige of that time, there should have been some Shoggoths stationed there as well. Shoggoths, due to their highly active cells, possessed the attribute of immortality, allowing them to live until the present day. As for the appearance of Shoggoths, they were considered among the most terrifying mythical creatures. In the famous magic book of the Cthulhu Mythos, the "Necronomicon," authored by Abdul Alhazred, Shoggoths were mentioned. Just the thought of Shoggoths once existing on Earth evoked an overwhelming sense of fear. So, when Panda Pig saw the Shoggoth, it nearly cost him 20 sanity points in one go. Moreover, this raised the possibility that the hidden boss of Fisher¡¯s Vige module could very well be an elite-level Shoggoth. This realization made Liu Xing increasingly anxious because if they had to face an elite-level Shoggoth in battle, the yers would likely bepletely defenseless. Furthermore, Liu Xing believed that in Fisher¡¯s Vige, there were at least two or more ordinary Shoggoths... Wait! Suddenly, Liu Xing remembered something. It was from his readings of H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s original story, "The Mountains of Madness," where Shoggoths first appeared. There was a detail that stood out¡ªhuman members of the Antarctic Expedition Team had discovered a mural in an Ancient One¡¯s city. This mural depicted Shoggoths mimicking human forms to gain favor with the Ancient Ones. This implied that Shoggoths had the ability to disguise themselves as humans!This meant that the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige might be Shoggoths in disguise! The more Liu Xing thought about it, the higher the likelihood of this spection seemed. The behavior of the Fisher¡¯s Vige vigers was extremely odd, resembling marites on strings. However, if one considered them as Shoggoths in disguise, everything became clear. These Shoggoths, mimicking humans, were not skilled actors. Now, based on this spection, Liu Xing could piece together the backstory of this module. Firstly, many years ago in Fisher¡¯s Vige, Ancient One Sirius and his people were under attack from the Star Kin and Deep Ones. Due to theck of time to escape through the Bronze Gate leading to the Dreamrealm, Sirius had no choice but to die in battle. After his death, Sirius was forced to ce his soul inside the Soul Casket, awaiting apanion to retrieve it and provide him with a new body. As for the Shoggoths, who served as servants andborers for the Ancient Ones, they were closely monitored by Sirius and other Ancient Ones because of the previous Shoggoth rebellion. It¡¯s possible that they were kept locked in some underground private room. The reason Sirius and other Ancient Ones did notmand the Shoggoths to join the battle was their fear of a Shoggoth uprising. Thus, the Shoggoths imprisoned in the private room were fortunate to escape, as the Star Kin and Deep Ones only dealt with the Ancient Ones and did not conduct thorough searches. Then, as time passed, Fisher¡¯s Vige underwent significant changes. A mysterious Ancient Tribe appeared in the area, although the specifics of their race remain uncertain. This Ancient Tribe discovered the Bronze Gate leading to the Dreamrealm and established contact with the Moon Beasts, who were conveniently behind the Bronze Gate in the Dreamrealm. They began a partnership. Utilizing the advanced weapons provided by the Moon Beasts, the Ancient Tribe started attacking neighboring tribes and selling their captives as ves to the Moon Beasts. In return, the Moon Beasts supplied even more advanced weaponry to the Ancient Tribe. Through a stroke of luck or fate, the Ancient Tribe stumbled upon the remnants left behind by the Ancient Ones. They selected one of the structures as their holy site and began conducting ritual ceremonies there. Next, it¡¯s possible that the expansion of this Ancient Tribe drew the attention of the Star Kin or that their rituals triggered some Ancient One¡¯s device or mechanism, attracting the Star Kin. Ultimately, despite having advanced weapons from the Moon Beasts, the Ancient Tribe was no match for the Star Kin when it came to facing them in battle. The Star Kin destroyed the Ancient Tribe, and during their attack, they possibly identally broke open the private room where the Shoggoths were kept, finally granting them their freedom. However, it¡¯s also possible that due to the Star Kin¡¯s assault, the territory of Fisher¡¯s Vige had be an isted ind. The Shoggoths, having escaped the control of the Ancient Ones, were naturally unwilling to return to the depths of the sea and be enved once more. For them, freedom was more precious than anything else. As a result, these Shoggoths lived freely on this isted ind. However, despite their strong evolutionary abilities, Shoggoths still required a mimic to effectively evolve. So, these Shoggoths spent countless years without evolving any new abilities. During this time, humans from Fisher¡¯s Vige arrived, deciding to establish their own secluded paradise on this overseas ind. When these Shoggoths saw the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige, they may have initially considered them their own kind, as these Shoggoths could easily mimic human appearances. Therefore, in the beginning, these Shoggoths may have coexisted peacefully with the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige, or perhaps they observed them in secret, using the vigers as a reference point to initiate a new round of evolution. As a result, these Shoggoths had gained the ability to mimic humanspletely. However, by this time, these Shoggoths might have realized that the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige were not their kin but apletely new species they had never encountered before. And as the saying goes, "Different species, different hearts." Consequently, these Shoggothsunched an attack on the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige, killing some and devouring them. In the Cthulhu Mythos world, humans were considered a "delicacy" because many mythical creatures enjoyed feasting on them. Perhaps the taste of humans suited the pte of these mythical creatures perfectly. So, Shoggoths were no exception. Having tasted humans, Shoggoths naturally knew how delicious humans were. However, Fisher¡¯s Vige was isted overseas, and the Shoggoths had also learned about the basics of human society through their observations. In the Cthulhu Mythos, though mythical creatures might appear as monstrous beings, they were not like the mindless monsters often seen in human movies. On the contrary, most mythical creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos possessed intelligence surpassing that of humans. As a result, Shoggoths knew that they couldn¡¯t simply break out of Fisher¡¯s Vige and openly hunt humans, as that would surely draw the attention of the Ind Nation authorities and potentially the entire world. This would lead to their ultimate destruction. Therefore, these Shoggoths devised a n to attract humans from the outside world into Fisher¡¯s Vige through various means. In the Shoggoths¡¯ view, the best method was a honeytrap. After all, as Confucius said, "Food and sex are among the most basic human desires." So, Matsui Yui began to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige, seeking suitable targets, forming rtionships with them, and ultimately iming to return to her hometown for marriage. She would then bring these unsuspecting individuals to Fisher¡¯s Vige. Meanwhile, the Shoggoths left in Fisher¡¯s Vige would feast on them. Over time, these Shoggoths also learned to act, deceiving the humans who arrived at Fisher¡¯s Vige, or rather, their prey. Liu Xing closed his eyes in thought. Although his theory was daring, the probability of it being true had exceeded eighty percent. He just needed to confirm a few more details to validate his theory. The first detail was whether there were still any actual humans among the vigers in Fisher¡¯s Vige. At present, Liu Xing believed there were likely genuine humans in Fisher¡¯s Vige, but he could only confirm the presence of Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui, or perhaps just Matsui Yui, and the elderly member of the Inoue family. In summary, Liu Xing believed that the Shoggoths initiated their attack on Fisher¡¯s Vige after Li Yongjie left the vige. If Matsui Ichiro¡¯s words were true, then those two letters were likely fabricated by the Inoue family years ago to frame Matsui Ichiro in their bid to seize the position of Vige Chief. This would allow the Inoue family to paint Matsui Ichiro as a secret cult missionary plotting against the vige, making the Inoue family heroes for defending against the evil. However, if Matsui Ichiro¡¯s ims were false, then he would be a fraudster, and for the Shoggoths, he would be far more valuable than the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige. In the end, the Shoggoths decided to keep some of the humans who were useful to them. The most critical roles were yed by Matsui Yui, the "bait" responsible for luring outsiders into Fisher¡¯s Vige, and Matsui Ichiro, the "fishing rod" responsible for determining whether these outsiders were safe to consume. As for the other vigers in Fisher¡¯s Vige, the Shoggoths had brainwashed them into bing "extras" because there likely weren¡¯t many Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige, making it impossible to fully mimic aplete vige. The elderly member of the Inoue family might have regained some sanity for certain reasons. However, Liu Xing believed that this elderly Inoue family member¡¯s role in this module was merely a distraction. The second detail was why the Shoggoths drew those Composite Magic Arrays in the vi. As mythical creatures, Shoggoths could learn many magic spells, so their ability to draw these Composite Magic Arrays was reasonable. As for the magic array associated with the Great Old One, Liu Xing believed it was probably intended for offering to the Ancient One. As for why the Shoggoths drew these Composite Magic Arrays, Liu Xing currently thought the best exnation was that the Shoggoths wanted to ensure that the offered prey was safe to consume. After brainwashing these victims, the Shoggoths would then mimic their appearances and use various means to convey information to the outside world that these prey were prepared tomit suicide. This way, they could avoid investigation by the Ind Nation authorities. Thinking about it, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He hadn¡¯t expected this module to have so many hidden elements and a series of distractions. In just a few days, he had changed his thoughts so many times, and each time he felt like his ideas were almost certainly correct. Liu Xing felt a headacheing on. "Although I took the medicine Ling Ishikawa gave me earlier, just thinking about those Monsters makes my heart race, my blood pressure rise, and an indescribable sense of fear lingers in my mind, leaving me still trembling," Panda Pig said with a shudder. While the origins of the Star Kin and Moon Beasts were known to some, the Shoggoths in this case were unknown to anyone. After all, in the modern context, Shoggoths appeared rtively rarely because most Shoggoths remained hidden in the cities built by the Ancient Ones. The few stray Shoggoths had mostly be subordinates or symbiotic creatures of other mythical beings, or servants to powerful wizards. So, none of the yer¡¯s character cards in attendance knew about the existence of Shoggoths, which was understandable. However, as a professional, Zhang Jingxu felt the need to express his opinion, "Well, if we couldmunicate with the outside world right now, I could contact my master. I believe my master might have knowledge about the mythical creature you described, Panda Pig. This way, we could understand our enemy better and prepare to deal with these mythical creatures." Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but chime in, "If we could trulymunicate with the outside world, our top priority should be sending a distress signal to get us out of Fisher¡¯s Vige, this ce of danger..." The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward. At this moment, Liu Xing knew it was time to speak up. "Uh, I think I might have a way to learn more about this mythical creature. Sirius should be aware of the existence of this mythical creature since this was once his territory, after all." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 325: The Star Chart of the Ancient One Chapter 325: The Star Chart of the Ancient One Seeking Sirius seemed to be the best course of action for Liu Xing and hispanions, as they felt it necessary to gather information about the Shoggoth. Ling Ishikawa and the others understood this and nodded in agreement. "Oh, by the way, any thoughts on Matsui Ichiro¡¯s recent statements? What intrigues me the most is the travel writer he mentioned. Could it be Li Yongjie?" Miyako Goudong spoke up. Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow and said seriously, "Miyako Goudong, are you suggesting that there might be issues with Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s two letters?" Miyako Goudong nodded affirmatively, "Exactly. Just like we discussed this morning, we might have jumped to conclusions initially and added some details to Alice. So, I started observing Alice and Matsui Ichiro after entering the Ancestral Hall of Fisher¡¯s Vige." "Therefore, I¡¯ve reached a conclusion. Unless Alice and Matsui Ichiro are exceptional actors, we might have misjudged some things. Alice and Matsui Ichiro aren¡¯t the people we imagined... Of course, the fact that Alice is a high-ranking member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society has been confirmed by Watanabe Ryuusei and Ling Ishikawa. So, that part is certain." "So, now I think Alice is just an ordinary person like us who identally entered Fisher¡¯s Vige. As for Matsui Ichiro, he might indeed be the Vige Chief of Fisher¡¯s Vige. Of course, I¡¯m not saying Matsui Ichiro is a good person. There are still many unanswered questions, such as the issues with the two letters, the Composite Magic Array, the rtionship between the Inoue family and Matsui Ichiro, and the hypnosis Matsui Ichiro used while reciting the ritual text." "The most crucial question, however, is why the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige have be the way they are now," Liu Xing interjected suddenly. Though Liu Xing wanted to share histest thoughts, "Watanabe Ryuusei"cked information about Shoggoth. So, Liu Xing had to keep his thoughts to himself for the time being and wait for a suitable opportunity. However, Liu Xing could still drop some hints to Ling Ishikawa and others, "I still believe Matsui Ichiro might not be the big boss of Fisher¡¯s Vige as we initially thought. He might just be an executor, assisting the behind-the-scenes boss in Fisher¡¯s Vige, who is probably the owner or leader of those mythical creatures."Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brows at Liu Xing¡¯s words, evidently understanding the implication. "As far as I know, apart from individually powerful mythical creatures, most of them aremunal. If you find one mythical creature, you can be sure there are more of the same kind nearby. Themunal mythical creatures likely have a leader," Zhang Jingxu exined. "So, as Liu Xing mentioned earlier, in the old site of Fisher¡¯s Vige, those houses sealed with cemented doors and windows might contain more mythical creatures simr to the one Panda Pig saw earlier. And these leader-level mythical creatures probably have higher intelligence than us," Zhang Jingxu added. Liu Xing nodded, reluctantly saying, "So, I estimate there are at least five or more of these mythical creatures in Fisher¡¯s Vige, with one being a leader-level mythical creature. But the most important thing is, we probably can¡¯t defeat any of them..." Liu Xing¡¯s words left everyone silent, as, except for Lu Tianya, who was an NPC, everyone else knew these mythical creatures were Shoggoths. Understanding Shoggoth¡¯sbat capabilities, the group realized that even if theybined their strength, they might not be able to defeat one Shoggoth, especially considering they seemed to move in groups. However, Liu Xing believed he still had an ace up his sleeve ¨C the items Sirius left in the Underground Ruins. Hoping to find something useful among these items, Liu Xing decided it was the right time to go down and look for Sirius¡¯s belongings. Now that he knew the location of Sirius¡¯s room, he estimated it would take him only ten minutes to find the items and then explore other areas for potential discoveries. Thinking so, Liu Xing said to Zhang Jingxu, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, is your condition fully recovered now? If so, please use Wall-Passing Technique on me now. I¡¯ll go to the Underground Ruins to find some useful things." Zhang Jingxu closed his eyes, contemting for a moment. Liu Xing guessed Zhang Jingxu was calcting his remaining MP and how much using Wall-Passing Technique this time would consume. After a while, Zhang Jingxu nodded and said seriously, "OK, no problem. I¡¯ll cast Wall-Passing Technique on you now, Ryuusei. I believe you¡¯ve mastered the basics of Wall-Passing Technique, so I won¡¯t waste words." Upon hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, Miyako Goudong and the others quickly removed the table and the brazier, cooperating well. Luck was on their side. Zhang Jingxu¡¯s Wall-Passing Technique judgment seeded this time, and Liu Xing didn¡¯t need to go through a willpower judgment again. "Watanabe Ryuusei" had be determined to pass through walls after the events of yesterday. So, Liu Xing found himself in the Underground Ruins without any surprises. This time, Liu Xing didn¡¯t use his phone for illumination. Instead, he used the Light Orb Art that Ling Ishikawa had used before. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Light Orb Art was quite interesting. The summoned light orbs could attach themselves to any object until the MP consumption for maintaining the Light Orb Art was depleted. Liu Xing had an hour to move around in the Underground Ruins this time. Thanks to the Light Orb Art, his visibility was much betterpared to using the phone¡¯s shlight, which only illuminated the immediate path. This time, he could see the walls around him clearly. Therefore, this time Liu Xing noticed numerous scratches on the walls surrounding the passage. Some areas even had weapons resembling swords and knives embedded in them. However, the materials of these weapons were peculiar ¨C not quite gold, not quite wood. It seemed that when the Ancient Tribe fled here alongside the Star Kin, they engaged in a battle with the Deep Ones who had attacked. Liu Xing originally thought of taking one of the weapons but received a frustrating message: "Your strength attribute value is not sufficient to pull out this ancient Deep One¡¯s weapon." Shaking his head, Liu Xing realized it was time to find an opportunity to train his strength attribute. Although Liu Xing couldn¡¯t freely choose his Interlude Growth at the moment, he heard that from the Shoggoth Region onwards, the game would introduce longer modules. In general, the duration of Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall modules depended on the yer¡¯s location within the game. The Ghoul area typically took about a day to resolve issues, and the Shoggoth Region¡¯s modulested around one to two weeks. Liu Xing¡¯s experiences so far validated this. However, this only applied to regr modules, which usually had a time limit. Exceeding this time would result in party wipeout. So,pleting Main quests in these regr modules had to be prioritized and couldn¡¯t be postponed. From the Shoggoth Region onwards, a special type of module appeared ¨C ones without a time limit. In these modules, yers could take as long as they wanted toplete Main quests, essentially spending their "lifetime" within. Moreover, in these special modules, there was almost no risk of "dropping out" since the Main quest was always avable. However, yers wouldn¡¯t choose to spend decades in such a module. The character card¡¯s age changed over time, and with a highprehensive attribute value, negative statuses increased as the character card aged, eventually leading to a risk of "dying of old age" during Interlude Growth. Although the time in modules passed much faster than real-world time, spending about a year inside would likely result in returning to the real world and finding oneself listed as a "missing person" or even "deceased." Therefore, unless most yers in this special module abandoned treatment, aiming to spend their days in peace, the duration of this special module would be around half a year. Though this half-year seemed short, during this time, yers could freely move around. Going on a world tour was no problem. Most yers chose to use this time to strengthen their attribute values or skill values ¨C attending various training programs. Hence, Liu Xing really hoped that his next module would be such a special one. Liu Xing continued forward, reaching Sirius¡¯s room with ease. Thanks to the Light Orb Art, he could finally see the entire room clearly. It was evident that Sirius¡¯s room had been modified by the Ancient Tribe, turning it into a site for Ritual Ceremonies or the residence of elders responsible for sacrifices within the Ancient Tribe. Facing the entrance directly, in a ce Liu Xing had previously overlooked, a massive bookshelf was installed after the wall was hollowed out. It held numerous bamboo scrolls, paper books, and various trinkets. Due to the distance, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t see everything clearly. On the surrounding walls, besides the "branches," Liu Xing noticed many decorations, such as shells, stones of various colors, and some individual weapons and armor. It seemed to be the Ancient Tribe¡¯s decorative work. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think it looked quite poorly decorated. However, at the top, Liu Xing saw a huge mural, or rather, a star chart. In the center of the chart, he saw the words "Earth." Wait a minute. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; the writing on this star chart was clearly neither in Ind Nation nor Chinese characters. It was a type of writing both "WatanabeRyuusei" and Liu Xing had never seen before. So, this should be thenguage of the Ancient One, as the Ancient Tribecked the ability for interster travel and wouldn¡¯t have been able to create such a vast and detailed star chart. "So, have I learned thenguage of the Ancient One now?" Liu Xing muttered to himself. In the skill section of "WatanabeRyuusei¡¯s" character card, he indeed found the words "Other Languages: Ancient One Language 60." Rubbing his chin, Liu Xing finally understood. During his soulmunication with Siriusst night, in order to ovee thenguage barrier, Sirius used some advanced technology to teach him thenguage of the Ancient One. Although aware of the limited time, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t resist looking up at the star chart again. He was very curious about the unknown dangers surrounding Earth in this world of Cthulhu Mythos. In this star chart, drawn by the Ancient One tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of years ago, Liu Xing found that manys around Earth were upied by other mythical creature races. Most of theses were held by powerful mythical creatures such as the Star Kin, Yis People, and Mi Ge. The Ancient One upied very fews, perhaps having been plundered by other mythical creature races. Far from Earth, Liu Xing saw a massive red dotbeled "Mother Star." This seemed to be the birthce of the Ancient One. Near this "Mother Star," arge area ofs belonged to the Ancient Ones. Seeing this in the star chart, Liu Xing took out his phone and took a photo for future study. Then, Liu Xing moved to the center of Sirius¡¯s room, also the center of the magic array drawn by the Ancient Tribe. Because Liu Xing could now feel it ¨C the items left behind by Sirius were right under his feet. When Liu Xing stood in ce, a stone tform suddenly emerged in front of him, making him take a step back in surprise. But Liu Xing quickly realized that this stone tform was probably a unlocking mechanism. Approaching, Liu Xing saw a "keyboard" appear on the stone tform. Without hesitation, Liu Xing entered "Sirius," and the ground beneath him started to descend. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 326: Shoggoth Suppression Device Chapter 326: Shoggoth Suppression Device Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected that beneath Sirius¡¯s room, there would be another room... Wait, it seemed like there were more than one room down here. Liu Xing stroked his chin, regretting not bringing digging tools like a shovel this time. If he had, he could have attempted to excavate this ce, and who knows, there might be some unexpected discoveries. After a while, due to theck of reference, Liu Xing had no idea how long he had been descending in this elevator. Finally, it stopped in front of arge doorbeled "Sirius Storage Room." Taking a step forward, Liu Xing found that the door automatically opened. Entering Sirius¡¯s storage room, Liu Xing noticed that it wasn¡¯t particrlyrge¡ªjust over ten square meters¡ªwith shelves lining the walls. Scattered on these shelves were various objects. However, Liu Xing could discern that most items had deteriorated over time. For instance, a circr object Liu Xing casually reached for turned into dust upon contact. Due to time constraints, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t carefully examine each item for damage. Instead, he opted for a quick and convenient method¡ªrunning his hand swiftly over the shelves and taking away anything that didn¡¯t turn to dust. As a result, dust filled the air. In the end, Liu Xing only retrieved three items from Sirius¡¯s storage room, or items, as Liu Xing had already checked their information.Obtaining three items exceeded Liu Xing¡¯s expectations. Before arriving at the Underground Ruins, he had mentally prepared himself to be satisfied with just finding one item. Most importantly, among these three items, the effect of one item thrilled Liu Xing. The appearance of this particr item was somewhat peculiar, resembling a leash cor used for walking dogs. However, the material looked extremely sturdy, adorned with various patterns or perhaps even runes. Clearly, this item was not for walking Ancient Ones¡¯ pets but for controlling Shoggoths. The Shoggoth Suppression Device, developed by the Ancient Ones after the first Shoggoth rebellion failed. When the user puts this device on a Shoggoth, the Shoggoth will obey the user¡¯smands. However, the Shoggoth¡¯s own strength will decrease by about fifty percent. It¡¯s worth mentioning that this device only works on certain Shoggoths. In simple terms, this was the device the Ancient Ones used to control Shoggoths. After the first Shoggoth rebellion, all Ancient Ones knew that Shoggoths were no longer tools they could freely use but genuine intelligent beings. Thus, the Ancient Ones had to change their attitude towards Shoggoths¡ªfrom tools to ves. However, looking at it from another perspective, the Shoggoth Suppression Device seemed formidable. It allowed one to tame a Shoggoth as if it were a magical creature. But the limitations of this device were evident. Firstly, ording to Liu Xing¡¯s understanding, the Shoggoth Suppression Device could only target Shoggoths that had been controlled by the Ancient Ones after the first rebellion and had not evolved to a higher level in the billions of years since... Simply put, it could only deal with the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige. Secondly, and most importantly, the Shoggoth Suppression Device was essentially a dog cor. Just as humans could control a dog¡¯s movements within a certain range by putting a cor on its neck, this device could only control a Shoggoth if it had a neck... Well, if Shoggoths had necks. Therefore, for Ancient Ones in the past, putting the Shoggoth Suppression Device on a Shoggoth wasn¡¯t difficult. But for Liu Xing, with his current strength, trying to put this device on a Shoggoth¡¯s head was practically impossible. Thus, Liu Xing looked at the Shoggoth Suppression Device and could only sigh in resignation. Although the device was very useful, with his current abilities, bringing the Shoggoth Suppression Device to control a Shoggoth was almost impossible. Besides the Shoggoth Suppression Device, Liu Xing found another item resembling a hand grenade, which seemed useful. Although it appeared to be a disposable damage-dealing item, in reality, it was a support-type item. "The Ancient One Signal Jammer, long neglected and damaged. It can block most signals within a five-kilometer radius, including specialmunication signals between certain mythical creatures. It can be used for a maximum of ten minutes each time. After depleting the energy in the jammer, it can be recharged using electricity, sr power, and other means." In essence, it was a high-level signal jammer that could block many signals, often proving unexpectedly useful. Unfortunately, the jammer was long neglected, or Liu Xing thought it would be even more useful. As for thest item, it was something simr to a Rubik¡¯s Cube. However, Liu Xing needed to ask Sirius about the specific function of this item because the information on this item was... quite mysterious. A mysterious Rubik¡¯s Cube, nothing more. Liu Xing yed with this palm-sized Rubik¡¯s Cube and found it much lighter than imagined. The cube followed a nine-square grid design, with each small square having a different color. Liu Xing attempted to twist the Rubik¡¯s Cube but found it impossible, no matter how much force he used. Thus, Liu Xing began to doubt whether this Rubik¡¯s Cube was the legendary Shining Dodecahedron, one of the artifacts used to summon the incarnation of Nyathotep. However, Liu Xing quickly dismissed this idea because the appearance of this Rubik¡¯s Cube was somewhat different from the Shining Dodecahedron. Moreover, such an artifact couldn¡¯t possibly appear in Sirius¡¯s storage room. Besides, if the Shining Dodecahedron were ced in darkness, it might summon Nyathotep¡¯s incarnation¡ªNightmare. Apart from these three items, Liu Xing also obtained an item that didn¡¯t exactly qualify as an item¡ªa map from the past. This map mainly depicted the terrain around Fisher¡¯s Vige in the past. However, due to the changes over the years, Liu Xing lost interest in the map. On the back of the map, though, was a schematic of the interior of Sirius¡¯s Fort from that time. The Fort constructed by the Ancient Ones, in essence, hollowed out arge mountain and then transformed it. Now, Fisher¡¯s Vige was located on the mountaintop where the Fort once stood. At the peak of the mountain was themand center of the Ancient One Fort, along with the room of the highestmander¡ªcurrently Sirius¡¯s room¡ªand the adjacent enormous circr space. It could be deduced that Sirius was the highestmander of this Ancient One Fort back in the day. In the middle of the mountain, there were the rooms of other Ancient Ones, along with somemunal facilities. At the bottom were the individual storage rooms of the Ancient Ones and ces to store various weapons. If one continued downwards, deep beneath the mountain¡¯s surface was the ce where they imprisoned captives of other mythical creature races. Of course, Shoggoths were also confined here, quite a distance from the storage room above, and there was only one path to traverse. Most importantly, on this path, the Ancient Ones had installed ten doors, showing how wary they were of another Shoggoth rebellion. Liu Xing, however, felt that this was also the reason why the Ancient Ones didn¡¯t release the Shoggoths to join the fight against the Star Kin and Deep One when they attacked the Fort. Opening so many doors to release the Shoggoths would indeed be too troublesome. Crucially, Liu Xing noticed that the only passage led directly above to the current Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall. Of course, now that Liu Xing had seen this map, he regretted not bringing some excavation tools. He knew that breaking through a wall about thirty centimeters thick would grant him ess to the storage rooms of other Ancient Ones. Although the levels of the other Ancient Ones might be lower than Sirius, there should still be many useful items. Moreover, the hardness of these walls was no different from ordinary soil walls. Liu Xing sighed helplessly, thinking that if he had another chance to enter these Underground Ruins, he would definitely bring some excavation tools to plunder the storage rooms of other Ancient Ones. After all, those were items. Returning on the elevator he came in, Liu Xing went back to Sirius¡¯s room. Driven by curiosity, he walked up to the enormous bookshelf and casually picked up a thread-bound book. Liu Xing was somewhat surprised to find that the contents of this thread-bound book were written in the Ancient Onenguage. He had initially thought that these books were left behind by the Ancient Tribe. Intrigued, Liu Xing flipped through several thread-bound books, bamboo scrolls, and parchment rolls, discovering that all of them were left by the Ancient Ones. It seemed that the Ancient Ones¡¯ literary carriers in those days were quite diverse. Furthermore, the names of these Ancient One books were much more down-to-earth than Liu Xing had imagined. Titles like "Postnatal Care of Shoggoth," "Fifty Billion Whys," and "Secrets I Have to Tell Yis People" caught his eye. Liu Xing rubbed his chin, feeling that the image of the Ancient Ones in his mind hadpletely copsed. In a thread-bound book titled "Fifty Thousand Shades of Gray," Liu Xing found a letter written by an Ancient One named Alexander to Sirius. From the letter, Liu Xing gathered that Alexander was a technician responsible for maintaining and upgrading various systems in the Fort. As the headquarters needed him to report back to the city on the Antarctic Continent, Alexander left the Fort. When Alexander departed, the Fort¡¯s identity verification system automatically upgraded. Therefore, Alexander informed Sirius of this news and urged him toplete the level verification of all Ancient Ones in the Fort as soon as possible, thus determining the permissions each Ancient One should have within the Fort. Most importantly, Alexander provided Sirius with an administrator ount that could control all the systems in the Fort. Seeing this, Liu Xing had a sudden realization. It seemed like he could use this administrator ount to assign himself certain permissions, allowing him to enter the rooms and storage rooms of other Ancient Ones without resorting to violence. Therefore, Liu Xing confirmed his next move. He would head to the adjacent enormous circr space¡ªthemand center. Ready to act, Liu Xing tucked the letter into his pocket and moved towards themand center. Of course, Liu Xing didn¡¯t forget to check the current time. He found that he had been in the Underground Ruins for twenty minutes. After entering themand center, thanks to the Light Orb Art, Liu Xing could see the surroundings clearly. In addition to damaged weapons, there were numerous skeletons. Judging from these skeletons with three heads and six arms, Liu Xing was sure that this Ancient Tribe had no connection with humans anymore. However, survivors of this Ancient Tribe¡¯s race might have made it to the human era, bing prototypes for certain mythical stories. Due to the improved visibility and his knowledge of the overall structure of themand center, Liu Xing effortlessly located the core of themand center¡ªthe control room. In the control room, Liu Xing saw numerous screens, buttons, and control levers, exuding a strong sense of technology. However, due to theck of energy, these instruments were in a dormant state. Liu Xing paid no attention to this because he knew his target¡ªthe identity verification device¡ªoperated using an Energy Storage Unit created by the Ancient Ones. This Energy Storage Unit was essentially a battery. In its unused state, the Identity Verification Device wouldpletely cut off power, no longer consuming energy from the Energy Storage Unit. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that the Identity Verification Device should work normally, unless it or the Energy Storage Unit was damaged. Soon, Liu Xing found his goal for this trip¡ªthe Identity Verification Device. The Identity Verification Device looked like the instrument used to perm hair in modern hair salons, but because it was made for the Ancient Ones, the appearance of this Identity Verification Device was quite peculiar. Coming to the back of the Identity Verification Device, Liu Xing found that the Energy Storage Unit was intact and connected to the Identity Verification Device. Therefore, Liu Xing knew that it was time for KP Green Light to make its appearance. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 327: Theory of Plot Points Chapter 327: Theory of Plot Points As expected. KP Green Light expressed some surprise, "Hey, Liu Xing, I never thought you could trigger this hidden plot point. You know, in our real Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, no one has been able to trigger this hidden plot point until now." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Oh, so you mean to say that I¡¯ve made history? And from what you¡¯re saying, is this a universal hidden plot point?" KP Green Light chuckled and said, "Exactly, Liu Xing, as you should know, in every level of the game area, there are thousands of parallel worlds. These parallel worlds are mostly simr, unless some yers can make world-altering actions. For example, in a module I once hosted, there was a yer whose profession was a popr anchor on a major live streaming tform. This yer had some fame. As you can guess, during the module, this yer started an outdoor live broadcast and encountered an attack by a group of Ghouls. Although I arranged for the supervisors of the live streaming tform to notice the incident, due to response time, the Ghoul attack was broadcast for five minutes. This led to nearly a hundred million NPCs and yers in this parallel world seeing the video through various means." Liu Xing was somewhat surprised; he didn¡¯t expect such borate operations in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Curious, Liu Xing asked, "So, what was the final result of this? All those NPCs and yers should have undergone sanity checks." KP Green Light sighed again, reluctantly saying, "You¡¯re right. Although I used all my privileges in the module to make all the countries in this parallel world unanimously ban the video, those hundred million NPCs and yers still had to undergo sanity checks. As a yer, you may not be aware that when we, as KPs, perform various judgments, actual dice drop in front of us. So, when you hear the sound of dicending during judgments, it¡¯s a real urrence." "So, Liu Xing, you can imagine that thousands of dice suddenly fell around me, and it continued for over ten hours. The result of each dice was transmitted to my mind. I felt like my head was about to explode. The final oue was that hundreds of thousands of NPCs fell into temporary madness, nearly a million of them permanently became lunatics, and the remaining hundred million NPCs and yers were in a state of mental trance." "Most importantly, the various chain reactions that followed led to riots and serious incidents in many regions of this parallel world. Two countries even went to war. Many modules in this parallel world, which were already set, had to be modified. Because of this incident, I was demoted from the Cthulhu region directly to the Ghoul region. It took a long time for me to rise to the Shoggoth Region."Liu Xing nodded, and KP Green Light¡¯s words provided him with a lot of information. Firstly, it confirmed Liu Xing¡¯s earlier spection that KPs are also graded, with higher-level KPs having more rights and benefits. The path of promotion for KPs is not simpler than that of yers. KP Green Light, an experienced KP who had hosted modules in the Cthulhu region, had to handle numerous modules in the Ghoul region before getting a chance to advance to the Shoggoth Region. Moreover, if a KP¡¯s module encountered issues, the KP would be punished. Secondly, the issue of KP¡¯s rights in the module. Although KPs can control NPCs in the module, and higher-level KPs can even control most NPCs in parallel worlds, the Cthulhu RPG Game emphasizes realism. Even if KPs react to yers¡¯ actions promptly, various reasons may cause dys in implementing KP decisions. This gave Liu Xing some thoughts, some bold ideas. Lastly, the issue of module continuity. From KP Green Light¡¯s words, it was evident that many modules were pre-set. This means that while yers are in the current module, the system has already prepared the next module for them. As long as yers clear the current module, the system arranges corresponding Interlude Growth plots, naturally guiding the yer¡¯s character card to the location of the next module. Of course, there is another possibility: after a yer clears the current module, the system may, based on the yer¡¯s performance in the current module, interactions with NPCs and rted events, as well as rtionships with other yers, ce the yer in a suitable module. Considering these two possibilities, based on his situation, Liu Xing now leaned more towards the second possibility. After obtaining the torn page of "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun" in Earth Dragon Vige, most modules were rted to "The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun." After changing the character card, Liu Xing had juste into contact with Zhang Jingxu. Both of them participated in the Fisher¡¯s Vige module because they knew the same NPC - Dogo Aige. While Liu Xing was lost in thought, KP Green Light continued, "Oh, I seem to have gone off on a tangent again. To get back on track, I actually have high hopes for you, Liu Xing, because I feel there¡¯s a kind of Protagonist¡¯s Halo around you. So today, I¡¯ll reveal some information that¡¯s not a secret in the high-level yer circles, but it¡¯s unknown to you Shoggoth Region yers." "In reality, each parallel world is not made up of various modules but rather by arge number of plot points. These plot points could be an NPC, a mythical creature, an item, or even a region. Each of these plot points has its own rating. The higher the rating, the more important the plot point is. When a sufficient number of high-rated plot points gather, they automatically form a module. The main quest of this module is naturally determined by the highest-rated plot point among those constituting the module." "These hidden plot points are more special. Before a yer triggers these hidden plot points, they won¡¯t have a rating. In other words, they won¡¯t affect the module, just like the hidden plot point you triggered now. It won¡¯t affect the Fisher¡¯s Vige module. However, this hidden plot point will begin to influence the modules you will undertake in the future. I think, Liu Xing, you should understand by now that the hidden plot point you triggered has a very high rating." Liu Xing nodded, somewhat understanding. After all, this "Theory of Plot Points" mentioned by KP Green Light was something Liu Xing had not encountered before. However, Liu Xing quickly grasped the essence of this "Theory of Plot Points." In simple terms, plot points are like building blocks, and modules are models constructed from these blocks. The appearance of the model is determined by each block constituting it, with thergest block being the main body of the model. So, the content of the module is collectively determined by these plot points, and the highest-rated plot point naturally bes the most important part of this module. Other plot points are there to serve this highest-rated plot point. As for this hidden plot point, it¡¯s like a spare building block left on the side. If you can find it, you can assemble it into the next model. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel a sudden enlightenment because this "Theory of Plot Points" provided him with another perspective on viewing modules. "Alright, let¡¯s stop the chit-chat here. Liu Xing, now you need to undergo a Lucky Judgment to determine if this Energy Storage Unit can operate normally. However, due to the special nature of this hidden plot point and your acquaintance with NPC Ancient One Sirius, understanding the internal structure and usage of this Energy Storage Unit, your Luck attribute value will temporarily increase to 80 points," KP Green Light said with a smile. Liu Xing, 23/80, Sess. As expected. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seems his luck was quite good in this module. So, Liu Xing sat on the Identity Verification Device, groped for a while, and finally turned on the switch. As the Identity Verification Device started running, a virtual disy screen appeared in front of Liu Xing, prompting him to enter his ID and personal password. Of course, Liu Xing directly entered the administrator interface, using the administrator ount and password mentioned in the letter. The main interface for the administrator had two options: Ancient One Identity Verification and Non-Ancient One Identity Verification. From the letter, Liu Xing learned that Ancient Ones had formed an alliance with some other mythical creature races. Therefore, in the Ancient One¡¯s territory, there were many other mythical creature races. The most important thing was that the other mythical creature races that followed the Ancient Ones to Earth were mostly talented. Hence, the Identity Verification Device had the option of "Non-Ancient One Identity Verification." So, Liu Xing had the idea to create an identity for himself. Currently, although Liu Xing had learned thenguage of the Ancient Ones, he was not an Ancient One and did not have the unique ID that the Ancient Ones had, their "ID card," so he couldn¡¯t use the "Ancient One Identity Verification" function. Liu Xing clicked on "Non-Ancient One Identity Verification," entered its sub-interface, and saw three options: Military, Political, and Temporary. After some thought, Liu Xing decisively chose Military because, in the book "Fifty Thousand Shades of Gray" he had glimpsed earlier, it mentioned that mythical creatures of other races in the Ancient One¡¯s territory could only hold lower-level civil positions. After all, in political matters, the Ancient Ones were not willing to let outsiders intervene. In the military aspect, Ancient Ones appointed a batch of generals from other mythical creature races. However, these generals from other mythical creature races were deployed to the border regions of the Ancient One¡¯s territory, the front line of war. This "thoughtful" arrangement by the Ancient Ones was quite apparent. As for the temporary identity, it granted permissions for certain individuals, like journalists and writers, to ess specific ces. For example, most areas in the Ancient OneFort required certain permissions to enter. The Shoggoth control room at the bottom required the Fort Commander¡¯s permission to enter. However, temporary identities could only maintain their validity for a day and required corresponding document numbers. So, Liu Xing directly ignored this option. In the military identity interface, due to the level of this Ancient OneFort, the highest rank that could be conferred was the precursor to the Fort Commander. ording to the nine-grade military officer system implemented by the Ancient Ones in the past, this precursor to the Fort Commander belonged to the fifth-grade military officer, a position neither high nor low. Therefore, Liu Xing naturally chose to confer upon himself the title of precursor to the Fort Commander. The moment he clicked confirm, Liu Xing felt his vision darken, and then some new information appeared in his mind. In simple terms, congrattions, Liu Xing became the new precursor to the Fort Commander. The message also exined the rights and responsibilities of being a precursor to the Fort Commander. In these pieces of information, Liu Xing saw the information he wanted the most¡ªAncient One and non-Ancient One military personnel under the military hierarchy would unconditionally obey the orders of higher-ranking military officers. When necessary, military officers could also give orders to civilians and ves. This was the reason why Liu Xing came to get the identity verification. This way, when he encounters Ancient Onester, he can use his identity tomand them to serve him. Of course, Liu Xing also knew that he might be overthinking it a bit. After all, the appearance rate of Ancient Ones in the Cthulhu RPG Game¡¯s modules is very low. Fortunately, ording to the "Theory of Plot Points" that KP Green Light just told him, there is hope for him to encounter other Ancient Ones in the future. Unfortunately, Liu Xing was sure that Sirius¡¯s position in the past was also a precursor to the Fort Commander. Therefore, he and Sirius were at the same level, and he couldn¡¯tmand Sirius to provide him with more items. After solving his "identity problem," Liu Xing decided to take advantage of the remaining half an hour to leave themand center and head towards the leftmost passage to see where it led. Most importantly, the Ancient OneFort¡¯s floor n Liu Xing saw before did not include this leftmost passage. Therefore, it can be inferred that this leftmost passage appeared after the Ancient OneFort was attacked by Star Kin and Deep Ones. Entering the leftmost passage, Liu Xing quickly arrived at a ck wooden door. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 328: Return Once Again Chapter 328: Return Once Again Liu Xing gazed at the ck wooden door before him. Carefully approaching, he pushed the door with his hand, only to discover that it was slightly ajar and easily gave way to his push. However, at this moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt difort in the palm of his hand. Hastily lifting it for inspection, he found ayer of ck, unknown liquid covering it. No wonder the wooden door was ck. Now was not the time forints. Although the ck substance on Liu Xing¡¯s palm felt slippery and ufortable, he couldn¡¯t guarantee there were no other side effects. To avoid contaminating his other hand, Liu Xing decided against using tissue and instead nonchntly used his hand to touch the surrounding walls. Soon, the ck liquid on Liu Xing¡¯s hand disappeared, but this didn¡¯t bring relief. Liu Xing noticed that the ck color wasn¡¯t just on the surface but had permeated into the skin of his palm like a tattoo. Frowning, Liu Xing thought this was far from good news. However, apart from some psychological difort, Liu Xing didn¡¯t feel any substantial impact from the ck substance. Trying to divert his attention, he convinced himself not to focus on his hand and cautiously entered the space behind the ck wooden door. Behind the door was a hive-like space, divided by thick wooden boards near the walls, creating separate areas where various furniture and many skeletons were ced. It seemed to be the residence of themon people in the Ancient Tribe.After taking a few steps forward, Liu Xing spotted a huge pit with no visible bottom. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, quickly specting that this bottomless pit was likely the passage Shoggoths, previously confined, had dug to escape. The recent letter from Ancient One Alexander mentioned the area where the Shoggoths were confined, using specialized power devices to prevent them from causing trouble in case of a power outage at the fort. Even after Ancient OneFort fell to the attacks of Star Kin and Deep One, the confinement devices continued to operate until the spare energy was depleted, allowing the Shoggoths to escape. Looking at the location of the pit, Liu Xing thought the Shoggoths were quite clever. The pit curved away from any ce where Ancient Ones might appear. It seemed the Shoggoths were concerned about being discovered by the Ancient Ones, or perhaps the Shoggoths of that era were wary of the Ancient Ones¡¯bat capabilities. Therefore, Liu Xing thought he could use this to his advantage in dealing with the Shoggoths. Rubbing his chin in thought, Liu Xing had some ns in mind. Despite the average intelligence of Shoggoths being around 45, elite Shoggoths should have an intelligence level of over 60, makingmunication possible. Considering their ability to learn and imitate, Liu Xing was confident that the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige had evolved human-like vocal organs. Therefore, Liu Xing felt it necessary to find an opportunity to talk to the Shoggoths. Apart from this, Liu Xing also noticed a lot of the ck unknown liquid at the edge of the pit, indicating it was probablying from the Shoggoths. After some thought, and since the rule book didn¡¯t mention the toxicity or other mysterious effects of the liquid on Shoggoths, Liu Xing no longer worried about his hand and treated it as just another tattoo. Avoiding the pit, Liu Xing took a few more steps and saw a massive three-story building. Judging by the materials, it seemed to be made of a hard and extremely durable wood. As of now, there were no signs of damage to the building. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, estimating that this three-story building was likely the chief¡¯s residence of the Ancient Tribe. With a mindset to take advantage, Liu Xing entered the building. Though the floor creaked underfoot, Liu Xing was sure the building wouldn¡¯t copse. He explored the three-story building confidently. On the first floor, Liu Xing found nothing useful except for some items that might be considered antiques. Besides, on the first-floor walls, Liu Xing saw many processed biological skulls. Most were unrecognizable, but a small portion resembled creatures Liu Xing vaguely remembered from some educational documentaries in his childhood. It seemed that the time Ancient Tribe spent on Earth was not as ancient as Liu Xing had imagined. Finding nothing on the first floor, Liu Xing directly ascended to the second floor, which turned out to be a bedroom without any partitions. In the center of the second floor, Liu Xing saw a huge bed-like piece of furniture covering an area of about twenty square meters. Considering the size of the skeletons outside, each about two meters tall with three heads and six arms, Liu Xing assumed the chief of the Ancient Tribe must have liked the idea of sleeping in arge bed. Naturally, Liu Xing found nothing on the second floor. Liu Xing proceeded to the third floor, discovering it to be a storage room filled with various items in disarray. However, Liu Xing could easily discern that most of the items on the third floor were rusted and damaged. There was also a considerable amount of dust on the floor, indicating that many things had weathered away. As for the peculiar armors and weapons not suitable for human use, Liu Xing disregarded them. However, after searching the third floor, Liu Xing found nothing useful or that could be ssified as items, leaving him feeling somewhat frustrated. In the end, logically speaking, in this module, an ordinary yer should be able to obtain some information about the Underground Ruins from Sirius. Then, all yers would directly proceed to explore the underground. Therefore, most of the obtainable items in this module should appear in the Underground Ruins. So, disregarding the three items Liu Xing previously obtained in Sirius¡¯s storage room, there should be additional items in these Underground Ruins. Moreover, considering the vastness of this scene, aside from the hint about mythical creatures appearing here, there should be some diggable information and items. Therefore, Liu Xing felt like he might have missed something. However, Liu Xing didn¡¯t forget that time was of the essence, and he couldn¡¯t linger here. So, he decided to thoroughly check the items on the third floor again and then leave this ce, no matter what. This time, Liu Xing finally made a discovery. Beneath one of the protective gears that Liu Xing intentionally ignored, he found a colorful "stone." It turned out to be a luminous multicolored crystal (repairable), originally a magical crystal with miraculous effects. However, due to certain reasons, it lost its radiance and, consequently, its intended functionality. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, unexpectedly finding the legendary luminous multicolored crystal. On the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall forum, many threads mentioned this crystal, calling it the most magical item in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. No one could determine its effects because it could be described in two words ¨C a lottery. After using the luminous multicolored crystal, yers would encounter a stroke of good luck within a short time. It could be finding a substantial amount of money, acquiring a magic book, or even directly bing the chief of an African tribe ¨C though that might not be considered good luck. In summary, yers using the luminous multicolored crystal were bound to receive some benefits, but the range of these benefits varied greatly. Most importantly, this luminous multicolored crystal could appear in any area module. However, in the Ghoul area, Shoggoth Region, and Hound of Tindalos area, yers could only obtain the "luminous multicolored crystal (lost)." But in the Hound of Tindalos area and beyond, there was a chance to get the "luminous multicolored crystal," which could then be synthesized into aplete "luminous multicolored crystal." So, Liu Xing considered this as obtaining a "key." As long as he found the "treasure chest," he could im his reward. Liu Xing put the "luminous multicolored crystal (lost)" in his pocket and then retraced his steps because the effect of the Wall-Passing Technique on him had only eight minutes left. Just as Liu Xing was about to return to the vi, he suddenly heard a "rustling" sound above his head. This made Liu Xing break out in a cold sweat, as he knew that this sound could likely be from a Shoggoth. However, amid the panic, Liu Xing realized that he was directly beneath a vi where Fisher¡¯s Vige residents lived. This meant that the residents of Fisher¡¯s Vige might actually be disguised Shoggoths. To avoid making noise and to assess the situation on his head, Liu Xing stood still, not daring to breathe, listening intently to the situation above. The "rustling" sound continued for a while, and then Liu Xing heard footsteps going upstairs. The "rustling" sound disappeared. It seemed that this Shoggoth had transformed into a human shape to go upstairs, as going upstairs in its original form would be quite troublesome. At this moment, Liu Xing had only two minutes left for the Wall-Passing Technique effect on him. Hastily, Liu Xing moved forward, almost running, if not for the concern about making too much noise. Fortunately, in thest half-minute, Liu Xing finally returned to the vi. However, due to being too hasty, Liu Xing slipped during the first jump and hit the nearby earthen wall. Luckily, this earthen wall was not recognized as a "wall," or Liu Xing would have been clueless about where to run. So, the first thing Liu Xing did upon returning to the vi was to touch his head. Thankfully, it was just a bump. "Ryuusei, you really narrowly made it! If it had taken half a minute longer, we would have had to dig a hole to rescue you. But looking at you now, Ryuusei, you must have gained a lot," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and summarized the situation of his second trip to the Underground Ruins. Of course, there were certain things that Liu Xing definitely wouldn¡¯t reveal, such as him bing an Ancient One martial official and the "luminous multicolored crystal (lost)." "Oh, so the mythical creature that almost scared me to death is called a Shoggoth, and it¡¯s a ve of the Ancient One. In that case, Ryuusei, as long as you contact Sirius, the Ancient One, you should be able to deal with those Shoggoths," Panda Pig said with a smile. Everyone nodded in agreement. Of course, although everyone said that, they understood that the current Ancient One Sirius probably couldn¡¯t handle those Shoggoths, and there was even a possibility that he might offer outdated and erroneous suggestions. So, Ling Ishikawa reminded, "The king¡¯s words are like the king¡¯s deeds. Now Sirius is just a soul. I think the Shoggoths probably won¡¯t obey Sirius¡¯s orders, so Ryuusei, you better inquire about the weaknesses of Shoggoths." Liu Xing nodded. As for the three items Liu Xing obtained from Sirius¡¯s storage room, although yers could guess their actual effects by knowing the information about these items, the character cards couldn¡¯t do that. So, they had to make spective guesses about these items. Since the Rubik¡¯s Cube didn¡¯t have much useful information, it was directly ignored by everyone. The item-blocking device, on the other hand, was "guessed" by everyone. Of course, the focus was on the Shoggoth suppression device. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 329: Ling Ishikawa’s Ability (continued) Chapter 329: Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Ability (continued) Liu Xing immediately exined the function of the Shoggoth suppression device upon seeing it, as its purpose was evident at first nce. Of course, he spoke with a tone of spection. The others naturally agreed with Liu Xing¡¯s statement, although Panda Pig jokingly suggested that the Shoggoth suppression device might be a personal hobby of Sirius and a gadget for his collection. As for the actual effect of the Shoggoth suppression device, everyone¡¯s opinion was unanimous: it was useless and had no practical application in the current situation. Obtaining the Shoggoth suppression device was like a baby getting hold of a gun. Although there was a possibility of using it against an enemy, the chances were slim to none. Therefore, after seeing the information about the Shoggoth suppression device, everyone lost interest in it. After all, no one believed they had the ability to put the device on a Shoggoth¡¯s head. Moreover, the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige were aware of the power of the Shoggoth suppression device, as they had been controlled by it in the past. Liu Xing suspected that when the Shoggoths discovered the device, they would most likely go berserk and attack whoever was holding it. Therefore, Liu Xing picked up the Shoggoth suppression device and said, "I¡¯ll just put this thing in the room for now. We definitely can¡¯t use it to its full potential, and it might even provoke the Shoggoths. After all, it will bring back some unpleasant memories for them." Ling Ishikawa nodded and then said somewhat embarrassedly, "That¡¯s true, Ryuusei. Can you give me the device? I think it might be useful for me." Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, realizing that when he entered Ling Ishikawa¡¯s room earlier, he had seen him studying animal taming skills. So, there was a chance that Ling Ishikawa could use the Shoggoth suppression device to capture a Shoggoth. Of course, the Shoggoth suppression device was useless to Liu Xing, and it was taking up too much space in his inventory. In this Cthulhu RPG game, yers could carry many items with them, but they couldn¡¯t have an alternate dimension bag like in other games that could easily hold itemsrger than a person. Liu Xing¡¯s character card, "Watanabe Ryuusei," could only carry a few items, such as a sacrificial dagger and a Yellow Seal Pendant, besides his phone. Items like the English version of "The Yellow King" and the Deep One statue for sacrifice were left in his backpack on the second floor. If there was an emergency, Liu Xing would have to find a way to use those items. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to give the Shoggoth suppression device to Ling Ishikawa. On the one hand, he was doing him a favor, and on the other hand, he wanted to see how good his animal taming skills were. If he could control a Shoggoth, it would be even better, as Yin En was his ally, and "Ling Ishikawa" was his follower. If Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t control the Shoggoth, it wouldn¡¯t matter. At most, it would be a great sess in mocking the Shoggoth. Zhang Jingxu and the others had no objections to Liu Xing giving the Shoggoth suppression device to Ling Ishikawa. After all, it belonged to Liu Xing, so he could give it to anyone he wanted. Moreover, the device was useless to them.However, he was curious about why Ling Ishikawa wanted the Shoggoth suppression device. He asked, "Ling Ishikawa, what do you want to do with this thing? It¡¯s not a good thing, after all. For the Shoggoths, it¡¯s a shackle that once bound their freedom. If you show it to them, I think all the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige will attack you." Ling Ishikawa smiled and nodded, saying in a nonchnt tone, "Thank you for your reminder. I¡¯m prepared for this. I¡¯ve learned a set of animal taming skills recently, so I think I can practice on these Shoggoths. After all, these Shoggoths were tamed by the Ancient Ones in the past, so it¡¯s possible to tame them again. If I¡¯m lucky enough, I might be able to seed." Upon hearing that Ling Ishikawa had animal taming skills, everyone understood that he had a "go big or go home" mentality. They could only nod in agreement and support his idea. However, as an NPC, Lu Tianya naturally didn¡¯t understand Ling Ishikawa¡¯s idea and was worried. He said, "Ling Ishikawa, don¡¯t be too presumptuous. Although these Shoggoths were tamed by the Ancient Ones in the past, it¡¯s been a long time since then. The Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige have be wild and difficult to tame. You won¡¯t be able to tame them, and the Ancient Ones¡¯ animal taming skills may be vastly different from ours. So, Ling Ishikawa, I advise you not to take any risks." Ling Ishikawa smiled and nodded, saying in a tone that showed he didn¡¯t care, "I understand. Thank you for your concern. Please rest assured that I won¡¯t fight unprepared. I¡¯ll only take action when I¡¯m confident. Besides, we have to take some risks because we can¡¯t just sit and wait for death. We have to seize the opportunity." Panda Pig then suggested that they should check Alice¡¯s room for a Composite Magic Array while she was still away. Liu Xing hadn¡¯t spoken yet, but Miyako Goudong spoke up, saying that they should be careful. As an outsider like them, Alice should be cautious as a secret cult¡¯s intelligence manager. Before Miyako Goudong could finish speaking, Panda Pig quickly retorted, "No, no, no, Miyako Goudong, you are still too young to understand what it means to observe and analyze one¡¯s words and actions. Based on Alice¡¯s behavior in the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall earlier, it¡¯s clear that she hadn¡¯t noticed anything unusual in Fisher¡¯s Vige before. She seems to have treated this trip to Fisher¡¯s Vige as a vacation, so I doubt she has prepared many counter-investigation measures in her room. After all, Alice shouldn¡¯t have brought too much important information with her to Fisher¡¯s Vige." "Moreover, most likely, after Alice finishes talking with Matsui Ichiroter, she will definitely be suspicious of Matsui Ichiro and Fisher¡¯s Vige, possibly specting like we did before, thinking that Matsui Ichiro might be a missionary from the Ocean True Deity Sect. At that point, Alice will probably choose toe back and set up aprehensive anti-investigation system or an early warning system to protect herself from Matsui Ichiro. So now is our best and perhapsst chance to enter Alice¡¯s room." Liu Xing agreed with Panda Pig¡¯s analysis, saying, "Panda Pig makes a valid point. I also believe that Alice¡¯s room is likely undefended at the moment. Therefore, we should attempt to enter Alice¡¯s room now. However, we need to proceed with caution and make sure not to be discovered by Alice. Of course, even if Alice does discover us, it¡¯s not a big deal unless we leave behind video evidence. We can easily shift the me to Matsui Ichiro." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement with Liu Xing¡¯s n and added with a smile, "Even if we leave behind video evidence, we can simply inform Alice about the existence of the Composite Magic Array. That way, she might be our temporary ally. But I have a special way to enter Alice¡¯s room unnoticed." "However, you all need to stay downstairs and note up to watch me in action because, how should I put it, my method is quite unique," Ling Ishikawa said somewhat reluctantly. Although Ling Ishikawa¡¯s request seemed odd, everyone agreed to it. Therefore, Ling Ishikawa went upstairs alone, while Miyako Goudong volunteered to keep watch outside. After a while, Liu Xing heard a strange noiseing from upstairs, sounding like someone undressing... Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn¡¯t help but nce upstairs. Although he couldn¡¯t see anything, it didn¡¯t stop his imagination from conjuring up a vivid mental image of Ling Ishikawa entering Alice¡¯s room in the buff. Liu Xing shivered involuntarily; the mental image was just too strong. Zhang Jingxu and the others also heard the noisesing from upstairs. However, what caught their attention the most was the sound of dice hitting the floor. "Uh, don¡¯t you guys think there are some indescribable soundsing from upstairs?" Zhang Jingxu said with a bemused expression. Panda Pig nodded knowingly and said, "No wonder Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t want us toe up and watch him. It turns out he was nning to do something like this." Lu Tianya furrowed his brow, looking unsure, and said, "Are you sure, though? Ling Ishikawa doesn¡¯t seem like that kind of person to me." Liu Xing knew exactly what Lu Tianya meant by "that kind of person," but for the sake of maintaining a harmonious atmosphere, he chose not to delve into it. After a while, Liu Xing heard the sound of someone dressing, indicating that Ling Ishikawa hadpleted his task. It was surprisingly fast, which gave Liu Xing a somewhat strange feeling. Then, Ling Ishikawa came downstairs nonchntly. Under the puzzled gazes of everyone, Ling Ishikawa spoke, "Alright, I just entered Alice¡¯s room and confirmed that there is also a Composite Magic Array in there. By the way, why are you all looking at me like that?" Panda Pig stood up, put his arm around Ling Ishikawa, and smirked, saying, "Ling Ishikawa, my friend, I initially thought you were an upright person, but I never expected you to do something like this. Are you absolutely sure you entered Alice¡¯s room? We didn¡¯t hear the sound of you opening the door, after all." Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya both nodded in agreement, casting a suspicious nce at Ling Ishikawa. As for Liu Xing, although he was certain that Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t have done something so outrageous, given the current circumstances, he had to nod along with the others. Ling Ishikawa was dumbfounded by their reactions. He quickly understood what Liu Xing and the others were thinking. To dispel their misunderstandings, he forced a smile and shook his head, saying, "Hey, what are you all thinking? Am I really the kind of person to do that? I admit I took off my clothes on the third floor just now, and I didn¡¯t open Alice¡¯s door because I now possess a miraculous ability. In simple terms, I can stay in the Alternate dimension and this dimension¡¯s rift, but I can¡¯t carry any items when using this power." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing and the others suddenly appeared as if they had a revtion, as this scenario had been within their expectations. As experienced yers of the Cthulhu RPG Game, they might not know the exact abilities of other yers, but by carefully observing their behavior andnguage, they could generally deduce their capabilities and motivations. So when they heard about Ling Ishikawa undressing, Liu Xing had suspected that Ling Ishikawa might have had a way to enter Alice¡¯s room stealthily or invisibly. After all, in ssic Ind Nation movies, invisible people usually kept their clothes on... However, what Liu Xing hadn¡¯t anticipated was that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ability allowed him to traverse alternate dimensions. Of course, Liu Xing quickly connected the dots. Considering that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s world mission involved traveling to the Alternate dimension of Hybrier, it made perfect sense for him to gain the ability to traverse alternate dimensions. At this point, Miyako Goudong entered and said, "Alice is back. We should hurry and inform Ling Ishikawa toe down... Wait, Ling Ishikawa, you came down so quickly?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 330: Alice’s Story Chapter 330: Alice¡¯s Story Upon hearing that Alice was returning, everyone quickly resumed their seats. Zhang Jingxu exchanged nces with the others, indicating his intention to have a chat with Aliceter, and requested their cooperation. After half a minute, Alice walked in alone. Liu Xing could tell from her troubled expression that her conversation with Matsui Ichiro hadn¡¯t gone smoothly. Zhang Jingxu seized this opportunity to inquire, "Miss Alice, why the distressed look? Did you encounter issues in your conversation with Mr. Matsui Ichiro?" Alice nodded, expressing her frustration, "Exactly. Mr. Matsui Ichiro is too stubborn, insisting on his initial ideas without any flexibility. No matter how hard I tried to persuade him, he wouldn¡¯t agree to move those inexplicable deity statues out of Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall." "Deity statues?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Unexpectedly, Alice misspoke or revealed the truth by calling those peculiar sculptures in Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall "deity statues." Earlier, Alice had referred to them as artworks. If that was the case, could those statues actually be deity statues of the Ocean True Deity Sect? Zhang Jingxu also picked up on this and immediately asked, "Deity statues? Miss Alice, are you saying that those strange statues are deity statues, not just artworks?" Alice realized her mistake but, being the intelligence officer for the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s Kyoto branch, she quicklyposed herself. Without missing a beat, she exined, "Oh, those statues are indeed artworks. However, they can also be ssified as deity statues. Just like those cross-shaped pendants, they can serve as both jewelry and be used for prayers in certain situations." Zhang Jingxu feigned enlightenment and chuckled, "I see. Miss Alice, you have a keen insight. But, if I understand correctly, are you trying to convince Mr. Matsui Ichiro to move those deity statues out of Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s Ancestral Hall because they might actually be deity statues rted to some unconventional church?" Alice nodded, sighing, "You¡¯re right. That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. Considering the styles of those deity statues, you should be able to see that they don¡¯t belong to any conventional church.""Miss Alice, are you suggesting that Mr. Matsui Ichiro might be a follower of some evil secret cult?" Ling Ishikawa pretended to be shocked. Alice sighed again, her expression serious, "I can¡¯t be sure at the moment. I was trying to extract information from Mr. Matsui Ichiro about his understanding of those deity statues. I wanted to determine if he could be a follower of some evil secret cult. However, his response was ambiguous. Despite my observations, Mr. Matsui Ichiro doesn¡¯t seem to know the true origin of these deity statues. He doesn¡¯t show sincere reverence towards them. Yet, no matter how I approached the topic, he remained tight-lipped and provided various excuses, unwilling to relocate the statues. It¡¯s quite frustrating." Zhang Jingxu also sighed, saying, "Let it go. If Mr. Matsui Ichiro is unwilling, we outsiders should not interfere further." "No, no, no. I must handle this matter because you may not be aware that deity statues from secret cults often possess a bewitching charm. They can turn those who initially don¡¯t believe into devout followers. I¡¯ve encountered such situations before." Alice spoke earnestly. She then began recounting her personal experience. Alice, an Englishwoman, was born in a wealthy district in London. Both her parents were renowned localwyers. As she grew older, Alice often overheard her parents discussing various cases at the dinner table, including some supernatural cases. In London¡¯s extensive and historic subwaywork, mysterious creature sightings were reported frequently at night. Notably, there was a series of midnight subway murders where victims, waiting alone at secluded subway stations, suddenly screamed and disappeared in the surveince blind spots. The ground was left with copious blood and flesh, indicating no chance of survival. In just half a month, nearly fifty victims had been imed, and due to the need to maintain order, the London police dared not make these incidents public. They conducted a closed investigation into the gruesome midnight serial killings, keeping the victims¡¯ families silent about the true nature of the crimes, only suggesting that the victims might have been kidnapped. At that time, Alice¡¯s father was still working at the police station. One evening, just before the end of his shift, the station announced that, after tonight¡¯s subway closure, all police officers would coborate with temporarily deployed military forces to conduct searches along the subway lines, attempting to capture any potential killers hiding in the subway. Initially unconcerned, Alice¡¯s father became suspicious upon arriving at the designated subway station that night. Seeing the fully armed military presence, he realized something was amiss. The situation seemed more suited for capturing a notorious criminal. This raised his alertness, and after the teams were assigned and started their operations, he intentionally positioned himself in the middle, the safest location. After a while, Alice¡¯s father suddenly heard gunfire ahead, apanied by strange howls¡ªnon-human sounds. Following his team swiftly to the scene, he witnessed a scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life: two Ghouls feasting on the bodies of fallen team members, including his best colleague and friend. In a state of shock, Alice¡¯s father felt his mind go nk. The gunshots seemed distant, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself in a hospital the next evening. Upon his discharge, Alice¡¯s father submitted his resignation to the police force, opting to be awyer. He couldn¡¯t bear facing those terrifying Ghouls anymore. However, his curiosity about the case persisted. Seeking answers, he approached his colleague Chris, who had been in the same team that night. Chris, having excelled in the operation by personally killing one of the Ghouls, received a promotion and had the chance to ess the truth behind the case. In this case, there were a total of two adults and three children who turned into Ghouls. They were originally a happy family living in a middle-ss neighborhood in London. As passionate Chelsea FC fans, this family had traveled to Manchester a year ago to watch a crucial match between Manchester United and Chelsea, which would determine the season¡¯s league champion. Manchester United emerged victorious. Despite their disappointment, the family quickly adjusted their mood and began exploring Manchester, purchasing various souvenirs, including a Ghoul-shaped statue. Later, the police located the vendor who sold them the statue, a street vendor. He imed that someone else had left the statue with him for consignment. The consignor had described it as originating from a castle but insisted on a low selling price. To this day, the police have not found the person who consigned the statue... Returning to the main story, the family brought the statue back to London, where it attracted attention due to its peculiar appearance. The eldest son, going through puberty, ced it in his room. Six monthster, the eldest son started reporting recurring nightmares at school, where he was pursued and attacked by a Ghoul. Three months after that, all members of the family began describing experiencing nightmares regrly. Then, about a month before the spree of midnight subway murders, the entire family suddenly went missing. The London police received missing persons reports and conducted investigations. Naturally, these efforts yielded no results. Consequently, the police enlisted the help of a respected Wizard from London, who officially determined that the culprits behind the midnight subway murders, the five Ghouls, were the missing family. The reason for their transformation was attributed to the statue. As for the statue, it was never found in the end. However, the Wizard had identified it as originating from a branch of the Cult of the Corpse-Eater, a secret cult, and believed it to be a deity statue. After hearing Alice¡¯s ount, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow. He hadn¡¯t expected Alice¡¯s father to have encountered Ghouls, even though her father had temporarily gone insane at the time. But what caught Liu Xing¡¯s attention the most was the name of Alice¡¯s father¡¯s colleague¡ªChris. If everything went as expected, this Chris was likely Elizabeth¡¯s adoptive father, and Elizabeth was the hidden boss in the first formal Cthulhu RPG game Liu Xing had yed, the enchanting hundred-year-old witch who had sessfully charmed him! Moreover, the statue that transformed the family into Ghouls had been purchased in Manchester, and the seller had imed it came from a castle, likely the same castle where Elizabeth had once resided. So, Liu Xing suspected that the seller of the statue might very well be Elizabeth¡¯s brother, Gary. Life was unpredictable. Gary had already been killed by his own Ghoul servants, and Elizabeth had be Chris¡¯s adopted daughter, even though she could now be considered his grandmother. As for himself, he had transformed from "Liu Xing" to "Watanabe Ryuusei" and had encountered Alice once more. Now, Liu Xing had a vague premonition that he might encounter Elizabeth again, possibly while traveling with Alice. After concluding her father¡¯s story, Alice summarized, "A lesson from the past serves as a guide for the future. Although you may think I¡¯m being overly cautious, better safe than sorry. Though those statues haven¡¯t had any substantial impact on us so far, what if one day you find yourself growing fish scales? It would be toote. Well, I¡¯ll go rest in my room for now." Alice went upstairs after her statement. However, Liu Xing suddenly noticed a hint of dark green at the junction of Alice¡¯s right wrist and her sleeve, capturing his attention. When Liu Xing wanted to continue observing, Alice had already turned and gone upstairs. This left Liu Xing in silent contemtion. If his eyes weren¡¯t deceiving him, that hint of dark green on Alice¡¯s wrist might be a scale! Combined with Alice¡¯s final words, Liu Xing became even more certain of his suspicions. Moreover, from "Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s" memories, he had learned that the Deep Sea Gospel Society indeed possessed a technique to transform people into "Deep Ones." However, this technique was not fully developed, resulting in transformed "Deep Ones" resembling their appearance but not their essence¡ªessentially, they were humans with the appearance of Deep Ones. From this, Liu Xing could deduce that, although the Deep Sea Gospel Society worshipped Deep Ones, their contact with them was not close. In simple terms, the Deep Sea Gospel Society was merely following in the footsteps of the Deep Ones. Returning to the conversation, as an intermediate member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Alice might undergo the transformation into a "Deep One." However, Liu Xing sensed from Alice¡¯s tone that she didn¡¯t want to undergo this transformation, as she wouldn¡¯t have mentioned "fish scales" otherwise. Therefore, Liu Xing was growing increasingly curious about Alice, this NPC. After hearing Alice¡¯s departure upstairs, Zhang Jingxu smiled and said, "Alright, once Alice leaves the vi, I¡¯ll gather some anti-magic dust, and Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯ll have to make another trip to enter Alice¡¯s room and deal with that Composite Magic Array. Rest assured, Ling Ishikawa, we won¡¯t be watching your every move." Ling Ishikawa nodded with a wry smile. Miyako Goudong, who had been on lookout duty earlier, was now very curious and asked, "By the way, Ling Ishikawa, you still haven¡¯t answered my previous question." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 331: Plastic Sisters Chapter 331: stic Sisters Ling Ishikawa sighed and once again exined her situation to Miyako Goudong. "Haha, I see..." Miyako Goudong chuckled, wanting to say something but noticed Matsui Yui entering the vi at that moment, so he remained silent. Liu Xing could discern that despite Matsui Yui¡¯s attempts to conceal it, the worry between her eyebrows was quite apparent. Therefore, Liu Xing understood that Matsui Yui must have encountered Matsui Ichiro. "Uh, excuse me, is Alice in her room?" Matsui Yui asked somewhat helplessly. Seated on the outermost side, Ling Ishikawa nodded, smiling, "Yes, yes, Miss Alice just went upstairs, and she probably guessed that Miss Matsui Yui wasing. She¡¯s up there waiting for you now." Matsui Yui sighed and smiled wryly, "Well, my friends, I believe you¡¯re already aware. Just now, at the Ancestral Hall, my father and Alice had an unpleasant encounter. After you left the hall, they had another argument, and neither could convince the other. In the end, they could only part ways without reconciliation. I just finished calming my father down, and now I have the time to help Alice calm down." The group nodded understandingly, and Matsui Yui didn¡¯t linger on the topic, heading upstairs directly. "Now both Alice and Matsui Yui are upstairs. It¡¯s better for us not to discuss sensitive topics in case they overhear. Most importantly, we don¡¯t have much to discuss at the moment, as many of our previous spections have been overturned by today¡¯s Ancestral Hall visit," Zhang Jingxu remarked while looking at the ceiling. As Zhang Jingxu said, the trip to the Ancestral Hall had brought new discoveries, but unfortunately, these findings didn¡¯t support the previous spections. Instead, they contradicted them, leaving the group in an awkward position.With their previous spections proven wrong, many pieces of information considered crucial were now irrelevant. The group found themselves with very little to discuss. Moreover, Liu Xing¡¯s mind was a bit chaotic at the moment. He hadn¡¯t expected that after all the twists and turns, Alice would somehow be rted to Elizabeth as a "distant rtive." ording to the "plot point" theory KP Green Light had shared earlier, Liu Xing believed that he would likely encounter both Alice and Elizabeth in future modules, either in London or Manchester. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt a bit mncholic. Now that he knew Elizabeth, who seemed like a young girl, was actually a hundred-year-old witch with attributes reaching peak human levels, his pressure increased. Furthermore, almost a year had passed since rescuing Elizabeth from the Castle using his "Liu Xing" character card. It was possible that Elizabeth¡¯s attributes had reached 100 or even higher. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, humans with attributes surpassing 99 could be aptly described as "superhuman." Considering this, Liu Xing felt a significant burden. Although he knew Elizabeth¡¯s true identity, his character card did not. Additionally, based on Alice¡¯s story, Liu Xing suspected that the unfortunate fate of the family of five in London was likely rted to Elizabeth¡¯s brother, Gary. The parchment Bai Hecheng retrieved from the Castle indicated Gary¡¯s transformation from a human to a Ghoul, suggesting the deity statue capable of turning people into Ghouls likely came from Gary. Now that Gary was dead, Elizabeth probably inherited all of his possessions, especially the unsavory ones. Liu Xing had reason to believe that on the other side of the Earth, Elizabeth was executing some sinister n, perhaps targeting her "adoptive parents." Considering that Elizabeth¡¯s "adoptive father" Chris was the police chief in Manchester, gaining control over him would provide Elizabeth with a protective shield, allowing her to carry out her ns with impunity. Therefore, Liu Xing had already conceived a module: "Elizabeth ns to transform her adoptive parents, Chris and Mary, into her Ghoul servants. At the same time, Alice¡¯s father, either due to missing his brother Chris or having a case that required a visit to Manchester, brings his family to visit. Liu Xing (Watanabe Ryuusei) coincidentally arrives in Manchester for some reason and encounters Chris (Alice), bing entangled in the events." Liu Xing touched his chin, feeling satisfied with his module-writing skills. However, Liu Xing was unaware that the casually fabricated module would be a reality, albeit with some deviations in certain aspects. "If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s each go back to our rooms and rest for a while. I still feel a bit off, and today has been quite eventful. We can discuss things further after dinner," Panda Pig suggested. Liu Xing thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. After dinner, it would be Private Room time, providing more opportunities for discussion. At the moment, there was certainly not much they could figure out. Thus, everyone returned to their rooms to rest, while Miyako Goudong expressed her intention to find a way to eavesdrop on Alice and Matsui Yui¡¯s conversation. Back in his room, Liu Xing pondered a question: Should he take this opportunity to get some sleep and use the Soul Casket to talk to Sirius about the Shoggoth issue? However, Liu Xing ultimately abandoned the idea. He didn¡¯t want to sleep until dawn. At that moment, KP Green Light chuckled and said, "Congrattions, yers. Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level has now reached 99. Be mentally prepared because Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety will reach 100 at any moment. When Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety reaches 100, some of you may be eliminated... Of course, I¡¯ll let you know now that with enough luck and a sufficient understanding of this module, you can still prevent this Plot Encounter." Liu Xing furrowed his brows. He hadn¡¯t expected Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level to suddenly reach 99. Although it wasn¡¯t at the maximum, it was only a matter of time. Triggering the main quest of this module ahead of schedule was almost impossible. So, Liu Xing suspected he was in trouble... However, Liu Xing was now even more curious about how Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level had suddenly risen. Liu Xing didn¡¯t think it was due to Alice, as Matsui Yui had been aware of the conversation between Alice and Matsui Ichiro before, and her anxiety level hadn¡¯t increased at that time. So, it shouldn¡¯t be because of Alice, right? Just as Liu Xing was pondering this, he heard intense "discussion"ing from Alice¡¯s room upstairs. Clearly, Alice and Matsui Yui were arguing. Liu Xing furrowed his brows. He hadn¡¯t expected Alice to suddenly start arguing with Matsui Yui. What could be the reason for this? Could it be KP Green Light causing trouble? While Liu Xing was thinking about it, he decided to go upstairs and mediate. After all, Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety level had already reached 99, and if they continued arguing like this, it could reach 100 at any moment. Zhang Jingxu and the others had the same idea. At the door of Alice¡¯s room, Liu Xing didn¡¯t hesitate to knock, and the heated argument inside immediately stopped. Alice then opened the door and somewhat apologetically said, "I¡¯m sorry, everyone. Our conversation with Matsui Yui got too loud and disturbed you." Liu Xing shook his head and asked, "It¡¯s okay, Alice. But can you tell us why you were arguing?" Facing Liu Xing¡¯s straightforward question, Alice was momentarily unsure of what to say. She had never seen someone mediate like this, and it made the situation a bit awkward. Liu Xing wanted this effect because he feared that Alice might evade the topic and find an excuse to avoid further discussion. In that case, Alice and Matsui Yui might continue arguing, and his group would be the ones to suffer. So, Liu Xing continued to press, "Alice, please forgive me for being direct. I want to help resolve your conflicts as soon as possible. After all, Matsui Yui will be marrying Dogo Aige in a few days, so I hope you can maintain your previous rtionship with her and avoid any unexpected incidents." Alice was displeased with Liu Xing¡¯s words because he essentially asked her not to cause trouble. He implied that he didn¡¯t want any unpleasant incidents before Matsui Yui¡¯s wedding. At this moment, Matsui Yui also came out, looking apologetic. "I¡¯m sorry, everyone. Matsui Yui and I had a minor disagreement just now, and our conversation got a bit intense. We didn¡¯t mean to worry you. But rest assured, our friendship with Alice is deep. We sometimes have arguments for various reasons, but we usually reconcile within minutes, right, Alice?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Matsui Yui was quite skilled at spinning stories. If he didn¡¯t know that Matsui Yui¡¯s anxiety had suddenly spiked, he might have believed her words. Alice, hearing Matsui Yui¡¯s exnation, nodded awkwardly and held Matsui Yui¡¯s hand, saying, "That¡¯s right. No need to worry about our rtionship. Matsui Yui and I are close friends. It¡¯s just that, as you know, I¡¯m a foreigner, and sometimes I may misunderstand certain words in your Ind Nation Language. I also have a bit of a fiery personality, so I tend to speak my mind." Deep andsting friendship? Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think of the stic Sisters from a famous hobbit director¡¯s ssic work, "Generation IV." After Liu Xing¡¯s rather naive intervention, Matsui Yui lost interest in continuing the argument with Alice and found an excuse to leave. Of course, this time, Matsui Yui didn¡¯t invite Alice to her house for dinner. Seeing this, Liu Xing could only think to himself that Alice and Matsui Yui were indeed just "surface friends." However, this indirectly confirmed one thing¡ªAlice and Matsui Yui were not on the same side. It was very likely that they only knew each other and that Matsui Yui had invited Alice to join for some reason¡ªperhaps as a form of entertainment or maybe as a source of food. So, with a meaningful look to the others, Liu Xing gave a slight nod, indicating that they agreed with his thoughts. Alice then turned to them and said, "Hey, you guys are Dogo Aige¡¯s friends, right? You don¡¯t have anything to do with Matsui Yui, do you?" Hearing Alice¡¯s words, Liu Xing naturally nodded, understanding that Alice intended to sever ties with Matsui Yui. Alice sighed and said seriously, "Then I must tell you something, and you should ry it to Dogo Aige. He shouldn¡¯t marry Matsui Yui because she¡¯s not a suitable partner." As expected, Alice and Matsui Yui were just "surface friends." Alice had argued with Matsui Yui and was now revealing Matsui Yui¡¯s dark past. Of course, Liu Xing believed that Alice had discovered something unusual about Fisher¡¯s Vige during their argument and wanted to use his group¡¯s help to sabotage Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige¡¯s wedding so they could leave Fisher¡¯s Vige early. However, Liu Xing knew that Alice had only scratched the surface. Seeing that Liu Xing and the others didn¡¯t respond, Alice continued, "The reason I know Matsui Yui and became friends with her is that I have a bar in Kyoto. Matsui Yui was a regr customer, and I¡¯ve seen her change boyfriends more frequently than her clothes. Every time she came to my bar, she would bring a new boyfriend, including some middle-aged balding men in their forties or fifties. Needless to say, these men were wealthy." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 332: Alice’s Revelation Chapter 332: Alice¡¯s Revtion Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces, surprised by Alice¡¯s straightforwardness. She immediately exposed Matsui Yui¡¯s scandalous dark history upon their first meeting. It seemed that Alice and Matsui Yui were indeed a pair of "stic Sisters." The quarrel had just begun, but Alice wasted no time inunching a full-scale attack. Fortunately, Liu Xing and the others had already set a tone earlier, following a principle from the Cthulhu RPG Game¡ªwhen apanion falls, do not let poverty persist. If Ling Ishikawa could bear all the misfortune alone, then let him. Hence, Liu Xing nodded awkwardly and began, "Uh, about this matter, you see, maybe Ling Ishikawa already knew, and besides, young people from the Ind Nation often enjoy socializing. Matsui Yui¡¯s situation is not umon, and maybe she was just joking with you, Miss Alice. I remember Matsui Yui is attending university in Kyoto, so it¡¯s normal for college students to participate in social events. Matsui Yuiing to your bar with different guys might just be a casual thing¡­" Liu Xing tried to find a reasonable excuse to ease Alice¡¯s emotions and prevent her from revealing the usations to Ling Ishikawa when he delivered their dinnerter. Unfortunately, Liu Xing couldn¡¯te up with a convincing reason to defend Matsui Yui¡¯s behavior of seeking wealthy partners. Therefore, Alice gave a cold snort and said with a smile, "Ryuusei, don¡¯t be so naive. There is no pure friendship between men and women in this world, especially in so-called university social events, which are essentially about one-night stands. Besides, if they find each other attractive, they might be a couple. Moreover, Matsui Yui is not a regr university student. She attends a mediocre university and takes correspondence courses. As long as she pays enough money, even if she never steps foot in the school, she can still graduate on time." She continued, "And now, let me be direct with you. Matsui Yui¡¯s true identity is a special actress who stars in Ind Nation¡¯s distinctive adult films. The reason she enrolled in that mediocre university was to add the title ¡¯university student¡¯ to her small film covers. Neers in the industry need to create a persona to attract fans. I still have one of Matsui Yui¡¯s works on my phone." Although Liu Xing wanted to interject with a plea to Alice, he couldn¡¯t resist looking at Miyako Goudong. Surprisingly, Miyako Goudong¡¯s Prophecy Art seeded in a way, although it wasn¡¯t initially intended for this oue. Nevertheless, Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect Alice to expose Matsui Yui so ruthlessly, making it difficult for him to defend her, especially with conclusive evidence on Alice¡¯s phone. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯tprehend why the author of this module decided to give Matsui Yui such an absurd profession.Ideally, Matsui Yui was meant to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige as bait, attracting prey in the Ind Nation¡¯s metropolis and leading them back to Fisher¡¯s Vige to serve as food for the Shoggoths. Therefore, Matsui Yui could have chosen a more conventional profession. After all, being an adult film actress wouldn¡¯t be beneficial for luring prey back to Fisher¡¯s Vige for a ¡¯marriage¡¯ ritual. Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but say, "No way, how could Matsui Yui be an adult film actress?" Alice smiled again, her tone tinged with mockery, "Why not? Haven¡¯t you heard Matsui Yui herself say it? She lived in Fisher¡¯s Vige before and, in that isted ce, Matsui Yui probably didn¡¯t know much besides fishing. So, in the big city of Kyoto, she had to rely on her looks to make a living." Alice¡¯s words left everyone speechless; after all, this was reality. "So, as Ling Ishikawa¡¯s family and friends, how can you let him marry such a green tea bitch? Matsui Yui clearly told me when inviting me to her wedding that she chose to marry Ling Ishikawa because of his status as the African tribal chief¡¯s heir. That¡¯s her motive." Alice continued. Liu Xing and the others felt helpless upon learning Matsui Yui¡¯s numerous dark secrets. Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t an urban novel but a horror story, and Matsui Yui¡¯s past didn¡¯t matter in the face of the truth in Fisher¡¯s Vige. Therefore, Liu Xing signaled to the others, suggesting they confront Alice. After a moment of silence, they nodded in agreement. Given Alice¡¯s current state, if they didn¡¯t confront her directly, she might cause trouble. When Ling Ishikawa came to deliver their dinner, Alice would likely repeat everything she just said, perhaps even ying the adult film on her phone. In that case, the plot of this module wouldpletely go haywire. Knowing Panda Pig¡¯s understanding of Ling Ishikawa, it was certain he wouldn¡¯t forgive Matsui Yui, especially considering Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation had already reached beyond the typical metaphor of wearing a green hat. Falling for Matsui Yui, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s head was already a vast grasnd. In the future, regardless of what is said, Ling Ishikawa is unlikely to marry Matsui Yui. Therefore, Liu Xing and the others¡¯ main quest is almost impossible toplete. After all, Liu Xing and the others can¡¯t force Ling Ishikawa to marry Matsui Yui... So, Liu Xing took a deep breath and earnestly said to Alice, "Miss Alice, I believe you shared these things with us not just because you had a fight with Matsui Yui earlier. It¡¯s because you¡¯ve noticed that something is amiss here in Fisher¡¯s Vige." Liu Xing¡¯s words raised Alice¡¯s eyebrows, and she responded somewhat surprised, "Oh, if you say so, Ryuusei, does that mean you and your friends have also noticed something unusual in Fisher¡¯s Vige?" Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Exactly. Ever since we arrived in Fisher¡¯s Vige, we felt that something was off. ording to Matsui Ichiro, Fisher¡¯s Vige has been isted for many years and only recently started interacting with the outside world. So, how could such an isted fishing vige have developed such a decent vi area?" "We began to doubt Matsui Ichiro¡¯s words and started exploring the secrets of Fisher¡¯s Vige. Fortunately, we got lucky and found a half-copsed house by the sea. Inside, we discovered a letter. The letter mentioned that Matsui Ichiro isn¡¯t a native of Fisher¡¯s Vige but a missionary who came here over twenty years ago. However, the church Matsui Ichiro worships, as you mentioned earlier, is likely a secret cult that worships the Eldritch God. The deity statues in Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall serve as evidence. Most importantly, Matsui Ichiro killed the family that wrote the letter, but there¡¯s an important question here: Matsui Yui is likely not Matsui Ichiro¡¯s daughter but the daughter of the letter¡¯s author." Liu Xing¡¯s words were a mix of truth and deception, as he didn¡¯t want to reveal everything to Alice. He couldn¡¯t fully trust her at the moment, considering her affiliation with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. She might even be in the process of converting to the "pseudo-Deep One." Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at Alice¡¯s right wrist, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see anything. Luckily, Alice was still digesting the information he had just shared and hadn¡¯t noticed his subtle movement. "Ryuusei, I think your perspective might be somewhat skewed. You might not fully understand that followers of evil secret cults like this are very devoted to the deity statues they worship. They would rather die than allow any harm toe to the statues. So, based on Matsui Ichiro¡¯s attitude towards those deity statues, I think your idea might be a bit off. As for the possibility that Matsui Yui is not Matsui Ichiro¡¯s daughter, I had that thought when I met Matsui Ichiro. The age gap between Matsui Yui and Matsui Ichiro is too significant, and they don¡¯t look much alike." Indeed, upon closer examination, Matsui Yui and Matsui Ichiro didn¡¯t share much resemnce. If Matsui Yui¡¯s appearance could be rated as 80, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s would probably be around 45. But that wasn¡¯t the focal point. Hearing Alice¡¯s response, Liu Xing acted as though he suddenly realized something and said, "So, there¡¯s another theory. I see now. So, Matsui Ichiro might be a chatan who came here from somewhere else and pretended to be a missionary, fooling the Fisher¡¯s Vige residents into trusting him with those deity statues." Alice nodded in agreement and said, "Exactly, that¡¯s what I think too. Matsui Ichiro is probably a chatan with good luck and persuasive skills. However, this Matsui Ichiro might have something up his sleeve because you must have noticed, Fisher¡¯s Vige residents¡¯ behavior is extremely abnormal, to the point of being eerie." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Alice had also noticed this. However, Liu Xing knew it was time to take a step back because the uing discussion with Alice would involve some "specialized knowledge." Currently, he was portrayed as an ordinary student in Alice¡¯s eyes. So, to avoid raising any suspicions about his identity, Liu Xing promptly handed the conversation over to Zhang Jingxu. After all, among all the yers present, Zhang Jingxu was the only professional. Liu Xing then gave Zhang Jingxu a knowing look and said, "Uh, regarding the unusual behavior of the Fisher¡¯s Vige residents, it would be best for Mr. Zhang Jingxu to discuss it with Miss Alice. Zhang Jingxu is a Taoist from China, and we¡¯ve already discussed the oddities of the Fisher¡¯s Vige residents before." Zhang Jingxu, seeing Liu Xing passing the baton to him, stepped forward and said, "Indeed, the Fisher¡¯s Vige residents¡¯ peculiar behavior is undoubtedly the result of something. Alice, you must have observed these Fisher¡¯s Vige residents as well. They seem like marites, acting ording to predetermined instructions. Most importantly, I can¡¯t sense any ¡¯divine¡¯ presence in their eyes. So, I can confidently say that these Fisher¡¯s Vige residents have be walking corpses. And the person responsible for turning all of them into this state is likely Matsui Ichiro." Alice nodded slightly, somewhat surprised, "I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Zhang Jingxu to be a Taoist, and your analysis makes a lot of sense. I had a vague feeling that something was off with these Fisher¡¯s Vige residents before, but I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it. Now, hearing Mr. Zhang Jingxu¡¯s analysis, I finally understand. It¡¯s true; professionals like you have a much deeper understanding than us amateur enthusiasts." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 333: Alice Joins the Fray Chapter 333: Alice Joins the Fray Alice furrowed her brows and spoke, "Well, it¡¯s true that Fisher¡¯s Vige is quite isted overseas, and leaving here won¡¯t be easy. ording to my conversation with Matsui Yui earlier, I¡¯ve heard that there are many sharks around Fisher¡¯s Vige. So, the vigers here are reluctant to venture into the sea since all the boats in Fisher¡¯s Vige are manually powered wooden ones. If they were to be attacked by sharks, it would be a death sentence." "Panda Pig," eximed with a horrified expression, "There are sharks around Fisher¡¯s Vige? Good thing we didn¡¯t make the rash decision to swim away from here." Clearly, these sharks were a plot encounter carefully set up by this module to deter yers from trying to escape Fisher¡¯s Vige using makeshift boats. Even if a yer managed to find a seaworthy vessel in Fisher¡¯s Vige, they would likely have to rely on a lucky judgment to determine if they would be attacked by sharks upon setting sail. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated. The difficulty level of this module seemed excessively high. After all, KP Green Light had already stated that even if theypleted the main quest, they still needed to find a way to escape Fisher¡¯s Vige to conclude the module. Failing to escape would lead to a nearly impossible-to-survive special module... Wait! At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered KP Green Light¡¯s previous statement. If yers couldn¡¯t sessfully escape Fisher¡¯s Vige, the next module would be a life-or-death special module. Initially, Liu Xing and the others had thought that this special module might involve being captured by Matsui Ichiro and taken to the headquarters of the Ocean True Deity Sect. However, considering the current situation, that possibility could be ruled out. So, what could this life-or-death special module be? Could it involve remaining trapped in Fisher¡¯s Vige, with the main quest changed to surviving under the watchful eye of the Shoggoth? If that were the case, Liu Xing was certain they would need to tear up their cards."Yeah," Alice agreed, "If we rashly head out to sea, it¡¯s highly unlikely we¡¯ll make it safely back tond. But we can¡¯t just sit here and wait for Matsui Ichiro to make a move. Our situation is extremely unfavorable." Zhang Jingxu nodded in resignation, saying, "You¡¯re right; our current situation is dire. We¡¯re like pawns on Matsui Ichiro¡¯s chessboard. He can dispose of us whenever he pleases, and attempting to resist him is nearly impossible." As Zhang Jingxu spoke, he made a hand gesture behind his back to signal Miyako Goudong. Miyako Goudong understood the signal and pretended to look clueless as he said, "Damn it, Miss Alice, you¡¯re right. We can¡¯t just wait here. How about this? We¡¯re a group, and we should use our numbers to our advantage. Why don¡¯t we take the initiative and try to control Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui before they make a move against us? That way, we can force them to let us leave Fisher¡¯s Vige and then report Matsui Ichiro¡¯s crimes to the authorities." After listening to Miyako Goudong¡¯s suggestion, Alice firmly shook her head and exined, "Things are not as easy as you think. First of all, we don¡¯t have a numerical advantage. As Mr. Zhang Jingxu just mentioned, although the vigers in Fisher¡¯s Vige are now like zombies, theirbat abilities are not to be underestimated. Furthermore, Matsui Ichiro, who controls them, probably won¡¯t care about the lives of these vigers. He¡¯ll likely order them tounch a suicidal attack against us, and we¡¯d be doomed for sure." "Also," Alice continued, "I know you might suggest that we could take them by surprise, go directly to Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house before he can react, and apprehend them. This way, we could avoid the vigers turning against us. But I must tell you now, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house is practically impregnable." "These past few days, I¡¯ve been dining at Matsui Yui¡¯s house and have gained some insight into Matsui Ichiro¡¯s residence. Firstly, his house is located within the old Fisher¡¯s Vige, right next to the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall. You¡¯ve probably seen it; the buildings in the old Fisher¡¯s Vige have all been sealed with cement, including the doors and windows. So, there¡¯s no way to enter Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house through the front door. We can only ess it through a tunnel around the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall, leading underground into Matsui Ichiro¡¯s home." "And this tunnel has two iron doors, for which only Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui have the keys. If we try to forcefully enter, it¡¯s almost impossible, unless you happen to have C4 explosives. Those doors are a good ten centimeters thick, and most importantly, they¡¯re solid metal." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house to be located in the old Fisher¡¯s Vige, and Alice¡¯s description of the three-story building was something he had noticed earlier that afternoon. However, since the old Fisher¡¯s Vige buildings, including this three-story structure, were all sealed with cement, he hadn¡¯t considered that Matsui Ichiro would live there. After all, in Liu Xing¡¯s understanding, it was highly unlikely for any normal person to reside in such apletely sealed-off house... Of course, Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui might not be normal people. However, what bothered Liu Xing even more now was the fact that while he could understand the idea of using a tunnel to ess the house, installing two solid iron doors that were ten centimeters thick inside the tunnel seemed excessive. It was as if they were explicitly telling the yers not to attempt to forcibly enter the three-story building. Of course, Liu Xing had another thought ¨C perhaps these two iron doors were not meant to protect Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui but to protect the yers themselves. After all, there might be numerous Shoggoths hidden around the three-story building, and yers attempting to break through the iron doors would surely attract the attention of the Shoggoths. So, the actual purpose of these two iron doors might be to discourage yers who were unaware of the Shoggoths¡¯ presence. At this point, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t help butment, "Are you kidding me? How could Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui live in that three-story building? All the doors and windows have been sealed with cement, and Fisher¡¯s Vige doesn¡¯t even have electricity. Wouldn¡¯t they be living in darkness 24/7?" Matsui Yui shook her head, also expressing her confusion. "That¡¯s what I thought too. In that three-story building, I hardly saw any furniture, and each room had an oilmp for illumination. But you know how dim oilmps can be. So, during my time at Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house, I would asionally bump into furniture." "But one thing worth mentioning is that, aside from the tunnel, that three-story building isn¡¯tpletely sealed off. You can ess the rooftop directly, which offers a good vantage point to observe every corner of Fisher¡¯s Vige effortlessly. That¡¯s why Matsui Ichiro chose to live there." Liu Xing nodded in understanding and asked, "I see, but speaking of that, Alice, did you ask Matsui Yui about why all the buildings in the old Fisher¡¯s Vige are sealed with cement?" Alice furrowed her brows and replied, "Of course, I asked Matsui Yui. Such behavior is indeed peculiar. However, her response at the time was quite vague. Now, I¡¯m convinced that her exnation was incorrect. She told me that when they were constructing the new area of Fisher¡¯s Vige, the vigers didn¡¯t want their decades-old homes in the old Fisher¡¯s Vige to turn into ruins. So, they decided to preserve all the buildings in the old Fisher¡¯s Vige. However, to prevent birds from nesting inside these houses, they sealed the doors and windows with cement." Hearing this exnation, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think, "What a load of nonsense," because that reason seemed quite far-fetched. Just then, Dogo Aige¡¯s voice came from downstairs, "Hey, everyone,e down for dinner!" Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu immediately whispered to Alice, "Alice, when we see Dogo Aige downstairs, please don¡¯t tell him about what you just heard regarding Matsui Yui. Dogo Aige has a short temper, and if he finds out about Matsui Yui¡¯s dark history, he¡¯ll likely lose control and confront Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui, potentially angering them. It wouldplicate matters for us." Alice furrowed her brows in confusion but said, "Why don¡¯t we just be honest with Dogo Aige? After all, he¡¯s directly involved, and he should know the current situation. While he might act impulsively upon hearing Matsui Yui¡¯s dark history, if we can restrain him and exin the situation, I believe Dogo Aige will make the right decision." Alice¡¯s suggestion was reasonable, but Liu Xing and the others couldn¡¯t afford to take that route, as it would likely lead to the failure of the module¡¯s main quest. So, Zhang Jingxu firmly shook his head, tapping his temple and said, "First of all, let me make it clear that I¡¯m not trying to defame Dogo Aige. It¡¯s just that Dogo Aige tends to be impulsive and has a short fuse. Even if we exin the situation to him, he might only temporarily restrain himself from taking extreme actions. I can assure you that once Dogo Aige sees Matsui Yui, he won¡¯t be able to contain his anger and might even resort to violence. You can guess the consequences of such actions. Therefore, it¡¯s best not to let Dogo Aige know about Matsui Yui¡¯s dark history for as long as possible to prevent him from disrupting our ns." Alice reluctantly nodded and said, "Well, in that case, let¡¯s let Dogo Aige continue living in his fantasies about Matsui Yui for now." With that, Alice headed downstairs first. In the ground-floor hall, Dogo Aige looked surprised as he smiled and asked, "Alice, why didn¡¯t you go to Yui¡¯s ce for dinner today?" Hearing Dogo Aige¡¯s question, Alice managed to force a faint smile and replied, "Oh, you might not know, but this afternoon, I had an argument with Yui¡¯s father over some issues. So, I didn¡¯t feelfortable going to Yui¡¯s ce for dinner. But it¡¯s alright; I can use this opportunity to get to know Ryuusei and the others better." Dogo Aige nodded in understanding and said, "I see. Well, for the time being, let¡¯s leave it at that. Fortunately, I prepared a bit more food today because I noticed that Ling Ishikawa hasn¡¯t eaten much since he got sick yesterday." After a few more exchanges, Dogo Aige left. Once everyone was seated, Alice suddenly said, "By the way, I forgot to ask earlier, but have any of you felt off these past two days? Personally, I¡¯ve been feeling a bit down, and my nervousness has worsened. I¡¯ve had a bit of a nervous disposition, but it seems to have gotten worse these past few days." Zhang Jingxu nodded, looking serious. "Yes, we¡¯ve been experiencing symptoms simr to what Alice described. So, this morning, we decided to inspect our respective rooms and found a Composite Magic Array inscribed on the window frames. The effects of this Composite Magic Array are to induce nervousness and memory loss." Since they couldn¡¯t fully trust Alice yet, Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t disclose all the effects of the Composite Magic Array. Hearing just the minimal effects of the Composite Magic Array, Alice was stunned. "What? Is this Composite Magic Array really that powerful? My mentor couldn¡¯t create such a potent Composite Magic Array." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and immediately asked, "Wait, Alice, your mentor can create magic arrays?" Alice nodded and smiled, saying, "My mentor was a renowned ultist in Ennd and had worked at the Miskatonic University in the United States of America." Miskatonic University? Everyone exchanged astonished nces. They hadn¡¯t expected Alice to have a mentor who had worked at Miskatonic University, which was known as one of the most famous schools in the Cthulhu Mythos and a gathering ce for powerful individuals. After all, Miskatonic University¡¯s gatekeeper had once killed Yog-Sothoth¡¯s son. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 334: Miskatonic University Chapter 334: Miskatonic University Miskatonic University is undeniably a significantponent of the Cthulhu Mythos. In many of H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s works, human characters are more or less connected to Miskatonic University, and the "Miskatonic watchdog" concept is widely circted within the Cthulhumunity. In this context, Miskatonic University is a fictitious institution located in the small town of Arkham, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States of America. (Arkham City in Batman pays homage to it, and both can be described as "breeding grounds" for talent.) The university¡¯s name is derived from a fictional river called the Miskatonic River. In H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s "The Dunwich Horror," Miskatonic University is mentioned as a world-renowned institution, on par with Harvard University. These two schools are the most famous among the offspring of Massachusetts "gentlemen." Being a prestigious university, Miskatonic University has outstanding achievements not only in history and psychology but also excels in archaeology and mysticism, reaching the pinnacle of worldwide expertise. Consequently, it attracts numerous students every year, though some end up in the neighboring Arkham Asylum or even in graves. Apart from its academic prowess, Miskatonic University boasts a rich library. In this library, one can find nearly every magic book or rted literature from the Cthulhu Mythos, including the "Necronomicon," although most are trantions in modernnguages. Therefore, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, if a yer has the opportunity to visit Arkham, they will undoubtedly choose to explore Miskatonic University, with a visit to its library being a must. By the way, in the works of the Cthulhu Mythos, Miskatonic University¡¯s research expeditions have faced numerous challenges. During expeditions to Antarctica, Egypt, and other locations, they encountered attacks from various mythical creatures. Despite these devastating setbacks, Miskatonic University has consistently managed to organize a world-leading research team. This demonstrates the depth of Miskatonic University¡¯s heritage. So, Liu Xing once saw a post on the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall forum, listing the "Hell Difficulty Start" options for yer character cards. The top-ranked option was "attending/working at Miskatonic University" followed by "residing in Arkham City." Although it¡¯s called a "Hell Difficulty Start," from another perspective, it can also be seen as the most rewarding start. Your character card, after going through a few modules in Arkham City, can quickly umte a significant amount of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. However, it¡¯s important to maintain the right mindset for your character card. Just like Liu Xing¡¯s character card, "Liu Xing," despite experiencing several supernatural events and encountering many mythical creatures and cultists, still clings to "scientific skepticism" and has not fully embraced the worldview of the Cthulhu Mythos. Of course, riskse with rewards. yer characters who manage to survive and leave Arkham City are truly exceptional. However, yers with such character cards usually be key figures in the Cthulhumunity.So, Liu Xing and hispanions are now surprised that Alice is a teacher from Miskatonic University. However, this might be one of the reasons why Alice joined the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Secret cult leaders like those in the Deep Sea Gospel Society tend to have high Cthulhu Mythos knowledge and mysticism values. Thus, Liu Xing begins to suspect that Alice¡¯s teacher is either the leader of the Deep Sea Gospel Society or a high-ranking member. But all of this is not the most important concern. "Miskatonic University? It¡¯s one of the most famous universities internationally," Panda Pig pretends to be surprised. "I didn¡¯t expect, Miss Alice, that you would be a student at Miskatonic University. I mean, as a student of Miskatonic University, why would you choose to open a bar in Kyoto? That¡¯s quite surprising." Alice chuckles and responds, "Mr. Panda Pig, you¡¯ve got a slight misunderstanding. Although my teacher used to work in the Department of Mysticism at Miskatonic University, many years ago, after participating in an expedition organized by Miskatonic University for certain reasons, they decided to retire from Miskatonic University and return to London to live out their retirement." "However, due to my father¡¯s involvement in a series of supernatural cases after his career change to be awyer following the midnight subway serial murders, he was ced by the London police in charge of handling certain supernatural cases. That¡¯s how he got to know my teacher. Because I¡¯ve been interested in mysticism since childhood, I became my teacher¡¯s formal disciple and learned a lot of mystical knowledge from them. So, it¡¯s not surprising that we¡¯ve now been drawn into a supernatural event." The others nod in agreement. Liu Xing is now certain that if he and his group engage in a deeper conversation with Alice, it¡¯s very likely they¡¯ll trigger plot points rted to her, which could lead to future opportunities to trigger corresponding modules. Therefore, Liu Xing is in a bit of a dilemma. Should he trigger the plot points rted to Alice? After all, he is seventy percent sure that modules rted to Alice will involve Elizabeth, or the boss of the module will be Elizabeth. If that turns out to be the case, Liu Xing would have a certain advantage. Moreover, engaging in a deeper conversation with Alice might lead to contact with Alice¡¯s teacher, which in turn could provide an opportunity to visit Miskatonic University. Modules rted to Miskatonic University, whether in the real Cthulhu RPG Game or in this real Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, are considered the yers¡¯ "sharpening stones" or, one could say, "dragon gates." Because modules rted to Miskatonic University typically involve numerous NPCs and mythical creatures, leaving aside the mythical creatures, just dealing with these NPCs can be quite challenging. These NPCs have mysterious identities and backgrounds, and as the saying goes in a certain fantasy novel, "Archaeologists are everywhere, and ultists are asmon as dogs." You could throw a stone anywhere and hit an important member of a secret cult. So, perhaps one moment an NPC is chatting andughing with you, and the next moment, they push up their ck-framed sses and cast some time-based Magic Spells at you. Therefore, modules rted to Miskatonic University tend to have higher difficulty levels, and one wrong move can lead to aplete loss. So, only those who sessfullyplete modules rted to Miskatonic University can be considered seasoned yers of the Cthulhu RPG Game and have the qualification to advance to the Cthulhu region, except for some special professions. Although Liu Xing is still a yer in the Shoggoth Region, it¡¯s always good to be prepared for the future. But before Liu Xing could say anything, Zhang Jingxu smiled and said, "Miss Alice, if possible, I hope that in the future, you could introduce me to your teacher. I¡¯ve been interested in mysticism for a long time, and the Department of Mysticism at Miskatonic University is the best in the world." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Zhang Jingxu was trying to take his spotlight. ording to Liu Xing¡¯s understanding, Zhang Jingxu shouldn¡¯t need to go to Miskatonic University. After all, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s profession is a Taoist, which falls into the special profession category Liu Xing mentioned earlier. So, Zhang Jingxu can advance to the Cthulhu region simply by following his sect and carrying out "demon-ying" missions everywhere, without the need to participate in modules rted to Miskatonic University. Alice also shared the same thought, "Well, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, isn¡¯t your profession a Taoist? Based on my understanding of China¡¯s Taoism, your theories should differ significantly from our Western mysticism." As Alice mentioned, although Taoist knowledge and theories are categorized under the mysticism skill in the Cthulhu RPG Game, there are differences and even contradictions between Taoist teachings and Western mysticism as studied in the Western world. This is why Alice found it surprising. Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "You¡¯re right. Although my previous knowledge of Taoism differs from the Western mysticism theories, we can still findmon ground. Especially after encountering supernatural events and mythical creatures, I¡¯ve realized the limitations of my own knowledge. To improve my knowledge, I¡¯ve decided to study mysticism seriously. However, theory alone can be quite limiting, and I haven¡¯t gained much useful information just by reading books." "So, I thought about finding a professor specializing in mysticism to guide me. Originally, I considered going to Miskatonic University for studies, but Ick a mentor. Even if I were to attend Miskatonic University, I would at most be an auditor, which wouldn¡¯t be very meaningful for me. That¡¯s why I hope Miss Alice can introduce me to your teacher. I¡¯ll provide a generous reward that will satisfy your teacher." Alice thought for a moment and said, "That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. My teacher is quite open-minded and very interested in mystical theories rted to Eastern practices. Unlike other academic mysticism professors who cling to their own views and believe that Western mystical theories are the only correct ones, dismissing Eastern mysticism as baseless, my teacher should be very willing to meet Mr. Zhang Jingxu. After all, my teacher has never encountered the mystical theories of China¡¯s Taoism before. However, before that, we need to find an opportunity to escape from Fisher¡¯s Vige." After receiving Alice¡¯s affirmative response, Zhang Jingxu sighed with relief and said, "Alright, let¡¯s exchange contact information after we leave Fisher¡¯s Vige." Liu Xing noticed that Lu Tianya¡¯s expression was somewhat off at this point. As expected, women are prone to jealousy, even though Zhang Jingxu and Alice were discussing work-rted matters. Zhang Jingxu clearly sensed the killing intent emanating from beside him, but what impressed Liu Xing was Zhang Jingxu¡¯s calm response. He said, "Well, I¡¯ve eaten my fill now. Take your time with your meal, everyone. I¡¯ll go back to my room and prepare. I¡¯ll help Miss Alice deal with that Composite Magic Array in her room. Tianya, if you¡¯re done eating,e up and give me a hand." With that, Zhang Jingxu got up and left the dining table. However, Liu Xing still noticed that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s movements were somewhat stiff. Lu Tianya walked beside Zhang Jingxu and blocked the view of Liu Xing and the others. But Liu Xing could still see that Lu Tianya¡¯s hand was already resting on Zhang Jingxu¡¯s waist. Seeing this scene, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but smile inwardly. However, his smile froze instantly because, as a single guy himself, he felt like he had just been fed a mouthful of dog food. After a while, Zhang Jingxu went downstairs and said to Alice, "Miss Alice, if you¡¯re ready, you can go upstairs and chat with Lu Tianya. Later, Lu Tianya will help you deal with the Composite Magic Array in your room." Alice nodded with a smile and went upstairs directly. At this moment, the Private Room time began. "Zhang Jingxu, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so submissive to your wife," Panda Pig teased with augh. Zhang Jingxu smiled helplessly and said, "Well, what can I do? I¡¯m quite desperate too. But back to the point, I didn¡¯t expect the boss of this module to be a Shoggoth. Thisplicates things." Liu Xing nodded and shrugged, saying, "You¡¯re right. Based on what I discovered this afternoon in the Underground Ruins, there¡¯s definitely more than one Shoggoth in Fisher¡¯s Vige, and there¡¯s certainly an elite-level Shoggoth among them. But theoretically, we should have a way to avoid direct conflicts with these Shoggoths. After all, with our currentbat capabilities, we probably can¡¯t even defeat a regr Shoggoth." Although Liu Xing said this, he still had no idea how to avoid a conflict with the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 335: Compulsory Module Chapter 335: Compulsory Module "I personally believe that the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige should belong to the weakened version of Shoggoths. After all, everyone knows that the most formidable ability of Shoggoths is their continuous evolution. However, Shoggoth¡¯s evolution requires a reference or apletely new environment. Clearly, the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vigeck these conditions. So, I think that over the years, the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige haven¡¯t evolved much. Of course, that being said, we may still not be able to defeat this particr Shoggoth, even if we join forces," Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help butment. Ling Ishikawa, with a puzzled expression, looked at Liu Xing and said, "Liu Xing, are you enjoying teasing us with your humor? But on a serious note, it alles down to your performance now. After all, you are the only one who can contact that Ancient One, Sirius. Hopefully, Sirius still has a way to deal with the Shoggoths." Liu Xing reached into his pocket, touched the Soul Casket, and nodded, saying, "I can only try my best. I have a feeling that this Ancient One, Sirius, is up to something. It¡¯s definitely not a straightforward entity. However, it still needs my help at the moment, so it¡¯s likely to cooperate with me." "Let¡¯s hope so. Right now, we need to figure out several things: how many Shoggoths are in Fisher¡¯s Vige, what roles these Shoggoths y, and whether the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige are worth saving. Especially thest point, as I mentioned before, my character card has an idealistic personality. If there¡¯s a chance to save lives, I will definitely do it. So, if possible, I hope you won¡¯t inform me immediately if there are other human survivors in Fisher¡¯s Vige. Wait until the Private Room time," Zhang Jingxu said earnestly. Hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, Miyako Godong nodded in agreement, "That¡¯s right. My character card is simr to Zhang Jingxu¡¯s. I¡¯m ate-stage severe case of Chuunibyou, so I¡¯m all for saving the world. Therefore, Liu Xing, you three should work together now, and I¡¯ll stick with Zhang Jingxu." Liu Xing sighed helplessly and said, "Well, thatplicates things. Both of your character cards are essentially useless in Fisher¡¯s Vige. However, there are likely humans in Fisher¡¯s Vige who are under the control of Shoggoths. But when I returned from the Underground Ruins, I heard the sound of Shoggoths moving in the neighboring vi. This confirms the identity of the residents in that vi." Panda Pig nodded and frowned, "Well, the essence of the Cthulhu RPG Game is to y characterspletely opposite to our own personalities. But it¡¯s be a burden for us now. Most importantly, our character cards have random personalities, and there¡¯s hardly any way to change them. However, I have a question now: those vigers who went to the beach in the middle of the night, are they human or Shoggoths?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Panda Pig¡¯s question quite challenging. Originally, before the trip to Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall this afternoon, Liu Xing was certain that those three vigers were human. But given the current situation, he started to suspect that they might be Shoggoths. And the reason these three Shoggoths had gone to Dogo Aige¡¯s grass hut was likely to use magic to control Dogo Aige.Therefore, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t determine the true identity of those three vigers. "Better safe than sorry. For now, let¡¯s treat those three vigers as Shoggoths. Given the number and strength of the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige, it¡¯s unlikely that so many people have regained their consciousness," Ling Ishikawa said seriously. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Alright, let¡¯s move on to the next topic. As Liu Xing just mentioned, we definitely can¡¯t defeat the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige. And our Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall certainly wouldn¡¯t arrange an unwinnable module. So, there should be a way to avoid fighting the Shoggoths. I believe this method is likely rted to Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui," Zhang Jingxu spoke up. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and nodded, "You¡¯re right. In the current situation, the breakthrough should indeed be with Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui since they are the only humans in Fisher¡¯s Vige who remain conscious." At this point, Ling Ishikawa shook his head, interrupting Liu Xing, "Wait, Liu Xing, you might be jumping to conclusions. What if Matsui Ichiro and Matsui Yui are also Shoggoths? After all, Shoggoths have high intelligence. So, I think once they took control of Fisher¡¯s Vige, they would start nning their next actions. The most crucial thing for them at that time would be information since these Shoggoths have been locked underground in Fisher¡¯s Vige for millions of years and have lost contact with the outside world." "But for the sake of safety, the Shoggoths wouldn¡¯t choose to reveal themselves all at once. Instead, they sent the most capable Shoggoth, one who could impersonate a human effectively, to gather information from the human world and bring more humans back to Fisher¡¯s Vige. This Shoggoth is likely Matsui Yui, and the elite-level Shoggoth is probably Matsui Ichiro," Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words left Liu Xing deep in thought. He had to admit that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s spection was quite usible. "I also agree with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s idea because this module has a very specific feature¡ªMatsui Yui¡¯s tension. Since this feature is named ¡¯Matsui Yui¡¯ and its effect is randomly killing a yer once it reaches 100, it implies that Matsui Yui has the ability to do so. Therefore, if Matsui Yui is a Shoggoth, it would make sense. After all, even if her tension reaches 100, it wouldn¡¯t matter to the Shoggoths. They wouldn¡¯t assist Matsui Yui in killing. Plus, considering Matsui Yui¡¯s physical stature, she doesn¡¯t seem like a fighter," Miyako Godong raised her hand and said. Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Alright, you¡¯ve convinced me. It¡¯s highly likely that Matsui Yui and Matsui Ichiro are Shoggoths in disguise. However, based on their current behavior, it¡¯s clear that these two Shoggoths canmunicate. So, I think we should try to negotiate with them and persuade them to let us go. Although the chances of sess might not be high." "For the greater good, even if it means sacrificing ourselves. The Shoggoths are unlikely to let us, the ¡¯easy prey¡¯ that¡¯se right to their doorstep, go unless we have something that makes them wary. For example, the Shoggoth suppression device?" Zhang Jingxu said with a furrowed brow. Ling Ishikawa, upon hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, looked conflicted and said, "While there is that possibility, the fact remains that I won¡¯t be able to control a Shoggoth using the Shoggoth suppression device unless I achieve consecutive major sesses. Besides, using the device to intimidate the Shoggoths is not very realistic either, considering that the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige have gained some knowledge about humans. They are aware of our capabilities, and our threat with the Shoggoth suppression device may not be effective." For a moment, everyone fell silent. "The plot of this module is indeed full of twists and turns. We initially thought it was some secret cult causing trouble in Fisher¡¯s Vige, but now the boss has turned out to be a Shoggoth. I can¡¯t help but suspect there will be more surprises ahead," Panda Pig said, looking up at the ceiling. Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said helplessly, "The storyline of this module is quite unpredictable, and it involves various mythical creatures. Right now, we still haven¡¯t truly understood the plot of this module." "The real plot of this module probably requires us to find the second letter. However, we have no clue about the location of that second letter," Panda Pig said, feeling disheartened. Regarding the second letter, Liu Xing had initially thought they might find it during their trip to the Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall in the afternoon, but they hade back empty-handed. "In that case, the second letter is probably in Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house. After all, it¡¯s the only major building in Fisher¡¯s Vige we haven¡¯t visited," Ling Ishikawa suggested. Liu Xing shook his head, saying, "Even if the letter is in Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house, we have no way of getting inside." The matter had to be temporarily set aside. "By the way, can we really trust Alice now? What if this is a ruse by Alice and Matsui Yui to deceive us?" Ling Ishikawa expressed some concern. Zhang Jingxu nodded and affirmed, "I think we can trust Alice for now. While Alice can act alongside Matsui Yui, the system doesn¡¯t lie. Since Matsui Yui¡¯s tension has increased, it means she was genuinely angry when she talked to Alice. And it couldn¡¯t have been because of our previous conversations with Alice, as our discussions with her should have been enough to push Matsui Yui¡¯s tension to the max. So, as things stand, Alice should be on our side. However, that might change after this module ends." After all, Alice was still officially associated with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. In the future, she would likely sh with "Liu Xing" and "Zhang Jingxu." "Liu Xing" was the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, and Zhang Jingxu, as a disciple of the Chinese Daoist tradition, naturally had conflicts with "Alice" and her "cult." Wait a minute. Liu Xing looked puzzled as he gazed at Zhang Jingxu and asked, "Speaking of which, Zhang Jingxu, didn¡¯t you mention that your character card has a strong aversion to secret cults? Why did you want to meet Alice¡¯s mentor just now? Are you really willing to take such a risk?" Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said seriously, "You should all know that Miskatonic University in our real Cthulhu RPG Game serves as a gateway. To advance from the Shoggoth Region to the Hound of Tindalos Region, besides acquiring the World Mission ticket, one must also undergo a module in Arkham City, the most critical location being Miskatonic University." "In other words, to pass the module in Arkham City, the best approach is to seek assistance from Miskatonic University. Due to well-known reasons, Miskatonic University has vast experience in dealing with mythical creatures and secret cults. Although entering Miskatonic University is rtively easy, obtaining their help is quite challenging." "So, I am currently preparing for the future. I want to establish a good rtionship with Alice¡¯s mentor and obtain an introduction letter to Miskatonic University. This way, I¡¯ll have the opportunity to seek Miskatonic University¡¯s assistance in the future. My character card is actually easy to persuade; I just need to tell them that I¡¯m going to investigate Alice¡¯s mentor¡¯s identity and aim to wipe out all the followers of the secret cult." Panda Pig, on the side, nodded and smiled, "It seems that Zhang Jingxu, you are quite far-sighted. You¡¯ve thought ahead. You see, while we might have difficulty advancing from the Shoggoth Region to the Hound of Tindalos Region, the prospect of moving from the Hound of Tindalos Region to the Cthulhu Region is even more daunting. So, now I¡¯m nning to stay in the Shoggoth Region, y it safe, and enjoy life, as long as I avoid encountering difficult modules like Fisher¡¯s Vige. I don¡¯t have to worry about being eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall." Though he had been at odds with Panda Pig, Miyako Godong also nodded and sighed, "I share the same sentiment. Before I advanced to the Shoggoth Region, I thought these modules were quite straightforward and believed I would have a chance to reach the legendary Azathoth Region. But after advancing to the Shoggoth Region, I lost two character cards in a row and nearly got eliminated by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. So, now I¡¯ve lost confidence in advancing to the Hound of Tindalos Region. I just want to rx and take it easy, as long as I can handle thepulsory modules." "Compulsory modules?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked, "What arepulsory modules? Why haven¡¯t I heard of them?" Miyako Godong looked at Liu Xing, somewhat surprised, and said, "What? Liu Xing, you don¡¯t know aboutpulsory modules? It seems you¡¯ve been participating in modules quite frequently. Compulsory modules work like this: when you haven¡¯t participated in a module for a certain period, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall arranges apulsory module for you based on your previous performance. However, the difficulty of thesepulsory modules is usually moderate." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 336: Master Zhang Jingxu Chapter 336: Master Zhang Jingxu Liu Xing rubbed the back of his head, realizing that he had been ying the game quite frequently, especially after advancing to the Shoggoth Region. The intervals between the two modules rarely exceeded a week. Hence, encountering a mandatory module wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected for Liu Xing. At this moment, Miyako Godong had a frustrated expression as he spoke, "Sigh, I thought having a couple of thousand points would allow me to peacefully stay in the real world for a few years. I never imagined there would be mandatory modules. What¡¯s more, I was traveling with my family when the game suddenly required my presence. I didn¡¯t have time to exin, and when I returned, my family had already reported me missing, thinking I hadmitted suicide. I had to spend quite a while exining things to the police." Panda Pig, who was beside them, nodded in agreement, saying with resignation, "Yeah, this mandatory module is a real pain. When we receive the notification for its activation, we only have a minute to prepare. That one minute is barely enough to find a secluded ce to enter the game. I couldn¡¯t even exin to my girlfriend properly. Because of this mandatory module, I ended up breaking up with her. I disappeared on her birthday party without a word and was missing for a whole day." Liu Xing nced at Panda Pig and could only think of four words - "serves them right"... Well, he refrained from saying it out loud. "So, this mandatory module is really troublesome. Although the difficulty is generally not too high, and the rewards forpleting modules are decent, the timing of this mandatory module¡¯s activation is unpredictable. The first time I encountered it was about a month after finishing the previous module, and the second time was only twenty dayster. I initially thought the intervals between mandatory modules would be shorter, but after anxiously waiting for two months, I finally encountered the third mandatory module," Miyako Godong said, spreading his hands. Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, "Actually, I heard someone mention before that the activation of this mandatory module is based on a yer¡¯s performance in the previous module. If a yer did exceptionally well in the previous module, the mandatory module is likely to activate within half a month. But if a yer was just carried through the previous module by their teammates, the mandatory module might not activate for several months. Some even say that the activation of the mandatory module depends on an overall evaluation of all the modules a yer has experienced." Hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "So, don¡¯t you guys think that Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is grooming us? They select outstanding yers and force them toplete more modules within a certain timeframe, thus elerating their growth and allowing them to enter higher gaming regions faster. As for those average yers, Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall doesn¡¯t pay them much attention, only bringing them out asionally..." "This is just natural selection," Liu Xing continued. "As you mentioned, most game operators in the real world primarily focus on high-end yers, disregarding the existence of ordinary yers. After all, those ordinary yers are just a part of the high-end yers¡¯ gaming experience. Besides, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall we¡¯re ying right now doesn¡¯t even allow for microtransactions."Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement but still had some doubts, "Liu Xing, what you¡¯re saying makes sense, but I¡¯ve been thinking about two questions. Why does Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall exist, and who created it?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s two questions were not easily answered. He had pondered these questions before, but there were still no answers. Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s capabilities far exceeded what human technology could achieve. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall might have been created by a high-tech mythical creature race from the Cthulhu mythos, such as the Yis People or Mi Ge. Alternatively, it could have been created by the scapegoat Nyathotep. But if that were the case, it meant that the Cthulhu mythos was not fictional, and the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones were real. This also exined why humans could conquer the skies but not the depths of the ocean. The deep sea was sealed by numerous Great Old Ones, preventing human exploration. The underwater ruins were the cities built and abandoned by mythical creatures like the Ancient Ones and Deep Ones in ancient times. Earthquakes could be attributed to the Earth-boring Demon Worm identally surfacing on thend. In summary, Liu Xing was unwilling to admit the validity of his own spection. "We definitely don¡¯t have the answers to these two questions," Zhang Jingxu said earnestly. "Summer insects cannot talk of ice. With our current abilities, we are not qualified to discuss these matters. Moreover, we are currently in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, so we should be cautious and avoid discussing these sensitive topics." Ling Ishikawa nodded and shrugged helplessly, choosing to remain silent. Liu Xing sighed and decided to change the topic. "Speaking of which, Zhang Jingxu, could you tell us more about your master? From your description, it seems like he¡¯s also a yer." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Liu Xing¡¯s insight. "Oh, I didn¡¯t expect you to guess that my master is also a yer. Honestly, when I discovered that my master was a yer too, I was quite shocked. Before that, I had always believed my master was just a knowledgeable NPC." "Zhang Jingxu, can you tell us more about your master? He seems to have been very helpful and shared a lot with you," Miyako Godong said with interest. Zhang Jingxu nodded and continued, "My master¡¯s name is Feng Zhicheng. Of course, that¡¯s not his real name; it¡¯s just the name on his character card. As for his real name and his situation in the real world, I have no information. My master has never mentioned anything about his real-life circumstances, and he always emphasized the importance of distinguishing between the game and reality." "Feng Zhicheng?!" Liu Xing eximed in surprise. Liu Xing was astonished because the name Feng Zhicheng was familiar to him. He had a close friend from college named Feng Zhicheng. "What? Do you know my master, Liu Xing?" Zhang Jingxu asked curiously. Liu Xing shook his head and replied with a smile, "No, no, I don¡¯t know your master. It¡¯s just that I have a friend in real life named Feng Zhicheng. But I highly doubt that my friend would be interested in Cthulhu RPG Game, or maybe he¡¯s just a satisfied person with his current life. Most of the yers who joined Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall are likely to have a certain level of interest in the game." "That¡¯s right. I remember there was a forum thread where over five hundred yers who epted the survey all imed to have some interest in Cthulhu RPG Game. But considering that the forum provided by Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall can only be essed after advancing to the Shoggoth Region, those who have no interest in Cthulhu RPG Game probably perished in the first official module," Ling Ishikawa said seriously. Liu Xing shrugged and didn¡¯t say anything. However, when the topic turned to Feng Zhicheng, he thought of Wu Lei. Wu Lei had known Feng Zhicheng since high school, and they had a love-hate rtionship. That¡¯s why Wu Lei¡¯s character card had "Feng Zhicheng" in it. "Anyway, let me continue. While my master doesn¡¯t want to be friends in real life, he has been an excellent mentor and friend within the game. He has an in-depth understanding of the Cthulhu Mythos and Cthulhu RPG Game, and he has provided me with a lot of help. Most importantly, my master often leaves me useful items, although I suspect these items are of no use to him." "Unfortunately, I¡¯ve never had the chance to y with my master because yers from different gaming regions cannot be assigned to the same module. When I first used this character card, I was in the Ghoul region, and my master was already advancing through the Shoggoth Region¡¯s promotion module. So, by the time I advanced to the Shoggoth Region, my master had already reached the Hound of Tindalos region. I assume that once I reach the Hound of Tindalos region, my master will have moved on to the Cthulhu region, so it seems I won¡¯t be able to catch up with him," Zhang Jingxu said with an exaggerated sigh. Panda Pig chuckled and spoke, "Zhang Jingxu, you still have a chance to y with your master. After all, no yer has advanced to the Azathoth region so far. So as long as you advance to the Cthulhu region, you¡¯ll be able to y with your master." Zhang Jingxu nodded but looked puzzled. "Yes, I¡¯ve been wondering why no yer has advanced to the Azathoth region so far. To my knowledge, there are already over a thousand top yers in the Cthulhu region. The most senior yer there has been in the Cthulhu region for over ten years. Not to mention advancing to the Azathoth region, we don¡¯t even know the conditions for promotion. So now, those top yers in the Cthulhu region are still exploring the prerequisites for advancing to the Azathoth region. It seems that to ascend to the Azathoth region, you must firstplete the World Mission entirely and make an agreement with a specific Great Old One, having them acknowledge your existence. Then you have a chance to take the promotion module, which consists of Missions assigned by the Great Old One you made a deal with. Completing those Missions allows yers to advance to the Azathoth region." Completing Missions given by a Great Old One? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that the conditions for advancing to the Azathoth region were indeed strict. Meeting a Great Old One was already a rare urrence, let alone having a conversation with one. For Great Old Ones, humans were like insignificant ants, and most of the time, they would simply squash them instead of engaging in conversation. As for gaining the recognition of a Great Old One, it was an even more challenging task. yers in the Cthulhu region had their attributes capped at 99, while many of the mythical creatures they had to face in the Cthulhu region had attribute values exceeding 100, even reaching into the thousands. Therefore, the key to gaining a Great Old One¡¯s recognitiony in the items yers possessed. Although yers who could advance to the Cthulhu region each had powerful items, these items might not be sufficient to impress a Great Old One. At this point, Panda Pig interrupted Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts, "Hey, can we focus on the present for now? We¡¯re still Shoggoth Region yers, and it will take at least a year or two to advance to the Cthulhu region, assuming everything goes smoothly. So, should we consider taking action now and deal with Matsui Yui? Her tension level is already at 99." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 337: The Advance of Alice Chapter 337: The Advance of Alice This is a question, a very serious one. As of the current situation, Matsui Yui¡¯s tension could easily soar to over 100. Although KP Green Light imed that their group might emerge unscathed, the chances of that happening were likely only a few percentage points. So, Liu Xing and the others were not willing to bet on those slim odds. Therefore, the safest course of action at the moment seemed to be to strike first and eliminate Matsui Yui directly. After all, without Matsui Yui, there would be no Matsui Yui¡¯s tension. However, even if they could deal with Matsui Yui and make her tension disappear, it also meant going to war with the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige. Matsui Yui was an important figure to them as well. So, the idea of striking first to eliminate Matsui Yui was not wrong, but what to do after dealing with Matsui Yui was another serious issue. Furthermore, the more troublesome aspect was that the Main Quest required Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige to hold a wedding, which meant convincing Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui to have a Nether Wedding. Thinking about this, Liu Xing shook his head and said seriously, "Well, although it might be quite simple for us to deal with Matsui Yui, just find a reason for Dogo Aige to call her out, but the best way to deal with Matsui Yui is undoubtedly to send her to hell in advance. After all, no one knows if Matsui Yui has any means to contact the Shoggoths." "But no matter what, even though we are striking first, it still counts as an early confrontation with the Shoggoths. After all, how could the Shoggoths allow us to deal with Matsui Yui without interference? Moreover, the entire Fisher¡¯s Vige has Shoggoth¡¯s eyes and ears, and even our every move right now is being watched by them. Besides, do you want the Main Quest¡¯s wedding to directly be a Nether Wedding?"The others were momentarily speechless because the current situation was indeed quite troublesome. After a while, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Anyway, I think we have to strike first. It¡¯s better to take a chance and fight back than to be boiled like a frog in warm water. Besides, we can¡¯t just charge in blindly; we shouldplete those Side Quests first. Those are valuable points that can help us recover some losses." "Well, let¡¯s do this then. Tonight, we¡¯ll go on a night tour of Fisher¡¯s Vige. This Side Quest should be rtively simple, and maybe we can even uncover the secrets of those three Fisher¡¯s Vige residents. However, the other Side Quests might be more troublesome, especially the second letter. We have no clue about it," Zhang Jingxu said helplessly. Liu Xing stroked his chin and offered his opinion, "I think the second letter is unlikely to be in Matsui Ichiro¡¯s house. After all, it¡¯s just a Side Quest, and the primary purpose of these three letters is to inform us of the plot... Although this may be a misleading subplot, the acquisition difficulty should not be too high, just like the first and third letters, which we obtained with little effort. So, I believe the second letter is likely a plot trigger that will activate at a certain time." In the Cthulhu RPG Game, to ensure the smooth progression of the plot and allow yers to experience the entire module storyline, timed triggers were usually set up. It couldn¡¯t be triggered until the specified time arrived. Just like the afternoon visit to the Ancestral Hall, it was definitely only triggered in the afternoon to make yers aware of the existence of mythical creatures in Fisher¡¯s Vige. And this second letter was undoubtedly the most important of the three, as its content was pivotal and likely to provide vital information. "Then we¡¯ll have to wait and see. But I have a feeling that if there¡¯s going to be any yer ripping cards in this module, I¡¯ll be the first one," Panda Pig dered. At this point, their time in the private room had ended. Without needing a reminder from KP Green Light, everyone dispersed. However, Liu Xing remained seated at his position, gazing out at the dark streets of Fisher¡¯s Vige. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of unease, thinking that their n to visit Fisher¡¯s Vige at night might be too reckless. But at that moment, Liu Xing heard someone descending from upstairs. Furrowing his brows, he realized that Zhang Jingxu and the others had already gone upstairs, so there shouldn¡¯t be anyoneing down now. The neer had to be Alice, as Lu Tianya was likely with Zhang Jingxu. Liu Xing turned around and indeed saw Alice approaching him. She had noticed him too, offering a very formal smile before walking over. However, Liu Xing didn¡¯t consider this a good sign. Alice couldn¡¯t havee to see him for no reason, nor would she be discussing life and ideals. He began to suspect that Alice had learned about his true identity. Alice took a seat across from Liu Xing. Noticing the situation, Liu Xing preemptively asked, "Miss Alice, has the Composite Magic Array in your room been resolved?" Alice nodded and smiled, "Of course. With the help of Lu Tianya, the Composite Magic Array in my room has been perfectly resolved. Now I feel much clearer in my mind. As I was reminiscing about the memories I had lost, I suddenly remembered something. It seems I know you, Ryuusei, along with Ling Ishikawa and Lu Tianya." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, confirming his suspicions. Alice indeed recognized him, Ling Ishikawa, and Lu Tianya. If that were the case, then the Deep Sea Gospel Society must have linked him to the destruction of Morimoto Academy. Thinking about this, Liu Xing feigned confusion and said, "What? Miss Alice, you actually know us? That¡¯s impossible. We¡¯re just three ordinary high school graduates, and we hadn¡¯t even met you beforeing to Fisher¡¯s Vige." Alice chuckled and said seriously, "Oh, Ryuusei, are you sure about that? I distinctly remember you, Ling Ishikawa, and a few others I didn¡¯t recognizeing to my bar in Kyoto. And by the looks of it, you all seemed to be looking for someone." Liu Xing thought for a moment and exined, "Oh, Miss Alice, you¡¯re talking about that time. The situation was like this: we had just graduated from high school and wanted to celebrate. We thought of your bar, which was the hottest in Kyoto at the time." "But you should also know about a peculiarw in the Ind Nation, which prohibits those under twenty from drinking or entering bars. We were afraid of running into acquaintances at the bar, so we sent Ling Ishikawa ahead as a scout to investigate the situation at your bar. Then we all came to your bar together." Liu Xing felt that his exnation was reasonable, but for Alice, it could only be seen as an attempt to cover the truth. As expected, Alice smiled again and said seriously, "Ryuusei, let¡¯s be honest. I know you, as well as Ling Ishikawa and Lu Tianya. You were the masterminds behind the Morimoto Academy incident. Morimoto Academy was exposed for its secret cult controlling the school¡¯s hierarchy and sacrificing students, which led to its forced closure by the Kyoto authorities. I would say about ny percent of the credit for that goes to you." This time, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t stay calm. He hadn¡¯t expected Alice to know so much. Most importantly, it meant that the Deep Sea Gospel Society had already noticed his involvement in the Morimoto Academy incident. Consequently, the Deep Sea Gospel Society might be nning something against him. This was troublesome. Liu Xing¡¯s current abilities were no match for the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and he could only hope they wouldn¡¯t pay too much attention to him and give him some time to grow. However, Liu Xing still couldn¡¯tpletely let go of the possibility that Alice might be testing him. After all, in the previous Morimoto Academy module, his cooperation with Ling Ishikawa and Ming Hanxing had been excellent, and there should be few ws in their performance. So, Liu Xing continued to pretend to beposed and said, "Oh, Miss Alice, why would you think that? We really are just a group of ordinary students. As for the Morimoto Academy incident, it was entirely Morimoto Academy¡¯s own fault. However, it¡¯s true that we were involved in the incident. Our homeroom teacher was one of the victims killed by the Red-Clothed Female Ghost." "Because we had a good rtionship with our homeroom teacher, our ssmates decided to investigate the truth together. That¡¯s how we met Lu Tianya, who was then the Student Council President of Morimoto Academy. We reached a cooperation agreement, but before we could start the investigation, Morimoto Academy¡¯s scandal was exposed, and the school was closed." After Liu Xing¡¯s carefully worded exnation, he observed Alice¡¯s facial expressions closely. "Hehe." Alice continued to wear her formic smile, leaving Liu Xing unable to read her. However, Liu Xing suddenly questioned himself. Why was he acting so timid? With newfound confidence, Liu Xing spoke up, "Miss Alice, do you know what kind of people those high-ranking individuals at Morimoto Academy were? They were all secret cultists who offered students as sacrifices to those elusive gods. They were a bunch of damned monsters! Unfortunately, most of the individuals who were arrested and sentenced to prison received at most a few decades of imprisonment. It¡¯s clear that their secret cult behind the scenes, the Deep Sea Gospel Society, helped them with their connections." In "Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s" memories, there was recent media coverage about the Kyoto Prosecutor¡¯s Office prosecuting Fujiwara Hiroshi and his group arrested in the Morimoto Academy incident. The maximum sentence they faced was about forty years. The reason given was that Fujiwara Hiroshi and his group were just scapegoats. Obviously, this was the result of the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s maniption of connections. The sudden revtion shocked the public, and many protested, demanding that the Kyoto Prosecutor¡¯s Office reopen the case and severely punish Fujiwara Hiroshi and his group while questioning the office¡¯s eptance of bribes. Under tremendous pressure, the Kyoto Prosecutor¡¯s Office eventually announced that the previous reports were baseless rumors, and they were actually seeking life sentences for Fujiwara Hiroshi and his group. After all, while the Ind Nation hadn¡¯t officially abolished the death penalty, its execution process wasplicated, and the final approval required the signature of the Minister of Justice. Some ministers of justice refused to sign for personal or political reasons, as they didn¡¯t want to y the role of executioner. As a result, the Ind Nation might only carry out the death penalty once or twice a year. Facing Liu Xing¡¯s counterattack, Alice remained unruffled, smiling as she said, "Oh, that¡¯s indeed how it appeared. However, Ryuusei, I think you might not have the qualifications to say such things. After all, your father is still in prison, and the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, which your father founded, also sacrificed living people to so-called gods, didn¡¯t they?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow. He hadn¡¯t expected Alice to uncover his identity like this. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 338: Alice’s Quest for Cooperation Chapter 338: Alice¡¯s Quest for Cooperation While investigating the identity of "WatanabeRyuusei" proved to be rtively straightforward, all it took was tracing back to "WatanabeRyuusei¡¯s" hometown to easily uncover information about the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. After all, in their heyday, the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect had quite a notorious reputation. So, Liu Xing had long prepared himself for the possibility of his true identity being exposed. However, considering the current situation, it seemed that the Deep Sea Gospel Society was merely a group offering devotion to the Deep One, unlike the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, who had the ability tomunicate with the Byakhee. Therefore, it was highly likely that the Deep Sea Gospel Society was unaware of the enmity between the Deep One and the Byakhee. Otherwise, the Deep Sea Gospel Society would undoubtedly spare no effort to deal with Liu Xing, striving to defeat their enemies in the name of their "god." Hence, Liu Xing calmly presented the familiar narrative from his past, "Oh, you¡¯re talking about that matter? I admit that my father once established a secret cult called the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect and conducted some inhumane sacrificial rituals. However, my father is currently in prison, receiving the punishment he deserves. Though from the perspective of the victims, one could argue that his punishment is somewhat lenient." "As for myself, I believe, Miss Alice, you must have discovered my background. In simple terms, I had no involvement in any of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect¡¯s activities. The reason is straightforward: I personally detested secret cults like the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect that used living beings in their sacrificial ceremonies. However, at that time, I was just a middle school student, incapable of any heroic actions. Thus, I had no choice but to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect¡¯s deeds." Liu Xing spoke while keeping a close watch on Alice. However, to Liu Xing¡¯s frustration, he couldn¡¯t glean any useful information from her expression. In fact, Alice maintained a consistently polite smile throughout. This left Liu Xing somewhat disheartened, as he hadn¡¯t expected Alice¡¯s acting skills to surpass his own. Nevertheless, this turn of events also led Liu Xing to adopt a more direct approach. He directly queried Alice, "By the way, Miss Alice, can you tell me why you¡¯re investigating me now? Logically speaking, we had no prior connection before meeting in Fisher¡¯s Vige." In response to Liu Xing¡¯s question, Alice nodded and began to speak, "Indeed, we had no connection prior to this. However, after investigating the Morimoto Academy incident, I became quite curious. Ryuusei, your involvement in that incident was quite prominent. You seemed to be present at every crucial juncture. That¡¯s why I became interested in delving into your past experiences. Yet, the more I dug, the more surprised I became by the extent of your background."Alice¡¯s exnation left Liu Xing with no choice but to smile wryly, as it was evident that she was dodging the main issue. However, before Liu Xing could respond, Alice continued, "So, after investigating your background, Ryuusei, I formted a hypothesis. Now, I hope you can provide me with a truthful answer. Did you, Ryuusei, know from the very beginning that there was a secret cult operating behind the scenes, and did you intend to take it down?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Alice¡¯s straightforward inquiry. She did not beat around the bush but cut straight to the point. Alice¡¯s question, however, was quite pointed. In essence, she was asking Liu Xing if he had intentionally set out to confront the Deep Sea Gospel Society. This question was practically a gift-wrapped invitation because Liu Xing was certain that Alice had already formed a hypothesis. She was merely seeking confirmation of her own suspicions. Yet, this piqued Liu Xing¡¯s curiosity even more. What exactly did Alice have in mind? After contemting for a moment, Liu Xing decided to employ a "half-truth" strategy to test Alice¡¯s intentions. "Well, since it seems we may not easily leave Fisher¡¯s Vige, I¡¯ll be frank with you and tell you what I¡¯ve been up to. First, I need to ask, Alice, you should be familiar with the Yueshihao incident, correct?" Alice nodded in acknowledgment and continued to observe Liu Xing in silence. Liu Xing sighed deeply and began, "So, Alice, you must have seen the reports rted to the Yueshihao incident. They mention that two Chinese men intervened to stop a secret cult¡¯s Ritual Ceremony on Yueshihao, rescuing dozens of students who were about to be sacrifices. One of those students was me." Alice raised an eyebrow, expressing her surprise, "I see. I didn¡¯t realize that you, Ryuusei, were a victim of the Yueshihao incident. No wonder you yed such a significant role in the Morimoto Academy incident." Liu Xing chuckled, realizing that Alice had already formed an opinion of him. Thinking about it, Liu Xing shook his head and said with a smile, "No, no, Alice, you¡¯re oversimplifying things. I¡¯m not a victim of the Yueshihao incident. In fact, I was the one who resolved the situation with the secret cult¡¯s followers and sent out the distress signal. However, due to various reasons, I chose not to reveal myself and attributed all the credit to those two Chinese gentlemen." "Is that true?" Alice asked with a hint of doubt in her eyes. Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Since you seem somewhat skeptical, let me provide a detailed ount. The Yueshihao incident unfolded like this: from the beginning, I had a gut feeling that something was amiss. Our ss was scheduled for a graduation trip to the Cosmic Country." "So, I began to be cautious, as unusual urrences often hint at hidden dangers. Soon enough, I noticed a person with a peculiar appearance, someone with what you would call an Innsmouth Face. I believe, Miss Alice, you are familiar with what an Innsmouth Face represents, especially since your mentor hails from Miskatonic University. You must have encountered many individuals with Innsmouth Faces." Alice nodded in agreement and earnestly replied, "Indeed, I am aware of Innsmouth Face. My mentor once cautioned me not to engage with individuals disying an Innsmouth Face too extensively because those with Innsmouth Faces are likely to be..." Alice¡¯s voice trailed off as she gazed at Liu Xing, leaving the sentence unfinished. Liu Xing understood Alice¡¯s implication and continued, "To put it inly, in the eyes of ordinary people, an Innsmouth Face is simply a result of gic mutations, causing certain facial deformities or abnormalities in coastal residents. However, for those of us in the know, an Innsmouth Face signifies one thing¡ªindividuals of mixed blood between humans and the Deep One." Liu Xing, as he mentioned the words "Deep One," carefully observed Alice¡¯s expression. After all, the Deep Sea Gospel Society worshipped the Deep One, and Liu Xing believed that Alice¡¯s reaction could reveal whether she was affiliated with the society. However, once again, Liu Xing found himself disappointed, as Alice¡¯s expression remained unchanged. At this point, Liu Xing had nothing more to say. When he first met Alice, he had thought her acting skills were mediocre, but now it seemed that Alice could easily win an Oscar... Just then, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling. It was evident that KP Green Light was nning something. However, Liu Xing had grown more epting of the situation. Considering the current circumstances, even if Alice were truly a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. At this point, leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige was uncertain, but what was clear was that Alice had likely sent all the information she had gathered to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Since Alice was practicallyying her cards on the table, it indicated that she was confident, and there was little Liu Xing could do now. However, if Alice wasn¡¯t trulymitted to the Deep Sea Gospel Society, revealing the information she possessed would mean she was seeking cooperation rather than causing trouble. Liu Xing was leaning towards thetter. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing finally rxed. Alice, observing Liu Xing¡¯s demeanor, also understood his thoughts. "Ryuusei, have you heard of the Deep Sea Gospel Society?" Alice asked. Liu Xing was momentarily surprised by Alice¡¯s direct mention of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. However, since Alice had broached the subject, he decided not to conceal anything and simply nodded, saying with a smile, "Of course, I know about the Deep Sea Gospel Society. It¡¯s the secret cult behind the Morimoto Academy. And Miss Alice, you happen to be the intelligence officer for the Deep Sea Gospel Society in the Kyoto region." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Alice¡¯s expression changed, and she eximed in surprise, "What? You actually know about that?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a strong reaction from Alice. However, Alice quickly regained herposure and smiled, saying, "Yes, it¡¯s true. I am currently affiliated with the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and I can be considered a mid-level operative. Most importantly, I have evidence that could potentially harm you, Ryuusei." Upon hearing Alice¡¯s words, Liu Xing instantly felt at ease. It seemed that Alice was not a member of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Liu Xing nodded and yfully replied, "Oh, I¡¯m really scared now, Miss Alice. How will you deal with a helpless student like me?" Alice also smiled and shook her head, saying, "Ryuusei, let¡¯s not beat around the bush. You¡¯ve probably already guessed that I¡¯m not from the Deep Sea Gospel Society." "In fact, beforeing to Fisher¡¯s Vige, I suspected that you were not affiliated with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. After our conversation just now, I can confirm my suspicions. And I can boldly predict that you¡¯vee here to propose cooperation with me, right?" Liu Xing said with a grin. Alice nodded and spoke earnestly, "Since Ryuusei, you¡¯ve already guessed it, I¡¯ll be straightforward with you. I do indeed want to cooperate with you because we share amon goal: to overthrow the Deep Sea Gospel Society." Just as Liu Xing had suspected. Liu Xing stroked his chin, intrigued, and said, "I¡¯d love to hear more." Alice, seeing Liu Xing¡¯s interest, reached into her pocket and pulled out a pure gold badge. The emblem on it was the crest of Miskatonic University, but Liu Xing could tell that the badge had many scratches and signs of wear and tear, indicating that its owner had ventured into dangerous situations. Alice gazed at the badge in her hand and began to exin, "This badge was awarded by Miskatonic University over twenty years ago to certain professors within the school in recognition of their contributions. Among them was my mentor, Professor rk. About a yearter, Miskatonic University organized an expedition led by professors specializing in the fields of ult studies, archaeology, and anthropology, along with a dozen doctoral students. The expedition aimed to explore several inds in the northern region of the Ind Nation. Each of these inds was inhabited by a different tribe that had remained isted for centuries but shared amon deity." "Of course, my mentor was part of the expedition, and he had a particrly close rtionship with one of the professors, Annie, who was an anthropologist. She was my mentor¡¯s unrequited love, and at the time, he had decided to propose to her afterpleting the expedition." Hearing this, Liu Xing could already foresee the direction of the story. Alice¡¯s mentor must have perished during the expedition, considering that Miskatonic University¡¯s expeditions were typically fraught with danger, especially when they involved the trifecta of death-inducing disciplines: ult studies, archaeology, and anthropology. As expected, the story continued as Liu Xing had surmised. The expedition reached its destination and began various research activities. However, soon after, there was a student disappearance incident. Alice¡¯s mentor took two students to investigate and discovered the existence of Deep One hybrids, whom the local tribe considered divine. Subsequently, the experienced (and reckless) professors came to the unanimous conclusion that something was amiss, and they decided to leave the Small Ind where they were conducting their research. The local tribe attacked them, resulting in multiple injuries among the expedition members. After paying a heavy price, the expedition finally evaded the pursuit of the local tribe and left the Small Ind. However, just as the expedition members were preparing to leave the Ind Nation by ne, they were attacked by an unidentified group of criminals. In the end, only Alice¡¯s mentor and three other students managed to escape... [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 339: Forming an Alliance Chapter 339: Forming an Alliance Upon learning that the expedition team had been attacked by unidentified assants, Miskatonic University immediately exerted pressure on the Ind Nation government through the United States of America. After all, there were many Miskatonic University students within the United States of America¡¯s political sphere. As a result, the gravely injured Professor rk (Alice¡¯s master) and three other survivors, along with the bodies of the deceased expedition members, were transported back to the United States of America. After his release from the hospital, Professor rk submitted his resignation to Miskatonic University and took with him the badges of the other deceased professors. He vowed to avenge them. Leaving Miskatonic University behind, Professor rk returned to his hometown of London to investigate the identity of the mysterious attackers who had targeted the expedition team. Soon enough, Professor rk, using hiswork of connections, discovered a local secret cult that worshipped the Deep One, and this secret cult was none other than the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Therefore, Professor rk concluded that the Deep Sea Gospel Society was the mastermind behind the attack on the expedition team. During his subsequent investigation, he also found a connection between the Deep Sea Gospel Society and the tribes on several small inds. This strengthened Professor rk¡¯s conviction. However, even though he had identified the culprits, Professor rk knew that he couldn¡¯t confront the vast secret cult of the Deep Sea Gospel Society alone, especially since the Ind Nation was their territory. So, Professor rk had no choice but to bide his time and establish his influence in London. Using his title as a professor of Miskatonic University¡¯s ult studies, Professor rk quickly became a prominent figure in the London area. He also built a rtionship with the London police force by assisting in solving numerous supernatural cases.Then, Professor rk started recruiting disciples. Soon, he had ten promising students under his tutge, including Alice. Under Professor rk¡¯s careful guidance over five years, these ten disciples became proficient in ult studies, nearly matching his own expertise. In addition to the ult, Professor rk required his disciples to study skills such as cryptography, psychology, and more. Among them, Alice chose to study acting, investigative techniques, psychology, and self-defense for women. After holding a graduation ceremony for his ten disciples, Professor rk shared the story of the expedition with them and expressed his hope that they would help him seek revenge. "One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father." This saying held true in every corner of the world. Naturally, Professor rk¡¯s ten disciples wholeheartedly agreed, as his five years of dedicated teaching had earned their respect and admiration. As a result, Professor rk arranged different missions for his disciples based on their individual abilities. Alice, with her exceptional acting skills and sharp mind, was assigned to go undercover within the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Since secret cults had a peculiar nature, especially one deeply rooted in the Ind Nation for years, it was nearly impossible to destroy them through conventional means. Professor rk¡¯s strategy involved gathering evidence against the Deep Sea Gospel Society while infiltrating its ranks. When the time was right, they would strike from both within and outside to eradicate the Deep Sea Gospel Societypletely. Therefore, Alice arrived in the Ind Nation¡¯s Kyoto region. Following the information provided by Professor rk, Alice attended a social gathering and befriended Fujiwara Yuko, gradually bing her close friend. Over time, Alice¡¯s rtionship with Fujiwara Yuko grew stronger, and when the opportunity arose, Alice began subtly introducing Deep One to Fujiwara Yuko, weaving a passionate tale of her own "love story" with the Deep One. Alice¡¯s acting skills were on par with an Oscar-winning actress, and with the help of a senior disciple who specialized in literature and logic, Alice even had a "Mermaid¡¯s Love Song" written for her. Consequently, Fujiwara Yuko wholeheartedly believed Alice and officially introduced her to the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Within the Deep Sea Gospel Society, Alice quickly showcased her talents in handling intelligence. Combined with her persona as a "Deep One lover" and her close friendship with Fujiwara Yuko, Alice swiftly became the head of intelligence for the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s Kyoto branch. Upon assuming her position, Alice began nurturing her ownwork of loyal agents and investigating the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s activities in Kyoto. Soon, Alice noticed something unusual about Morimoto Academy. However, her intelligence duties were primarily focused on other secret cults and the Kyoto authorities, leaving her in the dark about the specifics of Morimoto Academy. Alice had to find a way to gather information indirectly. Fortunately, she caught wind of a group known as "Watanabe Ryuusei" due to their conspicuous involvement in the Morimoto Academy incident. After conducting investigations through her intelligencework and discovering the true identity of "Watanabe Ryuusei," Alice was convinced that they were intentionally targeting the Deep Sea Gospel Society. When the Morimoto Academy incident erupted, Alice received orders from the Deep Sea Gospel Society headquarters toy low temporarily. She had no choice but to leave Kyoto, change flights, and return to London. There, she shared her experiences with Professor rk. Upon learning about the Morimoto Academy incident, Professor rk saw potential in cooperating with "Watanabe Ryuusei." He instructed Alice to find an opportunity to make contact with them and decide whether a partnership would be beneficial based on the oue. Certainly, Alice had learned through her intelligencework that "Watanabe Ryuusei" had epted Dogo Aige¡¯s invitation to visit Fisher¡¯s Vige. Moreover, since Alice happened to know Matsui Yui, she reached out to her and epted Matsui Yui¡¯s invitation. So, the previous conversation between Alice and Liu Xing was a test on Alice¡¯s part. If Liu Xing had shown a willingness to rebuild the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Alice would have found a way to exploit the situation, allowing the Deep Sea Gospel Society to deal with Liu Xing. After all, Alice was not inclined to support the resurgence of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect after dealing with the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved that his previous covert allegiance to KP Green Light seemed to have passed unnoticed. Otherwise, he would have had to deal with trouble from the Deep Sea Gospel Society after leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige. However, what concerned Liu Xing even more was the effectiveness of Alice¡¯s intelligencework. It seemed she had uncovered his eptance of Dogo Aige¡¯s wedding invitation. Liu Xing briefly considered whether this was a result of Alice¡¯s intelligencework or a deliberate arrangement by the module. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing replied earnestly, "I see. I¡¯m genuinely sorry about your master, Professor rk. However, since we share the same goal¡ªto bring about the downfall of the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡ªit¡¯s only logical that we cooperate. Please go ahead and tell me what kind of cooperation you have in mind, Miss Alice." Alice nodded and began, "Our cooperation is quite straightforward. Our primary objective is to eliminate the Deep Sea Gospel Society. I can provide assistance on my end, mainly in the form of intelligence. Based on my recent appointment, I may be assigned to the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s headquarters to handle diplomatic rtions with secret cults outside the Ind Nation. Currently, the Deep Sea Gospel Society primarily engages with secret cults outside the Ind Nation, given the limited scope for development within the nation." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. As Alice had mentioned, the Ind Nation¡¯s situation was unique. Although its territory was rtively small, it had a significant poption, ranking among the world¡¯s highest. Additionally, there was a vast disparity between urban and rural poptions. This led to numerous secret cults of varying sizes congregating in the same areas. For example, in the capital, Tokyo, there were over a hundred secret cults rooted. However, there were established rules within the Ind Nation¡¯s secret cultmunity. In a given area, only one secret cult served as the dominant entity, with other secret cults ofparable size voluntarily keeping their distance. Moreover, thebined strength of surrounding secret cults had to be weaker than that of the dominant secret cult, ensuring their control in the area. Lastly, the dominant secret cult was not allowed to harm other secret cults in its territory unless thetter encroached on its core interests, such as recruiting followers. In addition to these rules, there was a special provision: in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka¡ªthe three most important regions in the Ind Nation¡ªthere were no dominant secret cults. All secret cults could establish branch offices in these areas, but they were limited to that form. The Worshipers of the Yellow Sect had vited these rules in the past, leading to their downfall. As a result, the Ind Nation¡¯s secret cults resembled the Warring States period of ancient Japan, each upying a specific territory, maintaining a facade of peaceful coexistence while engaging in underhanded schemes behind the scenes. Therefore, it was clear that the Deep Sea Gospel Society was not interested in genuine cooperation with other Ind Nation secret cults. Their fundamental interests shed, and both sides knew that sincere coboration was unlikely. Hence, the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s cooperation was directed towards foreign secret cults. With this in mind, Liu Xing asked with curiosity, "So, you mean to say that the Deep Sea Gospel Society is currently cooperating with secret cults from the United States of America, Cosmic Country, and other nations? Considering the recent Yueshihao incident, where I saw a Deep One hybrid from the United States of America leading the Ritual Ceremony, it seems Cosmic Country¡¯s secret cults would be involved as well, given that the incident urred within Cosmic Country¡¯s territorial waters." Alice nodded and said with a smile, "Exactly, as far as I know, the Deep Sea Gospel Society is currently cooperating with secret cults from the United States of America, Cosmic Country, and other countries. However, all of these secret cults share a belief in the Deep One. While I am responsible for liaising with these secret cults, I also handle various other pieces of information. So, when Ie across any information that could be useful to you, Ryuusei-sama, I will find a way to notify you. I will also conceal certain pieces of information that could be detrimental to you, as I just mentioned." Liu Xing leaned back and pushed up his non-existent sses. "What do you want in return for this cooperation?" Cooperation naturally required mutual assistance. Alice smiled and took out a key from her pocket. "This key can open a public storage locker in a certain shopping mall in Kyoto. Inside the locker, you¡¯ll find a college eptance letter. You just need to use that letter to enroll." "Is this college rted to the Deep Sea Gospel Society?" Liu Xing asked. Alice nodded and said, "Yes, indeed. The college has ties to the Deep Sea Gospel Society, but unlike Morimoto Academy, the Deep Sea Gospel Society is merely a sponsor of the college. Ryuusei-sama, you should be aware of the unspoken rules in the Ind Nation¡¯s secret cult circles. Secret cults operating in Tokyo can only establish branches, and the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s Tokyo branch is located within that college." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. "So, you mean you hope I can eliminate the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s Tokyo branch?" "Exactly. For the Deep Sea Gospel Society, their Tokyo branch is of great significance. If you can eliminate it, it would be like severing their right arm, a significant step toward our goal of dismantling the Deep Sea Gospel Society," Alice exined earnestly. Liu Xing thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, let¡¯s make that our n. I will find a way to eliminate the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s Tokyo branch. However, Miss Alice, you¡¯ll need to provide me with more information." Liu Xing agreed to cooperate not out of arrogance, thinking he could single-handedly confront the Deep Sea Gospel Society¡¯s branch, but because he anticipated that his uing module progression might involve the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Taking the initiative would allow him to gain an advantage in intelligence gathering. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 340: The Final Letter Chapter 340: The Final Letter In the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, the importance of intelligence needed no exnation. After preliminarily agreeing to cooperate with Alice, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask with curiosity, "Miss Alice, aren¡¯t you worried about your cover being exposed while you¡¯re undercover in the Deep Sea Gospel Society?" Alice chuckled confidently and replied, "Of course not, Ryuusei. You should know that my acting skills have reached a level where I could easily win an Oscar. After all, my acting teacher was an Oscar-winning actress herself. Besides, the persona I¡¯ve adopted within the Deep Sea Gospel Society was meticulously crafted by my senior brother. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of his name; he¡¯s currently hailed as the rising star in the world of detective fiction." "Fisherman?" Liu Xing instinctively mentioned a title. In the memories of "Watanabe Ryuusei," apart from renowned detective fiction authors like Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, there was one pseudonymous detective fiction author named "Fisherman" that stood out. This "Fisherman" was currently one of the most famous neers in the detective fiction world. His three detective novels had received critical acim andmercial sess. Thetest one had even been adapted into a movie with an impressive cast, including several world-renowned actors and actresses. What made "Fisherman" unique was that his detective novels were not traditional detective stories. They intertwined elements of science fiction and horror, and the culprits were often not ordinary humans. However, "Fisherman¡¯s" deductive process was always logical and convincing. Therefore, though "Fisherman¡¯s" detective novels had sparked debates initially, as his fan base grew, the skeptics were gradually silenced. In the age of thriving social media, fans could indeed exert significant influence. What intrigued "Watanabe Ryuusei" about "Fisherman" was the fact that he had never revealed his true identity or real name. Currently, the only information avable was a masked video of "Fisherman" on Oil Turtle. It revealed him as an Englishman, approximately twenty-five years old.Most importantly, the events and monsters depicted in "Fisherman¡¯s" novels gave Liu Xing a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. In simple terms, reading "Fisherman¡¯s" novels felt like reading Cthulhu Mythos fiction. So, "Watanabe Ryuusei" believed that "Fisherman" was likely a fellow enthusiast of the genre. Now, Liu Xing was certain that "Fisherman" was the senior brother Alice had mentioned. Indeed. Alice nodded with a smile and continued, "That¡¯s right, Fisherman is my senior brother. His detective novels, Ryuusei, you¡¯ve probably read them, right? I¡¯m not bragging, but his novels are intricately woven with strong logic. That¡¯s why even the traditionalists in the detective fiction world recognize his works as detective novels rather than horror or science fiction." Although Liu Xing hadn¡¯t read "Fisherman¡¯s" novels, he could tell from Alice¡¯s admiration that they held a special ce in her heart. So, Liu Xing nodded appreciatively. "Rest assured, Ryuusei. As long as there are no major unexpected incidents, it¡¯s impossible for anyone in the Deep Sea Gospel Society to uncover my true identity. But Ryuusei, since you¡¯ve dealt with those fanatic NPCs on the Yueshihao cruise ship, it proves that you have some skills. I mean, I know the level of those fanatics on Yueshihao, so could you help me understand how you handled them?" Alice looked at Liu Xing earnestly. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected Alice to be curious about these matters. However, regarding the Yueshihao incident, Liu Xing had nothing to hide. "Well," he began, "I can attribute about half of the credit for handling the fanatics on the Yueshihao cruise ship to two Chinese men. They were aware of the fanatics¡¯ conspiracy and convinced my ssmates and teachers to understand the situation. This allowed me to hide safely in the shadows." "Then, on that morning, I was surprised to find that the two Chinese men were armed. They took control of the situation as soon as they entered, forcing one of the fanatics to use a type of poisonous incense that rendered everyone unconscious. Fortunately, I had anticipated that the fanatics might use poison incense, so I had taken an antidote beforehand, which saved me." "As I pretended to be unconscious, the remaining two fanatics unexpectedly turned on each other. The Deep One hybrid was killed by the other fanatic. I seized the opportunity, rose to my feet, and killed the remaining fanatic when he was unaware. So, it was mostly luck on my part." Alice nodded, smiling, and said, "Luck is also a part of strength. If you had been unlucky, you might not be here now. But we must address an important issue: how to escape Fisher¡¯s Vige. Ryuusei, I know you and your group had some reservations about me and concealed certain things. Could you now tell me the truth?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow. Since Alice had mentioned it, he felt there was no need to keep anything hidden. Thus, Liu Xing openly exined the current situation to Alice. However, regarding Ling Ishikawa sneaking into Alice¡¯s room, Liu Xing decided to continue concealing it. After he finished, Liu Xing also asked Alice, "Miss Alice, since your mentor, Professor rk, is a mysterious studies professor at Miskatonic University, has he introduced you to mythical creatures like the Shoggoth in Fisher¡¯s Vige?" In Liu Xing¡¯s view, if Alice knew about Shoggoths, it would be extremely helpful. After all, Ancient One Sirius¡¯s knowledge of Shoggoths dated back hundreds of millions of years and might lead to misunderstandings. The Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige had evolved, and if Alice knew about them, she could provide more urate and useful information about the current situation. So, Liu Xing looked at Alice with a hopeful expression, silently praying that she knew about Shoggoths. Then, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice hitting the table, indicating that KP Green Light was making a secret decision about whether Alice was aware of Shoggoths. After a moment, Alice finally spoke, "If I¡¯m not mistaken, Ryuusei, the ck, elongated creatures you mentioned are very likely a type of mythical creature called Shoggoths." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, it seemed like his luck was on point today, as both hidden votes had seeded. Thinking about this, Liu Xing quickly asked, "So these mythical creatures are called Shoggoths, Miss Alice. Do you happen to know any weaknesses of these Shoggoths? It¡¯s highly likely that we will have a direct confrontation with them in the near future." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s question, Alice sighed first and then reluctantly said, "Well, my mentor is aware of the existence of Shoggoths, but he doesn¡¯t have detailed information about them. Shoggoths are a peculiar kind of mythical creature, primarily serving as subordinates to other mythical creatures or as servants to certain Wizards. Even my mentor doesn¡¯t haveprehensive data on Shoggoths." "However, Miskatonic University has conducted some research on Shoggoths because there was an expedition team from Miskatonic University that encountered an attack by Shoggoths in the past. Fortunately, one of the team members was a mysterious studies professor proficient in various forms of magic, and he managed to subdue one of the Shoggoths." "After studying the captured Shoggoth, they found that Shoggoths have extremely flexible bodies, capable of transforming into almost any shape. When necessary, they can harden their bodies to the strength of steel. Shoggoths can also weaken the effects of mes and electrical shocks on them. Even ordinary handguns and rifles are ineffective against them." "Furthermore, Shoggoths possess rapid self-regeneration abilities. So, if you can¡¯t kill a Shoggoth in one go, it bes very troublesome to deal with them. Besides the information provided by Miskatonic University, my mentor heard a rumor from his contacts, suggesting that Shoggoths have exceptional adaptability and can quickly adjust to their surroundings. This means that Shoggoths in different locations might possess different abilities." Liu Xing nodded. It appeared that his luck was indeed excellent this time. Alice¡¯sprehensive knowledge of Shoggoths had provided valuable insights into their characteristics, which would be helpful in preparing for future encounters. "Oh, by the way, Ryuusei, I heard that you found some strange letters. Well, I have one such letter too, and it appears to be written in Chinese characters," Alice suddenly mentioned. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected this third letter to be in Alice¡¯s possession, but it confirmed his previous spection. These three letters were meant to exin (or mislead) the module¡¯s background. As time approached, these letters would automatically surface. Thinking about it, Liu Xing immediately said, "Oh, Miss Alice, please retrieve that letter as soon as possible. ording to our earlier assumptions, the content of this second letter is crucial, and it might even mention why Shoggoths have appeared in Fisher¡¯s Vige." Alice nodded and pointed upstairs, saying, "The second letter is in my room. I found it inside a book that I borrowed from Matsui Yui to pass the time. You see, there¡¯s no entertainment avable in Fisher¡¯s Vige, and I had nned to return the book to Matsui Yui tomorrow. So, I wanted to finish reading it today, and that¡¯s when I stumbled upon the letter. I¡¯ll go upstairs to get the letter now, and while I¡¯m at it, you can gather everyone from the third floor. Ryuusei, you can gather everyone from the second floor. I believe they¡¯re also curious about the contents of this letter." Liu Xing nodded, but he knew that Alice hadn¡¯t coincidentally discovered the letter like this. She had obtained it through some means at the beginning and had been waiting for the right moment to reveal it. Seeing through without exposing it. So, Liu Xing went upstairs to the second floor. Before Liu Xing could even knock on the door, Ling Ishikawa opened it and whispered, "Leader, what did Alice want from you just now? Did she discover our true identities?" Liu Xing shook his head and nced at Zhang Jingxu¡¯s room. He spoke softly, "We¡¯ll discuss this matterter. For now, just know that Alice isn¡¯t part of the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Now,e downstairs. Alice might have found that second letter." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, looking surprised at Liu Xing. However, he didn¡¯t say anything and proceeded to knock on Lu Tianya¡¯s door. Soon, everyone gathered in the first-floor hall, where Alice held a yellowed letter in her hand. "Well, everyone is here now because Alice has found the second letter. After our detailed conversation, I¡¯vee to realize that Alice is a trustworthy ally. So, I¡¯ve shared all that information with her," Liu Xing cleared his throat and began. Alice wasted no time and handed the letter to Zhang Jingxu. Among those present, only Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya understood Chinese characters, and it was apparent to anyone with keen eyes that Lu Tianya and Zhang Jingxu shared a close rtionship. Without hesitation, Zhang Jingxu took the letter and opened it. To Liu Xing¡¯s surprise, this second letter consisted of four pages, whereas the first and third letters contained less than a page of text. However, Liu Xing quickly noticed that among these four pages, two of them had maps. One seemed to be a map of Fisher¡¯s Vige, and the other appeared to depict underground tunnels. Could Inoue Kenjiro or Li Yongjie know about the Underground Ruins in Fisher¡¯s Vige? "These two maps will be set aside for now. Let¡¯s first read the contents of this letter. It¡¯s addressed from Inoue Kenjiro to Li Yongjie, and judging by the timing, it should be the second letter," Zhang Jingxu began. "At the beginning of this letter, Inoue Kenjiro mentions the sudden appearance of a seemingly bottomless sinkhole in the southwest direction of Fisher¡¯s Vige¡¯s old site. Vigers reported witnessing a ck creature emerging from the sinkhole, which is most likely the mythical creature that Panda Pig saw." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 341: Contents of the Second Letter Chapter 341: Contents of the Second Letter "It¡¯s Shoggoth," Alice said. Then, Alice proceeded to exin the situation of Shoggoth to everyone present. Zhang Jingxu seemed to have an epiphany and chimed in, "I see, these mythical creatures are Shoggoths. My master once mentioned that Shoggoths are a peculiar kind of mythical creature. Unlike other mythical creatures that only appear in specific environments, Shoggoths can be found in various parts of the world, whether it¡¯s in deserts or icy mountains, oceans or rainforests. However, what surprises me is that Shoggoths have been in existence for so long and are somehow connected to the Ancient One. Initially, my master believed that Shoggoths were alchemical creations by Wizards." Alice nodded in agreement, "Exactly, even before this, my master suspected that Shoggoths might be magical beings created by ancient Wizards. Many powerful Wizards have Shoggoths as their servants, and some Wizards have even developed spells to tame them. But we never imagined that Shoggoths had a connection with the Ancient One. However, it¡¯s not entirely surprising since the Ancient One is such a mysterious race." Unconsciously, the conversation had drifted off-topic. However, Zhang Jingxu quickly realized this, especially since he was holding the letter in his hand. So, Zhang Jingxu cleared his throat and continued, "Um, let¡¯s get back to discussing the contents of this letter. To return to the main point, at that time, the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige discovered that a Shoggoth had emerged from that sinkhole. As a result, the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige were too scared to explore the sinkhole further. After all, everyone feared being attacked by Shoggoths. However, as you can see, Fisher¡¯s Vige is not thatrge, and the sudden appearance of a sinkhole was a cause for concern. Inoue Kenjiro was worried that if the sinkhole was indeed dangerous, it could lead to the destruction of Fisher¡¯s Vige, and there would be no escape." "So, Inoue Kenjiro gathered some brave vigers from Fisher¡¯s Vige and made preparations to explore the sinkhole. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to enter the sinkhole directly because, at first nce, it seemed bottomless, and the area around the sinkhole was covered in ck, unidentified liquid. It looked terrifying no matter how you saw it." "Therefore, Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s n was to dig next to the sinkhole, creating a tunnel leading to it. However, what surprised Inoue Kenjiro and his group was that they had only dug about a meter when they fell into an underground passage. This took thempletely by surprise because the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige had lived on this small ind for years without ever discovering such an extensive undergroundwork.""The sudden appearance of this passage caught Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s group off guard, forcing them to temporarily return to the surface and rethink their ns. However, it was at this moment that Matsui Ichiro stepped forward and imed that he knew whaty beneath Fisher¡¯s Vige and that only he could deal with the monsters lurking underground." "While Inoue Kenjiro had his doubts, considering Matsui Ichiro as something of a chatan, Matsui Ichiro¡¯s confident and well-prepared speech convinced him to at least listen to Matsui Ichiro¡¯s advice. Matsui Ichiro, however, took this opportunity to propose a condition: if Inoue Kenjiro allowed him to build a so-called temple in Fisher¡¯s Vige, Matsui Ichiro would reveal the truth to him." "Before this, Matsui Ichiro had repeatedly expressed his desire to build a temple, which, in reality, was nothing more than arge building. However, the symbolic significance of this temple was evident. As the de facto Vige Chief of Fisher¡¯s Vige at the time, Inoue Kenjiro had consistently rejected Matsui Ichiro¡¯s request to prevent the further expansion of Matsui Ichiro¡¯s influence in Fisher¡¯s Vige." "But now, Inoue Kenjiro was concerned that something dangerous might be in the sinkhole, posing a potentially devastating threat to Fisher¡¯s Vige. Therefore, he reluctantly agreed to Matsui Ichiro¡¯s condition. This was when Matsui Ichiro finally revealed the underground situation of Fisher¡¯s Vige, in simple terms: Fisher¡¯s Vige was built on a small ind used by a sea deity to imprison monsters. These monsters were the rebellious ones who had betrayed the sea deity." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow andmented, "This is intriguing. Matsui Ichiro¡¯s so-called truth seems to be somewhat close to reality. After all, the Ancient One has always resided in the ocean, possessing formidable power and technology. Referring to them as a ¡¯sea deity¡¯ might not be entirely inurate. Moreover, it¡¯s possible that Shoggoths did betray the Ancient One; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been confined to the deepest levels of the Underground Ruins, and the Ancient One wouldn¡¯t have invented devices specifically designed to control them." Ling Ishikawa shook his head and smiled, "However, Matsui Ichiro couldn¡¯t possibly have known about the connection between Shoggoths and the Ancient One. So, I think this can only be considered as his attempt to deceive or an improvised lie." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said seriously, "Exactly, as Ling Ishikawa mentioned, Inoue Kenjiro also suspected that Matsui Ichiro was trying to deceive him. So, he strongly rebuked Matsui Ichiro¡¯s behavior. However, what Inoue Kenjiro didn¡¯t expect was that Matsui Ichiro would smear the ck, unidentified liquid from the sinkhole onto his left hand and then proceed to set his own left hand on fire with the prepared torch." "Wow," everyone in the room was taken aback by this revtion. They hadn¡¯t expected Matsui Ichiro to be so audacious. However, the yers present were aware that Shoggoths had a special trait of reduced fire damage, and it was usible that the liquid on their surface had a simr effect. So, Liu Xing spected that Matsui Ichiro must have studied the effects of the ck liquid in advance, which exined his confidence in carrying out such a bold act. Zhang Jingxu sighed and admiringly remarked, "It appears that Matsui Ichiro had quite a bit of courage to do what he did. Inoue Kenjiro must have thought Matsui Ichiro was well-prepared for this situation. In any case, returning to the contents of the letter, Matsui Ichiro ced his left hand on the torch for about ten seconds and then showed it to everyone. Inoue Kenjiro noticed that Matsui Ichiro¡¯s left hand had only turned slightly red, with no signs of burns urring." "As for the ck, unidentified liquid on Matsui Ichiro¡¯s hand, it hadpletely disappeared at this point. At this moment, Matsui Ichiro dramatically stated that while these Monsters had indeed betrayed the sea deity, they had previously been granted immunity to fire damage by the sea deity. After all, the sea deity and the fire deity were naturally opposed." "Therefore, even though Inoue Kenjiro still suspected Matsui Ichiro of fabricating the story, other vigers were convinced by Matsui Ichiro¡¯s words. So, Inoue Kenjiro had no choice but to believe Matsui Ichiro and seek his advice on dealing with Shoggoth. However, Matsui Ichiro shrugged and imed that he had no way to deal with Shoggoth either. He argued that these Monsters, despite betraying the sea deity, were not something humans could handle." "Upon hearing this, the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige were devastated. They expressed their desire to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige and seek a new life elsewhere. ording to Matsui Ichiro, humans were defenseless against Shoggoth, and if Shoggoth were to attack, Fisher¡¯s Vige would be doomed. Thus, leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige was the only way to potentially avoid Shoggoth¡¯s threat." "However, in Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s eyes, this was Matsui Ichiro¡¯s attempt to deceive the vigers of Fisher¡¯s Vige into leaving their homnd. Matsui Ichiro aimed to weaken Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s influence and eventually take his ce. Therefore, Inoue Kenjiro stepped forward and argued that since Shoggoth had not attacked initially, it indicated that Shoggoth might not currently possess the ability to threaten Fisher¡¯s Vige. Inoue Kenjiro proposed taking the initiative and entering the sinkhole to deal with Shoggoth. After all, judging from the effects of the ck liquid, it didn¡¯t seem to be harmful." "At this point, Matsui Ichiro naturally tried to stop Inoue Kenjiro. However, due to Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s higher standing in Fisher¡¯s Vige, his proposal garnered support from the vigers. Nobody wanted to leave their homes, so Inoue Kenjiro organized a team of ten vigers armed with the best weapons avable, which were mainly old hunting rifles and harpoons, and they entered the underground passage." "Inside the passage, Inoue Kenjiro noticed that these tunnels had been excavated by Shoggoths. The walls were covered in the ck, unidentified liquid and emitted a foul odor. Before long, some vigers began experiencing difficulty breathing and nausea due to the foul air. Inoue Kenjiro himself didn¡¯t fare much better, so he decided to temporarily leave the tunnel." "When they returned to the surface, Matsui Ichiro taunted Inoue Kenjiro with a few words. Inoue Kenjiro, already irritable due to the Shoggoth situation, nearlyshed out at Matsui Ichiro but was restrained by the surrounding vigers. Matsui Ichiro, realizing he couldn¡¯t match Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s physical strength, chose to flee instead." "After driving Matsui Ichiro away, Inoue Kenjiro went home and prepared a small oxygen tank and a diving gear. These items had been given to him by Li Yongjie, who, being a ship captain, understood their importance for a fisherman like Inoue Kenjiro. Li Yongjie had arranged for these items to be delivered to Inoue Kenjiro shortly after leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige." "Once prepared, Inoue Kenjiro returned to the underground passage, ready to explore the unknown underground world. It¡¯s worth noting that in the letter, Inoue Kenjiro mentioned that when he entered the tunnel alone for the first time, he regretted it immensely. After all, he knew that Shoggoths might be lurking inside, and he felt powerless to confront them on his own." "Therefore, Inoue Kenjiro was torn between continuing his journey, possibly encountering Shoggoths and facing certain danger, or leaving the tunnel. He feared being ridiculed by Matsui Ichiro if he chose to leave, which would likely diminish his prestige in Fisher¡¯s Vige. In the end, Inoue Kenjiro, who had a strong sense of pride, decided to press on." "At this point, Lu Tianya couldn¡¯t help butment to Zhang Jingxu, ¡¯It seems that Inoue Kenjiro is quite simr to you, both willing to sacrifice everything for their pride. If we manage to survive and leave Fisher¡¯s Vige, I¡¯ll definitely buy you some insurance. Who knows, I might get rich overnight.¡¯" "Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, ¡¯No, no, I¡¯m not like Inoue Kenjiro. While I believe that maintaining one¡¯s pride is important as a man, life is even more precious. If there¡¯s no imminent danger to life, I¡¯d prioritize saving face. But if it came to a life-or-death situation, I¡¯d choose the most practical option, even if it meant setting aside my pride. Of course, if it¡¯s for your sake, I¡¯d be willing to part with this life.¡¯" "Alright, another dose of sweetness." Liu Xing gave Zhang Jingxu a look that seemed to say, ¡¯Just as expected,¡¯ and said with a hint of exasperation, "Hey, hey, Zhang Jingxu, can you guys pay attention to the seriousness of the situation here? We¡¯re discussing matters of life and death, and you¡¯re flirting." Zhang Jingxu¡¯s face turned red, and he quickly said, "Um, after Inoue Kenjiro made his decision, he began to explore the tunnels. He meticulously recorded their directions and, upon leaving the tunnels, drew a map, which is the paper on the table. Although Inoue Kenjiro didn¡¯t encounter Shoggoths during his multiple trips into the tunnels, he did hear the sound of Shoggoths moving. One time, the sound seemed to be very close, perhaps just one or two meters away from him, which terrified him." "Fortunately, Inoue Kenjiro never directly encountered Shoggoths. However, during this time, his wife¡¯s behavior became increasingly strange. This led Inoue Kenjiro to suspect that someone had been approaching his wife while he was in the tunnels." "Then, one night, when Inoue Kenjiro got up to use the bathroom, he found that his wife was not at home. This raised suspicions, so Inoue Kenjiro left his home and followed his wife¡¯s footprints to a beach area. From behind some bushes, Inoue Kenjiro overheard his wife apparently talking to someone else." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 342: Matsui Yui’s Tension - 100 Chapter 342: Matsui Yui¡¯s Tension - 100 Inoue Kenjiro turned green?! This was the only thought in Liu Xing¡¯s mind. "What? Is Inoue Kenjiro also caught in apromising situation like Dogo Aige? This plot is getting intense," Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help butment. Zhang Jingxu nodded but still had some doubts. "Well, I think Inoue Kenjiro was indeed caught in apromising situation, but whates next in this letter is a bit strange. When Inoue Kenjiro first thought he was being cheated on, he stormed out in anger, only to find his wife halfway out of her clothes, standing in the water." "Inoue Kenjiro probably assumed that the person he suspected of being involved with his wife was hiding in the water. So, he leaped into the water because the coastline around Fisher¡¯s Vige is very shallow, and the water is clear. You can see everything at a nce. However, after entering the water, Inoue Kenjiro saw nothing, which surprised him greatly. He had just heard his wife talking to someone." "But at that moment, Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife realized what was happening and immediately asked him what he was doing. Inoue Kenjiro was still very puzzled, but since he had no evidence, he could only say that he woke up in the middle of the night, couldn¡¯t find his wife, and came to look for her. His wife exined that she just suddenly felt like taking a bath." "So, this incident came to a temporary end. Although Inoue Kenjiro remained suspicious, there was no concrete proof. He had to ept his wife¡¯s exnation. However, I personally believe that Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife might be hiding something. After all, taking a bath in seawater in the middle of the night is quite unusual. Sea salt in the water can be ufortable on the skin. But since there¡¯s no evidence, Inoue Kenjiro had to ept his wife¡¯s exnation." "At this point," Zhang Jingxu continued seriously, "I think Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife might be involved. After all, bathing in seawater in the middle of the night is highly unusual. But ording to Inoue Kenjiro, he immediately jumped from the bushes into the water, and it only took him five seconds. However, submerged in the water, Inoue Kenjiro saw nothing suspicious. The seabed was calm, and it¡¯s beyond human capabilities to do what he imed." "Miyako Goudong, are you suggesting that Inoue Kenjiro was fooled by a mythical creature?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, "It¡¯s possible. Considering the current situation, Inoue Kenjiro might indeed have been deceived by a mythical creature. Though it sounds absurd, it¡¯s the best exnation we have." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Zhang Jingxu¡¯s theory reasonable. He knew that in Cthulhu RPG Game, there were plenty of quirky modules, and the theme of mythical creatures getting involved with humans was quitemon in various genres.Besides, Liu Xing recalled a recent Oscar-winning movie that told the story of a Deep One falling in love with a human. However, he heard that the film was overly politically correct, so he didn¡¯t n to watch it after finishing this module. But Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think that some aspects of the movie¡¯s plot could be incorporated into this module. For instance, the romantic scenes between the Deep One and the human in the water made sense in the context of Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife standing in the water. With a grin, Liu Xing suggested, "What if it¡¯s a Deep One? They are aquatic mythical creatures, and it would exin why Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife was in the water. Some Deep Ones can even cast magic spells." Liu Xing¡¯s spection left everyone momentarily surprised. Then Alice shook her head and said, "While that¡¯s a possibility, Ryuusei, don¡¯t forget that Deep Ones have quite... unsightly appearances." Alice hit the nail on the head. Deep Ones were often described as fish-headed humanoids, and by human aesthetic standards, their appearance was gruesome, akin to a car ident scene. Moreover, just glimpsing a Deep One could damage one¡¯s sanity, let alone engaging in a romantic rtionship with one. So, Liu Xing nodded and shrugged, saying, "Well, I guess I was just overthinking it. The appearance of Deep Ones is indeed too bizarre, and just thinking about it is unsettling. Also, ording to Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s description, his wife seems mentally stable." Zhang Jingxu looked at the letter in his hand and said, "You¡¯re right. ording to Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s ount, his wife behaved quite normally after the incident. This made him doubt whether he had wronged her. However, Inoue Kenjiro noticed something peculiar¡ªhis wife had a distinct fishy odor about her." "It¡¯s worth noting that while Fisher¡¯s Vige was by the sea, and its residents were predominantly fishermen, the vige had a constant fishy smell. But Inoue Kenjiro found his wife¡¯s fishy odor to be unique, even exceptional, fundamentally different from others." "However, due to hismitment to exploring the underground tunnels daily, Inoue Kenjiro couldn¡¯t focus on his wife. But one day, after returning from his underground expedition earlier than usual due to heavy rain, he sensed something amiss. So, he went straight home." "Upon his return, Inoue Kenjiro noticed his wife¡¯s strange behavior and disheveled appearance, which sent chills down his spine. He began searching their home, looking for any traces of an affair but found nothing. There was no evidence to support his suspicion, leaving Inoue Kenjiro perplexed." "Since he couldn¡¯t be sure about his wife¡¯s actions, Inoue Kenjiro decided to move his parents into their home one day after a heavy rain, giving them the responsibility of keeping an eye on his wife. Despite his reluctance to believe that his childhood sweetheart could betray him, Inoue Kenjiro had to take this precaution." "Next, Inoue Kenjiro recalls his past with his wife. Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife had a close rtionship with him from a young age, and both families arranged a childhood betrothal for them. However, fate can be cruel. Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife lost her parents during a fishing expedition in a brutal sea storm, and they were presumed dead. As a result, she moved into Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s family." "After this tragedy, Inoue Kenjiro channeled his grief into determination and intensified his exploration of the underground tunnels. He began to notice something amiss with the tunnels because some of the routes extended far beyond the boundaries of Fisher¡¯s Vige. So, Inoue Kenjiro asked the vige¡¯s elderly fishermen to sketch the approximate locations of other inds surrounding Fisher¡¯s Vige, which led to the creation of the additional map you have." "At this point," Zhang Jingxu suddenly furrowed his brow, carefully studying the letter. Liu Xing knew that Zhang Jingxu had likely spotted something crucial. After a moment, Zhang Jingxu continued, "Towards the end of this letter, Inoue Kenjiro mentioned hisst exploration of the tunnels, where he encountered a cave-in incident. He became trapped inside the tunnel, unable to retreat. Thus, he pressed on. During this forced journey, Inoue Kenjiro stumbled upon some peculiar scales on the ground. These scales wererger than ordinary fish scales and had an unusual iridescence." "ording to Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s ount, these scales shimmered like a rainbow, disying different colors from various angles. This surprised him greatly, as he had never seen anything like them before. But at that moment, Inoue Kenjiro suddenly heard strange sounds ahead, leaving him with no choice but to continue despite the ominous feeling." "Then, Inoue Kenjiro witnessed a scene that left him in shock. To put it in his own words, he saw a group of giant ck earthworms engaged in a fierce battle with several Fishmen. Overwhelmed by the intensity of the scene, Inoue Kenjiro fainted. When he woke up, he found himself on the beach, the same beach as that night." At this point, Zhang Jingxu set down the letter and said, "That¡¯s all the content in this letter." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully, "If everything goes as expected, Inoue Kenjiro¡¯sst sighting was probably a battle between Deep Ones and Shoggoths. But the question remains: why would Deep Ones pick a fight with Shoggoths? And who rescued the unconscious Inoue Kenjiro and left him on the beach?" Though Liu Xing asked these questions, he had some conjectures already. Firstly, in the current Fisher¡¯s Vige, even though Shoggoths were present, Matsui Ichiro seemed capable ofmanding the Shoggoths to some extent. Liu Xing suspected that the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige might have been defeated by the Deep Ones and tamed to serve as their minions. In some rted settings, there was a role among the Deep Ones called "Shoggoth Controllers." Liu Xing vaguely remembered that was the term. Shoggoth Controllers, as the name implied, were specialists within the Deep One ranks responsible for controlling and directing Shoggoths. They were considered "elite" among the Deep Ones, and their strength far surpassed that of regr Deep Ones. Importantly, Shoggoth Controllers often had several Shoggoths at their disposal, making encounters with them extremely challenging for yers. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that among the Deep Ones Inoue Kenjiro witnessed, there might have been one or more Shoggoth Controllers. These Deep Ones were likely attempting to tame the Shoggoths they discovered within Fisher¡¯s Vige. However, if this was indeed the case, Liu Xing would need to adjust his assumptions about the module¡¯s plot once again. At this point, he was getting tired of specting. Panda Pig chimed in, "A battle between Deep Ones and Shoggoths? This plot feels like a crossover between Warhammer and Alien." Just then, Alice spoke up, "No, no, no. I believe these Deep Ones might be here to capture the Shoggoths. Based on my mentor¡¯s research on Deep Ones, they tend to have a certain number of Shoggoths in their activity areas. So, ording to my mentor¡¯s theory, Shoggoths are like pets or servants to Deep Ones, ves of sorts. However, since there are still Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige, it suggests that these Deep Ones failed." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Alice¡¯s exnation was spot on, but herst sentence seemed to introduce a twist into the story. The attention of everyone in the room turned to Zhang Jingxu. Feeling their gaze, Zhang Jingxu cleared his throat and said, "Miss Alice, I believe those Deep Ones seeded because all the Shoggoths are now staying quietly in various vis, refraining from attacking us. Therefore, we have reason to believe that these Shoggoths have been controlled by the Deep Ones." Alice shrugged nonchntly, smiling as she said, "Let¡¯s hope so. If these Shoggoths have truly been controlled by the Deep Ones, we might have a chance to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige alive, as long as the Deep Ones don¡¯t issue any orders." KP Green Light then chimed in with a smile, "Congrattions, everyone. Matsui Yui¡¯s tension has reached 100." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 343: Panda Pig, Death Chapter 343: Panda Pig, Death What?! Matsui Yui¡¯s tension level is at 100%?! Liu Xing furrowed his brows. He hadn¡¯t expected Matsui Yui¡¯s tension level to skyrocket like this, especially in the middle of the night. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa contacted KP Green Light, asking, "KP, what¡¯s going on? Why did Matsui Yui¡¯s tension level suddenly spike in the middle of the night? Don¡¯t tell me this is a Plot Encounter?" KP Green Light chuckled and replied, "You¡¯re absolutely right; it is a Plot Encounter. With her wedding ceremony approaching, Matsui Yui is experiencing pre-wedding jitters. She¡¯s worried that her wedding won¡¯t go smoothly, leading to some sleepless nights and naturally, increased tension. So, Matsui Yui¡¯s tension level has naturally risen. Are you satisfied with this exnation?" Satisfied? Not a chance. If it weren¡¯t for Alice and Lu Tianya, two NPCs sitting nearby, Liu Xing and the others would probably have cursed KP Green Light openly. After all, this so-called Plot Encounter was incredibly far-fetched, involving pre-wedding anxiety. However, they had no choice but to ept the reality. They had to prepare for the consequences of Matsui Yui¡¯s tension level reaching 100%, which meant being randomly selected as her target for a chase. Suddenly, the sound of rolling dice filled the air as KP Green Light began another hidden roll. "Well, it¡¯s done. The chosen target for Matsui Yui¡¯s chase has been determined. However, I can¡¯t reveal that information to you now. But let me remind you all¡ªMatsui Yui¡¯s pursuit willst for twenty-four hours. If she doesn¡¯t eliminate her target within that time, she¡¯ll give up.""Of course, if other yers or NPCs happen to be with the pursued target, or if Matsui Yui discovers that a yer knows she¡¯s chasing someone, well, it¡¯s a bit convoluted, but the point is that Matsui Yui will add another target, and there won¡¯t be any time limit. She¡¯ll relentlessly pursue them. So, you yers need to make your choices: whether to help the pursued yer or not," KP Green Light said with a smile. This was troublesome. If KP Green Light hadn¡¯t said thosest few lines, yers would have likely leaned towards mutual assistance. After all, once they survived Matsui Yui¡¯s pursuit, they still had to work together in the game. More people meant more strength. But the situation had changed. Trying to assist the pursued yer was almost certain to be noticed by Matsui Yui, unless they could truly act as if nothing was wrong. Moreover, due to the hidden roll, nobody knew who Matsui Yui¡¯s target was. This left the yers with two choices: either stick together and face danger as a group or split up and hope the pursued target could fend for themselves. However, Liu Xing had a theory. Matsui Yui¡¯s choice of target might not be entirely random. It could be someone she perceived as a threat, as KP Green Light had hinted. Matsui Yui still wanted to go through with her wedding... Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that KP Green Light¡¯s words contained important information. Usually, every word spoken by the GM was significant, even if they were intentionally misleading. They wouldn¡¯t outright lie. So, from KP Green Light¡¯s recent words, it wasn¡¯t hard to deduce a crucial piece of information¡ªMatsui Yui still wanted her wedding with Dogo Aige to happen. This meant that if they didn¡¯t stir up trouble, they should be able toplete the Main quest without much pressure. However, Liu Xing was curious about Matsui Yui¡¯s motives for wanting the wedding to happen. It couldn¡¯t be that she genuinely liked Dogo Aige, could it? If Matsui Yui truly had feelings for Dogo Aige, that wouldplicate things... Sighing, Liu Xing said, "Let¡¯s put aside the contents of this letter for now. I have a hunch that Matsui Ichiro and his group might be nning to attack us. Today, we had a significant altercation with Matsui Ichiro, and most importantly, Alice, you had a conflict with Matsui Yui. She must know that you possess something detrimental to her." Alice nodded, confirming, "Ryuusei, you¡¯re right. Although my rtionship with Matsui Yui is average, she should know me quite well. She might suspect that I¡¯ve revealed her true identity to all of you. Therefore, I believe Matsui Yui will choose to strike first, using any means necessary." Liu Xing and Alice set the tone for their uing discussion with their agreement. "So, what should we do? Fisher¡¯s Vige is so small that we have nowhere to hide. As for confronting Matsui Ichiro and his group head-on, that doesn¡¯t seem realistic," Miyako Goudong said, looking helpless. A direct confrontation was definitely unrealistic, given the significant power imbnce. "Forget about a direct confrontation; we don¡¯t stand a chance against Matsui Ichiro and his group. Since ourbined strength probably wouldn¡¯t even defeat a Shoggoth, my suggestion is for us to stay in the vi for the next few days. If we spot Matsui Yui or Matsui Ichiro entering the vi, we¡¯lle out together. In any case, we shouldn¡¯t be alone with either of them. I don¡¯t think Matsui Ichiro or Matsui Yui intends to exterminate uspletely at the moment," Ling Ishikawa suggested seriously. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Ling Ishikawa was right; unless there were unexpected developments, Matsui Yui would likely target just one yer at most. Liu Xing believed his luck had been rtively goodtely, so he assumed he wouldn¡¯t be Matsui Yui¡¯s chosen target. After all, he hadn¡¯t interacted with her much. So, Liu Xing agreed, "I agree with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s idea. If Matsui Ichiro and his group wanted to eliminate us entirely, they would have acted by now. But given the current circumstances, even if they do intend to take action, it will likely be to make an example of one of us. However, right now, Alice is probably Matsui Yui¡¯s primary target." Alice nodded and smiled, saying, "That¡¯s undoubtedly true. I think Matsui Yui is eager to eliminate me so that you all won¡¯t discover her secrets. But speaking of that, if Matsui Yui doese after me, I hope my friends will lend me a hand. After all, I¡¯m just a helpless woman." Ling Ishikawa sighed and drew a pistol from his waist, saying, "Since it hase to this, let¡¯s all reveal our cards. I have a pistol and thirty rounds of ammunition." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking shocked as he gazed at Ling Ishikawa. He hadn¡¯t expected Ling Ishikawa to carry a handgun with him. "Wait a minute, Ling Ishikawa, aren¡¯t you a Wizard now? At the very least, you should be a swordsman. How did you be a marksman all of a sudden?" Facing Liu Xing¡¯s question, Ling Ishikawa looked a bit embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head. He exined, "Um, well, Ryuusei, you all know that I¡¯m just a half-baked Wizard. The magic I¡¯ve learned has proven to be ineffective. As for my swordsmanship, although I consider myself proficient, you¡¯re aware that weapons carried openly after the prologue can¡¯t be brought into public areas and won¡¯t pass security checks." "So, you brought a handgun?" Panda Pig quipped. Ling Ishikawa shook his head and toyed with the handgun. "No, no, it¡¯s not like that. This handgun is something I discovered in an Alternate dimension space rift. I¡¯ve mentioned before that, for some inexplicable reason, I gained the ability to ess Alternate dimension space rifts after I was mysteriously sent to Hybrier. So, beforeing to Fisher¡¯s Vige, I experimented with this new ability at home when I had nothing else to do. That¡¯s when I stumbled upon this handgun and the skeletal remains of a police officer wearing a uniform." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at Ling Ishikawa¡¯s stroke of luck. He had found a handgun during the Interlude Growth phase, and it could potentially lead to a new storyline. "I see. But I can¡¯t decide if you¡¯re lucky or unlucky, Ling Ishikawa. Finding a handgun is quite a feat. It¡¯s not easy to obtain one in the Ind Nation. It also implies that your family¡¯s house is potentially cursed, as a police officer died there," Panda Pigmented. Ling Ishikawa nodded with a touch of helplessness. "What could I do? I felt desperate too. So, as soon as I returned home, I asked my family to move out. After all, it¡¯s evident that the police officer was attacked by some mythical creature and died in an Alternate dimension space rift. I was concerned that my family might also be at risk of a mythical creature¡¯s attack." "But as a student, I don¡¯t have much say in my family¡¯s decisions. They ignored my request, so I had to investigate the identity of the deceased police officer on my own and find a way to involve the police officer in the case. That way, my family would have no choice but to move. Eventually, I found information about the police officer in a local newspaper from several years ago. The police officer was originally investigating a deliberate murder case, but he disappeared while chasing a suspect, never to be found again. He was officially dered to have died in the line of duty, and the criminal suspect he was investigating remains atrge." "Initially, I intended to bring the police officer¡¯s skeletal remains back to the real world and ce them in the attic. I would then pretend to discover the remains. However, as soon as I brought the police officer¡¯s remains into the real world, the bones turned into ashes, leaving only a police badge and the handgun behind." It seemed that the unfortunate police officer had been tracking a criminal suspect who turned out to be a Void Spirit. Liu Xing listened attentively and then asked, "So, Ling Ishikawa, how did you manage to get the handgun past port security?" Ling Ishikawa smiled again, pointing at his waist. "That¡¯s where my second discovered abilityes in. I can create a special space around me, essentially an Alternate dimension space rift that moves with me. It can only amodate a handgun and these bullets." After hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s exnation, everyone exchanged surprised nces. They hadn¡¯t expected Ling Ishikawa¡¯s newfound abilities to be so powerful. In the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, there were strict regtions on carrying items, especially in modules set in urban locations, which had stringent requirements for personal belongings. If yers attempted to carry prohibited items forcibly, they risked being caught by the police and sent to a special module ¨C Prison Drama. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ability allowed him to bypass these restrictions, making it a formidable power. While handguns didn¡¯t have a significant impact on Shoggoths in the Cthulhu RPG Game, they did boost the group¡¯s morale. As for Liu Xing and the others, they had few weapons they could use openly. Liu Xing¡¯s ceremonial dagger, in particr, couldn¡¯t be exposed easily, as it might raise suspicion from "Zhang Jingxu." So, the group decided to rest in their respective rooms for the time being and await Matsui Yui¡¯s pursuit. After returning to his room, Liu Xing entered the Soul Casket and prepared to have a serious conversation with Sirius. Once inside the Soul Casket, Sirius appeared before Liu Xing. Liu Xing wasted no time and said, "Sirius, I encountered Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige." Sirius raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. "What? Shoggoths? Have they breached the underground defenses?" Liu Xing nodded and said earnestly, "Yes, the Shoggoths broke through the underground defenses and reached the surface. But from the current situation, it seems like these Shoggoths are under the control of the Deep Ones." Sirius frowned, somewhat resigned. "Thatplicates matters. Deep Ones are quite formidable creatures. I was killed by one of them in the past." At that moment, KP Green Light suddenly announced, "Well, it appears that Matsui Yui has acted quicker than expected. I¡¯ll inform the remaining yers that Panda Pig has been killed by Matsui Yui. Matsui Yui¡¯s tension level has now returned to 50%." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 344: Dealing with Shoggoth Chapter 344: Dealing with Shoggoth Panda Pig is dead?! Upon hearing KP Green Light¡¯s words, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. After all, he had returned to his room and entered the Soul Casket right after the discussion had ended. So, at most, only one or two minutes had passed since he hadst seen Panda Pig. How could Panda Pig have died so suddenly? Even more concerning was KP Green Light¡¯s mention of Matsui Yui acting so quickly. This implied that Matsui Yui had taken action without KP Green Light¡¯s knowledge, and it seemed that Matsui Yui had personally killed Panda Pig. Thinking about this, Liu Xing initially wanted to leave the Soul Casket and investigate in the real world. However, he quickly realized that he had no valid reason to do so at the moment. He couldn¡¯t just tell Sirius that he suddenly needed to use the restroom. He had to stay inside the Soul Casket for the time being. Moreover, Liu Xing was worried that Matsui Yui might still be at the crime scene. If he happened to stumble upon Matsui Yui and Panda Pig¡¯s bodies, it would be disastrous. After all, Liu Xing¡¯s character card¡¯sbat abilities were nothing to brag about, and without summoning Byakhee, he might not stand a chance against Panda Pig. Furthermore, Matsui Yui was likely apanied by Shoggoth. Seeing Liu Xing lost in thought, Sirius asked, "Liu Xing, what¡¯s on your mind?" Liu Xing snapped out of his thoughts and quickly replied, "It¡¯s nothing, I just suddenly remembered something, so my mind wandered for a moment. But speaking of which, Sirius, the time flow inside this Soul Casket seems to differ significantly from the outside world." Sirius nodded and smiled, saying, "That¡¯s correct. If the time flow inside the Soul Casket matched the outside world¡¯s time flow, I would have perished many years ago. When you entered my Soul Casket, it may have felt instantaneous, but in reality, an hour had passed. You see, even with your ess card to my Soul Casket, you still had to undergo various checks to enter Fisher¡¯s Vige. We can¡¯t take any chances with individuals like the Yis People potentially tampering with your soul."Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finally understanding. It meant that Matsui Yui might not have arrived at the vi to kill Panda Pig immediately. Panda Pig had mentioned his ns to explore Fisher¡¯s Vige on a side quest that night. So, Matsui Yui might have killed Panda Pig when he left the vi. Realizing this, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Matsui Yui was likely not still inside the vi. This time, Liu Xing didn¡¯t forget that he was in the middle of a conversation with Sirius. After briefly drifting in thought, he continued, "Back to the main topic, Sirius, what are your thoughts on Shoggoth? Especially when ites to battling them. My situation doesn¡¯t look great, and I might have to face the Shoggoths who escaped from the underground defense facility." Sirius furrowed his brow and sighed. "It depends on the situation. As you know, Shoggoths possess incredible evolutionary abilities. Over the years, they have likely evolved significantly from the time I controlled them. So, the methods I used to deal with them back then might be outdated." "However, if these Shoggoths are now under the control of the Deep One n, there are a few methods that might still work. Our Ancient One n and the Deep Ones share some techniques for controlling Shoggoths, such as using certain magic spells to subdue them. But these spells wouldn¡¯t work for you, as your vocal organs differ significantly from ours, and you can¡¯t use our magic." "But I assume you¡¯ve been to my storage room. Inside, you should find a Shoggoth suppression device specifically designed to control Shoggoths. It¡¯s made from highly advancedposite materials and won¡¯t easily break. You can use this device to deal with Shoggoths." Liu Xing nodded and then asked, "I see. So, how do I use this Shoggoth suppression device? I can¡¯t just walk up to a Shoggoth and put it on them, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do that." Sirius smiled and projected an image of the Shoggoth suppression device, pointing to a subtle protrusion in the center. "This is the activation mechanism for the Shoggoth suppression device. Each device corresponds to a specific Shoggoth. When you press this button, the device will automatically move to control the corresponding Shoggoth. The device has a range of up to twenty meters and requires the target Shoggoth to be within your line of sight for the dynamic tracking system to work." Liu Xing suddenly understood. The Shoggoth suppression device was essentially a modified elf ball that could reassert control over a previously captured Shoggoth. "By the way, my Shoggoth suppression device is specifically designed to control the most powerful Shoggoth currently present in Fisher¡¯s Vige. So, if you spot a Shoggoth noticeablyrger than the others, you can use the device to capture it. As long as there are no unforeseenplications, you should be sessful, and that Shoggoth will be at your disposal," Sirius exined. Sirius¡¯ words gave Liu Xing some reassurance. Now he had a chance to capture an elite-level Shoggoth, which would certainly help him ovee his disadvantages. However, the odds were still stacked against him. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and then asked, "Apart from the Shoggoth suppression device, are there any other ways to deal with Shoggoths? Relying solely on one device won¡¯t guarantee my survival against the horde of Shoggoths." Sirius smiled again and pointed to Liu Xing¡¯s chest, saying, "Liu Xing, haven¡¯t you used the Identity Verification Device? You¡¯re now at the same rank as me in terms of military officials." Blushing, Liu Xing replied somewhat sheepishly, "I didn¡¯t expect Sirius to notice that." Sirius nodded and said, "Of course. Our Ancient One n¡¯s identity verification is like cing a seal on our respective souls. We can instantly recognize each other¡¯s status. But your situation is unique, so you can¡¯t yet see my identity, whereas I can see yours." "Speaking of which, I mentioned to you before, Shoggoths once rebelled under our Ancient One¡¯smand. So, we devised various methods to control them, one of which involves imnting a control chip inside their bodies. This chip prevents Shoggoths fromunching attacks against us Ancient Ones. Moreover, when your rank reaches a certain level, you can directly control Shoggoths for your own purposes." "However, while these chips are imed to be permanent, they can still get damaged for various reasons. So, there¡¯s a good chance that more than fifty percent of the chips inside the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige have been damaged. It¡¯s also possible that the Deep Ones controlling them have discovered these chips and removed them." At first, Liu Xing felt hopeful upon hearing Sirius¡¯s words, thinking he might have a chance to control all the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige and achieve greatness. However, as Sirius continued, Liu Xing realized he was being overly optimistic. In Liu Xing¡¯s view, the Shoggoths in Fisher¡¯s Vige had been controlled by the Deep Ones over a decade ago, and these new-generation Deep Ones had likely forgotten about the Ancient Ones. So, they probably wouldn¡¯t be aware of the chips imnted in the Shoggoths¡¯ bodies. But from a game perspective, it was unlikely that KP would provide yers with such a significant advantage. Liu Xing was sure that most of the chips in the Shoggoths¡¯ bodies were damaged. Sirius seemed to sense Liu Xing¡¯s disappointment and patted him on the shoulder, saying somewhat teasingly, "Liu Xing, don¡¯t overthink it. As I mentioned, you¡¯re still human, not an Ancient One. Even if those chips were intact, they¡¯d only prevent the Shoggoths from attacking you. To control them, you¡¯d need to learn specificmands. While I can teach you thosemands, you can¡¯t produce the necessary vocalizations." Liu Xing was about to retort, but Sirius preempted him, saying, "Wait a moment, it seems someone is touching your body. It might be someone trying to contact you. I¡¯ll send your soul back to your body now." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, puzzled about how Sirius could know when someone was touching his physical body. Wasn¡¯t the Soul Casket incapable of sensing the outside world? Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s confusion, Sirius quickly exined, "You entered the Soul Casket in soul form, but not your entire soul. A small part of your soul remains in your body, monitoring your physical condition in real-time to prevent any idents." Liu Xing had to ept Sirius¡¯s exnation for now, but he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Sirius might be hiding something. Regardless, Liu Xing left the Soul Casket to return to the real world. ording to Sirius, someone was looking for him. Could it be Matsui Yui? With a hint of worry, Liu Xing opened his eyes and was relieved to see Ling Ishikawa. "Leader, you¡¯ve finally awakened," Ling Ishikawa said nervously. Liu Xing nodded and pretended to be puzzled. "What¡¯s going on?" Ling Ishikawa pointed upstairs and said, "Just now, when Miyako Goudong was about to sleep, she suddenly heard some noiseing from Panda Pig¡¯s room. Then, it sounded like Panda Pig went out. Initially, Miyako Goudong didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. However, in less than a minute or two, she heard Panda Pig¡¯s cries and screams from not far away. So, Miyako Goudong called us to go find Panda Pig, or rather, retrieve his body." Liu Xing was already aware that Panda Pig was dead, but he had to y along. He sighed and got up, saying, "Don¡¯t say such ominous things. Panda Pig might just be in danger. Let¡¯s hurry and search for him." Ling Ishikawa shook her head, affirming, "Panda Pig is definitely dead. There¡¯s nowhere to hide in Fisher¡¯s Vige, and Matsui Yui and her group are fighting on their home turf. If Panda Pig was spotted by Matsui Yui, he wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance. But why did Panda Pig go out so recklessly in the middle of the night?" Liu Xing was also puzzled by Panda Pig¡¯s risky behavior. After all, the rewards for the nighttime side quest in Fisher¡¯s Vige were not significant enough to justify such a risk. Could Panda Pig have epted some hidden quests? Liu Xing considered this possibility as he put on his clothes and joined Ling Ishikawa and the others. The mood was somber among the group, as Panda Pig had been killed by Matsui Yui. They walked out of the vi area, and Fisher¡¯s Vige was eerily silent. The group proceeded with caution, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Every little rustle made them jump in fear. Eventually, Liu Xing and the others left the vi area. "Miyako Goudong, are you sure it¡¯s this way?" Zhang Jingxu asked in a hushed tone. Miyako Goudong nodded and said with certainty, "I¡¯m sure it¡¯s this way. Judging from the sound and how loud Panda Pig¡¯s cries were, he should be just ahead." Miyako Goudong pointed to a clump of bushes about ten meters ahead. Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Zhang Jingxu led the way. They opened the bushes, and Panda Pig¡¯s lifeless body came into view. "Panda Pig was strangled by a Shoggoth," Liu Xing sighed and said aloud. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 345: The Mutation of the Deep One Chapter 345: The Mutation of the Deep One To be precise, from the gruesome state of Panda Pig¡¯s death, it was evident at a nce that Shoggoth had bound and crushed Panda Pig, simultaneously strangling him to death. Therefore, it remained unclear whether Panda Pig had died due to suffocation or internal organ rupture. In any case, Panda Pig¡¯s demise was utterly tragic. Nearly every bone in his body had been broken by Shoggoth, and there was an almost palm-wide ligature mark around his neck, causing him to die with his mouth wide open, in eternal terror. Ling Ishikawa sighed and moved closer, gently closing Panda Pig¡¯s eyelids, making him appear less horrifying and eerie. However, at that moment, KP Green Light stepped forward once more, addressing everyone, "Alright, yers, since you¡¯ve witnessed the gruesome death of your fellowpanion, Panda Pig, it¡¯s time for a sanity points check. However, the specifics of the sanity points checks will vary for each yer due to your different rtionships with Panda Pig and your individual circumstances. I will contact each yer separately for their sanity points check." After a two-second pause in KP Green Light¡¯s voice, he continued, "yer Liu Xing, your rtionship with Panda Pig is quite ordinary, a bit better than a stranger¡¯s, and as the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, you regard human lives lightly. Therefore, you won¡¯t need a sanity points check this time." As expected. Knowing he wouldn¡¯t have to undergo a sanity points check, Liu Xing crouched next to Panda Pig and began searching his pockets, hoping to find any possible clues on Panda Pig¡¯s body... and, of course, it would be even better if he could take possession of the items on Panda Pig. However, Liu Xing¡¯s search wasn¡¯t without its disturbing discoveries. As soon as he saw what nearly caused him to lose sanity points ¨C arge hole in Panda Pig¡¯s pants, right at the rear end. This discovery led Liu Xing to involuntarily make a horrifying connection. After all, the moment one thought of Shoggoth, the tentacle monster, Veteran Drivers would immediately associate it with bondage y.No wonder Panda Pig had his mouth wide open... Liu Xing quickly averted his gaze, to prevent himself from losing sanity points. In the right pocket of Panda Pig¡¯s pants, Liu Xing found Panda Pig¡¯s cellphone. Fortunately, Panda Pig¡¯s cellphone was not locked. Liu Xing first opened Panda Pig¡¯s contacts and noticed that Panda Pig had very frequentmunication with Dogo Aige, far more than with any other contacts. Especially before entering Fisher¡¯s Vige, Panda Pig and Dogo Aige were in contact almost four to five times a day, each callsting around ten minutes. This piqued Liu Xing¡¯s curiosity. In theory, Panda Pig and Dogo Aige were merely colleagues, at most good friends. Such frequentmunication was indeed quite unusual. At that moment, Alice approached with a smile and asked, "Ryuusei, what are you doing?" Liu Xing, observing Alice¡¯sposed demeanor, understood that she probably hadn¡¯t lost a single point of sanity during the recent check. After all, Ling Ishikawa and the others were still in a mentally distraught state. But this was to be expected. Alice had never been close to Panda Pig, and as an undercover agent for the Deep Sea Gospel Society, she was likely ustomed to various gruesome corpses. "I¡¯m thinking that there must have been a special reason for Panda Pig to leave the vi alone in the middle of the night. Knowing Panda Pig¡¯s personality as I do, he wouldn¡¯t take such a risk without good reason. So, I want to check if there might be any useful clues on Panda Pig¡¯s body now," Liu Xing exined. Alice nodded and looked at the phone in Liu Xing¡¯s hand. She said, "That¡¯s Panda Pig¡¯s phone, isn¡¯t it? Ryuusei, have you found any information inside? Keep in mind that even if someone intentionally deletes or hides their private information, various contents within the phone¡¯s applications can still reveal a lot of personal details." Liu Xing, looking somewhat puzzled, thought Alice¡¯s theory sounded impressive but didn¡¯t quite understand it. At this point, Zhang Jingxu and the others gradually began to regain theirposure. It seemed that no one had fallen into temporary madness. Ling Ishikawa, who was close to Panda Pig¡¯s body, noticed the hole in Panda Pig¡¯s pants and couldn¡¯t help but change his expression. He eximed, "Oh my, Panda Pig endured such inhumane torture before his death. It seems that if I can¡¯t escape Shoggoth¡¯s pursuit, I must take matters into my own hands. I know myself well." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words, Zhang Jingxu and the others also noticed therge hole in Panda Pig¡¯s pants and simultaneously said to Ling Ishikawa, "Remember to do the same for me." Dignity above all else. "Alright, let¡¯s not dwell on those details," Liu Xing interrupted. "The real issue is why Panda Pig suddenly left his room in the middle of the night. Currently, I¡¯ve found something strange on Panda Pig¡¯s phone ¨C his close and abnormal connection with Dogo Aige. So, I suspect that Dogo Aige and Panda Pig may have a secret rtionship." While Liu Xing spoke, he entered the SMS interface and, as expected, saw that Panda Pig and Dogo Aige had exchanged over two hundred text messages. "Could they be in a romantic rtionship? That seems unlikely, it¡¯s too extreme..." Miyako Goudong couldn¡¯t help butment. Liu Xing, after a cursory nce at the first few dozen messages, shook his head and said, "No, no, no. Panda Pig and Dogo Aige are not in a romantic rtionship. Instead, Dogo Aige has some crucial leverage over Panda Pig. Dogo Aige has been continuously ckmailing Panda Pig, demanding amounts like ten to twenty thousand today and forty to fifty thousand tomorrow." "Wow, Dogo Aige is that ruthless? Bute to think of it, what kind of leverage could Panda Pig have left in Dogo Aige¡¯s hands that would drive him to such extremes?" Ling Ishikawa eximed in surprise. Liu Xing continued to look at the messages while exining, "Based on the current situation, it seems that Panda Pig used his position to install hidden cameras in the women¡¯s changing room to spy on them while changing clothes. He even sold these videos through certain channels. Dogo Aige found out about it once, and ever since, he has been ckmailing Panda Pig. Just before heading to Fisher¡¯s Vige, Dogo Aige requested five hundred thousand Ind Nation currency from Panda Pig as ¡¯hush money.¡¯" "Five hundred thousand Ind Nation currency? That¡¯s incredibly steep," Ling Ishikawamented, furrowing his brow. Considering the average wage in the Ind Nation, five hundred thousand Ind Nation currency was equivalent to about one and a half months¡¯ sry for an ordinary worker. Lu Tianya shook his head with a hint of disdain and said, "That¡¯s not even that high. Think about it, this guy Panda Pig installed hidden cameras in the women¡¯s changing room and sold those videos online. The nature of his actions is truly despicable. And without a doubt, Panda Pig must have made a considerable profit from it, given the demand for such content online these days. So, I believe Panda Pig¡¯s demise was well-deserved." Lu Tianya had a point... Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "Although Panda Pig was a voyeuristic pervert, it doesn¡¯t justify his death. Moreover, with Panda Pig¡¯s death and the tant disy of his body, it¡¯s clear that Matsui Ichiro and his group are officially dering war on us. They will undoubtedly continue toe after us." The crowd fell into silence, just as Liu Xing had described. With Panda Pig¡¯s tragic death here, the next victim might very well be one of them. Liu Xing exited the text message interface. The reason for the frequent contact between Dogo Aige and Panda Pig had been uncovered. Their text messages followed a simr pattern: Dogo Aige initially demanded money from Panda Pig, who would im not to have any, and then Dogo Aige threatened to expose Panda Pig, ultimately forcing Panda Pig toply. Therefore, Liu Xing didn¡¯t see the need to read the remaining messages. However, as Liu Xing was about to exit the message screen, he suddenly noticed that Panda Pig had exchanged text messages with Matsui Yui, and there were quite a few of them. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, and a bold idea crossed his mind. Immediately, Liu Xing tapped into the messages. As expected. Liu Xing chuckled and said, "I see now. That¡¯s why Panda Pig left the vi alone tonight. It turns out that Panda Pig was having an affair with Matsui Yui." The others were taken aback, staring at Liu Xing in astonishment. Liu Xing handed the phone to Ling Ishikawa, who was closest to him, and continued, "Take a look for yourselves. After Dogo Aige met Matsui Yui, he repeatedly invited Panda Pig to join them. Of course, Dogo Aige¡¯s intention was probably to use Panda Pig as a scapegoat. However, Matsui Yui seemed to have taken a liking to Panda Pig and made secret advances. They had agreed to meet tonight, and Panda Pig probably thought Matsui Yui wouldn¡¯t harm him. Unfortunately, Matsui Yui ruthlessly killed him." "The entertainment industry is truly chaotic," Zhang Jingxu shook his head,menting. Miyako Goudong handed the phone to Zhang Jingxu and said with a smile, "From this perspective, Panda Pig might not havee out of this too badly. Despite being ckmailed by Dogo Aige, he managed to win over Matsui Yui. Unfortunately, he lost his life in the end." "Now that this matter is resolved, the question remains: what should we do next? Once the arrow is loosed, there¡¯s no turning back. Since Matsui Ichiro and his group have dered open hostility, they won¡¯t stop," Zhang Jingxu said solemnly. Liu Xing nodded, about to speak when he heard footsteps approaching from a distance. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t hear the sound of Shoggoth moving, and there was only one set of footsteps. The group exchanged nces and instinctively hid in the nearby bushes. Although the bushes were low, they could barely conceal everyone. After a while, Liu Xing saw a swaying viger approach Panda Pig¡¯s body and then drag it away. Once the viger had gone far enough, Liu Xing spoke up, "Well, this is quite unexpected. Matsui Yui¡¯s group did arrange for someone to handle Panda Pig¡¯s body." However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel regretful. He hadn¡¯t had the chance to thoroughly search Panda Pig¡¯s body for items. But then, Liu Xing had another idea. Panda Pig¡¯s room likely held some items that weren¡¯t convenient to carry around, so he could visit Panda Pig¡¯s roomter with a usible excuse. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa, who had the phonest, suddenly said, "Wait, everyone, take a look at this picture!" Liu Xing turned to see Ling Ishikawa passing the phone to him. Liu Xing epted the phone, and the picture on it showed a room with feminine d¨¦cor, most likely belonging to a woman¡ªpresumably Matsui Yui¡¯s room. In this picture, there was a decoration hanging on the wall, either a painting or a photograph, depicting a Deep One and a human woman embracing each other affectionately. The most important thing was that Liu Xing found the appearance of the Deep One in the picture quite strange. It looked markedly different from the typical Deep Ones¡ªa solid app90! Yes, this was an app90 Deep One, exceptionally handsome, with facial features closely resembling a human and colorful scales covering its entire body. Wait, colorful scales? Liu Xing recalled that Inoue Kenjiro had mentioned seeing some colorful scales in the underground passage. This meant that the Deep One controlling Shoggoth in Fisher¡¯s Vige, the one in the picture, was likely the same. Furthermore, it was highly probable that the human woman embracing the Deep One in the photo was Matsui Yui¡¯s mother, Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife. This meant that Inoue Kenjiro had been betrayed by a Deep One... This plot was getting quiteplex. Liu Xing suspected that the author who had created this module had quite a story to tell. If Matsui Yui turned out to be a Deep One hybrid, it would exin many things. If Matsui Yui was indeed a Deep One hybrid, it was highly likely that he was the one controlling Shoggoth in Fisher¡¯s Vige. With this revtion, many things could be exined. "It¡¯s a mutated Deep One, right? Just by looking at its face, you could say it¡¯s an actor," Miyako Goudongmented. Zhang Jingxu nodded and said seriously, "Indeed, Deep Ones are typically depicted with fish-like heads. It¡¯s unexpected to see a Deep One with such a human-like face, and its scales have mutated into colorful patterns. But if that¡¯s the case, this Deep One should be one of the Deep Ones mentioned by Inoue Kenjiro, and it deceived and betrayed him." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 346: Ling Ishikawa, Death Chapter 346: Ling Ishikawa, Death Everyone nodded in agreement. "The plot in Fisher¡¯s Vige is truly full of twists and turns. I thought Matsui Yui betraying Dogo Aige was already shocking enough, but it turns out Matsui Yui¡¯s mother is even more astonishing. She actually got involved with a Deep One, leaving Inoue Kenjiro wearing a cuckold¡¯s hat. I think Fisher¡¯s Vige could be renamed Forgiveness Vige," Ling Ishikawamented with a double entendre. Alice nodded and spoke seriously, "It¡¯s within expectations and beyond imagination. In general, who would think that humans could get involved with Deep Ones? However, Deep Ones indeed have no reproductive istion from humans, and their genes are incredibly potent, capable of turning human-Deep One hybrids into Deep Ones without exception." At this point, Liu Xing knew it was time to steer the discussion. "However, let¡¯s not forget that it was probably that mutated Deep One who rescued Inoue Kenjiro from the underground passage. After all, Inoue Kenjiro was already unconscious at the time." Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brows and said, "That¡¯s true, but why would the mutated Deep One save Inoue Kenjiro? Logically, that mutated Deep One should be Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s romantic rival, so it would want Inoue Kenjiro out of the way so it could be with Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s wife more easily." Zhang Jingxu made a good point. Liu Xing shook his head and said with a smile, "No, no, Zhang Jingxu, you¡¯ve forgotten something important. Regardless of the situation, that mutated Deep One still belongs to the Deep One n. It¡¯s definitely a hidden existence in human society, so it¡¯s only natural for it to save Inoue Kenjiro to ensure its offspring have a human father." "What do you mean, Ryuusei?" Zhang Jingxu looked at Liu Xing in mock surprise. Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "Exactly. I personally believe that if nothing unexpected happens, both Matsui Yui and Inoue Haruto are likely Deep One hybrids. Just as Alice mentioned, Deep Ones, as mythical creatures, have incredibly potent genes."Liu Xing¡¯s words left everyone deep in thought. After a while, Ling Ishikawa, a staunch ally of Liu Xing, chimed in, "I agree with Ryuusei¡¯s idea. If Matsui Yui is a Deep One hybrid, many things can be exined. For instance, the Shoggoth controller in Fisher¡¯s Vige is likely Matsui Yui. After all, judging from Panda Pig¡¯s corpse earlier, it¡¯s clear that Panda Pig was killed by the Shoggoth, and Panda Pig¡¯s reason foring out was to find Matsui Yui." Alice nodded and smiled, "I also agree with Ryuusei¡¯s idea. Although normally, when Deep One hybrids reach their twenties, their appearance would have fully transitioned to that of a Deep One, bing an Innsmouth Face. However, considering that Matsui Yui¡¯s father is a mutated Deep One, it¡¯s reasonable to assume that Matsui Yui¡¯s human appearance is still maintained." "More importantly, I¡¯ve thought about it carefully. Some of Matsui Yui¡¯s habits are indeed reminiscent of Deep One hybrids. For example, she loves swimming at the pool. From what I know, when Matsui Yui was in Kyoto, she went to the swimming pool almost every day, spending two to three hours there. In the past few days, she has been taking me to the beach for swimming every day, and she swims incredibly fast, faster than Olympic champions, and her diving time is extremely long. Although I didn¡¯t time it, I feel that her diving time exceeds human limits." "Lastly, I heard Matsui Yui mention that she has a brother working abroad. This brother has always been very kind to Matsui Yui, but for some reason, he couldn¡¯te back to Fisher¡¯s Vige to celebrate her wedding, which made Matsui Yui very sad. At the time, I didn¡¯t pay much attention, but now that I think about it, Matsui Yui¡¯s brother is likely the Inoue Haruto you mentioned." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. "Is that so? Did Inoue Haruto lie to us?" "I think it¡¯s possible. Inoue Kenjiro, as a regr person, wouldn¡¯t be able to enter Fisher¡¯s Vige without being noticed by Matsui Ichiro, especially with so many Shoggoths around. So, I suspect that when Inoue Haruto found us, he fabricated a lie to deceive us. It might even have been a trap specifically set up against us. The so-called elder of the Inoue family is just a fraud," Zhang Jingxu said seriously. Lu Tianya was nowpletely perplexed, murmuring, "Why? Why did Matsui Yui and the others do this? And why does Fisher¡¯s Vige even exist? It doesn¡¯t seem necessary for Matsui Yui and the others." Liu Xing furrowed his brow. While it made sense that Matsui Yui could be a Deep One hybrid and the Shoggoth controller, as Ling Ishikawa and Alice suggested, Lu Tianya¡¯s question remained: Why did Fisher¡¯s Vige exist? If its purpose was to control the Underground Ruins, Matsui Yui could have simply razed Fisher¡¯s Vige to the ground, turning the Small Ind into an uninhabited one, ensuring it remained unnoticed in the vast sea. This way, the existence of the Underground Ruins would be even less likely to be exposed. There was another point that had long puzzled Liu Xing, concerning Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s exploration of the Underground Ruins. In Liu Xing¡¯s view, he had explored the Underground Ruins in Fisher¡¯s Vige only twice, for a total of less than two hours, and yet, he had gathered valuable information and seen most of the topyer of the Underground Ruins. However, Inoue Kenjiro had spent a significant amount of time and effort there, only to find nothing. So... A sudden insight struck Liu Xing, and he said to Zhang Jingxu, "Zhang Jingxu, do you still have that letter on you?" Although Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t understand Liu Xing¡¯s intention, he nodded and took out the second letter from his pocket, handing it to Liu Xing. Liu Xing took the second letter and immediately retrieved the two maps from it. First, there was Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s "Underground Map." Liu Xing could see at a nce that the map did not include the three-way intersection he had walked through. Logically, that three-way intersection should have been in the central area of Fisher¡¯s Vige, and Inoue Kenjiro should have passed through it. Liu Xing nodded and then took out Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s "Ind Map," which marked the location of Fisher¡¯s Vige on the ind, as well as the port where Liu Xing and the others had arrived. "I want to use an inspiration judgment now to confirm whether the Small Ind where Fisher¡¯s Vige is located on this map is the same as the Small Ind we¡¯re on now," Liu Xing told KP Green Light. Indeed, Liu Xing now believed that the "Fisher¡¯s Vige" they were currently in was not the real Fisher¡¯s Vige. Instead, it was a deliberately fabricated "Fisher¡¯s Vige Film Set" created by Matsui Yui and the others, or rather, the Deep Ones! KP Green Light was momentarily stunned and then said, "Well, Liu Xing, your imagination is quite vast. I didn¡¯t expect you to have such thoughts. Alright, you can confirm whether the Small Ind you¡¯re currently on is the real Fisher¡¯s Vige through an inspiration judgment. However, because you¡¯re conducting an inspiration judgment and not a navigation judgment, it will be a difficult one." Liu Xing nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was only a difficult inspiration judgment, not the extremely challenging one he had initially feared. Liu Xing, 29/35 (70), sess. KP Green Light remained silent for a few more seconds and then said with a hint of resignation, "Liu Xing, you seem to have good luck in this module. You¡¯ve seeded again. Well, even though the sea might appear indistinguishable to ordinary people, making it hard to determine directions, your intuition has confirmed that the Small Ind you¡¯re on now is not the one marked as Fisher¡¯s Vige on Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s map. Instead, it¡¯s the Small Ind located to the lower right of Fisher¡¯s Vige,beled ¡¯Horror Ind.¡¯" As KP Green Light finished speaking, a bright sh appeared on Liu Xing¡¯s "Ind Map" in the lower right corner, precisely where Fisher¡¯s Vige should be ording to Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s map ¨C on the Small Ind named "Horror Ind." Liu Xing chuckled and said, "I finally understand why this Fisher¡¯s Vige felt so strange. It turns out that this Fisher¡¯s Vige is fake!" Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, everyone was shocked. However, as yers, Ling Ishikawa and the others knew that Liu Xing had just seeded in a judgment, so they could trust his words. In response, Ling Ishikawa yed along and asked, "What? The Fisher¡¯s Vige we¡¯re in now is fake? How is that possible?" Liu Xing smiled and replied earnestly, "Although it may sound mystical, I can assure you that my intuition is very urate. I just recalled the route our ship took to get here, and it didn¡¯t match the Fisher¡¯s Vige location on Inoue Kenjiro¡¯s map. Instead, we arrived on this Horror Ind in the lower right corner. So, I now believe that the Fisher¡¯s Vige we¡¯re in is entirely fake. However, I still can¡¯t be sure about the real purpose of this Fisher¡¯s Vige..." Before Liu Xing could finish, a voice interrupted him, saying, "That¡¯s right, this isn¡¯t Fisher¡¯s Vige." Liu Xing¡¯s hair stood on end as he realized the speaker was Matsui Yui! The others were initially bewildered but turned their attention to Matsui Yui, who had apparently been hiding behind arge tree or rather, a Shoggoth, in the nearby bushes. After Matsui Yui revealed herself, the tree instantly "liquefied" into a Shoggoth, with a body diameter of nearly two meters and a length of ten meters. It obediently followed Matsui Yui. In Matsui Yui¡¯s hand, Liu Xing saw a grayish bubble. This gray bubble was the professional item of a Shoggoth controller. Only with this gray bubble could a Shoggoth controller truly control Shoggoths. Furthermore, ording to the setting, if a yer obtained this gray bubble, they could also gain the ability to control Shoggoths. However, they would need to engage in a willpower battle with the Shoggoth. Indeed, Matsui Yui was the Shoggoth controller, and the giant Shoggoth behind her was likely the elite-level Shoggoth. Now the question was: What did Matsui Yui intend to do? This doesn¡¯t look good. "Alright, because you¡¯ve now seen a giant Shoggoth, you can begin sanity points checks. Remember that each yer¡¯s check will be different due to their individual circumstances," KP Green Light said with a hint of malicious delight. Then, KP Green Light asked Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, do you want to use the Yellow Seal Pendant¡¯s concealment effect?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that his Yellow Seal Pendant had a concealment effect. Still, he cautiously inquired, "Concealment effect? What does my Yellow Seal Pendant¡¯s concealment effect do?" KP Green Light chuckled and exined, "Why so cautious? Do you think I¡¯m trying to trick you? Here¡¯s the deal: even though you¡¯re the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect and possess a certain amount of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge, including information about Shoggoths, this elite-level Shoggoth has an extremely terrifying appearance and a breathtaking entrance. So, you will have to make a sanity points check. On a sess, you¡¯ll lose 2d3 sanity points; on a failure, you¡¯ll lose 2d6 sanity points." "Because you could lose up to 12 sanity points in this check, you can activate the Yellow Seal Pendant¡¯s concealment effect. If you choose to do so, your sanity points check will result in a score of 0. However, you won¡¯t gain Cthulhu Mythos knowledge from this encounter, and you won¡¯t be able to use the Yellow Seal Pendant¡¯s concealment effect in the next five modules." Liu Xing didn¡¯t hesitate and said, "Understood, I¡¯ll use the Yellow Seal Pendant¡¯s concealment effect." After all, even if he seeded in the sanity points check, he would still lose 2d3 sanity points. Then, the sound of rolling dice echoed. After a while, KP Green Light chuckled and said, "It seems that Miyako Goudong, your luck isn¡¯t great. Congrattions, you¡¯ve entered a temporary state of madness ¨C fleeing." As KP Green Light finished speaking, Miyako Goudong turned and fled in terror. Seeing this, Matsui Yui calmly waved her left hand, and the Shoggoth by her side began chasing Miyako Goudong. Momentster, Liu Xing heard a scream. Miyako Goudong, dead. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 347: The Truth Chapter 347: The Truth Regarding the death of Miyako Goudong, Liu Xing could only say it was a stroke of bad luck for him. He had failed the sanity points check, and even the temporary state of madness hadn¡¯t resulted in amnesia ora, which wouldn¡¯t have raised too many concerns for Matsui Yui. In short, Miyako Goudong was dead. And Liu Xing felt that his own time might be running out as well. Liu Xing and the others kept their gaze fixed firmly on Matsui Yui, not daring to turn around and look at Miyako Goudong¡¯s lifeless body. They feared that Matsui Yui mightunch a sudden attack, and they also wanted to avoid triggering another sanity points check by witnessing Miyako Goudong¡¯s death. Liu Xing was rtively fortunate, having sessfully passed several sanity points checks. But Ling Ishikawa and the others hadn¡¯t missed a single one. Though they hadn¡¯t descended into temporary madness, Liu Xing believed that if they were subjected to another sanity points check, they would likely lose one-fifth of their sanity points within a short time, forcing them into a potential state of madness. That would be troublesome. However, Liu Xing was now very curious about Matsui Yui¡¯s intentions. Why had she chosen to lie in wait and conceal herself with an elite-level Shoggoth morphed into arge tree? At that moment, the elite-level Shoggoth returned to Matsui Yui¡¯s side. Under the moonlight, Liu Xing could clearly see fresh bloodstains on the Shoggoth¡¯s body, indicating that Miyako Goudong had likely been crushed to death by this creature. Furthermore, Liu Xing noticed that two average-sized Shoggoths had also appeared by Matsui Yui¡¯s side.Three Shoggoths plus a Shoggoth Controller ¨C this was an unwinnable situation. Liu Xing quickly analyzed that the current situation was highly unfavorable for their side. Therefore, he reluctantly spoke up, "Miss Matsui Yui, what is the meaning of all this? Is this how you treat your guests?" Matsui Yui chuckled and shook her head, replying, "We don¡¯t beat around the bush, do we? Can¡¯t you figure out the situation yourselves? But I have to admit, it only took you a few days to uncover most of the truth." Liu Xing sighed. It seemed he would need to y his cards carefully. Fortunately, he still had a white character card at his disposal, and the option of using the resurrection module was also on the table. As Liu Xing began to drift in thought, Zhang Jingxu stepped forward and asked, "Um, Miss Matsui Yui, I¡¯m quite curious about one thing. Why does this fake Fisher¡¯s Vige exist?" Matsui Yui looked somewhat surprised at Zhang Jingxu and smiled, saying, "It seems, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, that you have quite the curious mind. Can¡¯t you figure out the reason behind this fake Fisher¡¯s Vige? But I¡¯ll be honest with you. In simple terms, the fake Fisher¡¯s Vige was established to cover up the existence of the real Fisher¡¯s Vige. Due to certain reasons I can¡¯t disclose, the real Fisher¡¯s Vige can no longer be present in this world. So, we needed a fake Fisher¡¯s Vige to provide a facade, as Fisher¡¯s Vige, despite being isted overseas, still falls under the jurisdiction of the Ind Nation. It is subject to regr investigations by Ind Nation officials." Zhang Jingxu nodded thoughtfully and continued, "So, is Matsui Ichiro, the Vige Chief, simply a front for handling inspections?" Matsui Yui nodded again, saying, "Exactly. The reason my father chose Matsui Ichiro to be the Vige Chief is because he has good eloquence, is articte, and has a clear understanding of his situation. He won¡¯t do anything out of line. So, my father had Matsui Ichiro stay as the Vige Chief of this fake Fisher¡¯s Vige instead of letting this swindler go down a different path." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Matsui Ichiro was indeed a swindler. However, when Matsui Yui referred to her "father," Liu Xing wondered if she meant Inoue Kenjiro or the mutated Deep One. Just then, Alice suddenly spoke up, "Miss Matsui Yui, your father should be Baruka, right?" Alice¡¯s words surprised Matsui Yui, who looked at Alice in astonishment and nervously said, "What? How do you know my father¡¯s name is Baruka? Alice, who are you exactly?" Baruka appeared to be the name of the mutated Deep One. Alice, upon hearing Matsui Yui¡¯s reaction, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "The name Baruka came to my knowledge over a year ago. It is said that Baruka is a hybrid Deep One, but due to some gic mutations, he retained a human appearance with colorful scales that other Deep Onesck. Although he looked different from other Deep Ones, Baruka was remarkably talented and quickly rose to a high-ranking priest¡¯s position, overseeing a coastal area in the United States of America. However, due to certain undisclosed reasons, Baruka had excellent rtions with the local humans, which led to resentment from other Deep Ones. They found a pretext to imprison Baruka, but he managed to escape, taking a group of like-minded Deep Ones and potential sacrificial humans to Fisher¡¯s Vige." Alice nodded and continued, "So, Matsui Ichiro, the Vige Chief, was chosen to handle inspections for you?" Matsui Yui smiled again, confirming, "Yes, that¡¯s correct. The reason my father made Matsui Ichiro the Vige Chief is because of his persuasive skills, his ability tomunicate effectively, and his clear understanding of his situation. He wouldn¡¯t engage in any suspicious activities. My father chose to have Matsui Ichiro stay as the Vige Chief of this fake Fisher¡¯s Vige rather than letting this con artist meet his end." Liu Xing furrowed his brow. It appeared that Matsui Ichiro was indeed a con artist. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether Matsui Yui¡¯s "father" referred to Inoue Kenjiro or the mutated Deep One. At this moment, Matsui Yui sighed and began, "Well, I didn¡¯t expect you to know so much, Alice. Yes, my father is Baruka. Back then, he refused to sacrifice a group of humans by sending them into the deep sea, which made him a target for the hostile Deep Ones. He had to escape with a group of like-minded Deep Ones and those humans who were about to be sacrificed, finding refuge in Fisher¡¯s Vige." Alice nodded, and with a smile, she said, "In that case..." "I know what you want to ask," Matsui Yui interrupted Alice. "I can reveal these details to you." Matsui Yui sighed again and continued, "The story goes like this: initially, my father and his team set up camp on a small ind near Fisher¡¯s Vige, which is the very ind we are on now. It was on this small ind that my father stumbled upon the Underground Ruins below. He began excavating the ruins and eventually gained control over the Shoggoths dwelling within." "Because my father had brought a group of humans with him, they had different characteristics and behaviors from Deep Ones. To spare them from suffering, my father disguised himself as a human and established contact and trade with Fisher¡¯s Vige. After all, as long as he concealed his scales, he looked just like an ordinary human." "During this time, my father met my mother. However, this was over thirty years ago when my mother was just a young girl. Afterward, about ten years of peace passed, and my mother was forced to marry Inoue Kenjiro. You see, Fisher¡¯s Vige is so small that couples of the same age are usually forced together." "In a way, I know that some of my father¡¯s actions were morally questionable. Nevertheless, it was all because of true love. My father managed to deceive Inoue Kenjiro and even made him a father. But in return, my father helped Inoue Kenjiro deal with those who coveted Fisher¡¯s Vige." "Yes, those who coveted Fisher¡¯s Vige were Li Yongjie and Matsui Ichiro. Firstly, Li Yongjie is not Chinese; he hails from the Cosmic Country, and his real name is Li Yonghe. He had studied in China for a few years before returning to the Cosmic Country and founding a secret cult named ¡¯True Taoism.¡¯ However, for some undisclosed reasons, he was collectively expelled by the local secret cults in the Cosmic Country." "After being expelled from the Cosmic Country, Li Yonghe had only a few followers left. But he was ambitious and believed he could make aeback. He was intelligent enough to realize that as an outsider, he couldn¡¯t establish himself in the city. So, he set his sights on Fisher¡¯s Vige, this overseas ind." "You already know the rest of the story. Li Yonghe adopted the alias Li Yongjie and came to Fisher¡¯s Vige. He established a rapport with the actual Vige Chief of Fisher¡¯s Vige, Inoue Kenjiro, and then used a pretext to take my brother to Tokyo for treatment, essentially indebting Inoue Kenjiro. Li Yonghe then sent Matsui Ichiro, the swindler, to promote his secret cult." "Of course, Li Yonghe was cunning. He adapted his secret cult¡¯s name and teachings to fit the circumstances. But my father began to suspect him for various reasons. To deal with Matsui Ichiro, my father nned to send a few Shoggoths to cause trouble in Fisher¡¯s Vige. As long as Matsui Ichiro, the so-called missionary, couldn¡¯t handle the Shoggoths, trust in him among the Fisher¡¯s Vige residents would diminish." "But what my father didn¡¯t expect was that Inoue Kenjiro was a hothead who took it upon himself to resolve the Shoggoth situation. My father had to intervene personally, and because of his condition at the time, he managed to turn the Fisher¡¯s Vige residents into his own followers, except for Inoue Kenjiro. But, as you know, my father isn¡¯t keen on harming humans unnecessarily, so he had to brainwash Inoue Kenjiro." "Afterward, my father and his people came to live in Fisher¡¯s Vige, biding their time. They also seized the opportunity to trick Li Yonghe intoing to Fisher¡¯s Vige, where he was reduced to a ve, tasked with dirty work. As for Matsui Ichiro, he was brought here to handle interactions with officials. And of course, all the buildings in this fake Fisher¡¯s Vige were transported from the real Fisher¡¯s Vige." So, that¡¯s the truth behind this module... Liu Xing had a bewildered expression on his face. The storyline of this module had gone beyond twists and turns; it was more like a product of an author¡¯s wild imagination! At this moment, Zhang Jingxu suddenly asked, "So, what happened to the people who stayed in the vi before we arrived? And Miss Matsui Yui, why did you kill Panda Pig and Miyako Goudong?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow. He didn¡¯t expect Zhang Jingxu to confront Matsui Yui at this moment. Wasn¡¯t he seeking trouble? Matsui Yui shrugged and replied, "The people who stayed in the vi before you were actually individuals who wanted to join Fisher¡¯s Vige, or rather, my father¡¯s followers. They merely went through the motions in the vi. After observing them for a few days, they went to the real Fisher¡¯s Vige. As for why I killed Panda Pig, you already know the reasons." "My rtionship with Panda Pig was as such. However, I¡¯ve decided to marry Dogo Aige now, so I wanted to end my rtionship with Panda Pig. I invited him to talk today before he came to Fisher¡¯s Vige, but he insisted on maintaining our rtionship, so I had no choice but to kill him." "As for Miyako Goudong, I could tell he had gone insane. A madman running around could easily cause unnecessary trouble, like revealing the truth to Dogo Aige. To prevent that, I had to eliminate Miyako Goudong. I believe you all understand my intentions now. As long as you attend my wedding with Dogo Aige honestly, you can leave here safely." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It seemed that this module was one of those bizarre scenarios where yers could progress smoothly as long as they remained passive. Of course, Liu Xing was still curious about the true purpose of the Composite Magic Array in the vi and wanted to ask Matsui Yui if her feelings for Dogo Aige were genuine. However, he didn¡¯t dare to ask these questions now. "Very well, I agree to your request," Alice nodded and said. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 348: Account Theft Chapter 348: ount Theft Since Matsui Yui had spoken this way, Liu Xing and the others saw no reason to refuse. After all, there was no possibility of negotiating terms between the two sides. Matsui Yui¡¯s strengthpletely overwhelmed them, not to mention the fact that Baruka, an obvious leader-level Deep One, stood behind her, along with an unspecified number of regr Deep Ones and Shoggoths. Could they even y this game? How could Deep Ones riding on faces lose? How could Shoggoths riding on faces lose? As long as Matsui Yui tagged them, victory was assured! Therefore, Liu Xing and the others nodded without hesitation, indicating their agreement with Matsui Yui¡¯s conditions. They would absolutely not tell Dogo Aige the truth. With that, KP Green Light stepped forward and smiled, saying, "Since that¡¯s settled, it¡¯s time for each of you yers to make an important choice. Will you break your promise and tell Dogo Aige the truth?" Of course, they wouldn¡¯t. Liu Xing was somewhat speechless. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the choices KP Green Light presented were both traps. If they chose to tell Dogo Aige the truth, the result would undoubtedly be Matsui Yui killing them, and possibly even causing the death of all the yers. More importantly, this was already a clever scheme by KP Green Light. The choice wasn¡¯t for the yers but for their character cards. Liu Xing didn¡¯t hesitate and directly chose, "Not to tell the truth to Dogo Aige." After all, the character card "WatanabeRyuusei" was a typical egoist, and "self-preservation above all" was his life motto.As for Yin En, he slyly said, "Well, my character card is a follower and underling of Liu Xing¡¯s character card, so my choice is the same as Liu Xing¡¯s." Clearly, "Ling Ishikawa" had a personality that might choose to tell Dogo Aige the truth, so Yin En used their rtionship with "WatanabeRyuusei" to exin his choice. However, the most troublesome one now was Zhang Jingxu. As a righteous person, it was highly unlikely that "Zhang Jingxu" would submit to someone like Matsui Yui. So, Liu Xing was very concerned that Zhang Jingxu might have to choose to "tell the truth to Dogo Aige." But at that moment, Lu Tianya suddenly spoke up, "Miss Matsui Yui, I have a question for you. Do you truly love Dogo Aige?" Matsui Yui raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Of course, I think Dogo Aige is a good man, so I want to marry him and spend the rest of my life here in Fisher¡¯s Vige." Liu Xing had wanted toment, especially considering Matsui Yui was a Deep One hybrid, which meant she had an endless lifespan as long as she wasn¡¯t killed. So, there was no way Dogo Aige could spend his entire life with her. But for the sake of his own life, Liu Xing decided to remain silent. "I also choose not to tell the truth to Dogo Aige because I believe Matsui Yui truly loves him, and I can¡¯t put Lu Tianya in danger," Zhang Jingxu said earnestly. So, the frustrating KP Green Light sighed and said, "You guys are quite good at finding excuses. Well, because you all chose not to tell the truth to Dogo Aige, you can nowplete this module in advance. You can decide whether or not to skip the ending scene." "We won¡¯t skip the ending scene," Liu Xing and the others said simultaneously. Although yers couldn¡¯t control character cards during the ending scene, they could observe it from a free perspective, allowing them to gather unexpected information. The ending scene began. WatanabeRyuusei and the others first tidied up Miyako Godong¡¯s body. Ling Ishikawa took the ring from Miyako Godong. Then, they all returned to the vi to rest, with WatanabeRyuusei obediently staying inside. Time jumped forward to the day of the wedding. A temporary stage was set up on the beach in the fake Fisher¡¯s Vige, and Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui¡¯s wedding ceremony began. Liu Xing noticed a man in a suit who had himself tightly wrapped up. However, judging by the man¡¯s handsome appearance, Liu Xing was sure that he was Matsui Yui¡¯s father, Deep One Baruka. Finally, the wedding ceremony ended smoothly. Liu Xing and the others safely boarded the boat, and with smiles on their faces, Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui bid them farewell at the port. The module ended. Liu Xing found himself in a bar-like ce, surrounded by Yin En and the others sitting around a wooden table. Behind the bar, a bartender wearing a green hat was mixing drinks. This was KP Green Light, who, of course, wore a mask as well. "Hehe, my friends, did you enjoy this module?" KP Green Light asked with a smile. Panda Pig looked utterly despondent and said, "What kind of module was that? I feel like it was designed to target me. No matter how I yed, I was bound to die!" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, curious. "Panda Pig, how did you die? As Matsui Yui¡¯s lover, even if her nervousness reached 100, you should have been able to survive, right?" Panda Pig sighed and said, "Well, women are indeed fickle creatures. The thing is, my Main quest was different from yours. In simple terms, I needed to get revenge on Dogo Aige, so I had to maintain a rtionship with Matsui Yui to disgust Dogo Aige." "So, that night, I had to meet Matsui Yui, and I originally nned to betray you guys to gain Matsui Yui¡¯s trust. But Matsui Yui told me right away that we had to end our rtionship, which meant I couldn¡¯tplete my Main quest. So, I had no choice but to engage in a quick conversation with Matsui Yui, but my quick talk attempt failed miserably, and that¡¯s how I ended up..." Everyone couldn¡¯t help but smile. Thankfully, Panda Pig¡¯s quick talk failed, or they would have been the ones in trouble. "I can only say that your luck was really bad, Panda Pig. It just so happened that Matsui Yui¡¯s nervousness reached 100. Originally, I had targeted Zhang Jingxu. So, if your quick talk had seeded that night, Matsui Yui would have chosen to temporarily continue the rtionship with you and would have gone to kill Zhang Jingxu. But a dayter, you would still have to face a difficult quick talk or persuasion toplete your Main quest," KP Green Light said with a chuckle. Hearing KP Green Light¡¯s words, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t help but pat Panda Pig on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Thanks, buddy. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve been in big trouble." Panda Pig let out another sigh and shrugged, saying, "Well, in short, my luck was just incredibly bad. But it¡¯s for the best; I finally got rid of this character card. It was too much trouble. Not only did the personality sh with mine, but it also brought so much absurdity from the very beginning. I was at risk of joining the Prison Turmoil module at any moment..." Miyako Godong, sitting next to Panda Pig, also sighed and said with a bitter smile, "My luck wasn¡¯t great either. I reached the final sanity points check, and as long as I didn¡¯t enter temporary insanity, I could havepleted the module. But I lost my mind. This... sigh..." Liu Xing felt that Miyako Godong had indeed been quite unlucky. He could be said to have fallen just before the finish line. However, thest sanity points check was quite tricky, and even he had more than a fifty percent chance of entering temporary insanity. Yin En, with a lingering sense of dread, added, "Fortunately, I had decent luck today. I lost four sanity points in thest sanity points check. I was close to joining you, Miyako Godong, in the depths of madness." Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, "That¡¯s right. I also lost four sanity points. At the time, I thought I was incredibly lucky. Looking back, I feel like I was blessed by the RNG gods. But on a different note, KP, I have a question. What would have happened if we yers had done nothing in this module?" KP Green Light thought for a moment and said, "If you had all been idle, you would indeed havepleted the module with no pressure. However, due to the Composite Magic Array, you would permanently lose 5 willpower and random memories. These lost memories would be rted to the modules you had previouslypleted." "Most importantly, if your character cards were not torn during this module, you would definitely return to Fisher¡¯s Vige for a special module. The difficulty of that special module is extremely high. To put it bluntly, even if you advance to the Cthulhu Region, there¡¯s no guarantee you would pass that special module. So, in summary, if you collectively idled, while you couldplete the module without pressure, the drawbacks would outweigh the benefits." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. cking off in a module had significant risks, considering that Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall didn¡¯t provide welfare modules lightly. "Now, I announce that this module has sessfully ended. In one minute, I will send you all back to the real world. You yers can bid farewell to each other now. By the way, congrattions to yers Liu Xing, Yin En, and Zhang Jingxu; you have earned the opportunity to advance to the Hound of Tindalos Region. Good luck!" KP Green Light announced. Liu Xing nodded and said to Yin En, "Yin En, let¡¯s contact each other in the real world to arrange the timing for our advancement module." "No problem. I mighte to Rongcheng in a couple of days, so we can meet up for a drink then," Yin En replied with a smile. Liu Xing considered it and said, "Sure, let¡¯s coordinateter. After all, you have my contact number." As Liu Xing finished speaking, he suddenly found himself back in the real world. Stretchingzily, Liu Xing got up and poured a ss of water in the living room, preparing to wait for Yin En¡¯s contact. However, when he checked his points, he was shocked to find that he had just over three thousand points left! Frowning, Liu Xing realized that he hadn¡¯t used his points for a long time. Afterpleting this module, he should have had around seven to eight thousand points. How had it dropped to just over three thousand points?! Could it be that there was a bug in Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall? Or had his ount beenpromised? Liu Xing shook his head, dismissing both possibilities. It couldn¡¯t be a bug or apromised ount in Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. At that moment, Liu Xing remembered that there were transaction records in the Shop Interface. With that in mind, he quickly essed the shop interface and checked the transaction history. Then, Liu Xing was astonished. The top entries in the transaction history were "purchase item," "purchase item," "purchase item," and "activate: Dark Party invitation." The three "purchase item" transactions had urred an hour ago, while the "activate: Dark Party invitation" had happened ten hours ago. At that time, Liu Xing had been ying the "Of Course, Forgive Her" module. "Wait a minute, the Dark Party invitation was activated?" Liu Xing furrowed his brows. He immediately essed his character card interface. Sure enough, the status of the "Liu Xing" character card had changed from "fake death" to "normal." However, in the upper right corner of the "Liu Xing" character card were the words "uncontroble." Liu Xing was now even more puzzled. How had his character card inexplicably undergone andpleted the resurrection module? When in doubt, ask customer support. Fortunately, Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall had a customer support function. In no time, Liu Xing contacted customer support under the alias "Ghoul." However, before Liu Xing could start asking questions, "Ghoul" sent him a long string of messages. After reading these messages, Liu Xing finally understood everything. His character card had been "hijacked" by a member of the Yis People! The incident began when Liu Xing had just advanced to the Shoggoth Region. He and Zhang Jingxu participated in an emergency recruitment module. At that time, the temporary character card Liu Xing used was possessed by a member of the Yis People. Due to certain unique circumstances, the module ended prematurely, causing a portion of the Yis People¡¯s soul to enter the "Liu Xing" character card. Then, during the Yueshihao module, "Liu Xing" entered a fake death state, providing an opportunity for the Yis People to take control of the character card temporarily. Fortunately, the Yis People were in a state of iplete soul possession, and due to certain rules of Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, they couldn¡¯t convert the "Liu Xing" character card into an NPC. As Liu Xing reached this point, he was utterly stunned. He never expected such a turn of events. His character card had been "hijacked" by an NPC?! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 349: A Heap of Question Marks Chapter 349: A Heap of Question Marks Liu Xing had never expected that in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, the Yis People could actually hack ounts... The Yis People, a race known for ount theft, had gained poprity in the Cthulhu RPG Gamemunity. When Liu Xing first got into Cthulhu RPG Game, Wu Lei had exined this meme to him and warned him that if there were any traces of the Yis People in the module he was ying, he needed to be cautious. Because in the blink of an eye, his character card might be a Yis People¡¯s possession. Now, Wu Lei¡¯s earlier joke had turned into reality. At this moment, "Ghoul" sent another lengthy message. In essence, the message contained the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s solution to the matter. Firstly, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall admitted their partial responsibility for this incident, acknowledging that theirx supervision allowed the Yis People to sessfully "hack" ounts. However, due to certain rules, they couldn¡¯t directly expel the Yis People from Liu Xing¡¯s character card. Therefore, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall offered Liu Xing two choices. The first option was for Liu Xing to voluntarily give up his "Liu Xing" character card, and in return, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall would transform "Liu Xing" into an NPC. Of course, they wouldpensate Liu Xing with a certain number of points, which currently stood at 12,000 points, along with a new "Dark Party Invitation." The other choice was for Liu Xing to retain the "Liu Xing" character card, but he would still have no control over it. The Yis People would continue to use "Liu Xing" in the current parallel world, earning points to buy items in the shop. Liu Xing would be unable to use the points gained by "Liu Xing." In other words, the Yis People would control "Liu Xing" as a new yer in the Cthulhu RPG Game, and Liu Xing would have no say in it.However, if Liu Xing chose this option, he would receive a special item called a "seize card." The seize card was a unique item that couldn¡¯t be acquired through normal means like the shop or modules. It could only be obtained through systempensation. The seize card¡¯s effect was quite straightforward. A yer could select a character card they didn¡¯t control and use the seize card on it, initiating a 1v1petitive module with that character card. If the yer sessfullypleted the module, they would gain control of that character card. Importantly, the yer would have an advantage during this module. Seeing this, Liu Xing made a swift decision to choose the second option and obtain a seize card. Liu Xing¡¯s decision was driven by two main factors. Firstly, he was reluctant to lose the "Liu Xing" character card, as it had excellent attributes, skills, and a strongerwork than "WatanabeRyuusei." The offered 12,000 points seemed meager. Secondly, Liu Xing wanted to take a gamble, letting the Yis People help him develop the "Liu Xing" character card, given their mythical creature status, which would provide a significant advantage in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Eventually, he could use the seize card to regain control when the time was right, making the Yis People work for him. Of course, there were risks involved in this decision. If things went awry, Liu Xing would permanently lose the "Liu Xing" character card. After making his decision, Liu Xing replied to "Ghoul" with his choice. Soon, Liu Xing received an email, signed by "Official," containing the seize card. After extracting the seize card, Liu Xing received a message from Yin En. "I¡¯m on my way to Rongcheng, arriving tomorrow night at Nine-Eyed Bridge." Liu Xing replied with a simple "OK" and then shut down hisputer. He was ready to go out for a meal. After all, he had been eating fish daily in the module, and he felt the need for a change in taste. After some consideration, Liu Xing decided to go for hotpot. However, eating hotpot alone was quite dull, so he decided to invite Wu Lei to join him. Half an hourter, Liu Xing and Wu Lei sat facing each other at a hotpot restaurant. "Hey, why did you suddenly think of inviting me for hotpot?" Wu Lei chuckled. Liu Xing shrugged, raised his ss, and said, "No particr reason, just had a sudden craving for hotpot, and eating alone is too boring, so I called you." Wu Lei raised his ss as well and replied, "By the way, did you hear that Feng Zhicheng is getting married? His wife seems to be our junior. I never expected Feng Zhicheng, that guy, to like younger partners." When Wu Lei mentioned Feng Zhicheng, Liu Xing thought of Zhang Jingxu¡¯s master. Curious, Liu Xing decided to probe Wu Lei. "What? Feng Zhicheng is getting married so soon? I remember that guy said he wouldn¡¯t marry until he was under thirty during ourst team gathering before graduation. He¡¯s changing his tune pretty fast. But speaking of which, Wu Lei, you always liked using Feng Zhicheng as your character card. Have you given him any new roles or methods of dying recently?" Wu Lei chuckled, shook his head, and said, "I¡¯ve been quite busytely, so I haven¡¯t been able to participate in the Cthulhu RPG Game as much. I¡¯ll get back to it after this busy period." Liu Xing nodded and didn¡¯t press further. He continued to enjoy the hotpot and drinks with Wu Lei. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but notice that Wu Lei seemed somewhat distracted, lost in thought. After bidding farewell to Wu Lei, a slightly intoxicated Liu Xing returned home and fell asleep immediately, only waking up around noon the next day. After freshening up, Liu Xing realized that Yin En had sent several messages. Opening them, he discovered that Yin En hadpleted his tasks early and had originally nned to have lunch with him, but Liu Xing had overslept. So, Liu Xing quickly sent an apology text to Yin En. Soon, Yin En replied with a message, inviting Liu Xing to a teahouse for a chat. Liu Xing eagerly epted the invitation because he wanted to discuss the Yis People¡¯s ount theft with Yin En. Upon arriving at the teahouse, Liu Xing met Yin En once again. After some catching up, Liu Xing got straight to the point. "Yin En, have you heard of the Yis People hacking ounts?" Yin En raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "I¡¯ve heard of it once or twice. But now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, has Yis People hacked your ount too?" Liu Xing sighed and nodded, exining his situation to Yin En. Of course, he didn¡¯t reveal the details of his contact with customer support, as caution was paramount. Yin En stroked his chin, deep in thought, before saying, "Liu Xing, your situation is quite unique. From what I¡¯ve heard about previous Yis People ount theft incidents, the oue usually involves the yer regaining control of their character card afterpleting a module on the Yis People¡¯s. However, those Yis People ount thieves often leave a mess for the yer to deal with." "But in your case, I haven¡¯t heard of anything like this before. Emergency recruitment modules are exceedingly rare. In fact, around 99% of yers in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall have never participated in an emergency recruitment module. So, your situation is likely an exception with no precedent to refer to." Liu Xing nodded, as this was within his expectations. The topic then shifted to the uing advancement module. Yin En took out a USB drive and said, "Regarding the uing advancement module, I¡¯ve consulted a few friends who have attempted it, but unfortunately, none of them have sessfully advanced to the Hound of Tindalos region. You see, all three advancement modules must bepleted sessfully, and these three modules are all of a difficult level." "Additionally, within these three advancement modules, there¡¯s always onepetitive module with a fixed 4v4 yer setup. Apart from that, there¡¯s also a wilderness survival module where yers have to navigate extreme terrains like mountains, forests, snow, or deserts. I believe you haven¡¯t experienced such a module yet." Liu Xing nodded again, confirming that he hadn¡¯t encountered a wilderness survival module. Wilderness survival modules were considered some of the most challenging in the Cthulhu RPG Game. They typically took ce in extremendscapes like deep forests, snowy mountains, or deserts, subjecting yers to various debuffs upon entry. They could also face resource scarcity, such as water and food shortages, leading to both physical and psychological challenges. Furthermore, obtaining information for wilderness survival modules was notoriously difficult, as there was limited data avable, and yers had few means to gather information. Yet, information was crucial for their survival. Hence, wilderness survival modules were generally disliked by yers in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. "By the way, this USB drive contains some data, all from the Hound of Tindalos region forum¡¯s essential threads. I purchased it from someone else for 100 points," Yin En said with a smile, handing the USB drive to Liu Xing. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Is this sort of thing allowed?" Yin En nodded, exining, "Every game usually has what we call ¡¯information brokers,¡¯ and our Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is no exception. There are even many organizations specialized in collecting and selling information, though they mainly operate in the Hound of Tindalos region, where forum data is publicly avable." "These pieces of information can be broadly divided into two categories. The first is public information, essentially the highlights from the forum. These threads contain a wealth of information that¡¯s very useful, especially for neers to the Shoggoth Region. However, the cost-effectiveness of this type of information is not very high since you can easily obtain it after advancing to the Hound of Tindalos region, albeit with some effort." "The second category is ssified information. This type of information is provided by yers from the Cthulhu region who aren¡¯tcking in points. Therefore, acquiring information from them can be incredibly challenging. The prices for ssified information are high, and they often have a per-line charge, so it¡¯s not worth considering at the moment." After Yin En¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing felt he had learned something new. Taking the USB drive, Liu Xing said, "Thank you, Yin En. Now, let¡¯s get back to the main topic. When is the best time for us to start the advancement module?" Yin En thought for a moment and replied earnestly, "If you have no other engagements, I think it¡¯s suitable for us to begin the first advancement module within the next two days. Based on statistics, starting the first advancement module within three days of gaining the advancement qualification will ensure that it¡¯s a regr module. That¡¯s because bothpetitive modules and wilderness survival modules require some time to organize. The former requires a sufficient number of yers, and thetter needs a suitable reason to ce character cards in the wilderness." Liu Xing nodded and made a decision. "Alright, then tomorrow it is. How about starting the first advancement module at 10 AM tomorrow?" "OK, 10 AM tomorrow it is. See you then," Yin En replied with a smile. The next day, at 10 AM, Liu Xing woke up early, got ready, and, once he confirmed that Yin En was online, clicked to start the game. The game began promptly. First, there was the Interlude Growth screen, but this time it was peculiar, as it was entirely in darkness without any title. With a puzzled expression, Liu Xing entered the module officially. Scenario: Old Town Difficulty: Difficult Number of yers: 5 Story Background: ??? Name: WatanabeRyuusei upation: Aspiring College Student (Leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect) Gender: Male Age: 18 Traits: Leadership, Blessing of the Yellow King Rtion to this module: After attending Dogo Aige¡¯s wedding, WatanabeRyuusei had just returned to Kyoto when he received an invitation from Zhang Jingxu and Lu Tianya. They invited him to visit an Ancient One near ChinaRongcheng in a mountainous area, as mentioned by Zhang Jingxu. However, their journey was far from smooth. Lu Tianya had fallen severely ill with a sudden cold and had to stay in Rongcheng for treatment. Then, they encountered heavy rain on the way, and due to andslide blocking the road, their bus had to take an alternate route into a small town. Character Attributes: Strength: 60 Constitution: 60 Willpower: 75 Luck: 70 Agility: 50 Appearance: 85 Build: 60 Intelligence: 80 Inspiration: 70 Education: 70 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge: ??? Sanity Points: ??? HP: 12 MP: 30 Damage Bonus: 1 Credit Rating: 30 Skills: Ind Nation Language 80, Library Use 60, Investigation 50, Listening 40, Persuade 70, Fighting 40, Dodge 40, ult 80, Other Languages: Ancient One Language 60. Special Abilities: Summon/Dismiss Byakhee, Ritual Ceremony to Summon King Hastur in Yellow Robes Inventory: Smartphone, English Trantion of "Yellow King," "Worshipers of the Yellow Sect" Scriptures, Yellow Seal Pendant. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow once more. He hadn¡¯t expected the story background of this module to be entirely unknown, with even his sanity points and Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge marked with question marks. Moreover, due to his agreement with Alice, his upation had changed from unemployed to an aspiring college student. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 350: Language Barrier Chapter 350: Language Barrier At this moment, a female voice spoke up, "Hello, everyone. I am the KP (Key Person) for this module, named Snow Wind. I hope all the yers can sessfullyplete this advancement module." Wait, Snow Wind?! Liu Xing was surprised. He didn¡¯t expect the KP for this module to have such an auspicious name. Moreover, she immediately wished him sess inpleting the module. It seemed that unless something unexpected happened, his chances of advancing in this module were looking bleak. "Um, I know some yers might misunderstand my name, so I hope you won¡¯t be too superstitious. This Snow Wind is not the same as the one you might be thinking of. I won¡¯t bring you good luck," KP Snow Wind said somewhat helplessly. After a few seconds, KP Snow Wind continued, "Well, let¡¯s get back to business. This module is actually a special one. In simple terms, it doesn¡¯t have a true main quest but isposed of multiple side quests. So, when a yerpletes a certain side quest, they will earn ¡¯Truth¡¯ points. When a yer umtes 100 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points, they can pass this module and earn 1500 points. Of course,pleting side quests will also reward you with points." "As for the Private Room time that all yers are concerned about, it¡¯s limited in this module. Each yer has only two opportunities to initiate Private Room time, and each session canst for ten minutes. During Private Room time, your conversations won¡¯t be heard by NPCs or mythical creatures. Otherwise, there will be penalties. Please pay attention to these details." "By the way, since this module is set near Rongcheng in China, all yers should be aware of the local security situation in China. As a result, some of your personal items have been automatically removed. You can check your items when you return to the real world. Now, please prepare yourselves, as we are about to officially begin the game." As KP Snow Wind finished speaking, Liu Xing suddenly realized he was sitting inside a bus. Ling Ishikawa was sitting next to him, and outside the bus window, there was pouring rain, making it impossible for Liu Xing to see the surroundings clearly. Looking around, Liu Xing noticed that he and Ling Ishikawa were at the back of the bus, with Zhang Jingxu sitting in front of them. In the middle and near the front of the bus, there were two other tourists. Next to the driver¡¯s seat stood the driver and a female tour guide.ording to "WatanabeRyuusei¡¯s" memory, since none of them had driver¡¯s licenses, and there were no fixed buses to the remote mountain area where the Ancient One was located, "Zhang Jingxu" had suggested taking a tour bus to their destination. Due to the off-season, there were only two other tourists on the bus besides themselves. Twenty minutes earlier, around 9 o¡¯clock in the evening, the bus was traveling normally on the highway when suddenly a heavy rainstorm began. It caused andslide ahead,pletely blocking the highway. To ensure safety, the driver immediately found an exit and, after crossing a bridge, arrived at their current location. At this point, the female tour guide spoke, "Dear tourists, as there are only two umbres on the bus, the driver and I will go seek help from the locals and arrange amodations and meals for you tonight. Therefore, please stay on the bus temporarily to avoid any idents." After saying that, the female tour guide and the driver left the bus with their umbres. It appeared that the remaining two tourists were also yers. "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, I told you not to rush. We could have left tomorrow morning and avoided all this," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile to Zhang Jingxu. Originally, "WatanabeRyuusei" and "Ling Ishikawa" had nned to depart the following morning. However, "Zhang Jingxu" insisted on visiting the Ancient One as soon as possible. The Ancient One¡¯s whereabouts were unpredictable, and a dy of just one or two hours could have made them miss the opportunity to meet him. Thus, "Zhang Jingxu" had forcefully persuaded "WatanabeRyuusei" and "Ling Ishikawa" to board this bus. Zhang Jingxu helplessly shook his head and replied, "What can I do? I¡¯m just as desperate right now. Who would have expected such a sudden downpour and andslide? But this wouldn¡¯t have happened if it weren¡¯t for Ryuusei¡¯s insistence on visiting that Ancient One. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have encountered this." Suddenly, Liu Xing was assigned the me. He sighed and said, "Alright, I¡¯ll take the me for this. But with this rain, I doubt it¡¯ll stop by tomorrow morning." At this moment, the yer sitting at the front also stood up and walked over to chat with the other yer. However, Liu Xing realized that he couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying, even though he knew they were speaking in Chinese. This was bad. Liu Xing remembered that after arriving in the Shoggoth Region, yers would start experiencing a nguage barrier." If their character card didn¡¯t have the appropriatenguage skill, they wouldn¡¯t understand what others were saying. Since Liu Xing¡¯s character card was for an Ind Nation character and didn¡¯t include the skill "Other Language: Chinese," he was unable tomunicate with these two yers. Fortunately, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s character card included both Chinese and Ind Nation Language skills. In this module, Zhang Jingxu would have to take on the role of a trantor. However, this wasn¡¯t good news for Liu Xing. In this module, the primarynguage would likely be Chinese, and not understanding Chinese would make it difficult for "himself" to make any progress. Gathering information would be a challenge, and relying on Zhang Jingxu for trantions could introduce inuracies andplications. Ling Ishikawa also realized the issue and smiled at Zhang Jingxu, saying, "Zhang Jingxu, it looks like we¡¯ll need you to be our trantorter. After all, Ryuusei and I don¡¯t speak Chinese." Zhang Jingxu sighed and shrugged, "No problem. When I invited you to China, I was mentally prepared for this. But don¡¯t expect too much from my trantion skills. My Ind Nation Language is only average, and I might trante some things strangely." Liu Xing nodded. It seemed that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s skill level for "Other Language: Ind Nation Language" was around 50, allowing him to converse proficiently but struggling with more obscure or technical terms. It looked like this module was going to be quite a challenge. Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Zhang Jingxu exchanged nces. At this point, the other two yers finished their conversation and approached. One of them said, "@¡á¡ø..." Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa looked utterly bewildered. "These two are introducing themselves. The tall and slender one is called Li Dian, a local forensic expert from Rongcheng. The darker-skinned one is Wan Chongshan, a geologist from the Western Mountains. I¡¯ve already told them about your situation," Zhang Jingxu tranted. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. The yer lineup this time was quite interesting, including roles like a forensic expert and a geologist, which could be considered "rare professions." In the USB drive that Yin En had given him yesterday, the first piece of information Liu Xing came across was titled "upational Ratings in the Cthulhu RPG Game." In this document, the forensic expert was considered an intermediate-level profession, described as "usable," while the geologist wasbeled as a "bottom-tier" profession, not worth choosing. The reason for these ratings was the division of yer Skill Points in the Cthulhu RPG Game into two categories: upational Skill Points and Interest Skill Points. Generally, a yer¡¯s upational Skill Points would be significantly higher than their Interest Skill Points. However, upational Skill Points could only be allocated to skills relevant to the yer¡¯s chosen profession. As a result, skills rted to professions like geology were rarely useful in most modules, and even when they were, the effects were mediocre at best. Some skills might also require specific items to be effective. Therefore, professions like forensic experts and geologists were considered "endangered" in the Cthulhu RPG Game. Few yers would choose to create character cards for these professions, and those who did often didn¡¯t survive a single module. So, Liu Xing was somewhat surprised to meet both a forensic expert and a geologist, two "endangered" professions, in this advancement module. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was good luck or bad luck. In any case, Liu Xing felt that he needed to be prepared for an unfavorable oue. With Zhang Jingxu¡¯s trantion, everyone had a cheerful conversation. However, Liu Xing noticed something unusual ¨C the female tour guide and the driver hadn¡¯t returned yet. Calcting the time, they had been gone for nearly twenty minutes. Normally, whether or not they had found help from locals, they should have returned to inform everyone. Although Liu Xing initially suspected that the female tour guide and the driver were disposable NPCs who would meet a grisly fate in a Plot Encounter, he hadn¡¯t expected it to happen so soon, right at the beginning of the module. Thinking about this, Liu Xing shared his suspicions with Zhang Jingxu. "Zhang Jingxu, why haven¡¯t the driver and tour guide returned? Could something have happened to them?" Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and first tranted Liu Xing¡¯s words for Li Dian and Wan Chongshan. Then he expressed his opinion, "It looks like there¡¯s a possibility that something has happened to the driver and tour guide. After all, heavy rain like this can easily lead to problems." Suddenly, the rain outside the bus lessened a bit, allowing Liu Xing to see their surroundings more clearly. The bus was parked in the middle of a street in a small town, with rows of tightly packed three-story buildings on either side. The ground floors were shops, while the second and third floors were residential. At this moment, the second floor of the building on the left side of the bus lit up. "Look, there¡¯s light over there," Liu Xing said. Zhang Jingxu nodded, feeling conflicted. "So, what should we do now? Should we go over and knock on that resident¡¯s door? Maybe the tour guide and driver are there." Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa naturally agreed with Zhang Jingxu¡¯s idea. They had already cooperated in a previous module and trusted each other, so there was no need for many words to reach a consensus. Li Dian, after discussing with Zhang Jingxu for a while, also agreed to apany him. As for Wan Chongshan, he decided to stay in the bus a little longer and wait for the tour guide and driver. So, Liu Xing and the other three ran out into the heavy rain, reaching the building with the light. They knocked on the storefront¡¯s rolling shutter door. As they waited for the building¡¯s resident to respond, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce back at the bridge they had crossed earlier. ording to another rule in the Cthulhu RPG Game, essential transportation would typically be damaged for various reasons when yers were stranded on a "deserted ind." So, Liu Xing was curious about how this bridge might have broken. Although the module¡¯s story background was still a mystery, he could glean some clues from its title. "Old Town." Liu Xing was certain that this "old" didn¡¯t refer to the Great Old Ones, as this was just a Shoggoth Region module, and Great Old Ones were unlikely to appear. So, he believed that the word "old" in the module¡¯s title likely meant "past" or "ancient." The buildings in front of him did indeed have a sense of age, with rusty rolling shutter doors. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that the bridge might have copsed due to years of neglect, eroded by the heavy rain. Just then, the rolling shutter door was pulled up, revealing a man who looked to be in his twenties with an ordinary appearance. He looked at the group with a puzzled expression. Since Zhang Jingxu was responsible for tranting for Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, Li Dian took the initiative tomunicate with the man. "This man¡¯s name is Hu Cang, a local resident. He is willing to provide us with amodations and food for tonight," Zhang Jingxu tranted concisely. Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright, let¡¯s go back to the bus and bring our luggage over. It wouldn¡¯t be good if it starts leaking." ording to another rule in the Cthulhu RPG Game, transportation vehicles were usually damaged for various reasons when yers were stranded on a "deserted ind." So, it was best not to leave important items on the vehicle. With that, leaving Li Dian to continue discussing the details with Hu Cang, Liu Xing and the others ran back to the bus to retrieve their luggage. As for Wan Chongshan, he decided to wait inside the bus for a while longer. Just then, KP Snow Wind smiled and said, "Alright, yers, it¡¯s time for an inspiration judgment." Inspiration judgment? An uneasy feeling welled up within Liu Xing. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 351: The Mysterious Hu Cang Chapter 351: The Mysterious Hu Cang Generally speaking, other than the inspiration judgment initiated by the yers themselves, any other inspiration judgment conducted at other times could be directly regarded as a pitfall. This is because most of the time, passing these inspiration judgments would cost you sanity points. So, Liu Xing estimated that if he passed this inspiration judgment, he would either witness a mythical creature or witness a supernatural phenomenon. Liu Xing, 49/70, seeded. "Lucky." "Okay, since all yers have sessfully passed the inspiration judgment, we will now officially trigger the first Side Quest. From now on, all of you will enter story mode," KP Snow Wind said with a cheerful smile. Liu Xing sighed silently; it seemed that this module was off to a rough start. Or perhaps KP Snow Wind¡¯s "poison milk" had already taken effect? Just as Liu Xing was silentlyining in his mind, he suddenly felt a strange sensation and couldn¡¯t help but look in the direction of the bridge. Through the dense rain curtains, Liu Xing could still clearly see a gigantic, pitch-ck serpent, or perhaps it was a ck Flood Dragon, coiled around the bridge. Then, a loud thunderp rang out, and that ck Flood Dragon crushed the bridge, falling into the river."Because all of you yers witnessed a terrifying scene beyond your imagination, we will now conduct sanity points checks. However, each yer¡¯s specific situation varies significantly, so you will each need different sanity points checks. I will contact each yer individually for their sanity points checks," KP Snow Wind continued to say with a cheerful smile. However, Liu Xing was not paying much attention to what KP Snow Wind was saying now because he was stunned by the appearance of the ck Flood Dragon. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, size generally representedbat power. Therger a mythical creature¡¯s size, the stronger it usually was. After all, size and strength were positively corrted. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, the oue of size-basedbat and strength-basedbat greatly influenced the course of battles. So, looking at the enormous ck Flood Dragon, Liu Xing felt a chill in his heart. He estimated that the ck Flood Dragon¡¯sbat power should be simr to that of an adult Earth-boring Demon Worm, and this ck Flood Dragon wasn¡¯t even afraid of water. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that if he and his team were to engage in battle with this ck Flood Dragon, they would bepletely overwhelmed unless Li Dian or Wan Chongshan¡¯s true form was an incarnation of Nyathotep. Yesterday, in the USB drive Yin En had given him, Liu Xing had seen some interesting information: "A story about Nyathotep¡¯s incarnations disguising themselves as yers during the module." After a rough count, Liu Xing had confirmed that there were at least thirty-two character cards belonging to Nyathotep¡¯s incarnations. Moreover, each game area had at least five of these character cards, and each of these character cards had appeared at least twice. Most importantly, these incarnations of Nyathotep-controlled character cards were quite friendly to the yers and had saved them from near-total party wipes multiple times. Therefore, Liu Xing was looking forward to encountering the character cards controlled by Nyathotep¡¯s incarnations. Back to the topic at hand. Although Liu Xing was wary of the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s presence, he didn¡¯t think that his group would engage in direct conflict with it unless they triggered a party wipe plot encounter. And who knows, perhaps this ck Flood Dragon had some fatal weakness? Liu Xing reassured himself in this way. At this moment, KP Snow Wind contacted Liu Xing, saying, "yer Liu Xing, because your character card¡¯s situation is very special, you only need to seed to lose 0 sanity points, or fail and lose 1d3 sanity points, and you will gain the same amount of Cthulhu Mythos knowledge." Liu Xing nodded; he could ept this sanity points check. Liu Xing, 34/??, seeded. Seeing all those question marks, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache. If things continued like this, his character card might end up as a pile of question marks. Afterpleting his sanity points check, Liu Xing immediately turned to observe Ling Ishikawa and the others¡¯ conditions. After all, if he had to undergo a sanity points check, it meant that Ling Ishikawa and the others might enter temporary madness states, considering KP Snow Wind¡¯s unpredictable tactics. Fortunately, apart from Wan Chongshan appearing somewhat absent-minded, Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu were only surprised. "Did you see that? Just now, a ck serpent directly crushed the bridge!" Ling Ishikawa stuttered. Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said with a serious expression, "No, no, that was no ordinary serpent; it was a Dragon, a Chinese legendary Dragon. And, unless I¡¯m mistaken, this Dragon has quite a profound cultivation." Liu Xing sighed and pointed at the broken bridge. "The main problem now is that this bridge has been destroyed by that ck Flood Dragon, and we can¡¯t return the way we came. We¡¯re stuck here." Zhang Jingxu shrugged nonchntly and said with a smile, "That¡¯s not a big problem. You should know that China is known for its infrastructure, even in rural areas like this, there are plenty of roads to choose from. We can still reach our destination through other routes or go back to Rongcheng." That was true in theory, but the yers were well aware that the "old town" they were in had be an isted ind. At this moment, Wan Chongshan also snapped out of his daze and quickly said something to Zhang Jingxu. Zhang Jingxu, as usual, provided a real-time trantion. "Wan Chongshan says he wants to go with us now. After all, that ck Flood Dragon looks terrifying, and he¡¯s afraid of staying alone in the bus, fearing something might happen." Liu Xing nodded; it made sense. Wan Chongshan being alone now could lead to an ident. So, Liu Xing and the three others left the bus with their luggage, apanied by Wan Chongshan. Returning to Hu Cang¡¯s shop, Liu Xing saw Li Dian talking to Hu Cang with a shocked expression. There was no need for Zhang Jingxu to trante; Liu Xing understood that Li Dian was inquiring about the ck Flood Dragon. However, judging by Hu Cang¡¯s calm demeanor, Liu Xing doubted that Li Dian would get any useful information out of him. However, it seemed that Hu Cang might know something. "Li Dian is currently inquiring about the ck Flood Dragon, but Hu Cang ims there¡¯s no such thing as a dragon here. He insists that the bridge copsed due to old age. Now, Hu Cang is inviting us into his house," Zhang Jingxu whispered. So, everyone entered Hu Cang¡¯s house. Liu Xing then realized that the ground floor of Hu Cang¡¯s house was actually a small clinic, divided like any other clinic into outpatient and infusion areas. However, the medicine cab had very few medications, likely due to poor business. Hu Cang set up a table and gestured for everyone to sit down. He then went to the kitchen on the ground floor to prepare a meal. "This Hu Cang seems unusual," Liu Xing whispered. Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "Yes, it¡¯s quite evident that Hu Cang is suspicious. I just asked Li Dian, and he said that after seeing the ck Flood Dragon, he immediately asked Hu Cang about the situation. However, even though Hu Cang clearly saw the ck Flood Dragon, he¡¯s lying and ims he didn¡¯t see anything. He also said there are no legends about the ck Flood Dragon in Panlong Town." "Panlong Town?" Liu Xing was surprised because his hometown was also called Panlong Town (the author¡¯s hometown as well). Most importantly, Liu Xing had learned about the significance of "panlong" from his grandfather. In China, "pan" meant "coiled on the ground," so "panlong" referred to a dragon coiled on the ground or in a twisted posture. However, "pan" was often used to refer to underground creatures like earthworms, carrying a somewhat derogatory connotation. Hence, there was a saying that "panlong" referred to a lower-ranking water dragon beneath the majestic "jiaolong" dragon. Another interpretation was that "panlong" was a type of venomous dragon with a snake-like appearance that would kill upon contact. In any case, the ck Flood Dragon Liu Xing had seen earlier was most likely a "panlong". Therefore, Hu Cang¡¯s im that there were no legends about the ck Flood Dragon in Panlong Town seemed highly unlikely. So, there was only one truth: Hu Cang was lying! As Liu Xing was lost in thought, Zhang Jingxu began an animated conversation with Wan Chongshan and Li Dian. Ling Ishikawa, on the other hand, sat bored in his seat, taking out his phone to y games to pass the time. But as expected, Ling Ishikawa discovered that his phone had "unexpectedly" lost signal. With a sigh, Ling Ishikawa informed everyone about this anticipated situation. As everyone checked their phones, Hu Cang returned with a pot of fried rice, saying, "Whenever it rains here, the phone signal goes out. Well, I didn¡¯t prepare much food, so I made some fried rice for you all. I hope you don¡¯t mind." Due to thenguage barrier, Liu Xing still felt a bit awkward. He didn¡¯t understand what others were saying, so he kept smiling and waited for Zhang Jingxu to trante for him. After serving the fried rice, Hu Cang brought out bowls and chopsticks for everyone. Then, he said, "Alright, enjoy your meal. I¡¯ll be heading back to my room." Clearly, this was the Private Room time that the module provided for yers. So, Liu Xing promptly requested Private Room time from KP Snow Wind. "OK, now entering Private Room time. I hope all yers can make good use of this time tomunicate. By the way, you¡¯ve all triggered the first Side Quest - ¡¯Dragon Legend.¡¯ The mission requires you to find out the true situation of the hidden ck Flood Dragon in Panlong Town. Completing this Side Quest will earn you 500 points and 30 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points," KP Snow Wind said with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that this Side Quest was worth 30 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points. It seemed that the difficulty of this Side Quest was not as simple as described in the mission introduction. "Alright, let¡¯s not waste time. Let¡¯s start summarizing the current situation," Ling Ishikawa pped his hands and said. Li Dian looked at Ling Ishikawa with some surprise and said, "Ah, I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯re Chinese. How did you end up with an Ind Nation character card?" Ling Ishikawa sighed helplessly and said, "Both Liu Xing and I are Chinese, but due to a certain module, we¡¯re currently using Ind Nation character cards. It¡¯s causing usnguage barriers even though we¡¯re back in China." Wan Chongshan patted Ling Ishikawa on the shoulder with a smile and said, "I can understand how you feel. My previous character card was English, and I was assigned to a module with all English yers. During Private Room time, I couldn¡¯tmunicate with them and felt like an outsider. In the end, those damn English yers sold me out." People tend to be more cooperative with yers from their own country in the Cthulhu RPG Game. In situations where sacrifices were necessary, the majority would either ply" with the minority or "sacrifice" the minority. Li Dian continued, "Well, back to the point. While Zhang Jingxu and you were retrieving our luggage, I asked Hu Cang about some information regarding this town. Firstly, this town is called Panlong Town, surrounded by a river called Panlong River. It¡¯s connected to the outside world through three bridges. So, unless something unexpected happens, Panlong Town is now effectively an ind. The bridge we came from was destroyed by the ck Flood Dragon, and the other small bridge is likely submerged due to rising water levels from heavy rain. As for thest bridge, it¡¯s highly likely to face an ident." Everyone nodded in agreement with Li Dian¡¯s assessment, as this scenario was a standard plot in the Cthulhu RPG Game. "Furthermore, ording to Hu Cang¡¯s information, I¡¯ve identified some noteworthy locations in Panlong Town¡ªPanlong Elementary School, Panlong Middle School, the pig ughterhouse, the clinic, the bamboo forest, and the ck Inte Cafe. Since this module doesn¡¯t have a Main quest, these locations are all potential triggers for Side Quests. As for the specific locations, Hu Cang has promised to provide us with a map," Li Dian continued. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Li Dian¡¯s list of locations did indeed have the potential to trigger Side Quests. ces like Panlong Elementary School and Middle School, with high human traffic, were likely to be eventful. Meanwhile, the clinic, pig ughterhouse, and ck Inte Cafe were prone to idents. As for the bamboo forest, who knew what mythical creatures might be hiding inside? [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 352: Mysterious Sounds Chapter 352: Mysterious Sounds "Speaking of Side Quests, based on the current situation, I estimate that there will be at least five or more Side Quests within this module. To sessfully clear this module, we¡¯ll need toplete at least three to four Side Quests. However, the most crucial decision now is whether we choose to cooperate as a team and pursue the same mission or go our separate ways toplete the Side Quests we individually desire," Wan Chongshan pondered, stroking his chin. Liu Xing contemted for a moment before responding, "I agree with your idea, Wan Chongshan. I also believe we need toplete at least four Side Quests to smoothly clear this module. However, considering the typical nature of the Cthulhu RPG Game, some Side Quests might restrict the number of yers or allocate ¡¯Truth¡¯ points based on a yer¡¯s performance within that Side Quest. It¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯ll have the opportunity toplete the same Side Quests together, as it would render the ¡¯Truth¡¯ point system in this module meaningless." As Liu Xing¡¯s steadfast ally, Ling Ishikawa immediately chimed in, "Exactly, the ¡¯Truth¡¯ point system in this module is clearly designed to encourage us to achieve module clearance individually through different Side Quests. So, I believe that the ¡¯Truth¡¯ points offered by all Side Quests in this module will either be exactly 500 points, enough for all of us to clear it, or they will be more abundant, like 600 or 700 points. However, we still need to consider the worst-case scenario ¨C that the total ¡¯Truth¡¯ points provided by all Side Quests in this module don¡¯t add up to more than 500 points, meaning that all five of us cannot clear the module together." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words left everyone momentarily speechless. After all, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s argument was quite sound, and everyone was now pondering thest possibility mentioned. If the Side Quests in this module couldn¡¯t provide 500 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points, at least one yer would undoubtedly face elimination and lose the chance to advance to the Hound of Tindalos area. People often worry more about inequality than scarcity, and no one wanted to see their other teammates sessfully clear the module while they were left facing elimination. "Well, it might be time to use that item," KP (Keeper) Snow Wind, Li Dian said, taking out a small white card the size of a business card from his pocket. "KP, I¡¯d like to use the Question Card. Could you please tell us how many ¡¯Truth¡¯ points the Side Quests in this module can provide to yers?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Li Dian had a Question Card. The Question Card was a special item avable in the Shop, priced at 500 points. Its effect allowed yers to ask questions to the KP during the Private Room phase. However, the questions couldn¡¯t involve core module data, such as how to clear it or the identity of the module¡¯s boss.While browsing the Shop, Liu Xing had seen the Question Card but thought it had a poor cost-to-benefit ratio, as it was a one-time use item with severe limitations. So, he had sarcastically remarked, "Only foolish people with too much money would buy such an item." Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect to encounter one of those "foolish" people so soon. Seeing the peculiar looks from Liu Xing and the others, Li Dian could only smile wryly and say, "I know you all might think I¡¯m foolish for buying a Question Card, but I want to rify that I got tricked into it. In the previous modules, one of my teammates faced some difficulties, and I wanted to help, but it came at a cost. To assist that teammate, I had to give up a valuable item worth 500 points as a reward. However, what I didn¡¯t expect was that the item my teammate mentioned would turn out to be a Question Card. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have helped him." At this point, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "Alright, yer Li Dian, your Question Card is now in effect. The answer to your question is that the Side Quests in this module will provide a total of 650 points. As an additional piece of information, some Side Quests will limit the number of yers, and yers can earn more than 100 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points." Hearing KP Snow Wind¡¯s response, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were some restrictions, 650 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points should be enough for all yers to sessfully clear the module. "Phew, it seems we were overthinking things," Ling Ishikawa chuckled. Zhang Jingxu looked at Ling Ishikawa in exasperation, then couldn¡¯t resist teasing, "It was you who made us overthink in the first ce. We hadn¡¯t even considered this possibility until you mentioned it. You had me thinking about how to deal with you just now." Although Zhang Jingxu¡¯s teasing wasn¡¯t entirely serious, Liu Xing understood that if KP Snow Wind had answered with "not enough ¡¯Truth¡¯ points," everyone present, including himself, would have started contemting alliances and how to eliminate others. However, even in that scenario, Liu Xing felt confident. After all, Yin En was undoubtedly his most steadfast ally, and the possibility of "Ling Ishikawa" betraying "Watanabe Ryuusei" was extremely low. Zhang Jingxu would probably choose to stand with Liu Xing and Yin En, as their teamwork had been established from the beginning of this module. Besides, they had alreadypleted a module together, which had fostered some mutual trust. Therefore, no matter how things yed out, Liu Xing believed that he had the advantage in terms of both numbers and professions. However, it seemed unnecessary to engage in such intrigue now, as there should be enough ¡¯Truth¡¯ points. "Now that we have sufficient ¡¯Truth¡¯ points, and to ensure better cooperation among us and avoid unnecessary disputes, we should establish some rules. What do you all think?" Liu Xing suggested. Rules were necessary for a fair and orderly gamey. Everyone nodded in agreement, and a discussion on rules quickly ensued. In no time, two rules were established: First, if a Side Quest limited the number of yers who could participate, the first yer to discover the Side Quest would have the priority to decide whether to take it. For any remaining spots, if there was a time constraint, the yers present would decide who took them; if there was no time constraint, the remaining yers would discuss and decide. Secondly, yers should try to n their epted Side Quests in a way that keeps their "Truth" points at around 100, avoiding overflowing "Truth" points that could affect other yers. At this point, there were only five minutes left until the end of the Private Room time. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and asked, "What are your thoughts on Hu Cang? Personally, I think there¡¯s something suspicious about him, and he probably knows something about that ck Flood Dragon." Zhang Jingxu nodded thoughtfully and replied, "I share the same sentiment. I believe Hu Cang is likely the most important NPC in this module. He should have a Side Quest rted to him and possibly other Side Quests as well. So, I think it¡¯s necessary for us to establish a good rtionship with him. Besides, unless something unexpected happens, we seem to be stuck in this Panlong Town for now, so we might have to spend some time at Hu Cang¡¯s ce." However, Li Dian, who had interacted with Hu Cang the most, shook his head and said with some frustration, "To be honest, this Hu Cang is quite uncooperative. Regardless of what I ask him, he acts indifferent and as if it¡¯s none of his concern. If it weren¡¯t for his youthful appearance, I¡¯d think he¡¯s a seventy or eighty-year-old man." "This kind of NPC with such a personality can be quite troublesome. Talking to him might not yield useful information easily, but it¡¯s clear that there¡¯s valuable information to uncover from him," Wan Chongshan said, expressing his frustration. Liu Xing shrugged and said with a smile, "Well, the task ofmunicating with Hu Cang is on you guys. My character card and Ling Ishikawa¡¯s character card don¡¯t share amonnguage with him, so we¡¯re somewhat powerless in this regard." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Zhang Jingxu decisively said to Li Dian, "Li Dian, since you¡¯ve beenmunicating with Hu Cang the most, the mission of extracting information from Hu Cang is yours." Facing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s assignment, Li Dian could only nod helplessly and said, "Alright, I¡¯ll take responsibility for this mission. However, I have one condition: if there¡¯s a suitable Side Quest, I should have priority in choosing it. After all, I¡¯ll be dealing with this taciturn Hu Cang, and I won¡¯t have the time or energy to trigger other Side Quests." Everyone nodded in agreement as Li Dian¡¯s request seemed quite reasonable. At this point, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something: the driver and the female guide were still missing. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing voiced his concern, "By the way, there¡¯s still one issue we haven¡¯t addressed. Where did the driver and the female guide go? Even though I suspect something might have happened to them, it¡¯s been almost an hour, and we still don¡¯t know their whereabouts." Wan Chongshan pondered for a moment and replied, "I was sitting at the front of the bus at that time. I saw the driver and the female guide walking towards the front, but as you all know, the heavy rain reduced visibility significantly. Soon, both the driver and the female guide disappeared." Li Dian nodded in agreement and added, "That¡¯s right. I also paid attention to the movements of the driver and the female guide. Like Wan Chongshan said, they disappeared within a few steps. But unless something unexpected happened, by the time we encounter them again, they might already be deceased." Just then, KP Snow Wind chimed in with a smile, "Alright, the Private Room time has ended. yers, please return to your role-ying state." Liu Xing and hispanions exchanged nces and then simultaneously began eating their meals. After a while, Hu Cang came down with several shlights, spoke a few words, and then distributed the shlights to Liu Xing and his group. Afterwards, Hu Cang returned to his room. "Hu Cang said we should carry shlights to make it easier for us to navigate at night, especially since the third floor, where we¡¯ll be staying tonight, doesn¡¯t have electric lights. There¡¯s only one restroom on the far left. Hu Cang has gone back to his room to rest," Zhang Jingxu tranted. Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, andmented, "Hu Cang is quite trusting, isn¡¯t he? Is he not afraid we might cause trouble?" Liu Xing looked at Ling Ishikawa with a helpless expression and said, "Hu Cang is cing his trust in us. Why do you twist it into him being a fool? Be careful with your thoughts, Ling Ishikawa." After finishing their meals, Liu Xing¡¯s group went straight to the third floor. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but notice that the shlights Hu Cang provided were quite old-fashioned, requiring two size AA batteries to operate. In Liu Xing¡¯s memory, he had used such shlights as a child, but by middle school, they had be mostly obsolete. The third floor had three rooms in total. Thergest one faced the street and had a clear view of the bus in the rain. The rain had lessened somewhat by now, and Liu Xing and his group could see inside the bus. However, it was still empty. "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, please inform Li Dian and Wan Chongshan about room assignments. Just let them know that as long as I and Ling Ishikawa are together in the same room, it¡¯s fine," Liu Xing instructed Zhang Jingxu. Zhang Jingxu nodded and went to discuss how to allocate the rooms with Li Dian and Wan Chongshan. Soon, the room assignment results were announced. Li Dian and Wan Chongshan would share thergest room, mainly to observe the bus¡¯s situation due to their "concern" about the driver and the female guide. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, due to nguage barriers," would stay in the secondrgest room. Zhang Jingxu, who was single, got the smallest room. Upon entering their room, Liu Xing noticed it was sparsely furnished, containing only a bed, a cab, and a wooden table. However, it was clean and well-organized, so Liu Xing was satisfied with the amodation for the next few days. Liu Xing approached the window and realized that it overlooked the Panlong River. More importantly, there was a faint, massive serpentine figure in the river. Without a doubt, that had to be the ck Flood Dragon. However, it seemed lifeless at the moment, not moving at all in the Panlong River. Suddenly, Liu Xing heard a peculiar sound¡ªlike someone wearing high heels walking on concrete. It was distinct, with each tap of the heel clearly audible. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 353: Reality and the Game Chapter 353: Reality and the Game Liu Xing furrowed his brows as the strange sound triggered some unpleasant memories. His household registration was in the County Town of his hometown. Since there was a nationally renowned high school in County Town, Liu Xing had returned there to attend high school. He lived alone in a seven-story building facing the street. Liu Xing resided on the fifth floor, and due to its location by the street, he would hear various sounds every night before going to sleep. However, what puzzled him the most was a particr urrence around ten-thirty every night: a "cking" sound resembling high heels tapping on the pavement. At first, Liu Xing didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, but he soon noticed something odd. The duration of this sound was unusually long, persisting for two or three minutes each time. This was far from normal since, at a regr walking pace, such a sound should disappear within twenty seconds at most. Perplexed, Liu Xing began to listen attentively from the second day onwards. He realized that the strange sound¡¯s onset and disappearance were abrupt, with no warning signs or changes in volume. More importantly, Liu Xing believed his ability to locate sounds was decent, and he was sure this peculiar sound consistently originated from the same spot. At this point, Liu Xing started to doubt whether the strange noise was actually the sound of high heels. Despite his efforts, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else that matched this distinctive sound. However, the fact that it appeared to be stationary, abruptly starting and stopping, made Liu Xing feel a chill down his spine, associating it with something supernatural. Seeing is believing. Though Liu Xing was indeed somewhat afraid and anxious, when the strange sound resurfaced, he mustered the courage to walk up to the window. He peered toward the presumed source of the sound, but all he saw was a decorative tree, nothing else. People continued bustling along the street, seemingly oblivious to the strange noise. They looked at their phones or chatted with friends as they passed by the tree. From then on, Liu Xing no longer paid attention to where the strange sound came from or tried to investigate what or who could produce such an eerie sound. Fearful and worried about the possibility of encountering something indescribable, Liu Xing backed down.After graduating from high school, Liu Xing returned to Rongcheng for college and only visited his hometown during the Lunar New Year or Qingming Festival. He rarely stayed in the old house in County Town. asionally, during those nights, he didn¡¯t hear the strange sound anymore (as the author described it, just like in the story, Liu Xing frequently heard the strange sound during his high school years, and despite trying to find its source, he came up empty-handed. He even asked his fellow students in the same building, but they imed they had never heard such a sound). Recalling this long-buried memory, Liu Xing¡¯s expression changed. Could he have truly encountered a supernatural event back then? As Liu Xing was lost in his thoughts, Ling Ishikawa patted his shoulder and said, "Leader, there¡¯s something odd about this sound. It seems like the noise of high heels on a hard surface. And if I recall correctly, the female tour guide was wearing high heels." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, just as Ling Ishikawa had mentioned. Liu Xing also remembered that the female tour guide was indeed wearing high heels. Could it be that the female tour guide had returned? Liu Xing immediately dismissed this idea because the strange sound was even clearer than the rain and seemed highly abnormal. Moreover, as far as Liu Xing could remember, there was only muddy ground between the tour bus and Hu Cang¡¯s house, without any genuinely hard surfaces. Liu Xing shook his head and told Ling Ishikawa, "No, it can¡¯t be the female tour guideing to find us. This sound is just too obvious, and it seems to being from the same spot rhythmically. So, it¡¯s unlikely that the tour guide is just pacing in one ce. Plus, why wouldn¡¯t she speak?" After Liu Xing¡¯s reminder, Ling Ishikawa realized the same and furrowed his brow, saying, "You¡¯re right. But should we call Zhang Jingxu to join us in investigating the source of this sound?" Clearly, investigating the source of the sound would involve a sanity points check, and it might also trigger a side quest. Thus, Liu Xing hesitated about whether or not to investigate. Regarding sanity points checks, Liu Xing wasn¡¯t particrly worried, as his character card had seen plenty of action and experiences. Unless he encountered some mythical creature he had never seen before, there shouldn¡¯t be a sanity points check. However, Liu Xing had to consider Ling Ishikawa¡¯s sanity points since he was just an ordinary person without the immunity to sanity points checks that Liu Xing possessed. So, Liu Xing decided to ask for Ling Ishikawa¡¯s opinion. "I don¡¯t mind, but Ling Ishikawa, are you sure you want to investigate the source of this strange sound? I suspect it might involve some kind of mythical creature, and you shouldn¡¯t forget what happened to Miyako Goudong." Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brow, clearly understanding Liu Xing¡¯s point. Before Ling Ishikawa could respond, Zhang Jingxu entered the room and said, "Have you all heard that strange sound? We should gather with Li Dian and Wan Chongshan now." Liu Xing thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, it¡¯s better for everyone to be together at the moment to avoid any idents." Therefore, Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Zhang Jingxu went to Li Dian and Wan Chongshan¡¯s room. Li Dian and Wan Chongshan didn¡¯t seem surprised by their arrival. Li Dian pointed outside the window and said something to Zhang Jingxu, which Liu Xing didn¡¯t need trantion for, understanding that the strange sound wasing from outside the window, as it was quite clear at this point. "Li Dian said the strange sound appeared suddenly without warning, startling both of them. Moreover, the strange sound continues to ur once per second until now," Zhang Jingxu tranted. Liu Xing then noticed that Wan Chongshan had a stopwatch function running on his phone, exining how Li Dian could provide such precise information. However, this wasn¡¯t good news either, as it implied that the strange sound couldn¡¯t be man-made. After considering the situation, Liu Xing decided to take a closer look. "Staying here won¡¯t yield results. However, to avoid any idents, I¡¯ll go up and investigate the situation first. If anything unusual happens to me, make sure to pull me back." Zhang Jingxu frowned but nodded, "Liu Xing, is this not too risky? However, since you¡¯re suggesting it, I assume you¡¯re prepared?" Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "It¡¯s not so much preparation as spection. Besides, I¡¯ve always been quite fearless. Even if this strange sound is produced by some mythical creature, I won¡¯t run away like Miyako Goudong did." Zhang Jingxu understood Liu Xing¡¯s statement very clearly: "I¡¯m not afraid of sanity points checks, so let me go first." He sighed and said, "Alright, if that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll leave it to you, Ryuusei. Please inform us if anything happens." With that said, Zhang Jingxu tranted their conversation to Li Dian and Wan Chongshan. Li Dian and Wan Chongshan both looked at Liu Xing with surprise, while Liu Xing walked up to the window without hesitation. When Liu Xing reached the window, he noticed that the strange sound wasing from below. Before he could look down, he noticed that someone was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat of the tour bus, and that person was turning to look at him! Liu Xing instinctively looked closer and realized that the person was the driver, but what was more unsettling was that the driver¡¯s eyes had disappeared, leaving empty sockets! However, for Liu Xing, this scene didn¡¯t elicit much of a reaction. After all, he had seen countless grotesque and indescribable mythical creatures, and this low-grade horror movie-level "special effect" was hardly worth mentioning. As for "Watanabe Ryuusei," he felt even less pressure, as the Ritual Ceremony of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect had featured far more terrifying and eerie sights than the driver¡¯s appearance. Therefore, KP Snow Wind didn¡¯t bother with a sanity points check this time. However, Liu Xing noticed that he seemed to have entered a scripted sequence again. He couldn¡¯t move his neck, and his vision was fixed on the driver¡¯s face. After ten seconds of staring at each other, the driver silently mouthed, "Get on the bus." At this point, Liu Xing finally regained control of his body. Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing said to the others behind him, "Don¡¯te over yet; both the driver and the tour guide are suspicious!" Indeed, since the driver was in the bus, the strange sounding from below must have been the tour guide. Liu Xing took a deep breath and then looked down, spotting the tour guide¡¯s face. Yes, it was her face. At this moment, the tour guide was standing on the wall of the building at a ny-degree angle to the ground, wearing a eerie smile. What¡¯s more, Liu Xing noticed that the tour guide had only one leg left and was continuously hopping. When the high heel of herst remaining leg touched the wall, it produced the strange sound. ck, ck, ck! Seeing this bizarre scene, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but take two steps back. "What¡¯s wrong, Ryuusei?" Zhang Jingxu asked nervously as he saw Liu Xing suddenly step back. Liu Xing shook his head and turned to say, "It¡¯s nothing; I was just startled for a moment. But now, please be mentally prepared, and I¡¯ll exin the situation with the driver and the tour guide." Ling Ishikawa and the others exchanged puzzled looks but nodded one after another, indicating they were mentally prepared. Liu Xing then proceeded to exin the situation with the driver and the tour guide, including the silent "Get on the bus." The group was in shock. "What? How could the driver and tour guide turn into such horrifying figures? Ryuusei, are you sure you didn¡¯t hallucinate?" Zhang Jingxu tranted Wan Chongshan¡¯s words. Liu Xing nodded seriously, "I didn¡¯t hallucinate. Everything I said is true. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go and see for yourselves now. However, be prepared for the consequences." Ling Ishikawa and the others naturally didn¡¯t want to go and verify it in person. They trusted Liu Xing and saw no reason for him to lie. Besides, seeing it would likely cost them sanity points, and in their current situation, they couldn¡¯t gain any Cthulhu Mythos knowledge points. So, this was an unappealing task that no one wanted to undertake. As for getting on the bus, that was out of the question. At this point, KP Snow Wind chuckled and said, "It seems that none of you want to get on the bus, so now each yer will automatically receive a second Side Quest: discover why the driver and tour guide have transformed into this state. Completing this Side Quest will earn you 200 points and 10 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that even this turned out to be a Side Quest, although the rewards seemed a bit meager. But a small gain is still a gain. At this moment, the strange sound outside the window disappeared, and then they heard the sound of the bus starting. Everyone looked at Liu Xing, silently asking for his opinion. Liu Xing understood their intent and walked up to the window. There, he witnessed the bus plunging into the Panlong River without hesitation. Liu Xing ryed this information to the others. "Alright, let¡¯s go to sleep for now. We can discuss the driver and tour guide tomorrow," Zhang Jingxu said in bothnguages. Liu Xing nodded. It was indeed not the time to discuss the driver and tour guide now. So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa returned to their room. Although Liu Xing hadn¡¯t undergone a sanity points check this time, he had undoubtedly lost some sanity points. The eerie events he had experienced back then were remarkably simr to the current module¡¯s storyline. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t looked down, or he might have ended up in a mental hospital by now. Liu Xing sighed and prepared to sleep. However, at that moment, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "Before going to sleep, each yer, please roll for luck to determine whether you will encounter an unexpected event tonight." Liu Xing rolled: 76/70. Failure. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; it seemed that he wouldn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep tonight. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 354: The Destroyed Panlong Town Chapter 354: The Destroyed Panlong Town Although Liu Xing was unaware of what KP Snow Wind referred to as a sudden event, he didn¡¯t opt for caution and decided to venture into the realm of dreams. After all, Liu Xing was feeling mentally exhausted at the moment. It was hard to tell how much time had passed when Liu Xing suddenly found himself walking by a river. He quickly realized that he was in a dream, and most likely, it was a nightmare. However, Liu Xing noticed that the river beside him seemed to be the Panlong River because before his eyes, there stood an undamaged bridge. After walking for a while, Liu Xing reached the bridge. But just as he set foot on it, he found himself uncontrobly running. In the middle of the bridge, "he" leaped over the railing and plunged into the water. Then, Liu Xing woke up. (The author had been having this dream for four years, usually during the summers.) Rain was still pouring outside the window, and Liu Xing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He realized that his back was soaked. Liu Xing sighed and couldn¡¯t help but mock KP Snow Wind for calling that nightmare a sudden event. Wet clothes on his back were certainly ufortable, so Liu Xing got up and changed into fresh attire. At that moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt the need to use the restroom. He picked up a shlight from the table and pushed the room door open. As soon as he stepped out, Liu Xing sensed something was off because the sound of rain in his ears had suddenly vanished. He furrowed his brow and quickly turned back, only to find that everything in the room had changed dramatically. Dust and cobwebs covered the room, chairs and cabs were overturned, and the wooden bed was broken in the middle. Moonlight was streaming in from the window, and the rain had stopped.As for Ling Ishikawa, who had been peacefully asleep in the bed just moments ago, she had now vanished without a trace. "Damn it," Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but curse. At this moment, Liu Xing regretted mocking KP Snow Wind earlier. He hadn¡¯t expected that the nightmare was just an appetizer, and the real unexpected event was unfolding now. Liu Xing felt that he had probably used the wrong method to open this situation. He took a step back, closed the door, and then opened it again... but nothing changed. Rubbing his chin, Liu Xing realized he couldn¡¯t deceive himself any longer. He needed to investigate what was happening. With the shlight in hand, Liu Xing reached the third-floor hallway. It, too, was in a state of disarray, with overturned tables and chairs, paintings on the floor, and scattered misceneous items. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, knelt down to wipe off some dust from the floor, and based on some unverified "knowledge" he had acquired from certain novels, estimated that it would take at least ten years of abandonment to umte such thick dust. "Ryuusei, over here!" Suddenly, Liu Xing heard someone calling him from behind, startling him. He quickly turned, shining his shlight in the direction of the voice. It was Zhang Jingxu. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he wasn¡¯t the only yer who hadn¡¯t passed the Lucky Judgment. At least now, he had somepany. "Ryuusei, you should move the shlight away; the light is blinding," Zhang Jingxu said, shielding his eyes from the re as he spoke. Liu Xingplied and apologized, "Oh, it¡¯s you, Zhang Jingxu. When you suddenly called out like that, you gave me quite a scare. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s not good to startle people? It can be deadly." Zhang Jingxu shrugged and replied, "Of course, I know that. That¡¯s why I chose to call you. It¡¯s the least shocking way. If I hade up and tapped your shoulder, you might have punched me." Zhang Jingxu¡¯s logic was sound, leaving Liu Xing without a retort. So, Liu Xing changed the subject, "Zhang Jingxu, do you have any idea what¡¯s going on here? I stepped out for a moment, and it feels like I¡¯ve entered a different world." Zhang Jingxu nodded seriously and said, "Yes, we have indeed entered another world. It¡¯s very likely a parallel universe. I¡¯m not sure what caused Panlong Town to be destroyed here." He pointed outside the window of the hallway. Liu Xing followed his gaze and saw a nearby area turned into ruins, with copsed houses and crushed vehicles. Liu Xing gasped as he realized from the damaged vehicles that this parallel version of Panlong Town had most likely been attacked by a massive mythical creature, and that creature was likely the ck Flood Dragon. But Liu Xing felt a hint of relief. Considering how those vehicles were crushed, he was certain that the ck Flood Dragon had attacked this parallel world¡¯s Panlong Town. If it had struck their building, Liu Xing would have been crushed when he stepped out. "It seems like this ce was attacked by the ck Flood Dragon, leading to the current situation. However, that¡¯s not important now. What matters is how we can leave this parallel world and return to our original one. The longer we stay here, the more trouble we might encounter," Liu Xing said, concerned. Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment, then shook his head, saying, "Honestly, I don¡¯t know how to return to our previous world. Matters rted to time and space maniption or magic are highly advanced, and I don¡¯t have ess to that knowledge yet. But one thing I can say is, we aren¡¯t in immediate danger. We haven¡¯t heard any strange noises." Liu Xing sighed in resignation, but he wasn¡¯t too concerned. He believed that this module had just begun, and it wouldn¡¯t throw extremely difficult challenges at them right away. Moreover, he and Zhang Jingxu had been inexplicably brought here, indicating that they should be able to return to their original world rtively easily. They couldn¡¯t be trapped here indefinitely. So, what was the significance of their presence in this ce? In the Cthulhu RPG Game, each scene that yers were forced into usually had a purpose. Especially in unique situations like this, there was likely something hidden here. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing contacted KP Snow Wind, saying, "KP, I¡¯d like to attempt an Inspiration Judgment to analyze why Zhang Jingxu and I have ended up here." KP Snow Wind promptly replied, "Of course, but you¡¯ll need to pass a difficult Inspiration Judgment." Liu Xing rolled a 47 out of 35, a failure. Another failure. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised at his unusually poor luck in this module. He had already failed twice in a row, which was quite a contrast to the incredible luck he had experienced in the previous module. Could it be that KP Snow Wind¡¯s blessing had somehow caused his luck to take a nosedive? "Since the difficult Inspiration Judgment failed, Liu Xing, do you believe that you and Zhang Jingxu havee here with a certain mission or purpose?" KP Snow Wind chuckled. Zhang Jingxu, seeing Liu Xing¡¯s failed Inspiration Judgment, decided to try a different approach, saying, "KP, I¡¯d like to perform an Investigation Judgment now to search for any clues in this hall." KP Snow Wind thought for a moment and said, "Sure, you can both attempt a difficult Investigation Judgment, but this time it will be a blind one." After the sound of dice hitting the floor, Zhang Jingxu stepped forward and picked up a calendar from the ground. It was the type of calendar that was verymon in rural areas over a decade ago. The upper half featured an image of a prominent figure, while the lower half contained the calendar for that year. Liu Xing¡¯s ancestral home used to have several of these calendars hanging on the walls. However, the calendar Zhang Jingxu held appeared to be in pristine condition, probably due to being face-down on the floor. The date on this calendar was the year 2000. Although Liu Xing couldn¡¯t read Chinese at the moment, he could still understand Arabic numerals. So, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Why is this a calendar from over a decade ago? Does that mean Panlong Town in this parallel world was destroyed in 2000?" Zhang Jingxu pondered and shook his head, saying, "It might not just be Panlong Town. Perhaps this entire parallel world has been destroyed." "Are you referring to the Millennium Apocalypse, Newton¡¯s prophecy?" Liu Xing asked in amazement. In hister years, Newton had begun studying theology and had provided detailed exnations of the end of the world in his works "Newton¡¯s Daniels Prophecies" and "Newton¡¯s St. John¡¯s Apocalypse." In reality, Newton¡¯s prediction had long been proven wrong. However, in the world of Cthulhu RPG Game, anything was possible, and many modules started with various doomsday prophecies. So, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s spection that this parallel world might have been destroyed was usible. "But judging by the amount of dust here, it seems like a significant amount of time has passed since the year 2000," Liu Xing noted. "Still, we probably won¡¯t find any useful information here now. Should we go downstairs and explore?" Zhang Jingxu agreed, and the two cautiously descended to the second floor. As Liu Xing stepped onto the second-floor floorboards, the sound of rain suddenly reached his ears, and everything around him reverted to its previous state. "Have we returned to the original world?" Liu Xing asked in surprise. Zhang Jingxu examined the surroundings and nodded, saying, "It seems like it. I paid attention to the second-flooryout when I went upstairs, and it matches what we see now." Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, d they were back. "So, should we return to the third floor now? I want to verify a theory: could it be that only the third floor was switched to the parallel world?" Zhang Jingxu suggested, looking at the ceiling. Liu Xing agreed, and the two of them returned to the third floor. Fortunately, the third floor had also returned to normal. Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu exchanged nces before retreating to their respective rooms to rest. Both of them were concerned that if they took further actions, they might be sent back to the strange parallel world. However, at that moment, KP Snow Wind chuckled and said, "Congrattions to yer Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu. You¡¯ve triggered the Hidden Side Objectives Mission: ¡¯The Destroyed Panlong Town.¡¯ As long as you uncover the reason behind Panlong Town¡¯s destruction, you can earn 1500 points and receive 50 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points." 50 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Completing this Side Quest would be likepleting half of the Main Quest, and there was a substantial points reward. However, more significant rewards also implied greater difficulty. Thus, Liu Xing spected that the destruction of Panlong Town probably wasn¡¯t solely due to the ck Flood Dragon. With limited information gathered so far, Liu Xing decided to temporarily set aside his thoughts and get some rest. After all, epting this Mission implied that they would have future opportunities to explore the destroyed Panlong Town. He needed to prepare for whaty ahead. Liu Xing thought about this and drifted into slumber. The next morning, Liu Xing was awakened by Ling Ishikawa, who seemed unaware of what had happened the previous night. However, as a faithful follower and possessing the ability to enter alternate dimensions, Liu Xing decided to share everything that had transpired. Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brow upon hearing the story and said, "What? Lord Liu Xing, you entered another parallel worldst night? But based on my sensing ability, I haven¡¯t detected the presence of other Alternate Dimension spaces in this building." ording to Ling Ishikawa, he had been trained to detect the presence of Alternate Dimension spaces urately. However, regardless of how he tried to sense it now, he couldn¡¯t detect any such spaces in the vicinity. What was even more surprising to Ling Ishikawa was that his sensing range had expanded to ten meters. Within this ten-meter radius centered on him, there wasn¡¯t a single Alternate Dimension space. This revtion left Ling Ishikawa quite astonished because beforeing to Panlong Town, he had been able to easily sense the presence of one or more Alternate Dimension spaces in his surroundings. Ling Ishikawa sighed and said, "Lord Liu Xing, this Panlong Town is problematic. Because there are no Alternate Dimension spaces around it, ording to the teachings of my master, Serak, this ce is an entirely independent space." "Are you saying we can¡¯t leave Panlong Town now?" Liu Xing asked in shock. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 355: Journey to Panlong Town (1) Chapter 355: Journey to Panlong Town (1) Ling Ishikawa nodded solemnly and said, "That¡¯s right, it seems that leaving Panlong Town now will be quite difficult. Despite its appearance of being connected to the outside world, there seems to be an invisible barrier separating Panlong Town from the rest of the world, trapping us here." Liu Xing furrowed his brows, looking puzzled. "If that¡¯s the case, how did we manage to enter Panlong Town in the first ce?" Ling Ishikawa sighed and replied, "There are two possibilities. The first possibility is that the person or mythical creature responsible for creating the barrier around Panlong Town is still here and intentionally brought us in. As for their motive, we can only specte. The second possibility is that the separation of Panlong Town from the outside world is notplete, and there are still some connections, which allowed us to enter by chancest night." "If it¡¯s the first possibility, then we are in big trouble. Anyone who can create such a spatial barrier or mythical creature is incredibly powerful. I doubt that even all of usbined can defeat it. As for the second possibility, it means we still have a chance to leave Panlong Town, but it won¡¯t be easy. The presence of the ck Flood Dragon, the transformations of the driver and the female guide, and your encounter with Zhang Jingxust night all indicate that Panlong Town is a dangerous ce. It might be easy to enter but difficult to leave." Liu Xing thought for a moment and then said, "Wait, if Panlong Town has be an independent space, and there is no alternate dimension around it, then it means that our encounter with Zhang Jingxu and mest night might not have been a journey to a parallel world. It could be that we simply traveled through time, either to the past or the future of Panlong Town." Considering the events ofst night, Liu Xing could only think of two possibilities: time travel or space travel, and maybe even both simultaneously. Therefore, if we rule out the possibility that Ling Ishikawa made a mistake in his assessment, we should focus on the time aspect. Unfortunately, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s "Investigation Judgment" is covert, so Liu Xing couldn¡¯t be sure whether the 2000 calendar was definitive evidence of the time point or if it was used to confuse them. Ling Ishikawa nodded and said somewhat apologetically, "You are right, Liu Xing. There is indeed the possibility you mentioned. However, I¡¯m not entirely sure at the moment. My mentor, Serak, taught me some knowledge about space, but for information rted to time, I might have to wait until my next visit to Hybrier to learn more."Hearing this, Liu Xing became intrigued and asked, "Speaking of which, Ling Ishikawa, since Panlong Town is now an independent space, will you still be transported to Hybrier?" Ling Ishikawa stroked his chin and replied, "I believe I will still be transported to Hybrier. The force that sends me there is incredibly powerful. However, even if I go to Hybrier, I¡¯ll still end up back in Panlong Town. After all, we can¡¯t leave Panlong Town without umting 100 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points, or else we¡¯ll be considered failures." Just then, Zhang Jingxu appeared at the door and said, "Ryuusei, Ling Ishikawa, it¡¯s time for breakfast." Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "Sure, we¡¯ll be right there." Once Zhang Jingxu left, Liu Xing whispered to Ling Ishikawa, "Ling Ishikawa, let¡¯s not mention what we just discussed to the others for now. We don¡¯t have enough evidence to confirm our spections, and it might lead to unnecessaryplications." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement, understanding that they should be cautious about sharing their theories, especially since they had been constantly revising their hypotheses due to new information. As Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa went downstairs, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at the calendar on the third floor. Apart from some paintings, he didn¡¯t see the calendar from the year 2000. On the first floor, Zhang Jingxu and the others were already seated, with six bowls of porridge on the table. Hu Cang had just returned with a bag of steamed buns and mantou. Liu Xing noticed that the weather in Panlong Town had cleared up since the rain. People were moving about, and the shops across the street had reopened. Everything seemed normal, which sent shivers down Liu Xing¡¯s spine. No matter where you were, a damaged bridge would be big news, as it affected everyone¡¯s transportation. The four major life essentials: food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Yet, what Liu Xing saw was the vigers of Panlong Town, seemingly oblivious to the severely damaged bridge just meters away. They went about their business as if the bridge had not been damaged at all. It was as if the bridge had never been damaged. If it weren¡¯t for Hu Cang¡¯s arrival, Liu Xing would have considered going out to inspect the bridge¡¯s condition. "Hu Cang says these are the best buns and mantou in Panlong Town. He suggests we eat more, but there¡¯s some bad news. Panlong Town is nowpletely cut off from the outside world. The bridge we crossed when we arrived has been damaged, one bridge was submerged due to flooding, and the other one was blocked by andslide," Zhang Jingxu conveyed. Liu Xing nodded in acknowledgment. It was as he had expected ¨C Panlong Town had indeed be an isted "ind." However, he wondered if the bridge blocked by thendslide could still be crossed with caution. Before Liu Xing could speak, Zhang Jingxu continued, "I know what you¡¯re thinking, Ryuusei. The bridge blocked by thendslide can be easily crossed with care. But if we cross it and want to return to Rongcheng, we¡¯ll have to take a long detour. Moreover, the route would mostly consist of dirt roads, which would likely be muddy and difficult to traverse after yesterday¡¯s heavy rain." "So, without any means of transportation, it¡¯s impractical for us to walk back to Rongcheng. Whether we try to hitchhike in the nearby town or go to the highway entrance where we arrived, it would take at least a day, and it¡¯s risky. Therefore, Hu Cang suggests that we stay in Panlong Town for now and leave when it bes essible again. Li Dian and Wan Chongshan have already agreed." Liu Xing shrugged and said, "Since Li Dian and Wan Chongshan agree, Ling Ishikawa and I have no objections. Staying in Panlong Town is safer in these circumstances." Zhang Jingxu nodded and turned back to discuss the situation with Hu Cang and the others. Language barriers can indeed be troublesome. Liu Xing watched as Zhang Jingxu and the others enthusiastically conversed with Hu Cang, while he and Ling Ishikawa were left eating their meal, feeling a sense of helplessness and boredom. So, Liu Xing decided to strike up a conversation with Ling Ishikawa. "Ling Ishikawa, how about we go and check out the broken bridgeter?" Ling Ishikawa understood Liu Xing¡¯s intention and replied with a smile, "Sure, why not? If possible, we can even take a walk around Panlong Town. After all, there¡¯s not much to do here without cellphone signals, and it wouldn¡¯t be very entertaining. But we should bring Zhang Jingxu along since we¡¯re not familiar with the ce and can¡¯tmunicate in Chinese." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Although Hu Cang had provided some information about Panlong Town¡¯s main buildings, they hadn¡¯t confirmed their precise locations. Liu Xing believed that creating a map of Panlong Town would be helpful for their future actions. Due to breakfast, everyone finished quickly, and it was only 8:30 AM. "Ryuusei, Hu Cang has agreed to provide us with food and amodation until we leave Panlong Town. However, during the daytime, Hu Cang¡¯s clinic needs to remain open, so it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t stay on the first floor," Zhang Jingxu informed Liu Xing. Liu Xing stood up and said with a smile, "No problem. Ling Ishikawa and I n to explore Panlong Town a bit. Zhang Jingxu, do you have time to join us? We¡¯re not familiar with the area, andnguage is a barrier." Zhang Jingxu readily agreed. "Of course, I¡¯ll check with Li Dian and Wan Chongshan about their ns first." After a while, except for Li Dian, who stayed at the clinic to "assist" Hu Cang due to his background as a forensic scientist, everyone else had gathered on the broken bridge. From Liu Xing¡¯s estimation, the original length of the bridge should have been around ten meters, but now the remaining sections on both sides added up to only about three meters. Seven meters had disappeared, creating a significant gap. As for the Panlong River, it had risen considerably after the heavy rain yesterday. It was now just about two meters away from the bridge where Liu Xing and the others stood. Moreover, the Panlong River¡¯s current was unusually swift. ording to Wan Chongshan, a geologist, the current speed had reached ten meters per second! "Wan Chongshan mentioned that considering the terrain of Panlong River, the current speed is abnormal. Besides, not far from here, there¡¯s a dam," Zhang Jingxu said, pointing to the left. Following Zhang Jingxu¡¯s direction, Liu Xing saw a small dam. At the sight of the dam, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but be sure that it would likely be destroyed for various reasons. After all, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, structures like dams and bridges were usually destroyed in various ways, especially with a ck Flood Dragon lurking in the Panlong River. Thinking about it, Liu Xing lowered his head to observe the river¡¯s surface. Due to the swift current, the riverbed¡¯s sediments had been washed away. Consequently, the Panlong River appeared murky, making it impossible to see what was beneath the water¡¯s surface. "It looks like the bus we took here has been washed away," Liu Xing sighed as he observed the river. Ling Ishikawa picked up a stone and casually threw it into the Panlong River, saying, "Maybe it hasn¡¯t drifted too far. After all, the roads around Rongcheng are winding, causing the river¡¯s course to have numerous twists and turns. The bus might still be stuck somewhere, and we could spot itter." Liu Xing had no reply to that. No one wanted to tempt fate by provoking whatever might be lurking beneath the surface of the Panlong River. So, after watching the water for a while, they continued walking along the riverbank, chatting as they went. When they reached the bamboo forest, Liu Xing suddenly felt that the scenery around him had changed. Turning around, he realized that the trees by the roadside had transformed into a dense bamboo forest. These bamboo stalks reached a height of over ten meters, densely packed and entangled. The gaps between the bamboo were so narrow that only a person with a normal body size could pass through sideways. There was something strange about this bamboo forest, and Ling Ishikawa noticed it too. "This bamboo forest is quite extensive, but it feels odd, doesn¡¯t it?" Liu Xing nodded. The bamboo forest indeed had a strange and oppressive atmosphere, but he quickly identified the problem. The density of the bamboo was extraordinarily high, and in theirpetition for sunlight, the bamboo stalks had grown wildly. However, their excessive height caused them to lean and intertwine with adjacent bamboo, forming a dense, imprable cage. Even sunlight couldn¡¯t prate, making the bamboo forest appear dark and oppressive. At that moment, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "Alright, everyone, please perform an inspiration judgment." Another inspiration judgment? Liu Xing, 36/70, seeded. It seemed that both good and bad inspiration judgments were working in their favor. Liu Xing was starting to believe that KP Snow Wind¡¯s "cursed milk" was indeed living up to its name, as both bad judgments had been unanimously sessful. "Alright, everyone has passed the inspiration judgment this time. So, now you feel like something is watching you within the bamboo forest," KP Snow Wind said with a smile. As soon as KP Snow Wind mentioned it, Liu Xing felt a pair of eyes locked onto him from the depths of the bamboo forest. It sent a chill down his spine, and his heart raced. Fortunately, the sensation came and went quickly, and no mythical creature suddenly emerged from the bamboo forest. Therefore, there was no need for a sanity points check this time. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 356: Lost Time Chapter 356: Lost Time Liu Xing took a deep breath and spoke, "Did you all just feel it? It seems like there¡¯s something watching us in this bamboo forest." Ling Ishikawa nodded in surprise, saying, "What? So, I¡¯m not the only one who felt that. When I was looking into the depths of the bamboo forest earlier, I suddenly felt like something had locked onto me. The sensation was strange, as if I were a rabbit being stalked by a tiger." At this moment, after a brief conversation between Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan, Zhang Jingxu chimed in, "Wan Chongshan and I also had the same feeling as you. It confirms that something is indeed observing us deep within this bamboo forest. We¡¯re just not certain whether it¡¯s a wild beast or a mythical creature. However, it probably considers us prey by now. Given the density of this bamboo forest, it might take a while for whatever is lurking there to reveal itself." Of course, Zhang Jingxu¡¯sst statement couldn¡¯t be taken seriously. Liu Xing was certain that the presence watching them from the depths of the bamboo forest was some kind of mythical creature. For mythical creatures, leaving this bamboo forest would likely be a breeze. So, Liu Xing spected that this mythical creature in the depths of the bamboo forest was trapped there for some reason. However, to get more details, they would have to inquire with the locals of Panlong Town. "Let¡¯s retrace our steps for now to avoid any idents. After all, there¡¯s an old saying in China that says, ¡¯A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall,¡¯" Liu Xing said earnestly. With that, Liu Xing and the others began to backtrack, returning to the broken bridge. At this point, Liu Xing spotted a young man in a windbreaker, leaning against the railing and seemingly gazing at the scenery across the Panlong River.It had to be said that this young man had captured the attention of Liu Xing and the others. Liu Xing exchanged a meaningful nce with Zhang Jingxu, who understood the signal. He and Wan Chongshan approached the young man for a chat. It was only then that Liu Xing saw the true appearance of this young man. He could be described in one word: "handsome." He had the kind of looks that could easily make him a popr inte celebrity with the right packaging. However, it was precisely because of this that Liu Xing found this young man rather peculiar, as he didn¡¯t quite fit the overall atmosphere of Panlong Town. It was like in a science fiction movie where a group of soldiers withser guns were engaged in a firefight, and suddenly, a white-robed Taoist flying on a sword appeared, throwing a few yellow talismans to blow up the soldiers. After a while, Zhang Jingxu returned and said, "This young man¡¯s name is Xiao Mochen, and he¡¯s a local of Panlong Town." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, curious. "Oh, Xiao Mochen is actually a local? I initially thought he was stranded in Panlong Town like us, considering his different style and unique name. After all, he doesn¡¯t quite blend in with the others." Zhang Jingxu smiled and nodded, continuing, "That¡¯s what I thought at first too, but Xiao Mochen mentioned that he and Hu Cang are childhood friends who grew up together. He also shared a legend about that bamboo forest. Would you like to hear it?" "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, please don¡¯t keep us in suspense any longer. Please tell us," Ling Ishikawa said with a hint of impatience. Zhang Jingxu smiled and began, "The legend goes way back in time when Panlong Town was located on the other side of the river, and the area where the bamboo forest stands today was once just fields. Suddenly, a monk arrived in Panlong Town, bought that piece ofnd for a sum of money, andmissioned the construction of a temple named Hui Temple. On the day Hui Temple waspleted, the monk nted bamboo around its premises." "This monk was rather peculiar. Apart from asional visits to Panlong Town every ten days or so to purchase some groceries and vegetables, he spent most of his days inside Hui Temple, nevering out. He never allowed any worshipers inside to offer incense and pray. Over time, the people of Panlong Town began to suspect something was amiss with the monk. However, since the monk had paid for the construction of Hui Temple himself and never caused any trouble in Panlong Town, they didn¡¯t have much to say." "So, ten years passed with the monk leading a reclusive life inside Hui Temple. Only asionally, a Taoist would enter Hui Temple early in the morning, stay for half a day, and then hurriedly leave Panlong Town. This Taoist arrived by boat, which piqued the curiosity of some mischievous kids in Panlong Town." "I¡¯m sure you all know what mischievous kids are like ¨C they fear nothing and always seek mischief. Despite their parents repeatedly warning them not to y around Hui Temple, one afternoon, these kids decided to sneak into Hui Temple." "Shortly after these kids entered Hui Temple, strange roars echoed from within, followed by the cries of the children. At that time, there was no bridge, so the family members of these children had to take a longer route across a low bridge behind Hu Cang¡¯s house. When they arrived at Hui Temple, they found a scene of bloodshed and the mutted remains of the children¡ªor rather, chunks of flesh." "Naturally, the furious parents med the monk as the culprit. However, after searching Hui Temple thoroughly, they found no sign of the monk. At this point, some of the moreposed family members realized something was amiss. Despite the dy on their way, it had taken only about ten minutes from the children¡¯s cries for help to their arrival at Hui Temple." "Based on the gruesome condition of the children¡¯s remains, it was clear they had been dismembered, but the method used was brutal, almost as if done barehanded. Moreover, some of the bodies bore bite marks that didn¡¯t resemble human teeth. This rmed the parents, and they decided to leave Hui Temple immediately. They informed the town mayor, who, in turn, organized the townsfolk to return to Hui Temple armed with weapons and conduct a search." "In Hui Temple, they discovered an underground chamber where they found a body torn in half, which turned out to be the monk¡¯s. Additionally, they found a small box in the underground chamber, roughly the size of a rice cooker, covered in strange patterns. The knowledgeable town mayor suspected that this box might be used to seal some kind of monsters." "To avoid unnecessary casualties, the mayor led everyone back to Panlong Town and sent people to nearby viges for assistance. However, the individuals sent for help returned early one morning, their bodies opened up and their organs missing. Clearly, they had been killed by the monsters released from the box, suggesting that these monsters possessed intelligence." "Since we couldn¡¯t seek help from the outside, the mayor ordered all residents of Panlong Town to stay indoors and organized a group of strong men to patrol the town. On the same evening, a lone bachelor living by himself was attacked by the monsters. When the patrol team arrived upon hearing themotion, they found the bachelor already dead, his chest and abdomen split open, with his organs missing." "At a time when the people of Panlong Town were in great distress, the Taoist who frequently visited the monk arrived in Panlong Town. He had sensed that something was amiss at Hui Temple and, upon discovering the monk¡¯s body, rushed to Panlong Town. After learning the whole story, the Taoist informed the mayor that the box indeed sealed a certain monster, and the monk had built Hui Temple in Panlong Town to purify and redeem that monster." "Things were progressing smoothly, and in theory, in another two years, they could havepleted the purification of the monster. However, due to the mischievous kids opening the box, their efforts were in vain. The monster had been sealed for so many years and almost purified, so its anger was understandable. Therefore, the monk and the mischievous kids were killed by the monster." "But because the monster had been sealed for so many years and had just escaped, its strength wasn¡¯t what it used to be. It could only engage in guerri warfare with the residents of Panlong Town. However, if they couldn¡¯t reseal the monster soon, when it fully regained its power, it would destroy the entire Panlong Town. Before being sealed, the monster had killed an entire town¡¯s poption overnight." "Fortunately, the monk had prepared a contingency n while building Hui Temple. So, the Taoist used himself as bait and lured the monster back to Hui Temple. When the monster was about to attack the Taoist, he activated the hidden mechanism left by the monk. It caused the bamboo trees nted around Hui Temple to grow rapidly,pletely encircling Hui Temple. This bamboo cage trapped the monster, rendering it immobile." "As for the Taoist, he was either trapped and died in Hui Temple or was killed by the monster. However, before using himself as bait, the Taoist had informed the mayor that after trapping the monster, Panlong Town should be relocated next to Hui Temple. The town¡¯s collective energy could then keep the monster subdued to prevent it from escaping again. So, Panlong Town was moved from across the river and established next to the bamboo forest." Listening to this story, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but turn back to nce at the bamboo forest. In the real world, he would have dismissed such a tale with augh, but in this Cthulhu RPG Game world, he was certain that some kind of mythical creature lurked within that bamboo forest. After all, most of the legends heard in the Cthulhu RPG Game were based on actual events. Zhang Jingxu continued, "However, for some reason, when Wan Chongshan mentioned the ck Flood Dragon, Xiao Mochen¡¯s expression visibly changed. Nevertheless, he continued to deny the existence of the ck Flood Dragon. Now he has bid us farewell and invited us to his teahouse this afternoon." As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, Xiao Mochen nodded to Liu Xing and the others before leaving. Liu Xing sighed and said seriously, "It seems that we were being observed by that monster just now. I didn¡¯t expect it to still be alive after being trapped in the bamboo forest for so many years." Zhang Jingxu smiled wryly and said, "Of course, Liu Xing, you should know that most mythical creatures are essentially immortal beings. So, the fact that the monster is still alive is not surprising. Well, let¡¯s return to Hu Cang¡¯s house for now and talk to Li Dian about what just happened." Liu Xing nodded, and the group headed back to Hu Cang¡¯s house. At that moment, Hu Cang and Li Dian were engaged in a casual conversation. When they saw Liu Xing and the others, Li Dian said something that caused Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan to freeze in shock, taking out their phones. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa stood puzzled, waiting for Zhang Jingxu to trante. Language barriers were indeed troublesome. Liu Xing had made up his mind that afterpleting this module, he would definitely purchase a "Textbook" from the Shop. In the Shop, there was a special type of item known as a "Textbook." For example, the Beast Taming Notes that Liu Xing had seen in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s bag belonged to this category. In simple terms, "Textbooks" were books that allowed yers to learn or improve their skill values. However, yers needed to spend a certain amount of time in the module reading andprehending them. These "Textbooks" also had limitations on the number of times they could be purchased. For instance, yers from the Shoggoth Region could only buy three "Textbooks." Now, Zhang Jingxu looked at Liu Xing with a serious expression and said, "Ryuusei, Ling Ishikawa, please check the time disyed on your phones right now!" Liu Xing furrowed his brow and quickly checked his phone, only to find that it disyed 11:00 AM! Liu Xing, just like Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan earlier, was now wearing a shocked expression. Liu Xing remembered that he and his group had left Hu Cang¡¯s house at 8:30 AM. Although they hadn¡¯t checked the time in between, based on his own estimation, they had spent at most half an hour outside. So, where had those two hours gone? [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 357: The Original Mythical Creature Chapter 357: The Original Mythical Creature Liu Xing furrowed his brow and began, "Could it be that our phones are malfunctioning simultaneously? The time on my phone shows it¡¯s eleven o¡¯clock, but we¡¯ve only been outside for about half an hour." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and replied earnestly, "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem with the phones. Li Dian was quite certain he spent over two hours in the clinic. Due to the sudden rain yesterday, a few patients came in for IV drips after we left. So, Li Dian had to keep track of time to administer their medication. That¡¯s why he¡¯s so sure." "But that doesn¡¯t make sense. We were at Broken Bridge for only about ten minutes, then spent a minute or two in the bamboo forest before returning directly to Broken Bridge. We chatted with Xiao Mochen for a while, so at most, it took us half an hour," Ling Ishikawa puzzled. Liu Xing rubbed his chin, deep in thought. What was certain at the moment was that if Li Dian wasn¡¯t lying or colluding with Hu Cang to deceive them, then two hours had mysteriously disappeared from their timeline, and none of them had noticed. Liu Xing¡¯s main suspicion now centered on the mythical creature lurking deep within the bamboo forest. After all, the only unusual urrence during those two and a half hours was being targeted by that mythical creature outside the bamboo forest. First, Liu Xing ruled out the possibility that the mythical creature had controlled them using some form of magic, making them unaware of the passage of time. He hadn¡¯t heard the sound of dice rolling, indicating that KP Snow Wind hadn¡¯t secretly intervened. Even Ke Zong, when influencing yers, needed to roll dice. Therefore, this mythical creature couldn¡¯t be more powerful than Ke Zong. Moreover, based on Xiao Mochen¡¯s story, the mythical creature probably couldn¡¯t control time since it had been trapped in the deep bamboo forest by a Taoist in the past. Besides, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, mythical creatures with time control abilities were exceedingly rare, if not nonexistent. Yis People, for instance, could only travel through time but didn¡¯t have true time control. Therefore, Liu Xing dismissed the possibility of the mythical creature affecting time.Could it be Xiao Mochen? Liu Xing shook his head. Although Xiao Mochen¡¯s appearance seemed out of ce in Panlong Town, it didn¡¯t necessarily imply wrongdoing. Personal fashion choices varied, and even in this day and age, you could asionally spot people with unconventional styles on the streets. Judging people by appearances wasn¡¯t a reliable method, and ording to the Cthulhu RPG Game¡¯s general principle, individuals who stood out like Xiao Mochen usually weren¡¯t the final bosses. At most, they were important NPCs. After all, a final boss who was instantly recognizable wouldn¡¯t serve any purpose. So, Liu Xing ruled out Xiao Mochen but remained determined to visit his teahouse in the afternoon. He believed that Xiao Mochen must have some Side Quests and important information. Next, Liu Xing eliminated the possibility of the ck Flood Dragon. The ck Flood Dragon hadn¡¯t appeared today, and simr to why he had ruled out the mythical creature, Liu Xing didn¡¯t believe it had the power to manipte time. Finally, Liu Xing discarded the possibility of Hu Cang¡¯s involvement. While it was possible for Hu Cang to influence their group by tampering with the food they had eaten in the module, Li Dian had not been affected. Furthermore, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t fathom why Hu Cang would do this. If Hu Cang truly wanted to harm their group, poisoning them directly would have been a simpler solution. Now, Liu Xing¡¯s mind was in disarray, unable to find a reasonable exnation. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, saying, "I might know why we mysteriously lost two hours." While saying this, Ling Ishikawa exchanged a nce with Liu Xing. Liu Xing understood Ling Ishikawa¡¯s intention and nodded subtly, indicating that it was time for Ling Ishikawa to share their morning spections with Zhang Jingxu. So, Ling Ishikawa first shared their morning spections with Zhang Jingxu, then continued, "Although Panlong Town has be an independent space, if this independent space isn¡¯t maintained by a powerful entity, it¡¯s bound to experience certain anomalies, just like what we encountered ¨C a sudden eleration of time in a specific area." "My cheap master, Serak, mentioned a story while teaching me about these spatial matters. It¡¯s about an evil Wizard in ancient Hybrier who wanted to rule independently. To achieve this, he used the power of a Great Old One to turn a city into an independent space and became its ruler." "Because the Great Old One¡¯s power was overwhelmingly strong, those who tried to eliminate the evil Wizard failed to enter the city. They all returned empty-handed. However, the evil Wizard¡¯s victory was short-lived because maintaining such an independent space required a tremendous amount of magical energy. As a result, the independent space began experiencing various anomalies." "For example, a massive fire broke out in one part of the city, turning it into ashes. Or everyone inside a building suddenly regressed to infancy, bing newborns. There were even instances of a ck hole appearing, swallowing everyone in the square. In the end, the independent space copsed, and both the city and the evil Wizard were obliterated." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "So, Ling Ishikawa, are you suggesting that we¡¯re somewhat lucky today, as we didn¡¯t encounter any deadly anomalies directly?" Ling Ishikawa nodded and replied seriously, "Yes, our luck has been quite good today. We didn¡¯t inexplicably die by the river, and I¡¯m almost certain that the area where we encountered anomalies was near the bamboo forest. When I looked at the top of the bamboo forest, the sun was in its usual position. However, when we returned to Broken Bridge, I felt that the shadows on the ground seemed a bit off, though I didn¡¯t pay much attention at the time." Upon careful consideration, Liu Xing realized that there might indeed be some truth to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s observation. "In that case, let¡¯s avoid the area near the bamboo forest for now. We wouldn¡¯t want to spend over ten minutes inside, only to find that a whole day has passed in the real world," Liu Xing said, furrowing his brow. Ling Ishikawa shook their head and added, "There¡¯s no need to be so wary of the bamboo forest area. Anomalies, by their nature, don¡¯t persist in one area for extended periods; otherwise, they¡¯d be called mon urrences¡¯ instead." Alright, Liu Xing realized he had been overthinking things. After roughly "solving" the mystery of the inexplicable time loss, Liu Xing instructed Zhang Jingxu not to share these spections with Wan Chongshan and Li Dian for the time being. Zhang Jingxu nodded and turned to chat with Li Dian and Wan Chongshan. As for Hu Cang, he had gone to the kitchen on the first floor to prepare lunch. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa had no choice but to sit aside, engaging in idle conversation. After a while, Zhang Jingxu joined Liu Xing and said, "I asked Li Dian and Wan Chongshan earlier, and they also believe that there¡¯s something unusual about Panlong Town, which led to the sudden eleration of time for us. Li Dian has also gained some initial trust from Hu Cang." "That¡¯s good news. From Xiao Mochen¡¯s behavior, we can be sure that the people in Panlong Town are aware of the existence of the ck Flood Dragon. However, for some undisclosed reasons, they choose to avoid it. If Li Dian can further improve his rtionship with Hu Cang, he might learn the full story of the ck Flood Dragon from him," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. Zhang Jingxu nodded and added, "Yes, and speaking of the story Hu Cang told Li Dian, it¡¯s more detailed than what we heard from Xiao Mochen. For example, in Hu Cang¡¯s version, the events urred fifty years ago, and the true form of the monster is actually a ck cat. There are also some discrepancies, like one of the troublesome kids not really being dead; they¡¯re alive and well. Additionally, the ck cat demon didn¡¯t massacre the town¡¯s people overnight, but it did kill many." ck cat demon?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Cats, especially ck cats, were frequently featured in various folklore stories worldwide, often cast as antagonists. Cats were inherently mysterious creatures, capable of disappearing and blending into the darkness due to their ck fur. Their silent footsteps made them easily startle people at night, leading to their association with superstitions and bad omens. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, the appearance of a ck cat demon as a mythical creature was rtively rare. Compared to creatures like Ghouls and Deep Ones, the ck cat demon was significantly weaker. Unless it was a customized version of the ck cat demon, there was no temte for it in the rulebook. Therefore, the module¡¯s author had to define the ck cat demon. For yers who hadn¡¯t read the module content, they wouldn¡¯t know the ck cat demon¡¯s abilities and how to deal with it. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It seemed that this module would introduce many original mythical creatures. After all, it had just begun, and there were already the ck Flood Dragon and the ck cat demon. As the story progressed, they would likely encounter more original mythical creatures. At that moment, Hu Cang emerged with lunch, and everyone gathered around the table to eat. Hu Cang¡¯s cooking skills were undeniably good. After finishing their meal, the group found an excuse for an afternoon nap and returned to the third floor, convening in Li Dian and Wan Chongshan¡¯s room to discuss their situation. Of course, since the usage of Private Room time was limited, and KP Snow Wind had yet to disclose the estimated duration of the module, they had to be frugal with their Private Room usage. However, this time, to avoid the inconvenience of simultaneous trantion by Zhang Jingxu, Liu Xing and the others split into two smaller groups for discussion. Once both groups had discussed their findings, Zhang Jingxu would transmit the results, allowing for a second round of discussion. Zhang Jingxu naturally joined Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa¡¯s group. Quickly, the group reached a consensus. First, the sudden eleration of time should be considered an isted incident and not a cause for excessive concern. Second, they should avoid provoking the ck cat demon deep within the bamboo forest for now. After all, it had a track record of killing people, and it was best to err on the side of caution. Next, Li Dian would continue to build a rapport with Hu Cang. Xiao Mochen also needed to be monitored, and Wan Chongshan was the ideal candidate for this task since he had a shared interest in ying mahjong, a popr pastime in the Rongcheng area and throughout the entire BaShudu region. Finally, they discussed their afternoon ns. Everyone agreed that they should visit Xiao Mochen¡¯s teahouse since ces like teahouses and taverns with high human traffic and diverse clientele were excellent sources of information. Furthermore, Liu Xing was getting a bit antsy. As a local in Rongcheng, he had learned to y mahjong from a young age. During festivals, weddings, funerals, and gatherings with family and friends, it was customary to y mahjong. However, after graduating from college and bing a doctor, Liu Xing had little opportunity to y mahjong throughout the year. Therefore, he was eager to try his hand at it now. Of course, mahjong and the Cthulhu RPG Game shared the same essence, primarily based on luck and decision-making by yers. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 358: Journey to Panlong Town (2) Chapter 358: Journey to Panlong Town (2) Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but find it strange that there hadn¡¯t been any Side Quest triggered yet rted to that ck cat demon. Was there something more significant about this ck cat demon that remained undiscovered? After resting on the third floor for an hour, everyone gathered on the first floor. Except for Li Dian, who stayed behind to assist Hu Cang and gain his trust, the rest of the group was ready to explore Panlong Town further. Before leaving, Zhang Jingxu made sure to ask Hu Cang about the exact location of the teahouse run by Xiao Mochen. Liu Xing noticed a subtle change in Hu Cang¡¯s expression when he heard Xiao Mochen¡¯s name¡ªthere was a hint ofplexity and helplessness. It seemed that the rtionship between Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen was not simple. After a brief conversation between Zhang Jingxu and Hu Cang, he bid farewell to everyone and left the clinic. Then he turned to Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, saying, "Xiao Mochen is indeed a close childhood friend of Hu Cang. They used to live next door to each other, but their rtionship cooled off when Xiao Mochen went to work in Rongcheng. Over two years ago, Xiao Mochen returned to Panlong Town and opened a teahouse. By the way, Xiao Mochen¡¯s real name is Xiao Yong, and his nickname is Gou Dan." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. Xiao Mochen¡¯s teahouse wasn¡¯t far away. Liu Xing and the group walked about twenty meters to the left and found Xiao Mochen¡¯s teahouse. As they approached the teahouse, they could hear the sound of people ying mahjong inside. Xiao Mochen was sitting in a recliner near the entrance, basking in the sun, with a teacup beside him. When Xiao Mochen saw Liu Xing and the others, he stood up with a smile and said, "Hey, you¡¯re here. Pleasee in." Xiao Mochen¡¯s teahouse was nicely decorated, with a clear distinction between the mahjong area and the tea-drinking area. Liu Xing and the group were directed to the tea-drinking area, where Xiao Mochen personally served them tea and water.Zhang Jingxu activated his real-time trantion function once again. After cing some melon seeds and peanuts on the table, Xiao Mochen sat down and said, "There aren¡¯t many entertainment options in Panlong Town. Besides the ck Inte Cafe next to the middle school, my teahouse is one of the few ces to pass the time. You are wee to visit my teahouse anytime." Wan Chongshan nodded and smiled, saying, "Of course! I enjoy ying mahjong. Xiao Ge, can you help me find some suitable people to y with?" Xiao Mochen chuckled and replied, "Don¡¯t call me Xiao Ge; I¡¯m only twenty-one years old. You¡¯re older than me, so you can just call me Xiao Lao Di. As for ying mahjong, it¡¯s not a problem. We have quite a few mahjong yers in Panlong Town, but most of them are elderly folks, so we y for small stakes, around 1.5 cents per game. I hope that¡¯s not too small for you, Wan Da Ge." Wan Chongshan nodded and then got to the point, "That¡¯s perfectly fine. I¡¯m here to pass the time, not to make money by ying mahjong. By the way, Xiao Lao Di, do you y mahjong too?" Xiao Mochen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course! Almost everyone in our Sichuan region knows how to y mahjong. I¡¯ve been ying since I was twelve and used to join the adults¡¯ games." Wan Chongshan nodded and patted Xiao Mochen on the shoulder, saying, "Great! How about you join me in a game of mahjong, Xiao Lao Di? I also need you to introduce me to some other mahjong yers." Xiao Mochen seemed a bit hesitant at first but then reluctantly agreed, "Alright, I¡¯ll apany you in ying mahjong today, even though my wife doesn¡¯t like me ying mahjong. You should know that we have quite a few henpecked husbands around here." Wan Chongshan heard this and nodded, "No problem at all. If your wifeester, just tell her that we forced you to y mahjong with us. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll understand." With that settled, Wan Chongshan and Xiao Mochen headed to find a mahjong table. Meanwhile, Liu Xing and the others nned to leave the teahouse and continue exploring Panlong Town. Just as they were about to get up and leave, they noticed a shifty middle-aged man entering the teahouse. He approached Xiao Mochen and began speaking in a sly and cunning manner. Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and whispered, "That middle-aged man seems to be Xiao Mochen¡¯s father, and he¡¯s here to ask Xiao Mochen for money. But it looks like Xiao Mochen doesn¡¯t have a good rtionship with his father." Liu Xing nodded. Even though they couldn¡¯t hear the conversation between Xiao Mochen and his father, it was evident from Xiao Mochen¡¯s expression and tone that he disliked his father. The other mahjong yers in the teahouse didn¡¯t seem surprised by this interaction. Finally, in frustration, Xiao Mochen took out a few hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to his father, who then left the teahouse with a smile. "Let¡¯s follow Xiao Mochen¡¯s father. I have a feeling he might have ulterior motives for taking that money," Liu Xing said decisively. From the moment Liu Xing saw Xiao Mochen¡¯s father for the first time, he was certain that Xiao Mochen¡¯s father was a drug addict. Xiao Mochen¡¯s father had a yellowishplexion, emaciated body, weak limbs, a vacant gaze¡ªtraits that perfectly fit a drug addict. More importantly, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, there was valuable information avable from NPCs like drug addicts, and it could be easily obtained with a certain amount of money. In necessary situations, you could even hire a drug addict NPC to assist you. So, Liu Xing believed that he might be able to learn the secret of the ck Flood Dragon and why Xiao Mochen and Hu Cang had remained silent about it from Xiao Mochen¡¯s father. Therefore, Liu Xing and his group discreetly left the teahouse and began to tail Xiao Mochen¡¯s father. Xiao Mochen¡¯s father didn¡¯t go far and entered a small supermarket. Liu Xing and hispanions quickly followed, pretending to buy drinks and cigarettes. However, they didn¡¯t spot Xiao Mochen¡¯s father inside the store. The small supermarket had limited space, with only four shelves, and no significant hiding spots. However, there was a door next to the cash register. It appeared that Xiao Mochen¡¯s father had gone inside. There was no way for Liu Xing¡¯s group to enter the room, so they had to finish their purchases and leave the small supermarket. Coincidentally, when Liu Xing left the supermarket, he noticed that right across the street was Panlong Town Elementary School. Since it was almost time for school, many elementary students wearing red scarves were entering the school. However, what struck Liu Xing as strange was that the entrance gate of Panlong Town Elementary School was a crimson arch with white decorations, making it look like a gaping mouth with sharp teeth, resembling a bloodthirsty beast. Because there were teachers on duty at the school gate, Liu Xing and his group couldn¡¯t enter the school. Therefore, they continued along the street. After walking a few steps, Zhang Jingxu suddenly stopped and said, "I didn¡¯t expect the clinic to be next to the elementary school." Liu Xing turned to look, and indeed, Panlong Town¡¯s clinic was a two-story standalone building with a modest footprint of about sixty to seventy square meters. It appeared quite old, with its wallscking tiles, covered in ayer of cement that had peeled away in some ces. The windows were old-fashioned wooden frames that opened outward. "This clinic looks quite run-down. In fact, most of the buildings we¡¯ve seen in Panlong Town appear old," Ling Ishikawa remarked, furrowing her brow. Liu Xing thought for a moment and realized that Ling Ishikawa had a point. Most of the buildings in Panlong Town did indeed seem quite old. Considering that Panlong Town was close to Rongcheng, it should at least be at a moderate economic level. Therefore, the buildings shouldn¡¯t be so run-down. In fact, there should be a few newer structures. Could it be that Panlong Town had been turned into an independent space by some powerful entity a long time ago, and that¡¯s why the buildings had not been renovated for many years? But ording to Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen had returned to Panlong Town just over two years ago. The timing didn¡¯t quite match, unless Xiao Mochen had identally entered Panlong Town, just like Liu Xing and his group. At this point, Zhang Jingxu asked Ling Ishikawa, "Ling Ishikawa, in general, what are the natural rules within an independent space? For example, would the walls still be subject to weathering?" Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and nodded, "If the creator of the independent space didn¡¯t modify its internal rules, then everything inside the space would continue as usual. So, the buildings in Panlong Town would still age." "I see. Another question: If Panlong Town quietly turned into an independent space, wouldn¡¯t the residents notice something strange about it?" Zhang Jingxu continued. This question was quite pointed, and Ling Ishikawa pondered for a moment before offering her answer, "It would depend on how the creator of the independent space intended it. If they wished, they could easily hypnotize the residents to limit their awareness and activities within the space, considering that they had the power to create an independent space." That made sense. Since Liu Xing and his group were not ill at the moment and had no reason to enter the clinic, they continued their journey. After walking about fifty meters, the number of buildings on either side of the street dwindled, indicating that they were nearing the riverbank. As expected, Liu Xing saw therge bridge mentioned by Hu Cang, which had been affected by a mudslide. A section of the road leading to the bridge waspletely buried by mud, creating a mound nearly two meters high. While it was possible for pedestrians to pass with care, vehicles could no longer use the road. Suddenly, Liu Xing heard a cry¡ªa pig¡¯s cry. Clearly, the single-story house not far ahead was Panlong Town¡¯s ughterhouse. However, as there was no reason for them to enter the ughterhouse, Liu Xing¡¯s group could only continue on their way. When they reached the nearest intersection, they chose a new path. Soon enough, Liu Xing¡¯s group stumbled upon Panlong Town Junior High School. Panlong Town Junior High School was situated near the Panlong River, and it wasn¡¯t veryrge. Town-level junior high schools typically didn¡¯t have many students, as most of the town¡¯s students would be sent to County Town for their education. Therefore, Panlong Town Junior High School appeared deserted, without a sound to be heard. Wait a minute. Liu Xing listened carefully and realized that there really was no sounding from Panlong Town Junior High School. This was highly abnormal. Liu Xing checked his phone and confirmed that it was Tuesday, with no holidays in sight. It was already half-past two, which meant it should be ss time. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and shared his thoughts with Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu. "What do you say we go take a look?" Ling Ishikawa suggested. So, Liu Xing¡¯s group approached the entrance of Panlong Town Junior High School. To their surprise, there was no gate, and they could see the school building through the entrance. However, the doors and windows of the school building were severely damaged, with some areascking doors and windows altogether. It seemed that Panlong Town Junior High School had been abandoned. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked, "What¡¯s going on?" Zhang Jingxu shrugged and said with a smile, "It seems that Panlong Town Junior High School has been abandoned. After all, Rongcheng is right next door, so most of the junior high school students from Panlong Town probably go to school there." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 359: Gu? Chapter 359: Gu? "Well, let¡¯s head back for now and confirm the uracy of this information with Hu Cang or Xiao Mochen. I believe this time they should give us an answer," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. So, Liu Xing and the other two returned to the teahouse run by Xiao Mochen. After all, there was nothing to do at Hu Cang¡¯s ce right now, so they might as well have some tea and chat in the teahouse. Back at the teahouse, Xiao Mochen noticed Liu Xing and the others returning, so he arranged for the staff in the teahouse to prepare some tea for them. At this moment, Liu Xing noticed a woman sitting next to Xiao Mochen. She was wearing a fitted qipao and was exceptionally beautiful and enchanting. Fox spirit. That was Liu Xing¡¯s first impression of the woman because everything about her, from her appearance, figure, to her demeanor, gave off a seductive and alluring vibe. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but associate her with the term "fox spirit." However, Liu Xing quickly realized that this woman might actually be a fox spirit. After all, they were in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, and exceptionally attractive or handsome individuals were usually not ordinary humans. Based on Liu Xing¡¯s earlier spections, this module involved mythical creatures and supernatural events rted to folklore. Additionally, Xiao Mochen was likely an important NPC in this module, so there should be a Side Quest associated with him. The Side Quests introduced so far were all rted to mythical creatures. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that the probability of the woman being a fox spirit was quite high. Xiao Mochen introduced the woman by his side, and Zhang Jingxu tranted, "This woman is Xiao Mochen¡¯s wife, named Hu Li."Although Xiao Mochen said this with a smile, Liu Xing could sense a hint of helplessness in his tone. Hu Li. This made Liu Xing even more convinced that Hu Li was a real fox spirit. Hu Li nodded and said something with a smile. Although Liu Xing couldn¡¯t understand, he couldn¡¯t deny that Hu Li¡¯s voice was very pleasant and still had thatzy and enchanting charm. After Zhang Jingxu and Hu Li chatted for a while, they found a ce to sit with Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa. Zhang Jingxu then said, "Xiao Mochen is really lucky to have such a beautiful wife. No wonder he¡¯s a doting husband." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said with a smile, "But to be honest, this Hu Li could easily be an actress. She could y a role like Su Daji from Fengshen Bang, and she would be perfect for it." Liu Xing added, "Exactly, that¡¯s what I think too. Hu Li is incredibly captivating. If this were in the real world, I might have mistaken her for a fox spirit." Zhang Jingxu stroked his chin and said, "Indeed, Hu Li really does resemble a fox spirit. But based on my knowledge, or rather, my master¡¯s teachings, it¡¯s not easy for a fox spirit to cultivate into human form. Without any special encounters, an ordinary fox would need at least a hundred years to develop intelligence. Foxes that live for over a hundred years are exceedingly rare." "Even after gaining intelligence, they¡¯re still just old foxes, not true fox spirits. At that point, they be a bit smarter, able toprehend some naturalws. So, under certain fortuitous circumstances, some old foxes cane into contact with the path of cultivation and be considered fox spirits." "But for a fox spirit to transform into a human form, it would require significant effort. The difference in appearance between a fox and a human is enormous. Fox spirits need to expend a great deal of magical energy to maintain their human form. So, generally speaking, only thousand-year-old fox spirits have a chance of genuinely transforming into human form. The probability of an ordinary fox bing a thousand-year-old fox spirit is probably one in a billion. At least in recent times, after the founding of New China, the Daoistmunity hasn¡¯t seen any fox spirits capable of human transformation. So, Hu Li probably isn¡¯t a fox spirit. Otherwise, we could start buying lottery tickets after we leave Panlong Town." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Zhang Jingxu seemed to have set a g with his statement. Ling Ishikawa pondered for a moment and said, "Zhang Jingxu, my cheap master Serak has talked about a simr theory. He believes that humans are the chosen ones on Earth, and other creatures aspire to take human form. However, these creaturesck the intelligence to understand the gap between themselves and humans." "But some creatures, through fortuitous encounters, receive help from mythical creatures or even Great Old Ones, evolving into intelligent beings not inferior to humans. These beings possess various extraordinary abilities, including the ability to transform into human form. However, they are usually individual entities, not a species. So, there¡¯s no need to worry about them overthrowing humanity." "But speaking of it, if my earlier spection is correct, the creator of Panlong Town, this separate dimension, is likely either a powerful mythical creature or a Great Old One. With their strength, they could potentially nurture a monster. So, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that Hu Li is a fox spirit. Even the ck Flood Dragon, Disc Spirit, and the ck Cat Demon City existing in Panlong Town might be connected to that powerful entity." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words resonated with Liu Xing because he also believed that there might be a hidden boss in this module. If he had knowledge in this area on his character card "WatanabeRyuusei," he would have suggested it earlier. "If that¡¯s the case, then Hu Li really could be a fox spirit. However, this means that there are at least four mythical creatures in Panlong Town, or rather, five, because only mythical creatures can transform the driver and the female guide into those ghostly forms. The four mythical creatures we¡¯ve confirmed so far probably couldn¡¯t achieve that," Zhang Jingxu said with some concern. Hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, Liu Xing thought of a movie, "The Cabin in the Woods." "The Cabin in the Woods" was a ssic horror film that revolved around a secluded cabin in the woods. Beneath ity a secret facility of a mysterious organization used to imprison various supernatural creatures and murderous maniacs. Their goal was to sacrifice those who entered the cabin to an ancient god lurking below. Although "The Cabin in the Woods" was essentially a satire of conventional horror film tropes, Liu Xing felt that the current situation in this module was somewhat simr to the story. Both involved the gathering of various mythical creatures in a rtively isted space, with a hidden boss pulling the strings behind the scenes. As for Liu Xing and his group mistakenly entering Panlong Town, they might be the sacrifices. Thinking about it this way, it seemed entirely possible. Fortunately, even in this parallel world, there was a movie like "The Cabin in the Woods." So, Liu Xing said casually, "If that¡¯s the case, doesn¡¯t our current situation resemble the movie ¡¯The Cabin in the Woods¡¯?" Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu were momentarily puzzled but quickly understood what Liu Xing meant. "Indeed, our situation does have some simrities with the plot of ¡¯The Cabin in the Woods.¡¯ We¡¯ve only explored Panlong Town briefly, and we¡¯ve already discovered five mythical creatures. If we were to thoroughly investigate Panlong Town, we might find even more mythical creatures. After all, ces like the ughterhouse and clinic are usually ident sites in horror movies," Ling Ishikawa nodded. Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow, saying with some frustration, "If that¡¯s the case, our current situation is even more challenging than when we were in Fisher¡¯s Vige initially. At least with the Deep Ones and Shoggoths, we had some knowledge and a few defensive weapons. Now, we only know the names of our opponents, and we don¡¯t even have any defensive weapons." Zhang Jingxu was right. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa¡¯s defensive weapons couldn¡¯t be brought into China¡¯s territory, and Zhang Jingxu hadn¡¯t nned to carry any defensive weapons, as he relied on his Daoist skills. Just then, a young man burst into the teahouse and loudly spoke to Xiao Mochen. Liu Xing saw Xiao Mochen¡¯s expression change, and he quickly rushed out of the teahouse, with Hu Li following him naturally. "Xiao Mochen¡¯s father is in trouble," Zhang Jingxu said with a furrowed brow. "Let¡¯s go outside and see." Liu Xing nodded and stood up. At that moment, everyone in the teahouse rushed outside to see what was happening. Liu Xing and the others left the teahouse and saw arge crowd gathered at the entrance of a supermarket not far away. It seemed that the drug addict was indeed Xiao Mochen¡¯s father, who had likely overdosed. Approaching the crowd, Liu Xing spotted a middle-aged man in a white coat, carrying a first aid kit, hurrying over and pushing through the crowd. Liu Xing and the others took the opportunity to join the crowd. In the midst of the crowd, Xiao Mochen¡¯s fathery on the ground, convulsing and struggling to breathe. The middle-aged man began to administer first aid to him. After observing for a while, Liu Xing could tell that this middle-aged man was quite skilled. He induced vomiting sessfully with a few maneuvers and then directed Xiao Mochen¡¯s father, who had regained some consciousness, to drink water. "This middle-aged man is Zhong Rensan, the head of Panlong Town¡¯s clinic and one of the town¡¯s two doctors. The other doctor is Hu Cang," Zhang Jingxu shared the information he had learned with Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa. Soon, after Xiao Mochen¡¯s father regained consciousness, he was taken to the clinic by Zhong Rensan for further treatment, and the onlookers dispersed. Just as Liu Xing and the others were about to leave, KP Snow Wind suddenly said, "Alright, now let the four yers here make an Inspiration Judgment." Another Inspiration Judgment? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, thinking that his Inspiration Judgment was likely to seed this time. Liu Xing: 62/70, sessful. As expected. However, this time not everyone passed the Inspiration Judgment; only Zhang Jingxu "luckily" failed. After the Inspiration Judgment, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but look at the vomit that Xiao Mochen¡¯s father had just expelled. At this moment, something unexpected happened. A small, finger-sized white maggot emerged from the vomit, wriggled for a moment, and then burrowed directly into the ground, disappearing from sight. Seeing this, Liu Xing was shocked. It appeared that Xiao Mochen¡¯s father had not suffered an ident due to a drug overdose, but because of this maggot. With this realization, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but look up at the room above the supermarket, as Xiao Mochen¡¯s father had experienced the incident there. To his surprise, a masked man was standing at the window on the upper floor of the supermarket, staring at them with cold eyes. After locking eyes with Liu Xing for three seconds, the masked man snorted coldly and turned away. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, thinking that the masked man was likely the culprit. "Did you see that? A maggot just crawled out of that pool of vomit. Could it be the legendary Gu poison?" Ling Ishikawa said, looking shocked. Liu Xing shook his head and said quietly, "Let¡¯s go back to Hu Cang¡¯s ce for now. There was a masked person watching us from upstairs at the supermarket." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, everyone didn¡¯t hesitate and went straight back to Hu Cang¡¯s clinic. At that moment, Hu Cang was chatting with Li Dian in the clinic. "They¡¯re discussing what just happened," Zhang Jingxu said before joining the conversation with Hu Cang and the others. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa shrugged helplessly and sat down to talk amongst themselves. "Leader, do you think the person watching us from upstairs in the supermarket could be the one who poisoned Xiao Mochen¡¯s father?" Ling Ishikawa asked seriously. Liu Xing nodded and said, "It¡¯s very likely. However, we don¡¯t have evidence to prove it yet, so we can only suspect. But speaking of which, why haven¡¯t we seen the town hall and police station in Panlong Town? They should be the most prominent buildings in a township." In theory, the town hall and police station should be the most conspicuous structures in a town, but Liu Xing felt that he and his group had explored most of Panlong Town and had yet toe across any signs of these buildings. Ling Ishikawa rubbed his chin and also expressed his confusion, "Yeah, I haven¡¯t seen the town hall and police station in Panlong Town at all." At this moment, Zhang Jingxu walked over and said, "Xiao Mochen¡¯s father¡¯s name is Xiao Dafu..." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 360: Love Triangle Chapter 360: Love Triangle Liu Xing rubbed his chin and expressed his concern, saying, "So, it seems that this Zha Kang has some influence in Panlong Town. If he decides to make a move against us, how should we handle it?" After all, Zha Kang¡¯s actions would undoubtedly be ruthless, and he was known for using gu worms. Liu Xing certainly didn¡¯t want to have a wriggling parasite inside his body, although it was generally difficult topletely eliminate internal parasites. Zhang Jingxu pondered for a moment and pointed upstairs, saying, "You don¡¯t need to worry about that, Ryuusei here. In my backpack upstairs, I have a fragrance pouch that can repel toxic creatures, including gu worms. So, unless Zha Kang possesses extremely powerful gu worms, they won¡¯t be able to enter the ten-meter radius of my fragrance pouch. Even if you were possessed by Zha Kang¡¯s gu worms outside, entering the fragrance pouch area would allow us to expel them." Liu Xing nodded in approval. He hadn¡¯t expected Zhang Jingxu to have such a useful item. In certain modules, they might encounter toxic creatures or even mythical creature offspring, which could be very troublesome if provoked. Therefore, Liu Xing had considered acquiring an item for repelling parasites long before, but the shop only sold insecticides with limited uses, and they were inconvenient to carry. They also required some time to use, making them impractical for quick action. So, Liu Xing had abandoned the idea for a while. In the end, Liu Xing hadn¡¯t found a suitable item for himself. But now, it seemed that Liu Xing had finally found an item that suited him. With a cheerful smile, Liu Xing asked, "So, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, do you happen to have any extra fragrance pouches on hand? If possible, could you sell me one?"Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow and immediately shook his head, saying, "I¡¯m sorry, but this fragrance pouch was a gift from my master. I only have this one. However, I can ask my master about the herbal form for the fragrance pouch in the future, and then I can make one for you." Since Zhang Jingxu had put it that way, Liu Xing could only agree. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa interjected, "By the way, Zhang Jingxu, could you inquire with Hu Cang why we didn¡¯t see the town government and police station in Panlong Town?" Zhang Jingxu first looked puzzled, then surprised, and said, "That¡¯s right! We spent the whole afternoon in Panlong Town today, and it seems we didn¡¯te across the town government or police station. Please wait here; I¡¯ll go ask Hu Cang." With that, Zhang Jingxu went to inquire with Hu Cang. "The current situation doesn¡¯t look too optimistic. We¡¯ve just escaped from one danger and walked into another. Trying to leave Panlong Town might be even more challenging than leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige," Liu Xing said with a helpless expression. Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement, shrugging, "Indeed, in Fisher¡¯s Vige, we at least had some leverage with Matsui Yui. But here in Panlong Town, we¡¯ve bembs waiting to be ughtered. However, the ck Flood Dragon shouldn¡¯t attack us, and Xiao Mochen¡¯s fox spirit wife might be on our side. After all, we¡¯re friends with Xiao Mochen." Liu Xing chuckled and replied, "Ling Ishikawa, don¡¯t be too quick to assume that Xiao Mochen¡¯s wife is a fox spirit. Thankfully, we can¡¯tmunicate with them, or you might have been in for a beating this afternoon." Ling Ishikawa looked at Liu Xing with an incredulous expression and said seriously, "If I remember correctly, it was the leader himself who first suggested that Xiao Mochen¡¯s wife might be a fox spirit." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Ling Ishikawa was right. So, Liu Xing quickly changed the subject, "Um, speaking of which, during our tour of Panlong Town today, I have a hunch that the strange transformation of the driver and the female guide might have something to do with the ughterhouse. I mentioned earlier that the female guide had lost a leg, and it looked like it was cut off. While it might be a bit far-fetched, considering we¡¯re now caught up in supernatural events, it¡¯s possible that the only ce in Panlong Town where a leg could be severed is a ughterhouse." Liu Xing had another reason he didn¡¯t mention, though. In his view, if this module truly drew inspiration from ¡¯The Cabin in the Woods,¡¯ there had to be something fishy about the ughterhouse. When one thought of a ughterhouse, the first thing that came to mind was a butcher. But this butcher couldn¡¯t be a human anymore. So,bining the driver and the female guide¡¯s horrifying condition, Liu Xing had made this spection. Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement but remained puzzled, "There¡¯s a possibility, but the ughterhouse is on the outskirts of Panlong Town. How did the driver and the female guide end up there? And after their transformation, how did they manage to return to us? Lastly, why did theye to us and invite us to join them?" Faced with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s questions, Liu Xing could only shake his head helplessly and say, "I¡¯m not sure about these questions either. Everything I said earlier was just a guess. However, I¡¯m more concerned now that if you suddenly get transported to Hybrier, it could be a problem. The excuse of being sick won¡¯t work anymore, especially with Hu Cang being a doctor. Besides, this time, we¡¯re relying on the hospitality of others." Ling Ishikawa, hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, nodded in frustration and said with a bitter smile, "I don¡¯t know what to do right now. I¡¯m starting to feel a sense of impending doom. It seems like I might be sent to Hybrier soon. It seems that the creator of this independent space couldn¡¯t match Honda Tetsuya." Speaking of Honda Tetsuya, Liu Xing was now curious about some things. Who was the true identity of Honda Tetsuya, and why did he send Ling Ishikawa to Hybrier? What was the purpose behind everything he had orchestrated? Most importantly, now that Honda Tetsuya had faked his death and changed his identity, he should being into contact with Ling Ishikawa soon, or perhaps he already had. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt a headacheing on. After all, mythical creatures like Honda Tetsuya, even the incarnations of Great Old Ones, were not beings he and Ling Ishikawa could easily deal with, especially with Honda Tetsuya having clear intentions. It was getting troublesome. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu finally finished his conversation with Hu Cang and returned, saying, "Indeed, there is no town government or police station in Panlong Town. This is due to historical reasons. Initially, Panlong Town was just a vige, subordinate to another town. However, as Panlong Town developed rapidly, it was upgraded to a town. Because of its small size and proximity to the original town it belonged to, Panlong Town¡¯s officials and police officers still work in the original town. Therefore, there are no official institutions in Panlong Town." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting this arrangement. "By the way, concerning the legend of Panlong Town Middle School and the ck Flood Dragon, I received confirmation from Hu Cang. Those elementary school students were not lying to us. However, some details were missing. Back when those students summoned the disc spirit and stayed at Panlong Town Middle School, although some students survived, they either ended up in the hospital or a mental institution. But a yearter, those students began to die one by one." "Most of these students died from extreme fear. So, the people who learned about this decided to keep it a secret to avoid causing panic among other residents of Panlong Town. Hu Cang, in particr, knew about this because he had a nephew who was one of the victims. However, the matter didn¡¯t end there." "Because another year passed, the non-local students who hadn¡¯t been at school when the disc spirit was summoned also started experiencing misfortune. The cause of death remained extreme fear. But as of now, three students have not faced any idents. However, two of them have left Panlong Town, and thest one still residing here is probably insane because he lives in a t on the same street as ck Inte Cafe and hardly ever leaves his home," Zhang Jingxu exined. As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, KP Snow Wind chimed in, "OK, congrattions, yers! You¡¯ve triggered another Side Quest - ¡¯Mad Disc Spirit.¡¯ Completing this Side Quest will reward you with 500 points and 20 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points. However, only three yers can participate in this Side Quest. The mission objective is to ensure that NPC Guo Ming doesn¡¯t die within twenty-four hours after yer contact." Guo Ming, mentioned by Zhang Jingxu, was likely thest remaining student. Liu Xing furrowed his brows; this Side Quest waspletely different from what he had anticipated. He had thought it would involve investigating the true nature of the disc spirit, but it had turned into a protection mission. Protecting missions were known to be the most challenging in Cthulhu RPG Game. Enemies hidden in the shadows were difficult to deal with, as they could choose when to strike, while the yers could only defend passively. Moreover, these enemies were mythical creatures, making their attacks even more formidable. Mythical creatures often didn¡¯t need to resort to tricks and schemes because their raw power was often sufficient. Therefore, the sess rate of protection missions in Cthulhu RPG Game was consistently low, and they were prone to heavy losses. So, Liu Xing began to ponder whether he should ept this Side Quest. Fortunately, KP Snow Wind hadn¡¯t demanded an immediate decision from the yers, allowing them to discuss and decideter. With this in mind, Liu Xing asked Zhang Jingxu, "Regarding the ck Flood Dragon, did Hu Cang say anything else?" Zhang Jingxu regained his focus and said earnestly, "First, Hu Cang requested that we don¡¯t make the matter of the ck Flood Dragon public to prevent anyone with ulterior motives froming to Panlong Town to capture it. Although Hu Cang isn¡¯t concerned about the ck Flood Dragon being caught, he worries that those trying to capture it might provoke it, breaking its vow not to harm living beings. If the ck Flood Dragon vites this vow, it won¡¯t be able to ascend to a true dragon." "Additionally, the ck Flood Dragon has given itself a title - ¡¯ck-clothed daoist.¡¯ So, if we¡¯re lucky enough to encounter the ck Flood Dragon, we should address it as ¡¯ck-clothed daoist.¡¯ Furthermore, it¡¯s best not to bring up the topic of snakes when in its presence, as the ck Flood Dragon values its reputation." "Lastly, regarding why the ck Flood Dragon destroyed the bridge, Hu Cang believes that the ck Flood Dragon did it for the sake of Panlong Town¡¯s residents or for our benefit. So, he suggests that we buy some eggs or something from the town and express our gratitude at the ck Dragon Cave. If we had left Panlong Town yesterday, we might have faced misfortune." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that they would likely advance the plot by visiting the ck Dragon Cave. It seemed that, among all the mythical creatures in Panlong Town, the ck Flood Dragon was the most likely to help the yers. Therefore, it was essential to establish a good rtionship with it. "By the way, when I was talking to Hu Cang, I noticed something. Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen¡¯s rtionship is not good at all. Every time Xiao Mochen is mentioned, Hu Cang changes the subject, and when Hu Li is brought up, I can see a hint of helplessness and resentment in Hu Cang¡¯s eyes. So, I suspect that Hu Cang¡¯s rtionship with Xiao Mochen might have been influenced by Hu Li," Zhang Jingxu said seriously. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, curious, and asked, "Are you suggesting that Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen, and Hu Li might be in a love triangle?" Zhang Jingxu nodded, smiling, "There¡¯s a high probability. Hu Cang mentioned that Hu Li settled in Panlong Town before Xiao Mochen returned, and shortly after Xiao Mochen¡¯s return, Hu Li and Xiao Mochen got married. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 362: Timing Chapter 362: Timing Meow Meow Meow? Everyone looked at Wan Chongshan with confusion. They couldn¡¯t believe that he had just imed that Xiao Mochen was a girl. Although Xiao Mochen did have some feminine features, Liu Xing still believed that Xiao Mochen was a boy based on their behavior and mannerisms. Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, Wan Chongshan continued, "You heard me right. I personally believe that Xiao Mochen is a girl, and I am over 70% sure of my opinion. When we were ying cards this afternoon, Xiao Mochen and I were sitting across from each other. I observed Xiao Mochen carefully and noticed that there was no Adam¡¯s apple, and Xiao Mochen¡¯s hands were very feminine. If you only looked at Xiao Mochen¡¯s hands, you would assume that Xiao Mochen was a girl." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, just based on those two observations, we can¡¯t be certain that Xiao Mochen is a girl. Although the Adam¡¯s apple is an important indicator of gender, some men have less prominent Adam¡¯s apples. As for the hands, Xiao Mochen could just take good care of them, or it could be a natural trait. After all, some people are just born that way." Speaking of people being born with certain traits, Liu Xing thought of a patient he had treated in the past. This patient was skilled at imitating various sounds since childhood, and they were all very realistic. One time, while Liu Xing was giving the patient acupuncture treatment, the patient suddenly spoke in Liu Xing¡¯s voice, which startled Liu Xing and almost caused him to insert the needle in the wrong ce. "I initially thought the same way as you did. Based on other aspects of Xiao Mochen¡¯s appearance, Xiao Mochen does seem more like a boy. However, I couldn¡¯t resist applying for an inspiration judgment from KP. The result was a great sess, and KP told me that Xiao Mochen is indeed a girl." Wan Chongshan shrugged and smiled. That exined it. Since the inspiration judgment showed that Xiao Mochen was a girl, there was nothing more to say. After all, in this Cthulhu RPG Game, the judgment results were always urate and beyond question. Unless someone like Nyathotep¡¯s incarnation, who refused to reveal their identity, came forward and tampered with the dice results..."Wow, this module is so interesting. Xiao Mochen is actually a girl? Then she and Hu Li are a yuri couple. In that case, the love triangle between Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen, and Hu Li is even more intriguing. I¡¯ve already imagined a dog-blooded Cosmic Country drama. First, Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen were childhood sweethearts. Then, Xiao Mochen left Panlong Town to work elsewhere, and Hu Li came to Panlong Town." "Here, there may be two possible scenarios. The first scenario is that Hu Cang, for various reasons, couldn¡¯t resist Hu Li¡¯s temptation and forgot about Xiao Mochen, choosing to be with Hu Li instead. When Xiao Mochen suddenly returned to Panlong Town, she discovered that Hu Cang had moved on and was angry and jealous, so she stole Hu Cang from Hu Li. That¡¯s how Xiao Mochen and Hu Li ended up together." "As for the second scenario, Hu Cang remained steadfast and ignored Hu Li¡¯s temptation. This made Hu Li angry and jealous, so after Xiao Mochen returned to Panlong Town, Hu Li sessfully pursued Xiao Mochen. After all, women understand women better than men do." Ling Ishikawa said seriously, but it was all nonsense. Li Dian looked at Ling Ishikawa with a ck line on his forehead and said helplessly, "Ling Ishikawa, please don¡¯t make up such wild stories. This is a Cthulhu RPG Game, not some dog-blooded TV drama. Why don¡¯t you add car idents or leukemia to the plot?" Ling Ishikawa¡¯s eyes lit up, and she pped her hands. "Oh, Li Dian, you reminded me. We suspect that Hu Li is a fox spirit, right? I think it¡¯s possible that either Hu Cang or Xiao Mochen has a terminal illness like leukemia or owes arge sum of money. Therefore, Hu Li is using this as leverage to force Xiao Mochen to be with her, promising to help Hu Cang or Xiao Mochen through their difficulties. What do you think? Is this scenario likely?" Liu Xing looked at Ling Ishikawa speechlessly and had nothing to say. However, upon further reflection, Liu Xing realized that Hu Cang¡¯s suggestions were not entirely impossible. After all, the module plot of the Cthulhu RPG Game was not always grand and terrifying. On the contrary, there were many down-to-earth modules, such as the Rural Love Story module that someone hadined about on the forum. In that module, yers who identally arrived in a small town had to help two important NPCs ovee various obstacles from their parents to be together. However, the true identities of these two NPCs were quite special. One was a Ghoul, the other was a Deep One hybrid, and there was also an NPC named Shoggoth as the third party... Now, Liu Xing felt that the module he was in was very down-to-earth, as it involved many aspects of China¡¯s folklore. However, when it came to fox spirits in folklore, most people¡¯s first thought was Su Daji from Investiture of the Gods. Su Daji could be considered China¡¯s first fox spirit, and most fox spirits in folklore were based on Su Daji¡¯s character, seductive, captivating, and devouring people¡¯s souls... However, Liu Xing remembered that in some folklore, fox spirits also have more positive representations. These stories often revolve around the concept of repaying kindness. To put it simply, someone saves a fox spirit before it has the ability to transform into a human form. In gratitude, the fox spirit transforms and offers itself to its savior. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that Hu Li¡¯s situation should lean more towards thetter scenario. After all, if it were the former, Hu Li wouldn¡¯t be openly residing in Panlong Town. Consequently, Liu Xing considered Hu Li to be a rtively friendly NPC. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said, "Personally, I don¡¯t think the situation is as positive as you, Ling Ishikawa, imagine. When Xiao Mochen introduced us to Hu Li this afternoon, I could clearly sense a hint of resignation and resentment in Xiao Mochen¡¯s expression. So, I suspect that Xiao Mochen might have been forcibly transformed by Hu Li!" Forced transformation?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and eximed, "What on earth is this, Zhang Jingxu? Are you sure Xiao Mochen is male?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and earnestly replied, "Yes, I believe Xiao Mochen was originally male. Then, after returning to Panlong Town and encountering Hu Li, for some reason, Hu Li transformed Xiao Mochen into a female. The reason is quite simple, you might have seen those look-alike pictures online, some are between men and women. Even though their appearances are very simr, we can still easily distinguish who is male and who is female, right?" Liu Xing pondered for a moment and nodded, realizing that Zhang Jingxu had a point. Zhang Jingxu continued, "This is because, no matter how simr two people may look, their temperaments differ, especially due to the differences brought about by their genders. It¡¯s hard to exin in detail, so you¡¯ll have to grasp it yourself. In short, at first, we all considered Xiao Mochen to be male because based on all the circumstances she disyed back then, she closely resembled a man. If it weren¡¯t for Wan Chongshan¡¯s sessful Inspiration Judgment, who would believe that Xiao Mochen is female?" "Although a person¡¯s first impression isn¡¯t necessarily correct, it¡¯s usually reliable. That¡¯s why I believe Xiao Mochen was originally male but, for some reason, was transformed into a female by Hu Li. So, the current Xiao Mochen appears male in many ways, with only a few subtle details suggesting that she is female, like Wan Chongshan mentioned, her Adam¡¯s apple and hands." Despite Zhang Jingxu¡¯s somewhat convoluted exnation, Liu Xing understood his point. To simplify, Zhang Jingxu believed that Xiao Mochen¡¯s character card indicated male traits, but it was marked as female in the gender section. Liu Xing supported Zhang Jingxu¡¯s view and said, "I agree with you, Zhang Jingxu. I also think Xiao Mochen was originally male because Hu Cang mentioned that Xiao Mochen was his childhood friend, originally named Xiao Yong, and nicknamed Gou Dan. That doesn¡¯t sound like a female name, does it? Furthermore, the current Xiao Mochen gives me the impression that only a small part of her body has been transformed into a female." Liu Xing¡¯s words were met with agreement from the others. "So, can we now confirm that Hu Li is indeed a fox spirit?" Ling Ishikawa asked. Liu Xing nodded but expressed some doubts, saying, "It¡¯s possible, especially since Hu Li is Xiao Mochen¡¯s nominal wife. She must know Xiao Mochen¡¯s situation. However, considering the circumstances of this module, the conjecture that Hu Li is a fox spirit seems usible. But we still don¡¯t know why Hu Li transformed Xiao Mochen into a female and whether Hu Li is friend or foe." "For now, let¡¯s set aside the matter of Hu Li. I think her situation is quite special, and without more information, we won¡¯t make sense of it. Moreover, time is limited, so let¡¯s discuss the Side Quest to prevent the ck Inte Cafe arson case. Since the incident has already happened at this point in time, our best chance is to turn back time to this afternoon when Wang Anquan visited the cafe or even further back, before Wang Haiyang encountered any trouble. As for this kind of time maniption, it should be part of the module¡¯s second phase, as KP mentioned." Li Dian smiled and said. Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and then said, "Regarding this Side Quest, I believe that the first thing thates to everyone¡¯s mind is time reversal. After all, at this current time, the ck Inte Cafe arson case has already urred and is irreversible. So, if we want toplete this mission, we need to adjust the timeline to this afternoon when Wang Anquan visited the cafe, or even further back, before Wang Haiyang got into any trouble. As for this kind of time reversal, it should be part of the module¡¯s second phase, as KP mentioned." "However, based on our current understanding and the reward for this Side Quest, it seems quite simple toplete. But unusual urrences are often linked to hidden dangers. The missions in the Cthulhu RPG Game cannot be this straightforward. Therefore, I suspect that the way weplete this Side Quest will affect the development of other Side Quests." "Great minds think alike." yers who are eligible to advance to the Shoggoth Region module are undoubtedly skilled. Therefore, everyone present agreed with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s idea. After a brief discussion, the group reached a consensus toplete this Side Quest using gentle methods, trying not to involve more NPCs or mythical creatures to avoid affecting their respective Side Quests. Next, the issue of allocating slots for the "Mad Disc Spirit" Side Quest arose. After all, only three yers were allowed to participate in this Side Quest. However, Liu Xing and others were aware of the high difficulty of this Side Quest, as it was a protection mission, and the target that needed protection was already insane, making the quest even more challenging. Therefore, Li Dian and Wan Chongshan decisively handed over this Side Quest to the trio of Liu Xing, as the remaining two yers would definitely engage in other activities during this Side Quest. Moreover, the situations of Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa in this module were too unique to act alone. As a result, Liu Xing¡¯s group received the "Mad Disc Spirit" Side Quest from KP Snow Wind. After receiving this Side Quest, Liu Xing suddenly remembered a problem and frowned, saying, "By the way, if I remember correctly, the NPC we need to protect, Guo Ming, seems to live on the same street as the ck Inte Cafe. He shouldn¡¯t have been affected by the fire, right?" Before the heavy rain fell, the fire had already spread, engulfing half of the street¡¯s buildings in mes. Although Liu Xing was worried that Guo Ming had perished in the fire, the fact that the Side Quest had not failed indicated that Guo Ming should be unharmed. Ling Ishikawa shrugged, unconcerned, and said, "It should be fine. After all, we can still ept this Side Quest. Besides, even if something did happen to Guo Ming at this time, we can go to other time points to protect him and stillplete the Side Quest." Other time points... Liu Xing suddenly furrowed his brow. It seemed that this "Side Quest" might be a big trap, as if time could be reversed, it meant that they might return to the night when the incident urred at Panlong Town Junior High, and then they would not only have to face the disc spirit but also deal with the rampaging students. Therefore, Liu Xing seemed to have a realization and said, "Wait, if nothing unexpected happens, the Side Quests in this module should be affected by the time points. The difficulty of the Side Quests will change at different time points!" Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and made an inference, "If the Side Quests are really affected by the time points, then some Side Quests can only bepleted at specific time points!" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 361: Is Xiao Mochen a Woman? Chapter 361: Is Xiao Mochen a Woman? Although Liu Xing knew that all the deceased elementary students were just NPCs, a mere string of data in the Cthulhu RPG Game, it didn¡¯t stop him from feeling regret and helplessness at their deaths. Fortunately, if he and his team couldplete that Side Quest, they could prevent their deaths. So, Liu Xing took a deep breath and said, "Let¡¯s not dwell on this for now. After all, some things are already in the past, and obsessing over them won¡¯t change anything. Besides, we¡¯ve already done our best. Let¡¯s not let these things affect our mood." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said with some curiosity, "You¡¯re right, for now, let¡¯s avoid discussing these saddening topics. But have you noticed something strange? At the scene of the fire, we didn¡¯t seem to see any rtives of the victims, and the number of people present seemed a bit low. Furthermore, most of them were men." Listening to Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing immediately began to recall the situation at the fire scene this afternoon, and it did seem to be the case. Firstly, there was the issue of the victims¡¯ rtives. In Liu Xing¡¯s impression, in such a situation, there would definitely be grieving family members at the scene, especially when thinking about their children perishing in the mes. Anyone would be mentally devastated. Moreover, in a small town like Panlong Town, most people were connected in some way, and even if not, they were at least familiar with each other. Additionally, news traveled fast in Panlong Town due to its small size. Therefore, Liu Xing found it hard to believe that there were no victim¡¯s rtives among the people helping with the fire. However, the behavior of these victim¡¯s rtives was unusuallyposed. They wholeheartedly engaged in firefighting efforts, without crying or making unreasonable demands from Mayor Li Ming, such as sending people into the fire. This made Liu Xing feel somewhat incredulous because he couldn¡¯t believe that all these victim¡¯s rtives possessed such remarkable emotional resilience. After all, this involved their children and their future. It¡¯s essential to note that, for parents and older rtives, children were everything to them. They were willing to do anything for the sake of their children. In the two famous terrorist attacks that urred in Beand years ago, parents in Beand even fought terrorists with their own weapons to rescue their children. Although, strictly speaking, the actions of Beand parents disruptedw enforcement¡¯s ns and resulted in severe consequences with numerous casualties, no one could me them too harshly, considering they were acting out of concern for their children¡¯s safety. So, Liu Xing found it unusual that the rtives of the victims in the ck Inte Cafe fire were so remarkablyposed.Secondly, there was the issue of the number of people at the fire scene. Although Liu Xing hadn¡¯t carefully counted, he estimated that there were around forty to fifty people present at the time. This was clearly abnormal. Based on what he had observed and heard earlier in the day, Liu Xing initially estimated the poption of Panlong Town to be around three to five hundred people. This meant that only about one-tenth of the town¡¯s residents were present at the fire scene. It¡¯s worth noting that in most situations, people tend to gather and be curious. Even a minor dispute or fight between two people can attract a crowd. In the case of a fire, especially one that potentially involved their rtives and friends, one would expect a significant turnout. Therefore, Liu Xing believed that it was abnormal for only a fraction of Panlong Town¡¯s residents to be present at the fire scene. As for Ling Ishikawa¡¯sst point, Liu Xing found it increasingly strange as he thought about it. In the entire fire scene earlier, apart from the owner of the ck Inte Cafe, he hadn¡¯t seen a single woman. Wait a minute. Liu Xing frowned and carefully recollected all his experiences today. It seemed that, aside from the ck Inte Cafe¡¯s owner, the only woman he had seen was Hu Li! Upon thinking about it, Liu Xing immediately spoke up, saying, "By the way, have you all noticed that besides the owner of the ck Inte Cafe and Hu Li, we haven¡¯t seen any other women today?" Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu both frowned, and after a moment of thought, they both shook their heads. As for Wan Chongshan and Li Dian, after Zhang Jingxu¡¯s trantion, they also shook their heads, indicating that they hadn¡¯t seen any other women. It was quite strange. Could it be that the gender ratio in Panlong Town is this imbnced, or perhaps the women in Panlong Town prefer not to go out? "How about this? Let me ask Hu Cang these questionster, alright?" Zhang Jingxu suggested. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa naturally agreed. After all, they couldn¡¯tmunicate with Hu Cang themselves, and among Zhang Jingxu¡¯s group of three, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa definitely had more trust in Zhang Jingxu. However, when Zhang Jingxu discussed with Li Dian and Wan Chongshan, Liu Xing could tell that Li Dian had some reservations. So, after a discussion between Zhang Jingxu and Li Dian, Zhang Jingxu decided to hand over the lead to Li Dian. "The progress on Li Dian¡¯s end is going very well. He has already formed a close rtionship with Hu Cang, especially after we told Hu Cang this afternoon that we knew the secret of the ck Flood Dragon. Hu Cang has be more open with us, so it¡¯s better for Li Dian to inquire about the information from him. I can provide real-time trantion for you, Ryuusei, if you have any questions, you can ask them at that time," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. It was a good thing that Li Dian could establish a smooth connection with Hu Cang. Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and said, "Zhang Jingxu, please tell Li Dian to ask Hu Cang about the specific details of the elementary student who drowned and the person responsible for setting fire to the ck Inte Cafe this afternoon." It was evident that Ling Ishikawa was nning for the recently triggered Side Quest. After all, they currently had no information about the elementary student who drowned or the person who set fire to the ck Inte Cafe. If they were to go back in time, they wouldn¡¯t know the NPCs they needed to interact with toplete the Side Quest, which would be awkward. After Zhang Jingxu tranted Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words to Li Dian, Hu Cang began serving the dishes. So, everyone tacitly got up and headed to the kitchen to serve themselves. After a while, everyone, along with Hu Cang, sat around a table and began having dinner. After taking a few bites of his food, Li Dian started talking to Hu Cang. Zhang Jingxu, on the other hand, began his real-time trantion work. "It seems Li Dian is quite good at conversing. Right from the beginning, he praised Hu Cang¡¯s medical skills and then started asking about the details of the recent ck Inte Cafe arson incident. Hu Cang shared everything he knew. Firstly, the elementary student who drowned was named Wang Haiyang. He lived in Wang Family Vige outside Panlong Town andmuted to Panlong Town Elementary School." "We¡¯ve also seen that in Panlong Town, the best entertainment for elementary students is the ck Inte Cafe. Games have a strong appeal to children, even if they can¡¯t y themselves, watching others y is also a great way to pass the time. So, Wang Haiyang often went to the ck Inte Cafe to watch others y because his family had limited pocket money, and he couldn¡¯t afford to y himself." "ording to Hu Cang¡¯s understanding, the owner of the ck Inte Cafe is a petty person who never treats elementary students who only watch games on her turf and don¡¯t spend any money kindly. So, ording to Hu Cang¡¯s spection, the owner of the ck Inte Cafe must have said or done something to Wang Haiyang due to his failure to spend money on ying games, which led to Wang Haiyang jumping into the river andmitting suicide." "As for the person who set fire to the ck Inte Cafe today, it has been confirmed to be Wang Haiyang¡¯s father, Wang Anquan, a simple farmer known for his honesty in Panlong Town. However, because Wang Haiyang was Wang Anquan¡¯s only child, his extreme actions to avenge his son are somewhat understandable. Wang Anquan knew he hadmitted a grave mistake and would likely not escape death, so before entering the ck Inte Cafe, he doused himself in gasoline. He was the first to die in the fire, and the confirmed death toll from the fire is thirteen people, including Wang Anquan and the owner of the ck Inte Cafe." Indeed, you shouldn¡¯t mess with honest people. Liu Xing sighed and said, "I see. It seems this was a tragedy that could have beenpletely avoided. If Wang Haiyang hadn¡¯t been addicted to the game, there wouldn¡¯t have been this fire. If the owner of the ck Inte Cafe hadn¡¯t been so petty, there wouldn¡¯t have been this fire. If Wang Anquan hadn¡¯t been so impulsive and chosen such an extreme way to seek revenge for his son, there wouldn¡¯t have been this fire." Liu Xing¡¯s statement was, in fact, a subtle reminder to Ling Ishikawa and others about the basic strategy for the uing Side Quest. ording to him, by following these three main points and adapting to the specific circumstances after the time reversal,pleting this Side Quest would be rtively straightforward, right? Upon learning about the cause and consequences of the ck Inte Cafe fire, Liu Xing felt that the difficulty of this Side Quest was rather low. It could bepleted with just a few words and a couple of judgments, preventing the urrence of the ck Inte Cafe fire. But would the Cthulhu RPG Game really offer such a simple mission? Certainly not. After all, this was an advanced module in the Shoggoth Region, and it was unlikely to feature such a straightforward mission, even if the rewards for this Side Quest were modest. So, Liu Xing believed it was either this Side Quest had hiddenplexities, or it was just a preliminary mission that would unlock a more challenging one afterward. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu interrupted Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts, "Alright, Li Dian is getting to the point now, asking Ling Ishikawa about the questions you mentioned. However, it seems that Hu Cang doesn¡¯t find these questions difficult to answer. ording to Hu Cang, the neighboring town opened an embroidery workshop a year ago, which has been doing well. They¡¯ve hired most of the women from Panlong Town to work there. As a result, there are currently only about three hundred permanent residents left in Panlong Town. Among them, aside from some elderly and disabled individuals, there are only around fifty or sixty young men." Liu Xing nodded in response. Hu Cang¡¯s exnation seemed quiteprehensive and addressed most of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s questions. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sense that Hu Cang was skirting around the most crucial point, the issue of the victims¡¯ families. Frowning, Liu Xing asked, "Zhang Jingxu, did Li Dian inquire about the victims¡¯ families with Hu Cang?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head lightly and said helplessly, "Li Dian did ask, but Hu Cang has been avoiding that question intentionally. Li Dian didn¡¯t want to press further in that direction to avoid upsetting Hu Cang. After all, we are just outsiders." Because of Hu Cang¡¯s deliberate redirection of the conversation, Li Dian and Hu Cang¡¯s subsequent discussion turned into meaningless small talk. This only strengthened Liu Xing¡¯s belief that Hu Cang was hiding something important. After dinner, Liu Xing¡¯s group headed straight to the third floor, where they settled in Li Dian and Wan Chongshan¡¯s room. Wan Chongshan activated the Private Room time. "Man, this module is really bizarre. They¡¯ve thrown in so many original mythical creatures; it¡¯s like they want to make things difficult for us," Wan Chongshanined. Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement, "You¡¯re absolutely right. I suspect there are at least ten different original mythical creatures in this module. The tricky part is that these Side Quests might ovep and interfere with each other. It¡¯s possible thatpleting one Side Quest could make it impossible to finish another." "That¡¯s a possibility. You¡¯ve all noticed, right? The rtionships between Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen, and Hu Li are far from simple. They all seem to be important NPCs in this module. So, each of us may only be able to choose one or two of their Side Quests. That¡¯s why I suggest that we split up for our next actions. I¡¯ll continue dealing with Hu Cang, Wan Chongshan can handle Xiao Mochen, and Zhang Jingxu, you and your group can try tomunicate with Hu Li," Li Dian said seriously. Liu Xing agreed with Li Dian¡¯s n, saying, "Alright, let¡¯s go with Li Dian¡¯s distribution. But on another note, Wan Chongshan, when you were ying cards with Xiao Mochen this afternoon, did you gather any useful information?" Wan Chongshan nodded but with a somewhat strange expression, "Well, I did get something, but I¡¯m not entirely sure. I just have a suspicion that Xiao Mochen might actually be a woman..." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 363: Temporal and Spatial Distortion Chapter 363: Temporal and Spatial Distortion Liu Xing nodded and said, "Just like how we already know the situation of the ck cat demon in the bamboo forest, but we haven¡¯t triggered the rted Side Quest yet. It¡¯s very likely that this is hinting that we are not at the correct time point, so we can¡¯t trigger the Side Quest." Everyone nodded in agreement. However, Ling Ishikawa still had some doubts and said, "If that¡¯s the case, then how do we exin to the past Hu Cang if we go back in time at his house? How do we exin to him that we, strangers who he doesn¡¯t know, appeared on the third floor of his house? We can¡¯t just tell him that we got the consent of the future Hu Cang, right?" Liu Xing frowned, as this was indeed a problem. After all, as an NPC, Hu Cang should be affected by time travel, or rather, it would affect all the NPCs and mythical creatures in Panlong Town. Then, the yer¡¯s group would have to face a "brand new" Panlong Town. The trouble was, if the yer¡¯s group was still in their current location after the time reversal, it would be very awkward to meet the past Hu Cang. After all, if you found several strangers suddenly appearing in your home, what would you think? And if these strangers kept talking about "time reversal" and "future you," what would you think? ording to the current plot, Hu Cang should be the most important NPC for the yers in Panlong Town. Because Hu Cang has a good personality, he is willing to help yers, knows a lot about what happened in Panlong Town, and all the other NPCs in Panlong Town who are worth mentioning have some rtionship with Hu Cang. For example, Xiao Mochen and Hu Li seem to have some emotional entanglement with Hu Cang, and the clinic dean Zhong Rensan is Hu Cang¡¯s only colleague in Panlong Town, and so on. So, if the yer¡¯s group loses the trust of the past Hu Cang, it will be troublesome to act in the past Panlong Town, and they may even have to sleep rough. After all, no one wants to provide amodation to a group of strangers with unknown origins, who are nervous and talking nonsense. However, no one is sure when this time reversal will happen."By the way, Liu Xing, the situation we encounteredst night was probably a time reversal," Zhang Jingxu suddenly brightened up and said. Liu Xing thought for a moment and nodded, "It¡¯s possible, after all, we came to Panlong Town in 2000 at that time. But one thing that makes me uncertain is that Panlong Town had already been destroyed at that time." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said seriously, "This is the Cthulhu RPG Game. Even if Panlong Town was really destroyed in 2000, there are various ways to restore it, such as the ck Flood Dragon or the powerful existence that can turn Panlong Town into an independent space." At this moment, KP Snow Wind suddenly said, "Okay, the Private Room time is over. Please enter the state and continue the role-ying." As soon as KP Snow Wind finished speaking, Zhang Jingxu looked at the heavy rain outside the window and said, "The weather in Panlong Town is a bit strange. It was sunny and cloudless during the day, but why did it start pouring rain at night? And this rain is really too heavy. We will have to stay in Panlong Town for a few more days." Liu Xing nodded. The heavy rain outside the window was even worse than yesterday. Liu Xing estimated that the water level of the Panlong River was almost reaching the shore. "This rain is a bit too much. Could it be that the ck Flood Dragon is causing it?" Ling Ishikawained. Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, "That¡¯s impossible. ording to Chinese mythology, the ck Flood Dragon is not qualified to cause rain. But this heavy rain is really troublesome. If the dam we saw in the morning is washed away, it will be a big problem." After all, Panlong Town can be considered as an ind in the middle of ake. Although Panlong Town upies more than 80% of the "Panlong Lake," if the heavy rain continues, the Panlong River will inevitably begin to flood the streets of Panlong Town. If Liu Xing is correct, thendscape of Panlong Town, as seen from the riverbank, suggests that Panlong Town is still a small basin bottom. If the rainfall is sufficient, Panlong Town could be flooded. This is not good news, as "WatanabeRyuusei" cannot swim. At present, it is still too early, so Liu Xing and the others do not have ns to go to bed in their respective rooms. Moreover, the time in the Private Room is too short, and they only discussed some important matters before leaving. Therefore, Liu Xing and the others continued to discuss the matter of Xiao Dafu and Zha Kang. Zha Kang seems to be a practitioner of talismans, but even though Zhang Jingxu has a fragrance pouch that can drive away insects, it is not certain that it will have an effect on Zha Kang¡¯s talismans, because even if it is called a talisman, it is still the king of insects. It is not easy to drive away the talisman and make it leave. "After Xiao Dafu left the money and left the tea house, Watanabe Ryuusei whispered some information about Xiao Dafu to Xiao Mochen. First, Xiao Dafu is Xiao Mochen¡¯s father, but when Xiao Mochen was five years old, Xiao Dafu took all the family¡¯s money and left Panlong Town, leaving only a note saying he was going to County Town to invest in starting a business and make a lot of money ande back. "However, Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother sent someone to County Town to find Xiao Dafu, but she found that Xiao Dafu had taken the money and gone to Rongcheng, and there was no news from then on. At that time, Xiao Mochen and his mother were very poor, and they barely survived with the help of their neighbors. "At that time, Hu Cang became Xiao Mochen¡¯s best friend, because as you all know, no matter where you are in the world, bear cubs are very naughty. Xiao Mochen was bullied and ridiculed by other children, but Hu Cang stood up for him. That¡¯s why Xiao Mochen is very grateful to Hu Cang to this day. "Then, day after day passed, Xiao Mochen finished middle school and decided to leave Panlong Town to go to Rongcheng to work, before leaving, Hu Cang gave Xiao Mochen a protective talisman, which Xiao Mochen still has now. "When Xiao Mochen arrived in Rongcheng, he could only find work as a waiter orwork manager because of his educational background, but because Xiao Mochen¡¯s personal conditions were very good, he quickly entered a nightclub and earned a lot of money. Xiao Mochen originally wanted to use the money to bring his mother to Rongcheng to enjoy life, but he never expected to encounter Xiao Dafu again. "Because Xiao Mochen was very popr in the nightclub, the manager stood up to speak for him, and in the end, Xiao Mochen returned all the money he had earned to that person, and promised that he and Xiao Dafu would never appear in Rongcheng again, and then Xiao Mochen brought his father back to Panlong Town and opened that tea house with the remaining money. "However, because Xiao Dafu had been out of contact for more than ten years and had be a drug addict, both Xiao Mochen and his mother could not forgive Xiao Dafu, so Xiao Mochen bought a house for Xiao Dafu to live in and let him live alone, but Xiao Dafu is also shameless, oftening to ask Xiao Mochen for money, and Xiao Mochen also cannot refuse, because Xiao Mochen is still his father. Zhang Jingxu said. After listening to Xiao Mochen¡¯s story, Liu Xing could only say that Xiao Dafu is a real scoundrel. Originally, Xiao Mochen¡¯s life was not bad, because Liu Xing has a friend in the nightclub who said that with Xiao Mochen¡¯s appearance, he could earn a few tens of thousands of dors a month, but Xiao Dafu ruined it. Therefore, Liu Xing estimates that Xiao Mochen must be very regretful now, and he should not have stood up to protect his father. However, this also shows that Xiao Dafu is indeed a money-loving person, and his moral bottom line is very low. Liu Xing feels that if you want to buy Xiao Dafu, as long as the money is enough, you can, and you don¡¯t even need to go through the relevant judgment. And in this crisis-ridden, foggy Panlong Town, Xiao Dafu can be said to be the best helper for NPC and yer Therefore, Zha Kang¡¯s matter was put aside for the time being. Just then, Liu Xing suddenly heard a strange sound, like the low growl of some kind of wild beast. Then, the pouring rain outside abruptly stopped, and moonlight shone into the room. As for Liu Xing and the others, they were all stunned for a moment. They hadn¡¯t expected time to reverse itself so suddenly, without any time to react. However, Liu Xing noticed that the furnishings in the room hadn¡¯t be as dpidated as they had yesterday. It seemed that Panlong Town hadn¡¯t been destroyed in this world point yet. "What¡¯s going on?" Ling Ishikawa asked, feigning surprise. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and replied, "This is what happened to Zhang Jingxu and me yesterday. We suddenly entered another dimension. But this time seems to be more serious than yesterday. We¡¯ve all been sent to another dimension, and it seems that the dimension we¡¯re in now is different from the one Zhang Jingxu and I were in yesterday." Ling Ishikawa nodded, about to say something when Liu Xing heard footsteps - someone wasing up the stairs! Liu Xing and the others looked at each other, and the personing up the stairs should be Hu Cang. They hadn¡¯t expected Hu Cang to arrive so quickly, leaving them no time to leave. Now, the footsteps were getting closer and closer. Liu Xing nced out the window. The three-story building was at most six or seven meters high. Jumping from here might be safe, or it might break their legs. It all depended on luck. However, Liu Xing thought about the Judgments he had undergone in this module, and the results weren¡¯t good. Moreover, he had received KP Snow Wind¡¯s blessing. Liu Xing felt that he shouldn¡¯t try these dangerous moves. After all, if he didn¡¯t act recklessly, he wouldn¡¯t die. Just as Liu Xing and the others were sitting uneasily, not knowing what to do, the footsteps stopped outside the door, and then the door was opened. Standing outside the door was Hu Cang, who was also shocked to see Liu Xing and the others and couldn¡¯t speak. Just as Liu Xing and the others were thinking about how to exin to Hu Cang, he spoke, shocking Zhang Jingxu and the others, and then began to talk to Hu Cang. Seeing this, Liu Xing guessed what was going on and waited for Zhang Jingxu to trante. After a while, Zhang Jingxu remembered his trantion work and quickly turned around and said, "The current situation is that Hu Cang doesn¡¯t know when, but Panlong Town suddenly experienced a dimensional distortion. The range of the dimensional distortion was between 1990 and 2000. Currently, Hu Cang has recorded 450 instances of dimensional distortion, and the interval between each instance is about three to five days. As for the precursor to the dimensional distortion, it¡¯s three consecutive days of heavy rain." Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be a dimensional distortion, not a time reversal. This made things even moreplicated. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 364: The Shadow of the Great Old One Chapter 364: The Shadow of the Great Old One If time were to rewind, our group would certainly be able to determine the uing time point to visit. After all, this is the Cthulhu RPG Game, and it wouldn¡¯t make sense for us to be sent to a time unrted to the Side Quest. So, as long as we identify the potential time points for the Side Quest, sorting them in order, we can be prepared in advance toplete the next Side Quest at the chosen time. However, the current time distortionplicates things because we don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll appear next in this distorted timeline. Liu Xing believes that KP Snow Wind will probably decide it by rolling dice. Still, considering KP Snow Wind¡¯s luck, Liu Xing can¡¯t help but feel a bit uneasy. He is concerned that the Side Quest at this world point might be the most dangerous and challenging in this module. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu continues, "However, what¡¯s strange is that the other residents of Panlong Town don¡¯t seem to be aware of the temporal distortion like Hu Cang. Only Hu Cang retains self-awareness within this temporal chaos, though it¡¯s only consciousness. Hu Cang¡¯s physical state changes with the passage of time, so judging by his current condition, we are not far from the previous time point. From Hu Cang¡¯s appearance now, the difference isn¡¯t significant." "So," Zhang Jingxu adds, "Right after the temporal distortion urred, Hu Cang thought we would die due to it since we are outsiders. Previous outsiders who entered Panlong Town would perish directly when temporal distortion happened. Therefore, Hu Cang came up here initially to collect our bodies. But he didn¡¯t expect us to be alive and well. Now, Hu Cang believes that we might be the chosen ones to stop Panlong Town from continuing to suffer temporal distortions because we¡¯ve be the biggest variable in Panlong Town." Liu Xing nods in agreement. As yers, his group is undoubtedly the biggest variable in this module. However, he doesn¡¯t think that they can free Panlong Town from the temporal distortion since the main quest of this module is simply to leave Panlong Town, not to restore it to normal. Of course, these things cannot be disclosed to Hu Cang. So, Liu Xing tells Zhang Jingxu, "Zhang Jingxu, on behalf of me and Ling Ishikawa, please inform Hu Cang that we will do our best to help him save Panlong Town. However, we hope that Hu Cang can be open and honest with us and provide us with useful information. After all, we are neers and still quite clueless." Zhang Jingxu nods and says, "Li Dian and Wan Chongshan are currently questioning Hu Cang, and he has assured us that he will tell us everything. Before this, Hu Cang withheld some information from us because he believed we were doomed, so revealing those details would have been pointless. But now, Hu Cang sees us as his lifeline because anyone spending a few years in temporal distortion is likely on the verge of mental breakdown." Liu Xing reflects on this. If he were thrown into a town suffering from temporal distortion and experienced it hundreds of times, he would probably lose his sanity. So, Liu Xing has some admiration for Hu Cang.After a while, it appears that Zhang Jingxu and the others have finished their conversation with Hu Cang. He nods to Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa before leaving the room and heading downstairs. Then, Zhang Jingxu informs Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa of the oue of their discussion. "First, I have some bad news. Although Panlong Town is experiencing temporal distortion, if we do something significant in the earlier time points, such as causing severe damage to a building, injuring or even killing a resident of Panlong Town, or forming a certain kind of rtionship with a resident, those changes will carry forward in subsequent time points, altering the situation in Panlong Town. Therefore, Hu Cang hopes that we will exercise caution and avoid making hasty changes to Panlong Town." Liu Xing raises an eyebrow. This is yet anotherplication. Completing the Side Quests is bound to change history, so if their grouppletes one Side Quest and then, in the next time point preceding thatpleted Side Quest, identally affects important NPCs rted to thatpleted Side Quest, will it be considered iplete or even a failure? If that¡¯s the case, Liu Xing believes that the difficulty of the Side Quests in this module will increase significantly, aspleting one Side Quest could potentially disrupt others that have already beenpleted. At this point, KP Snow Wind speaks up, "I believe that all the yers have a clear understanding of the current situation and a new perspective on the Side Quests. You¡¯re correct; the Side Quests in this module won¡¯t bepleted immediately. They are in a pending state. When the ¡¯truth¡¯ points of all the pending Side Quests add up to over 100, those Side Quests will bepleted, and the yers can thenplete the Main quest." "However," KP Snow Wind continues, "if yers, in the process ofpleting other Side Quests, inadvertently impact the pending Side Quests in a significant way, they may end up in a failed state, or, in some cases, remain iplete. In any case, I hope all the yers will n their actions carefully to avoid unexpected consequences." Indeed, it seems so. Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces, and on each other¡¯s faces, they could see the word "helpless." Zhang Jingxu shrugged and continued, "After delivering the bad news, let me give you some good news. Hu Cang has now roughly spected the reason behind Panlong Town¡¯s current state. It¡¯s highly likely that in December 1999, a fanatic arrived in Panlong Town, proiming a foreign deity and promising immortality and eternal life to those who believed in this foreign god." Liu Xing furrowed his brows and said, "This so-called foreign god must be some Great Old One, right? And it¡¯s likely that this Great Old One transformed Panlong Town into an independent space, which is why it looks like this now." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said earnestly, "Exactly. ording to Hu Cang¡¯s description, I can be certain that the so-called foreign god is indeed a Great Old One. The fanatic of this Great Old One publicly beheaded themselves in broad daylight in Panlong Town and then casually reattached their own head. So, I believe this fanatic received a blessing from that Great Old One, which granted them immortality. After all, even creatures like Ghouls or Deep Ones would die if their heads were severed." Liu Xing pondered for a moment, and Zhang Jingxu¡¯s analysis seemed urate. Mythical creatures were still living beings, and they could die from fatal attacks. Only those blessed by a Great Old One, like the "undying after decapitation," could achieve such feats. However, it was unlikely that a single follower could transform Panlong Town into an independent space, so Liu Xing was certain that the Great Old One had directly intervened. But here was the problem: apart from a few Great Old Ones, most of them were sealed in various locations. Some might have retained their consciousness, but they couldn¡¯t easily leave their sealed locations. Moreover, the sealed Great Old Ones didn¡¯t possess the immense power one might imagine, so crossing provinces, let alone countries, to cast spells was nearly impossible. In Liu Xing¡¯s memory, there were very few Great Old Ones associated with China in the Cthulhu Mythos. Liu Xing could only recall his "boss," King Hastur in Yellow Robes. However, rumors suggested that King Hastur in Yellow Robes was the Yellow Emperor, and he was currently sealed on an alien world. As for the elephant god Shaugniggurath Fagner, who was abandoned in the Tibetan region, he too couldn¡¯t leave his sealed location. Besides them, only Nyathotep¡¯s avatar, the Swollen Woman, had been active in China, but she primarily appeared in the Magic Capital. So, who could this Great Old One causing trouble in Panlong Town be? Liu Xing was at a loss for answers. "After that performance, the fanatic of that Great Old One found a weing environment in Panlong Town. The town¡¯s residents worshipped them as a divine messenger because they believed that by following the Great Old One, they could achieve immortality and eternal youth, just like that fanatic," Zhang Jingxu continued. Hearing this, Ling Ishikawa anxiously asked, "Since the fanatic was spreading their beliefs in Panlong Town, did they mention the name of that Great Old One?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head helplessly and replied, "Yes, the fanatic did mention the name of the Great Old One. However, because Hu Cang was studying medicine elsewhere at the time, he only knew about this incident. Furthermore, Hu Cang thought the fanatic was just a con artist using some clever tricks. So, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it until he returned to Panlong Town and realized the severity of the situation." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Could Hu Cang be a character card of some yer? After all, ording to Hu Cang¡¯s ount, anyone who entered Panlong Town from outside would die in a time-space distortion, and only their group, as yers, could pass through safely. When Hu Cang entered Panlong Town, it should have already be an independent space, so he wouldn¡¯t have died in the time-space distortion. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that "Hu Cang" had never passed through a module, making himself an NPC. So, Liu Xing believed that Hu Cang should have some items, and he needed to find a way to "borrow" them. Liu Xing¡¯s expression gradually turned mischievous. Liu Xing suddenly had a thought and spoke up, "Speaking of which, isn¡¯t Panlong Town, currently in a state of temporal chaos, supposed to shift between the years 1990 and 2000? So, shouldn¡¯t Hu Cang have encountered that fanatic during that time?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head, expressing some doubt. He said, "No, ording to Hu Cang, in these four hundred and fifty instances of temporal chaos, he has never encountered that fanatic even once. Only once did Hu Cang arrive in Panlong Town after the departure of that fanatic. At that time, Panlong Town was just as we saw itst night, inplete disarray with bloodstains all over the ground. However, Hu Cang did not find any bodies. He searched Panlong Town for three days and nights and still found nothing. Then, he was transported to other time points." At this moment, KP Snow Wind stepped forward again with a smile and said, "Congrattions to all yers for triggering the Side Quest in this module that most resembles a Main quest, ¡¯Great Old One.¡¯ This Side Quest is quite unique. The more clues you find rted to the Great Old One, the greater your rewards will be. And the ultimate prize is an invaluable item." KP Snow Wind¡¯s words confirmed it all, and it turned out that the term "Old One" in the module¡¯s name indeed referred to the Great Old One. And now, the shadow of the Great Old One loomed over Panlong Town. "By the way, it¡¯s worth mentioning that Hu Cang is actually an orphan. Shortly after his birth, both his parents passed away due to illness. As for our identities in Panlong Town, we are considered Hu Cang¡¯s out-of-town friends. Well, let¡¯s each go back to our rooms and rest now. There¡¯s nothing more to discuss for the time being, and tomorrow we need to confirm the current time period we¡¯re in," Zhang Jingxu said as he stood up. Liu Xing nodded and took Ling Ishikawa back to their room. After chatting with Ling Ishikawa for a while, Liu Xing prepared to go to sleep. Fortunately, there was no Inspiration Judgment tonight. He slept until dawn. Liu Xing got up, took a sip of water, and heard firecrackers in the distance. By this time, Zhang Jingxu was also up, standing by the window in the main hall, looking at something. Liu Xing walked over and asked with a smile, "Good morning, Zhang Jingxu. What are you looking at?" Zhang Jingxu turned back and smiled, pointing in the direction of the Xiao Mochen Tea House, "If everything goes as nned, today should be the big day for Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and quickly moved to the window. Sure enough, at the entrance of the tea house, Liu Xing immediately spotted Xiao Mochen in a white suit, happily conversing with others. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 365: The Five Deaths of Hu Cang Chapter 365: The Five Deaths of Hu Cang Liu Xing stroked his chin and said with a smile, "This is quite interesting. I never thought we would be able to catch Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding." Zhang Jingxu nodded and replied, "And it also tells us the current time we¡¯re in. But, Ryuusei, did you notice that among these people who are here for the event, there is not a single woman." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and carefully observed the crowd gathered outside the teahouse. Just as Zhang Jingxu had pointed out, there wasn¡¯t a single woman among them. This was indeed peculiar. "This shouldn¡¯t be the case. After all, Xiao Mochen is a local of Panlong Town, and all his aunts and female rtives should be here in Panlong Town. How is it possible that none of them havee? It¡¯s not like at this time, that embroidery factory would have recruited all the women from Panlong Town to work and not give them a day off, right?" Liu Xing expressed his confusion. Zhang Jingxu shook his head and shrugged, saying, "Regarding this matter, we can only ask Hu Cang. I believe Hu Cang should reveal the truth to us now." At this point, Zhang Jingxu had also gotten up and walked out, asking, "Ryuusei, Zhang Jingxu, what are you looking at?" Liu Xing smiled and told Zhang Jingxu about what he had observed. Upon hearing that Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding was taking ce, Ling Ishikawa quickly joined them and said, "Let me take a look. It seems we¡¯ve arrived at the perfect time. Maybe we can crash the wedding and enjoy some wedding banquet."At that moment, Li Dian and Wan Chongshan also emerged from their rooms. After exchanging greetings with Liu Xing and the others, they started chatting with Zhang Jingxu. Even without Zhang Jingxu tranting, Liu Xing could tell that they were discussing Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding. After a while, Zhang Jingxu turned around and tranted, "Li Dian and Wan Chongshan¡¯s idea is to try to persuade Hu Cang to take us to Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding. Since we spected before that Hu Li might be a fox spirit, she might have some information about temporal distortion, as fox spirits are considered mythical creatures." Liu Xing nodded and said, "I was thinking the same thing, but I have a feeling that Hu Cang may not be willing to take us to the wedding. In fact, he might not even n to go himself. After all, the rtionship between Hu Cang and the other three is quiteplicated." Zhang Jingxu sighed and said, "That¡¯s true, but we have to give it a try. After all, if we miss this opportunity, we might not get another one." As the saying goes, "Opportunity knocks but once." Hu Cang walked up calmly, said something, and seemed ready to turn and leave. However, Wan Chongshan and Li Dian had no intention of letting Hu Cang go so easily and hurriedly called him to stop. Liu Xing noticed that after a few words from Li Dian, Hu Cang seemed reluctant. Sure enough, Hu Cang was not willing to attend Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding. However, it was unclear how Li Dian and the others persuaded Hu Cang. Although he still appeared unwilling, he eventually nodded. After Hu Cang went downstairs, Zhang Jingxu smiled and said, "It seems that this Hu Cang is quite stubborn. At first, he insisted that he didn¡¯t want to attend Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding and even made excuses to stay at the clinic to ensure prompt treatment for patients. However, in the end, Li Dian managed to convince him. After all, Hu Cang did mention that Xiao Mochen was his childhood friend. How could he not attend his best friend¡¯s wedding? As for the clinic, Li Dian offered to take care of it." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "I see. It seems that Hu Cang still cares about his rtionship with Xiao Mochen. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to your request. By the way, have you tried asking Hu Cang why he and Xiao Mochen had a falling out? I think it might have something to do with Hu Li." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said with a smile, "We didn¡¯t dare to ask about that. After all, we¡¯re not that close to Hu Cang, and those are quite personal questions. However, Li Dian did try to indirectly inquire about it, and it seems that it¡¯s indeed rted to Hu Li. Whenever Hu Cang mentions Hu Li, Li Dian notices a strong emotional response from him." "By the way, just to rify, we are currently two months back in time from our previous location. I know you might be confused, Ryuusei, because Hu Cang previously mentioned that Xiao Mochen returned to Panlong Town and married Hu Li two years ago. However, at that time, Xiao Mochen was almost broke after opening the teahouse, so they didn¡¯t have a wedding ceremony back then. Now, Xiao Mochen and Hu Li are having a bted wedding." Liu Xing nodded. Initially, when he saw Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding, he thought they had returned to the same point in time two years ago. But it turned out to be a dyed wedding. However, this timing was ideal for addressing the ck Inte Cafe arson case. Thinking about it, Liu Xing spoke with a feigned seriousness, "I see. So, we¡¯ve gone back two months in time. In that case, should we try to prevent the ck Inte Cafe arson case from happening? After all, it was an avoidable incident, and those elementary students didn¡¯t have to die." Liu Xing¡¯s acting may have been a bit exaggerated, but Zhang Jingxu yed along and said, "You¡¯re right, Ryuusei. We should indeed try to prevent the ck Inte Cafe arson case. However, we need to n carefully. Right now, all we know is that the elementary student¡¯s name is Wang Haiyang, and we have no connection with him at this point. So, we can¡¯t just approach Wang Haiyang and tell him he¡¯s about to die." Liu Xing nodded. Some things might sound simple in theory, but they were challenging to execute. Like this situation where they wanted to prevent the ck Inte Cafe arson case, it might seem as simple as keeping Wang Haiyang away from the cafe or giving him money to have fun there. However, their group could only stay at a specific time point for a maximum of five days. So, how could they ensure that Wang Haiyang would stay away from the cafe or have enough money to entertain himself there? Therefore, they needed to n carefully. Afterward, Liu Xing and his group went downstairs for breakfast. At the dining table, Li Dian continued to chat with Hu Cang about various topics. As for Zhang Jingxu, he diligently performed his trantion duties. "At this moment, Li Dian is asking Hu Cang if anything significant has happened at this current time point in Panlong Town. Hu Cang replied that apart from Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding, there hasn¡¯t been anything noteworthy in the town over the next three to five days. However, tomorrow is the first day of school for Panlong Town Elementary, so Wang Haiyang should be starting school then." "Besides this, Li Dian also inquired about why, apart from Hu Li and the owner of that ck Inte Cafe, there were no other women seen in Panlong Town. Though this time, Hu Cang finally spoke the truth, it wasn¡¯t of much use, as Hu Cang himself didn¡¯t know the answer to this question. He had discovered this issue upon returning to Panlong Town, but up until now, he hadn¡¯t found an answer. Nevertheless, it should be rted to that Great Old One." "Then Li Dian began to inquire about Hu Li¡¯s background. But I believe, Ryuusei and all of you can already tell from Hu Cang¡¯s expression that he started beating around the bush again. Clearly, Hu Cang must have some inexplicable connection with Hu Li and probably also with Xiao Mochen. Xiao Mochen might be in the dark about it too, because Hu Cang just mentioned that Xiao Mochen sent him an invitation to today¡¯s wedding ceremony. So, Ryuusei and all of you can understand." "Understood." Liu Xing nodded and began pondering a question: Who betrayed whom? Given the current circumstances, it could be possible that Hu Li betrayed Hu Cang, Hu Cang betrayed Xiao Mochen, Xiao Mochen betrayed Hu Cang, or perhaps even Hu Cang betrayed Hu Li. Amidstmenting howplicated things had be, Liu Xing also started to doubt the author of this module. Most likely, the author of this module was also the author of Fisher¡¯s Vige module because the rtionships between the NPCs in both modules were intricately tangled, making it as confusing as navigating through a field of tall grass on horseback... Thinking this, Liu Xing was grateful that they were in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game and not in some melodramatic TV series, where, with such a convoluted plot, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Hu Cang and Hu Li turned out to be siblings. Just as Liu Xing was lost in his thoughts again, Zhang Jingxu continued, "Hu Cang now reminds us that there are a few ces in Panlong Town that are best avoided, as he had ¡¯died¡¯ in those ces before." "Died?!" Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa eximed in unison. Zhang Jingxu nodded and exined, "To rify, when Hu Cang mentions ¡¯dying,¡¯ it might not be literal death. It could simply mean losing consciousness. Then, when the next temporal distortion urs, Hu Cang wakes up and finds himself in bed. However, the feeling of ¡¯dying¡¯ that Hu Cang experiences is very real to him. So, it¡¯s possible that Hu Cang genuinely died but was brought back to life due to the temporal distortion. Of course, we probably won¡¯t enjoy the luxury of such deaths and resurrections since we¡¯re not natives of Panlong Town." "Alright, to get back on track, Hu Cang ¡¯died¡¯ a total of five times. The first time, he decided to leave Panlong Town due to the relentless temporal distortions. Except for the time when we were there and the ck Flood Dragon damaged the bridge, cutting off the town from the outside world, Panlong Town seemed connected to the outside world at other times. So, Hu Cang wanted to escape the damned temporal distortions. But, as you can guess, as soon as he crossed the bridge to the other side of Panlong River, he suddenly found himself falling into a deep pit and ended up as minced meat." "The second time, during Panlong Town Junior High, Hu Cang had been rtively well-behaved for some time after his first ¡¯death.¡¯ However, he got bored and, seeking excitement, entered Panlong Town Junior High one day. In a ssroom, he found a pen and took it with him. You can probably guess what happened next. That night, while Hu Cang was in the restroom, he saw a female ghost wearing Panlong Town Junior High¡¯s uniform rushing towards him. After a series of futile struggles, Hu Cang was ¡¯killed¡¯ by the ghost." "The third time, Hu Cang was feeling bored again, tired of endlessly tending to incurable patients at the clinic. So, he went to the ck Inte Cafe to y games. As you can imagine, Wang Haiyang¡¯s father, Wang Anquan, stormed into the ck Inte Cafe with a bucket of gasoline and set it on fire without hesitation. Hu Cang was burned to ¡¯death,¡¯ and to this day, he vividly remembers that death." "As for the fourth time, a somewhat traumatised Hu Cang decided to take a walk by Panlong River to clear his mind. However, before he couldplete one circle, he suddenly felt his limbs go weak, his consciousness blurred, and then he fell into aa. When Hu Cang woke up, he found himself blindfolded and suspended in mid-air somewhere. He heard the sound of flowing water and people talking, but his mind was already hazy, so he didn¡¯t know what they were saying. And that¡¯s how Hu Cang ¡¯died¡¯ inexplicably." "As for Hu Cang¡¯s final death, it happened because he wanted to study the rtionship between heavy rain and temporal distortion. So, during a heavy rainstorm, he walked with an umbre, waiting for the temporal distortion to start. But as he walked, he felt that something was amiss. After all, Panlong Town wasn¡¯t that big, and Hu Cang had lived there for decades; he could navigate it blindfolded. Yet this time, he got lost. Then, he saw a pig-headed creature with a human body, wielding a butcher knife, approaching him. Hu Cang was killed." Hearing this, Liu Xing understood that these five deaths of Hu Cang were hints for the yers. Firstly, Hu Cang¡¯s first death was a warning not to leave Panlong Town before collecting 100 ¡¯truth¡¯ points. The second death indicated that the pen from Panlong Town Junior High might be a crucial item, or there could be other items to collect there. The third death likely advised yers not to reason with Wang Anquan, who had suffered the loss of his son. The fourth death served as a reminder not to wander alone in Panlong Town, as you might be mistaken for a sacrifice by some fanatic. Lastly, Hu Cang¡¯s final death reminded yers not to roam aimlessly during rainy days. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 366: Pig Head Butcher Chapter 366: Pig Head Butcher What¡¯s most crucial is that Liu Xing now finally understands why the driver and the female tour guide turned into such horrifying creatures. It turns out it¡¯s because they encountered a pig head butcher in the pouring rain. And most likely, this pig head butcher is somehow connected to the ughterhouse in Panlong Town. Thinking about this, Liu Xing immediately inquired, "If that¡¯s the case, has Hu Cang mentioned anything about the possible origin of this pig head butcher? After all, I canprehend the first four ways Hu Cang died, but when ites to this pig head butcher, I only know that the driver and the female tour guide encountered it the night beforest." Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, saying, "I knew you would ask this, Ryuusei. Hu Cang did provide some information just now about this pig head butcher, or rather, the legend surrounding this pig head butcher. Because if the legend of this pig head butcher is true, then it would mean that this pig head butcher was a notorious serial killer who lived over a century ago, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people." "During thete Qing Dynasty over a century ago, even though Shudu was rtively peaceful, themon people still led a harsh and impoverished life. It was a struggle just to have enough to eat, let alone meat. So, for many children of that time, their biggest dream was to be a pig butcher, allowing them to have free meat every day." "And the young pig head butcher of that time was no exception. Back then, he was known as Zhang San, a local from Rongcheng. However, his family was destitute, and he found himself on the streets at the age of ten, orphaned for certain reasons. He eventually ended up with a roaming acrobatics troupe, where he took care of odd jobs and learned acrobatics." "Members of those roaming acrobatics troupes, aside from their acrobatic skills, often possessed some martial arts skills. After all, it was a turbulent era, and these troupes traveled through mountains and forests, encountering bandits, wild tigers, and wolves. So, in addition to acrobatics, Zhang San also learned various martial arts from the troupe¡¯s members." "Ten years passed, and the talented Zhang San had be the backbone of his roaming acrobatics troupe. He excelled in both acrobatics and martial arts, unmatched by anyone. This led Zhang San to be somewhat arrogant; he felt that even if he couldn¡¯t be the leader of the roaming acrobatics troupe, he deserved special treatment. Thus, he gathered a few self-proimed talented friends and confronted the troupe¡¯s leader with their demands." "However, naturally, the leader of the roaming acrobatics troupe could not agree to Zhang San¡¯s demands. The troupe¡¯s ie was already meager, just enough to sustain the livelihood of its members. Fulfilling Zhang San¡¯s requests would require cutting expenses for other members and evenying off some. The troupe¡¯s leader was unwilling to do that, as he felt responsible for these members he had taken under his wing during these chaotic times.""Words that don¡¯t findmon ground are often excessive. When Zhang San¡¯s demands were not met by the leader of the roaming acrobatics troupe, he left the troupe with great dissatisfaction. He, along with a few like-minded friends, took refuge on a hill near Panlong Town and turned to a life of banditry. Leveraging his already impressive martial skills and a fearless attitude, Zhang San quickly expanded his gang to include two to three dozen members, gaining quite a notorious reputation in the vicinity of Panlong Town." "As the self-proimed ruler of the mountain, Zhang San¡¯s ego began to swell, and he wasn¡¯t content with just robbing passing travelers and merchants. Instead, he started terrorizing nearby viges and towns, looting whatever he fancied. It was during this time that Zhang San remembered his childhood dream of bing a butcher who could enjoy meat every day. Consequently, he ordered his subordinates to bring any avable pigs to their hideout, as he aspired to change his career to that of a real butcher." "From that day on, Zhang San would asionally personally ughter a pig. This made the local popce resentful, for the pigs they had painstakingly raised for several years were forcibly taken away by Zhang San. Consequently, the vigers joined forces and filed a collectiveint with the authorities in Rongcheng, hoping that the local officials would take action against Zhang San." "As luck would have it, Zhang San had recently robbed a wealthy merchant who had good connections with the local officials in Rongcheng. So, the local officials saw this as an opportunity to deal with Zhang San and dispatched a group of soldiers to annihte his gang. However, when the soldiers reached Zhang San¡¯s hideout, they discovered that Zhang San had already met his end, and surprisingly, he had been killed by a pig." "On the previous night, after consuming some alcohol and inspired by the recent acquisition of a plump pig by his subordinates, Zhang San had decided to ughter the pig while it was still light outside. Armed with a butcher¡¯s knife, he had his intoxicated men hold down the struggling pig. However, the pig, fighting for its life, managed to break free from the inebriated grasp of Zhang San¡¯s henchmen. It let out a loud squeal, and in the frenzy, the butcher¡¯s knife lodged in its neck, aiming to bleed it out." "Realizing that his life was in danger, the pig fought back vigorously. The intoxicated men failed to restrain the pig, and in a sudden surge of energy, the knife was ejected from the pig¡¯s neck, slicing through Zhang San¡¯s own throat. The cut was deep, severing both the carotid artery and the windpipe, causing Zhang San to bleed profusely and meet his untimely demise." "As for Zhang San¡¯s subordinates, upon witnessing their leader¡¯s inexplicable death at the hands of a pig, their initial reaction wasn¡¯t to attend to Zhang San¡¯s body. Instead, they began to vie for control of the hideout. Eventually, the new leader of the gang, in a bid to assert his authority, ordered Zhang San¡¯s body to be discarded in the nearby Yamashita mountain. So, when the officials from Rongcheng finally found Zhang San¡¯s remains, they discovered that his body had already been dismembered, possibly due to falling from a height, and his head had been shattered." "Although they needed to bring Zhang San¡¯s body back for reporting, his head was in such a grotesque state that the leader of the Rongcheng officials came up with a devious idea. Since Zhang San had such an affinity with pigs, they decided to ce a pig¡¯s head on him. Zhang San¡¯s head was inserted into a pig¡¯s head, and the two were stitched together before being sent back to Rongcheng. Ultimately, they were carelessly discarded in a mass grave near Rongcheng." "However, just a few dayster, Rongcheng experienced a thunderstorm thatsted for three days and nights, triggering andslide. Zhang San¡¯s body was swept away by the mudslide, and from that point on, he was lost to history. Yet, in the vicinity of Rongcheng, a legend began to circte about a pig head butcher who roamed the streets, wielding a pig-ughtering knife on rainy nights. This pig head butcher was believed to be none other than the deceased Zhang San." After listening to Zhang Jingxu¡¯s story, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected the story of the pig head butcher to be so dramatic. A notorious bandit, known for both human and pig ughters, ultimately met his end at the hooves of a pig and was even stitched with a pig¡¯s head. However, this revtion made Liu Xing quite certain that Zhang San must have harbored immense resentment in death. He had been exposed in a mass grave during a thunderstorm, struck by lightning, and then resurrected, thus bing the pig head butcher. So, Liu Xing believed that the essence of the pig head butcher was that of a zombie. Yet, the thought of zombies made Liu Xing somewhat uneasy. ording to Chinese folklore, mythical creatures like zombies could vary greatly in strength. At the highest level, there was the legendary Zombie King, but it was worth noting that such a creature wasn¡¯t mentioned in ancient legends. It was likely a modern invention, but due to its well-developed concept and poprization in movies and TV shows, it had be the representative of zombies. In some China-themed Cthulhu RPG modules, the Zombie King had even evolved into a Great Old One. Based on the rted lore, the Zombie King was the progenitor of the vampire zombie, transformed from the body of the ancient divine beast, Chong. Chong was a formidable entity on par with Nuwa and Fuxi, which spoke to the Zombie King¡¯s incredible power. Since the Zombie Kingcked a soul, it existed outside the realms of the five elements, transcending the three realms. Common methods were utterly ineffective against it. Therefore, the descendants of the Zombie King inherited some of its traits. In Cthulhu RPG Game, they were immune to psychic attacks and didn¡¯t experience fear or panic. Some attacks would inflict minimal or even zero damage to them, and they could transform their attackers into new zombies for a certain period after a sessful attack. On the other hand, at the lowest end of the zombie spectrum were creatures like the Qing Dynasty zombies in someical horror films. They could only move clumsily in the dark and could be harmed with glutinous rice or ck dog blood. However, judging from the legend of the pig head butcher, he couldn¡¯t be a descendant of the Zombie King, nor could he be an ordinary zombie. So, Liu Xing found it challenging to decipher the pig head butcher¡¯s abilities. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa chimed in, "In that case, this pig head butcher is indeed a zombie from legends. But I doubt he¡¯s the vampire-type Zombie King, considering his head has been swapped." Hearing Ling Ishikawa mention the "Zombie King," Liu Xing recalled memories from the parallel world of "Watanabe Ryuusei." To his astonishment, in this parallel world, the title "Zombie King" had actually originated from ancient legends, rather than being a modern invention. This implied that in this parallel world, the Zombie King did indeed exist. Liu Xing suddenly had a premonition that he would likely encounter the Zombie King in the future. "Based on the current situation," Zhang Jingxu began, "the pig head butcher was probably just an ordinary zombie transformed by the influence of lightning. However, due to his immense resentment before death and his naturally robust physique, he should be ssified as an elite-level zombie. Moreover, judging by his use of a pig-ughtering knife as a weapon, it¡¯s likely that he has regained some level of consciousness, far beyond those zombies that act solely on instinct." At that moment, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "Since all the yers have a good understanding of the pig head butcher now, a new Side Quest has been triggered: ¡¯Exterminate Evil.¡¯ The mission objective is to kill the pig head butcher, Zhang San, once again. This Side Quest offers a total of 100 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points and a reward of 1000 points, distributed based on each yer¡¯s performance. If any yer contributes little or nothing, they won¡¯t receive any rewards at all." This was a typical mission where effort was rewarded, designed to prevent yers from cking off. However, to be honest, Liu Xing wasn¡¯t very eager toplete this Side Quest. ording to its description, it would require him to confront a mythical creature of at least elite-level status. For Liu Xing, who was currently unarmed and had abat strength of only five, the danger level of this Side Quest was simply too high. So, Liu Xing decided to speak up, "Considering the circumstances, we should probably avoid any unnecessary contact with the pig head butcher. As long as we don¡¯t venture out in heavy rain, we won¡¯t encounter him." As Liu Xing finished speaking, Ling Ishikawa stepped forward to voice his thoughts, "Actually, I think it¡¯s necessary for us to deal with that pig head butcher. Just as Ryuusei mentioned, this pig head butcher only acts during heavy rain. So, I suspect it might be summoned by the Great Old One to guard something during the rain. While killing the pig head butcher might notpletely resolve the issue of temporal distortion, it could certainly help. Besides, Mr. Zhang Jingxu specializes in dealing with zombies as a Taoist." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow and said with some resignation, "No, no, Ling Ishikawa, you might have seen too many zombie movies. Not all Taoists can deal with zombies. The Taoist profession has many branches, some specialize in dealing with undead creatures like zombies, others focus on supernatural beings like Hu Li, and there are those like me who deal with various ghosts and spirits. So, expertise varies. If you want me to deal with a high-level zombie like the pig head butcher, I¡¯d have to decline." "However, I do agree with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s point. It¡¯s highly likely that this pig head butcher is here on behalf of the Great Old One. Since it only operates in heavy rain, there¡¯s something it needs to guard against our discovery. So, we should definitely meet this pig head butcher, but we can¡¯t do it during heavy rain. That would be suicide." Liu Xing nodded. Since both Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu wanted toplete this Side Quest, he had no choice but to join them. After all, he didn¡¯t want to go solo. Therefore, Liu Xing suggested, "In that case, we should find an opportunity to visit the ughterhouse during the daytime. The ughterhouse is the most likely ce to find the pig head butcher, and ording to zombie lore, elite zombies like it have reducedbat effectiveness during the day." Zhang Jingxu agreed, smiling, "Exactly, great minds think alike. I was thinking the same thing. Plus, elite zombies are often in a dormant state during the daytime. We can take the initiative. Now that Ryuusei and the others have agreed to deal with the pig head butcher, I¡¯ll go discuss our n with Li Dian and the rest." Afterward, Zhang Jingxu had a conversation with Li Dian and the others. A whileter, Zhang Jingxu turned back happily and said, "It¡¯s settled. Li Dian and Wan Chongshan are both willing to take on the pig head butcher. If we don¡¯t take action, we won¡¯t escape from this temporal distortion in Panlong Town. Hu Cang also provided us with a lead about the pig head butcher. We can inquire further by talking to Zhong Rensan, the director of Panlong Town Clinic, because Zhong Rensan¡¯s grandfather once witnessed the pig head butcher." Just then, Xiao Mochen walked into the clinic, looking puzzled as he nced at Liu Xing and the others. He then nervously spoke to Hu Cang. Clearly, at this point in time, Xiao Mochen didn¡¯t know Liu Xing and the others, and Liu Xing had observed that this version of Xiao Mochen still had an Adam¡¯s apple. So, this Xiao Mochen hadn¡¯t been transformed into a woman by Hu Li yet. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but look at Xiao Mochen with apassionate gaze. This poor kid had no idea he was about to be forcefully changed... "Xiao Mochen is here to invite Hu Cang to attend his and Hu Li¡¯s wedding. Hu Cang has agreed this time, and Xiao Mochen has also invited us to join. Zhong Rensan will be there, and we can talk to him in detail," Zhang Jingxu exined. Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "That¡¯s great! But speaking of that, do we have any gifts for the newlyweds? It would be impolite to attend Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding without bringing a gift." Zhang Jingxu¡¯s smile gradually faded. As Liu Xing had pointed out, they had initiallye to find the Ancient One, so they had only brought some clothing with them. While Li Dian and Wan Chongshan were tourists, Liu Xing believed that as yers, they wouldn¡¯t have anything suitable as a gift. Items were likely too valuable for them to give away. After a few more words exchanged between Xiao Mochen and Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen left. After all, he was the groom, and he had many responsibilities to fulfill on this special day. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 367: Wedding in Progress (1) Chapter 367: Wedding in Progress (1) "Let¡¯s just give Xiao Mochen a red envelope," Zhang Jingxu suggested after some thought. "After all, money is the most convenient gift, and it carries our best wishes." However, Liu Xing raised a concern, "Uh, not to be nitpicky, but isn¡¯t your Chinese yuan a bit outdated at the moment? Xiao Mochen might mistake it for counterfeit money." In Liu Xing¡¯s memory, the red version of Chinese yuan was introduced after 2000, and it was still 1999 at this point, with the old version still in cirction. After this reminder from Liu Xing, Zhang Jingxu recalled, "You¡¯re right, it seems that way. But it¡¯s not a big problem. I¡¯ll just tell him these are the new versions of Chinese yuan. Besides, in a few days, we¡¯ll be in a new time period again." Liu Xing shrugged and said with a smile, "It¡¯s up to you, Mr. Zhang Jingxu. As foreign friends, Ling Ishikawa and I are here to eat and drink. You¡¯re in charge of everything." Zhang Jingxu nodded reluctantly, saying, "Fine, I¡¯ll take care of it. It¡¯s not a big deal. But when you and Ryuusei return to your country, remember to send the money to me." "Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯re so stingy," Ling Ishikawa sneered at Zhang Jingxu. Zhang Jingxu rolled his eyes and responded, "I call it frugality, not stinginess." After a couple more banter exchanges between Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu, breakfast concluded.Today was Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding day, and the entire Panlong Town was captivated by the festivities. Liu Xing and hispanions decided to join the crowd and immerse themselves in the celebration. Of course, their main objective was to observe Hu Li up close. Although Liu Xing and the others were almost certain that Hu Li was a fox spirit, they hadn¡¯t found any substantial evidence or triggered any rted side quests. However, they believed that Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding day might be the most likely opportunity to uncover any side quests rted to them in this module. Although Hu Cang had promised to attend the wedding, he couldn¡¯t let go of his concerns entirely and had stayed behind to look after the clinic. As it was still early, Xiao Mochen and some of his friends were resting in a tea house, greeting rtives and friends who came to congratte them. Representing the yer, Zhang Jingxu handed a thousand yuan to Xiao Mochen. Liu Xing noticed that Xiao Mochen looked surprised when he saw the money in Zhang Jingxu¡¯s hand. They engaged in a lengthy conversation, during which Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling. It seemed that Zhang Jingxu had conducted a quick conversation judgment with Xiao Mochen. Judging by Xiao Mochen¡¯s sudden realization, it appeared that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s judgment had been sessful. After conversing with Xiao Mochen for a while longer, Zhang Jingxu turned and, wearing a helpless expression, said, "Well, just as you said, Liu Xing, Xiao Mochen initially thought these new yuan bills were fake. Fortunately, I have a way with words, and I finally convinced him that these new bills are genuine. They just haven¡¯t been widely circted in the market yet. But the good news is that, thanks to the generous gift we¡¯ve given, Xiao Mochen has arranged a prime seating location near the main table for us at the wedding. Of course, Hu Cang might have something to do with it too." Liu Xing nodded. In 1999, in small-town weddings like this, the gift money usually ranged from around fifty to a hundred yuan, and even a hundred was considered generous. Moreover, it was calcted per family, so someone like Zhang Jingxu, who gave two hundred yuan per person, would surely stand out. But this was exactly what Liu Xing and his group wanted. They had already realized that their main mission at this time was to trigger the side quests rted to Xiao Mochen and Hu Li. Spending a little more money didn¡¯t matter. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, money was essentially just an extraneous asset and had little impact on clearing modules. Of course, this didn¡¯t apply to the high-level yers with a credit score above 90, as they could practically do anything with their wealth. Furthermore, Zhang Jingxu had given such arge sum as a gift to "fish" for something. Wasn¡¯t the "fish" taking the bait? Xiao Dafu, dressed in a wrinkled suit, approached with a fawning smile and said something to Zhang Jingxu. On their way to the tea house, Liu Xing and hispanions had decided to test Xiao Dafu¡¯s limits and determine the cost of "hiring" him for various tasks. This would provide them with an extra hand or a fall guy for potentially high-risk endeavors, as Xiao Dafu had the chance to "resurrect." "So, that¡¯s why Zhang Jingxu chose to offer such arge sum of money to attract Xiao Dafu¡¯s attention. After all, Xiao Dafu, as a drug addict, was in dire need of cash. However, the locals in Panlong Town had already figured out what kind of person Xiao Dafu was, so no matter how smooth-talking he was, they wouldn¡¯t give him a single penny. Therefore, Zhang Jingxu was certain that when Xiao Dafu saw him pull out such arge amount of money as a gift, he would definitely find a way to get some money from him. Moreover, as soon as Liu Xing and the others entered, they noticed Xiao Dafu eyeing the money in his son¡¯s hand. "Guess how much Xiao Dafu would sell the secret of the ck Flood Dragon for?" Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. To test Xiao Dafu¡¯s bottom line, Liu Xing and the others hade up with the idea of asking Xiao Dafu about the secret of the ck Flood Dragon. After all, ording to Hu Cang, as local residents of Panlong Town, most people, except for the ignorant children, were generally capable of keeping their mouths shut. But Liu Xing and the others knew that Xiao Dafu was definitely an exception because, for him, revealing the secret of the ck Flood Dragon would be a matter of how much profit he could gain. So, when Xiao Dafu made his demands known, they could roughly estimate where his bottom line was. Liu Xing looked at Xiao Dafu, who appeared conflicted, and said, "I guess at most it would be fifty bucks. After all, our initial offer that we agreed upon with Zhang Jingxu was twenty bucks, so seeing Xiao Dafu looking this conflicted, he might raise the price to fifty at most. It seems Xiao Dafu¡¯s bottom line is much lower than we imagined." Ling Ishikawa shrugged and said with a smile, "For someone like Xiao Dafu, a drug addict, there is no such thing as a bottom line. But for us, it¡¯s good news because it means we can better control Xiao Dafu to do things for us." Liu Xing nodded and, while Zhang Jingxu¡¯s attention was on Xiao Dafu, whispered to Ling Ishikawa, "Ling Ishikawa, do you think we should recruit a group of addicts to help us with some dirty work when we return to the Ind Nation?" After all, for secret cults like the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, there would undoubtedly be a need for some unsavory tasks, so many secret cults would support or even create their own criminal organizations to cover up their illicit activities. Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "Master, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea because, as you¡¯ve seen, the bottom line of these addicts is extremely low, especially when they¡¯re craving drugs. There¡¯s virtually no limit to what they would do. If we can use them against others, then other malicious individuals could use them against us as well. So, I think it¡¯s best not to recruit addicts." "Okay, Ling Ishikawa, you make a valid point. Let¡¯s not recruit addicts. But you know the nature of my coboration with Alice. When we return to the Ind Nation, you should go to Tokyo with NobiNobita and start apany with HonekawaSuneo. Then, we can arrange all our Worshipers of the Yellow Sect¡¯s followers to work at thepany. Just be careful and don¡¯t let other secret cults find out." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said earnestly, "No problem, Master. You can trust me with this mission. I won¡¯t let you down." At this point, Liu Xing saw that Xiao Dafu had made a determined decision and said something, prompting Zhang Jingxu to smile and hand Xiao Dafu fifty dors. Xiao Dafu, upon seeing the money, quickly took it with a grin and left. Zhang Jingxu watched Xiao Dafu¡¯s departing figure and shook his head, saying, "Indeed, Xiao Dafu is willing to go to great lengths for money. He was willing to reveal the detailed secret of the ck Flood Dragon for just twenty bucks, and now, he¡¯s even more forting. It seems his bottom line is much lower than we expected." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow and said with some surprise, "Twenty bucks? But Mr. Zhang, you just gave Xiao Dafu fifty bucks. Does that mean you¡¯ve already arranged something for him to do?" Zhang Jingxu continued to shake his head, feigning depth, "Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯re jumping to conclusions because your social experience is not sufficient to understand my intentions. If we want the horse to run, we must first feed it. By giving Xiao Dafu some benefits now, when we need him to do something for us, it will be easier to persuade him." Liu Xing chuckled and asked, "Xiao Dafu, as an elder in Panlong Town, probably knows more about the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s secret than Hu Cang. Is there any noteworthy information he provided?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and said seriously, "You¡¯re right. We¡¯ve spent this fifty bucks very wisely. Xiao Dafu has provided valuable information. It turns out that the ck Flood Dragon is very likely the Taoist who sealed the ck cat demon back in the day. As Hu Cang mentioned, this ck Flood Dragon ims to be a ck-clothed Taoist and has been serving as a guardian deity in Panlong Town for many years. Most importantly, there is no Taoist temple nearby in Panlong Town." "So, in Xiao Dafu¡¯s generation, everyone believes that the ck Flood Dragon is the same Taoist from back then. Some have even asked the ck Flood Dragon directly, and although it doesn¡¯t confirm it outright, his attitude makes it clear that he is indeed the same Taoist. But the key point is, even though the ck Flood Dragon attempted to seal the ck cat demon back then, it couldn¡¯tpletely suppress it. This suggests that the ck cat demon¡¯sbat strength is not to be underestimated." Liu Xing furrowed his brow. If that were the case, then the ck cat demon¡¯sbat strength was much greater than he had initially thought. It exined why the side quest regarding the ck cat demon had not been triggered yet. From this perspective, Liu Xing believed that the side quest rted to the ck cat demon would likely be the most challenging one in this module. After all, the ck cat demon would probably hold a hostile attitude towards humans, and it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if things escted to violence without any warning. However, before Liu Xing couldment on this, Ling Ishikawa began to speak seriously but with some nonsense, "I think the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s strength should be on par with the ck cat demon, but the ck cat demon has a racial advantage. You see, Ryuusei and Mr. Zhang, you must have seen videos of cats ying with snakes, right? Because cats have faster reflexes than snakes, the snake¡¯s attacks are like slow motion to the cat. So, the ck Flood Dragon probably thinks it can¡¯t attack the ck cat demon, so it came up with a n to entice it." Although Ling Ishikawa¡¯s exnation seemed somewhat reasonable, in reality, his thoughts were likely incorrect. After all, the ck Flood Dragon and the ck cat demon had both be mythical creatures, and it would be a mistake to view them from an animalistic perspective. Moreover, while traditional Chinese myths might suggest that a dragon evolved from a snake, the ck Flood Dragon and snakes were vastly different species by now. But before Liu Xing could respond to this misconception, there was amotion from Xiao Mochen¡¯s side. Xiao Mochen stood up and pped his hands. After the people in the teahouse quieted down, he said a few words, and the teahouse erupted in cheers. Then, Xiao Mochen took the lead and left the teahouse. "Xiao Mochen is going to wee the bride. Let¡¯s join in the festivities," Zhang Jingxu stood up and said with a smile. So, Liu Xing and his group followed the crowd to Hu Li¡¯s residence, which was a three-story building located next to the Panlong Town primary school, with a clothing store on the ground floor." On their way to the event, Zhang Jingxu overheard quite a bit of information from others. "This clothing store is owned by Hu Li," he heard someone say. "But it¡¯s strange. This store seems to be closed for business more often than it¡¯s open. For about half the month, Hu Li keeps it shut. Except for asional visits to the teahouse with Xiao Mochen, Hu Li spends most of the time in their room. And as for Hu Li¡¯s social circle, it¡¯s exceptionally small. Besides Xiao Mochen and Hu Cang, Hu Li only exchanges nods with the other residents of Panlong Town." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and remarked with a smile, "So it seems Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen, and Hu Li might be entangled in a love triangle." Zhang Jingxu nodded in confirmation. "You¡¯re right. Just now, I heard people discussing this. They say that before Xiao Mochen returned to Panlong Town, it seemed like Hu Cang and Hu Li were in a rtionship. However, something happened, and they broke up. Coincidentally, Xiao Mochen returned to Panlong Town and soon got together with Hu Li." The entertainment world is truly chaotic. Liu Xing shrugged and said, "That¡¯s not our concern. Right now, all we need to do is watch the drama unfold." At this point, unrted bystanders were stopped outside the clothing store as Xiao Mochen, apanied by several friends, went upstairs to receive the bride. Suddenly, Xiao Dafu hurriedly approached Zhang Jingxu and said something to him. As a result, Liu Xing and the others were led upstairs by Xiao Dafu. After all, no matter what, Xiao Dafu was Xiao Mochen¡¯s father, so it made sense for him to have a few people there to support his son. "This is the power of money," Ling Ishikawa remarked with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and said, "This is exactly what we wanted to witness." Upon reaching the third floor, Liu Xing smelled a faint fragrance and then heard the sound of dice hitting the ground. Then, before Liu Xing could react, he found himself back at the entrance of the clothing store, and the crowd was surrounding Xiao Mochen and Hu Li as they left. What just happened?! Liu Xing looked puzzled and turned to Ling Ishikawa, who was standing beside him. He noticed that Ling Ishikawa appeared equally bewildered. Zhang Jingxu and the others also seemed disoriented. Frowning, Liu Xing realized that this must have been a Plot Encounter, and most likely, none of them had passed the willpower Judgment. At that moment, Hu Cang approached Liu Xing and the others and said something. Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "We¡¯ll discuss this matterter when we get back. For now, we need to continue attending Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding." So, Liu Xing and the others, along with Hu Cang, headed to the main venue of Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding. The wedding was held on the yground of Panlong Town Elementary School. Given that Panlong Town was situated on a small ind in the middle of ake, with limited space and a significant portion ofnd covered by bamboo forests, and the nearby middle school being an ominous ce, it was only natural to choose thergest open space left in Panlong Town, which happened to be the elementary school¡¯s yground. Therefore, Xiao Mochen and Hu Li¡¯s wedding was scheduled for Sunday to avoid disrupting the normal sses at Panlong Town Elementary School. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 368: Wedding in Progress (1) Chapter 368: Wedding in Progress (1) Liu Xing and his group, led by Xiao Dafu, took their seats at a table near the main table. Coincidentally, they found a familiar face seated at that table¡ªthe director of Panlong Townclinic, Zhong Rensan. Upon seeing Zhong Rensan, Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t hesitate and took a seat next to him, engaging in a lively conversation. Meanwhile, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa began discussing the recent events. "What exactly happened just now? We lost consciousness as soon as we reached the entrance, and we have no memory of what transpired during that time," Liu Xing rubbed his temples. Ling Ishikawa stroked his chin and replied, "Although I¡¯m not sure about the details of what happened, this feeling is strangely familiar. It seems to be identical to our previous experience at Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, recalling the incident at Fisher¡¯s Vige Ancestral Hall when Matsui Ichiro had hypnotized their group. However, this time, the situation felt even more abrupt. "Are you suggesting, Ling Ishikawa, that we were hypnotized by Hu Li?" Liu Xing inquired. Ling Ishikawa nodded, affirming, "I believe that¡¯s the case. After all, ording to the legends, fox spirits are adept at magic spells rted to enchantment and hypnosis. So, what we experienced was likely Hu Li¡¯s hypnotic technique. I think she may have used some kind of incense to first make us rx and then cast a spell on us." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, still puzzled. "That makes sense, but I can¡¯t help feeling that something doesn¡¯t add up. At this point, Hu Li shouldn¡¯t even know us. In fact, she hasn¡¯t met us at all. So, why would she hypnotize us? Also, judging by Xiao Dafu and the others, it seems like they weren¡¯t hypnotized by Hu Li, or if they were, she imnted them with appropriate memories, but she didn¡¯t do the same for us. So, what¡¯s the reason behind all this?"Faced with Liu Xing¡¯s question, Ling Ishikawa also appeared baffled and shook his head, saying, "This is a question only Hu Li herself can answer. However, the most crucial thing now is to figure out what we experienced during the time we lost consciousness." Liu Xing frowned and instinctively examined his body¡¯s condition. He realized that he hadn¡¯t lost any important bodily organs, finally letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed that during the time he was unconscious, he hadn¡¯t be another Xiao Mochen. Observing Liu Xing¡¯s actions, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but sigh and said, "Master, why are you thinking of such strange things? Hu Li couldn¡¯t possibly do something so outrageous to us. Besides, any physical changes would be apparent to us soon, and then Hu Li wouldn¡¯t escape our wrath at her and Xiao Mochen¡¯s wedding, right?" Liu Xing nodded and chuckled, "You make a valid point, Ling Ishikawa. Hu Li couldn¡¯t have carried out such drastic alterations to us. I was just momentarily concerned, thinking about Xiao Mochen¡¯s experience. But you¡¯re right; there¡¯s no reason for Hu Li to use us as test subjects." Ling Ishikawa shrugged, looking at Hu Li nearby. "We don¡¯t know for sure, but whatever happens, happens. If Hu Li has done something wrong, we¡¯ll find out eventually. For now, let¡¯s not dwell on it too much. We can¡¯t figure it out anyway." Liu Xing agreed with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s assessment. From start to finish, this module had been shrouded in mystery. It began with the inexplicable "Interlude Growth" and continued with the numerous question marks in the module¡¯s background. The strange plot developments further added to Liu Xing¡¯s confusion. He couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. Although the main quest of this module seemed straightforwardpleting a few side quests to umte enough "truth" points to clear it¡ªthe connections between these side quests remained elusive. They seemed unrted at first nce, but upon closer examination, they appeared intricately interconnected. It was highly likely thatpleting one side quest would impact the others. After all, this was a Shoggoth Region advanced module. With this in mind, Liu Xing suddenly had an idea and said, "Ling Ishikawa, what if it¡¯s like this: Hu Li might know that we¡¯re friends of Hu Cang, which could be why she targeted us. Given the current situation, Hu Li and Hu Cang¡¯s rtionship may not be amicable." Ling Ishikawa nced at Hu Cang, then at Hu Li at the adjacent table, and nodded in agreement. "That¡¯s a possibility. Based on the current circumstances, it seems that Hu Cang and Hu Li didn¡¯t part on good terms. Otherwise, Hu Li wouldn¡¯t have turned to Xiao Mochen, Hu Cang¡¯s close friend, to host the wedding. So, Hu Li might still hold a grudge against Hu Cang, and that resentment extended to us when she saw Xiao Dafu bring us upstairs. She might have thought we were here to cause trouble or spy on her, prompting her to hypnotize us." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s imagination was, as always, quite expansive... However, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s thoughts did have some merit. After all, if Liu Xing put himself in Hu Li¡¯s shoes, on the day of his own wedding, he would have been quite concerned to learn that five unexpected guests had suddenly appeared at the home of his ex-boyfriend, with whom he currently had a strained rtionship. And, to top it off, the ex-boyfriend, who logically shouldn¡¯t be attending the wedding, had now decided toe. What would one think in such a situation? Naturally, it would seem like the ex-boyfriend was nning to disrupt the wedding! So, as a powerful fox spirit, how should Hu Li handle this situation? Of course, she would leverage her inherent abilities as a member of her race to first subdue these potentially disruptive guests, to prevent any untoward incidents. However, two scenarios could arise here. The first scenario, which Liu Xing would prefer, is that Hu Li simply hypnotizes himself and his party for added security but refrains from hypnotizing Xiao Mochen and the others. In this case, nothing detrimental would happen to their group on the third floor, since everyone else would still be watching. The second scenario, which Liu Xing would rather avoid, is that Hu Li decides to take extra precautions and hypnotizes all the people on the third floor, extracting information from his own party while under hypnosis. If this were the case, Hu Li might discover the situation regarding the Panlong Town temporal distortion and that his own group knows she is a fox spirit. So, Liu Xing believed that Hu Li would likely take action against his group after the wedding concluded. However, Liu Xing still harbored some hope. So far, KP Snow Wind had not released any Side Quests rted to Hu Li, which made it less likely to be the second scenario¡­ right? At that moment, Ling Ishikawa took out his phone and looked surprised. He said, "Oh, it turns out today is my birthday." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking surprised as he replied, "What? Today is your birthday? I remember your birthday is in the first half of the year, and the time we¡¯re in should be November." As an excellent leader, Liu Xing had a rough idea of the birthdays of his core disciples and followed a policy simr to some majorpanies, holding birthday parties for his followers to foster team cohesion. Ling Ishikawa smiled and shook his head, saying, "What I mean is that if you consider the correct time we entered Panlong Town, plus the two days we¡¯ve spent here, today happens to be my birthday. I didn¡¯t expect to celebrate my birthday in such a strange ce." Liu Xing chuckled, patting Ling Ishikawa on the shoulder. He said, "When you decided to join us, the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, you entered a whole new world. Have you not noticed the supernatural events and mythical creatures that were rare in your past ten years, but have be frequent in thest few months? Anyway, since it¡¯s your birthday today, I wish you a happy birthday. May you have this day every year, and may each year be as special as today." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow and exaggeratedly said, "Wow, are you sure you¡¯re wishing me well? I don¡¯t want to celebrate my birthday in a ce like this every year." Liu Xing shrugged and jokingly said, "Well, you don¡¯t have a choice in that matter. But since it¡¯s Ling Ishikawa¡¯s birthday, you should make a wish over this te of cold dishes." The table was already set with cold dishes, and Ling Ishikawa found himself facing a te of pig¡¯s head meat. Ling Ishikawa looked at Liu Xing in disbelief and said, "I¡¯ve never seen anyone make a wish over a te of pig¡¯s head meat. Nevertheless, I hope that with your help, I can build a crystal pce in the future." Upon hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s wish, Liu Xing was relieved that he hadn¡¯t taken a sip of his drink, as he might have sprayed it all over Ling Ishikawa¡¯s face. Liu Xing had not expected Ling Ishikawa to make such a peculiar wish. A "crystal pce" was a euphemism for a harem. "Ling Ishikawa, oh Ling Ishikawa, I never imagined that someone as prominent as you, with your impressive appearance, would have such lowbrow thoughts. And you¡¯re thinking about starting a harem, impressive indeed," Liu Xing remarked. Ling Ishikawa smiled and jokingly said, "After all, I¡¯m your right-hand man, a loyal follower of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. Starting a harem should be a simple matter, shouldn¡¯t it? Besides, how can you say that aspiring to have a harem is a sign of lowbrow thinking? Beautiful women have always been desirable, even for gentlemen. I just wish for arger number, and with my exceptional qualities, I might already have two girlfriends in another world." As Ling Ishikawa spoke, he winked at Liu Xing. Hearing this, Liu Xing understood Ling Ishikawa¡¯s intention. This time, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s wish was aimed at "Yin En," given that the current "Yin En" was already involved with two people. However, Yin En¡¯s current situation is quite precarious. He¡¯s still lying in the hospital, "ying dead." This is just a minor issue. The major problem is that if Miss Sawada discovers that Yin En is two-timing and involved with the female police officer, Liu Xing believes that given Miss Sawada¡¯s explosive temper, she might just drag Yin En out of his sickbed and employ her set of skills on him... So, Liu Xing sighed and patted Ling Ishikawa¡¯s shoulder, saying, "The road ahead is long and the responsibility heavy, Ling Ishikawa. You must strive harder and not meet your end prematurely, triggering the ¡¯Chai Dao¡¯ ending." Ling Ishikawa nodded earnestly and replied, "I will do my best, Master. I am confident I won¡¯t fall victim to ¡¯Chai Dao.¡¯" Liu Xing could sense the uneasiness in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s voice at this moment. After all, this was Cthulhu RPG Game, not a dating simtion game. While both games allowed freedom of choice, Cthulhu RPG Game involved rolling dice to determine one¡¯s fate, making the odds considerably higher than in a dating simtion game. So, at this moment, Liu Xing could only wish Yin En good luck. Right here, Zhang Jingxu had finished chatting with Zhong Rensan and approached with a smile, saying, "Ryuusei, what are you guys talking about? Seems like you¡¯re having a good time." Liu Xing pointed at Ling Ishikawa with an exasperated expression and said, "Today is Ling Ishikawa¡¯s birthday, and he just made a wish to establish a harem. Can you believe this guy¡¯s wild fantasies?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head, adopting the demeanor of someone with experience. He said, "Ryuusei, that¡¯s not fair of you. People need dreams. As long as a normal man, to some extent, fantasizes about having a harem. I remember when I was a kid, I used to ponder how many wives I¡¯d have when I grew up. But now, I realize I was just being overly imaginative back then." After cracking a joke, Zhang Jingxu got to the point. "Dean Zhong is a good person. Upon learning about my purpose, he answered all my questions willingly. Just like Hu Cang mentioned earlier, Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather once encountered the ¡¯pig head butcher.¡¯ It happened on a rainy night in Rongcheng. Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather, who was also a doctor, had an emergency that afternoon. The patient¡¯s condition was rather unusual, so Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather spent several hours stabilizing them." "In a hurry to get home, Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather decided to take a shortcut. While passing through a narrow alley, he heard a strange noise, somewhat like the sound of sharpening a knife. This made him uneasy because Rongcheng¡¯s public safety wasn¡¯t great back then. So, Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather decided to turn back and find a different way home." "At that moment, a group of drunk men could be heard arguing ahead, as if they were in a conflict with someone. Being a good person, Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather was about to intervene, but before he took a step, he heard the sound of a knife cutting through flesh. The drunk men let out terrified cries." "Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather rushed over and found the ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ holding a butcher knife, hacking away at a fallen person who was already dead. The other drunk men had already vanished without a trace. Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather, bewildered and unsure of what to do, watched as ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ noticed him and began pursuing him. Despite ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ appearing to move slowly, his actual speed was astonishing. Even though Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather ran as fast as he could, the gap between them closed bit by bit." "Just when Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather was about to give up and ept his fate, three night patrollers withnterns suddenly appeared ahead. When they saw ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ chasing Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather, one of them in desperation threw hisntern at ¡¯pig head butcher.¡¯ To everyone¡¯s surprise, ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ immediately dodged thentern and fled." "This puzzled Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather because someone as terrifying as ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ shouldn¡¯t be afraid of a merentern. However, the next day, Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather encountered the leader of the ¡¯roaming acrobatics troupe¡¯ that ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ used to be a part of. After hearing about the previous night¡¯s events, the troupe leader informed Dean Zhong¡¯s grandfather that ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ had a profound fear of fire." "Apparently, ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯s¡¯ parents died in a fire caused by his idental knocking over of an oilmp. The mes consumed ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯s¡¯ home, and although he miraculously survived, he suffered severe burns and developed a deep fear of fire from that day on. This might exin why ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ only operates on rainy nights." "Fear of fire?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It seemed that this ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ had a noticeable weakness. "I see. It appears that ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ is more manageable than we initially thought," Ling Ishikawa said casually. Liu Xing shook his head. This Side Quest couldn¡¯t be that straightforward. "No, no, no. Zhang Jingxu, it¡¯s not as simple as you imagine. To burn ¡¯pig head butcher¡¯ to death, we¡¯d need to use liquid fuel like gasoline or diesel to ignite it. Otherwise, we might just make him escape and anger him in the process, which would be highly disadvantageous for us. As for gasoline and diesel, they¡¯re currently scarce in Panlong Town," Zhang Jingxu said seriously. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 369: Wedding in Progress (2) Chapter 369: Wedding in Progress (2) Liu Xing furrowed his brow as he hadn¡¯t expected that the entire Panlong Town wouldn¡¯t have any gasoline or diesel avable. However, upon reflection, Liu Xing realized it was quite normal. Yesterday, when he and Ling Ishikawa were wandering around Panlong Town, they only saw bicycles. Not a single motorcycle was in sight, let alone cars. It was evident that in the year 1999, the economic status of rural areas like Panlong Town was still in need of improvement. Therefore, there was ack of vehicles that used gasoline or diesel as fuel. It was only natural that no one in Panlong Town stored gasoline or diesel in their homes. Of course, the most crucial reason was that this module wouldn¡¯t make it so easy for the yers to acquire mission essentials with just a bit of money. The Cthulhu RPG Game wasn¡¯t that simple. So, Liu Xing immediately thought of Wang Anquan. ording to Hu Cang¡¯s hint, Wang Anquan used a bucket of gasoline to set fire to the ck Inte Cafe. This gasoline would be more than enough to burn the pig head butcher to death. Thinking about it, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but frown because obtaining that bucket of gasoline from Wang Anquan would require Wang Haiyang, the owner of the ck Inte Cafe, to be driven to the point of desperation. In simple terms, it meant that the yers had to let Wang Haiyang die without intervening and only then strike when Wang Anquan sought revenge for his son. If they chose to do that, Liu Xing felt he would be an antagonist, not only for allowing someone to die but also for aiding the oppressor to some extent. However, if they didn¡¯t follow this path, they might not be able to take down the pig head butcher directly. Moreover, it might provoke the pig head butcher, leading to a battle where they would likely be at a disadvantage. So, Liu Xing was now in a dilemma. Although he had mentally prepared himself during his first entry into the real Cthulhu RPG Game, deciding that he would disregard the lives of NPCs and yers when necessary, and even kill someone himself if it came to that, Liu Xing wasn¡¯t cold-blooded to that extent. Although he kept reminding himself that NPCs were just data, this Cthulhu RPG Game was incredibly realistic, causing Liu Xing to forget at times that the other characters were just NPCs.Therefore, Liu Xing was now naturally avoiding this situation. Looking at the white liquor in front of him, Liu Xing spoke up, "If there¡¯s no diesel or gasoline, can¡¯t we find an alternative fuel? Something like white liquor, for example. It should be rtively easy to gather enough white liquor." Zhang Jingxu shook his head without hesitation and replied seriously, "That¡¯s not very practical. While acquiring white liquor is easy, the problem lies in itsbustion properties. Compared to gasoline or diesel, the burning effect of alcohol distilled from white liquor is worlds apart. At best, it might burn off a bit of the pig head butcher¡¯s blood, but it would also put him into a rage. It would be a lose-lose situation." Liu Xing felt a bit embarrassed as he realized he had been too hasty and had forgotten that white liquor¡¯s burning properties weren¡¯t suitable for their purpose. Although he didn¡¯t know the specifics of white liquor¡¯sbustion, he remembered seeing patients with alcohol burns during his internship in the burn unit at the hospital. Patients burned by gasoline or diesel were either admitted to the intensive care unit or sent directly to the morgue. There was a clear difference in severity. At this point, Ling Ishikawa thought of a way to obtain gasoline. "In that case, to get a sufficient amount of gasoline, we¡¯ll have to deal with Wang Anquan. We can¡¯t leave Panlong Town to buy gasoline from the outside, and as far as we know, Wang Anquan is our only source. But..." It was clear that Ling Ishikawa also had reservations about allowing Wang Haiyang to die. After all, during their Private Room time yesterday, everyone¡¯s goal had been to find a way to save Wang Haiyang. Zhang Jingxu was also hesitant and, after a moment of silence, said, "We need to carefully consider this matter. After all, we don¡¯t necessarily have to kill the pig head butcher. If we let Wang Haiyang die just to kill the pig head butcher, it¡¯s not morally justifiable." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. "Exactly, that¡¯s what I think too. Besides, didn¡¯t Hu Cang mention that Panlong Town ispletely cut off from the outside world now? So, the gasoline should have been stored in Wang Anquan¡¯s house all along. We should be able to obtain the gasoline from him in advance." Although Liu Xing said this, he was certain that things wouldn¡¯t go so smoothly. Based on the current information, a properly used bucket of gasoline could certainly kill the pig head butcher. Therefore, a powerful weapon like this module must have a difficult condition for obtaining it. However, Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa agreed with Liu Xing¡¯s point of view and silently moved on from the topic. Just then, the broadcast at the Panlong Town Elementary School started ying the wedding march. It seemed that noon had arrived, and the wedding of Xiao Mochen and Hu Li was about to begin. Everyone¡¯s attention was now focused on Xiao Mochen and Hu Li. However, Liu Xing could still notice that Hu Cang seemed uneasy, wearing a conflicted expression. After a while, the wedding officially began. There was no need to describe the wedding proceedings; everything was proceeding smoothly. At Liu Xing¡¯s table, the talkative Li Dian and Wan Chongshan had already bonded with the others, toasting each other and discreetly gathering more information about Panlong Town. Meanwhile, Zhang Jingxu was deep in conversation with Zhong Rensan, hoping to trigger a side quest rted to Zhong Rensan or Panlong Town Clinic. As for Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, who had limitedmunication due to thenguage barrier, they ate their food while discussing various topics. "To be honest, Hu Li looks really stunning today," Ling Ishikawa said while picking up a piece of stir-fried pork. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. As Ling Ishikawa had mentioned, Hu Li was exceptionally beautiful even without makeup. Today, she looked even more radiant, adorned in a magnificent red qipao. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think that gazing at Hu Li too long might be enchanting, and not the kind that required a Judgment. With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh, "If everything goes as expected, Xiao Mochen should be aware of Hu Li¡¯s rtionship with Hu Cang. But facing such a charming Hu Li, it¡¯s understandable if Xiao Mochen can¡¯t resist her allure. After all, even someone as resolute as me would find it hard to resist Hu Li¡¯s charm. Heroes often fall for the beauty." Listening to Liu Xing¡¯s self-praise, Ling Ishikawa rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Leader, I never expected you to be this type of person. But on another note, just look at how delighted Xiao Mochen appears now. I wonder what expression he¡¯ll have tomorrow when he discovers he has been transformed by Hu Li. It should be quite a sight." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn¡¯t resist quoting a poem, "I think tomorrow, Xiao Mochen¡¯s state of mind should be something like ¡¯to win the battle but perish first,¡¯ making heroes shed tears." At this moment, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa were unaware that they were teetering on the edge of disaster. Since the table Liu Xing¡¯s group was seated at was closest to the main table, Xiao Mochen and Hu Li approached to offer a toast afterpleting the wedding ceremony. Due to thenguage barrier, Liu Xing could only observe everyone¡¯s expressions with a polite smile. First was Hu Cang. Liu Xing could clearly see theplexity of his expression, which included feelings of unease, anger, helplessness, and conflict. Next was Xiao Mochen, who could easily perceive the emotions Hu Cang was trying to convey because Hu Cang hadn¡¯t concealed his feelings much. So, apart from embarrassment, Xiao Mochen had nothing left to express. As for all the guests at the table, they were well aware of the love triangle between Hu Li, Hu Cang, and Xiao Mochen, so they tactfully avoided prying eyes, wearing a facade of indifference. Hu Li¡¯s expression, on the other hand, surprised Liu Xing. Hu Li had an aloof and detached demeanor, watching Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen with great interest, as if she were a bystander enjoying a show. In this awkward atmosphere, Xiao Mochen and Hu Lipleted their toasts. Xiao Mochen then walked away without looking back, heading to the next table, while Hu Li cast a meaningful nce at Liu Xing and the others. Especially when Hu Li walked past Liu Xing, he caught a whiff of that faint fragrance again. Fortunately, this time, KP Snow Wind didn¡¯t intervene. Liu Xing sat back down, and Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t resist leaning over and saying, "This Hu Li is really quite peculiar. She seems to be enjoying the spectacle, and I think in her eyes, Xiao Mochen might just be a pawn she¡¯s using to taunt Hu Cang." "Very possible," Liu Xing replied while ncing back at Hu Li. The wedding continued. Liu Xing and hispanions enjoyed the feast and engaged in various conversations. "Oh, by the way, Ling Ishikawa, when we return to the Ind Nation, let¡¯s organize a bted birthday party for you. I wonder how well Honekawa Suneo and the others are handling the tasks I assigned them," Liu Xing said. ording to the memories of "Watanabe Ryuusei," after leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige, he arranged for Honekawa Suneo to continue spreading the faith in the Kyoto region, focusing on the students who had previously attended Morimoto Academy. After the events they had experienced, these students were more receptive to the teachings of the secret cult, making them potential Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. For "Watanabe Ryuusei," this was a good development, but for Liu Xing, it wasn¡¯t good news. He had learned from the USB drive Yin En had provided that a yer¡¯s character card had a hidden attribute ¨C Influence. Influence was determined by a yer¡¯s actions in the game, especially how much impact their character card had on NPCs in various modules. "Watanabe Ryuusei" as the leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect had significant influence. His words and actions could affect the sect¡¯s followers, particrly the fanatical ones, whose actions and even their families could be influenced. Liu Xing realized that if Honekawa Suneo sessfully converted those students into Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, "Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s" character card would gain a substantial increase in influence. Influence yed a crucial role in determining the difficulty of modules and how well-matched yers were against their opponents. So, even though "Watanabe Ryuusei" might seem slightly less powerful than "Liu Xing" on the surface, his high influence allowed him tomand NPCs and provide assistance in certain modules. Meanwhile, Liu Xing¡¯s influence was virtually nonexistent, as he was a lone yer with limited capacity to affect NPCs. This made it impossible for him to rally NPCs for assistance in modules. Hence, Liu Xing believed that when he faced Yis People in a 1v1 confrontation using the seize cardter on, he could use "Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s" influence to bring a group of NPCs to counter Yis People¡¯s controlled "Liu Xing." Certainly, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall would never allow Liu Xing to do such a thing. This is because the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall always strives to bnce the influence gap between character cards. For example, they ce the urrence location of the module in regions like China, which won¡¯t be affected by "WatanabeRyuusei." It must be said that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s bnce is quite impressive. There are hardly any situations where one yer outshines the rest, or where one yer defeats ten others. So, returning to the main point, as "WatanabeRyuusei" continues to gain influence, the difficulty of Liu Xing¡¯s modules is bound to increase. Moreover, Liu Xing will find himself in various unfavorable situations, just like the current module. Therefore, Liu Xing earnestly hopes that the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect can temporarily halt their expansion. This would slow down the rapid increase in "WatanabeRyuusei¡¯s" influence, preventing a qualitative leap in module difficulty in the future. However, it¡¯s beyond Liu Xing¡¯s control. After all, the character cards in Interlude Growth are nearly uncontroble by yers. So, Liu Xing has no means to influence this. That¡¯s why Liu Xing has decided to relocate the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect to Tokyo as soon as possible. This way, they can use the excuse of "low-key development" to stop recruiting more followers. Ling Ishikawa naturally understands Liu Xing¡¯s intentions and smiles, saying, "You can rest assured about this, Master. HonekawaSuneo and the others are quite capable, and isn¡¯t Teacher Ming Hanxing also back?" Speaking of Ming Hanxing, Liu Xing recalls that Ming Hanxing contacted him some time ago, saying he had received a system notification and needed toplete one more module to advance. However, because Ming Hanxing hadn¡¯t yed the game with Liu Xing and Yin En due to special circumstances, he couldn¡¯t join their team temporarily. ording to the plot point theory, modules have continuity. But Liu Xing estimates that afterpleting the Panlong Town module, "himself" and "Ling Ishikawa" will return to the Ind Nation, and that¡¯s when "Ming Hanxing" will be able to join their team. While Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa chat, the wedding has reached its conclusion, and some guests have started leaving. "This ce isn¡¯t suitable for lingering. Let¡¯s get ready to leave," Zhang Jingxu suddenly approaches and suggests. Liu Xing nods in agreement; indeed, this isn¡¯t a ce to stay for long, especially after just being hypnotized by Hu Li... Thinking of this, Liu Xing suddenly feels a bit dizzy, and Zhang Jingxu in front of him bes blurry, and the surrounding sounds gradually fade away. Finally, Liu Xing¡¯s vision darkens, and he loses consciousness. After an unknown amount of time, Liu Xing opens his eyes, realizing he¡¯s lying in bed. Ling Ishikawa is still asleep beside him, and the sunlight outside is bright. Is it morning? Liu Xing stretcheszily, takes a sip of water, and then pushes the bedroom door open, only to find Hu Canging up the stairs. "Hey, Ryuusei, you¡¯re up early today," Hu Cang says. Liu Xing nods and replies with a smile, "Early to bed and early to rise, it¡¯s good for health, isn¡¯t it? Besides, we can¡¯t trouble Mr. Hu to wake us up every day. You can go downstairs and get busy, Mr. Hu. I¡¯ll wake up Ling Ishikawa and the otherster, and then we can have breakfast." "Sure," Hu Cang turns and heads downstairs. After a while, Ling Ishikawa and the others also wake up ande out of their rooms. After exchanging greetings, Liu Xing and the others go downstairs. Hu Cang and Hu Li have already prepared a sumptuous breakfast. Ling Ishikawa eagerly takes her seat at the table, smiling and saying, "Mr. Hu, your food is really delicious. I almost don¡¯t want to leave Panlong Town." Hu Cang proudly nods and tells Hu Li beside him, "Of course, my wife¡¯s cooking is among the best in Panlong Town. Otherwise, my guesthouse wouldn¡¯t be doing so well. Right, dear?" Hu Li, blushing, gives a shy smile and nods gently. "Wow, Mr. Hu, you¡¯re feeding us dog food early in the morning. That¡¯s quite something," Li Dian jokes. Liu Xing nods but feels that something is amiss. It seems like he might have been a bit groggy this morning. That¡¯s what Liu Xing thinks. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 370: Like a Dream Chapter 370: Like a Dream After having breakfast, Liu Xing asked Hu Li, who was clearing the dishes, "Sister-inw, during this season, is there any ce in Panlong Town with particrly beautiful scenery? Our summer vacation assignments depend on it." Hu Li thought for a moment and then smiled, saying, "During this time, the best ce in Panlong Town should be Panlong Lake. The water level is lower now, revealing the riverbanks and some small stone pirs in the secondary center. It¡¯s perfect for your sketching. If you want to go there, just head out the door, turn left, and follow the Panlong Town upstream. You¡¯ll reach Panlong Lake in less than ten minutes." Liu Xing nodded and thanked Hu Li. "Today¡¯s weather is nice. Let¡¯s go quickly; after all, school starts tomorrow, and we need to finish our summer assignments. If we don¡¯t submit them on time, we might get scolded by Yong Ge again," Zhang Jingxu said with a hint of frustration as he stretchedzily. Ling Ishikawa rolled her eyes and said disdainfully, "Zhang Jingxu, it¡¯s your fault. Our summer assignments were all ready, but when you offered to take them to the dormitory, you left them in the taxi. Now we have to redo our assignments." Zhang Jingxu chuckled awkwardly and exined, "Well, it¡¯s because the ss monitor suddenly called me and asked me to help her move her luggage to the school gate. I forgot about our assignments in the rush." Wan Chongshan teased, "Oh, Zhang Jingxu, you better be honest with us. How far have you gotten with Lu Tianya? If things are official between you two, we might forgive you this time, and our assignments will be considered a small sacrifice." Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhang Jingxu scratched his head and said in a low voice, "I think it¡¯s getting serious because she promised to have dinner with me tomorrow afternoon after the ss meeting." "Oh," Liu Xing and the others said with meaningful nces.After teasing Zhang Jingxu a bit more, Liu Xing and the group went upstairs to grab their art supplies and followed Hu Li¡¯s directions to head to Panlong Lake. Walking along the way, Liu Xing gazed at the clear waters of the Panlong River and remarked, "I have to admit, Li Dian, you really know how to find good ces. I didn¡¯t expect such a beautiful town near Rongcheng. You really have a knack for discovering hidden gems." Li Dian grinned proudly and said, "Liu Xing, don¡¯t forget who I am. I have a high school ssmate from Panlong Town, and we¡¯re really close. He used to bring me here to Panlong Town, and I was impressed by its beauty. So when I heard that our ssmate Zhang Jingxu lost all our drawings, I immediately thought ofing here to sketch." Liu Xing nodded and looked at the bamboo forest by the side of the road. "Speaking of which, what do you guys think of this bamboo forest? Our summer assignments include two drawings: one of Panlong Lake and another of this bamboo forest. How about that?" Ling Ishikawa looked at the bamboo forest and pointed to a structure deep within, saying, "Do you see that building in the depths of the bamboo forest? It looks like a temple, doesn¡¯t it?" Following Ling Ishikawa¡¯s direction, Liu Xing peered into the distance and indeed saw a somewhat dpidated temple. Li Dian took out his brush and gestured, saying, "Let¡¯s draw that temple in the bamboo forest when wee back from Panlong Lake. I think we have a good chance of taking the top five spots for our summer assignments. Of course, the first ce is mine." Liu Xing and the others couldn¡¯t help but scoff at Li Dian, then they looked through the gaps in the bamboo forest. The gaps were quite wide, almost half a meter wide, so it seemed easy to enter. With their minds made up, Liu Xing and the group continued their journey. After about ten minutes of walking, Liu Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked ahead with a hint of confusion. Panlong Town shouldn¡¯t be thisrge, and there shouldn¡¯t be a Panlong Lake, right? A strange thought suddenly popped into Liu Xing¡¯s mind. He furrowed his brow and shook his head. Why was he having such a bizarre thought, as if he had been to Panlong Town before? Rubbing his temples, Liu Xing decided he needed to get some rest earlier tonight. There was no need to keep grinding the maps and experiences in "Tian Qing Carriage Road" since Louis IX had already logged out. He could focus on it after school started. Ling Ishikawa, who was beside him, looked at Liu Xing, who had suddenly stopped, and asked with concern, "Liu Xing, are you feeling unwell?" Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, saying, "No, I¡¯m fine. I probably yed games tootest night, so I didn¡¯t get enough sleep. I¡¯m just a bit out of it." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said, "Let¡¯s keep going then. When we reach the edge of Panlong Lake, washing your face in theke water might help you feel better." "Yeah," Liu Xing agreed, ncing at the sunny sky with a few white clouds hanging in it. After a little while longer, Liu Xing and his group finally arrived at Panlong Lake. Just as Hu Li had described, theke had exposed a vast expanse of sandbanks along its shore. Panlong Lake, with its shimmering waters, looked like a flowing jade, and in the center of theke, there were more than ten slender stone pirs protruding from the water, seamlessly blending into thendscape. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but admire the beauty of Panlong Lake; it felt almost unreal. "This Panlong Lake is so beautiful. But what¡¯s the story with those stone pirs in theke¡¯s center? Judging by the color of the water, theke¡¯s depth in the center should be more than ten meters," Wan Chongshan said, puzzled. Ling Ishikawa shrugged and said, "Perhaps it¡¯s just a natural wonder. The Panlong River water hasn¡¯t eroded these stone pirs; instead, they remain to adorn Panlong Lake." Looking through the emerald-green waters of Panlong Lake, Liu Xing noticed that these stone pirs seemed to be connected to a massive rock. "Alright, let¡¯s get to work. Let¡¯s finish drawing Panlong Lake before lunch," Zhang Jingxu pped his hands and said. So, Liu Xing and the others dispersed, each finding what they believed to be the best angle and preparing to start their sketches. Liu Xing struggled a bit with his art supplies, muttering to himself that the old saying was right: "Three days without practice and you lose your skill." He hadn¡¯t drawn anything for the past few days, and now he was having trouble even handling his tools. But when he nced at Zhang Jingxu nearby, he noticed that even Zhang Jingxu¡¯s movements were a bit awkward; he almost knocked over his easel. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, then nced at Ling Ishikawa and the others. He noticed that they were all facing various difficulties, to some extent or another. "What¡¯s going on? Why is everyone suddenly struggling?" Liu Xing wondered. As he thought about this, he suddenly heard the sound of dice rolling beside him, causing him to nearly drop the paintbrush in his hand. "Oh, it¡¯s just the phone," Liu Xing realized, pulling his phone from his pocket. The iing call wasbeled as a scam. "Another scam call? The tricks they use are getting old. Last time, it was that fake lottery win scheme. But today, I have other things to do, so I won¡¯t waste my time with you scammers," Liu Xing said as he hung up the call. With that, Liu Xing returned his focus to his painting. Although he started a bit shaky and struggled at first, he quickly entered a state of flow, and his brush strokes flowed effortlessly. Time passed unnoticed. "Done," Liu Xing said, looking at the painting with satisfaction. He nodded to himself, reaffirming his natural talent for art. Choosing to pursue art instead of medicine had been the right decision. Liu Xing stretched his muscles and noticed that Zhang Jingxu and the others were still diligently painting. He decided to go to thekeside to wash his face and refresh himself. He had been absorbed in painting for so long that he was starting to feel tired. Walking to the edge of Panlong Lake, Liu Xing crouched down to scoop up some water for washing his face. However, he suddenly saw a reflection in the water¡ªa face he didn¡¯t recognize! Startled, Liu Xing stumbled backward, sitting down on the riverbank. "Liu Xing, what¡¯s wrong?" Ling Ishikawa and the others, curious about themotion, asked. Liu Xing stood up, shaking his head, and said, "It¡¯s nothing, really. I just stepped on a small stone and slipped." As he spoke, he looked at his reflection again and realized that his own face appeared perfectly normal, not unfamiliar as he had seen moments ago. Perhaps he had just imagined it? Liu Xing rubbed his chin, thinking that he must have been tired today, experiencing hallucinations like this. However, that face he saw earlier seemed vaguely familiar... "Liu Xing, we¡¯ve finished our paintings. How about yours? If you¡¯re done, we can start heading back," Li Dian interrupted Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts. Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "Yes, I¡¯ve finished mine too. Let¡¯s go." Liu Xing packed up his art supplies and joined Zhang Jingxu and the others in preparing to leave Panlong Lake. Just then, Ling Ishikawa, looking at the central pir in theke, said with some confusion, "Don¡¯t you guys think the pir in the center of theke seems to have shifted its position?" Liu Xing turned his gaze to the central pir but didn¡¯t notice anything unusual. "Ling Ishikawa, maybe you¡¯re seeing things, or it could be that the water level in Panlong Lake has changed, making it appear that the pirs have shifted," Zhang Jingxu suggested with a smile. Ling Ishikawa nodded and shrugged, "You¡¯re probably right. Let¡¯s not dwell on it. It¡¯s almost eleven o¡¯clock now; we should hurry back for lunch." So, Liu Xing and the group retraced their steps. When they reached the bamboo grove again, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but stop in his tracks. He suggested, "We still have some time, and we won¡¯t be able to have lunch when we get back. Why don¡¯t we take a look in the bamboo grove to confirm the afternoon shooting angles and check if there¡¯s enough space deep within the grove for our paintings?" His suggestion received agreement from the group, so they left their art supplies by the roadside since carrying them into the bamboo grove would be inconvenient. Soon, Liu Xing and the others arrived at a temple deep within the bamboo grove. The temple appeared quite dpidated upon close inspection, with a copsed wall and overgrown vegetation. Liu Xing looked at the temple¡¯s sign and whispered, "Hui Temple." Ling Ishikawa, feeling adventurous, approached the temple¡¯s gate and gently pushed it open. It creaked open easily. "Should we go inside? Hui Temple looks abandoned, so there shouldn¡¯t be anyone there," Ling Ishikawa suggested. As Ling Ishikawa ventured inside, Liu Xing and the others followed. After all, they couldn¡¯t let Ling Ishikawa explore alone; it might be unsafe. "What on earth is this?!" Ling Ishikawa suddenly eximed. Liu Xing and the others hurried over and found a giant snake coiled around a ck cat in front of Ling Ishikawa. Both the snake and the cat were dead. Zhang Jingxu frowned and whispered, "We shouldn¡¯t linger here. It¡¯s better to leave." The crowd nodded in unison and immediately turned away from Hui Temple, leaving the bamboo forest behind. "Phew, my goodness, I never expected Panlong Town to have such a massive python. Fortunately, it¡¯s dead; otherwise, if we were attacked by this python while we were painting, we might not even have had a chance to run out of the bamboo forest," Wan Chongshan said with a lingering sense of fear. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. "Alright, let¡¯s go back and ask Boss Hu about what¡¯s going on," Zhang Jingxu sighed and suggested. So, Liu Xing and the others packed up their painting materials and hurried towards Hu Cang¡¯s home, fearing that something terrifying might emerge from the bamboo forest. Upon reaching the side of the Panlong Town bridge, Liu Xing and the others slowed down their pace when they saw pedestrians, adjusting their breathing as they went. Liu Xing took out a small water bottle from his pocket, intending to quench his thirst. However, as he lifted it to his lips, he happened to nce at the sky and suddenly felt that something was amiss. Liu Xing squinted his eyes and realized that the sky at this moment was exactly the same as the one he had seen before. The formation and positions of the white clouds were unchanged. "Am I mistaken?" Liu Xing muttered to himself. Back at Hu Cang¡¯s house, an impatient Ling Ishikawa immediately found Hu Cang and started questioning him about Hui Temple. Zhang Jingxu and the others joined in out of curiosity. As for Liu Xing, he sat alone in a chair, deep in thought. Liu Xing felt that something was off about himself today. Strange thoughts kept popping into his mind. Could it be that he was experiencing symptoms of a mental breakdown due to recent stress? Liu Xing shook his head, realizing that he hadn¡¯t been under much stresstely, enjoying good food, drinks, and leisure. The only thing that could be considered stressful was his experience with the blueprint ship in the Tianqing Lane... So, there was no way he could be experiencing a mental breakdown. Liu Xing rubbed his temples, feeling a headacheing on. The situation didn¡¯t make sense. While contemting, Liu Xing took out his phone to check themission he had epted in Tianqing Lane. To his surprise, there was no signal disyed on his phone. So, how did he receive a call and ess the Tianqing Lane just now? Without a signal, there was no way to enter the Tianqing Lane. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, feeling his head pounding even more. Just then, a young man carrying a bag of vegetables entered and greeted, "Boss Hu, I¡¯ve brought today¡¯s vegetables for you. I have something else to attend to, so I¡¯ll leave the vegetables on the table, alright?" Liu Xing looked up and saw that Xiao Mochen, the young man, had be considerably darker... Wait a minute. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, puzzled as to why he was calling this person Xiao Mochen, and why he referred to him as a ¡¯young man.¡¯ Before Liu Xing could regain hisposure, Hu Li chuckled and said, "Xiao Mochen, you can go about your business. Remember to reserve the best spot in the teahouse for me this afternoon. I suddenly feel like ying mahjong." Xiao Mochen nodded and patted his chest, saying, "No problem, sister-inw. I¡¯ll go tell my dad right away and reserve the best spot in the teahouse for you. I¡¯ll leave now, see youter, sister-inw." With that, Xiao Mochen turned and left. His name really was Xiao Mochen. Liu Xing watched Xiao Mochen¡¯s retreating figure, lost in thought. Suddenly, Liu Xing caught a faint fragrance in the air, snapping him out of his reverie. He found himself looking at Hu Li¡¯s stunning face, which startled him a bit. Regardless of beauty or ugliness, a sudden appearance of a face in front of you is always startling. "Liu Xing, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯ve been sitting here lost in thought since you came back," Hu Li said with a smile. Liu Xing was about to reply that he was fine, but then a sh of insight hit him¡ªHu Li, Xiao Mochen, Hu Cang, Panlong Lake, Hui Temple, bamboo forest, Watanabe Ryuusei, wedding, hypnosis... Words shed through Liu Xing¡¯s mind, and these words suddenly collided and merged into four words¡ªlike a dream. Just then, the sound of dice hitting the ground rang out again. Liu Xing didn¡¯t even pay attention to Hu Li, who was standing in front of him, and took out his phone. This time, the caller¡¯s ID disyed as "KP Snow Wind." Without hesitation, Liu Xing answered the call and brought the phone to his ear. On the other end of the phone, KP Snow Wind smiled and said, "Congrattions, yer Liu Xing, for sessfully passing the Inspiration Judgment and Willpower Judgment, realizing that you are in the midst of an illusion." As KP Snow Wind¡¯s words faded, Liu Xing noticed that the surroundings quickly changed, with only Hu Li remaining unchanged. In the blink of an eye, Liu Xing found himself back on the yground of Panlong Town Elementary School. Hu Li was smiling at him, while Ling Ishikawa and the others were sprawled on the ground. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 371: Hu Li’s "Killing" Five Chapter 371: Hu Li¡¯s "Killing" Five As Liu Xing gazed upon the scene before him, he was momentarily at a loss for words, his confusion evident. "What¡¯s going on here?" he finally managed to ask. "Oh, I never expected you to be the first one to awaken from my hypnosis," Hu Li¡¯s voice echoed in Liu Xing¡¯s ears, "I thought that smelly Taoist would be the first." Turning around, Liu Xing saw Hu Li standing right in front of him, a cheerful smile on her face. But what concerned Liu Xing even more was the aged dagger that Hu Li held in her hand, emitting an eerie green glow. Judging by the way things looked, Liu Xing was certain that the dagger had been poisoned, most likely with a deadly toxin. At this moment, Liu Xing managed to piece things together. Hu Li had most likely poisoned the wedding in some way and then hypnotized him and hispanions. It was possible she had hypnotized everyone present at the wedding, but he happened to be the first one to wake up. As for Hu Li¡¯s hypnosis technique, it involved drawing people into an illusion. Escaping from Hu Li¡¯s hypnosis required finding ws within the illusion, such as Hu Li marrying Hu Cang, Hu Cang¡¯s clinic turning into an inn, and Liu Xing and his group bing art students. However, Liu Xing had not initially noticed these details; he had only paid attention to the unchanging sky and the reflection of his face in the water. Wait, his face? Liu Xing finally realized that in the illusion, he had appeared as "Liu Xing" rather than "Watanabe Ryuusei." Did this mean that Hu Li, much like the Ancient One, could see through his true identity?Liu Xing regarded Hu Li with increasing wariness. He hadn¡¯t expected her to be so much more powerful than he had imagined. What was even more troubling was that Hu Li seemed to be a proactive, attacking mythical creature. They hadn¡¯t even done anything yet, and she was already making a move on them. While this could be attributed to the circumstances of the plot encounter, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel that Hu Li was acting intentionally. So, what did Hu Li want? Suddenly, Hu Li leaned in closer and asked with a smile, "Since you¡¯re the first one, I suppose I should give you a little reward. Would you be interested in a kiss from a youngdy like me?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by this unexpected offer. He considered nodding without hesitation because Hu Li was undoubtedly a stunning beauty with an appearance rating of over 90 on the app. As a normal man, he didn¡¯t mind kissing her, especially given the saying "Under the peony tree, one should indulge in the pleasures of life." However, at this moment, Liu Xing hesitated. Should he pretend to be reluctant to prove that he wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would prioritize his desires over loyalty to his friends? After all, Ling Ishikawa and the others were still trapped in the illusion, and he was about to ept an offer from the one responsible. If they found out, it wouldn¡¯t end well. On the other hand, if he acted unwilling and made Hu Li retract her offer, it would be a big loss. In short, Liu Xing was experiencing intense internal turmoil at this moment. But just as Liu Xing felt Hu Li¡¯s forehead pressing against his, her ruby-red lips a mere centimeter away from his own, she suddenly pulled back. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of emptiness and an inexplicable disappointment. This reminded Liu Xing of a song: "You get me drunk, but you don¡¯t stay with me." However, in the next moment, Liu Xing suddenly snapped back to reality. Why had he been overthinking things so much and entertaining all these random thoughts? Indeed, Hu Li was a fox spirit, and with her every move, she had managed to captivate him, even without any need for a judgment process. "Hehe, it seems you were quite looking forward to that kiss of mine," Hu Li said with a slightly mocking tone, "Have you ever heard the saying that men are easily swayed by their desires?" Liu Xing was about to respond when he realized something peculiar. He and Hu Li were conversing effortlessly, despite speaking differentnguages. Liu Xing was using Ind Nation Language, while Hu Li was speaking in Chinese. Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s hesitation, Hu Li guessed what was on his mind and exined, "I know you¡¯re a foreigner, and even though ournguages don¡¯t match, we canmunicate through mental inspiration. After all, you must have figured out that my true identity is a fox spirit. Our fox spirits excel in matters of the mind and spirit. When ites to understanding human emotions, we go far deeper than your kind." "I see. So, Miss Hu Li, why did you use hypnosis on us? We haven¡¯t had any conflicts, right? We just arrived in Panlong Town," Liu Xing tried to maintain a calm tone and adjusted his posture, preparing to find an opportunity to escape Hu Li¡¯s reach. After all, the dagger in Hu Li¡¯s hand seemed capable of delivering a lethal blow. However, Liu Xing realized that he couldn¡¯t move. Apart from making subtle facial expressions, he couldn¡¯t even twitch a finger. Hu Li chuckled and shook her head. "I told you earlier, didn¡¯t I? We fox spirits have a keen sense of smell, even the tiniest expressions can reveal a lot. Right now, you must be itching to find an escape route, but you¡¯ve also realized that you can¡¯t move, right? That¡¯s because I added a homemade sedative to the drinks at today¡¯s wedding banquet. It puts people into a state of unconsciousness for half an hour and leaves thempletely powerless for three hours. Otherwise, I, a weak woman, wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against you five men." Frowning, Liu Xing found himself at a loss for words once more. No one is perfect, not even mythical creatures. Many powerful mythical creatures had fatal weaknesses. Take, for example, the Earth-boring Demon Worm, which could cause earthquakes but was vulnerable to a simple bucket of water or a continuously running faucet. So, despite her expertise in scheming and maniption, in terms ofbat strength, Hu Li was likely weakerpared to other mythical creatures and even humans. Right now, Liu Xing believed that he could defeat Hu Li one-on-one if he were free to move. Hu Li continued to speak as she observed Liu Xing, "Since things havee to this point, let me rify some things for you. As a fox spirit, I have a naturally keen sense of smell, which allows me to control everything in Panlong Town. However, early this morning, I suddenly detected the scent of you five appearing at Hu Cang¡¯s home without warning. Then, I smelled the scent of talismans on that wretched Taoist. So, I knew that you must have been hired by Hu Cang to deal with me." "Because in this Panlong Town, apart from a few monsters like me, only Hu Cang knew my true identity as a fox spirit. Add to that the fact that I¡¯m supposed to marry his close friend, Xiao Mochen, and it¡¯s understandable why Hu Cang would send people like you after me. Furthermore, your behavior was quite suspicious, handing over such arge sum of money for no apparent reason." Hu Li¡¯s exnation left Liu Xing in contemtion. "Due to myck of preparation at the time, I couldn¡¯t allow you to disrupt my ns. So, when you arrived on the third floor, I had to temporarily bewitch you with Magic Spells. Afterward, I came here ahead of you and secretly spiked the food in the kitchen. I¡¯ve been closely monitoring your every move ever since. What I didn¡¯t expect was that you folks would be quite patient, never making a move. Unfortunately, it¡¯s your excessive patience that has led you to the current situation. It¡¯s toote to take action now." Liu Xing furrowed his brows and said somewhat resignedly, "Can I point out that there might be some misunderstanding here? We never intended to take any action from the beginning, and we weren¡¯t hired by Hu Cang to deal with you either." Liu Xing knew that Hu Li probably had ill intentions towards them now. However, in Liu Xing¡¯s view, Hu Li wouldn¡¯t make a move this time. ording to the current storyline, Liu Xing¡¯s group shouldn¡¯t be mysteriously killed by Hu Li. At least, that¡¯s what he hoped for. Thinking this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask KP Snow Wind, "KP, can I have a quick conversation with Hu Li now or try to persuade her?" "For now, there¡¯s no need," KP Snow Wind replied with a smile. "In the current situation, whether you have a quick conversation or persuade Judgment doesn¡¯t matter because Judgment¡¯s oue won¡¯t affect the unfolding events." Liu Xing sighed in relief. Based on KP Snow Wind¡¯s response, it seemed that there was no risk of a showdown. They would likely enter a new storyline soon, and Liu Xing¡¯s group could escape from Hu Li¡¯s grasp. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, there usually weren¡¯t any scripted death scenarios. When facing a potentially dire situation, yers were often given a chance to negotiate or persuade their way out, even if it was a difficult or very difficult task. "So, that¡¯s how it is?" Hu Li mused, seemingly more rxed in her tone. "From what I¡¯ve observed, it does seem like what you¡¯re saying is true." Liu Xing reassured her, "Of course, I would never lie in front of Miss Hu Li. You have a keen eye, and you can easily tell if I¡¯m telling the truth or not. So, please trust me, Miss Hu Li." Hu Li chuckled and said, "You¡¯re right; I can easily distinguish between truth and lies. However, knowing someone¡¯s surface doesn¡¯t mean I know their true intentions. Sometimes, even when people speak the truth, their hearts may be thinking differently. Can you let me dig into your heart and see?" While saying this, Hu Li ced a dagger against Liu Xing¡¯s heart. Liu Xing broke into a cold sweat because he could feel the dagger¡¯s tip pressing against his skin. If Hu Li applied even a bit of pressure, the dagger would easily pierce his skin. At that point, he wouldn¡¯t need Hu Li to literally dig out his heart; he¡¯d die from the poison on the dagger. Realizing the danger, Liu Xing forced a smile and said, "Miss Hu Li, please don¡¯t toy with that dagger. It looks like it¡¯s coated with a deadly poison. Could you please put it down first?" Hu Li smiled again and removed the dagger. She then spoke, "I was just teasing you. I know you¡¯re telling the truth. But there¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t quite understand. Why did you suddenly appear in Panlong Town, and what¡¯s your true purpose here?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. These were tricky questions to answer, as they involved the concept of Panlong Town¡¯s temporal distortion. However, seeing that Hu Li was growing impatient, Liu Xing knew he had to provide an answer that would satisfy her. He decided to reveal the situation regarding Panlong Town¡¯s temporal distortion, altering his identity to that of a regr tourist. Liu Xing dared to share this information with Hu Li because he wanted to take a gamble. After the next temporal distortion, he believed Hu Li would forget this conversation. After all, Hu Cang had mentioned experiencing 450 temporal distortions, making him the only one unaffected. Other Panlong Town residents, including mythical creatures, were impacted by temporal distortions. Seeing Hu Li¡¯s surprised expression, Liu Xing felt he had made the right bet. "I see. That exins why I¡¯ve always felt something was amiss in Panlong Town but couldn¡¯t pinpoint the reason. I also had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu about certain things. So, it all stems from this," Hu Li said, suddenly enlightened. Liu Xing was relieved that Hu Li epted his exnation and continued, "Exactly. We¡¯re all just ordinary tourists who identally ended up in Panlong Town. As for Zhang Jingxu, he is indeed a Taoist but not the kind who indiscriminately attacks creatures. So, I believe there¡¯s no reason for him to harm you in Panlong Town." Hu Li chuckled, seeming quite satisfied with Liu Xing¡¯s words. "You¡¯re right. I haven¡¯t done anything wrong in Panlong Town. Today¡¯s incident should count as my first misdeed. After all, there¡¯s a saying, ¡¯Strike first, strike hard.¡¯ I had some misunderstandings with you all earlier, which led to this course of action. I believe you can understand my intentions." Liu Xing, driven by a strong will to survive, nodded vigorously. He was about to speak when Hu Li interrupted him, "However, I¡¯ve heard that humans have a saying, ¡¯People of the same n share the same heart, while those from different ns harbor different intentions.¡¯ What do you think of that?" Liu Xing furrowed his brows, feeling that Hu Li¡¯s question had a hint of hostility. Additionally, he didn¡¯t know how to answer it, as he was uncertain of Hu Li¡¯s stance on the matter. Furthermore, Liu Xing was frustrated because Ling Ishikawa and the others were still under Hu Li¡¯s hypnotic influence. He was in a difficult spot. Liu Xing sighed and decided to take a gamble, "Miss Hu Li, personally, I think the saying ¡¯People of the same n share the same heart, while those from different ns harbor different intentions¡¯ is urate. Different races undoubtedly have their own customs and interests, so people from the same race tend to unite due to shared beliefs and culture. On the other hand, conflicts and differences easily arise between different races." Hu Li nodded and smiled, saying, "I was thinking the same way. So, do you believe that two individuals from different races can be happy together?" How should one respond to this? Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect that after one difficult question, another one would follow from Hu Li, making it even harder to answer. However, Liu Xing believed he had a rough idea of what Hu Li was getting at. After all, Hu Li¡¯s intentions were bing quite evident. So, without hesitation, Liu Xing nodded and said, "I believe love transcends all boundaries. As long as two people genuinely love each other, it doesn¡¯t matter their race, age, or gender. Therefore, two people from different races, as long as their love is sincere, can definitely find happiness together." Hu Li¡¯s smile gradually faded. Liu Xing suddenly realized an important detail. Hu Li had asked, "Can two people from different races be happy together?" but his response had been, "Two people from different races can be happy as long as they love each other." It seemed like he had misinterpreted the question, his answer had gone off-topic. A misstep. Liu Xing felt like he might regret this moment forever. The atmosphere grew tense. But just then, Hu Li burst into heartyughter, and the entire yground of Panlong Town Elementary School echoed with Hu Li¡¯s melodiousughter. However, to Liu Xing, it felt like a series of death knells. After a while, Hu Li finally stoppedughing and said to Liu Xing, "Thank you for helping me see the truth. I finally understand what Hu Cang meant that day." Before Liu Xing could grasp the meaning of Hu Li¡¯s words, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The dagger that had been in Hu Li¡¯s hand a moment ago was now plunged into his own chest. Hu Li leaned in close to Liu Xing¡¯s ear and whispered, "Thank you for sharing so much useful information with me¡­" As consciousness gradually faded, Liu Xing could no longer hear what Hu Li was saying. All he knew now was that he was about to die. In thest moment before losing consciousness, Liu Xing¡¯s final thought was, "Indeed, women are capricious. One moment they¡¯re thanking you, the next they¡¯re mercilessly stabbing you¡­" But just as hepletely lost consciousness, Liu Xing suddenly saw a bright light and regained his rity. Liu Xing looked at the somewhat familiar ceiling, sat up, and surveyed his surroundings. He realized that he had returned to the third-floor room in Hu Cang¡¯s house, and Ling Ishikaway peacefully on the bed. Liu Xing touched his still-slightly-painful chest, utterly perplexed. "Could it be that everything that just happened was an illusion? Or am I still within an illusion?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow, muttering to himself. However, at that moment, Ling Ishikawa suddenly let out a cry of shock and fell off the bed. Startled, Liu Xing rushed to help Ling Ishikawa and asked with concern, "Ling Ishikawa, what¡¯s wrong?" After taking a deep breath, Ling Ishikawa, still trembling, said, "I don¡¯t know what happened exactly. All I remember is fainting at the wedding venue, and then suddenly feeling excruciating pain before waking up just now." Clearly, Ling Ishikawa had also been "killed" by Hu Li. At this point, Liu Xing began to hear cries of astonishment from Zhang Jingxu and the others. It seemed that they, too, had fallen victim to Hu Li¡¯s "kill." Hu Li had imed five victims. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 372: Intelligence in the Illusionary Realm Chapter 372: Intelligence in the Illusionary Realm Fortunately, at this moment, Liu Xing had not yet encountered KP Snow Wind. This indicated that even though they, along with theirpanions, had been "killed" by Hu Li, it hadn¡¯t resulted in a module failure or a card tearing event. In this module, just like Hu Cang, yers could also "die and resurrect." Of course, it seemed they had now arrived at a different point in time. Liu Xing rubbed his slightly aching chest and said to Ling Ishikawa, "Let¡¯s go check on Zhang Jingxu and the others." Ling Ishikawa, still somewhat dazed, nodded after a moment and got up to follow Liu Xing out of the room. At the same time, Zhang Jingxu and the rest emerged from their respective rooms and, after exchanging nods, gathered around a table in the third-floor lobby. "KP, we need to start the Private Room time," Wan Chongshan said, taking the lead. Although Private Room time was precious, the recent incident where they were wiped out without warning left Liu Xing and the others caught off guard. Hence, they needed to discuss their group¡¯s mistakes in yesterday¡¯s events. "We have to admit that we were somewhat careless or perhaps too overconfident. We didn¡¯t take Hu Li seriously from the beginning and didn¡¯t treat her as a true opponent," Liu Xing set the tone. Ling Ishikawa nodded and earnestly added, "You¡¯re right. We were toocent in our actions yesterday. Initially, we didn¡¯t pay much attention to Hu Li, and even after realizing we had been hypnotized by her once, we didn¡¯t remain cautious. This led to us falling victim to her again, and she wiped us out."Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said thoughtfully, "I did have some precautions against Hu Li at the beginning. After all, this is an advanced module, and mythical creatures within modules are not easy opponents. Besides, the abilities of a fox spirit are deeply ingrained in folklore. So, I initially prepared myself to be tricked by Hu Li." "However, I still became a bit careless. At the start, I thought Hu Li wouldn¡¯t suspect our identities, and she wouldn¡¯t attack us in public. So, I didn¡¯t make any preparations. But here¡¯s the crucial point: as soon as I regained consciousness, I decided to be vignt against Hu Li¡¯s possible tricks." "But for some reason, even though I thought about it, I didn¡¯t act on it until the second time I was affected. So, I believe Hu Li¡¯s hypnotic techniques aren¡¯t just simple hypnosis. She seems to use a form of psychological suggestion that prevents us from resisting her. Furthermore, her hypnotic skills are exceptionally high, as she managed to hypnotize us without requiring Judgment." "This must be a Plot Encounter," Li Dian furrowed his brow. "I think it¡¯s a Plot Encounter. While we were indeed wiped out by Hu Li, it also provided us with valuable information. For example, how to deal with the pig head butcher. Most importantly, it confirmed Hu Li¡¯s strength. This allows us to make educated guesses about the abilities of other mythical creatures." Liu Xing pondered for a moment and nodded, "I agree with Li Dian¡¯s perspective. This should be a Plot Encounter; otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have beenpletely defenseless and wiped out by Hu Li. I want to ask everyone about their experiences in the illusion. I want to know if our illusions are interconnected. First, the illusion I experienced¡ªwe all became art students visiting Panlong Town, and Hu Cang had married Hu Li, turning the clinic into a guesthouse." "Exactly, next, when we went to Panlong Lake to sketch, we noticed that the bamboo forest¡¯s density had decreased, and we saw Hui Temple deep within the bamboo forest," Ling Ishikawa continued. In this manner, they described their respective illusions, confirming that everyone¡¯s illusions were interconnected. However, what concerned Liu Xing the most was what had happened to Zhang Jingxu and the others after he sessfully broke free from the illusion. After Liu Xing broke free from the illusion, Ling Ishikawa and the others saw him suddenly convulse after answering a phone call, copse to the ground, and were promptly rushed to Panlong Town Clinic for treatment. Following Zhong Rensan¡¯s diagnosis and treatment, Liu Xing finally recovered and fell asleep in his hospital bed. The group decided to leave Li Dian, who had some medical knowledge, to care for Liu Xing. The rest returned to Hu Cang¡¯s house. On the way back to Hu Cang¡¯s house, Wan Chongshan decided to stop by a small supermarket to purchase some items like milk, anticipating Liu Xing¡¯s need to replenish his strength when he woke up. Wan Chongshan informed the others and went into the supermarket for shopping. Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa hadn¡¯t gone far when they witnessed a disheveled young man running wildly in the street, shouting, "Don¡¯t chase me!" and "Don¡¯t kill me!" Despite their attempts to avoid him, the young man charged straight into Zhang Jingxu, and they both fell to the ground. The young man immediately got up and ran away, leaving Zhang Jingxu on the ground. Ling Ishikawa helped him up, and they noticed a dropped pen nearby, which Zhang Jingxu picked up. It seemed to be of high value, so he decided to inquire about the young man¡¯s identityter and return the pen to him. Upon returning to Hu Cang¡¯s house, they learned from Hu Li that Hu Cang had gone fishing on Panlong River with Xiao Mochen, nning to make fish soup for Liu Xing. Ling Ishikawa took the paintings they hadpleted in the morning upstairs, while Zhang Jingxu stayed downstairs, awaiting Hu Cang¡¯s return. However, after a tiring morning, Zhang Jingxu began to doze off, unintentionally slipping into a dream. Suddenly, a sudden change urred. First, Li Dian received a request from Zhong Rensan to fetch a bottle of saline from the storage room in the basement to assist with treating a new patient. Naturally, Li Dian agreed. Following Zhong Rensan¡¯s instructions, Li Dian headed down a right corridor and descended adder, entering the basement. Inside, there were only two rooms: an Archives Room and a storage room. Li Dian easily found the saltwater in the storage room, but as he was about to leave, he realized that the door to the storage room had been unexpectedly closed. Initially, Li Dian thought it was the wind that had shut the door, but he quickly realized that Panlong Townclinic¡¯s basement had no windows, so where could the wind havee from? Moreover, the door had made creaking sounds when he had opened it just moments ago. How could it have closed silently? This sent chills down Li Dian¡¯s spine, and he could only think of one possibility: he might have encountered something supernatural. At that moment, the light in the storage room also predictably malfunctioned. In the darkness, Li Dian hurriedly used his phone for illumination. To his horror, he found that his hand was gripped by someone, and he could vividly feel that the hand gripping his was extremely withered yet incredibly strong. In less than a second, Li Dian felt like his hand was about to break. Then, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down to see a skeletal ck hand emerging from his body, clutching his still-beating heart. Li Dian, met his demise. Wan Chongshan, who had just finished shopping at the supermarket and was preparing to check out, suddenly saw the store owner clutching his chest and copsing to the ground. He asked Wan Chongshan to go to the second floor and fetch his heart medication. Wan Chongshan readily agreed and entered the room through a partially closed door behind the cash register. He spotted a bottle of medicine on the table. However, before Wan Chongshan could pick up the medication, he heard footsteps behind him. He instinctively turned around to find the supermarket owner, who had been in pain just moments ago, staring lifelessly at him. What was more disturbing was that the owner was holding a wooden stick. Wan Chongshan realized that the situation was dire and quickly grabbed a nearby chair. Just then, four more people entered the room, including Xiao Mochen¡¯s father, Xiao Dafu. Like the store owner, these four individuals had lifeless eyes and weapons in their hands. A whistle sounded from outside the room, and Xiao Dafu and the others rushed at Wan Chongshan. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, Wan Chongshan was subdued and bound with ropes before being carried to the third floor. There, still somewhat conscious, Wan Chongshan found himself ced on a table, and a pungent smell of blood filled the room. Xiao Dafu and the others began chanting a two-word phrase repeatedly¡ª "eat meat." Wan Chongshan realized that they intended to consume him. He desperately struggled, but the strength of one person could not ovee the restraint of five. Helplessly, he watched as a young man in a chef¡¯s outfit and a ck mask approached him, thrusting a sharp knife into his heart. Wan Chongshan met his end. Zhang Jingxu entered a dream and found himself in a somewhat dpidated ssroom. There were no other people around. Zhang Jingxu stood up and left the ssroom, only to realize that it was now evening. Outside, on the schoolyard, he saw a group of middle school students sitting in a circle. In the center stood a person dressed in white. Since the person in white had their back to Zhang Jingxu, he could only specte based on their hair and physique that this individual was probably a male middle school student. Strangely, all these middle school students remained silent and motionless. Although Zhang Jingxu sensed that something was amiss, he believed that since it was a dream, he should approach to investigate. Against his better judgment, Zhang Jingxu involuntarily walked closer. When Zhang Jingxu was less than five meters away from the middle school students, they suddenly let out simultaneous screams and scattered in all directions. However, the one in white remained motionless, while the white clothing gradually turned crimson. Zhang Jingxu desperately tried to control himself and distance himself from the strange middle school student, but his efforts were in vain. His proximity to the person in white continued to decrease. In that moment, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s perspective shifted from first-person to third-person, allowing him to witness the scattered middle school students engage in brutal violence, attacking each other with fists, keys, and even bricks, regardless of the means. As for the white-d middle school student in front of him, he was slowly turning around. However, just as Zhang Jingxu was about to see the face of the person in white, another middle school student approached him with a dagger and stabbed him in the back. Zhang Jingxu met his demise. After Zhang Jingxu and the two others finished recounting their deaths in the dream realm, they all turned their attention to Ling Ishikawa, who seemed hesitant and had a flickering gaze. Observing this, Liu Xing stroked his chin and remarked, "Given the circumstances, Ling Ishikawa, you were also killed by Hu Li in the dream realm, weren¡¯t you?" Ling Ishikawa¡¯s face changed color, and he eximed in surprise, "Liu Xing, how did you know?" Liu Xing shrugged casually and reasoned, "It¡¯s quite simple, really. Just use your brain, and you¡¯ll realize that you were killed by Hu Li in the illusion. That¡¯s because Zhang Jingxu and the others were killed by mythical creatures. At that time, the only one who could have had contact with mythical creatures was Hu Li. As for why you didn¡¯t want to admit how you died, I¡¯m afraid something unspeakable happened between you and Hu Li." Zhang Jingxu and the others shared a sinisterugh in perfect harmony. Ling Ishikawa, with a hint of resignation, shook his head and spoke, "Alright, alright, I admit I was killed by Hu Li, but I didn¡¯t have any illicit affairs with her. Though I must confess, I did have some thoughts about it, but Hu Li never gave me that opportunity." Then, Ling Ishikawa proceeded to describe in detail how he was killed by Hu Li in the illusion. As Ling Ishikawa finished his story and arranged the painting, he was about to head downstairs when he suddenly sensed a delightful fragrance. Hu Li then bumped into him and fell into his arms. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa was initially surprised, but he started to daydream. After all, as a normal man, being embraced by such a beautiful woman as Hu Li, except for a saint, it would be difficult to resist temptation. However, Ling Ishikawa hadn¡¯t forgotten that Hu Li was a married woman. He quickly inquired about her intentions, fearing that Hu Cang might see them together. Hu Li chuckled and first gave Ling Ishikawa a seductive nce. She reassured him that Hu Cang had gone fishing and wouldn¡¯t return for at least half an hour. Even if he did return, he would first encounter Zhang Jingxu downstairs, so Ling Ishikawa needn¡¯t worry. Subsequently, Hu Li led Ling Ishikawa into a random room and pushed him onto the bed. She told him to close his eyes, promising a surprise. With joyous anticipation, Ling Ishikawa obediently closed his eyes. Soon, he heard the sound of clothing being removed, intensifying his excitement. Just as Ling Ishikawa was on the verge of opening his eyes, Hu Li informed him that he could do so. However, when Ling Ishikawa opened his eyes, instead of the expected surprise, he was shocked. Before him, Hu Li had transformed into a fox-headed humanoid. Nheless, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t deny that even as a fox-headed creature, Hu Li still looked exceptionally beautiful. Ling Ishikawa then realized that he was bound to the bed, unable to move. Before he could speak, he saw Hu Li produce a willow leaf de and without hesitation, make an indescribable incision in a certain area, causing Ling Ishikawa to scream in agony. Ling Ishikawa, in utter despair. After hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ordeal, Liu Xing and the others initially felt a chill, but they couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter, paying no heed to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s resentful expression. One could say that Liu Xing would rather be stabbed by Hu Li a hundred times than experience the misfortune that had befallen Ling Ishikawa. However, time in the private room was precious, and soon, everyone regained theirposure. "It seems like we hit the jackpot with this Plot Encounter. If everything goes ording to n, the mythical creatures that killed us in the illusion should exist in Panlong Town. After all, I heard Hu Li mention that she knows of several mythical creatures in Panlong Town after we left the illusion," Liu Xing said earnestly. Ling Ishikawa nodded and added, "In that case, in the basement of Panlong Town Clinic, there should be a zombie or a ghost. Upstairs in the supermarket, Zha Kang isn¡¯t a drug dealer; he¡¯s likely a cannibal and may also moonlight as a sorcerer. As for Zhang Jingxu¡¯s dream, it¡¯s probably rted to the disc spirit, and the white-d high school student is most likely the disc spirit." Zhang Jingxu rested his chin on his hand, looking somewhat puzzled. "However, there are two things that strike me as odd. Firstly, regarding the ck cat demon deep in the bamboo forest and the corpse of the snake. Unless I¡¯m mistaken, that snake is probably the ck Flood Dragon. So why did the ck cat demon and ck Flood Dragon perish together in the illusion? We saw the ck Flood Dragon with our own eyes in reality, and the ck cat demon was stalking us near the bamboo forest." "Secondly, there¡¯s Panlong Lake. On the first day, we circled Panlong Town, but we didn¡¯t spot Panlong Lake. I don¡¯t think the illusion would randomly create a ce that doesn¡¯t exist, so I suspect Panlong Lake is real but somehow concealed." Liu Xing furrowed his brows and replied, "That might be rted to the ck Flood Dragon. Since it resides in the Panlong Town reservoir, that reservoir could very well be Panlong Lake." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and sighed before saying, "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 373: A New Side Quest Chapter 373: A New Side Quest Zhang Jingxu paused for a moment, then began, "You all should still remember those stone pirs in Panlong Lake, right? At the time, I noticed that those pirs were connected to something massive underwater. And Ling Ishikawa also pointed out that as we were about to leave Panlong Lake, those pirs seemed to have shifted positions." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and spoke earnestly, "Zhang Jingxu, are you suggesting that those stone pirs are actually spikes from some mythical creature?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and replied with a solemn expression, "That¡¯s what it seems like. Considering the time we spent in the illusion at Panlong Lake was the longest, and based on our experiences with other situations in the illusion, there must be a mythical creature lurking in Panlong Lake. Moreover, this mythical creature¡¯s strength should not be underestimated. After all, Panlong Lake could very well be their of a mythical creature, and it¡¯s a case of ¡¯two tigers cannot share the same mountain.¡¯ The ck Flood Dragon may have already been driven away or even killed by this mythical creature." "The ck Flood Dragon killed?" Everyone was taken aback, eximing in unison. Zhang Jingxu sighed and continued, "I understand that you may argue that at the beginning of Module One, we all witnessed the ck Flood Dragon causing damage to the bridge. But seeing isn¡¯t always believing, because ording to what Hu Cang and others have said, the ck Flood Dragon used to be the guardian deity of Panlong Town, often helping its residents in times of trouble. Based on our earlier spections, the ck Flood Dragon might have been acting that way in order to ascend and be a true dragon, as only with perfect merits can one sessfully ascend." "So, the biggest reason I now doubt the survival of the ck Flood Dragon is that during the ck Inte Cafe fire, it did not appear to save lives. You see, if it had saved the more than ten lives lost in the ck Inte Cafe arson, it would have umted a significant amount of merits and received even more offerings and beliefs from the residents of Panlong Town." "But as you¡¯ve all witnessed, the ck Flood Dragon did not appear. As for the reason why it didn¡¯t show up, it definitely couldn¡¯t be because it was too ashamed to face people. After all, before this, the ck Flood Dragon had intervened many times. So, I believe it¡¯s highly likely that the ck Flood Dragon is no longer alive. Of course, this is just my immature spection." Liu Xing frowned slightly, touching his chin as he spoke, "Zhang Jingxu, what you said does make some sense. It is possible that the ck Flood Dragon has already perished. However, the ck Flood Dragon should have died after destroying the bridge. Moreover, the ck Flood Dragon that perished within the illusion should be a reflection of that event. The situation with the ck cat demon should be simr. But if that is indeed the case, then the mythical creature currently residing in Panlong Lake might possess an even greater level of power than we can imagine." Ling Ishikawa, who was nearby, nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "Liu Xing, you both make valid points. However, we shouldn¡¯t be too pessimistic. Let¡¯s not forget what Hu Cang once said. Although Panlong Town is currently in a state of temporal distortion, we can still alter the course of events after a certain point in time. So, all we need to do is inform the ck Flood Dragon of the danger it faces in the future while it¡¯s still alive. This should give it a chance to survive."Just then, KP Snow Wind suddenly stepped forward and spoke, "Congrattions to yer Yin En for sessfully triggering a new Side Quest - ¡¯Debt of Life.¡¯ The mission objective is to help the ck Flood Dragon evade a fatal ambush, with a reward of 500 points and raising the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s favorability towards you to 100." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Wait, does this Side Quest mean that only I can undertake it? And it doesn¡¯t offer any ¡¯truth¡¯ points as a reward?" KP Snow Wind chuckled and replied, "That¡¯s right. This Side Quest can only bepleted by you, as other yers cannot assist you in this particr task. As for theck of ¡¯truth¡¯ points as a reward, do you not think that having the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s favorability at 100 could bring you even greater benefits?" Ling Ishikawa suddenly realized the potential. After all, aside from the unidentified mythical creature lurking in Panlong Lake, the ck Flood Dragon was currently the most powerful mythical creature in Panlong Town. If he could gain its favor, he could easily request its assistance in dealing with the other mythical creatures. So, Liu Xing patted Ling Ishikawa on the shoulder and earnestly said, "The next steps are up to you, Yin En. I¡¯m ready for aid-back win now." Zhang Jingxu and the others also looked at Ling Ishikawa with anticipation on their faces. Ling Ishikawa, sensing the situation, couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit uneasy. He spoke up, saying, "Please don¡¯t look at me like this, and don¡¯t have too many expectations for me. After all, with such generous Mission rewards, the difficulty of this Side Quest can be imagined. So, I¡¯m afraid I may not be able toplete this Mission, but of course, I will still do my best." Liu Xing nodded and smiled, saying, "We are all aware of the difficulty of this Side Quest, so Yin En, you don¡¯t need to feel too much pressure. Just do your best. Time is running out. Let¡¯s move on to the next topic. After I left the illusion, I had a long conversation with Hu Li. The most important thing I learned is that Hu Li is very fond of Hu Cang, but Hu Cang rejected her in the end." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said, "That was within our expectations. If Hu Cang had epted Hu Li, then she wouldn¡¯t have been able to marry Xiao Mochen. However, Xiao Mochen is quite unlucky in this situation. He thought he could marry a beautifuldy, but it turns out things took a different turn. That¡¯s really unfortunate." Liu Xing shook his head and said seriously, "I think Xiao Mochen¡¯s situation is not just bad luck. Hu Li must have had a reason for it. After all, there are plenty of people in Panlong Town. If Hu Li wanted revenge against Hu Cang due to her feelings, she could have married anyone else. Why did she specifically choose to trouble Xiao Mochen? So, I believe it¡¯s necessary for us to talk to Hu Cang and find out more. This is crucial for how we handle the troublesome situation caused by Hu Li." "After all, Hu Li is quite powerful overall. She not only possesses the ability to use hypnosis but also has a natural charm. She can perceive everything happening in Panlong Town through her sense of smell. While herbat abilities might not be exceptional, she likely has a variety of powerful items. We know of a dagger that can cause lethal injuries and a slow-acting but highly effective poison. Moreover, Hu Li has identified us as allies of Hu Cang. Therefore, if we want to operate smoothly in Panlong Town, we must first deal with the problem of Hu Li." At this moment, Ling Ishikawa crossed his hands under his chin and spoke in a low, solemn tone, "Since we are in this situation, let me perform a Prophecy Art to reveal the path ahead for everyone." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, recalling Ling Ishikawa¡¯s previous prophecy from thest module. Although that prophecy was somewhat urate to some extent, it ultimately didn¡¯t serve much purpose. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 374: The Cost of Resurrection Chapter 374: The Cost of Resurrection Having witnessed Zhang Jingxu¡¯s use of the Prophecy Art, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but smile and say, "Ling Ishikawa, your Prophecy Art seems a bit... how should I put it, unreliable, right? After all, you yourself admitted that the Prophecy Art is entirely random, and the targets of the prophecies are uncontroble. So, I think, Ling Ishikawa, you might want to reconsider using that Prophecy Art." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, sharing a simr sentiment. "Zhang Jingxu is right. Ling Ishikawa, your Prophecy Art, to put it bluntly, is more of an entertainment skill. It¡¯s fine for amusement, but relying on it for useful information is nearly impossible." Ling Ishikawa looked somewhat frustrated as he nced at Liu Xing. He shrugged and replied, "Well, I do admit that the effectiveness of my Prophecy Art can be disappointing at times. But in the previous module, my Prophecy Art did work to some extent. After all, it predicted that Matsui Yui had once acted in a small film. It¡¯s just that you all didn¡¯t believe my prophecy back then. Besides, we have some spare time now, and using Prophecy Art once won¡¯t hurt, right?" Seeing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s determination, Liu Xing relented, saying, "Alright, Ling Ishikawa, go ahead and use your Prophecy Art again. I hope this time it will be as sessful as in the previous module. However, it¡¯s gettingte now. How about you wait until tomorrow to use the Prophecy Art? It has a lengthy casting time, and it¡¯s alreadyte at night. I don¡¯t want to keep everyone waiting for too long." After some consideration, Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement. He understood that the Prophecy Art had a significant pre-casting dy, and it wouldn¡¯t be fair to make Liu Xing and the others wait for an extended period in the middle of the night. Liu Xing checked his phone and continued, "Alright, the Private Room time is almost up. Let me wrap this up. First, tomorrow we¡¯ll meet with Hu Cang to confirm the current timeline. Then, we need to find a way to deal with the troublesome Hu Li. At this point, Hu Li should be aware of our presence, just like the Hu Li from the previous timeline. She probably believes we are sent to deal with her. Knowing Hu Li¡¯s personality, she¡¯ll likely strike preemptively." "Furthermore, Hu Li possesses highly covert methods. So, no matter how cautious we are, she has a high chance of cornering us. Escaping won¡¯t solve our problem. We must confront Hu Li head-on. Of course, if we engage in a direct conflict with her, the chances of sess are high, but it wille at a cost. While we can resurrect, we won¡¯t be able toplete other missions during this timeline." "So, I personally believe that the best approach to dealing with Hu Li is to appeal to her emotions and logic. Hu Li seems to genuinely care for her husband, so if we find the right approach, we might be able to persuade her to drop her hostility. I¡¯ll take responsibility for this mission, as I had an extensive conversation with Hu Li after leaving the illusionary realm, and I believe I have a reasonable understanding of her." The others readily agreed to Liu Xing¡¯s proposal, understanding the gravity of the situation. They knew that if they didn¡¯t resolve the Hu Li issue, their progress within this module would be severely hindered, as they¡¯d have to tread carefully, fearing Hu Li¡¯s sudden attacks at every step.As for a direct confrontation, they all recognized its impracticality. Hu Li had considered them as enemies from the beginning, and she hadplete control over their actions within the illusionary realm. Therefore, even before they reached Hu Li¡¯s location, she might have set various traps, making it easy for her to eliminate them once again. They had no effective means to counter her abilities. So, entrusting Liu Xing to negotiate with Hu Li was the most sensible and inevitable option. Reflecting on this, Ling Ishikawa added a warning, "Liu Xing, you should be cautious. Hu Li, or should I say, the ¡¯demon,¡¯ seems somewhat unstable. To strike back at Hu Cang, she resorted to unspeakable acts against Xiao Mochen. Combining my personal experience, I suspect she might have a particr fixation on a certain ¡¯unmentionable¡¯ part. So, be prepared for her to potentially resort to such methods with you." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words sent a chill down Liu Xing¡¯s spine. His earlier impulsive decision to confront Hu Li alone now felt regrettable. With a sigh, Liu Xing admitted, "I think I may not be able to handle Hu Li on my own..." Before Liu Xing could finish, Zhang Jingxu patted him on the shoulder and said reassuringly, "Liu Xing, have faith in yourself. You¡¯re the best." The others nodded solemnly, though their faces betrayed amused smiles. Liu Xing sighed again, realizing he might have bitten off more than he could chew. At that moment, KP Snow Wind interjected, "Alright, the Private Room time has ended. yers, please prepare to continue ying your roles. However, there¡¯s one more thing I didn¡¯t get a chance to mention earlier. Although you can be resurrected in this module, you should be aware that ites at a cost and has limitations." "So, let me exin the resurrection rules for this module. Each yer has three chances to be resurrected. After the third death, you¡¯ll be eliminated from the game. Each resurrection will deduct 15 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points, and one of your skills will be randomly selected to have its value temporarily reduced by half in the next timeline." Upon hearing KP Snow Wind¡¯s words, Liu Xing quickly began to inspect his character card, only to discover that there were no abnormalities in the skill values listed on it. Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing immediately inquired of KP Snow Wind, "KP, why haven¡¯t my skill values decreased? Is it possible that we¡¯ll only find out during Judgment?" KP Snow Wind smiled and responded, "Because, yers, this time your deaths urred as a result of triggering the Plot Encounter for the first time within this module. Therefore, it hasn¡¯t been formally counted towards your death count. As a result, you won¡¯t face any penalties for this death. However, moving forward, regardless of the reasons behind your deaths, you will indeed be penalized. I hope you all proceed with caution." Liu Xing nodded in understanding. It seemed that this module was rtively forgiving in this regard. However, this realization shed light on why the "Truth" points for this module had been set at 650. Factoring in the penalties for the two deaths, 650 "Truth" points would just barely suffice. With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel the pressure of the "Truth" points. If yers died twice, it was highly likely that at least one of them wouldn¡¯t have enough "Truth" points toplete the module. After all, each Side Quest offered a different number of "Truth" points, making it challenging for every yer to reach exactly 100 points. Now, Liu Xing understood the sinister intention behind this module. Despite appearing as a typical cooperative module on the surface, it cleverly utilized the point system, forcing yers to engage in hiddenpetition while cooperating. They had to strive to reach 100 "Truth" points faster than their peers, especially when a Side Quest failed or yers umted too many deaths, causing a shortage of "Truth" points. In such cases, the covertpetition could easily escte into open conflict. To make matters moreplicated, Liu Xing noticed that as this unwritten rule became apparent, the atmosphere among the participants grew increasingly subtle. Being prepared for any situation was always wise. At that moment, footsteps could be hearding from downstairs, indicating that Hu Cang had arrived. As expected, Hu Cang looked at Liu Xing and the others without surprise and said, "Indeed, you all can resurrect just like me. But it seems you won¡¯t be able to stop Hu Li, will you?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow. How was he able to understand Hu Cang¡¯s words now? Had the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall encountered a bug? Pondering this, Liu Xing tentatively asked Hu Cang, "Hu Cang, are you saying that it¡¯s inevitable for Hu Li to take action during the wedding?" Hu Cang nodded first and then looked at Liu Xing in astonishment, expressing his confusion, "Wait a minute, how can I understand Mr. Ryuusei speaking Ind Nation Language?" Zhang Jingxu, too, was surprised as he looked at Liu Xing, nodding and saying, "That¡¯s right, Mr. Ryuusei, you are indeed speaking Ind Nation Language." Liu Xing had a sudden realization and exined, "It seems that Hu Li did something to me, because when I woke up from the illusion earlier, it seemed that she used some kind of Magic Spells on me, granting me the ability for mentalmunication, bypassingnguage barriers." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and smiled, saying, "I do recall such Magic Spells, but they are not widely used due to their limited practicality andplex requirements. However, what Hu Li did might actually be helpful. It allows you to freelymunicate with us, and you can use this ability to gather information, as others likely assume you don¡¯t understand Chinese." Liu Xing smiled and added, "That¡¯s a good idea indeed. In front of a foreigner like me who doesn¡¯t understand Chinese, most people probably won¡¯t be too cautious and might inadvertently reveal useful information." This time, Liu Xing consciously refrained from engaging in mentalmunication with Hu Cang. As expected, Hu Cang appeared as though he didn¡¯t understand. Meanwhile, Zhang Jingxu and the others reacted appropriately. This put Liu Xing at ease, as it seemed he could control this form of mentalmunication. After all, if he couldn¡¯t, he would have to be very careful with his words. Returning to the main topic, Hu Cang continued, "In fact, there are three possibilities regarding Hu Li and Xiao Mochen¡¯s wedding ceremony. The first possibility is that I didn¡¯t attend their wedding, and nothing happened. The second possibility is that I attended their wedding, and just like what you experienced, everyone at the wedding was somehow mesmerized by Hu Li¡¯s methods, while I was captured and detained somewhere. The third possibility is that I attended their wedding, but in a moment of vulnerability, I was subdued by unknown individuals, likely Hu Li herself, and then detained." Everyone exchanged nces. Hu Li clearly had a strong preference for Hu Cang, as evidenced by the differential treatment. She had killed Liu Xing and hispanions, while Hu Cang had only been imprisoned. With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask Hu Cang, "Mr. Hu Cang, I believe you are aware that Hu Li had a strong affection for you. So, may I inquire about the reasons for your breakup?" Hu Cang furrowed his brows, looking somewhat uneasy as he said, "Why are you asking this question? It shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with us getting rid of the temporal distortion. So, I think I don¡¯t need to answer this question." Liu Xing sighed and spoke earnestly, "That may not necessarily be true, Mr. Hu Cang. I believe you already know the true identity of Hu Li, who is actually a fox that has cultivated to be a spirit. ording to the information we currently have, Panlong Town may still be inhabited by various demons and monsters, which could potentially be linked to the temporal distortion in Panlong Town. So, we need to find a way to deal with these creatures one by one." "But, Mr. Hu Cang, you should also know or have guessed how powerful these demons and monsters are. Just us ordinary people won¡¯t be able to handle them. Therefore, we must find suitable allies to assist us. And the most suitable ally naturally would be Hu Li. After all, to defeat the demons, we need the help of someone like her who possesses extraordinary abilities." Liu Xing¡¯s persuasive argument left Hu Cang deep in thought. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu seized the opportunity and added, "Ryuusei is right, these demons and monsters are likely the ones released by that fanatical cultist who came to Panlong Town to spread his beliefs. Moreover, that cultist has a strong connection to the current temporal distortion in Panlong Town. So, we all believe that the best way to resolve the Panlong Town temporal distortion is by eliminating these creatures one by one. That¡¯s why we need your support, Mr. Hu Cang. Hu Li is our only viable ally right now." Hu Cang sighed and spoke with a conflicted expression, "You¡¯ve all probably guessed it already, there have been some disagreements between me and Hu Li about certain details, leading to the current situation. But I must rify that Hu Li and I are not in a romantic rtionship. The reason Hu Li likes me is that I once saved her when she was still in her fox form." Then, Hu Cang began to narrate the story of his encounter with Hu Li, a rather clich¨¦d tale of a fox repaying a favor. When Hu Cang was eight years old, he was ying hide and seek with his friends on a hill across Panlong River. Due to strong winds in the previous days, the hill¡¯s trees were in disarray, some even uprooted. During the game of hide and seek, Hu Cang discovered Hu Li in her fox form, who hadn¡¯t yet transformed into a human. At that moment, Hu Li¡¯s leg was trapped under a bowl-sized tree, and so Hu Cang rescued her and brought her to his home for treatment. After her leg had healed, he released her back into the forest. Two years ago, when Hu Li had transformed into a human, she came to Panlong Town to repay her debt to Hu Cang. Initially, Hu Cang didn¡¯t recognize her as he couldn¡¯t fathom how an animal could be human. However, he soon realized that Hu Li was excessively kind to him, in an abnormal way. Despite her intelligence, she exhibited childish behavior at times andckedmon knowledge. Unable to contain his curiosity, Hu Cang asked Hu Li why she acted this way. To his surprise, Hu Li openly revealed her true identity and reverted to her fox form. Seeing this, Hu Cang¡¯s worldview was shattered, and when Hu Li proposed being together, he chose to decline. He used studying medicine in Rongcheng as an excuse to leave Panlong Town. This decision led to conflicts between him and Hu Li, eventually leading to their current situation. After hearing Hu Cang and Hu Li¡¯s story, Liu Xing first criticized the clich¨¦d plot, then felt that Hu Cang was still hiding something. So, Liu Xing asked once more, "Mr. Hu Cang, I have another question. Why did Hu Li choose Xiao Mochen? Panlong Town has so many people, why did she specifically target Xiao Mochen, and why didn¡¯t you tell Xiao Mochen the truth?" Perhaps feeling pressed by Liu Xing¡¯s questioning, Hu Cang responded with some irritation, "Why are you asking me these questions? Do I have control over whom Hu Li chooses? And if I were to tell Xiao Mochen the truth, he might be in danger!" With that, Hu Cang turned and walked away. Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect such a strong reaction from Hu Cang and found himself at a loss for words. Therefore, Liu Xing simply shrugged and said, "Forget it. Since Mr. Hu Cang is unwilling to talk about it now, we¡¯ll have to find the answers ourselves. But for now, we should all return to our rooms and rest. It¡¯s gettingte." Everyone nodded and bid each other goodnight, heading back to their respective rooms to rest. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 375: The Lost Soul Casket Chapter 375: The Lost Soul Casket Returning to their room, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but remark, "Leader, I never expected you to be so lucky, gaining the ability of mentalmunication. Now you canmunicate better with Li Dian and the others. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the same luck as you, Leader." Liu Xing chuckled and replied, "I think this ability I gained might be temporary. After all, Hu Li¡¯s powers might not be strong enough to grant me permanent mentalmunication. But it¡¯s still a good thing; at least, I won¡¯t be hindered bynguage barriers for the time being." After a brief chat with Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing retired to his bed. However, before going to sleep, he couldn¡¯t resist checking his character card again to see how long the mentalmunication ability wouldst. To his surprise, he couldn¡¯t find the duration of his mentalmunication ability. Instead, he discovered a significant problem ¨C Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket was missing from his personal belongings. This was quite perplexing because Liu Xing had read "Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s" memories, confirming that he had brought Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket to China. Furthermore, when "Watanabe Ryuusei" had left Rongcheng on the bus, he had specifically checked to ensure he had Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket. After all, "Watanabe Ryuusei" hade to China to help Ancient One Sirius find another Ancient One. Could he have left Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket on the bus? Liu Xing shook his head. This seemed highly unlikely because, based on the contents of the USB drive provided by Yin En, a yer¡¯s personal items weren¡¯t carried with them at all times. These items were generally meant to be essible during the module. Therefore, a yer¡¯s personal items were usually locked by default, and they wouldn¡¯t be lost without the yer¡¯s knowledge unless intentionally discarded. There would be reminders through Judgments to prevent such losses. So, Liu Xing was certain that Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket hadn¡¯t been lost but had not entered this module due to some other reason. Some modules restricted the use of specific items, much like the ritualistic knife Liu Xing currently possessed, which wouldn¡¯t have been allowed through China¡¯s customs in this module. However, Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket seemed to be excluded for different reasons. This made Liu Xing feel a bit troubled. It appeared that this module was more challenging than he had anticipated. In this real Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, a yer¡¯s personal items were theirst resort, especially for yers who had left the Ghoul area. Their personal items were life-saving assets because the modules in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall were generally more challenging than those in the real world, and the Keeper (KP) wasn¡¯t as amodating. Therefore, relying solely on role-ying was unlikely to lead to a smoothpletion. This was when personal items came in handy.For instance, Liu Xing¡¯s Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket allowed him tomunicate with Ancient One Sirius. Though Sirius¡¯s abilities were significantly weakened, he still possessed vast knowledge as an Ancient One. So, Liu Xing could receive valuable assistance from Sirius, especially in the current situation in Panlong Town. Sirius might hold the key to understanding the situation, which was likely why KP Snow Wind had excluded Ancient One Sirius¡¯s Soul Casket from this module. Thinking of this, Liu Xing had a sudden insight. He considered a possibility, but without concrete evidence, he decided not to dwell on it. He remembered how he had thought of various wild theories in the previous module, only to find them baseless. This time, Liu Xing decided to gather solid evidence before exploring his conjectures. This way, he wouldn¡¯t waste time on unfounded spections. With that in mind, Liu Xing decided it was time to get some sleep. The night passed without incident. The next morning, Liu Xing woke up. yers could set their waking time as long as no unexpected events urred. Liu Xing habitually went to the window to observe Panlong Town¡¯s situation, attempting to estimate the time based on the clothing of the residents. The attire of people on the streets indicated that many were already active. Several three-wheeled cartsden with various goods, such as fruits andmodities, wereing from the direction of the bridge. It seemed like today was Panlong Town¡¯s market day. Market day was amon practice in rural towns like Shudu. It meant that residents gathered for a market day every three or six days, providing an opportunity to purchase essential goods. This brought back fond memories for Liu Xing. When he was young, he often visited his grandparents in his hometown, and during market days, his grandmother would take him to the market to buy delicious treats. While those delicacies might not hold up to his current standards, the warm memories remained unforgettable. Just then, Hu Cang arrived to invite Liu Xing and the others for breakfast. However, this time, Hu Cang didn¡¯t immediately leave but approached Liu Xing with some hesitation. He apologized, "I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Ryuusei. Last night, I was a bit impatient, and my words were too harsh. I hope you don¡¯t take it to heart." Liu Xing, not wanting to hold a grudge, quickly responded, "No, no, Hu Cang, it¡¯s me who should apologize. I tend to be straightforward in my speech and didn¡¯t consider your privacy when asking pointed questions. So please don¡¯t me me." Thus, Liu Xing and Hu Cang reconciled. Zhang Jingxu then emerged from the room and inquired, "Hu Cang, do you have any idea of the current time and any significant events happening now?" Hu Cang shook his head, regretfully saying, "I¡¯m not entirely sure of the current time because in Panlong Town, market days ur every three or six days due to temporal distortions. It means that we encounter a market day almost every time, except for the ones early in the morning when peoplee for medical treatment. I¡¯ll need some time to determine the specific time." Zhang Jingxu nodded, slightly intrigued, and suggested, "In that case, is there still television signal avable in Panlong Town? If so, we can use that to better determine the time." Hu Cang shook his head and smiled, "That¡¯s impossible. In Panlong Town, we¡¯ve lost all contact with the outside world. Neither television signals nor phone lines work. What¡¯s even more peculiar is that, apart from me, the other residents of Panlong Town seem to have forgotten about this." Liu Xing had expected this situation, as Hu Cang described. At this moment, Li Dian and Wan Chongshan also came out of their rooms. However, Liu Xing noticed that Ling Ishikawa was nowhere to be seen. Could it be? Hurrying back to his room, Liu Xing confirmed his suspicions ¨C Ling Ishikawa had disappeared again. It appeared that Ling Ishikawa had been transported to Hybrier once more. This actually relieved Liu Xing because if Ling Ishikawa could be transported to Hyb rier, it meant that Panlong Town was not apletely sealed space. Ling Ishikawa could seek guidance from his master, Serak, and inquire about the Great Old One responsible for the current eerie state of Panlong Town. Additionally, he could explore possible methods to reverse the situation. So, Liu Xing was eager for Ling Ishikawa to return safely from Hybrier, bearing valuable information. Leaving the room, Liu Xing noticed that Zhang Jingxu and the others had already gone downstairs for breakfast. As Liu Xing descended the stairs, he pondered how to exin the sudden disappearance of Ling Ishikawa. After all, in the previous module, when Miyako Goudong and Panda Pig learned that Ling Ishikawa could cross through time and space, they lost some sanity points. To protect the sanity of Wan Chongshan and Li Dian, Liu Xing decided to change the exnation. Upon reaching the dining area, Liu Xing pretended to be somewhat flustered and said, "Something major has happened! It seems like Ling Ishikawa has suddenly disappeared!" This statement surprised everyone present. However, Zhang Jingxu, who was privy to the situation, quickly caught on and understood why Liu Xing was doing this. He decided to cooperate, saying, "What? How could Ling Ishikawa just vanish like that? Could some monsters or demons have abducted him? Or is Ling Ishikawa ying a prank on us?" Seeing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s cooperation, Liu Xing continued, "Ling Ishikawa and I are very close friends, so I know him well. He wouldn¡¯t y such a mysterious prank, and there are no suspicious signs in the room. Therefore, I think Ling Ishikawa might have disappeared out of thin air." Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu yed their roles convincingly, making Wan Chongshan and Li Dian realize that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s disappearance must involve hidden circumstances. They understood that Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu were doing this to protect their sanity, as they were well aware that Wan Chongshan and Li Dian were seasoned yers and had never encountered such a sanity-deduction method before. So, Wan Chongshan and Li Dian appreciated Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu¡¯s consideration and decided to y along. With that, Hu Cang, who was initially baffled, epted the exnation that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s disappearance was due to the temporal distortion in Panlong Town. The matter was temporarily settled. At the breakfast table, Liu Xing and the others understood the importance of staying in character. After specting about Ling Ishikawa¡¯s disappearance for a while, they began discussing their ns for the day. Liu Xing took a bite of a steamed bun and said, "After breakfast, I¡¯ll go talk to Hu Li thoroughly. If I haven¡¯t returned by noon, it means I haven¡¯t reached an agreement with Hu Li and might have been killed by her. However, since we can all resurrect, there¡¯s no need for you to seek revenge for me. Just be cautious, as Hu Li might target you next." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "Indeed, even if we wanted to seek revenge for you, Ryuusei, it would be nearly impossible. Hu Li is too cunning to give us such an opportunity. So, we won¡¯t waste time and energy on a futile attempt. Here, we can only toast with soy milk and wish you sess in returning alive." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and replied, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang, for your well wishes. I¡¯ll do my best toe back alive. However, I¡¯m not sure if Hu Li will give me that chance." Wan Chongshan, sitting beside them, smiled and added, "Let¡¯s hope that Hu Li will be reasonable this time and won¡¯t kill you outright. Later, I n to go to the market with Li Dian and explore Panlong Town a bit. We haven¡¯t had the chance to explore it thoroughly yet, so Zhang Jingxu, would you like to join us?" Zhang Jingxu considered it and then nodded, saying, "Sure, I¡¯ll join you. We can gather some useful information while we¡¯re out, like where to find gasoline." "Gasoline?" Hu Cang looked puzzled. Zhang Jingxu realized he had revealed some information inadvertently but didn¡¯t mind. He admitted, "Yes, we¡¯ve learned some specific information about the pig head butcher from Zhong Rensan. We know that the pig head butcher is extremely afraid of fire. As we mentioned earlier, we need to eliminate all the monsters in Panlong Town first to lift the temporal distortion, and our primary target is the pig head butcher. Since he¡¯s a zombie, his weakness is obvious. We just need to find him during the day and douse him with gasoline to burn him." Hu Cang nodded and said, "I see. This approach should be effective in dealing with the pig head butcher. However, there are hardly any motorcycles in Panlong Town now, which means there isn¡¯t much gasoline stored in people¡¯s homes. But I do know one person who has enough gasoline, and that¡¯s Wang Anquan." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Wang Anquan had a significant amount of gasoline. He asked, "Hu Cang, didn¡¯t you mention that Wang Anquan¡¯s family is of modest means? How could he afford a motorcycle and have so much gasoline at home?" Hu Cang pointed to his leg and exined, "Well, Wang Anquan is actually a disabled person. A few years ago, he had his leg broken by someone from a neighboring town while they were riding a motorcycle. Aspensation, the person who caused the ident gave Wang Anquan a motorcycle and several cans of gasoline. Since they are all vigers here, they settled the matter privately. Wang Anquan epted the offer, especially since having a motorcycle allowed him to earn extra money by renting it out to residents who needed to travel quickly. That¡¯s why he often has a can of gasoline or two stored at home. If you¡¯re willing to pay, Wang Anquan will sell it to you." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "That sounds good. Later, Wan Chongshan and I will go find Wang Anquan and try to purchase a can of gasoline. However, we don¡¯t know Wang Anquan¡¯s exact address yet." Hu Cang thought for a moment and then admitted, "Well, I don¡¯t know Wang Anquan very well. I only heard about him from others after the ck Inte Cafe arson incident. I know that Wang Anquan lives near the rear bridge of Panlong Town, but I don¡¯t have the specific address. You can ask around when you¡¯re on the street, and someone should know where Wang Anquan lives." Liu Xing suddenly remembered something and asked, "Hu Cang, I have a question. In the illusion yesterday, Zhang Jingxu and I visited a ce called Panlong Lake. Is Panlong Lake the same as the Panlong Reservoir you mentioned earlier? But when we explored Panlong Town the day before, we couldn¡¯t find Panlong Lake anywhere." Hearing Liu Xing¡¯s question, Hu Cang shook his head with a hint of helplessness and said, "Well, it¡¯s a bitplicated. Panlong Reservoir is indeed Panlong Lake. After all, reservoirs are usually built onkes to save costs. But as for why Panlong Lake has suddenly disappeared, I¡¯m not entirely sure. When I returned to Panlong Town, I found that Panlong Lake had vanished without a trace." Liu Xing had a hunch and seemed to have guessed the identity of the Great Old One responsible for these strange urrences. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 376: "The Residents of the Lake" - Gralki Chapter 376: "The Residents of the Lake" - Gralki Even though Liu Xing had a vague inkling of a Great Old One, he couldn¡¯t quite put a name to it or understand its specific abilities. This particr Great Old One was rtively obscure in the Cthulhu Mythos, making it challenging for Liu Xing to identify. Therefore, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t be certain if his suspicions were correct or not. He decided to temporarily set aside the issue and gather more information before drawing conclusions. After finishing breakfast, Liu Xing headed straight to Hu Li¡¯s clothing store. However, as he approached the entrance, he hesitated for a moment. After all, even though he could resurrect within this module, nobody wanted to die willingly, and Liu Xing still had lingering memories of his previous death. Nheless, havinge this far, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t back down now. He steeled himself and entered Hu Li¡¯s clothing store. Today, Hu Li¡¯s store was open for business, with several customers browsing for clothes. Being the only clothing store in Panlong Town, it seemed to be doing well. However, Liu Xing didn¡¯t spot Hu Li on the ground floor; instead, he saw a young woman who appeared to be in her twenties attending to the customers. She seemed like an ordinary human, not one of Hu Li¡¯s kind. The service staff noticed Liu Xing and, after giving him a careful once-over, approached him. "You must be Mr. Ryuusei, a friend of Boss Hu Li, right? Boss Hu Li has been waiting upstairs for quite some time. Let me show you the way." While the service staff spoke, she gestured toward the staircase. Liu Xing nodded without speaking. Although he couldmunicate with the service staff through telepathy, he didn¡¯t want to risk revealing that he wasn¡¯t speaking in Chinese, as it could lead toplicationster.As Liu Xing ascended to the second floor, he suddenly remembered something. Why did Hu Li arrange for a service staff member to wait for him downstairs? How did she know it would be him and not Zhang Jingxu¡¯s group? Most importantly, Hu Li had provided the service staff with his physical description, enabling her to recognize him. This was strange and somewhat unsettling. ording to Hu Li¡¯s own ount, she could only sense their presence through scent and monitor their movements. Liu Xing doubted she could determine someone¡¯s appearance solely through scent. Therefore, Liu Xing concluded that this version of Hu Li at this moment had undergone some changespared to the previous one. Nevertheless, this realization relieved Liu Xing somewhat. It suggested that this version of Hu Li was willing to sit down and have a conversation. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have arranged for a service staff member to receive him. With a deep breath, Liu Xing entered Hu Li¡¯s home. Since he had lost consciousness thest time he entered her home, Liu Xing had no idea about itsyout. As he explored Hu Li¡¯s residence, he was disappointed to find that it resembled an ordinary person¡¯s home, albeit simpler. Apart from essential furniture, there was nothing else, let alone decorations. In the living room, Hu Li was seated on the couch, with a tea set on the coffee table in front of her. Liu Xing became instantly alert, recalling his previous experience with Hu Li¡¯s tea. He had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t be pleasant. With a touch of nervousness, Liu Xing took a seat across from Hu Li, determined not to drink the tea. He thought this encounter resembled a treacherous feast, and he had willingly walked into a trap. Before Liu Xing could speak, Hu Li poured a cup of tea and ced it in front of him. Liu Xing quickly shook his head and smiled. "Miss Hu Li, you¡¯re being too kind. I had a substantial breakfast and drank plenty of soy milk, so I¡¯m not thirsty right now." As he had expected, Hu Li showed no surprise that Liu Xing couldmunicate with her telepathically. Instead, she appearedpletely unfazed. "Mr. Ryuusei, are you worried that I¡¯ve poisoned the tea again? You can rest assured this time. There¡¯s no poison in this teapot. You should know, Mr. Ryuusei, that if I were truly your enemy, there are more effective methods than poisoning, and it wouldn¡¯t be my preferred approach." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Since Hu Li had said so, he felt obliged to drink the tea. After all, he hade here to negotiate with her, and he couldn¡¯t afford to offend her. With that in mind, he reluctantly took a sip. Hu Li¡¯s tea turned out to be unexpectedly fragrant. After finishing the tea, Liu Xing raised the questions on his mind. "Miss Hu Li, theoretically, you shouldn¡¯t know much about me. At most, you would know that I¡¯m an outsider who suddenly appeared and is staying at the Hu Cang residence. So?" Hu Li understood what Liu Xing wanted to ask and responded with a cheerful smile. "You¡¯re correct, Mr. Ryuusei. In theory, I wouldn¡¯t know much about you, but with the current temporal distortion in Panlong Town, some things can¡¯t be exined bymon sense." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by how much this version of Hu Li knew, even about the temporal distortion in Panlong Town. However, Liu Xing quickly realized how Hu Li had acquired this information. Most likely, the previous version of Hu Li had used a special method to leave information on him before his death. When he resurrected in this time frame, that information automatically transferred to the current Hu Li. It appeared that Hu Li possessed a variety of abilities. So now, Liu Xing was even more wary of Hu Li. Naturally, Hu Li could sense Liu Xing¡¯s wariness, so she smiled and said, "Mr. Ryuusei, I know that in the previous timeline, I did some unfavorable things to you and your friends. But I believe, Mr. Ryuusei, that you can understand my intentions. So, you won¡¯t hold it against me, will you?" Since Hu Li had put it that way, Liu Xing had no choice but to say, albeit reluctantly, "Of course not. I understand that the previous version of Miss Hu Li did what she did due to some misunderstandings between us. It seems those misunderstandings are resolved now." Hu Li nodded and said, "That¡¯s right. I would never deceive you. I now understand the current situation. I didn¡¯t expect to be trapped in a temporal distortion like this. If it weren¡¯t for your appearance, Mr. Ryuusei, I might have remained in the dark forever. Now that I know the truth, I feel I must take action to change the current situation." "After all, before, I could live in this temporal distortion in Panlong Town in ignorance. But now, I don¡¯t want to continue living like this. So, I want to cooperate with you, Mr. Ryuusei. We share amon goal, and you are aware of my abilities. I won¡¯t hold you back, and I hope that whenever a temporal distortion urs, you¡¯lle to me so I can update the information on you." After listening to Hu Li¡¯s words, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sniff himself and noticed a faint fragrance. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and then smiled, saying, "Since Miss Hu Li is willing to cooperate, we are naturally willing as well. After all, your abilities surpass ours, and you have more knowledge about Panlong Town. But I have one question, Miss Hu Li. You won¡¯t use the opportunity to update information on me as a chance to harm me again, will you?" Hu Li shook her head and replied, "Of course not. I only need to touch your skin. As for why the previous version of me killed you, it was to test whether your im of resurrection was true. If you could die and convey information to me, it would prove your statement¡¯s veracity. Otherwise, it meant you were lying, and your death wouldn¡¯t matter." "As for the situation in Panlong Town, I do have much more information now. Honestly, when you transmitted information to me, it seems that I also regained some of my memories. I mean, I remember some events that will happen in the future. I¡¯ve even recovered memories from up to 2000 years ago. From what I can recall, the creatures currently inhabiting Panlong Town, those monsters and demons, seem to have appeared only after the temporal distortion in Panlong Town." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Hu Li had started to recover her memories. However, he realized it might be a positive development. "At first, I thought the fanatic was like me, able to transform into a humanoid form. After all, as far as I know, many supernatural creatures have ways to achieve immortality. However, his case is peculiar. He¡¯s undoubtedly a human, but his body has undergone significant mutations. In human terms, he¡¯s be something other than human. I can sense a strange energy within his body, which must be the reason for his transformation and immortality." Liu Xing nodded, and ording to Hu Li¡¯s exnation, the fanatic was likely transformed and granted immortality by a Great Old One, injecting him with a mysterious energy. This prompted Liu Xing to reconsider the identity of that Great Old One. However, now that Hu Li was here, Liu Xing thought it would be best to ask her about the Great Old One¡¯s identity. After all, specting alone wouldn¡¯t lead to any answers. ... When Liu Xing heard the name "Gralki," he immediately recalled relevant information about this Great Old One and became certain that Gralki was behind all the events in Panlong Town. In the Cthulhu Mythos, there are numerous Great Old Ones, but Gralki, despite being less famous than entities like Cthulhu and Hastur, held a unique ce. Gralki was said to reside in ake near the Severn Valley, a fictional location in Ennd. The Severn Valley was an intriguing setting within the Cthulhu Mythos, as it was one of the rare ces where multiple Great Old Ones congregated. Most Great Old Ones tended to be solitary, each upying a distinct territory. However, in the Severn Valley, there were at least five Great Old Ones lying dormant (others would appearter). Gralki was one of them. Gralki bore the title "The Resident of the Lake" because it had arrived on Earth encased within a meteorite. When the meteorite crashnded, it shattered, granting Gralki its freedom. This made Gralki one of the few Great Old Ones that could move about freely. As a result, reports of Gralki¡¯s presence surfaced not only in thekes of Severn Valley but also in otherkes worldwide, making it difficult to determine its true location. Gralki had a unique appearance, resembling a massive three-eyed slug-like creature covered in metallic spikes. While these spikes appeared inorganic, they possessed organic structures and could grow when needed. They were also hollow, allowing Gralki to transport an unknown liquid through them. As an intelligent Great Old One, Gralki actively developed a following of worshippers. Like Cthulhu, Gralki influenced humans through dreams, attracting those who sought to be immortal. Gralki¡¯s followers were those who wished for eternal life. By impaling them with its spikes and injecting a mysterious fluid, Gralki could grant them immortality. However, this came at the cost of the followers¡¯ autonomy, as Gralki could control their bodies. Therefore, Gralki¡¯s "blessed" followers were more like puppets than immortals. Over time, their bodies would undergo mutations, bing highly sensitive to sunlight, sometimes disintegratingpletely. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ponder the implications of Gralki¡¯s involvement in Panlong Town¡¯s events. This Great Old One was known for its power to grant immortality, which could exin the resurrection of the fanatic and other unusual urrences. However, the consequences of such immortality were horrifying. With this new information, Liu Xing realized that dealing with Gralki would be a challenging and dangerous task. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 377: The Scales of the Black Flood Dragon Chapter 377: The Scales of the ck Flood Dragon Now that Gralki is ced within this module again, Liu Xing feels that everything within this module finally makes sense. Firstly, there¡¯s the issue of Panlong Lake. Given that Gralki has multiple avatars and can appear in variouskes around the world, it¡¯s usible that one of Gralki¡¯s avatars appeared in Panlong Lake. Moreover, with Gralki¡¯s abilities, concealing Panlong Lake would be a straightforward task. Next, there¡¯s the matter of why Gralki transformed Panlong Town into its current eerie state. Of course, Liu Xing believes that Gralki¡¯s avatar¡¯sbat capabilities are likely unimpressive, considering that the original Gralki isn¡¯t a formidable fighter either. To put it bluntly, Gralki is arge, thorn-covered three-eyed slug with limited closebat abilities, mainly relying on body crushing. While its thorns can grow, they can¡¯t instantly extend within a short timeframe. Thus, Gralki possesses mental control abilities as its primary asset. Moreover, the Gralki within Panlong Lake is probably just an avatar, likely a very weak one at that. After all, this is merely an advanced module in the Shoggoth Region, and it wouldn¡¯t make sense to have a fully-powered Great Old One avatar as a boss. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing can¡¯t help but ask, "Miss Hu Li, do you recall any other memories about this Gralki? I believe this Gralki might be responsible for the transformation of Panlong Town into its current eerie state." Hu Li furrows her brows and responds with some hesitation, "Regarding this Gralki, I¡¯m having a hard time remembering much at the moment. It seems that after the ck Flood Dragon emerged in Panlong Lake, I can¡¯t recall any memories beyond that." As Liu Xing suspected, the ck Flood Dragon likely wouldn¡¯t stand idly by when it came to Gralki. Even if the ck Flood Dragon is deceased, it could still have inflicted significant damage on Gralki¡¯s avatar within Panlong Lake. Furthermore, Gralki¡¯s avatar in Panlong Lake should remain unaffected by the temporal distortion. Therefore, it is likely in a heavily injured state."Speaking of the ck Flood Dragon," Hu Li adds with a smile, "we can seek its assistance now. ck Flood Dragon is quite a helpful ally and rtively easy to negotiate with." Liu Xing nods and expresses his curiosity, "Oh, I¡¯d like to hear more. I¡¯m not very familiar with the ck Flood Dragon." Hu Li takes out a fist-sized ck scale from her pocket and continues with a smile, "When I had just assumed human form and attempted to enter Panlong Town, the ck Flood Dragon blocked my way outside the town. After exining my origin to it, the ck Flood Dragon told me that as long as I refrained from causing harm or chaos within Panlong Town, it wouldn¡¯t harm me. However, if I were to harm anyone, it would not hesitate to kill me." "This is a scale that the ck Flood Dragon gave me¡ªa token, if you will. It allows me to easily approach it for help. ck Flood Dragon¡¯sir is filled with traps and mechanisms that would confuse ordinary individuals. Even if I entered without this scale, I would likely encounter difficulties. So, having this scale makes things much more convenient." Upon hearing the first part of Hu Li¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing can¡¯t help but inwardlyment on the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s leniency. As long as Hu Li refrained from causing harm, it seems the ck Flood Dragon wasn¡¯t too concerned¡ªeven if Hu Li transformed Xiao Mochen. Additionally, at an earlier point in time, Hu Li risked her life by killing her group of people. It seems she vited the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s taboos. However, Liu Xing decides not to mention this in front of Hu Li, as it would likely lead to an awkward situation. Liu Xing then assumes a thoughtful expression and asks with some doubt, "Miss Hu Li, if I remember correctly, the ck Flood Dragon¡¯sir should be in the Panlong Reservoir, which is now within Panlong Lake. However, Panlong Lake has been ¡¯erased¡¯ from Panlong Town by Gralki. So, do you have a way to enter Panlong Lake again?" Hu Li shakes her head but maintains her confidence, saying, "I¡¯m well aware of this. Panlong Lake has indeed disappeared from my senses, but I believe its ¡¯disappearance¡¯ is a matter of perception, not an actual vanishing. Therefore, I think I can find a way to enter Panlong Lake with some preparation. However, Ryuusei and the others probably understand that the Gralki is likely recuperating in Panlong Lake right now, as ck Flood Dragon wouldn¡¯t let it off easily." "So, the current time frame for Panlong Lake should be the right one. Therefore, the ck Flood Dragon here has already died. When we go to Panlong Lake, we won¡¯t find the ck Flood Dragon there. However, besides Panlong Lake, the ck Flood Dragon often roams in the Panlong River basin. So, within this temporal distortion of Panlong Town, we still have a chance to encounter a living ck Flood Dragon. When the timees, all we have to do is reveal the truth to the ck Flood Dragon, and it will undoubtedly help us deal with Gralki." Although Hu Li exudes confidence, Liu Xing can¡¯t help but feel that things won¡¯t be so simple. After all, if the ck Flood Dragon could severely wound Gralki¡¯s avatar, a fully-powered ck Flood Dragon should be capable of eliminating the injured Gralki avatar. So, Liu Xing believes that either finding the ck Flood Dragon will be challenging, or convincing it to recognize the truth will prove difficult. Nevertheless, he smiles and nods, saying, "In that case, Miss Hu Li, we¡¯ll be relying on you..." Before Liu Xing could finish speaking, Hu Li interrupted him, saying, "No, no, no. If you want to seek help from the ck Flood Dragon, you¡¯ll have to approach it yourselves. You must have heard the stories of the Jiaolong¡¯s ascension, right? For a Jiaolong to sessfully ascend to be a true dragon, apart from reaching a certain level of power and umting enough merits over time, it also requires recognition from you humans. After all, you humans are the supreme beings, the protagonists of the world." "So, the ck Flood Dragon has been staying in Panlong Town for hundreds of years, building good rtionships with the residents in preparation for the ritual to ascend as a true dragon. Now, the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s power and merits have met the requirements for ascension. It¡¯s only waiting for the right moment when it can ask you humans whether it is a snake or a dragon. As long as enough humans acknowledge it as a dragon, it can ascend. However, if someone calls it a snake during this time, the ck Flood Dragon can never ascend as a true dragon." Liu Xing nodded, finding Hu Li¡¯s exnation simr to what he knew about the Jiaolong¡¯s ascension. The key factor lies in obtaining the acknowledgment of humans as a dragon, and if anyone calls it a snake during this process, the Jiaolong can never ascend as a true dragon. Most importantly, if a Jiaolong fails to ascend due to being called a "snake," it often falls into corruption and begins to harm humans. Many floods and disasters in China¡¯s history were attributed to the mischief of such corrupted Jiaolongs. It¡¯s no wonder that the ck Flood Dragon worked diligently in Panlong Town for centuries to avoid such a failure. Understanding Hu Li¡¯s intentions, Liu Xing realized that it might be more effective for their group to persuade the ck Flood Dragon. The ck Flood Dragon would likely hesitate if Hu Li tried to convince it, as it had already been killed by Gralki¡¯s avatar once. If it happened again, it would be embarrassing. However, if Liu Xing¡¯s group approached the ck Flood Dragon, it was highly likely that they would seed. The ck Flood Dragon was unlikely to reject the request now, as its ascension ceremony was well-prepared, and it wouldn¡¯t want to risk its efforts being in vain. Liu Xing believed that even if they couldn¡¯t convince the ck Flood Dragon to help, they could try to pressure it. After all, the ck Flood Dragon shouldn¡¯t be inclined to kill humans at the moment. Furthermore, if it learned the truth, it would likely choose to defeat Gralki¡¯s avatar, allowing Panlong Town to return to normal. If Panlong Town remained distorted, the ck Flood Dragon would never ascend as a true dragon. With this in mind, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright, we¡¯ll go and seek help from the ck Flood Dragon. But Miss Hu Li, could you please inform us about where the ck Flood Dragon might appear now? And provide us with an item just in case. Otherwise, it could be quite awkward if the ck Flood Dragon ignores us." Naturally, Hu Li understood Liu Xing¡¯s intention. She smiled and handed the scale to Liu Xing, saying, "You can take this scale with you, Liu Xing. This scale serves as a token of the ck Flood Dragon and a means to establish contact with it. As long as the ck Flood Dragon appears within a range of twenty meters from the scale, it will react. Carry this scale with you, and you¡¯ll surely notice its response." Liu Xing epted the scale and understood its details. It was a scale from the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s body that allowed mutual sensing with the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s original form. When the sensing was sessful, yers could establish contact with the ck Flood Dragon by spending just 1 MP. Additionally, the scale provided 10 points of armor and rendered all non-piercing damage as only 1 point of damage. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the scale¡¯s additional armor effect. It was like having an extra life since most character cards had around 10 HP. Moreover, the scale offered resistance against piercing damage, making it likely imprable to light firearms and small des. However, he considered the scale¡¯s effectiveness rtively good, considering its small size and limited defense area. It could serve as a kind of protective talisman. Liu Xing epted the scale, smiled, and said, "If everything goes ording to n, I should be able to persuade the ck Flood Dragon. But Miss Hu Li, I have a few more questions, if you don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s about the other supernatural beings in Panlong Town. Do you have any information you can share with me?" Hu Li nodded and began to provide information, "That¡¯s not a problem, especially since I believe you all intend to eliminate these supernatural beings. After all, we¡¯ll definitely have to fight Gralkiter, and to improve our chances of winning, it¡¯s essential to deal with the other supernatural beings first. Plus, I¡¯ve recovered many memories about them." "The other supernatural beings in Panlong Town can be roughly divided into two types. The first type is the intelligent ones. Firstly, there¡¯s the ogre on the upper floor of the supermarket. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he was originally a human but likely learned some traditional witchcraft in the Miaojiang region. He enhanced and altered his body to the extent that he no longer looks entirely human. However, hisbat abilities should not be underestimated. You must have some knowledge of witchcraft, which not only allows him to control minds but also kill stealthily." Liu Xing nodded in agreement, as they were already aware of Zha Kang¡¯s use of witchcraft to control the drug addicts in Panlong Town. However, he hadn¡¯t expected Zha Kang to have undergone such extensive body modifications. It seemed that dealing with Zha Kang would be quite challenging. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 378: Mutual Restraint Chapter 378: Mutual Restraint In the Cthulhu RPG Game, enemies like Zha Kang are notoriously difficult to deal with. After all, such enemies typically don¡¯t engage in directbat upfront. Instead, they employ various means to weaken you, set traps to ensnare you, and generally avoid direct confrontation unless they are absolutely certain of victory. Thinking about Zha Kang¡¯s primary method of attack, using various gu worms, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of unease. After all, these gu worms were extremely small, and even with the utmost caution, it was still possible to fall victim to them. Moreover, conventional methods of insecticide wouldn¡¯t be effective against these gu worms once they had taken hold. So, with these concerns in mind, Liu Xing turned to Hu Li and asked, "Miss Hu Li, I¡¯m aware of the terror of these gu worms, but given our current abilities, I¡¯m afraid we might struggle to deal with them. Do you have any methods to handle these gu worms?" Hu Li chuckled confidently and replied, "I knew you wouldn¡¯t have a straightforward way to deal with those gu worms. After all, the use of gu techniques is bing increasingly rare these days, and most practitioners remain in the Miaojiang region. Therefore, knowledge of how to deal with gu worms is not widespread. However, I happen to know an effective method that can deal with over eighty percent of gu worms. As for someone like Chaxi, who you mentioned, I doubt they possess any higher-level gu worms." Liu Xing nodded but quickly realized something was amiss. "Wait a moment, Miss Hu Li. You mentioned a gu practitioner named Chaxi, but I remember that Chaxi was referred to by someone else as Zha Kang." Hu Li was momentarily surprised and then exined, "Chaxi is indeed Zha Kang, but that was before the temporal distortion urred in Panlong Town..." "So, at that time, when Xiao Dafu went to find Chaxi, he suddenly died at the supermarket entrance. I found multiple gu worms in Xiao Dafu¡¯s body at that moment, which led me to discover Chaxi¡¯s true identity. Originally, I didn¡¯t intend to seek revenge for Xiao Dafu, as he deserved his fate, but he happened to be Xiao Mochen¡¯s father. Xiao Mochen requested that I uncover the truth and seek vengeance on his behalf." "So, I decided to meet with this Chaxi. Since Chaxi had already vited the rules of the ck Flood Dragon, I believed they would be dealt with by the organization. Therefore, I wanted to gather information about Chaxi in advance. I administered a tranquilizer to Chaxi and infiltrated theirir." "What I didn¡¯t expect was that Chaxi had already used gu techniques to modify their own body, rendering the tranquilizer ineffective. I nearly fell into Chaxi¡¯s trap, but fortunately, I had left a contingency n and managed to evade capture. However, I was still forced into a confrontation with Chaxi. Zha Kang possessed formidable closebat skills, and their nails were poisoned with gu toxins. I ended up getting poisoned.""After being poisoned, I sought treatment from Doctor Zhong Rensan at the clinic. To my surprise, Zhong Rensan sessfully cured the gu toxin in my body. I became curious about how he managed to do it and discovered that Zhong Rensan wore an amulet infused with certain magic spells by a highly skilled individual. This amulet automatically repels gu worms within a certain range, which is the method I mentioned earlier. The most important thing is that Zhong Rensan himself is unaware of the amulet¡¯s true purpose." Liu Xing nodded in understanding. He hadn¡¯t expected that Zhong Rensan, who seemed inconspicuous, would turn out to be an important NPC in this module. Not only did he possess vital information about the pig head butcher, but he also had an item that could restrain Chaxi, the gu practitioner. Furthermore, there seemed to be a connection between Zhong Rensan and the mythical creature in the basement of Panlong Town Clinic. Therefore, Liu Xing believed it was necessary to inform Zhang Jingxu and the others to have a conversation with Zhong Rensan upon their return. However, a problem arose. Liu Xing didn¡¯t believe that obtaining Zhong Rensan¡¯s amulet would be easy. Hu Li had mentioned that the amulet had significant historical significance and value. Zhong Rensan was unlikely to part with it easily. Liu Xing continued, "In that case, Miss Hu Li, I assume you wanted to obtain that amulet back then. After all, having that amulet would make dealing with Chaxi much easier. So, may I ask if Dr. Zhong Rensan is willing to sell the amulet?" Hu Li shook her head and smiled, saying, "Of course, I wanted to obtain that amulet, but Dr. Zhong Rensan is not willing to sell it. That amulet is a family heirloom, and aside from its magical properties, it¡¯s incredibly valuable in terms of its craftsmanship. Zhong Rensan is knowledgeable and knows the amulet¡¯s worth. Naturally, he¡¯s not willing to part with it." "However, nothing in this world is absolute. Although Zhong Rensan is reluctant to sell the amulet, he¡¯s willing to give it as a reward if someone helps him with a particr task. This task involves another supernatural creature in Panlong Town - the Mountain Demon. The Mountain Demon is a creature with a humanoid-monkey appearance, small and dark-skinned,monly found in the mountains. It likes to make various contracts and deals with humans but seeks revenge if those contracts are vited, often targeting the entire family of the oath-breaker." "So, Zhong Rensan¡¯s ancestors made a contract with a Mountain Demon. In exchange for various rare herbs and materials, the Mountain Demon required Zhong Rensan¡¯s family to provide it with sustenance. And what the Mountain Demon feeds on, Mr. Ryuusei, you can probably guess: the organs of humans, such as hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys. Fortunately, the Mountain Demon only needs to feed four times a year, consuming the internal organs of a single person each time. So, during times of war, it was rtively easy for Zhong Rensan¡¯s ancestors to satisfy the Mountain Demon by obtaining a corpse from mass graves." "However, after the founding of the nation, especially in recent years, cremation has be prevalent in the Rongcheng region, making it extremely difficult to provide enough food for the Mountain Demon. But Zhong Rensan is well aware of the Mountain Demon¡¯s terrifying nature and doesn¡¯t dare to vite the contract. Therefore, he had to lead the Mountain Demon away from Rongcheng to Panlong Town, where traditional burials are stillmon. However, because of the improved quality of life and healthcare in Panlong Town, there are rarely any deaths here, and the Mountain Demon only feeds on fresh sustenance." "As a result, Zhong Rensan sometimes resorts to deceit, luring outsiders or wandering individuals to Panlong Town Clinic¡¯s basement and letting the Mountain Demon kill them for sustenance before disposing of their bodies. But I believe, Mr. Ryuusei, you can understand Zhong Rensan¡¯s situation. After all, one¡¯s family¡¯s lives are at stake. However, Zhong Rensan now realizes the weight of his sins." "So, Zhong Rensan decided to seek help in eliminating the Mountain Demon and offer the amulet as a reward. However, the Mountain Demon is a formidable adversary. I know it has excellent hiding abilities, especially in the dark. It cannot be easily detected with the naked eye unless specific methods are used. Moreover, it is incredibly agile, and its sharp ws can easily pierce through a person¡¯s body. Engaging in closebat with the Mountain Demon is an unwise choice. However, I believe, Mr. Ryuusei, that you and your group cane up with a solution to deal with the Mountain Demon." Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully, saying, "ording to what Miss Hu Li has mentioned, the Mountain Demon is likely hiding in the basement of Panlong Town Clinic. So, all we need to do is trap the Mountain Demon in the basement and use fire or water to deal with it, right?" Hu Li gave a sly smile and nodded, "Your method is indeed good, Mr. Ryuusei. Using fire or water is an effective way to deal with the Mountain Demon. However, you must not forget that the Mountain Demon is highly intelligent and possesses a strong sense of danger. So, attempting to deal with it using fire or water has a very low sess rate. These methods require extensive preparation and make a lot of noise. The Mountain Demon would hear it and realize that someone intends to harm it. In that case, the Mountain Demon would eitherunch a preemptive attack or escape, waiting for an opportunity." "Therefore, no matter what choice the Mountain Demon makes, it will likely result in unfavorable consequences for us, possibly even casualties." At that moment, Liu Xing, looking at Hu Li with a half-smile, had a sudden insight. He spoke up, saying, "In that case, Miss Hu Li, it¡¯s time for you to lend us a hand. If you can hypnotize or stupefy the Mountain Demon, then dealing with it will be a piece of cake." After all, the basement was a rtively closed space with poor air cirction. Unless the Mountain Demon had an extremely strong resistance to drugs, Hu Li¡¯s sedatives should be effective against it. Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s suggestion, Hu Li smiled and nodded. She said, "I¡¯ll take care of the Mountain Demon. I¡¯ve killed one before during a previous time point, so killing another one now should be a piece of cake. However, I¡¯ll still need your help to keep watch because, as they say, better safe than sorry." Hu Li¡¯s words had barely left her lips when KP Snow Wind announced, "Congrattions, yer Liu Xing, you have triggered a Side Quest: ¡¯Kill the Mountain Demon.¡¯ The mission objective is to assist Hu Li in killing the Mountain Demon hiding in Panlong Town Clinic. The mission rewards each yer with 10 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points and 200 bonus points. As the triggerer of this Side Quest, yer Liu Xing, you will receive an additional reward: a mysterious jade pendant, as well as a solo Side Quest: ¡¯Kill the Gu Practitioner Chaxi.¡¯" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unique nature of this Side Quest, which offered item rewards and an opportunity for a solo mission. Based on the current situation,pleting the solo Side Quest could potentially earn him 25 ¡¯Truth¡¯ points, a significant amount. With the quest details settled, Liu Xing and Hu Li began discussing their n in more detail. First, Hu Li would approach Zhong Rensan to ept the mission. Then, during the dead of night when the Mountain Demon was least alert, Liu Xing and his group would bring weapons to provide backup for Hu Li. She would use her sedatives to hypnotize the Mountain Demon. If everything went smoothly, they could easily kill it. However, in case of any unexpected events, they had prepared a to trap the Mountain Demon. Allowing the creature to escape would be disastrous, not only for Zhong Rensan¡¯s family but also for Liu Xing and his group. Just as they were finalizing their n, Liu Xing noticed a waitering up the stairs. It was the same waiter who had served them earlier. "The boss, Xiao Mochen, is here," the waiter said respectfully. Hu Li nodded and gestured for the waiter to leave. Then, she turned to Liu Xing and said, "I need to go downstairs for a while to deal with Xiao Mochen. Please stay here, Mr. Ryuusei. I¡¯ll be back shortly." Liu Xing was about to agree when he remembered something important. He quickly asked Hu Li, "Miss Hu Li, I just remembered something. Hu Cang mentioned that after returning to Panlong Town, he didn¡¯t see any other women except for you and the owner of the ck Inte Cafe. Do you have any thoughts on that?" Hu Li furrowed her brow, saying, "Ryuusei, I hadn¡¯t noticed that until you mentioned it. Since the temporal distortion in Panlong Town, I haven¡¯t seen any other women either. It¡¯s as if they all disappeared." "What about the waitress who just came up? Isn¡¯t she a woman?" Liu Xing asked, puzzled. Hu Li smiled mysteriously and replied, "Do you think so?" A chill ran down Liu Xing¡¯s spine. Could it be that the waitress had suffered the same fate as Xiao Mochen? Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s uneasy expression, Hu Li continued with a chuckle, "That waitress is not a woman, or even a human for that matter. She¡¯s just a paper doll controlled by my magic spells. However, I used an illusion on her, so you saw her as a real person." Ah, that exined it. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I see. But still, what happened to the other women in Panlong Town?" Hu Li shook her head and stood up. "I really don¡¯t know, but I think it might be rted to Gralki. After all, before the incident, there were more than three hundred permanent female residents in Panlong Town. Now, it seems like they¡¯ve all vanished into thin air." Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel a growing sense of unease. Something was definitely amiss in Panlong Town, and it was likely connected to the mythical creatures. As Hu Li left to deal with Xiao Mochen, Liu Xing continued to ponder the situation. He realized that there might be aplex intery between the various mythical creatures in Panlong Town. Starting with the gu practitioner Chaxi, to deal with them, they needed to first kill the Mountain Demon to obtain the jade pendant that would restrain Chaxi. To kill the Mountain Demon, they needed Hu Li¡¯s sedatives, which would work only if everything went smoothly without alerting the creature. However, if things went wrong, they would need to use a prepared to trap the Mountain Demon. Letting it escape was not an option. Liu Xing believed that each of these mythical creatures might have a unique weakness or item that could help in defeating another creature. The disc spirit, for instance, was likely the enemy of the pig head butcher. Since the pig head butchercked a soul, it wouldn¡¯t be affected by the disc spirit¡¯s hypnotic abilities, making it immune to the creature¡¯s tricks. It was aplex web of rtionships, and Liu Xing was determined to uncover the truth behind it all. But he also understood that he needed to be cautious and not blindly trust anyone in Panlong Town. After all, Hu Li might have her own hidden agenda, and their group could just be pawns in her game. As Liu Xing mulled over his thoughts, he heard footsteps approaching. It was Hu Li, returning from her conversation with Xiao Mochen. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 379: The Special Side Quest Chapter 379: The Special Side Quest Looking at Hu Li, who wore a perplexed expression, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, "What¡¯s going on? Did something happen?" Hu Li, who had just sat down, sighed and said with a hint of helplessness, "This Xiao Mochen is even more troublesome than I imagined. I told him clearly, but he still doesn¡¯t want to break up with me. So, I had to use hypnosis to get rid of him. But just thinking about how Xiao Mochen wille bothering me again in a few days makes me feel frustrated." Liu Xing nodded, choosing not toment on the matter. However, curiosity could be dangerous. Liu Xing was quite interested in understanding the love triangle involving Hu Li, Xiao Mochen, and Hu Cang. Yet, he was also afraid of pushing too far and meeting a deadly end at the hands of Hu Li. Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s conflicted expression, Hu Li couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow and ask, "Mr. Ryuusei, what¡¯s going on with you? Your expression suddenly became so expressive." Liu Xing awkwardly smiled, deciding to take a risk. After all, Hu Li had mentioned cooperation with their group. Asking this question probably wouldn¡¯t anger her to the point of killing him. So, Liu Xing took a deep breath and asked in a serious tone, "Miss Hu Li, I have a question. After you married Xiao Mochen, did you change him into a female?" Hu Li furrowed her brow, somewhat surprised by Liu Xing¡¯s question. It seemed she hadn¡¯t anticipated such a query. Nevertheless, Hu Li nodded gracefully and said with a smile, "Yes, on the day I married Xiao Mochen, I performed a gender transformation surgery on him. I changed his physical structure to that of a female while trying to maintain his male appearance as much as possible. So, Mr. Ryuusei, are you interested in trying it as well?"Liu Xing quickly shook his head, realizing there were things he shouldn¡¯t experiment with. However, seeing Hu Li¡¯s open admission, Liu Xing decided to push his luck further. Taking another deep breath, he asked, "There are some things I feel I shouldn¡¯t try, but I¡¯ve heard from Hu Cang that you and he had a history. Why did you separate from Hu Cang and go trouble Xiao Mochen?" Hu Li let out a cold snort, her tone turning icy. "There are some questions, Mr. Ryuusei, that you shouldn¡¯t casually ask, especially ones unrted to our cooperation. The most important thing is that while we are currently in a cooperative state, I may choose to terminate our coboration if necessary and engage in hostilities with you." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that bringing up this topic had elicited a simr reaction from Hu Li as it did with Hu Cang. It seemed there were irreconcble conflicts and painful memories between them. Of course, Liu Xing knew it was best not to push his luck any further. After all, if he seeded in pushing Hu Li to reveal the reasons, he might pay the ultimate price. At that moment, KP Snow Wind once again spoke up, "Congrattions, yer Liu Xing, you have triggered another Side Quest, ¡¯The Unspeakable Secret.¡¯ The mission goal is to investigate the truth behind Hu Cang and Hu Li¡¯s breakup. This is a special Side Quest, and when triggered, all yers automatically ept it. Only the first yer toplete this mission will receive the reward. As for the reward, it¡¯s a very unique one, but I assure you, it won¡¯t disappoint." Liu Xing was momentarily surprised by KP Snow Wind¡¯s words. He hadn¡¯t expected that asking such questions would trigger a Side Quest. This Side Quest was special, as only the first yer toplete it would receive the reward, and it seemed unrted to the "truth" points. Thinking about it, Liu Xing felt the urge to use a Persuasion Judgment on Hu Li to make her reveal why she had separated from Hu Cang andplete this unique Side Quest. However, as he nced at the icy Hu Li, Liu Xing decided not to take the risk. Persuading Hu Li to reveal the reasons would likely require a difficult or even extremely difficult Persuasion Judgment. Failure could mean his demise. Moreover, he didn¡¯t necessarily have to convince Hu Li. Persuading Hu Cang would achieve the same result, and it posed much less risk. So, Liu Xing decided to change the topic. "Miss Hu Li, I understand now. I won¡¯t ask any more questions about this matter. Let¡¯s continue discussing the other monsters and creatures in Panlong Town. We¡¯ve already learned about the pig head butcher from Dr. Zhong Rensan. It seems it¡¯s a zombie that¡¯s extremely afraid of fire, right?" Hu Li¡¯s expression rxed a bit, and she nodded, saying, "That¡¯s correct. The pig head butcher is indeed a zombie, but it¡¯s the lowest-tier type¡ªa mindless, reanimated corpse driven by its resentment in life. It possesses no intelligence, retains some habits and weaknesses from its past life, and acts on instinct. So, using fire to kill it is a good choice. However, as you may have noticed, there¡¯s no gasoline or diesel fuel in Panlong Town. If you try to start a fire with just wood and straw, it won¡¯t be effective against the pig head butcher, as it won¡¯t walk into such an obvious trap." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Hu Li. However, we¡¯ve already considered that aspect. We n to purchase gasoline from Wang Anquan, as we¡¯ve heard he has a substantial supply. It should be enough to deal with the pig head butcher. Moreover, during the time when the pig head butcher lived, there likely weren¡¯t any cars around, so it probably doesn¡¯t know the purpose of gasoline." Hu Li stroked her chin and nodded, "That¡¯s a possibility. After all, Rongcheng was located in a remote mountainous area, making transportation difficult. Large items like cars were scarce, and even if they did exist, they would only operate within Rongcheng. So, the pig head butcher probably never encountered cars or gasoline. Using gasoline to deal with it is a good choice." "As for the pig head butcher¡¯s current location, I believe you can guess it. Since its favorite pastime in life was pig ughter, it should be staying in the ughterhouse. Its specific location is in an abandoned room within the ughterhouse. Also, as a low-tier zombie, exposure to sunlight severely weakens it and causes continuous damage. So, Mr. Ryuusei, if you n to take action, do it on a sunny day." Liu Xing nodded, now having the specific location and weaknesses of the pig head butcher. Dealing with it would be much easier now. "By the way, Miss Hu Li, you should be aware of the events that urred at Panlong Town Middle School, right? So, does Panlong Town Middle School indeed have disc spirits?" Liu Xing asked. Hu Li furrowed her brow, somewhat uncertain, and replied, "Indeed, disc spirits exist, but they are essentially spiritual beings, what you humans might call ghosts. Disc spirits mostly exist in another world, invisible and intangible to us. They only appear in our world at specific times, such as when someone summons them, and there¡¯s a chance they may possess the one who summoned them." "However, to my knowledge... or rather, the information that ck Flood Dragon shared with me, most disc spirits do not harm humans. They have no grievances with humans, considering that over ny percent of humans never encounter disc spirits in their lifetime. So, disc spirits tend to be reasonable: if you don¡¯t provoke them, they won¡¯t harm you. However, the tragic incident at Panlong Town Middle School was indeed caused by a disc spirit. Therefore, ck Flood Dragon believes it¡¯s highly likely that some of the students at Panlong Town Middle School angered that disc spirit." Liu Xing was surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected disc spirits in this module to be portrayed this way. In essence, disc spirits seemed to be neutral Void Spirits without physical form. But ording to ck Flood Dragon, how did those middle school students provoke the disc spirit? After all, how could ordinary students know the correct spell to summon a disc spirit? Creatures like disc spirits were mythical, and summoning them to the real world shouldn¡¯t be straightforward. So, did those middle school students have ess to the spell intentionally? Liu Xing turned to Hu Li and said, "It seems you have some suspicions as well. It¡¯s highly unlikely that a group of ordinary middle school students knew the correct spell to summon a disc spirit. I believe someone with ill intentions must have informed them of the spell, leading those students to summon the angry disc spirit. But why would this person want the disc spirit to kill those students? Also, if ck Flood Dragon knows about all this, shouldn¡¯t it have taken action against this person?" Hu Li shook her head, sharing the same sense of confusion. "I don¡¯t know for sure, but it seems that the person with ill intentions also died in Panlong Town Middle School. Unless that person had power surpassing that of ck Flood Dragon and could deceive its senses, my guess is that the person intended to go down together with those middle school students." Hearing this, Liu Xing immediately remembered the dream that Zhang Jingxu had in the illusion, where the white-d middle school student was involved. It seemed that this white-d student had ill intentions. So, why did the white-d student want to go down with his ssmates? Liu Xing shared the details of the white-d middle school student with Hu Li. Hu Li thought for a moment and said, "If I¡¯m not mistaken, the white-d middle school student should be named Ye Long. I saw him before I assumed human form, and I also heard some information about him from others. Firstly, Ye Long was a transfer student from Rongcheng. As for the reason for his transfer, it¡¯s said that both of Ye Long¡¯s parents were government officials who ended up in prison due to corruption and bribery charges. Their assets were confiscated and frozen, leaving Ye Long homeless in Rongcheng. He had no choice but to seek refuge with his uncle in Panlong Town." "However, Ye Long¡¯s uncle was also a materialistic person, considering that Ye Long was seen as a burden after his parents¡¯ downfall. So, Ye Long had a motive to deliberately summon a disc spirit. But, like I said, summoning a disc spirit isn¡¯t something that can be done easily. I¡¯m certain that at that time, Ye Long didn¡¯t have the spell to summon a disc spirit." Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked, "So, you¡¯re saying that someone else must have given Ye Long the spell to summon a disc spirit?" As he thought about it, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but recall the name Nyathotep. After all, Nyathotep, as the ultimate scapegoat, could do anything in the module without causing plot bugs. It seemed usible that Nyathotep might have been involved in this. "That¡¯s likely the case," Hu Li replied. "But the specific reasons are probably known only to Ye Long himself. However, Ye Long has also died in Panlong Town Middle School, so unless he has be a disc spirit as well, we may never know the truth." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Wait, Miss Hu Li, are you suggesting that disc spirits are the souls of humans after they die?" Hu Li nodded, speaking seriously. "That¡¯s correct. Disc spirits are the souls of humans after they pass away. However, not all human souls can be disc spirits. I¡¯m not entirely sure about the specific conditions because disc spirits reside in another world, and our knowledge about them is quite limited. But I do know one thing: disc spirits often forget most of their memories from their past lives, preserving only a few precious ones. And these memories remain sealed until certain conditions are met." "So, are there still disc spirits in present-day Panlong Town?" Liu Xing inquired. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 380: A Bold Guess Chapter 380: A Bold Guess Liu Xing exchanged a knowing nce with Hu Cang, who smiled and turned to Xiao Mochen, saying, "It¡¯s nothing. This is a friend I met in Rongcheng. However, he¡¯s from the Ind Nation and can¡¯t understand what we¡¯re saying." Xiao Mochen looked somewhat surprised at Liu Xing, while Liu Xing politely nodded at Xiao Mochen and took out his phone, engrossed in ying with it. Xiao Mochen withdrew his gaze and said to Hu Cang, "I see. I was actually thinking if I should find a quiet ce to talk. After all, the things I told you are a bit embarrassing. Bute to think of it, this foreigner¡¯s phone looks different from ours; it seems high-end and ssy." Liu Xing, looking down at his own phone, realized it was indeed out of ce in this era, as it was a smartphone from more than ten years in the future. Phones underwent significant changes every few years. Therefore, Liu Xing decided not to casually take out his phone in the future, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention and suspicion about his identity. After all, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game module, anything was possible. At this point, Xiao Mochen continued, "Hu Cang, this is really like a woman¡¯s changeable heart. Yesterday, Hu Li and I were getting along well. I even hinted at proposing to her, and she seemed willing. So, I prepared everything to propose today, even had a big surprise for her. But unexpectedly, she changed her mind today before I could say a word. When I realized it, she had already gone upstairs. I had nned to go up and ask her what had happened, but the waiter she called was surprisingly strong and held me down." Hu Cang, hearing this, had already guessed why Hu Li had suddenly rejected Xiao Mochen. Since Liu Xing had returned safely, it meant that Hu Li had discovered that Panlong Town was in a temporal distortion state, and she had already entered into a cooperation with Liu Xing. Therefore, Hu Li probably felt that she no longer needed to ept Xiao Mochen¡¯s proposal. Hu Cang was well aware that the reason Hu Li had agreed to Xiao Mochen¡¯s proposal in the first ce wasrgely because of himself, or rather, as a way of seeking revenge on him. However, Hu Cang definitely wouldn¡¯t reveal this, especially not to Xiao Mochen.Thinking about this, Hu Cang sighed and said, "Xiao Mochen, didn¡¯t I warn you when I first returned to Panlong Town? Don¡¯t casually get involved with that woman, Hu Li. She¡¯s not simple, and with your personality, you would have been taken advantage of. Now that it¡¯se to this, Xiao Mochen, it pains me to say this, but you¡¯ve been yed by Hu Li." Although Xiao Mochen wanted to refute Hu Cang, he couldn¡¯t find any valid arguments. So, he sighed and leaned against the wall looking disheartened. Hu Cang patted Xiao Mochen¡¯s shoulder and said earnestly, "Given the circumstances, Xiao Mochen, you should let go of your thoughts about Hu Li. A woman like her is not someone you can handle, and with your qualities, you can surely find someone better than her." Xiao Mochen forced a smile and said, "Hu Cang, it¡¯s easier said than done. You know my current situation. After opening that teahouse, I¡¯m practically broke. My mother still needs medical treatment in Rongcheng, and you know how my father is. My monthly expenses are quite high, so let me be frank. One of the big reasons I chose Hu Li is that she doesn¡¯t require a dowry." Hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Xiao Mochen¡¯s statement a bit exaggerated. After all, Hu Li¡¯s appearance was well-documented on her dating app. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Mochen¡¯s decision to marry Hu Li wouldn¡¯t be influenced by her appearance, not to mention her ability to use charm techniques. Hu Cang, on the other hand, clearly shared Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts. He couldn¡¯t help but find Xiao Mochen¡¯s words a bit unbelievable and said, "Xiao Mochen, it¡¯s been so many years, and you¡¯re still boasting like this. What you said can¡¯t be described as anything other than self-deception. I thought about proposing to Hu Li, but now I have to go on blind dates to find someone suitable. Hu Cang, do you have any rmendations?" Liu Xing pretended to yawn and discreetly observed the expressions on Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen¡¯s faces. He noticed that Hu Cang seemed somewhat unnatural at the moment, while Xiao Mochen¡¯s smile appeared forced. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was amiss in their conversation. Moreover, he felt that the atmosphere suddenly seemed peculiar, even somewhat "gay." Could it be? Liu Xing quickly lowered his head and continued to y with his phone, as a daring thought crossed his mind. This bold thought naturally concerned the rtionship between Xiao Mochen and Hu Cang. Liu Xing now believed that their connection wasn¡¯t simply that of brothers, but rather a deeper romantic rtionship. If this were true, it would exin a lot of things perfectly. Firstly, it would rify why Hu Cang refused Hu Li¡¯s advances. After all, Liu Xing believed that as a heterosexual man, it would be impossible for Hu Cang to resist someone like Hu Li, especially considering her charm abilities. Besides, Hu Li¡¯s true form was that of a fox spirit with animal ears¡ªwhat could be more alluring? However, if Hu Cang were gay, it would make sense. In certain module settings, homosexuality granted automatic immunity or reduced the sess rate of opposite-sex charm attempts. So, Hu Cang¡¯s ability to resist Hu Li¡¯s charm could be attributed to his sexual orientation. Moreover, while in Liu Xing¡¯s era, the LGBTQ+munity had gained widespread eptance and respect through years of advocacy, the current module was set in the period before 2000, in a rtively traditional Chinese rural area. Therefore, it would be quite normal for Hu Cang to hide his homosexuality. After all, keeping certain things hidden was stillmon during that time, especially given the emotional turmoil it could cause. As a result, no matter how much Liu Xing and others probed, Hu Cang hadn¡¯t revealed the true reason for his breakup with Hu Li. And when Liu Xing had asked about it against night, Hu Cang¡¯s reaction had been so intense because he had been bottling up these emotions for a long time. Finally, this also exined why Hu Li had ignored others and specifically tried to seduce Xiao Mochen. It was likely because when Hu Cang rejected Hu Li, he probably informed her that he had feelings for Xiao Mochen. Or perhaps, Hu Li had gathered evidence or used some means to confirm the rtionship between Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen. Therefore, in order to strike back at Hu Cang and perhaps see if he still loved Xiao Mochen even after she transformed him into a woman... To confirm his theory, Liu Xing contacted KP Snow Wind, saying, "KP, I¡¯d like to ask about the rtionship between Hu Cang and the others. Could it be rted to a Side Quest?" KP Snow Wind naturally understood Liu Xing¡¯s intention and replied with a smile, "As long as the yer meets the conditions forpleting the Side Quest, it can bepleted." While KP Snow Wind¡¯s response appeared to be off-topic, it was actually a message to Liu Xing, indicating that he shouldn¡¯t try to be too clever. Liu Xing had asked this question to confirm his daring hypothesis. If KP Snow Wind had replied that there was a relevant mission, Liu Xing could mention his bold theory when chatting with Zhang Jingxu and the others, and if theypleted a Side Quest rted to it, it would prove his hypothesis correct. However, if KP Snow Wind said there was no rted mission, Liu Xing nned to wait until the next Private Room session to voice his daring theory. Since he couldn¡¯t judge the correctness of his theory based on thepletion of a Side Quest, he didn¡¯t want to risk prematurely revealing it and potentially affecting their future actions. In the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, yers had to be responsible for their every word and action, especially outside of Private Room sessions. yers were like characters in a movie, and they couldn¡¯t easily overturn their previous statements without a valid reason. Liu Xing had read a forum post on the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall where yers had made a wrong judgment due to misinformation. Consequently, they had confidently formed an incorrect conclusion within the module and proceeded with it. Soon, they realized their error, but without new evidence to change their conclusion, they were forced to stick with it until they ultimately failed. So, without absolute certainty, it was best not to jump to conclusions to avoid trapping oneself. With this in mind, Liu Xing had a better grasp of KP Snow Wind¡¯s character. KP Snow Wind appeared to be of the neutralwful alignment¡ªfriendly toward yers but not inclined to provide substantial help. Meanwhile, Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen¡¯s conversation continued. "Alright, I¡¯ll introduce a suitable match for youter, Xiao Mochen. However, she¡¯s from the neighboring town, so it might take a few days to arrange a meeting. Are you satisfied with that?" Hu Cang asked with a smile. Xiao Mochen nodded and then asked, "Hu Cang, why don¡¯t you introduce me to someone from Panlong Town? Wait a minute, why do I feel like there are so few women in Panlong Town now?" Xiao Mochen furrowed his brows, lost in thought. Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at Xiao Mochen. Could it be that Xiao Mochen had also awakened like Hu Li? At that moment, the sound of dice hitting the table echoed. After a while, Xiao Mochen furrowed his brows and said, "Hu Cang, have you noticed that something¡¯s not right in Panlong Town? I have strange memories appearing in my mind." Hu Cang looked at Xiao Mochen in shock and then turned to Liu Xing. Liu Xing stood up, nodded at Hu Cang, and said, "It seems that Xiao Mochen has awakened too." Xiao Mochen, upon hearing Liu Xing, immediately turned to him in surprise, saying, "Hu Cang, didn¡¯t you say your friend couldn¡¯t speak Chinese? Why can I understand what he¡¯s saying even though he¡¯s speaking anguage I don¡¯t understand?" Liu Xing chuckled and said to Hu Cang, "Mr. Hu Cang, you might as well tell Xiao Mochen the current situation. After all, he has already awakened relevant memories, and it would be a good thing to share all those details with him." Hu Cang nodded and began to exin the current situation to Xiao Mochen. While Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen conversed, Liu Xing began to contemte why Xiao Mochen had suddenly awakened these memories. Hu Li¡¯s awakening was somewhat expected, given her attributes as a mythical creature, but Xiao Mochen¡¯s awakening was a surprise. Apart from having higher attribute values in the dating app, his other attributes were generally average, ording to Liu Xing¡¯s assessment. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 381: Hu Cang’s Corruption Begins Chapter 381: Hu Cang¡¯s Corruption Begins So, in this module, the condition for NPCs to awaken their memories doesn¡¯t include certain attributes reaching a certain value? If that¡¯s the case, then can all the NPCs in the module awaken their memories? Thinking of this, Liu Xing shook his head. Even if all the NPCs in this module could awaken their memories, Liu Xing felt that his group wouldn¡¯t choose to awaken the memories of all the NPCs. After all, it wasn¡¯t a good thing. Not everyone had the mental fortitude of Hu Li, who could ept reality directly. Those NPCs who couldn¡¯t ept reality would definitely cause a lot of trouble for his group. Liu Xing remembered that in the real world in the year 2000, the so-called doomsday prophecy had caused panic and riots in many parts of the world. For the residents of Panlong Town, the current situation in Panlong Town was no different from the end of the world. Who knew how many residents of Panlong Town would fall into a state of temporary madness and do crazy things? Therefore, although there was strength in numbers, the side effects could be even greater. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu and the others also came back together. Zhang Jingxu and the others saw that Hu Cang seemed to be talking about something important with Xiao Mochen, so they sat down beside Liu Xing. "What¡¯s the situation? Why did Xiao Mochene here?" Zhang Jingxu asked in a low voice. Liu Xing didn¡¯t beat around the bush and told them about the current situation, including his conversation with Hu Li.Of course, since the individuals involved were still present, Liu Xing didn¡¯t say his bold guess out loud. Zhang Jingxu frowned and said in surprise, "I didn¡¯t expect Hu Li and Xiao Mochen to awaken their memories. I don¡¯t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing." Wan Chongshan nodded and said, "I think it should be both good and bad. The good thing is that we have two more allies, especially Hu Li, who has provided us with so much useful information. Moreover, Hu Li¡¯s ability is exactly what we need right now. However, the bad thing is also very obvious. We still don¡¯t know much about Hu Li. If Hu Li is plotting something sinister in secret, then we might suffer a great loss." "Wan Chongshan is right. Although we need Hu Li¡¯s help very much right now, we also have to be careful of Hu Li¡¯s possible schemes. After all, Hu Li has already wiped us out once." Li Dian shrugged and said. At this moment, Hu Cang had already told Xiao Mochen everything he knew. Xiao Mochen, who had received too much shocking information at once, was now dumbfounded. Hu Cang could only sigh when he saw this and said to Liu Xing and the others, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, how was your harvest this morning? Did you find Wang Anquan¡¯s house?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head helplessly and said, "We found Wang Anquan¡¯s house, but Wang Anquan¡¯s family wasn¡¯t home. We heard from people passing by that Wang Anquan¡¯s family seemed to have gone to Rongcheng to visit rtives and wouldn¡¯t be back for a few days." Hu Cang nodded and said apologetically, "Uh, I see. Because Wang Anquan and I aren¡¯t very familiar, I didn¡¯t know that Wang Anquan wouldn¡¯t be in Panlong Town at this time. I¡¯m sorry that Mr. Zhang Jingxu and the others made a wasted trip." When Zhang Jingxu heard Hu Cang say this, he quickly shook his head and said, "Mr. Hu Cang, don¡¯t me yourself. You can¡¯t possibly know everything. Moreover, if it weren¡¯t for your reminder, we wouldn¡¯t have known that we could get enough gasoline from Wang Anquan¡¯s ce. Besides, we¡¯re not in a hurry right now. We don¡¯t need to get rid of the pig head butcher at this point in time." Liu Xing continued, "That¡¯s right. We have to take things one step at a time. Our goal at this point in time is to get rid of that Troll." "Troll?" Hu Cang asked with a puzzled look. Then, Liu Xing told Hu Cang about the Troll and its rtionship with Zhong Rensan. Hu Cang was stunned at first, and then he said in shock, "I see. I didn¡¯t expect that there would be a man-eating Troll living in the basement of the Panlong Town Clinic. Speaking of which, my childhood friend Gangzi might have been killed by the Troll." When Hu Cang was young, besides Xiao Mochen, he had another very good friend called Gangzi. Gangzi was born on the same day, month, and year as Hu Cang, and their parents had a good rtionship. However, because Gangzi¡¯s father had a bad temper and was very strict with Gangzi, whenever Gangzi made a small mistake, he would beat Gangzi up badly. Therefore, every time Gangzi made a mistake before his father found out, he would firste to Hu Cang to discuss how to deal with it, or ask Hu Cang to take the me for him. At that time, Zhong Rensan had just be the director of the Panlong Town Clinic. Because his medical skills were very good, he quickly gained the trust of the residents of Panlong Town. No matter if it was a major or minor illness, they would first go to Zhong Rensan for treatment. Moreover, because Zhong Rensan¡¯s children were all living in other ces (Liu Xing felt that the reason why Zhong Rensan let his children live in other ces was probably because he was afraid that the Troll would harm his children), Zhong Rensan was very good to the children of Panlong Town. Usually, if they had any minor illnesses, he would treat them for free and even give them candies and biscuits. So, one summer afternoon, Hu Cang, Gangzi, and a few other friends secretly went to the Panlong Reservoir to swim. As a result, Gangzi identally stepped on a piece of gravel and got a small wound. However, Hu Cang was worried that Gangzi¡¯s wound would get infected and he would get tetanus, so he asked Gangzi to go to Zhong Rensan for treatment. So, Hu Cang helped Gangzi to Zhong Rensan¡¯s ce. However, halfway there, Hu Cang saw from afar Gangzi¡¯s father riding his motorcycle back to Panlong Town. He immediately asked Gangzi to hide in the woods by the side of the road. Gangzi told Hu Cang not to tell his father that he had gone swimming in the reservoir, and to find a way to dy his father from going home. Then, Gangzi¡¯s father saw Hu Cang and stopped his motorcycle to let Hu Cang get on and go together. So, Hu Cang got on Gangzi¡¯s father¡¯s motorcycle and returned home. During this time, Gangzi¡¯s father also asked Hu Cang why he was wandering around outside alone in the middle of the day. Hu Cang changed the topic and asked Gangzi¡¯s father to y chess with him. Gangzi¡¯s father didn¡¯t smoke or drink. His only hobby was ying chess. He would asionally y a few games with Hu Cang, but for Hu Cang, ying chess wasn¡¯t as fun as ying with his friends. So, as soon as Hu Cang saw Gangzi¡¯s father take out the chessboard, he ran away. Therefore, when Gangzi¡¯s father saw that Hu Cang was so proactive in ying chess with him today, he agreed without hesitation and started ying chess with Hu Cang. Just like that, they yed for two hours. Gangzi¡¯s father saw that it was gettingte and that he should go back to his own business, so he said goodbye to Hu Cang with a smile. Hu Cang also felt that Gangzi should have already treated his wound and returned home by now, so he sent Gangzi¡¯s father away. However, what Hu Cang didn¡¯t expect was that at five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Gangzi¡¯s father came to him again, asking Hu Cang if he knew where Gangzi had gone. He had gone out after lunch and hadn¡¯t returned home yet. Although Hu Cang was a little surprised that Gangzi hadn¡¯t returned home by five o¡¯clock, he was worried that something had happened to Gangzi. However, looking at Gangzi¡¯s furious father, Hu Cang decided to continue to keep his promise with Gangzi, lest Gangzi¡¯s father would go to the clinic to drag Gangzi out and beat him up again after learning the truth. Therefore, Hu Cang kept his mouth shut about Gangzi¡¯s matter. Gangzi¡¯s father could only leave helplessly and continue to search for Gangzi with his rtives and friends. Then, at nine o¡¯clock, Gangzi¡¯s father came to Hu Cang again, asking him if he knew where Gangzi had gone, because Gangzi still hadn¡¯t returned home, and it seemed that no one in Panlong Town had seen Gangzi since noon. This included Zhong Rensan. Just as Hu Cang was about to tell the truth, he remembered that when he, Gangzi, and Xiao Mochen had gone to Zhong Rensan¡¯s ce to get candy, Zhong Rensan had told them a joke¡ªtwo children were so engrossed in ying that they didn¡¯t return home before the time agreed with their parents. Therefore, they knew that if they went back now, they would be beaten up by their parents. So, one of the children suggested that they simply y until the next day and then go back, and then make up an excuse that they had encountered human traffickers and had a hard time escaping, so they wouldn¡¯t be beaten up. In the end, they really didn¡¯t get beaten up. Thinking of this, Hu Cang felt that Gangzi was probably really nning to do this, so he once again denied knowing Gangzi¡¯s whereabouts in front of Gangzi¡¯s father. So, Gangzi¡¯s father could only leave helplessly and then searched for Gangzi with some rtives and friends around Panlong Town overnight. The next day, they didn¡¯t find Gangzi. The third day, they still didn¡¯t find Gangzi. At this time, Hu Cang started to panic. After all, Hu Cang knew Gangzi very well. Although Gangzi was very afraid of being beaten by his father, it was impossible for Gangzi not to return home for three days. Therefore, Hu Cang made up his mind to go and tell the truth to Gangzi¡¯s father. However, before Hu Cang could even enter Gangzi¡¯s house, he saw Gangzi¡¯s father riding his motorcycle away in a hurry. Then, Hu Cang heard that Gangzi had been found, but by then, Gangzi was already dead. He had died on the mountain opposite the Panlong River. His body had been eaten by either a wolf or a wild boar. When he was found, he was already torn apart, his stomach was ripped open, and his internal organs were nowhere to be seen. At that time, Hu Cang was so scared that he thought Gangzi¡¯s death was rted to him. If he hadn¡¯t been hiding Gangzi¡¯s whereabouts, Gangzi might not have died. However, looking at the heartbroken expressions of Gangzi¡¯s family, Hu Cang, who was still a child at that time, couldn¡¯t make up his mind whether to tell the truth or not. Before Hu Cang could figure it out, Gangzi¡¯s family left Panlong Town, the ce that had brought them so much grief, and disappeared without a trace. So, Hu Cang kept this truth hidden in his heart forever. After listening to Hu Cang¡¯s story, Liu Xing asked curiously, "Excuse me, Hu Cang, didn¡¯t you feel that something was wrong at that time? Where else could Gangzi have gone besides the clinic with his injured foot?" Hu Cang nodded helplessly and said with a bitter smile, "I thought about that too at the time. After all, the weather was so hot that day, and Gangzi couldn¡¯t have just run to the small mountain on the other side of the river with his injury. However, because Zhong Rensan had always said that he hadn¡¯t seen Gangzi, and because I had a very good impression of Zhong Rensan at that time, and I didn¡¯t know about the existence of the Troll, I didn¡¯t dare to tell the truth, for fear that Gangzi¡¯s father would me or even take revenge on Zhong Rensan. At that time, Gangzi¡¯s father would most likely try to kill Zhong Rensan. Therefore, I decided to keep my mouth shut..." Liu Xing sighed and said, "From the looks of it now, Gangzi¡¯s death should be rted to Zhong Rensan." Hu Cang thought for a moment and said affirmatively, "That¡¯s right. Gangzi¡¯s death is most likely rted to Zhong Rensan. Because I just recalled the situation back then, I remembered that in that year, other than Gangzi, no one else died in Panlong Town. So, based on what Mr. Ryuusei said about the Troll¡¯s settings just now, I can now be sure that Zhong Rensan killed Gangzi in order to feed the Troll." "After all, it was noon in the summer, and the streets of Panlong Town were empty. No one would see Gangzi entering the clinic. Therefore, Zhong Rensan¡¯s evil thoughts took over him. He lured Gangzi into the basement and fed him to the Troll. Then, he found an opportunity to throw Gangzi¡¯s body on the mountain on the other side of the river, pretending that Gangzi had been attacked by a wild beast. Haha, thank you, Mr. Ryuusei, for bringing me such important information. I finally know the truth about Gangzi¡¯s death." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and looked at Hu Cang, who was calm andposed. He knew that Hu Cang had been corrupted. This was troublesome. Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect that Hu Cang would suddenly be corrupted because of his words. Moreover, looking at Hu Cang¡¯s expression, he was probably nning to go and cause trouble for Zhong Rensan, and he most likely already had the intention to kill. After all, in this temporally distorted Panlong Town, Hu Cang¡¯s actions would no longer be subject to any constraints, except for his own conscience. And now, Hu Cang, in order to avenge his good friend Gangzi, wouldn¡¯t care about his own conscience? Moreover, Liu Xing felt that Hu Cang didn¡¯t intend to avenge Gangzi, but rather to atone for his own sins. Because it was not difficult to hear from Hu Cang¡¯s words that Hu Cang felt that Gangzi¡¯s death wasrgely due to himself, because he didn¡¯t tell the truth. So, Liu Xing put himself in Hu Cang¡¯s shoes and looked at this matter from Hu Cang¡¯s perspective. He found that other than killing Zhong Rensan, he seemed to have no other choice. After all, given the current situation, it was impossible to arrest Zhong Rensan and send him to court. However, here came the problem. Zhong Rensan was also an important NPC in this module. It was impossible for his group to watch Hu Cang kill Zhong Rensan! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 382: The Little Girl in Green Chapter 382: The Little Girl in Green When conflicts arise between two important NPCs from the same faction, it bes an incredibly difficult choice for the yers, especially when it involves deep-seated animosity, with one NPC seeking to kill another. Faced with such a situation, yers have only two options. One is to help both NPCs reconcile, but considering the current circumstances, unless Gangzi is proven innocent of Troll¡¯s murder, Hu Cang is unlikely to spare Zhong Rensan. Based on the known clues, the probability of Gangzi being killed by Troll is upwards of ny percent, with virtually no other possibilities. Therefore, Liu Xing believes that their best current choice is to take a stand, deciding whether they align with Hu Cang or Zhong Rensan. However, this is another excruciating decision. Choosing to side with Hu Cang would mean assisting in Zhong Rensan¡¯s murder. While Zhong Rensan is just an ordinary middle-aged man and killing him should be straightforward, it would put their chances of obtaining Zhong Rensan¡¯s jade pendant in jeopardy. Besides its unique ability to repel insects, the jade pendant¡¯s quality and material alone make it extremely valuable. Zhong Rensan would likely hide it away, and only by defeating Troll could they make him reveal its location. Liu Xing, however, believes that Hu Cang might not wait for that and would act preemptively if they choose to side with him. On the other hand, if they align with Zhong Rensan, it will inevitably lead to a rift with Hu Cang. They would likely be expelled from Hu Cang¡¯s home, which currently serves as their respawn point in this module. Every time they experience temporal distortion or an unexpected death, they return to Hu Cang¡¯s home. Facing Hu Cang afterward would be awkward, and he might even set traps for them. Even if they side with Zhong Rensan, Hu Cang is unlikely to abandon his n to kill him. This would lead to a never-ending pursuit, especially with Hu Li as a formidable ally. Liu Xing is certain that Hu Cang would turn against them if he promises to continue his alliance with Hu Li. Therefore, whether they choose Hu Cang or Zhong Rensan, there are pros and cons. However, given the current circumstances, Liu Xing leans more towards supporting Hu Cang. After all, they have already established a working rtionship with him, and their cooperation with Hu Lirgely depends on Hu Cang. Until they acquire the strength to confront Hu Li directly, Liu Xing believes it¡¯s best not to sever ties with Hu Cang. However, Liu Xing also knows that even with their support, Hu Cang¡¯s n to kill Zhong Rensan won¡¯t be easy. Zhong Rensan has a Troll by his side, who is unlikely to let Hu Cang kill him easily. Moreover, who can guarantee that Zhong Rensan doesn¡¯t have other tricks up his sleeve?Most importantly, Liu Xing is certain that Zhong Rensan, as an important NPC in this module, has a storyline. Even if they let Hu Cang kill Zhong Rensan after obtaining the jade pendant, they would miss out on valuable information, particrly exclusive information held by Zhong Rensan. Thinking about all this, Liu Xing can¡¯t help but feel a headacheing on. The atmosphere has also be tense, as Zhang Jingxu and the others are wrestling with the decision of which side to choose, just as Liu Xing is. As for Hu Cang, he watches Liu Xing¡¯s group with a serious expression, eager to know their decision. Liu Xing sighs inwardly and realizes he must step up, set the pace, and make a decision. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, one of the worst things is for yers who should be on the same side to end up on opposing sides. So, at this moment, the first person to make a decision will likely determine where the others stand. With that in mind, Liu Xing was about to speak up when he noticed a young girl skipping past the clinic¡¯s entrance. A little girl?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and quickly got up, walking out of the clinic to see where the little girl was heading. He confirmed that there was indeed a young girl wearing a green outfit with two ponytails who had joined the crowd. Liu Xing¡¯s sudden movement startled Zhang Jingxu and the others, prompting Zhang Jingxu to ask in confusion, "What¡¯s going on, Ryuusei? Why the sudden reaction?" Liu Xing turned back and, with a furrowed brow, exined, "I just saw a little girl pass by the clinic¡¯s entrance. That¡¯s why I got up and checked. It definitely was a young girl. Although I only saw her back, she was wearing a green outfit, had two ponytails, and her figure indicated she¡¯s a girl. So, she¡¯s either a little girl or a cross-dresser." "A cross-dresser?" Hu Cang questioned. Liu Xing hesitated for a moment, then realized that the term "cross-dresser" hadn¡¯t be popr during Hu Cang¡¯s time in Panlong Town. Zhang Jingxu stepped in to rify, "Mr. Hu Cang, ¡¯cross-dresser¡¯ is a term from Ryuusei¡¯s Ind Nation, meaning a man who dresses as a woman." Hu Cang suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "I see now. But if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ve heard that there are quite a few children around Panlong Town who are cross-dressers. You probably know the reasons¡ªfamily ie and the preference for boys over girls. Some families, after having several daughters, end up having a son, and due to their poor financial conditions, they can only let the young boy wear his older sister¡¯s clothes." "However," Hu Cang continued, "Ryuusei, you saw a little girl, and as far as I remember, there are no cross-dressers among the children in Panlong Town. No boys have long hair in twin ponytails, and none wear green outfits. In this era of Panlong Town, children¡¯s clothing tends to be quite monotonous, mostly ck or white." So, is she really a little girl? Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said, "If she truly is a little girl, then I believe it¡¯s essential for us to find her. We should try to ascertain her identity, whether she¡¯s a local from Panlong Town or an outsider like us." While saying this, Liu Xing exchanged a meaningful nce with Zhang Jingxu and the others. Zhang Jingxu and the others quickly understood Liu Xing¡¯s intention. They knew he intended to discuss their alignment while searching for the little girl, as collective thinking might lead to a better decision. As a result, Zhang Jingxu and the others stood up, expressing their intent to go outside and find the little girl. Since they needed to take care of the still stunned Xiao Mochen, Hu Cang had no choice but to stay at the clinic. After leaving the clinic, Liu Xing asked, "So, Zhang Jingxu, what are your thoughts? Are we siding with Hu Cang or Zhong Rensan this time?" Without hesitation, Zhang Jingxu said, "I¡¯m definitely siding with Hu Cang this time. After all, we already have a good rtionship with him, and ording to the information Ryuusei obtained from Hu Li, Zhong Rensan came to Panlong Town to find food for Troll. Though Zhong Rensan¡¯s original intention was to dig up corpses for Troll¡¯s sustenance, due to various factors beyond his control, he ended up supplying Troll with living people. No matter how you look at it, Zhong Rensan is a heinous murderer." Li Dian nodded in agreement and added, "Exactly. Zhang Jingxu and I share the same perspective. Even though Zhong Rensan was initially victimized by his ancestors, which led to him being targeted by Troll, and he had no choice but to provide food for Troll to protect his family, it doesn¡¯t mean Zhong Rensan can persecute others¡¯ lives for the sake of his family. Moreover, Zhong Rensan and his family have gained significant benefits from these actions, as those precious herbs are quite valuable." Wan Chongshan sighed and said, "You¡¯re right. People who suffer often have their faults, and if Hu Cang wants to seek revenge against Zhong Rensan, we have no reason to stop him. So, Zhang Jingxu, Li Dian, and I share the same stance, aligning with Hu Cang." Seeing their unanimous decision, Liu Xing smiled and said, "It seems we¡¯re all on the same side. I agree with your thoughts. We¡¯ll support Hu Cang, but we¡¯ll need to obtain that jade pendant from Zhong Rensan first. Afterward, we can let Hu Cang proceed with seeking revenge against Zhong Rensan. So when we go back, let¡¯s make our stance clear to Hu Cang and try to ensure he doesn¡¯t take hasty actions against Zhong Rensan." Zhang Jingxu and the others nodded in agreement with Liu Xing¡¯s n. At that moment, Liu Xing¡¯s peripheral vision caught sight of the little girl in green once more. The girl had blended into the crowd again, so Liu Xing didn¡¯t have time to inform Zhang Jingxu and the others. He hurriedly chased after the girl. Zhang Jingxu and the rest, seeing Liu Xing suddenly take off, understood that he had spotted the green-d girl. They followed suit. Finally, in front of a popcorn stand, Liu Xing managed to catch up with the little girl in green. However, upon seeing the girl, Liu Xing was momentarily stunned. In simple terms, this little girl was incredibly beautiful, like a porcin doll, exuding an ethereal aura. His initial thoughts of a strategic advantage faded, reced by a strange sense of admiration. Moreover, Liu Xing detected a unique fragrance emanating from the girl, reminiscent of flowers and grass. So, all things considered, Liu Xing was certain that this little girl in green was a mythical creature, and he even began to suspect that she might be an incarnation of Nyathotep. Zhang Jingxu and the others had also caught up by now. Like Liu Xing, they were shocked upon seeing the little girl in green, and when they regained their senses, they instinctively took a step back. After all, this green-d little girl clearly wasn¡¯t human, so it was wise to be cautious. At that moment, the green-d girl pointed at the popcorn and said, "I want this." Zhang Jingxu and the others exchanged nces and then, with Zhang Jingxu taking the lead, purchased a bag of popcorn for the green-d girl. Zhang Jingxu then smiled and said, "Hello there, little girl. Judging by your appearance, you¡¯re probably not a local from Panlong Town, are you?" The green-d girl nodded and replied with a smile, "Of course not. I¡¯m definitely not from Panlong Town because I¡¯m not even human." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 383: The Millennium Willow Spirit Chapter 383: The Millennium Willow Spirit Zhang Jingxu found himself at a loss for words, silenced by the green-d young girl¡¯s retort. Seeing this situation, Liu Xing decided to step in and salvage the situation. After all, the green-d young girl had already admitted to being a mythical creature, so Liu Xing had no need to worry about startling her with mentalmunication. With determination, Liu Xing approached the green-d young girl and spoke, "Hello, I am Watanabe Ryuusei. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. May I have the honor of knowing your name?" The green-d young girl chuckled and replied, "Since you¡¯ve put it that way, I suppose I should give you some face. My name is Green Willow. You can simply call me by that name. I believe you can guess my true form, can¡¯t you? But speaking of that, Ryuusei, your ability for mentalmunication, it must have been taught to you by that silly fox, right?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He knew that Green Willow, as a mythical creature, must be much older than him, probably even older than his grandmother. So being called "little brother" by Green Willow was quite ttering. However, Green Willow¡¯s current appearance was extremely youthful, which did put some psychological pressure on Liu Xing. Of course, there was no need to guess Green Willow¡¯s true form; it was undoubtedly a willow tree. But what surprised Liu Xing was Green Willow¡¯s reference to Hu Li as a "silly fox." This implied that Green Willow¡¯s abilities were superior to Hu Li¡¯s. Otherwise, Green Willow wouldn¡¯t be so casually teasing Hu Li. It also seemed that Green Willow and Hu Li had a good rtionship. Therefore, Liu Xing now considered Green Willow to be on a simr level to the ck Flood Dragon. Thinking this, Liu Xing quickly adjusted his attitude and smiled, saying, "I see. Well, I have a question for you, Senior Green Willow. Do you happen to know the current situation in Panlong Town?"Green Willow nodded and pointed to a nearby noodle shop, saying, "Don¡¯t call me ¡¯senior¡¯; it makes me sound old. So, from now on, you must address me by my name directly. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me if we have a falling out. Also, standing here and chatting isn¡¯t very convenient. Let¡¯s find a ce to sit down first." After Green Willow finished speaking, she took the lead and entered the noodle shop, then casually found a table and sat down. Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces and followed Green Willow, taking their seats as well. Liu Xing sat across from Green Willow and initially thought about ordering some noodles. After all, they were all sitting in someone else¡¯s establishment, so it seemed appropriate to order something to eat. However, to Liu Xing¡¯s surprise, the owner of the noodle shop seemedpletely oblivious to their presence and had no intention of serving them. It was as if the owner and the other customers couldn¡¯t see Liu Xing and his group at all. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and was about to speak when Green Willow interrupted, "Ryuusei, you don¡¯t need to worry about the other people in this noodle shop. They are all soulless automatons, incapable of perceiving us. In fact, they willpletely ignore any living beings within a five-meter radius of me, unless you actively engage with them." Liu Xing nodded as if he understood but wasn¡¯t entirely sure, then spoke, "So, Green Willow, do you have information about the situation in Panlong Town?" Green Willow sighed and replied with resignation, "Yes, I am well aware of the situation in Panlong Town. In fact, I have a significant connection to how Panlong Town has be what it is today. If it weren¡¯t for me being deceived into going to Rongcheng at that time, Panlong Town might have had a different fate. With both me and ck Flood Dragon joining forces, we had a good chance of defeating Gralki." "Please, tell me more," Liu Xing inquired eagerly. Green Willow nodded and continued, "Here¡¯s how it all unfolded. First, let me reintroduce myself. I am a thousand-year-old willow tree spirit who took root in Panlong Town for hundreds of years before undergoing a transformation into a human form after surviving a celestial tribtion. I began traveling in the surrounding areas of Rongcheng, making friends with various supernatural beings, including ck Flood Dragon and Silly Fox. Of course, I also made many human friends. ck Flood Dragon, in particr, was brought to Panlong Town for cultivation by my suggestion, as the town¡¯s simple and honest nature suited his ascension n." "Then, when Gralki¡¯s followers arrived in Panlong Town to spread their beliefs, ck Flood Dragon and I immediately sensed that something was amiss with one of the Gralki devotees. In our perception, that follower was already dead, but they were somehow sustained by a mysterious force, keeping them active and possessing some level of intelligence. So, ck Flood Dragon and I decided to observe quietly, as we were wary of the enigmatic power¡¯s master, Gralki." "Subsequently, we discovered that the follower was devoted to Gralki. I returned to Rongcheng to ask my friends if they knew anything about Gralki because, as the saying goes, ¡¯know your enemy.¡¯ Fortunately, I had a Vampire friend from Ennd who knew about Gralki. I obtained some information from him, but it turned out that my Vampire friend¡¯s information had some inuracies, which led to ck Flood Dragon and me underestimating Gralki¡¯sbat capabilities." "Firstly, Gralki hails from a ce called Saven Valley in Ennd. ording to my Vampire friend, Saven Valley is a terrifying ce. Whether humans or supernatural creatures, anyone who enters Saven Valley without the knowledge and approval of the ¡¯natives¡¯ is unlikely to leave it alive. Gralki is the dominant force in Saven Valley and controls a substantial territory there." "However, unlike other overlords in Saven Valley, Gralki has a penchant for recruiting human followers. His method is quite simple: he promises his followers the power of immortality, something humans have desired throughout history regardless of their status. Very few can resist Gralki¡¯s temptation, so he has established a massive secret cult in Saven Valley." "As for Gralki¡¯s abilities, my Vampire friend mentioned that he excels in manipting minds, particrly in the realm of mental abilities. In physicalbat, he is rather weak since Gralki¡¯s true form is that of a spiked slug. This made ck Flood Dragon and me let down our guard because we were confident in our mental capabilities, considering ourselves capable of facing Gralki. After all, both of us are ancient supernatural beings." "So, we rxed our vignce, assuming that Gralki would not personallye to Panlong Town. As long as Gralki¡¯s followers didn¡¯t take away the town¡¯s residents, we pretended he didn¡¯t exist. We didn¡¯t want to stir trouble or conflict with Gralki. However, one morning, I received a message that an old friend of mine was severely injured and needed my help." "Beings like us, tree spirits, possess excellent healing abilities. Our long lives and numerous cycles of existence have given us profound knowledge of life¡¯s essence, making us adept at healing. Therefore, my friends often turn to me when injured. So, I didn¡¯t think much of it at the time. After a quick farewell to ck Flood Dragon, I left Panlong Town." "Once I reached Rongcheng, I promptly healed my injured friend. However, I sensed a familiar energy from my friend¡¯s wound, the same energy from Gralki¡¯s follower. I quickly asked my friend how he got injured, and he told me that he had been attacked by a group of foreigners in the morning. They used weapons resembling spikes to wound him, and he felt his consciousness fading." "Upon hearing this, I realized I had fallen into a trap. The people who attacked my friend were undoubtedly Gralki¡¯s followers. They had the power to kill my friend but chose to severely wound him instead. It was clear they wanted to use my friend as bait to lure me to Rongcheng. By the time I realized this, it was already 8 o¡¯clock in the evening. I rushed back to Panlong Town, only to find it in its current state." "After entering Panlong Town, I discovered that ck Flood Dragon had already died by the Panlong River, likely pierced by Gralki¡¯s spikes and then corroded by Gralki¡¯s mysterious power, ultimately sumbing. Judging from the battle traces left behind, it seemed that Gralki had also suffered significant injuries. That¡¯s when I determined Gralki¡¯s hideout: Panlong Lake, as it had been separated from Panlong Town." "At that point, I realized that Panlong Town was in a state of temporal distortion, constantly shifting between different time points. As for the town¡¯s residents, apart from a few, they had all turned into walking corpses. Though they appeared normal, capable of speech and movement, they had lost their souls. Everything they did now was merely driven by instinct." Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at the people around him. They seemed normal, but something felt off. "Alright, Ryuusei, my young friend, don¡¯t dwell on it too much. Your current abilities aren¡¯t enough to see through the surface of things," Green Willow said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded awkwardly because he knew that Green Willow was indirectly admitting to her ownck of strength... However, Liu Xing quickly regained hisposure and thought of a question, "By the way, since you mentioned that most of the residents in Panlong Town have already turned into walking corpses, does that mean there is still a small portion of them who retain their intelligence?" Green Willow smiled and nodded, saying, "That¡¯s right, in Panlong Town, there are still some people who have retained their souls, like Xiao Mochen, Zhong Rensan, and Silly Fox. Although, thinking about it now, Silly Fox is indeed a silly fox. As a fox spirit, how could it lose its sanity and get trapped in an illusion? It¡¯s quite embarrassing." Just as Green Willow finished speaking, a familiar voice echoed from behind Liu Xing, "Wow, Green Willow, don¡¯t you know it¡¯s impolite to speak ill of others behind their backs?" Liu Xing turned around and saw Hu Li... of all things. Avoiding an indecent gaze, Liu Xing quickly turned back, pretending as if nothing had happened. Green Willow naturally noticed Liu Xing¡¯s subtle reaction, but she chose not to point it out. Instead, she addressed Hu Li, "Silly Fox, who gave you the right to call me ¡¯Green Willow¡¯ in front of outsiders?" Hu Li pursed her lips, somewhat helpless, and said, "Green Willow, can you stop making a fuss? You¡¯ve already told Mr. Ryuusei about your situation, so why would you feel embarrassed if I call you ¡¯Green Willow¡¯ instead of ¡¯sister¡¯?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, barely holding back hisughter. He hadn¡¯t expected Green Willow to request that Hu Li call her ¡¯sister.¡¯ Hu Li sat down next to Green Willow and asked, "Green Willow, why didn¡¯t youe to warn me about the situation in Panlong Town, now that you know about it?" Green Willow shook her head, somewhat resigned, and said, "I couldn¡¯t do anything about it before. While I could sense what was happening in Panlong Town, I couldn¡¯t enter it. But just now, I suddenly realized that I could enter Panlong Town, so I did. Initially, I nned toe and find you directly, but I noticed that you had already regained your memories and had discovered Ryuusei and the others, so I decided not to approach you immediately. After all, once you remembered, you would know that I had arrived." Hu Li nodded and smiled, "Initially, I hadn¡¯t remembered you, but the moment you appeared in Panlong Town, all the memories came flooding back, along with many other things." Green Willow was about to speak but suddenly fell silent. After a while, she spoke with a serious expression, "There seems to be some unusual activity on Gralki¡¯s side. I must go check Panlong Lake now. So, from here on out, it¡¯s up to you, Silly Fox. You and the others must eliminate all the troll zombies and the like in Panlong Town because each of them carries a part of the ¡¯key¡¯ that can allow us to enter Panlong Lake." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 384: Three Questions Chapter 384: Three Questions The Key? Liu Xing quickly realized that this so-called "key" was essentially a requirement for him and his group to eliminate the Troll Gu Masters in Panlong Town. Otherwise, they might not be able to progress through this module. Although this module seemed to require reaching 100 "truth" points to clear, the reality was that these side quests provided crucial "truth" points. In normal circumstances, Liu Xing was certain that when all yers reached eighty or ny "truth" points, the side quests in Panlong Town would disappear. At that point, they would be forced to ept the final side quest, which was to enter Panlong Lake and deal with the injured Gralki¡¯s doppelganger. So, unless one yer ignored the well-being of the others andpleted most of the side quests in Panlong Town alone, there was still a chance to leave without confronting Gralki¡¯s doppelganger. At this moment, Green Willow took a small ck pearl from her pocket and spoke, "Silly fox, hold onto this. You must keep it safe because it¡¯s one of ck Flood Dragon¡¯s unformed dragon pearls. It¡¯s the key to resurrecting ck Flood Dragon. When the time in Panlong Town reaches the dragon¡¯s head and it starts raining heavily, take this dragon pearl to Panlong Bridge and toss it into the water. Then, ck Flood Dragon can be resurrected." "But, when we say ¡¯resurrect,¡¯ it¡¯s more like summoning its spirit. In strict terms, ck Flood Dragon will be a hollow spirit, but its power should not be underestimated. It will definitely be a valuable ally in dealing with Gralki. So, silly fox, you must be cautious andplete this mission at all costs. Otherwise, our dreams of defeating Gralki and saving Panlong Town will be in vain." Hearing this, Liu Xing realized that this dragon pearl was likely an essential item for Ling Ishikawa toplete her side quest. After all, Green Willow had already exined that summoning was a lower-tier version of resurrection. So, if Ling Ishikawa sessfully summoned ck Flood Dragon¡¯s spirit, then she could certainlyplete her side quest. Hu Li received the dragon pearl from Green Willow and nodded, saying, "Don¡¯t worry, Green Willow sister. I will definitely summon ck Flood Dragon back." Green Willow nodded and prepared to leave.However, Zhang Jingxu, who was beside them, spoke up, "Green Willow sister, may I ask you a few more questions?" Green Willow raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and replied, "You may, but I can only answer three questions, as I need to head to Panlong Lake immediately." Zhang Jingxu nodded and asked, "First, I¡¯d like to know how many ¡¯keys¡¯ there are in Panlong Town, and who are they?" Upon hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s question, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nod in approval. Indeed, Zhang Jingxu was quite clever to ask the crucial question. After all, Green Willow hadn¡¯t explicitly mentioned how many "keys" there were in Panlong Town. Now, Liu Xing could confirm that there were only three "keys": Gu Master Chaxi, Troll, and Pig Head Butcher. Of course, if we counted, Hu Li might also be considered a "key." So, if after killing the three "keys" of Pig Head Butcher, they still couldn¡¯t gather enough "keys," the situation might be awkward. Therefore, it was better to rify certain things sooner rather thanter. Green Willow chuckled, seeing through Zhang Jingxu¡¯s thoughts, and exined, "In Panlong Town, there are a total of five ¡¯keys,¡¯ namely, Silly Fox, Pig Head Butcher, Gu Master Chaxi, Troll, and Water Ghost. I understand you may have many questions after hearing this, so let me exin. Firstly, you mustn¡¯t kill Silly Fox, and there¡¯s no need to do so, as all the ¡¯keys¡¯ need to gather together to work." "I believe you have discovered all the ¡¯keys¡¯ except for the water ghost. After all, Gu Master Chaxi and the others are staying in Panlong Town, while the water ghost resides in Panlong River. Moreover, this water ghost is extremely cunning; it has chosen a human as its spokesperson, namely the owner of the ck Inte Cafe. So, if you want to kill the water ghost, it¡¯s best to persuade the owner of the ck Inte Cafe to cooperate. Otherwise, you won¡¯t have a good chance to eliminate the water ghost." Upon hearing Green Willow¡¯s response, Liu Xing felt relieved. When he first heard that Hu Li was the ¡¯key,¡¯ he was already somewhat despairing. After all, facing Hu Li alone was a challenge, and now with the more formidable Green Willow supporting Hu Li, the situation seemed even more daunting. As for the existence of the water ghost, it was unexpected but made sense to Liu Xing. He had been puzzled from the beginning about why the Side Quest rted to the ck Inte Cafe arson case didn¡¯t involve any mythical creatures. It turns out that the water ghost had been hidden in the shadows, instructing the owner of the ck Inte Cafe tomit murders. This also exined why the owner of the ck Inte Cafe had forced Wang Haiyang to suicide and why she had drowned herself after the arson incident. However, as Green Willow had pointed out, dealing with the water ghost would be challenging. It constantly hid in the Panlong River, and Liu Xing¡¯s groupcked the ability to fight in the water. Therefore, engaging the water ghost underwater would be suicidal. The only option was to find the owner of the ck Inte Cafe and persuade the owner to lure the water ghost to the surface. Only then would Liu Xing¡¯s group have a chance to defeat it. Liu Xing thought the persuasion would likely involve threats and incentives, as the water ghost¡¯s control over the cafe owner was probably based on coercion. If necessary, they could use Hu Li¡¯s hypnosis abilities on her. However, Liu Xing was curious about Green Willow¡¯s description of the water ghost. Was it a Deep One or a traditional Chinese water ghost? They would find out in due time. At this moment, KP Snow Wind stepped forward and said, "Congrattions, yers, for triggering the Side Quest - the key to starting the final chapter. The mission is to kill the water ghost, pig head butcher, Troll, Gu Master Chaxi, and ensure Hu Li (no matter her fate) reaches the shores of Panlong Lake. Completing this Side Quest will reward you with a mysterious prize, which will be revealedter. However, this time, the mysterious reward is not rted to ¡¯truth¡¯ points, but it will definitely satisfy all of you." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow; the note for this Side Quest was quite spiritual. Hu Li¡¯s survival didn¡¯t matter as long as she reached Panlong Lake. However, Liu Xing quickly realized that even though it said her survival didn¡¯t matter, her fate would likely impact the mysterious reward for this Side Quest. After all, Green Willow had triggered this Side Quest, and her rtionship with Hu Li was excellent. If Hu Li died, the reward for Liu Xing¡¯s group would likely decrease significantly. Looking at the introduction of this Side Quest, Liu Xing felt that it might be quite challenging, especially since Hu Li could potentially die. Zhang Jingxu then asked the second question, "I see. Do you know, Green Willow, why there are no other women in Panlong Town besides Hu Li and the owner of the ck Inte Cafe?" Green Willow pondered for a moment and shook her head, saying, "I don¡¯t know the answer to that question. When I returned, it was already like this. I couldn¡¯t sense any women other than the Silly Fox and the owner of the ck Inte Cafe. Even all the animals in Panlong Town seemed to be male. So personally, I think it might be rted to Gralki, because Gralki was heavily injured by the ck Flood Dragon, so it might need to consume people for healing..." Liu Xing furrowed his brow. While Green Willow¡¯s exnation had some merit, he believed the situation was not as straightforward as she made it seem. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, although many mythical creatures and Great Old Ones consumed humans, there were typically no direct benefits associated with it. However, since Green Willow had stated it, Liu Xing and his group could only nod in agreement. Zhang Jingxu then asked the final question, "So, Green Willow, what are our chances of defeating Gralki? After all, now that Gralki has likely recovered, and if we defeat it, will Panlong Town return to normal?" green willow chuckled and spoke, "Zhang Jingxu, you¡¯re quite clever,bining two questions into one. However, both of these questions are rather simple. Firstly, concerning Gralki, even though some time has passed, his injuries might have somewhat improved, but the parting gift from the ck Flood Dragon isn¡¯t easily remedied. So, Gralki is probably still enduring the intense agony of that poison." "As for whether Panlong Town will return to its original state after Gralki¡¯s demise, I can¡¯t say with absolute certainty. However, I believe there¡¯s a good eighty percent chance of sess. I¡¯ve noticed that Gralki has been supplying energy to Panlong Town to maintain its temporal distortion. So, once we eliminate Gralki, the source of that energy, Panlong Town should have a chance to return to its former state. Now, I must depart. Wishing you all the best of luck." After green willow finished speaking, she transformed into a small willow leaf and vanished instantly. Hu Li watched green willow leave and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Phew, she¡¯s finally gone." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, curious, and said, "Why, Miss Hu Li, are you... um, afraid of Sister green willow?" Hu Li nodded and said earnestly, "Indeed, Sister green willow is a formidable presence, having lived for over a thousand years. From what I know, she should be capable of defeating the ck Flood Dragon. However, the most troublesome aspect of Sister green willow is her penchant for lecturing others. Once she starts, it can go on for hours, repeating the same content. She¡¯s given me a headache more than once." Liu Xing chuckled and said, "I see. It¡¯s a good thing Sister green willow has left, or we¡¯d be in for a headache today. But now, she¡¯s pointed us in the right direction. We must eliminate the four monsters in Panlong Town." Hu Li nodded and looked in the direction of the ck Inte Cafe, saying, "The other three monsters are rtively easy to deal with. As long as we target their weaknesses, it should be easy to kill them. However, this water ghost might pose some challenges. If it stays in the water, we won¡¯t even be able to touch it, let alone kill it." "Then, Miss Hu Li, can¡¯t you use your hypnotic abilities to lure the water ghost out of the water by persuading the ck Inte Cafe¡¯s owner?" Zhang Jingxu suggested. Hu Li shook her head and said with frustration, "It¡¯s not as simple as you think. Sister green willow just mentioned it earlier. Most of Panlong Town¡¯s residents have be soulless, walking corpses. My hypnotic abilities won¡¯t work on them. As for trying to persuade or coerce the ck Inte Cafe¡¯s owner, it¡¯s highly unlikely to seed. These walking corpses are probably under Gralki¡¯s control, and he likely ordered the ck Inte Cafe¡¯s owner not to reveal the water ghost." Hu Li¡¯s words left Liu Xing and the others in silence. If her assessment was correct, it seemed impossible to trick the water ghost through the ck Inte Cafe¡¯s owner. With a sigh, Liu Xing spoke, "We¡¯ll cross that bridge when wee to it. Let¡¯s first figure out how to deal with Pig Head Butcher and the others." Everyone nodded in agreement. At that moment, Hu Li suddenly pped her forehead, expressing regret, "Oh, I can¡¯t believe I forgot to tell Sister green willow about that matter." "What matter?" Wan Chongshan asked with confusion. Hu Li shrugged and exined, "In simple terms, when I sensed Sister green willow earlier, it reminded me of something that happened one evening. Initially, I had no intention of joining the Ritual Ceremony that Gralki¡¯s followers were preparing to hold at Panlong Lake. But the ck Flood Dragon insisted that I go and take a look because it sensed that something was amiss." "So, I went to Panlong Lake and found that everyone from Panlong Town had gathered there. Then, one of Gralki¡¯s followers jumped into Panlong Lake, and Gralki appeared in theke, casting a powerful mental Magic Spells. Even I couldn¡¯t resist the control. But at that moment, the ck Flood Dragon intervened and engaged in a fierce battle with Gralki." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 385: The Respected Black Flood Dragon Chapter 385: The Respected ck Flood Dragon "Even though I was under control at the time, I could still witness the entire battle between ck Flood Dragon and Gralki. Gralki, resembling a porcupine, made it risky for ck Flood Dragon to engage in closebat despite its tough scales. Instead, ck Flood Dragon had to keep maneuvering and searching for opportunities while Gralki took the initiative to attack with its spines. Thus, ck Flood Dragon found itself in a defensive position." "So, ck Flood Dragon and Gralki remained in a stalemate for a while. When Gralki couldn¡¯t find an opportunity for closebat with ck Flood Dragon, it became desperate and decided to kill the residents of Panlong Town to force ck Flood Dragon into a close fight. As you all know, Ryuusei, the key to ck Flood Dragon¡¯s sessful ascension lies in these residents of Panlong Town. Consequently, ck Flood Dragon had no choice but to engage Gralki in closebat." "You should already know that ck Flood Dragon had two primary methods of attack: using Magic Spells and using its physical advantages to engage and kill its enemies. In terms of Magic Spells, ck Flood Dragon was significantly weaker than Gralki. Thus, ck Flood Dragon had to bravely confront Gralki¡¯s spines, which, in turn, pierced ck Flood Dragon¡¯s body." "At first, I thought ck Flood Dragon could hold its own against Gralki, as Gralki seemed powerless in front of ck Flood Dragon. However, with time passing, ck Flood Dragon gradually weakened. It must have been due to the unknown substance injected by Gralki. In any case, ck Flood Dragon¡¯s fate was sealed." "Knowing that its end was near, ck Flood Dragon fought desperately against Gralki before biting into Gralki¡¯s body. ck Flood Dragon injected the venom it had refined for hundreds of years into Gralki. This venom was ck Flood Dragon¡¯s ultimate weapon, usable only once before ascending to a true dragon. In this instance, ck Flood Dragon also sent thest of its remaining energy into Gralki along with the venom." "In the end, ck Flood Dragon perished on Gralki¡¯s body. However, Gralki didn¡¯t fare much better. Due to the venom injected by ck Flood Dragon, Gralki writhed in agony in Panlong Lake for an unknown duration before returning to normal. But I could still see that Gralki hadn¡¯tpletely neutralized the venom in its body. What happened next, I¡¯m not sure. I only know that Gralki seemed to cast another Magic Spell, and then I lost consciousnesspletely, until you, Ryuusei, came to awaken my memories," Hu Li said. Liu Xing nodded in understanding. Hu Li¡¯s ount of the epic battle between ck Flood Dragon and Gralki filled Liu Xing with respect for ck Flood Dragon. While ck Flood Dragon¡¯s actions in protecting the residents of Panlong Town might have had ulterior motives, it had ultimately sacrificed its life for them, deserving admiration. Simultaneously, Liu Xing gained insight into Gralki¡¯s abilities. Apart from using psychic attacks, Gralki relied on its spines for offense. Considering the size and distribution of these spines on Gralki¡¯s body in the illusion he had seen earlier, Liu Xing believed he could potentially evade Gralki¡¯s spine attacks as long as luck was on his side. Liu Xing then raised an important question, furrowing his brow, "Miss Hu Li, do you know that Zhong Rensan was responsible for the death of Hu Cang¡¯s good friend Gangzi? Also, why didn¡¯t ck Flood Dragon kill Troll, especially when Troll has been indiscriminately killing innocent people within Panlong Town?"Hu Li pondered for a moment before nodding, "I do know about this, as Hu Cang mentioned it to me before. However, he only briefly mentioned the death of his good friend Gangzi without going into details about how Zhong Rensan and Troll were involved. As for why ck Flood Dragon didn¡¯t kill Troll, it¡¯s because ck Flood Dragon had the will butcked the means. You see, creatures like us, with heightened senses, can easily detect each other¡¯s presence. So, whenever ck Flood Dragon approached Panlong Town Clinic, Troll would immediately flee." "ck Flood Dragon couldn¡¯t risk getting close to Panlong Town Clinic because it feared that after Troll escaped, Troll might retaliate against the residents of Panlong Town. Although ck Flood Dragon was far superior to Troll in power, Troll¡¯s agility surpassed that of ck Flood Dragon. ck Flood Dragon believed it couldn¡¯t protect all the residents of Panlong Town from Troll¡¯s threat, so it had no choice but to let Troll be." "So, when we confront Trollter, I¡¯ll give you the sleep powder. You can deal with Troll inside the clinic, and once Troll is asleep, I¡¯ll enter the clinic. This way, we won¡¯t startle Troll and make it flee prematurely. Of course, if you¡¯re unable to capture Troll immediately, remember to call me, and I¡¯lle in to assist you." With that exnation, Hu Li took a small paper packet from her pocket and handed it to Liu Xing. Liu Xing epted it and immediately received information about the sleep powder. Hu Li¡¯s specially crafted sleep powder (non-transferable out of the module) was made from various unidentified materials. It could induce sleep through various methods. If mixed into food or drink, it would take effect within 2 to 3 hours. If dispersed in a sealedpartment, it would take effect within 1 to 10 minutes, depending on the specific circumstances. The duration of sleep would vary based on the target, with a minimum of ten minutes for humans and two minutes for mythical creatures. However, it had no effect on Great Old Ones. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. It was no wonder that back then, he and hispanions hadn¡¯t undergone Judgment before being directly hypnotized by Hu Li. It turned out that this special hypnotic powder made by Hu Li was incredibly effective, to the point where it could be said to have a hundred percent sess rate. However, the unfortunate part was that this hypnotic powder couldn¡¯t be taken out of the module. Liu Xing epted the hypnotic powder and smiled, saying, "No problem, but if anything unexpected happens, Miss Hu Li, you¡¯ll have toe help us quickly. After all, we can¡¯t hold off the Troll for long." Hu Li nodded and replied, "No problem. As long as Mr. Ryuusei and his team can stall the Troll for half a minute, I can get to the scene. Well then, let¡¯s go find Zhong Rensan now." With that, Hu Li took the lead and left the small eatery, with Liu Xing and the others quickly following suit. In no time, Liu Xing¡¯s group arrived at Panlong Town Clinic. Because today was a market day, the clinic was quite crowded. However, since there was only one doctor, Zhong Rensan, in Panlong Town Clinic, the waiting room was already almost full. "What should we do? Do we have to sit here and wait for Zhong Rensan to finish seeing the patients?" Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and asked. Hu Li shook her head and smiled, saying, "No need to make itplicated. Just ignore these people; you don¡¯t have to worry about them cursing you." As Hu Li spoke, she walked into the treatment room where Zhong Rensan was, and the patients in the waiting room watched her cut in line but didn¡¯t say a word. Seeing this, Liu Xing and the others didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and followed Hu Li¡¯s footsteps. When they entered the treatment room, Liu Xing saw a patient with empty eyes walking out. Clearly, these patients had all been hypnotized by Hu Li. Indeed, the skill of hypnosis was quite useful. Watching Liu Xing¡¯s group enter one after another, Zhong Rensan was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why are all of youing in together?" Hu Li chuckled and sat down across from Zhong Rensan, saying, "Dr. Zhong Rensan, I heard you have a beautiful jade pendant. Can you show it to me?" As soon as Zhong Rensan heard Hu Li¡¯s words, he immediately became alert and said, "Jade pendant? What jade pendant? I don¡¯t have any jade pendant, Miss Hu Li, please don¡¯t make things up." Hu Li shrugged, stood up, and said, "Oh, since Dr. Zhong Rensan doesn¡¯t have a jade pendant, then we won¡¯t help you with that thing in the basement of Panlong Town Clinic." "What? You know about the thing in the basement?!" Zhong Rensan eximed in shock. Hu Li sat back down and smiled, saying, "Dr. Zhong Rensan, please don¡¯t speak so loudly. If the thing in the basement hears you, something bad might happen." Zhong Rensan immediately nodded and whispered, "I understand, but I have a question for Miss Hu Li. How did you know about the thing in the basement?" Hu Li put on a mysterious air as she spoke, "There are things I can find out if I want to, and for you, Doctor Zhong Rensan, it¡¯s just a matter of dealing with that Troll in the basement, isn¡¯t it?" Zhong Rensan nodded earnestly and replied, "That¡¯s correct. As long as you, Miss Hu Li, can resolve the Troll in the basement, I will give you that jade pendant. However, since you seem to know so much, Miss Hu Li, you should also be aware of the danger posed by that Troll and how vengeful it can be, so..." Zhong Rensan hesitated, clearly concerned about Hu Li¡¯s capabilities. Hu Li pointed to Liu Xing and the others and said, "My abilities alone may not be enough to deal with that Troll, but the people I¡¯ve brought with me are skilled, such as Mr. Zhang Jingxu here, who is a professional Taoist." Suddenly, Zhang Jingxu, who had been lying down but now caught in the middle, quickly adopted a dignified demeanor, smiling as he nodded. Seeing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s impressive presence, Zhong Rensan breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "That¡¯s good then. You see, that Troll has been a menace to my family for over a century. If you, Miss Hu Li and your team, can truly help us eliminate that Troll, it would be a great relief." Hu Li nodded and said with a sly smile, "Well then, Doctor Zhong Rensan, can you tell me why your grandfather provoked the Troll?" Zhong Rensan furrowed his brows and hesitated, "Is that really important?" "It¡¯s very important," Hu Li replied firmly. After some thought, Zhong Rensan sighed in resignation, "Alright, I¡¯ll tell you all about what happened back then, but I hope you won¡¯t share this with others. After all, it¡¯s not a proud story. In my grandfather¡¯s early years, the times were turbulent, and he couldn¡¯t make a living solely through his medical skills. So, he joined a group of vigers in tomb-robbing, or grave plundering, you could say." "One time, my grandfather received information that there was a high-ranking official buried on a nearby mountain in Rongcheng. He and hispanions rushed to investigate and quickly found arge tomb that had never been excavated before. They dug a secret passage and entered the tomb." "But once inside, my grandfather¡¯spanions were swiftly killed by the Troll, leaving only my grandfather. The Troll then demanded that my grandfather make a pact with it. The Troll would grant one of my grandfather¡¯s wishes, but in return, my grandfather and his descendants had to provide food for the Troll. My grandfather agreed without hesitation because refusing meant certain death at the hands of the Troll." "However, my grandfather was initially optimistic, thinking the Troll would live for only a few decades at most. He nned to feed it pork andmb every day. It was onlyter that he discovered the Troll could live indefinitely unless killed, and the Troll¡¯s preferred food was the fresh organs of humans." At this point, Zhong Rensan paused, sighing heavily. Hu Li nodded, stood up, and said, "Alright, we understand the situation now. Please be patient, Doctor Zhong Rensan. We¡¯lle to deal with this Troll as soon as we¡¯re prepared." With that, Hu Li left with Liu Xing and the others. Outside of the Panlong Town clinic, Hu Li spoke, "Now you all know why the Troll has been bothering Zhong Rensan. It¡¯s because of his grandfather¡¯s hical grave plundering activities. Besides Gangzi, countless innocent lives have been sacrificed to feed the Troll, thanks to Zhong Rensan." Liu Xing understood that Hu Li was speaking up for Hu Cang. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 386: Water Ghost Cross? Chapter 386: Water Ghost Cross? Even though Hu Li currently looks like she has renounced the world and let go of everything, Liu Xing can be sure that she still loves Hu Cang. Zhang Jingxu also understood this, and he smiled as he said, "Miss Hu Li, you¡¯re right. In this world, there is cause and effect. The reason why Zhong Rensan is like this now isrgely because his grandfather went to rob a tomb, and in the end, he was blinded by greed and allowed the Troll to haunt his family. However, the debt must be paid to the creditor. People like us who are just watching from the sidelines will not interfere with Hu Cang¡¯s revenge on Zhong Rensan." Hu Li understood Zhang Jingxu¡¯s meaning. Simply put, Zhang Jingxu represented Liu Xing and the others in dering their position, which was absolute neutrality. They would neither inform Zhong Rensan of their ns, nor would they help Hu Cang kill Zhong Rensan. Hu Li was very pleased with Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words. After all, Hu Li knew that if the Troll was gone, Hu Cang would be able to kill Zhong Rensan easily. Even if Zhong Rensan had the Troll to help him, Hu Cang had her as well. So as long as Liu Xing and his group did not side with Zhong Rensan, there would be no problem. Seeing this, Hu Li nodded and smiled, saying, "I¡¯m d you think so. However, you must remember to first persuade Hu Cang to wait until we have dealt with the Troll and taken the jade pendant from Zhong Rensan before he goes after Zhong Rensan. Because Zhong Rensan hid the jade pendant in a very secret ce. At least I have never found the whereabouts of that jade pendant." "No problem, we will definitely exin it to Hu Cang carefully. I believe that Hu Cang should be able to see the big picture." Zhang Jingxu said confidently. Hu Li smiled again and nodded, saying, "That¡¯s great. Then let¡¯s do it for now. You guys prepare everything you need today. We¡¯ll go after the Troll at this time tomorrow. By the way, I remember you have five people, right? Where is the one named Ling Ishikawa? He¡¯s not here, not to mention that I can¡¯t feel his presence in the entire Panlong Town." In response to Hu Li¡¯s question, Liu Xing could only grit his teeth and say, "Uh, we don¡¯t know either. Ling Ishikawa suddenly disappeared this morning." At this moment, the sound of dice falling to the ground rang out.Hu Li looked at Liu Xing meaningfully and said, "Oh, is that so? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. In the current situation, it doesn¡¯t matter if there is one more Ling Ishikawa or one less. Well, I¡¯ll be going back. See you all tomorrow." After Hu Li finished speaking, he turned and left in a dashing manner. Liu Xing and the others looked at each other, then nodded in unison and turned to leave. Back at Hu Cang¡¯s small clinic, Xiao Mochen had already left. Hu Cang was sitting there with a serious expression on his face, deep in thought. Liu Xing raised his eyebrows and, with a mischievous heart, walked up to him and loudly said, "Mr. Hu Cang, what are you thinking about?" Hu Cang was startled by Liu Xing and jumped up. Hu Cang patted his chest and said helplessly, "Mr. Ryuusei, don¡¯t you know the saying ¡¯people scare people, scare people to death¡¯? It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m still young and don¡¯t have a heart condition, otherwise you would only see me again at the next time point." Liu Xing smiled and said, "This can¡¯t be all my fault. It¡¯s because you were thinking too deeply here, otherwise you should have noticed me. By the way, what are you thinking about now, Hu Cang? What are you thinking so deeply about?" Hu Cang forced a smile and said helplessly, "Okay, Mr. Ryuusei, you¡¯re right. This is my fault. I was thinking about Xiao Mochen just now. He just woke up his memory, so after he calmed down, I asked him some questions. I found that Xiao Mochen can remember the things he did in those time points before, but these are not important. The important thing is that Xiao Mochen remembered what happened after the Gralki believers came to Panlong Town." Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. This was important information. Hu Li didn¡¯t say it explicitly, but Liu Xing knew that Hu Li should have been too proud to go and see the Gralki believers y tricks at that time. So Hu Li only mentioned what happened on the night of the Gralki believers¡¯ ritual ceremony, but didn¡¯t mention what the Gralki believers had done before. And now, Xiao Mochen has filled in this period of time. Thinking of this, Liu Xing hurriedly said, "Oh, this is great. So, Hu Cang, can you repeat what Xiao Mochen said before?" Hu Cang nodded and said, "Of course I can. I was originally nning to tell you this after you came back. The story is like this. When the Gralki believers came to Panlong Town, they attracted the attention of everyone in Panlong Town. Because the Gralki believers were a white man. You know, Panlong Town has not seen a foreigner in so many years. So, with the mentality of watching the excitement, everyone in Panlong Town came to watch the Gralki believers." "And this is exactly what the Gralki believers wanted to see. After all, he was here specifically to preach. The more people who gather, the better. So, when the Gralki believers saw the opportunity was ripe, they began to preach. ording to the Gralki believers, his name is Cross, an Englishman, and he believes in a new religion in Ennd, called the Eternal Life Society. As the name suggests, as long as people join this religion, they can naturally live forever." Xiao Mochen, who was also a member of the crowd, decided to go home after hearing Cross say this. After all, in Xiao Mochen¡¯s eyes, immortality is simply non-existent. So Xiao Mochen thought that this Cross was either a con artist or a cult member, and was not worthy of trust. And the other onlookers thought the same way, and many of them were ready to leave." At this moment, Cross knew that he would not be trusted by the onlookers if he just talked empty words. So he took out a small knife from his pocket and stabbed it into his heart without hesitation. Then, only to see Cross¡¯s wound bleeding profusely, but Cross still remained calm, smiling and showing off the knife on his body to the crowd. Those who wanted to leave were instantly attracted by him." In the small town of Panlong, a mysterious stranger named Cross arrived one day. He imed to be a powerful immortal from another world, and he offered to teach the townspeople how to achieve eternal life. Many of the townspeople were skeptical at first, but Cross was a charismatic speaker, and he soon won them over. He performed several impressive feats, including stabbing himself in the heart with a knife and then healing the wound instantly. He also imed to be able to regrow severed limbs. One day, Cross performed a particrly shocking stunt. He chopped off his own head and then asked Xiao Mochen, a local resident, to put it back on. Xiao Mochen was reluctant at first, but he eventually agreed. To everyone¡¯s amazement, Cross¡¯s head reattached itself to his body, and he was perfectly fine. This convinced many of the townspeople that Cross was truly immortal. Cross began to gather followers, and he soon had arge following in Panlong. He called his followers the "Eternal Life Society," and he taught them the ways of Gralki, the god of immortality. Xiao Mochen was still skeptical, but he was also drawn to Cross¡¯s message. He eventually joined the Eternal Life Society, and he became one of Cross¡¯s most devoted followers. Over time, Cross¡¯s influence spread throughout Panlong. He eventually converted everyone in the town to the Eternal Life Society. Noteworthy, Cross never mentioned Gralki at all. He just said that they would meet Gralki when they performed the ritual ceremony for joining the church. So everyone followed Cross to the Panlong Lake, and then Cross performed the ritual ceremony. After Gralki appeared, Xiao Mochen saw the ck Flood Dragon suddenly appear, but at this moment Xiao Mochen also lost consciousness." Hearing this, Liu Xing had only two questions in mind. First, was the knife that Cross gave to Xiao Mochen still there? If it was still there, it was very likely to be an item, and its effect should be simr to the sacrificial dagger in his hand. However, for the group of them who were currentlycking weapons, this knife could also be considered a good weapon. In addition, Liu Xing also began to suspect that Cross was the water ghost. After all, mythical creatures like the pig head butcher and the troll all had a traceable history, but this water ghost felt a bit sudden. But now, if Cross and the water ghost were linked together, it still made sense. After all, as a follower of Gralki, Cross¡¯s swimming skills must be very good. And during the missionary period, Cross lived next to the ck Inte Cafe, so it would be easy for Cross to control the owner of the ck Inte Cafe. Thinking of this, Liu Xing said, "Mr. Hu Cang, can Xiao Mochen still find the knife that Cross gave him? I mean, at this point in time?" Hu Cang smiled and nodded, saying, "I also asked Xiao Mochen about this. He said it should be fine. He remembers that he has seen that knife no matter what time it is, so he has already gone back to find it." Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. This means that the possibility of that knife being an item is very high." At this time, Wan Chongshan said, "So, does Xiao Mochen know if Cross has any weaknesses? Because Cross is very likely to be in Panlong Town now." Hu Cang frowned and said in surprise, "Cross is also in Panlong Town? That shouldn¡¯t be the case. I¡¯ve been in Panlong Town for so long, but I haven¡¯t seen Cross." Wan Chongshan first looked at Liu Xing and the others, and after getting the support of Liu Xing and the others, he nodded and said, "The thing is, we have investigated that the owner of the ck Inte Cafe is being controlled by a water ghost. So, based on the information we know now, we specte that this water ghost is very likely to be Cross. So, in order to eliminate the water ghost, we need more information about Cross, preferably Cross¡¯s weaknesses." Here is the trantion of the Chinese xianxia text into fluent, professional English, ensuring it captures the essence and nuances of the original story: Noteworthy is that Cross never mentioned Gralki at all. He merely said that they would meet Gralki when they performed the ritual ceremony for joining the church. So, everyone followed Cross to the Panlong Lake, and then Cross performed the ritual ceremony. After Gralki appeared, Xiao Mochen saw the ck Flood Dragon suddenly appear. However, at that moment, Xiao Mochen also lost consciousness. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing had two questions in mind. First, was the knife that Cross gave to Xiao Mochen still there? If so, it was likely to be an item with simr effects to the sacrificial dagger in his hand. This would be a valuable weapon for their group, which was currentlycking in weapons. Second, Liu Xing began to suspect that Cross was the water ghost. After all, mythical creatures like the pig head butcher and the troll had a clear history, but the water ghost seemed to appear out of nowhere. However, if Cross was linked to the water ghost, it would make sense. After all, as a follower of Gralki, Cross was likely to be a skilled swimmer. Additionally, Cross lived next to the ck Inte Cafe, which would give him the opportunity to control the owner of the cafe. Liu Xing then asked Hu Cang if Xiao Mochen could still find the knife that Cross had given him. Hu Cang replied that he had asked Xiao Mochen about this, and Xiao Mochen said that he should be able to find it. This made Liu Xing think that the knife was likely to be an item. Wan Chongshan then asked Hu Cang if Xiao Mochen knew of any weaknesses that Cross had. He exined that Cross was likely still in Panlong Town, and that they needed more information about him in order to defeat him. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 387: The Deceptive Glove Chapter 387: The Deceptive Glove Hu Cang pondered for a moment before speaking, "Regarding this matter, I¡¯m not entirely sure either. After all, I haven¡¯t actually met Cross, and Xiao Mochen hasn¡¯t mentioned anything rted to it just now. So, let¡¯s wait until Xiao Mochen arrives to discuss it further." Liu Xing and the others could only nod in understanding. But as soon as Hu Cang finished speaking, Xiao Mochen entered the clinic with a small knife in hand. "Hey, Xiao Mochen, you came so quickly," Hu Cang said with a smile. Liu Xing turned to look, immediately noticing that something was amiss with Xiao Mochen. At this moment, Xiao Mochen¡¯s eyes were vacant, giving the impression of being drained of energy. It was evident that Xiao Mochen was currently under some form of control. As for what was controlling Xiao Mochen, Liu Xing could tell at a nce. It was the small knife in Xiao Mochen¡¯s hand. The handle of the knife had a red gemstone that emitted an eerie green light. Yes, the red gemstone emitted a green glow, which was clearly not normal. At this point, KP Snow Wind chuckled and said, "Now, it¡¯s time for the Plot Encounter segment that all you yers love. Controlled Xiao Mochen will randomly attack one of the yers. So, I will assign numbers to each yer: Number one is Liu Xing, number two is Zhang Jingxu, number three is Wan Chongshan, and number four is Li Dian. Let¡¯s roll a 1d4 die to determine the target."1d4=1. Liu Xing: "Damn it!" Liu Xing never expected that his luck in this module would be so bad. He had a one in four chance, and yet he ended up as the target. And it was clear that this Plot Encounter wasn¡¯t intended for resistance, so Liu Xing had a strong suspicion that he was about to "die" again. At this moment, Liu Xing had lost control of himself and watched helplessly as Xiao Mochen charged toward him with the knife, aiming for his waist. As for Zhang Jingxu and the others, they wore stunned expressions, their eyes fixed on the knife in Xiao Mochen¡¯s hand getting closer and closer to Liu Xing. But just as Liu Xing was about to close his eyes and ept his fate, KP Snow Wind suddenly spoke up, "yer Liu Xing, you can now make a Lucky Judgment. Would you like to roll?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and quickly replied, "Of course, I would." Liu Xing, 19/70, seeds. Then, Liu Xing heard a "ng" sound, and a tremendous force pushed against his waist, sending him several steps back. The small knife in Xiao Mochen¡¯s hand also fell to the ground. At this point, Xiao Mochen regained his senses and looked bewildered as he asked, "Why am I here? Shouldn¡¯t I be at home?" However, nobody paid any attention to Xiao Mochen at the moment because Zhang Jingxu and the others anxiously gathered around Liu Xing, inquiring about his injuries. Liu Xing rubbed his slightly sore waist and realized that it felt a bit stiff. It then dawned on him that he had strapped the ck Flood Dragon scale to his belt. After all, the ck Flood Dragon scale was quiterge and couldn¡¯t fit into his pocket, so Liu Xing had tucked it into the crevice between his belt and his pants. Little did he know that this casual act had actually saved his life. "Um, Liu Xing, how are you not injured at all?" Zhang Jingxu eximed in surprise. Liu Xing chuckled and took out the ck Flood Dragon scale from his waist, saying, "Fortunately, I obtained this from Hu Li before all this happened. It¡¯s a ck Flood Dragon scale, extremely hard in texture, and it blocked that attack for me." While speaking, Liu Xing examined the durability of the ck Flood Dragon scale and found that it had only lost 1 point. At that moment, Wan Chongshan reached out to pick up the small knife from the ground. Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu immediately cautioned, "Be careful, Wan Chongshan, don¡¯t touch that knife casually. Have you forgotten what happened to Xiao Mochen?" Wan Chongshan immediately withdrew his hand. "Let¡¯s not touch the knife for now. I¡¯ll go upstairs to get something," Zhang Jingxu said and headed upstairs. After a while, Zhang Jingxu came back downstairs, holding a pair of finely crafted silk gloves. Liu Xing looked at Zhang Jingxu curiously and asked, "Zhang Jingxu, what are you getting gloves for? I thought you were going to retrieve some kind of dust or powder." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and handed the gloves to Liu Xing. "These gloves are something I bought from a friend after returning to China a few days ago. In simple terms, these gloves can block magic." As Liu Xing epted the gloves, he also received information about them. Magic-blocking gloves (upgradeable, currently at level 1): When worn, these gloves mitigate the effects of magic items to some extent when in contact with them. However, the wearer loses 1d5 MP every minute while wearing them. When the wearer¡¯s MP is depleted, they can choose to consume sanity points (losing 1 sanity point per minute) to continue using the gloves. Additionally, each time the glovese into contact with a magic item, the wearer gains experience points based on the level of the encountered magic item. When enough experience points are umted, the gloves will upgrade. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Zhang Jingxu to purchase these gloves from the Shop. In the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall Shop, these magic-blocking gloves were priced at only 1000 points, making them seem cost-effective. Furthermore, they could be upgraded to higher levels of gloves. However, most forum users referred to these gloves as "scam gloves" because their details were not transparent. The gloves did not specify which level of magic items they couldpletely block or partially block, and it was unclear what conditions were required for them to upgrade. As a result, many yers who bought these gloves couldn¡¯t upgrade them beyond level 1. So, these gloves appeared promising but were essentially a gamble. In light of the current situation, though, Liu Xing thought it was a good move by Zhang Jingxu. After all, the small knife didn¡¯t appear to be a high-level magic item. Liu Xing returned the gloves to Zhang Jingxu, and Zhang Jingxu picked up the small knife after checking its information. After a moment, Zhang Jingxu examined the knife¡¯s information and said, "Indeed, there is a controlling magic attached to this knife, but it¡¯s rather unique." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 388: Weakness Chapter 388: Weakness §±§à§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ú§ä§î§ã§ñ Chapter 389: Collar and Iron Plate Chapter 389: Cor and Iron te Liu Xing shook his head and spoke seriously, "We shouldn¡¯t act recklessly at this moment because we might not yet have a chance to kill Gu Master Chaxi. First, we need to eliminate the Troll hiding in the Panlong Town Clinic to obtain the item that can restrain Gu Master Chaxi. Then, after observing Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s movements, we can consider taking action." Hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Xiao Mochen could only nod and say, "Alright, anyway, my father will return to his original state at the next time point, so whatever we do now won¡¯t affect him in the next time point. I¡¯ll give him some moneyter and send him to Zha Kang. But the thought of him eating human flesh is really disgusting..." Liu Xing shrugged. It was indeed disgusting to think about eating human flesh, but Xiao Mochen¡¯s willingness to consider the bigger picture pleased him. After all, it¡¯s not the formidable opponents that one should fear, but rather the teammates who act foolishly. If Xiao Mochen were to make a rash decision and provoke Gu Master Chaxi, not only would he likely meet his demise, but he might also drag down the rest of their group, leading to aplete wipeout. At that moment, Xiao Dafu excitedly walked over, holding a leather cor that appeared to have some age to it. What was most important was that Liu Xing keenly sensed that this cor was indeed rted to the ck cat demon. He could feel a strange aura emanating from it. In simple terms, this cor had an unusual scent, reminiscent of a cat¡¯s litter box that hadn¡¯t been cleaned in a few days. Xiao Dafu finally noticed Liu Xing and asked with some confusion, "Um, son, who is this?" Xiao Mochen first took the cor from Xiao Dafu¡¯s hand and then handed the money to him, impatiently saying, "This is a friend of Hu Cang¡¯s, a rich second-generation from the Ind Nation. He likes collecting odd things, so I thought of you since you mentioned you had the ck cat demon¡¯s cor in your collection. Therefore, I decided to give the ck cat demon¡¯s cor to him, as a form of goodwill." This was the setup Liu Xing and Xiao Mochen had discussed on the way. Liu Xing didn¡¯t want to engage in a mental conversation with Xiao Dafu, fearing that Xiao Dafu might spread the information, especially to Gu Master Chaxi.So, Liu Xing transformed himself into a rich second-generation collector from the Ind Nation. He nodded and casually spoke a few sentences in Ind Nation¡¯snguage. Xiao Dafu was initially taken aback, then attempted to snatch the cor from Xiao Mochen¡¯s hand. However, Xiao Mochen had prepared for this, knowing what kind of person his father was. Beforeing here, Xiao Mochen was sure that once Xiao Dafu heard him say those words, he would try to take the cor back, hoping to sell it for a high price after witnessing its potential value. Therefore, Xiao Mochen easily evaded Xiao Dafu¡¯s attempt to snatch the cor and frowned, saying, "What are you trying to do? The cor is already in my hands. Do you still want it back?" Xiao Dafu felt somewhat embarrassed and nodded reluctantly, saying, "I just wanted to show my son this cor. Son, why did you take it away so quickly? Please return it to me." Xiao Mochen smirked and looked down on Xiao Dafu, saying, "Haha, do you think I¡¯m a three-year-old who doesn¡¯t understand your lies? You wanted to sell this cor at a high price to Mr. Ryuusei, didn¡¯t you? I advise you not to dream of making a fortune here. This cor, with its mysterious origin, doesn¡¯t seem much different from an ordinary cor. How can you expect to fetch a high price for it?" Xiao Dafu, thick-skinned, reluctantly nodded but still said, "Well, you¡¯re right in saying that. The cor may not look impressive, but it has been passed down through our family for generations. So, even though it doesn¡¯t look like much, it¡¯s an antique. If I sell it to this Ind Nation person, I should at least get a couple of thousand for it." Xiao Mochen chuckled and looked at Xiao Dafu with disdain. "You really think others are fools, huh? Even if this cor is genuinely an antique with a history of several hundred years, it still won¡¯t fetch a high price. This corcks any historical or collectible value, just like those ordinary rocks by the roadside. They¡¯ve been around for thousands or tens of thousands of years, right? So, this cor might sell for a few tens of dors at best. I was actually nning to give it to Mr. Ryuusei for free, so giving you two hundred dors is already generous. If you¡¯re not satisfied, you can return the money, and I¡¯ll give you the cor back." Xiao Mochen¡¯s retreat left Xiao Dafu flustered, and he quickly smiled and walked downstairs. Most likely, he was going to find Gu Master Chaxi. At this moment, Xiao Mochen handed the cor to Liu Xing and said, "Mr. Ryuusei, I apologize for the inconvenience caused. My father can be quite a scoundrel." Liu Xing smiled and patted Xiao Mochen on the shoulder. "Every family has its issues; I understand how you feel, Xiao Mochen." Xiao Mochen forced a smile and apanied Liu Xing to the door before returning to take care of his mother. Liu Xing finally had a chance to examine the cor in his hand. It was indeed an item. The ck cat demon¡¯s cor had once belonged to the ck cat demon and represented the final bond between the ck cat demon and its owner. When a yer carried this cor while approaching the ck cat demon, the ck cat demon¡¯s attitude would change. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. From the cor¡¯s description, it was clear that the ck cat demon was located in Panlong Town and was likely in a living or spiritual state. So why hadn¡¯t Green Willow and Hu Li mentioned the existence of the ck cat demon? Could it be that Green Willow and Hu Li had ulterior motives? Liu Xing sighed. It seemed that this module was indeed shrouded in mystery. Just when he thought he had found a helper and had grasped the main thread of the module¡¯s plot, he now realized that this so-called helper might also be plotting against him. Troublesome. With a headache, Liu Xing returned to the clinic, where Zhang Jingxu and the others were chatting with Hu Cang. Liu Xing hadn¡¯t spoken yet when Zhang Jingxu and the others turned their attention to him simultaneously, which startled Liu Xing. However, he quickly understood that it was probably the strange scent emanating from the ck cat demon¡¯s cor that had made Zhang Jingxu and the others aware of his return. Moreover, on his way back to the clinic, Liu Xing had been constantly stared at by passersby, making him feel ufortable. "Ryuusei, what¡¯s that smell on you? It¡¯s so... strange," Zhang Jingxu said, pinching his nose. Liu Xing shrugged and waved the ck cat demon¡¯s cor in his hand, saying, "I got this ck cat demon¡¯s cor from Xiao Dafu. Judging by this strange scent, I believe it¡¯s highly likely to be the real deal. After all, such a strong odor couldn¡¯t be produced by an ordinary cat." Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, saying, "You¡¯re right. For animals, especially supernatural creatures like the ck cat demon, their emitted scent can be used to mark territory. The stronger the scent, the more intimidating it bes. So, if this cor¡¯s scent remains so potent even after hundreds of years, it¡¯s a strong indicator that it indeed belonged to the ck cat demon." Liu Xing ced the ck cat demon¡¯s cor on a nearby counter. After all, no one wanted to hold onto something with such a peculiar scent. Fortunately, the scent from the ck cat demon¡¯s cor didn¡¯t linger on Liu Xing, or else he might have unlocked an achievement in this module: "Avoided by Strangers." By now, it was almost noon, so Hu Cang went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Meanwhile, Zhang Jingxu began telling Liu Xing about what they had discovered that morning when he and hispanions, Wan Chongshan and Li Dian, were wandering around Panlong Town while Liu Xing was searching for Hu Li. After Liu Xing had left, the three of them bid farewell to Hu Cang and joined the crowds of people at the market. They quickly noticed something unusual: a thief was spotted by pedestrians, but instead of reacting, people ignored the thief and continued shopping. The thief brazenly moved on to steal from someone else. Realizing that something was amiss with the thief, Zhang Jingxu cornered him at an opportune moment and, after some intimidation and persuasion, obtained an iron te from the thief. ording to the thief, he had found the iron te on the road before entering Panlong Town. He thought it looked nice and casually kept it in his pocket beforeing to the town. However, being an inexperienced thief, he was quickly discovered by the owner when he attempted to steal for the first time in Panlong Town. To his surprise, the ownerpletely ignored him and continued shopping. After several attempts, he realized that he had be invisible to the people around him. Still, if he made too much noise, he would attract attention. With this newfound power, the thief continued stealing in Panlong Town until Zhang Jingxu and hispanions caught him. As responsible citizens, Zhang Jingxu and his friends confiscated the iron te from the thief and sent him away. After a professional examination by Zhang Jingxu, it was determined that the iron te was likely a magic item that could reduce the bearer¡¯s presence. However, this iron te was not without its drawbacks, as it absorbed the user¡¯s life force. Zhang Jingxu believed that they had saved the thief¡¯s life because if he had continued carrying the iron te for an hour, he would have died on the spot. After storing the iron te safely, Zhang Jingxu and hispanions continued their exploration but didn¡¯te across anything else unusual except for finding a delicious-looking skewer shop. After Zhang Jingxu finished his story, he handed the iron te to Liu Xing. Liu Xing took the iron te, which was about the size of an ID card and had intricate patterns on one side. He couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of these patterns, but they gave him a sense of mystery. As for the text, it consisted of two characters that resembled ancient pictographs, and their meaning eluded Liu Xing¡¯sprehension. However, Liu Xing was still able to decipher the information about the iron te. Origin Unknown: Mysterious Iron te (Cannot be taken out of the module). When the bearer activates this iron te by positioning the text side outward, it automatically consumes 1 HP from the bearer. Additionally, every fifteen minutes, it consumes an additional 1 HP. It makes human NPCs in the vicinity ignore the bearer¡¯s presence. PS: This iron te seems to have some other effects. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. This was another item that couldn¡¯t be taken out of the module. However, the effect of this iron te was quite peculiar. It allowed the bearer to go unnoticed by human NPCs, which could be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on the situation. This effect only worked on human NPCs, making it useful when dealing with characters like Xiao Mochen or Zhong Rensan to gather information. However, it had no effect on non-human NPCs like Hu Li. But the question remained: Was Gu Master Chaxi considered a human? If Gu Master Chaxi was ssified as human, then this iron te would be highly useful. Thinking of this, Liu Xing asked, "By the way, is this iron te effective against Gu Master Chaxi? Although Gu Master Chaxi has used witchcraft to alter his body, fundamentally speaking, he should still be considered a human, right?" As Liu Xing spoke, he handed the iron te to Zhang Jingxu. After all, Liu Xing was concerned that he might identally activate the iron te and lose 1 HP for no reason. Zhang Jingxu took the iron te and shook his head, saying, "Regarding whether Gu Master Chaxi is truly human, I can only say that I¡¯m not entirely sure. I¡¯ll need to see Gu Master Chaxi with my own eyes to confirm." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 390: The Transformation of Ling Ishikawa into a Snake Man Chapter 390: The Transformation of Ling Ishikawa into a Snake Man Zhang Jingxu paused for a moment, as if recalling something, and quickly got up to the counter to pick up the cor of the ck Cat Demon. Hepared it with the iron te in his hand and said, "Look, does this iron te seem to be a match for this ck Cat Demon¡¯s cor?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, got up, and walked over to Zhang Jingxu to take a look. Indeed, the iron te seemed to be a perfect fit for the ck Cat Demon¡¯s cor, and there was even a small hole in the center of the cor that matched a simr hole on the iron te. At that moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that the description of the iron te mentioned that it could bebined with other items. In other words, this iron te was actually the Cat Card of the ck Cat Demon. From the effects of this Cat Card, Liu Xing began to understand why the ck Cat Demon had been able to silently kill the entire town¡¯s residents in the past and why it had be more difficult for anyone to attack Panlong Town after its seal was broken. Wan Chongshan, who had been silent, spoke up, "Well, in that case, why don¡¯t we try connecting the cor and the iron te with a piece of string or wire? Maybe it will trigger some special effect?" Wan Chongshan¡¯s suggestion received support from the others because, in theory, the information about items shouldn¡¯t be deceptive. Item information was supposed to be fair and transparent, unlike some NPC¡¯s who only revealed half the truth. So, Liu Xing and the others obtained a piece of wire from Hu Cang. After all, they still considered the cor and the iron te to be magic items, and a simple piece of string couldn¡¯t possibly connect them. With confidence, Zhang Jingxu used the wire to connect the cor and the iron te, but the wire snapped in an instant."It seems that there is a strong energy within both the cor and the iron te. Ordinary wire can¡¯t connect them. We may need to find better materials to do so," Zhang Jingxu frowned and said. Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Then let¡¯s ask Hu Li tomorrow when we visit her if she has any items that can connect the cor and the iron te." At that moment, Hu Cang had prepared lunch, so Liu Xing and the others returned to the table to eat. After lunch, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. They had already nned their actions for this time, and Hu Cang had already prepared the fishings they would need for tomorrow. So, in the afternoon, Liu Xing and his group had nothing much to do and could only adjust their state in their respective rooms. Initially, when they had obtained the ck Cat Demon¡¯s cor, Liu Xing had thought about going to the bamboo forest to find the ck Cat Demon deeper in the Hui Temple. However, after confirming the rtionship between the cor and the iron te, Liu Xing decided to wait until afterbining these two items before going to find the ck Cat Demon. After all, in most cases,bining items could yield results greater than the sum of their parts. So, at the moment, Liu Xing could only lie on his bed and let his mind wander. Of course, Liu Xing was still very puzzled about the positions of Green Willow and Hu Li. Were they truly standing with his group, or were they simply trying to use them for their own purposes? Just then, Liu Xing heard a muffled thud, as if a heavy object had fallen. He jumped out of bed in a hurry. Liu Xing looked towards the source of the noise and saw that Ling Ishikawa had returned from Hybrier. However, Ling Ishikawa looked quite troubled and in a bad condition. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s face was pale, contorted in pain, and he couldn¡¯t even speak. The most rming thing was that the left side of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s face was covered with green scales, resembling snake scales. Liu Xing didn¡¯t have time to think too much and quickly went out to call Zhang Jingxu and the others. "Watanabe Ryuusei" character card didn¡¯t have any medical skills or medical items, so facing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s condition, Liu Xing could only seek help from Zhang Jingxu and the others. Soon, Zhang Jingxu and the others followed Liu Xing back to the room, and Ling Ishikawa¡¯s condition was still not improving. "Let¡¯s all lend a hand and get Ling Ishikawa onto the bed first," Zhang Jingxu said, supporting Ling Ishikawa¡¯s head as he spoke. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s left half of the head waspletely covered in snake scales, making him look somewhat grotesque. Zhang Jingxu, at first, failed to hold him securely and let Ling Ishikawa¡¯s head hit the ground. Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but groan in pain. Zhang Jingxu smiled awkwardly and said, "Oops, my bad. But it¡¯s a good sign that Ling Ishikawa can still groan in pain; it means he¡¯s conscious." Then, Liu Xing and the others managed to get Ling Ishikawa onto the bed. From Liu Xing¡¯s perspective, Ling Ishikawa had already be half a snake man because besides the half of his head, his left hand was also covered in snake scales, and his nails had be long and sharp. Liu Xing furrowed his brows and roughly guessed what had happened to Ling Ishikawa during his trip to Hybrier. ording to the Cthulhu Mythos, Wizard Serak had be obsessed with researching snake man magicter on. He had turned into a snake man himself due to an experiment gone wrong, which was discovered by Ibon. Unaware of the truth, Ibon had poured a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid on his master¡¯s head, inadvertently killing Serak. So, based on Ling Ishikawa¡¯s current condition, Liu Xing figured that either Ling Ishikawa had be a test subject in Serak¡¯s research of snake man magic or, during Serak¡¯s experimentation with snake man magic, Ling Ishikawa had been identally affected and turned into his current state. Liu Xing leaned more towards thetter because if Ling Ishikawa had be a test subject, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape from Serak¡¯s grasp. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that Ling Ishikawa had killed Serak in self-defense and had been sent back here afterward. Zhang Jingxu then said with a serious expression, "The current situation is not looking good. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s body is being corrupted by a strange magic that is transforming him into a mythical creature ¨C a snake man." Liu Xing furrowed his brows and asked, "Do you have any method, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, to remove the snake man magic from Ling Ishikawa¡¯s body? Looking at his condition, it seems he won¡¯tst much longer." Zhang Jingxu nodded and replied with some hesitation, "There is a method, but I can¡¯t be sure if it will work. Snake men are a very peculiar race, and our knowledge of them in the Chinese Daoist tradition is quite limited." In the Cthulhu Mythos, most mythical creatures were either extraterrestrial or from other dimensions, and snake men were one such species originating from outer space. The Snake Men held a deep reverence for entities like Zathogua that dwelled in the depths of the earth. Their social structure resembled that of humans, and they had established numerous Snake Men kingdoms, primarily built upon witchcraft and alchemy. However, there was one kingdom, the Kingdom of Youss, which originated from the deep underground and elevated the scientific prowess of the Snake Men to unprecedented heights. In most Cthulhu RPG Game settings, the technology possessed by these Snake Men was at least as advanced as that ofte 20th-century humans, especially in the field of biological science, where they outshone humans. Therefore, in Cthulhu RPG Games, the majority of the Snake Men encountered were from the Kingdom of Youss. The Snake Men of the Kingdom of Youss had achieved significant advancements in biological science, allowing them to manipte life forms ording to their will. It is confirmed that the Demonic-Ghost and Womi tribes were created by them, simr to how the Ancient Ones created Shoggoths. These races were crafted to fulfill specific missions. Apart from the Dominator Serum, the Snake Men had developed various other serums, each with its unique effects. They excelled in cloning and elerated growth, and most importantly, their serums had high versatility, affecting not only humans but also other mythical creatures. In addition to serums, as descendants of snakes, the Snake Men were naturally skilled in creating various poisons and toxins. Some could be lethal with just a drop, while others would induce a temporarya. Some acted swiftly, causing immediate symptoms, while others took a century to fully take effect. Their expertise in poisons was unmatched. However, ording to the lore, the Kingdom of Youss was destroyed over a million years ago. It was wiped out by Great Old One Yig, also known as the Snake God. Yig, depicted as an erged version of a Snake Man with bat-like wings, was a rtively minor Great Old One in the Cthulhu Mythos. It was widely worshipped among native poptions in the Americas as the "Father of Snakes" and "Bringer of Bad Medicine." In the Cthulhu Mythos setting, Yig was considered the prototype of the Winged Snake God, Zhatogua. Originally, the Snake Men were worshippers of Great Old One Yig, but for unknown reasons, they abandoned their faith in Yig and turned to Zhatogua. However, judging from the appearances of Yig and Zhatogua, it was evident that Yig and Zhatogua were not allies. Yig sought revenge on the Snake Men for their betrayal, nearly wiping them out and forcing the remaining Snake Men to flee to othernds (many believe this part of the Snake Men¡¯s storyline is an allegory for the Jewish people; please research for further information). Some of these disced Snake Men settled in Hybrier, establishing a new nation. They managed to preserve many secrets of the Kingdom of Youss, but the technological prowess of the Snake Men had greatly diminished. Despite their unfortunate fate, Snake Men were a formidable adversary in Cthulhu RPG Games, often feared by yers. Their various serums and toxins made them challenging to deal with, and being hit by one usually meant facing imminent defeat. Now, Ling Ishikawa seemed to be on the verge of death... Although, ording to this module¡¯s setting, even if Ling Ishikawa died here, he should be able to resurrect in the next time frame. However, Liu Xing was not ready to give up on Ling Ishikawa¡¯s treatment. After all, Ling Ishikawa was his steadfast ally. So, whether or not they could revive Ling Ishikawa, the treatment process had to continue. Liu Xing nodded firmly and said, "As long as there¡¯s a chance, Zhang Jingxu, go ahead. Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do." Wan Chongshan and Li Dian also nodded in agreement, expressing their support for Liu Xing¡¯s decision. Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t hesitate and took out a small bottle from his pocket, pouring out a ck pill. "This pill was given to me by my master a long time ago. Its effects are quite peculiar. There¡¯s a chance that it can revert the person who takes it to the physical state they were in an hour ago. However, the sess rate may be somewhat low, around twenty percent or so, and I can¡¯t be sure of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s condition an hour ago," Zhang Jingxu exined solemnly. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised by the unusual effect of Zhang Jingxu¡¯s pill. It could revert a person¡¯s physical state to what it was an hour ago. However, given the current circumstances, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s condition had reached a critical point, and there was no room for hesitation. "Never mind, Zhang Jingxu, just feed the pill to Ling Ishikawa directly," Liu Xing said with determination. Without hesitation, Zhang Jingxu ced the pill into Ling Ishikawa¡¯s mouth. Then, the sound of dice rolling filled the room. Ling Ishikawa, 13/20, seeded. When Liu Xing heard that Ling Ishikawa had passed the Judgment sessfully, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, before he could fully rx, he noticed that the snake scales on Ling Ishikawa¡¯s body showed no signs of change, making him tense once again. Zhang Jingxu shook his head in resignation and said, "It appears that Ling Ishikawa was in this condition an hour ago. There¡¯s nothing more we can do. Let¡¯s hope he cane back to life in the next time frame." Just as Liu Xing and the others were preparing to handle Ling Ishikawa¡¯s body, Ling Ishikawa suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 391: Transformation Technique? Gender Transformation Technique! Chapter 391: Transformation Technique? Gender Transformation Technique! Suddenly, Ling Ishikawa, who had yed dead, startled Liu Xing and the others. However, as they looked into Ling Ishikawa¡¯s clear eyes, they realized that Ling Ishikawa had regained consciousness. However, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s snake scales on his body remained unchanged. Liu Xing hurriedly approached and asked, "Ling Ishikawa, how do you feel now? Is there anything ufortable about your body?" Ling Ishikawa nodded with a smile and self-deprecation, "Of course, there¡¯s some difort, after all, anyone would feel ufortable if scales suddenly grew on their body. But in other aspects, I feel pretty good." While speaking, Ling Ishikawa stood up and moved his body. Honestly, Ling Ishikawa looked quite eye-catching now, especially with the snake scales covering half of his face. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but notice that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s left eye had turned into a golden snake pupil. It looked peculiar, but also rather handsome. "Ling Ishikawa, why did you return so quickly this time? It¡¯s been less than half a day, and how did you end up looking like this?" Zhang Jingxu asked. Ling Ishikawa, upon hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, looked puzzled and said, "What? Have I only been gone for half a day? That doesn¡¯t seem right. I spent a whole year in Hybrier this time." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Ling Ishikawa had spent so long in Hybrier. In previous visits, he had only stayed for a few days at most.However, this exined one thing: why Ling Ishikawa had been transformed into a snake man. ording to the rted lore, Wizard Serak should have turned into a snake man due to the influence of snake man magic only after a certain period following his apprenticeship with Ibon. So, in terms of the timeline, Ling Ishikawa spending a year in Hybrier made sense. However, what Liu Xing was most concerned about now was what benefits Ling Ishikawa had gained during his year in Hybrier. After all, in his previous short visits to Hybrier, Ling Ishikawa had managed to learn several Magic Spells, albeit some of them were more whimsical than practical. Still, they were Magic Spells. So, Liu Xing was eager to know if Ling Ishikawa had acquired more useful magic during this extended stay, especially spells targeted at mythical creatures in Panlong Town. It would certainly make their current quest easier. With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Ling Ishikawa, could you please tell us in detail what you experienced during your year in Hybrier?" Ling Ishikawa nodded and began to speak, "When I returned to Hybrier, I was with Ibon, and we were following our damn cheap master Serak as we left the Mage Tower. We headed to an underground cave recently discovered by a group of shepherds. The first shepherd who found the cave and managed to escape imed that deep within the cave was a massive city. Moreover, this city didn¡¯t seem abandoned, as they saw signs of activity." "However, before this group of shepherds could continue exploring the city, they began experiencing various symptoms of poisoning. The first shepherd who found the cave wisely decided to run for his life, and he was the only one who made it out alive. He spread the word about what was happening inside the cave. Serak, however, clearly knew from the beginning that the cave was inhabited by snake men, but he pretended not to." "When we arrived at the makeshift campsite near the cave, we met some adventurers, mercenaries, and wizards who also wanted to explore the cave. So, the next day, we entered the cave together. We soon discovered the massive city, but even before we could enter, we were attacked by a group of snake men. These snake men used curved weapons that were coated with various poisons." "As we fought off the snake men, half of ourpanions died, most of them due to poison. The problem was, most of our fallenpanions were melee fighters, which meant we were left without a tank. So, about half of our remainingrades decided to retreat and leave the cave. At this point, Ibon and I tried to persuade Serak to leave as well, but he was confident that everything would be fine." "Then, just before entering the city, Serak gave both Ibon and me an amulet with strange symbols on it. ording to Serak, this amulet symbolized a great true god named Zhatuogua, who resided underground. Therefore, Zhatuogua would protect its followers who ventured underground. So, Ibon and I rxed a bit, considering that most of the gods in Hybrier were quite reliable, especially to their followers." "However, after entering the city, Serak became more active and imed to know the city¡¯s history. In short, the city was called Youss and was built by an alien race. However, this race offended some deity and was wiped out. Before their demise, they released various toxins into the city¡¯s streets. Hence, only the snake men could inhabit the city." "Nevertheless, Serak imed to know how to ess the heart of the city, which was the treasury of that alien race. So, the others agreed to let Serak lead the way. He led this group of people into the heart of the city, a magnificent pce. When we entered the pce, Serak instructed Ibon and me to leave immediately. Although we were confused at the time, we followed Serak¡¯s orders and left." "As we reached the entrance of the city, we saw a formidable-looking snake man handing a scroll made of sheepskin to Serak. After a brief exchange in the snake man¡¯snguage, Serak took us away from the underground cave. It was only then that Serak revealed the truth to me and Ibon." "Firstly, Serak knew from the beginning that the underground city belonged to the snake man n and that the snake man n worshiped the deity Zhatuogua. Being a follower of Zhatuogua himself, Serak decided to meet these snake men. He knew that the snake man n possessed powerful magic. By the time we reached the makeshift campsite, Serak had already entered the underground cave early and made an agreement with the snake man n." "The agreement was straightforward. Serak would deceive the explorers into entering the very heart of the city, which was the snake man n¡¯s sacred ground for rituals. In return, the leader of the snake man n would give Serak a magic book. In simple terms, Serak traded dozens of lives for the snake man n¡¯s magic. At that moment, both Ibon and I were shocked. But what astonished us even more was that the so-called Amulets Serak gave us were, in reality, remote-controlled bombs under Serak¡¯s control." "So, both Ibon and I dared not voice our anger. During this time, Serak saw our potential and decided to take us on as his formal disciples. He then started researching the magic of the snake man n in seclusion. Ibon and I were granted the freedom to move around, except for Serak¡¯s sealed chamber, which was off-limits." "At first, I thought I¡¯d be back here soon, so I roamed around aimlessly. By chance, I stumbled upon a spare key to Serak¡¯s sealed chamber, which I casually pocketed. However, I soon realized that this trip to Hybrier was exceptionally long. Thus, I decided to self-study magic in the library. During this year, I managed to learn and master various magic spells. I¡¯ll demonstrate some of them for youter." "Just about two hours ago, I was practicing a new magic spell, Sensory Magic. In simple terms, it allows me to sense if someone is using Magic Spells within a certain range and, after mastering it, even judge the strength of those spells. I sensed an unusual magical fluctuationing from Serak¡¯s sealed chamber, which was different from what I had sensed before. So, I decided to enter the chamber, knowing I had the key." "When I entered the chamber, I found no sign of Serak but encountered a snake man instead. I used sulfuric acid I had on hand to kill the snake man. However, before dying, the snake man used magic on me, transporting me to the wilderness and gradually transforming me into a snake man. I lost consciousness due to the pain. I thought I was going to die this time. But unexpectedly, I returned to Panlong Town, and you all saved me." "But now, I can feel that I have turned into half a snake man. Overall, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Although my appearance has be somewhat strange, I have gained some snake man abilities. For instance, the snake scales on my left side provide me with some defense. My left eye can see in the dark, and I can also sense changes in temperature in my surroundings, determining the dynamics and conditions of nearby creatures." Hearing this, Liu Xing nodded, realizing that Ling Ishikawa had gained quite a bit from this journey. He had learned several Magic Spells, acquired some snake man abilities, and most importantly, had killed Serak. Killing Serak was likely part of a world Mission. However, Liu Xing also noticed that after switching from the "Liu Xing" character card to "WatanabeRyuusei," the world Mission hadn¡¯t transferred to "WatanabeRyuusei." It seemed that Ibon was using the "Liu Xing" character card to helpplete the world Mission. Nevertheless, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s current appearance was unsettling, making it impossible for him to interact with ordinary NPCs. Liu Xing estimated that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s APP value was around 20 or 30 at most, which was unbearable for normal NPCs and mademunication difficult. So, Liu Xing furrowed his brows and said, "Ling Ishikawa, do you know any transformation or disguise spells? Your current appearance is quite terrifying, and I¡¯m afraid people in Panlong Town might mistake you for a monster if you go out like this." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s expression changed, and he reluctantly said, "I do know a transformation spell, but it has some significant side effects. Personally, I¡¯m not willing to use it, so..." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said seriously, "Let me update you on the current situation in Panlong Town first. Then, Ling Ishikawa, you can decide for yourself. Although we¡¯ll be operating mostly covertly, there will be times when we need you to step forward." Zhang Jingxu proceeded to inform Ling Ishikawa of everything that had happened in Panlong Town during his absence. "In summary, that¡¯s the current situation. We hope that you can consider the bigger picture, Ling Ishikawa. If the transformation spell has any drawbacks, please let us know, and we¡¯ll help you ovee them," Zhang Jingxu added at the end. Ling Ishikawa looked somewhat embarrassed but nodded. After thinking for a moment, he mustered the courage to say, "Actually, the transformation spell I¡¯ve learned can be called a Gender Transformation Spell. When used, the caster¡¯s body structure will changepletely to that of the opposite gender for about a month, including appearance and voice..." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, barely suppressing his amusement. Although he knew that many of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s learned spells in Hybrier had some quirks, he hadn¡¯t expected this transformation spell to be so peculiar. No wonder Ling Ishikawa was hesitant to use it. From Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ount, it seemed that he had already used the transformation spell once, and itsted for a month. This meant that he had spent a month as a girl. At this point, Zhang Jingxu jokingly put his arm around Ling Ishikawa¡¯s shoulder and said, "How about it, Ling Ishikawa? Why don¡¯t you use the transformation spell, and we can have some fun as well?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 392: Ling Ishikawa’s New Magic Spells Chapter 392: Ling Ishikawa¡¯s New Magic Spells Ling Ishikawa looked at Zhang Jingxu with an incredulous expression and said, "I¡¯ve always considered you, Zhang Jingxu, as my brother, but I never thought you¡¯d have such thoughts about me!" Zhang Jingxu smirked and pretended to be serious as he replied, "Well, of course, it¡¯s quite thrilling to think about it. But, on a serious note, Ling Ishikawa, is the transformation technique you¡¯ve learned any different from the magic spells Hu Li used on Xiao Mochen? Doesn¡¯t it just change physical features, and the appearance doesn¡¯t change much?" Ling Ishikawa shook his head and exined, "My transformation technique is more thorough. You could say itpletely changes a person. If I didn¡¯t reveal it, and you didn¡¯t witness me using the transformation, you wouldn¡¯t recognize me afterward. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t use this on others, or else I¡¯d have you, Zhang Jingxu, give us some excitement." Hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly had a bold idea. Hu Li had transformed Xiao Mochen, indicating that she still had some reservations about males. So, if Ling Ishikawa could be female, there might be a chance to gain Hu Li¡¯s trust. Therefore, Liu Xing suggested, "How about this, Ling Ishikawa? You use your transformation technique and approach Hu Li for a conversation. Building a good rtionship with her is essential for us. If you¡¯re willing to sacrifice yourself for this, it would be greatly appreciated." Currently, in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, orders prohibited yers from using persuasion and quick conversation skills on each other. Otherwise, Liu Xing would have tried to persuade Ling Ishikawa now. After all, Liu Xing was curious about how Ling Ishikawa would look after transformation. Just then, KP Snow Wind intervened, saying, "I almost forgot to inform all the yers that even though some side quests can be shared, to receive the mission rewards, yers must contribute during the side quest and be present when it concludes."Ling Ishikawa frowned; it was clear that KP Snow Wind was forcing him into the limelight. He would inevitably encounter the residents of Panlong Town. If they saw him in his transformed state, KP Snow Wind would likely pass judgment. If that judgment failed, he would likely be mistaken for a monster and attacked by the townspeople. So, Ling Ishikawa reluctantly said, "I need to think about this matter some more. Besides, I don¡¯t need to leave here until tomorrow." Given Ling Ishikawa¡¯s response, Liu Xing and the others didn¡¯t press the matter further. Li Dian was curious and asked, "Ling Ishikawa, besides this tricky transformation technique, have you learned any other magic spells in Hybrier?" Ling Ishikawa¡¯s eyes lit up at Li Dian¡¯s question, and he said, "Although the transformation technique is a bit tricky, the other magic spells I learned in Hybrier are quite effective. Allow me to demonstrate one for you now." With a wave of his hands, Ling Ishikawa continued, "This is the first magic spell I learned. Feel it." Liu Xing furrowed his brow and didn¡¯t sense any changes in his surroundings or his body. However, he noticed that his clothing was swaying as if in the wind, even though there was no breeze. Liu Xing had a realization and ced his hand in front of the swaying fabric. The clothing stopped moving, but his hand didn¡¯t feel any wind. He moved his hand away, and the clothing swayed again. At this point, Zhang Jingxu and the others also noticed the peculiar phenomenon. Ling Ishikawa exined, "As you¡¯ve probably noticed, this magic spell I used is called ¡¯Invisible Wind.¡¯ As the name suggests, it summons an invisible wind. Currently, it¡¯s rtively weak, but as my power increases, the wind¡¯s strength will grow. In most cases, both humans and mythical creatures won¡¯t notice the presence of this wind. Most importantly, this magic spell consumes very little magic energy." Initially, Liu Xing thought Ling Ishikawa¡¯s magic spell was unimpressive, but he quickly realized its potential. For example, when dealing with the Troll the following day, Invisible Wind could prove very useful. The first step in dealing with the Troll involved releasing the sedative provided by Hu Li in the basement of the Panlong Town Clinic. Although the basement was a rtively confined space, it was almost impossible to enter and distribute the sedative without alerting the Troll, given its heightened alertness. Before Ling Ishikawa returned, Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu had considered persuading Zhong Rensan to enter the basement, pretending to retrieve medicine, and discreetly spreading the sedative before leaving. However, this n had a high risk factor. Persuading Zhong Rensan was no easy task, considering his long-standing control by the Troll. Even if Zhong Rensan were willing to take the risk, nervousness could lead to errors. In summary, if they chose to have Zhong Rensan administer the sedative to the Troll, Liu Xing estimated the sess rate to be less than fifty percent, perhaps even lower. Now, with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Invisible Wind, their chances of sess would greatly increase. They only needed Zhong Rensan to fetch the medicine in the basement and have Ling Ishikawa use Invisible Wind to deliver the sedative. This way, the Troll likely wouldn¡¯t notice the sedative before it took effect. So, Liu Xing said, "Ling Ishikawa, your magic spell came at just the right time. Our sess in dealing with the Troll will depend on the sess of this magic spell." Ling Ishikawa nodded confidently and said, "Okay, leave this to me. While I can¡¯t guarantee other things, the invisibility of this magic spell is quite strong. It consumes very little magic energy, so it won¡¯t create noticeable magic fluctuations. Now, let me show you another magic spell I¡¯ve learned." Ling Ishikawa began reciting aplex and arcane incantation. After about half a minute, a faint blue arc of electricity appeared in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s hand, reminding Liu Xing of the Yis People Electric Therapy Device he had seen in Professor Yang¡¯s module. It was evident that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s magic was rted to electricity, which happened to be a reliable damage-dealing magic type in the Cthulhu RPG Game. This was because neither humans nor mythical creatures had inherent resistance to lightning. However, electric magic had its drawbacks. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, most magic had some quirks and downsides. Electric magic, in particr, had a chance of causing a bacsh, just as it had happened to Ling Ishikawa when the electrical arc briefly went out of control between his hands. Ling Ishikawa was aware of this risk and quickly "threw" the electrical arc out of the window. The arc sped towards the water surface, causing a slight explosion, and a few small fish floated belly-up to the surface. It seemed that this electric magic had quite some power. "This is the second magic spell I¡¯ve learned, called the ¡¯Thunder and Lightning Technique.¡¯ While the name sounds good, its current power is only enough for fish hunting. Like the ¡¯Invisible Wind¡¯ I showed you earlier, this magic spell can also improve with my abilities. Eventually, it should allow me to summon thunder and lightning from the sky directly. However, this magic spell has a somewhat long incantation time, and its control needs improvement. With my current abilities, I can only control it for up to ten seconds. If I exceed that time, it might go out of control and harm me," Ling Ishikawa exined. Liu Xing nodded in understanding. He estimated that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s "Thunder and Lightning Technique" would deal around 2d2 damage with a likely paralysis effect, as most electric magic in the game had paralysis as a secondary effect. At this point, Zhang Jingxu asked, "Ling Ishikawa, can this magic spell be cast in a different way, such as an electromaic field?" Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and replied, "It¡¯s possible. The ¡¯Thunder and Lightning Technique¡¯ actually has many variations, and what you mentioned, Zhang Jingxu, is one of them. I believe it¡¯s called the ¡¯Electric Net Technique.¡¯ However, the ¡¯Electric Net Technique¡¯ consumes about five times more magic energy than the ¡¯Thunder and Lightning Technique.¡¯ With my current capabilities, I can use it only once, and after using it, I would enter a state of mental weakness." Liu Xing understood Zhang Jingxu¡¯s intention and asked, "So, Zhang Jingxu, are you suggesting that Ling Ishikawa uses this ¡¯Electric Net Technique¡¯ to deal with the gu worms of Gu Master Chaxi?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "Exactly. Because, from what I know about the Gu Masters in the Miao territory, their homes likely contain various types of gu worms, possibly hundreds of them. Even if we seed in obtaining the jade pendant from Zhong Rensan, which could deter Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s gu worms from approaching, there¡¯s a chance he might force his gu worms tounch suicide attacks on us, rendering the jade pendant ineffective." "So, in the end, we might still have a direct confrontation with Gu Master Chaxi. But the truth is, weck the means to deal with those gu worms effectively. Their numbers are toorge, and their size is tiny. We can¡¯t catch them all at once. However, if Ling Ishikawa can use his ¡¯Electric Net Technique¡¯ effectively, it might deliver a devastating blow to those gu worms." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Zhang Jingxu was treating Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ¡¯Electric Net Technique¡¯ like an electric bug zapper. But it made sense; dealing with swarms of gu worms or rodents in the Cthulhu RPG Game was indeed challenging. ording to the game¡¯s mechanics, when dealing with groups of insects or small animals like rodents, they could be calcted either as a collective entity or as individual creatures during skill judgments andbat rounds. So, yers often found it challenging to deal with insect swarms or rodent hordes because unless they could eliminate the entire group in one go, they were likely to suffer some damage. There were always some stragglers. Therefore, as Zhang Jingxu pointed out, without Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ¡¯Electric Net Technique,¡¯ their uing confrontation with Gu Master Chaxi would likelye at a cost. As for what that cost might be, Liu Xing suspected that, ording to the game¡¯s mechanics, their party would likely be gued by various debuffs before the module ended. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s three magic spells came in incredibly handy. "Alright, I¡¯ll spend the next few days practicing how to use the ¡¯Electric Net Technique.¡¯ Before this, I only knew the basic casting method, and I¡¯ve never actually used it," Ling Ishikawa said. He then proceeded to demonstrate thest magic spell he had learned during his time in Hybrier. Standing in front of the window, Ling Ishikawa began chanting a spell while facing the Panlong River. Liu Xing observed as a thumb-thick stream of water surged out of the river and flew towards Ling Ishikawa. Soon, a water curtain formed around him. Ling Ishikawa then merged the water curtain into a water sphere and transformed it into various shapes. Finally, he turned the water into a short de entirelyposed of water. With the water de in his hand, Ling Ishikawa struck the table, creating a noticeable dent. Watching in astonishment, Liu Xing and the others were left speechless. Ling Ishikawa confidently exined, "Hehe, this is the magic spell I¡¯ve mastered the most during my year in Hybrier. It¡¯s called the ¡¯Water Control Technique.¡¯ It¡¯s an extremely versatile magic spell, as it can manipte most fluid substances. While it¡¯s called ¡¯Water Control,¡¯ it can actually manipte various fluid materials. However, it has certain requirements. For instance, the casting distance must be within ten meters, and there should be no obstacles between the caster and the target except for the air." "Moreover, different fluid materials require varying amounts of magic energy. But this ¡¯Water Control Technique¡¯ can increase the density of fluid materials, temporarily turning them into solid substances. Just as I demonstrated earlier, the water de I created is nearly as strong as a regr kitchen knife. I can also transform it into a water saw for cutting, which is just as effective as an electric saw." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 393: The Loyalty of "Ling Ishikawa" Chapter 393: The Loyalty of "Ling Ishikawa" Watching the triumphant Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Ling Ishikawa, your journey to Hybrier this time has indeed yielded rich results. Those Magic Spells you acquired will be of immense help to us in dealing with the mythical creatures we¡¯ll be facing next." Wan Chongshan chimed in, "Absolutely, Ling Ishikawa, your return couldn¡¯t havee at a better time. We¡¯ll be relying on your Magic Spells to turn the tide. By the way, Ling Ishikawa, can your water control technique be used to sense the presence of the water ghost we¡¯re up against?" Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow and replied, "It should be possible. The essence of the water control technique lies in manipting the flow and state of water, so I can clearly sense any objects moving in the water. Therefore, I should be able to detect the water ghost¡¯s movements." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s assurance, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. If Ling Ishikawa could sense the water ghost¡¯s presence, it would make their task of dealing with it much easier. After all, they wouldn¡¯t have to confront an enemy lurking in the shadows. At that moment, footsteps could be hearding from the staircase. Liu Xing quickly nced outside the door and saw Hu Cang approaching. Seeing Hu Cang, Liu Xing decided not to hide Ling Ishikawa. After all, Hu Cang was now considered one of them, and having spent so much time in the temporal distortion of Panlong Town, he had gained significant experience. Liu Xing believed that Hu Cang wouldn¡¯t be startled upon seeing the current state of Ling Ishikawa. "Mr. Ryuusei, what are you all doing here? I heard amotion from downstairs," Hu Cang inquired with confusion. Liu Xing smiled and replied, "Mr. Hu Cang, if youe inside and take a look, you¡¯ll understand what we¡¯re doing. However, please be prepared, Mr. Hu Cang, because Ling Ishikawa just returned, and his appearance seems to have changed." Furrowing his brows, Hu Cang chose to enter the room.Upon seeing Ling Ishikawa, Hu Cang took a step back in shock, bumping into the wall. He pointed at Ling Ishikawa and eximed, "Mr. Ling Ishikawa, how did you end up looking like this? Did you get transported to the Snake Cave?" "The Snake Cave?" everyone echoed in unison. Hu Cang nodded and continued, "The Snake Cave is a legend that has been circting around several viges near Panlong Town for centuries. It¡¯s said that deep within the mountains and forests surrounding Panlong Town, there lies a massive cave inhabited by snakes. If someone gets lost in the mountains and disappears without a trace, they are believed to have identally entered the Snake Cave and been devoured by the Snake King. However, before the incident I¡¯m about to describe, the Snake Cave was merely a mythical existence with no concrete evidence to prove its existence." "However, many years ago, a strange man wearing robes suddenly appeared outside Panlong Town. He came to Panlong Town seeking food and water, even though it was summertime. The stench emanating from him rmed the townspeople, and they demanded that he reveal his true face before providing him with food and water." "So, the strange man reluctantly removed his robes, revealing a face mostly covered in snake scales. This terrified the residents of Panlong Town. However, since Panlong Town already had ck Flood Dragon to handle such situations, the townspeople brought ck Flood Dragon in and began questioning the strange man about why he looked this way. At first, the man was in pain and unwilling to speak, but after ck Flood Dragon mentioned the words ¡¯snake man,¡¯ the man finally revealed the truth." "The strange man¡¯s name was Wu San, an outsider who hade to Rongcheng with a few friends to attend a wedding. A few nights ago, while passing through Longquan Mountainte in the evening, they decided to find a vige to rest in due to thete hour. However, after walking for a long time, they still couldn¡¯t find a ce to stay. Eventually, they came across a cave. Exhausted, they decided to spend the night there." "After setting up a campfire and assigning night shifts, they all went to sleep. When Wu San woke up urgently needing to urinate, he suddenly realized that one of his friends, who was supposed to be on night watch, was missing. So, Wu San woke up the others and started searching for their missing friend. They quickly discovered that their friend had ventured deeper into the cave. Wu San and hispanions made a torch and entered the cave." "They hadn¡¯t gone far when the ground suddenly gave way, and they fell into a pit five or six meters deep. When Wu San and hispanions regained their senses, they found themselves surrounded by snake men wielding weapons, eyeing them menacingly. The snake men didn¡¯t attack with their weapons but released a gas that caused Wu San and hispanions to lose control of their bodies." "Subsequently, Wu San and his friends were separated, taken to separate rooms by the snake men. These rooms contained strange devices and items. Wu San was forcibly made to swallow a pill by the snake men and then lost consciousness. When he woke up again, he found himself back on the surface, but his body was covered in snake scales. Wu San was forced to don robes and wander." "After sharing his ordeal, Wu San asked ck Flood Dragon for help in removing the snake scales, but ck Flood Dragon admitted his inability to do so. After all, even ck Flood Dragon wasn¡¯t all-powerful. Thus, Wu San had no choice but to continue his wandering. Following Wu San, many others with partially covered bodies in snake scales, who had experienced a simr fate of entering a cave and losing consciousness at the hands of snake men, started appearing near Rongcheng." After listening to Hu Cang¡¯s story, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected that there would be a snake man territory near Panlong Town. However, the actions of these snake men left Liu Xing puzzled. Typically, for most mythical creatures, humans were either considered food or insignificant beings, hardly worth their attention. When humans fell into the hands of mythical creatures, they usually met a grim fate with no chance of survival. So, were these snake men experimenting with turning humans into snake men? Liu Xing had a nagging feeling that these snake men hadrger ambitions. Therefore, based on the plot points he had heard from KP Green Light in the Fisher¡¯s Vige module, Liu Xing spected that he would encounter this group of snake men in future modules. It seemed a bit troublesome. "So, Ling Ishikawa, did you go to the Snake Cave?" Hu Cang asked again. Ling Ishikawa shook his head and evasively replied, "I wasn¡¯t transported to the Snake Cave, but I ended up somewhere else. However, I did encounter snake men, and my current appearance is rted to them." After all, there was no need to disclose the Hybrier-rted matters to Hu Cang. However, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that when Wan Chongshan and Li Dian heard that Ling Ishikawa had crossed over to Hybrier, it didn¡¯t trigger a Sanity check. This indicated that Wan Chongshan and Li Dian had likely seen and experienced a lot, but it also suggested that their Sanity points might be low... However, this was quite normal; these were upgraded modules from the Shoggoth Region to the Hound of Tindalos area. Most yer character cards wouldn¡¯t have high sanity points since failing just once in an upgraded module meant starting from scratch. yers were unlikely to risk using apletely new character card for such an adventure. "I see. So, it seems that these snake men aren¡¯t unique to our Panlong Town. However, Mr. Ling Ishikawa, with your current appearance, it might be best not to go out casually. It¡¯s quite terrifying for ordinary people, and it could attract unnecessary trouble," Hu Cang said earnestly. Ling Ishikawa felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head. He replied, "I¡¯m well aware of that. After all, I can¡¯t even stand my own appearance right now..." Hu Cang nodded, got up, and said, "Well, let¡¯s leave it at that. I need to go downstairs to check the storefront. If you need anything, you cane find me. I remember there will be masks for sale outside the market today. Would you like me to buy one for you, Mr. Ling Ishikawa?" Ling Ishikawa shook his head and said helplessly, "No need. You see, I¡¯ve already transformed half of my head into a snake man. Ordinary masks won¡¯t cover these snake scales, unless it¡¯s a full head mask." Hu Cang nodded again and left the room. Ling Ishikawa sighed with relief and smiled, saying, "By the way, before I was transported away from the Mage Tower, I had a magic book in my hands. Are any of you interested in bing a Grand Wizard like me?" As he spoke, Ling Ishikawa took out an old-looking hardcover book from his pocket. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise and said, "Hmm? Why is this magic book a hardcover? I thought it would be a scroll or something." Ling Ishikawa chuckled and exined, "You¡¯re making assumptions, Ryuusei. Although Hybrier is a world of swords and magic, it¡¯s also highly advanced in some aspects, not much different from our modern world. Therefore, Hybrier has a variety of books, including hardcovers, scrolls, bamboo slips, and even magic versions of e-books." Liu Xing nodded and epted the magic book from Ling Ishikawa. The book was titled "Wizard Serak¡¯s Insights" in Hybriernguage. It contained Wizard Serak¡¯s personal insights on thirty-six different types of magic. To read this book, yers needed to have a Language skill level of 30 points or higher in Hybriernguage. Afterward, they could learn the magic recorded in this book through education or knowledge checks, each with its own study time and sanity point deduction. Next were the introductions to the thirty-six magics. Liu Xing handed the book back to Ling Ishikawa, shaking his head, and said, "Ling Ishikawa, you must be trying to trick me. I can¡¯t understand thenguage in this magic book at all. Unless I¡¯m mistaken, this must be written in Hybriernguage." Ling Ishikawa grinned and nodded, "You¡¯re right, this magic book is indeed written in Hybriernguage. But I can teach you Hybriernguage; after all, I¡¯ve spent quite some time in Hybrier, and I¡¯m proficient in it now." Liu Xing shrugged and said, "Forget it; I have some self-awareness. I know mynguage skills aren¡¯t that great, especially for an ancientnguage like this." After chatting for a while, Liu Xing and the others went their separate ways to rest. There wasn¡¯t much to do in the afternoon. When only Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa remained in the room, Ling Ishikawa took out a small ck stone from his pocket and handed it to Liu Xing. "Master, this is something I obtained from Serak," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. Liu Xing epted the small ck stone and realized that it was indeed valuable. The Guardian Stone, a magic stone crafted by Wizard Serak, could automatically trigger when the wearer was under attack. After consuming all of the wearer¡¯s MP, it wouldpletely negate one attack that dealt less than 10 points of damage. However, after activation, the Guardian Stone would be ineffective. If the attack exceeded 10 points of damage, the Guardian Stone would also deactivate. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Although the Guardian Stone had some drawbacks, it was still a life-saving treasure. He hadn¡¯t expected that Ling Ishikawa would be willing to give it to him. "Master, ording to what my master said, this stone can block a fatal attack after activation. However, the drawback is that you can¡¯t control when it activates. So, it¡¯s highly likely that it will activate when you identally stub your toe. Also, after activation, you¡¯ll enter a state of mental weakness, which is not a pleasant feeling," Ling Ishikawa exined seriously. Liu Xing nodded and asked with curiosity, "Although this stone has some drawbacks, its benefits are quite obvious. So, why don¡¯t you keep it for yourself, Ling Ishikawa?" Ling Ishikawa smiled and replied, "Such a valuable item should be given to you, Master. After all, you are the cornerstone of our Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. Your life is much more important than mine, so I believe it¡¯s better for you to use this stone." Liu Xing finally understood why Ling Ishikawa had handed him the Guardian Stone. In simple terms, it was because his character card, "Ryuusei," held the role of "Master," while "Ling Ishikawa" held the role of his "Disciple." This involved loyalty settings because "Ling Ishikawa" had been following "him" during this period, and his loyalty had reached a certain level. As a result, "Ling Ishikawa" had received this valuable item and chose to give it to him. For Liu Xing, this was a great boon. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 394: Fishing Nets and bird guns Chapter 394: Fishing Nets and bird guns This was truly a fortunate turn of events. Liu Xing knew that "Ling Ishikawa" had reached a new level of loyalty to him, which was why he had received the Guardian Stone. It symbolized that even if he were to issue a life-threateningmand to "Ling Ishikawa," he would likely obey without hesitation. Of course, Liu Xing had no intention of sending "Ling Ishikawa" to his death. He didn¡¯t want Yin En to challenge him to a real-life duel. Though Liu Xing coveted the Guardian Stone for its remarkable protective properties, akin to having an extra life when used wisely, he understood that Yin En wasn¡¯t genuinely eager to give it to him. It was more due to the influence of "Ling Ishikawa¡¯s" loyalty that he reluctantly handed over the Guardian Stone. Therefore, Liu Xing decided not to take advantage of the situation, not wanting to strain his rtionship with Yin En by asserting his dominance. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing returned the Guardian Stone to Ling Ishikawa and said, "I think it¡¯s best if you hold onto this stone, Ling Ishikawa. After all, in our uing mission to deal with the mythical creatures in Panlong Town, you will be our main source of firepower. It¡¯s highly likely that you¡¯ll be their primary target, so for safety¡¯s sake, it¡¯s better that you have this stone." Ling Ishikawa epted the Guardian Stone with a smile and replied, "How can that be, Master? Your life¡¯s safety is far more crucial than mine. Worshipers of the Yellow Sect can continue without me, but we can¡¯t afford to lose you, Master." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding Ling Ishikawa quite the actor. However, Liu Xing decided to y along with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s act. "Don¡¯t worry, I trust that you will protect me. So, the effectiveness of this stone will be maximized when you carry it. Therefore, Ling Ishikawa, please don¡¯t refuse any longer. I¡¯ve decided that you will be responsible for safeguarding this stone because it¡¯s mymand, and you must obey."And so, the Guardian Stone returned to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s possession. After receiving the Guardian Stone back, Ling Ishikawa suddenly became serious and said, "By the way, Master, I inquired with Serak about the possible reasons behind the temporal distortion. Based on what I¡¯ve learned, I believe that the current state of Panlong Town might not have been caused by Gralki. After all, after the battle with the ck Flood Dragon, Gralki, who was already injured, shouldn¡¯t have had the power to transform Panlong Town into an independent space." Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked, "Oh, please tell me more about what you learned from Serak." Ling Ishikawa nodded and continued, "ording to Serak, to turn an area the size of Panlong Town into an independent space, the caster needs to have significant personal strength. Without the assistance of certain items, only beings on the level of Great Old Ones can create such spaces using their own power. Furthermore, it has to be a Great Old One at the peak of its power because creating an independent space consumes a tremendous amount of magic energy. Gralki, who was already severely injured after the battle with the ck Flood Dragon, likely didn¡¯t have the required magical energy." "Secondly, concerning Gralki, Serak has studied many Great Old Ones, and he shared a lot of stories about them with me and Ibon. This includes Gralki, who was an active Great Old One even in ancient times and appeared multiple times in Hybrier. Serak had even encountered a manifestation of Gralki once, during a Ritual Ceremony involving Zhatuogua. Zhatuogua introduced Gralki, much like you know, as someone who lures humans into bing its followers by promising immortality. However, Gralki rarely intervenes personally in recruiting followers; it mostly sends manifestations to do the job. So, I believe the Gralki in Panlong Town is likely just a manifestation." "In conclusion, a severely injured Great Old One manifestation wouldn¡¯t have the power to transform Panlong Town into its current state. Therefore, I suspect that unless Gralki¡¯s true form is involved, someone else is responsible for the independent space transformation. This someone is likely another Great Old One-level entity. Of course, this is just my personal spection for your consideration, Master." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing realized that Ling Ishikawa was subtly suggesting that Nyathotep might be behind it. This also reminded Liu Xing of the mysterious statue beneath Panlong Town, a matter he had yet to disclose to Zhang Jingxu and the others. To him, this matter seemed like one of the Hidden Quests of this module. Regarding Hidden Quests, Liu Xing had discovered information about them on the hard drive Yin En had given him. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, there were numerous Hidden Quests, categorized into two types: those rted to the current module and those unrted to it. The first type of Hidden Quests typically involved the true ending of the module. The endings in the Cthulhu RPG Game modules could be divided into four types: normal, good, bad, and true endings. If yers followed the main quest line andpleted only that, they would usually achieve the normal ending. The good and bad endings required yers toplete specific side quests while ensuring certain NPCs survived or perished during the final confrontation. To trigger the true ending, yers had to discover andplete Hidden Quests within the module, potentially leading to the true culmination of the module. For instance, in Liu Xing¡¯s first official module, "Castle Lord," the normal ending involved yers confronting Castle Lord and the Ghouls, resulting in a difficult escape with some casualties. The good ending, which Liu Xing had achieved, involved yers uncovering Castle Lord¡¯s true identity, avoidingbat with him and the Ghouls, and sessfully escaping the castle. The bad ending could ur if yers barely escaped Castle Lord¡¯s clutches or failed to do so. The true ending of the "Castle Lord" module likely required yers to uncover Isabe¡¯s true identity, then find a way to leave the castle while bringing Castle Lord and Isabe to justice. Furthermore,pleting the true ending of a module would yield substantial additional rewards, in addition to the rewards associated with Hidden Quests. These rewards made the true ending twice as lucrative as other endings. However, statistics suggested that only one in ten modules featured a true ending, making the second type of Hidden Quests far moremon. Unrted-to-Module Hidden Quests could essentially be considered as the "fuse" for the next module. For example, Liu Xing had heard of a yerpleting such a Hidden Quest on a forum. In the original module, the main quest was to investigate a rising cosmeticspany¡¯s ingredients, only to discover that these ingredients were linked to a mythical creature. As the module was about to end after defeating the creature, a yer noticed someone spying on them. All the yers then triggered andpleted the Hidden Quest, catching the spy. In the next module, these yers gathered once more to investigate which organization had provided the mythical creature to the cosmeticspany. So, even though Liu Xing suspected that simply searching for the statue beneath Panlong Town¡¯s middle school could trigger a Hidden Quest, he couldn¡¯t be sure of its type. Regardless of the type,pleting a Hidden Quest was no simple task, especially given the current situation. The statue was likely connected to at least one Great Old One-level entity. Therefore, the Hidden Quest would undoubtedly be high-risk and high-reward. Should they take the risk? While contemting, Liu Xing shared the information about the statue with Ling Ishikawa. If he decided to trigger this Side Quest, he would certainly need Ling Ishikawa¡¯s assistance. After hearing Liu Xing¡¯s ount, Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brow and said, "If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s almost certain that the person who buried the statue is at least a Great Old One-level entity. So, either the transformation of Panlong Town is rted to this person or to the statue itself. Such a statue is likely to possess significant power." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Indeed, that¡¯s a possibility. However, ording to Hu Li, it seems that we won¡¯t be able to unearth the statue. So, Ling Ishikawa, you can keep this information to yourself, and there¡¯s no need to tell the others." Ling Ishikawa stroked his chin, pondering, "That may not be certain. We still have a chance to dig up the statue. Even though it¡¯s buried deeply, the magic book I showed you earlier contains a Magic Spell with excavation capabilities that can rival a digger. If you¡¯re willing, Master, I can start learning that Magic Spell now. I estimate that I¡¯ll be able to master it in about ten days." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn about a Magic Spell for digging. However, Liu Xing had some concerns and said, "The statue might emit magical fluctuations that could have a significant impact on people¡¯s mental states. Do you have any precautions in mind? If not, we should probably avoid the risk." Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before responding, "That does pose a challenge. However, if the statue, as Hu Li mentioned, only emits magical fluctuations at night, we can take a gamble and attempt to unearth it during the daytime. After all, the worst-case scenario is death, and we¡¯ll be back in action in a few days." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s response, Liu Xing regained some confidence. In this module, they could afford to die once or twice, so taking a chance seemed reasonable. Moreover, if they seeded, they might obtain the statue, which appeared to be a highly advanced item. Acquiring it could be a significant gain, even if it meant sacrificing some character card items in the process. Liu Xing made up his mind and said, "Alright, let¡¯s do it. Ling Ishikawa, start learning that Magic Spell now. We¡¯ll go dig up the statue after dealing with all the mythical creatures in Panlong Town." Ling Ishikawa nodded and replied, "No problem. I¡¯ll start studying the Magic Spell right away." With that, Ling Ishikawa took out the magic book and began studying it. 7d24=51. It seemed that Ling Ishikawa was quite fortunate this time. He only needed to study for fifty-one hours to learn the Magic Spell. Learning skills had always been a tedious task in the Cthulhu RPG Game because it couldn¡¯t be achieved quickly, unlike in other games. Especially when it came to learning magic, it usually required dozens or even hundreds of hours. Ling Ishikawa only needed fifty-one hours to learn a new Magic Spell, which was rtively short. However, considering the current situation, Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t have much time to dedicate to studying magic every day. Aside from eating, drinking, resting, and sleeping, he had to apany Liu Xing¡¯s group to deal with the mythical creatures in Panlong Town. So, having six hours a day to study magic was already quite good. Of course, their current goal was to defeat one mythical creature at a specific time. Therefore, once they had dealt with all the mythical creatures in Panlong Town, Ling Ishikawa should have enough time to learn the new magic. Seeing Ling Ishikawa diligently studying, Liu Xing didn¡¯t want to interrupt him. He decided to take a nap first. Liu Xing slept until the afternoon and was only awakened by Ling Ishikawa when it was time for dinner. "This is the fishing you need," Hu Cang said, pointing to a corner of the room. Liu Xing approached to inspect the fishing and found it to be in good condition. It had no visible damage and was sturdy enough. Even if it couldn¡¯tpletely trap a Troll, it would at least hold the Troll inside for about ten seconds, giving Hu Li enough time to arrive. Apart from the fishing, Liu Xing noticed two bird guns in the corner as well. "Hu Cang, where did you get these bird guns? Are they usable?" Liu Xing asked, looking surprised. Hu Cang nodded and smiled, "I borrowed these two bird guns from my uncle while I was getting the fishing. I¡¯ve tested them, and they work perfectly fine." Liu Xing chuckled. With these two bird guns, he felt even more confident in dealing with the Troll. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 395: Ling Ishikawa’s Evolution – Ishikawa Ayako Chapter 395: Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Evolution ¨C Ishikawa Ayako The rural hunting bird gun, in essence, can be understood as a budget version of a shotgun. It uses gunpowder as a propent to shoot steel balls or iron pellets at the enemy. While the bird gun¡¯s long-range uracy and damage are both quite unimpressive, it excels at close range, with nearly a hundred percent hit rate and considerable damage. In the operation to deal with the Troll tomorrow, if the Troll tries to escape through the basement exit, these two bird guns could prove highly effective. Firstly, because the Troll should be entangled in the fishing, significantly reducing its mobility. Secondly, these two bird guns were most likely already loaded at close range, so even if the Troll has tough skin, taking two shots up close would undoubtedly be very painful. So, Hu Cang was really lending a big hand this time. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but pick up one of the bird guns and examine it. This homemade bird gun (loaded with steel balls) had decent craftsmanship. Although it had been in use for over a decade, meticulous maintenance had kept it almost like new. Damage (close/medium/long range): 2d6/1d6/1d3, reload speed 1d2bat rounds. All shotguns had damage categorized into close, medium, and long-range types. After all, the farther the distance, the lower the theoretical damage of a shotgun, and the uracy would also drop significantly. As for the bird gun¡¯s slow reload speed, Liu Xing was mentally prepared for it. In the real world, Liu Xing had used this type of bird gun before while hunting wild chickens in the mountains back in his hometown. At that time, it took him over a minute to reload ammunition. However, Liu Xing believed that the slow reload speed of the bird gun could be disregarded. In dealing with the Troll, they would most likely need to fire only one shot at most.Of course, although the information about this bird gun seemed somewhatcking, Liu Xing was quite satisfied with the damage aspect, which he cared about the most. Two 2d6 bird guns should conservatively be able to remove 10 points of the Troll¡¯s HP. Based on Liu Xing¡¯s estimation, Troll, as a high-attack and high-agility mythical creature, probably had around 15 HP. So, if they could instantly remove 10 points of the Troll¡¯s HP, it would likely leave the Troll severely wounded. They might not even need Hu Li¡¯s assistance; their group could handle the Troll on their own. With this in mind, Liu Xing¡¯s confidence swelled. At this moment, Hu Cang spoke, "By the way, Ryuusei-sensei, you should see the leather bag next to it. That¡¯s where the ck gunpowder for the bird guns is stored. As for the steel balls, they are in that stic bottle. When you reload ammunitionter, remember to load the gunpowder first, don¡¯t overfill it to avoid barrel explosions, and then insert about ten steel balls." Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "I understand this. I¡¯ve used these bird guns for hunting back in Ind Nation, so I¡¯m quite familiar with their use." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Hu Cang sighed with relief and said, "That¡¯s good. I was worried that you might try to maximize the output of these bird guns by overloading them with gunpowder and steel balls when reloading. This bird gun is a homemade weapon, and its safety factor is already very low. If it explodes, it can cause serious harm to the shooter." Liu Xing nodded. He had heard about bird gun explosions many times, and the consequences were always severe, ranging from disfigurement to death. After exining the bird guns, Liu Xing and the others had dinner. They didn¡¯t n to activate the Private Room feature on the third floor that night because there was no need to delve further into the day¡¯s events. They had already discussed almost everything relevant, so they didn¡¯t want to waste their valuable Private Room time. Liu Xing and the others chatted casually for a while and then went to their respective rooms to rest. Ling Ishikawa continued studying magic, while Liu Xing, who had nothing else to do, yed with his phone for a while before going to sleep. A quiet night passed without incident. The next morning, as soon as Liu Xing woke up, he noticed that Ling Ishikawa was still studying magic. "Ling Ishikawa, there¡¯s no need to push yourself so hard. You don¡¯t have to learn this magic so quickly, and... wait, Ling Ishikawa, why do you have long hair now?" Liu Xing eximed in shock. Indeed, the Ling Ishikawa standing with her back to Liu Xing, wearing the same clothes as before, no longer had the half-snake scales. Instead, she had long, glossy ck hair. Could it be?! Ling Ishikawa turned around, confirming Liu Xing¡¯s suspicion. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa had transformed into a girl with well-defined features, exuding an air of vitality. She appeared to be around 80 on the attractiveness scale. Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but jokingly say, "Ling Ishikawa, I didn¡¯t expect you to look so good as a girl. Maybe you shouldn¡¯t change back." Ling Ishikawa looked at Liu Xing with a resigned expression and said, "Master, please don¡¯t tease me. You have no idea how much determination it took for me to decide to use this transformation magic. I knew you¡¯d make fun of me..." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s voice was now incredibly pleasant,pletely different from her previous tone. Liu Xing quickly suppressed hisughter and said seriously, "Alright, alright, I won¡¯t tease you anymore. But I have to admit, Ling Ishikawa, your transformation magic is quite impressive. If I didn¡¯t know your current situation, I wouldn¡¯t recognize you at all. You lookpletely different now, with no resemnce to your previous appearance." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said, "That¡¯s true. After all, transformation magic is meant topletely change oneself, to prevent others from discovering your true identity. So, the effect of this transformation magic is excellent, almost like bing a different person." Liu Xing pondered for a moment and decided to change the topic. "Speaking of which, Ling Ishikawa, you still haven¡¯t answered me. Why are you studying magic so early? Isn¡¯t it a bit too eager?" Ling Ishikawa shook her head and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Master. Actually, I went to bed earlyst night, but I woke up early today because of some psychological pressure. So, as soon as it was light out, I made up my mind to use transformation magic and started learning magic. Although I don¡¯t need this magic urgently, it¡¯s always a good thing to learn it sooner." Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said, "You¡¯re right. But now that you¡¯ve transformed into this appearance, Ling Ishikawa, Hu Li might not recognize you anymore. So, when we go to see Hu Liter, how about you change your name?" Frowning, Ling Ishikawa hesitated, "I¡¯m not sure if I can fool Hu Li with this transformation. After all, as you mentioned, Hu Li identifies people based on their scent, not their appearance.¡­" Liu Xing nodded and said, "That¡¯s true. Hu Li distinguishes people by their scent. However, Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯ve probably noticed that your scent has changed after using the transformation magic. So, Hu Li shouldn¡¯t be able to recognize your true identity." Liu Xing could indeed smell a unique, indescribable fragrance emanating from Ling Ishikawa now. After thinking it over, Ling Ishikawa nodded and said, "You¡¯re right, Master. I¡¯ve noticed that my scent has changed after using the transformation magic. So, Hu Li shouldn¡¯t be able to discern my true identity. But, Master, what do you n to have me do when I go to Hu Li¡¯s side? Act as a spy?" Liu Xing chuckled and replied seriously, "Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. I want you, Ling Ishikawa, to act as a spy on Hu Li¡¯s side. Although Hu Li is officially our partner now, to be honest, I can¡¯t fully trust that Hu Li ispletely aligned with us. So, I need a way to find out Hu Li¡¯s true intentions. And now that you¡¯ve transformed into this appearance, you should be able to be Hu Li¡¯s confidante. Hu Li seems to have a good attitude towards women, and you¡¯re currently the only female in all of Panlong Town." Ling Ishikawa touched her head and said, "Even though what you¡¯re saying makes sense, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something¡¯s not right. But since you¡¯re saying this, Master, I¡¯ll follow your lead and try my luck with Hu Li. I hope she won¡¯t recognize me." So, Liu Xing began discussing with Ling Ishikawa to create a new identity for her. Following themon trope seen in Ind Nation anime, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s new name became Ishikawa Ayako. Her backstory was that she was Ling Ishikawa¡¯s younger sister, who hade to Panlong Town in search of her missing older brother. "Ishikawa Ayako, please take care of me," Liu Xing said with a smile. Ling Ishikawa nodded reluctantly and replied, "Please take care of me, Master." At that moment, Zhang Jingxu walked into the room and, with a surprised expression, said, "Ryuusei-sensei, are you all awake? If you are, let¡¯s go down and have breakfast together... Wait, who are you!?" Zhang Jingxu looked at Ling Ishikawa in shock. Ling Ishikawa felt a bit embarrassed and adjusted her hair before saying, "I am Ling Ishikawa." Zhang Jingxu then realized and said, "Ah, I didn¡¯t expect you to actually use that transformation magic, Ling Ishikawa. But to be honest, you look quite beautiful like this. Maybe you should keep this appearance, and when you return to your country, you can be an idol." Ling Ishikawa chuckled and said, "Get lost!" Since Zhang Jingxu wasn¡¯t Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t need to be polite. However, Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t mind and approached with a yful smile, saying, "I was just joking, Ling Ishikawa. If you¡¯d allow me to..." Before Zhang Jingxu could finish his sentence, Ling Ishikawa interrupted, "I¡¯ll tell Lu Tianya about this." Lu Tianya was Zhang Jingxu¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel, so he quickly shook his head and said with a forced smile, "No, no, Ling Ishikawa, I was just joking. You¡¯re a grown-up; please don¡¯t tell Lu Tianya about this." Ling Ishikawa smiled and said, "We¡¯ll see how you behave in the future." Liu Xing watched the slightly tsundere Ling Ishikawa and couldn¡¯t help but think she was getting into character. But it was quite entertaining. At this moment, Li Dian and Wan Chongshan entered the room and saw the "new" Ling Ishikawa. They both eximed in surprise. Liu Xing informed Zhang Jingxu and the others about Ling Ishikawa¡¯s new identity, and they all understood his reasoning. After finalizing their story, they all went downstairs for breakfast. Hu Cang also expressed amazement at Ling Ishikawa¡¯s transformation. After breakfast, Liu Xing decided to take Ling Ishikawa to find Hu Li. One reason was to test if Hu Li knew Ling Ishikawa¡¯s real identity. If Hu Li didn¡¯t, then Liu Xing could introduce Ling Ishikawa to her. The other reason was Ling Ishikawa¡¯s clothing; it appeared too masculine in her current form. Liu Xing thought it would be a good idea to buy some women¡¯s clothing from Hu Li¡¯s store. Since Ling Ishikawa had transformed into a female, she didn¡¯t mind wearing women¡¯s clothing. So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa went downstairs to find Hu Li. Today wasn¡¯t a special event day, so Hu Li¡¯s clothing store wasn¡¯t open yet. As Liu Xing contemted whether to call out to Hu Li from downstairs, Hu Li lifted the storefront curtain and looked at Ling Ishikawa with a hint of curiosity. Seeing this, Liu Xing realized that Hu Li probably didn¡¯t know Ling Ishikawa¡¯s true identity. So, Liu Xing presented their prepared exnation, "Miss Hu Li, this is Ishikawa Ayako, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s younger sister. We came here because we found out that her brother and I had gone missing suddenly. On our way to Panlong Town, we lost our luggage, and her clothes got wet due to falling into the water. So, I brought her here to buy some clothes." Hu Li nodded and looked at Ling Ishikawa thoughtfully. Then, the sound of dice rolling echoed. However, Liu Xing had expected this reaction since Hu Li wasn¡¯t a Fool. She would naturally have doubts about the authenticity of their story. "I see. It¡¯s unexpected that someone can still enter Panlong Town these days. But it¡¯s a good thing; after all, more people mean more strength. Alright, Ishikawa Ayako, let¡¯s go pick out some clothes for you," Hu Li said with a smile. It seemed that Hu Li hadn¡¯t realized Ling Ishikawa¡¯s true identity. However, Ling Ishikawa remained unfazed. Liu Xing suddenly remembered that Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t understand Hu Li¡¯s words. So, he quickly said, "Miss Hu Li, could you please activate telepathic ability for Ishikawa Ayako? She¡¯s from Ind Nation and doesn¡¯t understand Chinese." Hu Li nodded, smiling, and said, "You¡¯re right; Ipletely forgot about that. Let me give her telepathic ability." As Hu Li approached Ling Ishikawa, she suddenly leaned in and kissed her on the lips! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 396: Preparation Complete Chapter 396: Preparation Complete At this moment, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa wore expressions of confusion, as neither of them had expected Hu Li to suddenly "attack" Ling Ishikawa. "Alright, Ishikawa Ayako, you should be able to understand what I¡¯m saying now," Hu Li said with a smile. Ling Ishikawa nodded somewhat awkwardly and replied, "Yes, I can understand what you¡¯re saying now, but..." Before Ling Ishikawa could finish, Hu Li interrupted, saying, "But what? The reason I kissed you is to grant you telepathic ability. So, Ishikawa Ayako, don¡¯t overthink it. Although I prefer women over men at the moment, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve fallen for you at first sight." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing looked at Hu Li in surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected that telepathicmunication would be taught in such a manner. In that case, hadn¡¯t Hu Li also been "improper" with him? Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s puzzled expression, Hu Li instantly guessed what was on his mind. "Mr. Ryuusei, I hope you don¡¯t think too much about it. There are many ways to teach telepathicmunication, and it doesn¡¯t necessarily involve kissing. The method I used on you, for example, was to insert a dagger directly into your chest and use it as a conduit to transmit telepathic ability," Hu Li said, rolling her eyes. Liu Xing nodded somewhat awkwardly, not sure what to say. Hu Li then took Ling Ishikawa¡¯s hand and said with a smile, "Ishikawa Ayako, your name is a bit too long and not very easy to pronounce. So, I¡¯ll just call you Ayako from now on."Ling Ishikawa nodded and replied, "Of course, you can, Sister Hu Li." Hu Li heard Ling Ishikawa call her "Sister," and it made her even happier. "Well, since you¡¯re calling me Sister Ayako, I have to show my appreciation. Come on, let¡¯s go inside and pick out a few outfits. Consider it a gift from your sister." After saying that, Hu Li led Ling Ishikawa into a clothing store, with Liu Xing following along. During the time Ling Ishikawa was choosing clothes, Hu Li turned to Liu Xing and said, "Mr. Ryuusei, how are the preparations on your side? We¡¯ll have to deal with that Troll in another hour or two." Liu Xing nodded and replied with a smile, "Don¡¯t worry, Miss Hu Li, we are fully prepared on our end. Moreover, Ishikawa Ayako arrived at just the right time. Her profession in Ind Nation is a Yin Yang Master, so she knows quite a few Magic Spells, including ones that can counter Trolls." Hu Li looked surprised and turned to Ling Ishikawa, saying, "Well, isn¡¯t that a pleasant surprise? I thought Ayako was just an ordinary girl. I didn¡¯t expect her to know Magic Spells. Bute to think of it, if she didn¡¯t have these abilities, she wouldn¡¯t have dared toe to Panlong Town to find her brother. By the way, do you have any news about her brother now?" Liu Xing shook his head and said, "So far, we haven¡¯t found any trace or information rted to Ling Ishikawa. It¡¯s like he¡¯s disappeared off the face of the earth. But we won¡¯t give up because he¡¯s ourrade." Hu Li chuckled and said, "In that case, I¡¯ll also keep an eye out for Ling Ishikawa¡¯s whereabouts. Once he returns to Panlong Town, I should be able to sense his presence. However, if he doese back, he should be looking for you all first, so my role might not be that significant." "No, no, Miss Hu Li, your willingness to help is greatly appreciated," Liu Xing said with a smile. After Ling Ishikawa had chosen several sets of androgynous clothing, Liu Xing brought her back to the clinic. He didn¡¯t want Ling Ishikawa to engage in too much conversation with Hu Li, as it might reveal their n. Back at Hu Cang¡¯s clinic, amid cheers andughter, Ling Ishikawa changed into a set of women¡¯s clothing. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think that Ling Ishikawa looked really good after the transformation. "Alright, let¡¯s get back to the main topic. We¡¯ll have to go trouble that Troll in another hour, so does anyone have any suggestions to make?" Ling Ishikawa said helplessly. Liu Xing shrugged and said, "There¡¯s not much to say now. Everyone is well aware of the current situation, and there¡¯s no need to change the previous n. So, let¡¯s just assign our respective roles in more detail." Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, saying, "I agree with Ryuusei¡¯s idea. After all, we¡¯re just the reserve team for dealing with the Troll. We just need to guard the entrance to the clinic¡¯s basement. If the Troll escapes, we¡¯ll use fishings to trap it and shoot it a couple of times, and then we¡¯ll wait for Hu Li to arrive." Li Dian and Wan Chongshan also nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Liu Xing continued, "Okay, since everyone doesn¡¯t have any additional suggestions now, let¡¯s go ahead and allocate our respective missions. First, there¡¯s no need to say much about Ling Ishikawa¡¯s mission. He¡¯ll be responsible for casting Magic Spells." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said seriously, "No problem. If the Troll escapes from the basement, I¡¯ll use the thunder and lightning technique on it to paralyze it and buy us some time. So, please leave a gap for me, so I don¡¯t identally harm any of you." Liu Xing thought about the clinic¡¯s hallway and said, "That should be fine. The hallway in Panlong Town clinic is quite spacious. It can probably amodate four people walking side by side, so we can leave the middle open for Ling Ishikawa to cast his spells." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That sounds like a good n. Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯ll stand in the middle, and the four of us will form two pairs on either side of the hallway. The ones responsible for throwing fishings will be in front, and those with bird guns will be in the back. When the Trolles out, the ones in front will immediately crouch after throwing thes, and the ones in the back will start shooting at the Troll. Finally, Ling Ishikawa, you can follow up with the thunder and lightning technique." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Zhang Jingxu¡¯s n sounded very practical and feasible. At that moment, KP Snow Wind suddenly spoke up, "Alright, now I¡¯d like each yer to choose a representative for a lucky Judgment. But before that, let me remind you all that this lucky Judgment is extremely important." The group exchanged puzzled looks. They hadn¡¯t expected KP Snow Wind to show up at this moment and request a crucial lucky Judgment. Could this Judgment be rted to their uing encounter with the Troll? "I¡¯ll do it. My luck is pretty high," volunteered Wan Chongshan confidently. Since Wan Chongshan volunteered confidently, Liu Xing and the others decided to let him conduct this lucky Judgment. Wan Chongshan, 13/90, Extremely Difficult Sess. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Wan Chongshan¡¯s remarkably high luck score, which had reached 90. No wonder Wan Chongshan was so self-assured. "Oh, it seems that your luck is quite good, Wan Chongshan, because this lucky Judgment is categorized as ¡¯extremely difficult sess,¡¯ you¡¯ve earned more assistance from Hu Cang," KP Snow Wind said with a smile. As KP Snow Wind finished speaking, Hu Cangboriously dragged a bag out from the kitchen. Seeing Hu Cang¡¯s struggle, Liu Xing realized that the contents of this bag were heavier than expected. Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu hurriedly got up to receive the bag from Hu Cang. When they lifted it, Liu Xing noticed that the bag was heavier than he had imagined, probably around 100 pounds. "What is inside this bag, Mr. Hu Cang? Why is it so heavy?" Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but ask. Hu Cang chuckled, scratching the back of his head, and said, "I¡¯m not exactly sure what¡¯s inside, but I know it should be very useful for you all." Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu ced the bag on the table and opened it. Inside, they found four small ck spheres. These ck spheres were smaller than Liu Xing¡¯s childhood marbles. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that these ck spheres were likely items. He picked up one of the spheres to check its information. ck Sphere: A high-density unidentified metal that emits no sound. With this information, Liu Xing understood that these four ck spheres were Wan Chongshan¡¯s rewards for passing the extremely difficult lucky Judgment, which was referred to as "Hu Cang¡¯s assistance." Liu Xing saw great potential in these ck spheres. While a fishing alone would only trap the Troll for a few seconds, these four ck spheres, when attached to the corners of the, would make it significantly more difficult for the Troll to escape. Plus, they emitted no sound, enhancing their stealth. What intrigued Liu Xing even more was that the information did not specify that these ck spheres were limited to use within this module. So, perhaps they could be taken out of the module. Liu Xing had some ideas in mind. Hu Cang then said, "These four ck spheres are considered our family¡¯s heirlooms. My grandfather found them when he was farming because of their high density and soundlessness upon impact. He regarded them as treasures and kept them at home. I believe attaching these four ck spheres to the fishing¡¯s corners will trap the Troll for a longer time. They won¡¯t emit any sound, so there¡¯s no need to worry about alerting it." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "I see. Thank you very much, Mr. Hu Cang." Liu Xing and the others proceeded to tie the four ck spheres to the corners of the fishing with ropes. During this process, Li Dian made a daring suggestion to rece the steel balls in the bird guns with these ck spheres. However, Liu Xing and the others promptly rejected the idea. After all, a bird gun¡¯s firing mechanism did not provide enough force to propel a 20-pound ck sphere, and they were not a group of strength-focused individuals. Li Dian, undeterred, came up with another idea: to modify one of the ck spheres into a Ryuusei Hammer. Since the Troll wouldn¡¯t know the ck sphere¡¯s capabilities, it might not intentionally dodge an attack from the Ryuusei Hammer. However, this n faced several practical issues, primarily the weight of the ck sphere, as the Ryuusei Hammer required a user with significant strength. Additionally, theycked the appropriate materials for creating the Ryuusei Hammer, which couldn¡¯t be constructed with just a piece of ordinary string. Li Dian¡¯s ideas ended up falling through. Once they finished their preparations, they finalized the selection of the bird gun users. While Liu Xing believed that hitting the Troll should not be an issue in the cramped space, luck still yed a significant role. Shotguns, both in reality and in various games, had an unpredictable spread, so they decided to let Wan Chongshan and Zhang Jingxu handle the bird guns, while Liu Xing and Li Dian would carry wooden boards to defend against potential Troll attacks. After getting ready, Liu Xing and his team bid farewell to Hu Cang and headed to Hu Li¡¯s clothing store. At that moment, Hu Li was already prepared for battle, sitting in the clothing store while inspecting a dagger. Seeing the dagger in Hu Li¡¯s hand, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of pain in his chest. After all, he had been "killed" by that dagger once before. "It looks like you¡¯re all ready," Hu Li said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded and asked, "Yes, we are fully prepared on our end. Should we consider taking action earlier, Miss Hu Li?" Hu Li shook her head and said earnestly, "No need to rush. Impatience won¡¯t do us any good. You should know that even monsters need rest, and as a nocturnal creature, the Troll will start resting after daybreak. That¡¯s also why the Troll chose to live in the basement. So, please be patient for another half an hour. Zhong Rensan will being here shortly, and we¡¯ll hold a final pre-battle briefing." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 397: The Troll’s Explosive Head Chapter 397: The Troll¡¯s Explosive Head After a while, Zhong Rensan indeed arrived at the clothing store. However, as Liu Xing looked at Zhong Rensan at this moment, he still appeared conflicted and uneasy. It was clear that Zhong Rensan was somewhat skeptical about their group. Liu Xing understood that Zhong Rensan¡¯s concern had its merits because it was a matter of life and death for his family. Apart from Zhang Jingxu, who had a somewhat elevated aura, the rest of their group appeared no different from ordinary people. Therefore, Liu Xing thought about it from Zhong Rensan¡¯s perspective and realized that he might have reconsidered if he were in Zhong Rensan¡¯s shoes. At this moment, Hu Li also noticed that something was amiss with Zhong Rensan¡¯s expression. She approached him and said, "Zhong Rensan, at this point, you can only trust Mr. Zhang Jingxu and the others. They¡¯ve already prepared a foolproof n, even if the Troll has three heads and six arms, it won¡¯t escape from Mr. Zhang Jingxu and his team." Zhong Rensan, upon hearing Hu Li¡¯s words, reluctantly smiled and replied, "Oh, I do have great confidence in Mr. Zhang Jingxu and his team. I believe they are capable of dealing with that Troll. However, there¡¯s an old saying that goes, ¡¯Better safe than sorry.¡¯ So, I¡¯m still worried that the Troll might sessfully escape." Hu Li shook her head and spoke with sincerity, "Zhong Rensan, I don¡¯t mean to criticize you, but you¡¯re an adult. Why are you so hesitant? You know that if the Troll isn¡¯t dealt with, your family¡¯s life will be in constant danger. Your descendants will also suffer from the Troll¡¯s torment. Do you want your future generations to be murderers like you?" Hu Li¡¯s words left Zhong Rensan speechless. Because Zhong Rensan had always believed that Hu Li shouldn¡¯t know about his past actions. So, Zhong Rensan, trying to hide his guilt, said, "Miss Hu Li, what are you talking about? I¡¯ve dedicated my whole life to saving lives as a doctor. How could I possibly be a murderer?"Hu Li gave a cold smile and uttered two words, "Gangzi." Zhong Rensan felt like he had been struck by lightning. He eximed, "What? Hu Li, how do you know about Gangzi? Gangzi and his family left Panlong Town long before you arrived. You couldn¡¯t possibly know about Gangzi, unless Hu Cang told you?" Hu Li shook her head, disdain evident in her expression. "Oh, since you put it that way, Zhong Rensan, it proves that Gangzi was indeed killed by you. As for how I know these things, your question is rather foolish. If I know that you¡¯re troubled by the Troll, then how could I not know what the Troll likes to eat? Therefore, with a little deduction, it¡¯s not hard to figure out Gangzi¡¯s true cause of death. Besides, Gangzi¡¯s sudden departure from Panlong Town was probably part of your n." Hearing Hu Li¡¯s words, Zhong Rensan could only sigh helplessly and nod, admitting, "You¡¯re right. I¡¯m a murderer, a selfish one at that. I sacrificed innocent lives to the Troll to save my own. The person I feel the most remorse for is Gangzi, as he was the only child among those I killed." Then, Zhong Rensan recounted why he had killed Gangzi in the first ce. It was during that summer when Zhong Rensan was feeling incredibly frustrated. The deadline for feeding the Troll was only two days away, and during this time, he had been unable to find any news of deaths or encounters with wanderers in the vicinity of Panlong Town. As for the homeless and the like, none had been seen in Panlong Town recently. So, sitting in his office, Zhong Rensan let out a sigh and contemted where to find food for the Troll. Could he resort to harming his patients? Thinking about it, Zhong Rensan got up and went to inspect the wards. At that moment, there was only one elderly person suffering from heatstroke receiving an IV drip in the ward. However, the elderly patient¡¯s family members were nearby, fanning him. Clearly, Zhong Rensan knew he had no opportunity to act now. Even if he did have an opportunity, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to harm this elderly person. After all, Zhong Rensan understood that while the people in Panlong Town were generally good, any medical mishap would certainly ruin his reputation, and he would have to leave Panlong Town, at the very least. So, Zhong Rensan had to abandon his n to harm the elderly patient. Returning to his office, Zhong Rensan couldn¡¯t help but sink into contemtion. He was apassionate healer, but in his view, his family¡¯s lives were more important than anyone else¡¯s. After all, he had left his hometown ande to Panlong Town alone for the sake of his family. Therefore, Zhong Rensan ultimately made up his mind. In order to fulfill his agreement with the Troll and protect his family, he was willing tomit murder with his own hands if necessary. Just as Zhong Rensan firmly decided this, Gangzi appeared before him. This shook Zhong Rensan¡¯s determination, as the love for the young was deeply ingrained in the genes of all mammals. This was also why, online, some murderers received sympathy, but those who harmed minors, especially children, were universally condemned and vilified. So, at this moment, Zhong Rensan could only sigh in his heart, deciding that he couldn¡¯t harm children like Gangzi. Moreover, he had always had a good rtionship with Gangzi. Then, Zhong Rensan began to treat Gangzi. However, as the treatment progressed, Zhong Rensan had a change of heart. Gangzi told Zhong Rensan that he had been cautious on his way here, making sure no one noticed him. After all, Gangzi was afraid that his father would scold him if he found out about his situation. Hearing this, Zhong Rensan couldn¡¯t help but have malicious thoughts. ording to Gangzi¡¯s ount, no one knew about his visit to Panlong Town Clinic. This meant that even if he killed Gangzi, no one would be aware of it. Therefore, Zhong Rensan, driven by evil, prepared a sedative, disguised as a tetanus shot, and injected Gangzi with it. Then, he concealed the unconscious Gangzi in his office because he wanted to wait for one more day. If someone died, he wouldn¡¯t have to kill Gangzi. Unfortunately, on the second day, Zhong Rensan heard no news of deaths in the vicinity of Panlong Town. So, with his eyes closed, Zhong Rensan took the now awakened Gangzi and secretly ced him in the basement. He made it look like Gangzi had been attacked by wild animals. After the Troll had finished its meal, Zhong Rensan instructed it to dispose of Gangzi¡¯s body on the mountain across the Panlong River, making it appear as if he had been attacked by wild beasts. Of course, when Gangzi¡¯s parents came to inquire about Zhong Rensan, he was still worried about being exposed by them. So, Zhong Rensan had the Troll scare Gangzi¡¯s parents away. Finally, Zhong Rensan, with a regretful expression, said, "Whenever I think about Gangzi now, I feel like a damned criminal. I can¡¯t believe Iid hands on such a young child. I¡¯m truly inhuman." Hu Li chuckled and said, without giving Zhong Rensan any face, "Oh, Zhong Rensan, does that mean you think those homeless people deserve to die? Do you think those deceased, who should have rested in peace, should be dissected by you? You should know that the deceased with physical disabilities cannot be reborn." Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow because the belief that the deceased with physical disabilities cannot be reborn was prevalent in his hometown as well. So, in Liu Xing¡¯s hometown, before burying the deceased, if they had an amputation or had certain organs removed during their lifetime, wooden carvings representing those missing parts were ced in the grave. Liu Xing was beginning to notice that some aspects of Panlong Town were quite simr to his hometown. This made sense since both were located near Rongcheng. However, Liu Xing felt like he was overlooking something. At this point, Zhong Rensan had been silenced by Hu Li and alternated between blushing and paling. "Alright, let¡¯s not dwell on past events for now. Let¡¯s discuss how to deal with the Troll next. Our n is that a few of us will pretend to be patients, and then, Doctor Zhong Rensan, you¡¯ll pretend to run out of medicine and need to go to the basement to get it. After you¡¯ve fetched the medicine, return directly to your office, and we¡¯ll take it from there," Zhang Jingxu suggested, trying to redirect the conversation. Zhong Rensan, relieved to have some support, quickly agreed, "No problem, we¡¯ll follow your n, Master Zhang." "It¡¯s about time; we can start moving," Hu Li finally decided to let Zhong Rensan off the hook. So, the group left Hu Li¡¯s clothing store. Following the n, about ten minutes after Zhong Rensan returned to the clinic, Liu Xing and the others entered the clinic. They acted out their roles with Zhong Rensan and followed him to the entrance of the basement. As Zhong Rensan opened the basement entrance, Ling Ishikawa used an invisible wind to blow a dose of sedative into the basement. Liu Xing and the others positioned themselves, ready to confront the potentially rampaging Troll. Fortunately, the first person to emerge from the basement was Zhong Rensan. Zhong Rensan nodded lightly, indicating that the Troll had not noticed anything unusual and was still hiding in the basement. Once Zhong Rensan left, Liu Xing and Li Dian covered the basement entrance with a fishing. At this moment, the sound of dice rolling echoed, indicating that several Judgments were about to take ce. When the dice rolling sound subsided, everyone¡¯s nerves were on edge because if their luck was bad, the Troll might have escaped by now. After a minute passed with no movement from the basement, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that luck was on their side. Another ten minutes went by, and Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but shake his numb body. ording to the information about the sedative, the Troll should be entering a state of unconsciousness soon, and then they could proceed to deal with it. However, at that moment, a sudden change urred. Liu Xing heard the basement suddenly filled with hurried footsteps,ing toward the entrance. Then, the Troll burst out of the basement, crashing through the door. However, the Troll hadn¡¯t expected the fishing over its head, which trapped it. Suddenly, time seemed to freeze. "Well, because the Troll is trapped, let¡¯s proceed with the Troll¡¯s escape Judgment. Since the Troll is currently weakened and the fishing has been equipped with ck spheres, the Troll will escape in 1d4+1 rounds and then initiate thebat round," KP Snow Wind exined. 1d4+1 = 2+1 = 3. Three rounds. Seeing this result, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. In three rounds, Hu Li should be able to arrive, and then they could leave the Troll to her. KP Snow Wind continued, "Now, yers Wan Chongshan and Zhang Jingxu, are you nning to use bird guns to shoot the Troll from extremely close range?" Wan Chongshan and Zhang Jingxu both nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes." KP Snow Wind chuckled and said, "Very well, since you¡¯re in extremely close range, there¡¯s no need for a hit Judgment. Consider it an automatic sess. Let¡¯s proceed with the damage Judgment." Zhang Jingxu, 2d6 = 4. Wan Chongshan, 2d6 = 12. As the damage Judgment was announced, time resumed its flow. Liu Xing heard two gunshots from behind him, and the Troll in front of him had its head blown open and fell to the ground. Everyone looked surprised; they hadn¡¯t expected the Troll to be killed so easily. It seemed that the Troll¡¯s hit points were probably below 16. At this moment, KP Snow Wind spoke again, "Congrattions, yers, for sessfully defeating the Troll andpleting the corresponding Side Quest. The rewards for the Side Quest have been distributed to each of you. You can check your ¡¯Truth¡¯ points through the character card interface." Then, KP Snow Wind privately messaged Liu Xing, saying, "Congrattions, yer Liu Xing, for triggering a solo Side Quest - killing Gu Master Chaxi. yer Liu Xing, please decide now whether to ept this solo Side Quest. If you ept it, the Side Quest - Man-Eater will not be triggered again." Liu Xing furrowed his brow; this solo Side Quest seemed like a bit of a trap. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 398: Gathering Materials Chapter 398: Gathering Materials Although KP Snow Wind didn¡¯t explicitly state it, Liu Xing knew that if he epted the solo Side Quest, it meant that only he would be eligible for the rewards for killing Gu Master Chaxi, while Zhang Jingxu and the others, even if they contributed, would receive nothing. Therefore, Liu Xing considered this solo Side Quest to be a trap. As the ancient ancestors said, "People do not worry about scarcity, but about inequality." Even if the Mission rewards were slightly reduced, if everyone had a share, no one wouldin. But if, under the circumstances where everyone put in effort, one person took all the rewards, that person would likely be a target of resentment. Thinking of this, Liu Xing decisively chose to decline the solo Side Quest. He didn¡¯t want to be isted by Ling Ishikawa and others because of selfishness, and possibly even face retaliation. After expressing his thoughts to KP Snow Wind, thetter persisted, saying, "What? Liu Xing, you don¡¯t want to ept this solo Side Quest? Have you really thought it through? I can reveal some information about the rewards for this solo Side Quest. There are a whole 50 ¡¯truth¡¯ points alone, andbined with the ¡¯truth¡¯ points you already have, as long as youplete this solo Side Quest and then casuallyplete another Side Quest, you should be able to sessfully pass the module." Faced with KP Snow Wind¡¯s temptation, Liu Xing replied without hesitation, "Forget it, KP, stop trying to deceive me. You know that if I choose to ept this solo Side Quest, I¡¯ll practically be on my own, and Zhang Jingxu and the others will definitely hold it against me. After all, who wants to do the hard work for someone else, especially when it¡¯s a matter of life and death?" KP Snow Wind chuckled and continued, "Well then, I promise not to reveal the specific details of this solo Side Quest to other yers. So, Liu Xing, are you willing to ept this solo Side Quest?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting KP Snow Wind to be so persistent. However, he was not easily fooled. Even if KP Snow Wind didn¡¯t disclose the details of the solo Side Quest, Ling Ishikawa and the others, if they didn¡¯t receive any rewards after killing Gu Master Chaxi, would likely figure out the truth through analysis. Keeping this information to himself could lead to serious consequences. So, Liu Xing made a firm decision to decline. Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s determination, KP Snow Wind also chose to give up.After ending the conversation with KP Snow Wind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but take another look at the troll¡¯s body, or more precisely, at the troll¡¯s sharp ws. Its ten fingers resembled surgical scalpels, and it was evident that these ws could easily disembowel a person or pierce through a skull. This made Liu Xing recall a wuxia Cthulhu module he had heard about in the real world, where all martial arts techniques were transformed into Cthulhu-like forms. Therefore, if the troll were in that module, it would likely serve as the prototype for the Nine Yin White Bone w. However, this also made Liu Xing feel a bit uneasy. If it weren¡¯t for Wan Chongshan¡¯s stroke of luck, throwing the bird spear with the highest 12 points of damage, directly killing the troll, and if Hu Li hadn¡¯t arrived in time after the troll broke free, then his group would probably have suffered significant losses. After all, the corridor in Panlong Town Clinic was quite narrow. If they had enteredbat, there would have been no room for evasion, especially considering the troll¡¯s formidable w damage, which was likely at least 2d6. So, Liu Xing turned around and said, "I didn¡¯t expect both of you, Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan, to have such good marksmanship, directly blowing the troll¡¯s head off." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and replied, "Of course, I aimed directly at the troll¡¯s head. I didn¡¯t expect my shot to blow its head off." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Zhang Jingxu to be so shameless. If Liu Xing didn¡¯t know that Zhang Jingxu¡¯s shot only dealt 4 points of damage, he might have believed Zhang Jingxu¡¯s exaggeration. Wan Chongshan, who had been robbed of credit, remainedposed and didn¡¯t say much. He just smiled and nodded. After all, there was no need to argue, and there was no way to do so because Wan Chongshan couldn¡¯t say that his shot had just dealt 12 points of damage while Zhang Jingxu¡¯s had only done 4 points. Just then, Hu Li finally arrived at the scene. As expected, Hu Li was not very reliable. Liu Xing estimated that it had been almost two minutes since Hu Li arrived. So, if the troll hadn¡¯t been killed instantly, they would have gone through at least two or three rounds ofbat... At that moment, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but recall the saying, "You can¡¯t trust women, especially the prettier they are, the more they lie." Looking at the troll¡¯s body, Hu Li expressed surprise, saying, "Oh, I didn¡¯t expect you all to be so capable. You actually killed the troll directly. It seems I should take a closer look at you now." Liu Xing chuckled and replied, "It¡¯s all thanks to Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan. If they hadn¡¯t remained calm under pressure and blown the troll¡¯s head off, we might all be dead here if the troll had broken free from that fishing." Hu Li knew that Liu Xing was indirectly questioning why she had arrived sote, so she quickly changed the subject, saying, "Well, now that we¡¯ve killed the troll, we should go get our rewards from Zhong Rensan. But wait for me a moment. I¡¯ll remove the troll¡¯s ws first. As you can see, these troll ws are extremely sharp, and with the right materials, they can be used to craft some decent daggers." While speaking, Hu Li took out a dagger from her pocket without hesitation and cut the troll¡¯s ws off, then wrapped them in a piece of cloth. Liu Xing knew that this was a good opportunity to ask for a favor from Hu Li. So, with a smile, Liu Xing walked over to Hu Li and said, "Miss Hu Li, these ws of yours should be able to make about ten daggers, right? So, do you have any interest in giving us a few? I admit that your information and the poison you provided were crucial in killing the troll. But we¡¯ve also put in effort, even if we didn¡¯t directly contribute. So, Miss Hu Li, you understand, right?" Hu Li furrowed her brow, responding somewhat grumpily, "Do you think this is a game where you can just gather materials and create weapons by putting them together?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that Hu Li had actually guessed correctly; this was indeed a game. However, he could also tell from Hu Li¡¯s words that she hadn¡¯tpletely ruled out the possibility. So, Liu Xing smiled again and said, "Well, Miss Hu Li, even so, could you give us one or two daggers? After all, I acknowledge that your information and the poison were vital in killing the troll. But we¡¯ve also put in our share of effort, and you know how it goes, right?" Hu Li pretended to ponder for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, since Mr. Ryuusei said so, I can¡¯t be too stingy. However, to make a proper dagger, I still need some suitable materials. So, after we kill Gu Master Chaxi and the Pig Head Butcher, I¡¯ll decide how many daggers to distribute based on the materials we obtain." As Hu Li finished speaking, KP Snow Wind stepped forward and said, "OK, congrattions to all yers for triggering a new Side Quest ¨C Collecting Materials for Crafting Daggers. After killing Gu Master Chaxi and the Pig Head Butcher, Hu Li will gather various materials from these two mythical creatures. Then, she will craft daggers based on the quantity of materials collected and distribute them ording to the yer¡¯s contribution. Currently, the maximum number of daggers that can be crafted is 10, and the yer¡¯s contribution ounts for sixty percent. PS: The way yers kill Gu Master Chaxi and the Pig Head Butcher will affect the output of materials, so please choose your method of attack carefully." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. This Side Quest seemed simple, but in reality, it was quiteplicated. First, the number of daggers that could be crafted in the end would be determined by the minimum quantity of materials. To ensure arger number of daggers for his group, they would need to ensure that Gu Master Chaxi and the Pig Head Butcher¡¯s deaths looked "presentable" so that Hu Li could obtain more materials. However, making their kills look "presentable" would be challenging with their group¡¯s current capabilities. So, they would need more help from Hu Li. But the more assistance Hu Li provided, the lower their contribution percentage would be, resulting in fewer daggers for them. Bncing these factors would be a major challenge. Just then, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Hu Li, may I ask you a question? Do you have a specific preference for which materials you want from Gu Master Chaxi and the Pig Head Butcher? This way, we can consciously avoid those areas when killing them." Well done. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s question hit the mark. Hu Li was momentarily surprised but then smiled and replied, "Since Ayako, my dear sister, asked me this way, I¡¯ll tell you the answer. For Gu Master Chaxi, I only need the gu worms under hismand because they can be excellent poisons. Mostmon antidotes won¡¯t work against this unique type of venom. However, it¡¯s best if the gu worms are still alive since live ones can release a more potent toxin." "As for the Pig Head Butcher, I don¡¯t need any part of his flesh. Only the butcher¡¯s knife he wields, which, after being re-forged, can be valuable materials. This knife has absorbed arge amount of lingering spirits, and the resentment from these spirits can make wounds inflicted by the knife heal slowly and cause various hallucinations." After hearing Hu Li¡¯s criteria for materials, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Hu Li¡¯s requirements were not too demanding, and they should be able to obtain these materials quite easily. Their current n should allow them to collect the required materials effectively. However, Liu Xing wondered if Ling Ishikawa¡¯s electric technique voltage was high enough to paralyze the gu worms without killing them. Under Hu Li¡¯s guidance, Liu Xing and the others returned to Zhong Rensan¡¯s office. Zhong Rensan was sitting at his desk, hands sped together, chanting something with his eyes closed. But when he heard Liu Xing and the others approaching, he realized that they had likely dealt with the troll, so he immediately opened his eyes and greeted them with a joyful smile. Hu Li didn¡¯t beat around the bush and extended her hand, saying, "Alright, we¡¯ve dealt with the troll. However, its corpse is still at the entrance to the basement. So, Zhong Rensan, you¡¯ll need to take care of the troll¡¯s bodyter. For now, give me the jade pendant." Zhong Rensan quickly nodded and retrieved a small wooden box from his desk drawer, handing it to Hu Li. Hu Li opened the wooden box, took out the jade pendant inside, examined it for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "Yes, this is the jade pendant. Now we¡¯re even." With that, Hu Li turned and left. Seeing Hu Li leaving, Liu Xing and the others realized that they had no reason to stay any longer and followed her out. However, as they reached the clinic¡¯s entrance, Liu Xing spotted Hu Cang, holding a dagger, leaning against the door and smoking a cigarette. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked knowingly, "Mr. Hu Cang, why are you here, and why do you have a dagger? Are you here to assist us? We¡¯ve already dealt with the troll, so you cane with us now." Hu Cang forced a smile and shook his head, saying, "Ryuusei-sama, you should know my purpose for being here. You all go back first. I¡¯ll finish things here and then return." Hu Li walked past Hu Cang without making anyments and said, "After you¡¯re done, don¡¯t forget to dispose of the troll and Zhong Rensan¡¯s body in the basement. Also, make sure to close all the clinic¡¯s doors and windows when you leave. Post a notice that Zhong Rensan is temporarily out of office. You have one hour toplete these tasks." Hu Cang sighed and nodded, saying, "Understood. Thank you, Hu Li, for your guidance." After Hu Cang¡¯s response, he entered the clinic. Liu Xing and his group found themselves in a dilemma, unsure whether they should intervene to stop Hu Cang. However, Hu Li didn¡¯t give them a choice. She smiled and said, "Some matters are better left alone. After all, it¡¯s easier to untie a knot than to tighten it. Moreover, Zhong Rensan can still be resurrected at the next checkpoint, so we don¡¯t need to stop Hu Cang from killing him. Now, let¡¯s head back together. We need to discuss how to deal with Gu Master Chaxi." Liu Xing and his group agreed with Hu Li¡¯s reasoning and gave up their ns to intervene. They followed Hu Li as she left the clinic. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 399: Seizing Victory Chapter 399: Seizing Victory Liu Xing and his group hadn¡¯t gone very far when they heard Zhong Rensan¡¯s screamsing from the Panlong Town clinic. It seemed that Hu Cang wasn¡¯t one to mince words, as he had acted directly. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He could only hope that after killing Zhong Rensan this time, Hu Cang would find satisfaction and refrain from causing trouble in the near future. They once again arrived at Hu Li¡¯s home. After everyone had taken their seats, Hu Li began, "The operation to eliminate the Troll was a great sess, and your strength has exceeded my expectations. So, I¡¯ve decided to capitalize on our momentum. Since we still have a day or two before the next time point, I suggest we deal with Gu Master Chaxi beforehand. What do you think?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at how quickly Hu Li had changed her mind. She had previously emphasized a cautious approach, suggesting that they handle one mythical creature at a time. But now, her perspective had shifted. However, Liu Xing found himself agreeing with Hu Li¡¯s idea, given their current situation. Dealing with Gu Master Chaxi seemed rtively straightforward. With that in mind, Liu Xing nodded and replied, "No problem. I agree with your n, Miss Hu Li. Now that we have Zhong Rensan¡¯s jade pendant, taking care of Gu Master Chaxi should be a breeze." Zhang Jingxu and the others also nodded in agreement. Ling Ishikawa, however, spoke up, "Sister Hu Li, regarding Gu Master Chaxi, can you join us in the battle? After all, our sess in killing the Troll wasrgely due to luck. If we hadn¡¯t managed to kill the Troll with a single shot, we might have been killed by it instead. So..."Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t finish his sentence but instead gazed at Hu Li with a pitiable look. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think, "Pity begets love," as he observed Ling Ishikawa¡¯s demeanor. He had to admit that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s current appearance was quite captivating. Despite knowing that Ling Ishikawa was actually a boy, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but be somewhat moved. At the same time, it was clear that Hu Li was also affected, as Liu Xing could see a certain fondness in her eyes. Liu Xing had a realization; it seemed that his previous spection about Hu Li¡¯s preferences might be correct. It appeared that Hu Li indeed had a preference for women. After a moment, Hu Li, who had regained herposure, spoke, "Although I would like to assist you in dealing with Gu Master Chaxi, as I mentioned earlier, the supernatural creatures in Panlong Town have their own territorial boundaries and are highly vignt. If I were to enter Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s territory or approach his location for an extended period, he would surely be wary, making it impossible for us tounch a surprise attack." "As for Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s methods of attack, I can now provide you with some information. His primary method involves using various gu worms, which can be categorized into two main types. The first type is poison gu, and if these gu wormse into contact with your skin, you may be poisoned. The symptoms can vary, including paralysis, unconsciousness, severe pain, hallucinations, and more. However, now that we have Zhong Rensan¡¯s jade pendant, we don¡¯t need to worry much about these poison gu worms." "The second type of gu worms we need to be concerned about are the control gu worms. They attach themselves to a human¡¯s brain, taking control of their actions. There are different levels of control gu worms; the lower-level ones can crudely control humans, turning them into puppets. The higher-level control gu worms can subtly influence humans, making them believe their actions are their own choices." "Based on my observations, Gu Master Chaxi mainly uses lower-level control gu worms, along with some poisonous ones. So, if our actions are detected by Gu Master Chaxi, he will likely activate those lower-level control gu worms to summon those addicts controlled by him, like Xiao Dafu, to his side. Then, he will ce the poisonous gu worms in some shadowy spots to attack you at any moment." "Therefore, preparedness is key. There¡¯s a vast difference inbat effectiveness between a prepared Gu Master Chaxi and an unprepared one. To minimize the cost of dealing with Gu Master Chaxi, our best approach is tounch a surprise attack. Within a minute of entering from the supermarket¡¯s lower entrance, we should reach Gu Master Chaxi. This way, we can catch him off guard. With Zhong Rensan¡¯s jade pendant in your possession, Gu Master Chaxi will be at your mercy." Hu Li paused for a moment before speaking earnestly, "I assume most of you haven¡¯t killed anyone yet, and those people controlled by Gu Master Chaxi, despite being addicts, are essentially innocent. So, I believe most of you might hesitate to take a life." Liu Xing nodded. While he had already "killed" someone (Bai Hecheng from Heaven¡¯s Gate, currently reconnecting), it had been a plot encounter, with "Watanabe Ryuusei" doing the actual killing, not Liu Xing himself. Therefore, although Liu Xing had resolved to kill when necessary, he now found himself hesitating after Hu Li¡¯s question. Seeing that Liu Xing and the others agreed with her assessment, Hu Li continued, "So, here¡¯s my n. After ensuring that Xiao Dafu and the addicts have left the supermarket, you will pretend to be customers and enter the store. Look for an opportunity to directly control the store¡¯s owner, who is also under Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s influence. By doing so, you¡¯ll also alert Gu Master Chaxi." "Because Gu Master Chaxi has many gu worms, there are numerous potential disturbances. I can¡¯t be certain which room he¡¯s in. However, all the single-story houses in Panlong Town were constructed by the same team, so theiryouts are identical. You can refer to Hu Cang¡¯s house to decide on a search strategy. Nevertheless, keep in mind that Gu Master Chaxi might choose to escape by jumping out of the window. It would be wise to have one or two people stationed on the ground floor." "If you¡¯re lucky enough to locate Gu Master Chaxi, don¡¯t hesitate. Kill him right away, because with your current strength, you won¡¯t be able to control him. Even if you were to tie him up and gag him, he could still manipte the gu worms. So, you must kill him, preferably with a single shot to the head, just like how we killed the Troll. After confirming Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s death, leave the supermarket quickly and be cautious of any gu worms that have lost control." "I will remain outside Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s alert radius and be ready. When youunch an attack on the supermarket owner, I wille to join you. If you haven¡¯t killed Gu Master Chaxi by then, I will use my illusion abilities to control him and create an opportunity for you. If you¡¯ve already killed him, I¡¯ll take care of the remaining gu worms. What do you think of my n?" Liu Xing pondered for a moment, and Hu Li¡¯s n did indeed seem like a good one. Given the information they had so far, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t think of a better n himself. Therefore, Liu Xing and the others agreed to Hu Li¡¯s n. Satisfied, Hu Li nodded and said, "OK, since everyone agrees with my n, let¡¯s go with that. You can gather intelligence and prepare for now. Tomorrow, Ayako, you cane over, and we can discuss the specific timing of our actions. How does that sound?" Ling Ishikawa, who had caught Hu Li¡¯s attention, somewhat embarrassedly nodded and said with a forced smile, "Sure, if that¡¯s what you say, Hu Li. I¡¯lle over tomorrow and disturb you again." Hu Li, looking content, smiled and then got up to see her guests off. Liu Xing and the others left Hu Li¡¯s home gracefully. On their way back, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t help but tease Ling Ishikawa, "Ayako, your performance just now could win you an Oscar. If I didn¡¯t know your true identity, I might have mistaken you for a lovely girl." Ling Ishikawa retorted, "Get lost." Liu Xing chuckled and said, "Ling Ishikawa, to be honest, your act of charming Hu Li just now truly amazed me. The expressions, the gaze, the actions were all perfect. So, can you tell me how you managed it?" Ling Ishikawa, feeling somewhat helpless, nodded and reluctantly replied, "Well, there¡¯s an idiom called ¡¯learning by osmosis,¡¯ right? I used to watch the live broadcasts of cute girls in my spare time. After watching them so much, I learned how to be cute. So... yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it." Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help butugh at Ling Ishikawa¡¯s dejected expression. When they returned to Hu Cang¡¯s home, Liu Xing patted Ling Ishikawa on the shoulder and spoke earnestly, "Ling Ishikawa, it¡¯s up to you to handle themunication with Hu Li from now on. I hope you can fulfill this mission sessfully, obtaining useful information and benefits from her. But more importantly, it seems like Hu Li has taken a liking to you." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said with some hesitation, "I¡¯ve noticed that too. When Hu Li looks at me, it¡¯s bing increasingly strange. But I suspect that once Hu Li learns my true identity, she¡¯ll probably kill me outright." Liu Xing thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "I don¡¯t think Hu Li will kill you. Instead, she might turn you into a ¡¯little sister¡¯ forever." Ling Ishikawa sighed, no longer wanting to discuss the matter. Just then, Hu Cang returned, covered in blood, leaving Liu Xing and the others at a loss for words. Under the watchful eyes of Liu Xing and the others, Hu Cang silently went upstairs. Liu Xing sighed and said, "What should we do? Who will go andfort Hu Cangter? Based on my years of movie-watching experience, neers like Hu Cang, who have just killed for the first time, need someone to guide them to prevent them from going down the wrong path." Zhang Jingxu nodded and raised his hand, saying, "I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ve had some relevant experience, and I¡¯ve encountered situations like Hu Cang¡¯s many times before." "Alright, it¡¯s up to you. Hopefully, Hu Cang won¡¯t sumb to corruption. If we can get him to let go of his grudge against Zhong Rensan, that would be even better," Wan Chongshan added. Zhang Jingxu shrugged and said somewhat uncertainly, "I¡¯ll do my best. After all, Hu Cang is still in a rage right now. I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll convince him to let go of his hatred. But now that I think about it, Hu Li hasn¡¯t given us Zhong Rensan¡¯s jade pendant yet, has she?" Everyone looked bewildered, only now remembering this detail. Liu Xing felt somewhat embarrassed and said, "We can have Ling Ishikawa retrieve the jade pendantter. It¡¯s not urgent at the moment. Let¡¯s first discuss how to deal with Gu Master Chaxi. ording to Hu Li¡¯s n, we might be a bit short on manpower, as we¡¯ll need to leave two people on the ground floor while three go after Gu Master Chaxi. It could be challenging, considering how elusive those gu worms can be." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "You¡¯re right. If Gu Master Chaxi detects our attack, his first instinct will be to summon those addicts controlled by him, like Xiao Dafu. So, we must leave two people on the first floor to stop them. That means only three of us will go after Gu Master Chaxi, and it might be difficult. " "Since we¡¯re short on people, should we consider bringing Xiao Mochen in to help? We¡¯ll have to talk to Xiao Mochen anyway, as we need to ask him some questions. For instance, how often Xiao Dafu visits Gu Master Chaxi, how long he stays each time, and how many controlled addicts there are and where they live. This information would be helpful for our uing actions," Li Dian suggested. Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and smiled, saying, "Li Dian, you¡¯re right. We should definitely bring Xiao Mochen into our team. Furthermore, we can have Hu Cang join us, which will help divert his attention as well." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 400: Xiao Mochen’s Anomaly Chapter 400: Xiao Mochen¡¯s Anomaly After some consideration, Liu Xing spoke up, saying, "Alright, let¡¯s do this. I¡¯ll have a good talk with Xiao Mochen shortly. It just so happens that Xiao Mochen is feeling guilty about his previous attack on me, so I should be able to convince him to join us. Besides, this matter also involves Xiao Dafu, so we must inform Xiao Mochen about it one way or another." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement, saying earnestly, "You¡¯re right. We must inform Xiao Mochen in advance. Even though Xiao Mochen and Xiao Dafu have a strained rtionship, Xiao Dafu is still Xiao Mochen¡¯s father. The grudge between them is deep, and we are likely to be forced to kill Xiao Dafu. So, Ryuusei, you should definitely give Xiao Mochen a heads-up to avoid any conflicts with himter." Liu Xing nodded in return and smiled, "Okay, but I believe Xiao Mochen will stand with us. In my opinion, Xiao Mochen is quite conflicted about keeping his despicable father around. He does it out of filial duty, but he doesn¡¯t really have any affection left for Xiao Dafu. So, I think if Xiao Mochen finds out that Xiao Dafu is now controlled by Gu Master Chaxi and turned into a walking corpse, he will most likely choose to uphold justice." At that moment, Hu Cang¡¯s voice suddenly echoed from the staircase, "Ryuusei, you¡¯re absolutely right. Xiao Mochen will definitely choose justice. He harbors deep hatred for his father, especially considering his miserable childhood, which Xiao Dafurgely contributed to. Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother also fell ill during that time. Then there were the events in Rongcheng where Xiao Dafu ruined Xiao Mochen¡¯s career and wiped out his savings, not to mention the medical bills for Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother." "So, at that time, Xiao Mochen wanted nothing more than to kill Xiao Dafu, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. He knew that if he killed Xiao Dafu, he would end up in prison, leaving his mother all alone. So, Xiao Mochen had to endure it and ignore Xiao Dafu. But that cunning Xiao Dafu started portraying himself as a saint as soon as he returned to Panlong Town, emotionally ckmailing Xiao Mochen." "Thus, Xiao Mochen, who was morally ckmailed, had no choice but to ept the reality and support Xiao Dafu, the parasite. Fortunately, Xiao Dafu¡¯s true nature was exposed soon after, lightening Xiao Mochen¡¯s burden. His hatred for Xiao Dafu grew stronger, and he has mentioned wanting to kill Xiao Dafu more than ten times." Hearing Hu Cang¡¯s ount, Liu Xing realized that Xiao Mochen¡¯s cooperation was assured. All that was needed was to give him a reason, and he would readily choose to uphold justice. Zhang Jingxu signaled Liu Xing and the others with a nce, then got up and approached Hu Cang, whispering a few words. After that, Zhang Jingxu and Hu Cang went upstairs. "Alright, since Zhang Jingxu isforting Hu Cang, let¡¯s continue discussing our strategy against Gu Master Chaxi. We¡¯ve decided that Ryuusei will be responsible for contacting Xiao Mochen, and we should be able to gather information about individuals like Xiao Dafu who are controlled by Gu Master Chaxi. We need to discuss the equipment we¡¯ll need to deal with Gu Master Chaxi," Wan Chongshan said.Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "In my opinion, we must definitely bring those two bird guns with us. They are currently our only long-range weapons, and engaging Gu Master Chaxi in closebat would put us at a disadvantage. However, I believe it¡¯s also necessary to acquire several sets of beekeeper-like suits. These suits would protect us from gu worm attacks." Li Dian pped his hands and grinned, "Great minds think alike. I was thinking the same thing. Beekeeper suits, with their full-body coverage and face shields, can effectively shield us from around ny-nine percent of gu worm threats. So, if we can obtain enough beekeeper suits, dealing with Gu Master Chaxi will be much easier." However, Ling Ishikawa interjected with a caveat, "I¡¯m afraid we might not find beekeeper suits in Panlong Town. Beekeepers are usually itinerant and travel to different ces over time to ensure a steady supply of honey for their bees. So, they may only be avable in Panlong Town during specific periods. Additionally, beekeepers typically work in pairs as husband-and-wife teams, so we might only be able to secure two sets, and they may not even be willing to sell them." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words left the group in silence. His assessment was logical, as beekeepers often followed this pattern. They only appeared in Panlong Town at specific times, and they rarely sold their customized suits, as these outfits were essential for their livelihoods and not readily receable. However, Liu Xing offered an alternative idea, "Perhaps we don¡¯t need to buy beekeeper suits from beekeepers. We could consider having a local tailor in Panlong Town create a few lower-quality versions of beekeeper suits for us. These suits would need to cover the entire body and include face masks, made from leather or simr materials." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "That¡¯s a possibility. We could approach Hu Li, who has a sewing machine in his clothing store. Liu Xing, do you remember seeing a sewing machine there?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow as he recollected and then realized, "Yes, I do. There is indeed a sewing machine in Hu Li¡¯s clothing store, along with a fair amount of fabric." Moreover, the crucial point was that Hu Li could operate paper dolls through magic spells, which didn¡¯t require rest and would make for excellentbor. Liu Xing turned to Ling Ishikawa and said, "So, this task can be assigned to you. If you¡¯re agreeable, you can discuss it with Hu Li right away. We can¡¯t afford to dy, and we need these suits prepared before the next scheduled event." Ling Ishikawa nodded and stood up, stating, "Alright, I¡¯ll go talk to Hu Li now." With that, Ling Ishikawa left the room to find Hu Li. Liu Xing thought for a moment and then said, "Now, I¡¯ll go find Xiao Mochen. Wan Chongshan, keep an eye on the situation upstairs. Be cautious that Zhang Jingxu and Hu Cang¡¯s conversation doesn¡¯t turn sour." As Liu Xing finished speaking, there was a sound of dice rolling upstairs, indicating that Zhang Jingxu had likely sessfully persuaded Hu Cang. Leaving Hu Cang¡¯s house, Liu Xing headed straight to Xiao Mochen¡¯s teahouse, easily finding him there. Xiao Mochen was currently ying mahjong with others. When he saw Liu Xing enter, he stood up and greeted him, saying, "Mr. Ryuusei, what brings you here?" Liu Xing gestured upstairs and didn¡¯t speak further, being cautious not to reveal sensitive information in front of others. He didn¡¯t want to be mistaken for a "Monster." Xiao Mochen realized the situation and quickly found a bystander to take his ce in the game. He then led Liu Xing upstairs. Once on the second floor, Xiao Mochen couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity and asked, "I heard from Hu Cang that you just dealt with a Troll hiding in the clinic¡¯s basement. Based on your appearance now, it seems you handled that Troll easily, right?" Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "Indeed, that Troll was quite powerful, but it had clear weaknesses, so we managed to defeat it easily. But, speaking of which, did Hu Cang tell you the whole story?" Hu Cang shook his head, looking somewhat puzzled, "When Hu Cang came by, he only mentioned that you were going to deal with the Troll, but he didn¡¯t borate on anything else. However, I could tell from his expression that he was conflicted and nervous at the time. He kept fidgeting and asionally touching his pocket. It looked like he had a dagger?" Liu Xing pondered for a moment and then decided to reveal the full story to Xiao Mochen. Since Gangzi and Xiao Mochen were also close friends, Xiao Mochen was one of the involved parties. Therefore, Liu Xing exined the events, including Zhong Rensan killing Gangzi and Hu Cang killing Zhong Rensan. After a moment of silence, Xiao Mochen reluctantly said, "I see. No wonder when I asked Hu Cang earlier, he was unwilling to talk about it. It turns out it was because of this. But it seems Hu Cang also knew that if I found out, I would have stopped him." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, "What? Xiao Mochen, don¡¯t you n to seek revenge on Zhong Rensan? After all, he killed Gangzi, who was your good friend." Xiao Mochen nodded, speaking seriously, "Yes, Gangzi was indeed my good friend. But, you see, people can¡¯t be brought back to life. Even if we kill Zhong Rensan for avenging Gangzi, Zhong Rensan¡¯s descendants might find out ande after us in revenge. Besides, violence is illegal and punishable byw. Of course, in today¡¯s Panlong Town, we don¡¯t have to worry about legal consequences, and Zhong Rensan can resurrect. Killing him once doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal..." Liu Xing, while deep in thought, found Xiao Mochen¡¯s character somewhat reminiscent of certain clich¨¦d movie protagonists, filled with wisdom and ready to forgive easily. However, truthfully, Liu Xing wasn¡¯t particrly fond of this personality type, as it felt somewhat insincere. Nevertheless, Liu Xing didn¡¯t express his true thoughts and continued, "Xiao Mochen, your ability to see things from this perspective is admirable. But I didn¡¯te to see you about this matter. I¡¯m here to talk about your father, Xiao Dafu." Xiao Mochen furrowed his brow and asked, "My father? What happened to him?" Liu Xing sighed and said seriously, "Here¡¯s the situation. We¡¯ve confirmed that your father, Xiao Dafu, ispletely under the control of Gu Master Chaxi. In other words, Gu Master Chaxi can turn your father into a mindless puppet at any moment and control him as she pleases. Now, we¡¯re nning tounch an attack on Gu Master Chaxi the day after tomorrow. Do you understand what I mean, Xiao Mochen?" Xiao Mochen furrowed his brow and asked, "Are you saying that as soon as you attack Gu Master Chaxi, my father will be a mindless puppet? And if you kill Gu Master Chaxi, will my father return to normal?" Liu Xing thought for a moment and then shook his head, saying, "While I can¡¯t be certain, I believe there¡¯s no chance of your father returning to normal. Gu Master Chaxi controls your father using low-level gu worms, and the way these gu worms control people is through violent means, taking control of their bodies. Your father likely died the moment he was controlled." Xiao Mochen sighed and said, "Alright, I understand. I¡¯m well aware of why you¡¯vee to see me now. You can go ahead and do what you need to do. If my father dies, it¡¯s his own fault." Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Okay, Xiao Mochen, would you be willing to join us? We¡¯re currently short on manpower." Xiao Mochen fell into deep thought once again. After a moment, he said, "I¡¯m just an ordinary person, and even if I join you, I won¡¯t be able to provide much help. So, I¡¯d rather not join just for the sake of it." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, intending to use the "Judgment" skill on Xiao Mochen to persuade him. However, before he could speak, KP Snow Wind approached and delivered unexpected news, "yer Liu Xing, I want to make it clear that for certain reasons, if you choose to use persuasion or fast-talk skills on Xiao Mochen now, it will automatically result in a ¡¯failure.¡¯" Liu Xing was surprised by this development. It seemed that Xiao Mochen was resistant to persuasion, even to the point of being immune. Could it be? Liu Xing had a daring hypothesis. Since KP Snow Wind had explicitly stated that persuasion or fast-talk skills wouldn¡¯t work on Xiao Mochen, Liu Xing didn¡¯t want to waste any more time. He nodded and prepared to take his leave. As he left the teahouse, he encountered Ling Ishikawa returning from Hu Li¡¯s ce. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 401: Xiao Mochen, the Youngster Chapter 401: Xiao Mochen, the Youngster "How¡¯s it going?" Liu Xing asked Ling Ishikawa, "Did Hu Li give you the jade pendant?" Ling Ishikawa nodded, taking the jade pendant from her pocket and handing it to Liu Xing. "Hu Li has agreed to help us with making the beekeeper¡¯s clothing, but the issue with materials still needs to be resolved on our end. Hu Li¡¯s clothing store is not well-equipped; it¡¯s more like a facade." Liu Xing pondered for a moment, feeling a bit conflicted. "That doesplicate things. I recall that Panlong Town doesn¡¯t have any ce that sells leather." Ling Ishikawa shrugged and smiled. "We¡¯ll have to ask Hu Cang about that. However, I believe Panlong Town should have some leather or animal hides for sale. ording to Hu Cang, there are many animals in the nearby mountains, so there might be hunters in Panlong Town as well." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Let¡¯s head back then and try to get the leather before nightfall so we can give it to Hu Li." Ling Ishikawa was curious and asked, "Leader, I noticed you came out of a teahouse. Did you go to persuade Xiao Mochen? How did it go?" Liu Xing shook his head with a hint of frustration. "It¡¯s a mixed bag, I¡¯d say. The good part is that I convinced Xiao Mochen to ept the reality and promised that if we kill Xiao Dafu, he won¡¯t hold a grudge against us. The bad part is that Xiao Mochen doesn¡¯t n to help us directly or join our mission. I feel like I¡¯ve done something wrong..." Liu Xing furrowed his brows, realizing he had made a significant mistake by not getting the crucial information about Xiao Dafu¡¯s visit to Gu Master Chaxi from Xiao Mochen. He berated himself for his oversight. It was a critical purpose of his visit to Xiao Mochen, and he had missed it.Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but rub the back of his head, trying to remember what he had been thinking when he had decided to leave without asking the question. After some thought, he decided not to press Xiao Mochen for answers immediately. He had left in haste, and returning now to inquire further would be embarrassing. Given the current situation, he didn¡¯t need the answers urgently. So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa returned to Hu Cang¡¯s home together. Hu Cang had already prepared a table full of food and was chatting with Zhang Jingxu and others while waiting for Liu Xing and his group to return. Seeing Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa¡¯s return, Zhang Jingxu asked, "How did it go for both of you? But judging from your expression, Ryuusei, the situation with Xiao Mochen doesn¡¯t seem very optimistic." Liu Xing nodded with a sigh, "You¡¯ve seen right through it. While Xiao Mochen is willing to ept that we might kill Xiao Dafu, he doesn¡¯t want to cooperate with us in dealing with Gu Master Chaxi. It¡¯s almost certainly because he¡¯s afraid he might end up killing Xiao Dafu himself or he simply doesn¡¯t want to kill anyone. As for the details about the people controlled by Gu Master Chaxi and their visit frequency to Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s ce, Xiao Mochen needs to recall, so I¡¯ll have to go back to him tomorrow." Liu Xing didn¡¯t want to admit that he had made a mistake by not asking such an important question. So, he decided to phrase it differently. Hu Cang chuckled and said, "That¡¯s just Xiao Mochen¡¯s style. Let me put it this way, since childhood, Xiao Mochen has always been a well-behaved child who follows the rules. To be more precise, he has been very obedient to his mother¡¯s teachings. He wouldn¡¯t dare do anything wrong. Those addicts controlled by Gu Master Chaxi, they are still fundamentally human beings, so Xiao Mochen naturally wouldn¡¯t want to take a life." Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "What about you, Mr. Hu Cang? I believe you would be willing to join us." Since Hu Cang was sitting here and had already spoken in that manner, Liu Xing assumed that Hu Cang would choose to join their group. As expected, Hu Cang chuckled and nodded, "Of course, I¡¯m willing to join you all. I¡¯m not as saintly as Xiao Mochen. If necessary, I won¡¯t hesitate to take a life. Besides, I¡¯ve already killed Zhong Rensan, and I owe you a favor." Liu Xing nodded thoughtfully. ording to Hu Cang¡¯s current statement, it seemed that their decision not to stop him from killing Zhong Rensan had been the right one. If they had intervened, Hu Cang might not have chosen to join them now. It appeared that their choices in this module were interconnected. Ling Ishikawa then asked Hu Cang, "Mr. Hu Cang, is there any ce in Panlong Town where we can obtain leather or animal hides?" Hu Cang furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before responding, "Leather and animal hides are quite scarce in Panlong Town. Because Panlong Town is rtively close to Rongcheng, people oftene here to sell clothing and shoes during the market days. These clothes and shoes are cheap and of decent quality, so the original tailor and cobbler shops in Panlong Town closed down over a decade ago." Ling Ishikawa persisted, pointing to a pair of well-maintained bird guns in the corner, "Mr. Hu Cang, these two bird guns seem to have been owned by hunters before. Could there be some animal hides left in their homes?" Hu Cang smiled and shook his head, saying, "You guessed correctly. The previous owners of these two bird guns were indeed hunters, but over a decade ago, one of them had his leg broken by a wild boar while hunting. So, he switched to being a fisherman a long time ago. As for the animal hides, he sold them long ago because he needed the money for medical expenses." Liu Xing furrowed his brows, feeling that something was amiss. Could it be that there really was no way to find enough leather or animal hides in Panlong Town? At that moment, Hu Cang suddenly pped his thigh and said, "I almost forgot about this! Xiao Mochen¡¯s grandfather was one of the top hunters in Panlong Town back in the day. I used to visit Xiao Mochen¡¯s grandfather¡¯s house when I was young, and I saw a lot of animal hides there. Most importantly, Xiao Mochen¡¯s grandfather knew what kind of person his son, Xiao Dafu, was. So, he severed ties with Xiao Dafu long ago. However, Xiao Mochen and his grandfather maintained a great rtionship." "When Xiao Mochen¡¯s grandfather passed away, he left all his belongings to Xiao Mochen, including arge batch of animal hides. Xiao Dafu had already left Panlong Town at that time, so those hides should still be with Xiao Mochen. However, I¡¯m not sure if Xiao Mochen has sold them. If you want to try your luck, you can talk to Xiao Mochen. I believe those hides should still be in his possession, as selling them would have made his life less miserable." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that this matter was connected to Xiao Mochen once again. It seemed that Xiao Mochen was indeed the central character in this module. Taking responsibility for what he had just said, Liu Xing immediately offered, "I¡¯ll handle this matter. After we finish eating, I¡¯ll go see Xiao Mochen." Seeing Liu Xing volunteering, Ling Ishikawa and the others nodded in agreement. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. After discussing these important matters, Liu Xing and the others continued to chat while eating. Once they finished their meal, Liu Xing set out again, arriving at Xiao Mochen¡¯s teahouse. At that moment, Xiao Mochen was having dinner with a pale-looking elderly woman. Liu Xing knew that the elderly woman must be Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother. However, when he and his group had discussed the people in Panlong Town earlier, aside from Hu Li and the owner of the ck Inte Cafe, they hadn¡¯t mentioned any other women. Xiao Mochen had agreed with that statement. At that time, Xiao Mochen should have known that his mother was still in Panlong Town. So, why was Xiao Mochen lying? Liu Xing pondered this while subconsciously observing Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother, given that he was a doctor. At first nce, Liu Xing noticed something odd about Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother¡¯s condition. Although her face was very pale, it wasn¡¯t the type of sickly pallor he would expect. If he had to describe it, the word that came to Liu Xing¡¯s mind was "zombie." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing that Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had likely undergone Gralki¡¯s transformation. If that was indeed the case... "Mr. Ryuusei, why are you here again?" Xiao Mochen interrupted Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts. Liu Xing quickly adjusted his mindset and smiled, saying, "Well, here¡¯s the thing. I heard from Hu Cang that you might have some animal hides, and we were wondering if you could sell them to us." Xiao Mochen raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. As for Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother, she was trembling as she tried to climb the stairs. Liu Xing had a sudden insight and moved forward to help Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother. As expected, when Xiao Mochen saw Liu Xing approaching his mother, he immediately said, "Wait!" Liu Xing stopped in his tracks, pretending to look puzzled. "Uh, what¡¯s wrong?" Xiao Mochen realized he had overreacted and quickly said with a forced smile, "Mr. Ryuusei, you might not know this, but my mother is a bit stubborn. She doesn¡¯t like being treated as a patient by others, so you don¡¯t have to help her." Liu Xing nodded and said, "I see, my apologies for the misunderstanding." Xiao Mochen shook his head and pointed to a nearby mahjong table. "No, no, I know you meant well, Ryuusei. Let¡¯s sit and chat." Liu Xing and Xiao Mochen took their seats and continued the conversation. Liu Xing asked, "So, let¡¯s get back to our previous topic. Do you still have any animal hides that you can sell to us?" Xiao Mochen nodded and said, "Yes, I do have some. However, those hides are still in my grandfather¡¯s house. So, if you need them, I can retrieve them for you tomorrow. Of course, consider these hides as my gift to you. Talking about money would onlyplicate things." Since Xiao Mochen had offered the hides as a gift, Liu Xing didn¡¯t hesitate to ept. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Xiao Mochen. But let me ask you one more thing: approximately how often does your father visit Gu Master Chaxi, and how long does he stay there each time?" Xiao Mochen raised an eyebrow and thought for over half a minute before answering, "If I remember correctly, my father visits Gu Master Chaxi about once a week, and he stays there for approximately two to three hours each time." Liu Xing nodded, stood up, and said, "Alright, thank you for your help, Xiao Mochen. I have some other matters to attend to, so I¡¯ll take my leave." "Sure, take care," Xiao Mochen said with a smile. After leaving the teahouse, Liu Xing rushed back to Hu Cang¡¯s house. At this point, he had a nearly confirmed hypothesis, and all that was left was to ascertain whether Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had undergone Gralki¡¯s transformation. If Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had indeed epted Gralki¡¯s transformation, it would confirm that Xiao Mochen was a "252" and that Gralki was brought to Panlong Town by him. This was because the current timeline in Panlong Town was certainly before Gralki¡¯s appearance there. Therefore, it indicated that Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had already been transformed by Gralki before Gralki arrived in Panlong Town. Given the pieces of information from Xiao Mochen and Hu Cang, Liu Xing had a rough idea of how things had unfolded. In an effort to save Xiao Dafu, Xiao Mochen had spent all of his mother¡¯s life-saving money. As a result, Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother was on the brink of death because she couldn¡¯t afford treatment. It was at this point that Xiao Mochen, through a fortuitous encounter, learned about Gralki¡¯s existence and made contact with him. Finally, Xiao Mochen had agreed to some terms, leading to his mother epting Gralki¡¯s transformation. And the price Xiao Mochen had paid likely involved betraying the entire town. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 402: Murky Confusion Chapter 402: Murky Confusion During their previous conversation, Liu Xing had noticed something unusual about Xiao Mochen. It seemed that Xiao Mochen was reluctant to change the current situation or let Panlong Town escape from the temporal distortion. This was because if Panlong Town returned to normal, Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother would likely die, something Xiao Mochen definitely did not want to see. However, despite being a bit of a rogue, after witnessing the ruthless and cold-blooded side of Gralki, Xiao Mochen was undoubtedly unwilling to stand by Gralki¡¯s side anymore. So now, Xiao Mochen¡¯s heart was torn, not knowing what to do, which was why he hesitated so much when facing Liu Xing¡¯s questions. Thinking about this, Liu Xing also began to feel conflicted. Was the information Xiao Mochen had provided really true or false? Liu Xing rubbed his temples, feeling that things were gettingplicated once again. Back at Hu Cang¡¯s ce, sitting at the counter while watching TV, Hu Cang pointed upstairs and said, "Zhang Jingxu and the others are upstairs. But speaking of Xiao Mochen, how¡¯s the situation on his end? Does he still have the fur?" Liu Xing nodded and smiled, saying, "The situation seems quite good. Xiao Mochen has promised to deliver a batch of fur to us tomorrow. But I have a question for you, Mr. Hu Cang. Do you know what illness Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had?" Hu Cang thought for a moment and replied, "I¡¯m not entirely sure because when Xiao Mochen left Panlong Town with his mother, I was still a student, so I didn¡¯t inquire much about this. But I have heard people around saying that Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had cancer, and when Xiao Mochen brought her back to Panlong Town, I did see her a few times. It seemed like her illness was in her lungs, and at the time, she was in critical condition." Hearing Hu Cang¡¯s words, Liu Xing confirmed his earlier suspicions¡ªXiao Mochen¡¯s mother had undergone Gralki¡¯s transformation.As a doctor, Liu Xing was well aware of the horrors of lung cancer. ording to Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen, Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had been ill for over ten years and had not received effective treatment during that time. So Liu Xing was certain that when Xiao Mochen brought his parents back to Panlong Town, Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother was already in thete stages of lung cancer. Therefore, Liu Xing was sure that Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother was genuinely on her deathbed at that time and couldn¡¯t have survived until now. Even if a miracle had urred and she had somehow clung to life, she wouldn¡¯t be able to walk on her own, especially without any external assistance. So Liu Xing was convinced that Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother had undergone Gralki¡¯s transformation. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh and said, "Mr. Hu Cang, do you know if Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother is still alive?" Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s question, Hu Cang immediately jumped up from his chair, looking shocked, and eximed, "Ryuusei, what are you saying? Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother is still alive?! Are you joking with me?!" Liu Xing shook his head and replied seriously, "No, no, no, Mr. Hu Cang, I¡¯m not joking with you. I just saw Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother with my own eyes, and Xiao Mochen confirmed that she is indeed his mother." Furrowing his brows, Hu Cang closed his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "This can¡¯t be. I remember hearing in early 1999 that Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother was on her deathbed. Xiao Mochen even took her to Rongcheng for treatment. A few dayster, I heard that Xiao Mochen had brought her back in a coffin, so his mother should have passed away." Liu Xing pretended to be surprised and nodded, saying, "What? Did I just see a ghost? I really did see Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother, and Xiao Mochen confirmed it." Hu Cang frowned deeply, saying seriously, "It seems this matter is not simple at all. Should I go and ask Xiao Mochen about it?" Liu Xing quickly shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Hu Cang, it¡¯s better not to go and ask Xiao Mochen. He probably doesn¡¯t want us to know about his mother¡¯s situation." Hu Cang instantly understood Liu Xing¡¯s implication, and his expression turned grim. Although Liu Xing didn¡¯t know Hu Cang¡¯s character card attributes, after these days of interaction, he believed that Hu Cang¡¯s intelligence attribute should be above 80. So Liu Xing was sure that Hu Cang understood his meaning. After a moment of silence, Hu Cang sighed and said, "Ryuusei, I understand your point, and I agree with you. It¡¯s likely that Xiao Mochen is not on our side. But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t go stirring the pot." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "That¡¯s good. Now, I¡¯ll go upstairs and tell Zhang Jingxu and the others about this." Hu Cang forced a smile and watched as Liu Xing went upstairs. As soon as Liu Xing reached the third floor, he heard Wan Chongshan contacting KP Snow Wind, "KP, we need to activate Private Room time." KP Snow Wind responded promptly, "OK, Private Room time has been activated. yers can start discussing now." Liu Xing pped his hands and spoke first, "Listen, everyone. I¡¯ve basically confirmed one thing. Xiao Mochen is actually the mastermind behind this module. The reason Panlong Town has be like this is because Xiao Mochen joined forces with Gralki to resurrect his mother, and in return, he sacrificed the entire Panlong Town." Liu Xing¡¯s words left everyone in the room stunned. They had never imagined that Xiao Mochen could be a rogue like that. Ling Ishikawa, with a furrowed brow, asked, "Ryuusei, are you really sure?" Liu Xing nodded and proceeded to share everything he had seen and heard in Xiao Mochen¡¯s teahouse. After listening, Zhang Jingxu nodded andmented, "It seems like the plot of this module is quite intriguing. Initially, we thought it might be Gralki¡¯s minion causing trouble, but it turns out to be a ssic Cthulhu RPG Game scenario. A mortal, in pursuit of their wish, inadvertently attracts the attention of a Great Old One. However, Xiao Mochen is indeed audacious, sacrificing the entire town for the sake of his mother." Wan Chongshan chimed in, shaking his head, "I think Xiao Mochen might have been deceived by Gralki. Based on our interactions with him over the past few days, I feel that Xiao Mochen is still a decent person. It¡¯s unlikely that he would do something to harm the entire Panlong Town for his personal gain. Gralki, on the other hand, is a notorious deceiver, tempting humanity with promises of immortality, but in reality, its idea of immortality turns people into mind-controlled zombies." "So, I believe Xiao Mochen might have stumbled upon Gralki¡¯s cult, and after witnessing his mother¡¯s resurrection, hepletely trusted Gralki. That¡¯s why he readily agreed to help Gralki as its guide. He believed he was leading the people of Panlong Town to eternal life," Wan Chongshan exined. "Then, Xiao Mochen cooperated with Gralki¡¯s followers in staging a show in Panlong Town, and he also revealed information about the ck Flood Dragon and Green Willow to Gralki. So, when Xiao Mochen regained his memories, he realized that the sorry state of Panlong Town was partly his fault," Wan Chongshan continued. "He probably didn¡¯t want to take responsibility and didn¡¯t want his mother to die again, which is why he¡¯s been so indecisive. But I think Xiao Mochen is still very conflicted. So, in some situations, he¡¯s willing to help us, while in others, he¡¯s reluctant. I believe we still have a chance to persuade Xiao Mochen to switch sides," Wan Chongshan concluded with a convincing analysis. However, Ling Ishikawa expressed a more skeptical view, saying, "I think things might not be that simple. What if the so-called Gralki follower is actually Xiao Mochen? Or what if the current Xiao Mochen has already been transformed by Gralki and is now acting as its spy?" Ling Ishikawa¡¯s conspiracy theory sent a chill down Liu Xing¡¯s spine because if that were the case, it would indeedplicate matters. This would mean that their every move was being monitored by the final boss of this module. "If it¡¯s really like that, we¡¯re in big trouble. I¡¯ll be exposed while the Gralki¡¯s minion will be fully aware of our actions," Zhang Jingxu expressed his concern. At that moment, Liu Xing remembered something and said, "Wait, let¡¯s not forget that there¡¯s a special NPC in this module ¨C Green Willow. What I¡¯m most uncertain about right now is whether Green Willow and Hu Li are friends or foes. Even though Hu Li is currently helping us deal with those mythical creatures, we know she¡¯s doing it for her own benefit, or for the benefit of her and Green Willow. Hu Li has also told some lies, such as the situation with ck Flood Dragon and the ck cat demon. Based on the information we¡¯ve gathered and the triggered Side Quest, both ck Flood Dragon and the ck cat demon should still be alive, or at least exist." Liu Xing¡¯s words plunged the group into silence once again, with each member contemting the current situation and the questions raised. Is Xiao Mochen an ally or an enemy? Is he good or bad? Is Hu Li an ally or an enemy? Is she good or bad? The situation in the module was bing increasingly bewildering. "It¡¯s aplex situation, but let¡¯s put these questions aside for now. We can¡¯t fully determine the answers yet because weck crucial information. So, let¡¯s not waste our Private Room time and focus on the immediate issues. How do we deal with Gu Master Chaxi?" Li Dian suggested. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. He realized that they couldn¡¯t afford to spend too much time pondering uncertainties, and as Li Dian pointed out, they still needed more information to understand Xiao Mochen¡¯s true role in this module. So, their attention should remain on the present. With that in mind, Liu Xing said, "Although Xiao Mochen has agreed to provide us with a batch of fur, he¡¯s likely aware of our intentions for using it. I¡¯m concerned that he might give us poor-quality or damaged fur to deceive us. The worst-case scenario would be if Xiao Mochen tampered with the fur in some way. Therefore, I believe we must thoroughly inspect the fur tomorrow to avoid anyplications when dealing with Gu Master Chaxi." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement but voiced another concern, "What worries me more is the possibility of Xiao Mochen once again ying both sides, revealing our ns to Gu Master Chaxi. If that happens, we¡¯ll be in trouble, especially since, as Hu Li mentioned, a well-prepared Gu Master can be very formidable." Liu Xing rubbed his temples, realizing that it was indeed a significant concern. If Gu Master Chaxi learned about their actions, their lives could be at risk. However, Zhang Jingxu reassured them, saying, "Don¡¯t worry too much about it. We can just act swiftly when we move on to the next time point. After all, Gu Master Chaxi and these mythical creatures won¡¯t regain their memories, and during the recent temporal distortion, they couldn¡¯t have been too vignt. There won¡¯t be any of Xiao Dafu¡¯s addicts around either." Zhang Jingxu¡¯s suggestion seemed reasonable and reassuring. Ling Ishikawa, after a moment of thought, smiled and said, "I almost forgot about that. So, that¡¯s not a problem. Let¡¯s discuss the next topic ¨C the assignment of roles when dealing with Gu Master Chaxi. First, those two bird guns should definitely be taken along. Wan Chongshan, you should bring one too. As for Zhang Jingxu, personally, I think you should step down from the front lines. Today¡¯s missed shot was a bit embarrassing. You only dealt 4 points of damage, and if it weren¡¯t for Wan Chongshan¡¯s shot, Troll might not have been defeated." Zhang Jingxu¡¯s face turned red, and he chuckled, "This was just a one-time exception. After all, everyone has their unlucky moments. So, you can trust me; my next shot will definitely deal maximum damage." Liu Xing and the others exchanged smiles and decided to give Zhang Jingxu another chance. With that settled, they began discussing the personnel arrangement for dealing with Gu Master Chaxi. Zhang Jingxu and Li Dian were designated to guard the first floor, while the rest, along with Hu Cang, would confront Gu Master Chaxi. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 403: Treasures Chapter 403: Treasures "Wan Chongshan, it¡¯s going to be all about your performance this time. If you can pull off a one-shot kill on Gu Master Chaxi again, that would be a remarkable feat," Liu Xing said with a grin. Wan Chongshan looked at Liu Xing somewhat helplessly and replied, "Liu Xing, I think you might be expecting too much this time. The reason I was able to one-shot the Trollst time was purely because we took advantage of its vulnerability. It had no defenses after getting hit, and it had no choice but to exit through that entrance, where we trapped it. That¡¯s why I could calmly blow its head off. But dealing with Gu Master Chaxi will be a different story, and you all know how unreliable that bird gun is when shooting at moving targets. So, handling Gu Master Chaxi will depend on your performance, Ling Ishikawa." Ling Ishikawa hadn¡¯t expected Wan Chongshan to shift the burden onto him and responded somewhat bewildered, "Uh, I¡¯ll do my best, but don¡¯t expect too much from me. My electric technique is quite tricky because it doesn¡¯t specify the exact damage it inflicts. It only mentions the current output in milliamperes, with a considerable range of variation. It requires rolling a 10d10 dice to determine the current, ranging from 10 to 100 milliamperes. The duration also needs another 1d5 dice roll, measured in minutes." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the peculiar nature of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s electric technique, especially itsck of specified damage values. However, Ryuusei had a different perspective. He realized that the electric technique was actually reliable, recalling his experience in middle school physics ss where he had to memorize information about the effects of different milliampere levels of current on the human body. When exposed to 0.6 to 1.5 milliamperes of current, a person would start to feel numbness and loss of sensation. At 5 to 7 milliamperes, muscles would begin to spasm, apanied by burning and stinging sensations. At 20 to 25 milliamperes, the person would experience severe pain, rapid numbness, and difficulty breathing. When the current reached 50 to 80 milliamperes, the person would face respiratory paralysis, atrial fibrition, and intense overall burning pain. If the current reached 90 to 100 milliamperes andsted for at least three minutes, it would lead to cardiac arrest and death. Therefore, even though Ling Ishikawa¡¯s electric techniquecked specified damage values, it would at least cause muscle spasms and difficulty breathing in those affected by the Magic Spells. Essentially, it served as a form of soft control, with a minimum duration of one minute. Moreover, in the worst-case scenario, if Ling Ishikawa rolled favorably, the electric technique could turn into a Paralysis Art, immobilizing Magic Spells-affected individuals or mythical creatures for a certain duration while causing some damage. Most importantly, if Ling Ishikawa had good luck and rolled above 90 milliamperes for current with a duration exceeding three minutes, it could potentially control humans and weaker mythical creatures to the point of death. Overall, the electric technique seemed promising, regardless of the caster¡¯s luck.Liu Xing smiled and remarked, "Ling Ishikawa, your electric technique is quite impressive. As long as you can sessfully cast it, dealing with Gu Master Chaxi this time should be a walk in the park." Ling Ishikawa chuckled awkwardly and added, "It¡¯s not that simple, though. The casting time for this electric technique is a bit long, and if there¡¯s any insting material in its path, it won¡¯t progress further. The coverage area is also limited, about the size of a regr frying pan." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s list of limitations, Liu Xing realized that he had overestimated the magic in the Cthulhu RPG Game. The conversation shifted away from Gu Master Chaxi, as it had been thoroughly discussed. Zhang Jingxu and others turned their attention to Ling Ishikawa. "Ling Ishikawa, your shape-shifting ability is honestly quite impressive. Topletely transform into the opposite gender is remarkable," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Ling Ishikawa, looking somewhat despondent, gazed at Zhang Jingxu and sighed, "What can I say? I was desperate. When I was studying Magic Spells in Serak¡¯s library, I realized that I needed to read through all those magic books to discover their contents. To save time and because I had nothing better to do, I used Prophecy Art once. My target for the prophecy was the most useful Magic Spells for me at the time, and it guided me to find the book that contained the shape-shifting spell." "Then, I learned this shape-shifting spell. But the information about it was pretty vague at the time, only mentioning that it could allow me to transform to a great extent, possibly with some deviations. So, I didn¡¯t think much of it and decided to experiment with its effects. As you can see, the results of this shape-shifting spell are beyond words. However, I don¡¯t particrly like how I look after transforming. The differences between men and women are quite significant, which led to a considerable change in my lifestyle." Upon hearing this, the group burst into meaningfulughter. After theughter subsided, Liu Xing pretended to speak seriously, saying, "I think, Ling Ishikawa, your Prophecy Art this time was quite sessful. The effect of this shape-shifting spell is indeed impressive. Now, your character card has two identities. It¡¯s a shame you can¡¯t freely switch between them; otherwise, it would be like having an extra character card." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement and thoughtfully replied, "Actually, there¡¯s a chance for this shape-shifting spell to evolve in the future. You¡¯ll be able to control the duration and have more transformation options. However, the requirements for advancement are a bitplicated, and it might necessitate a trip to Hybrier. So, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able toplete the advancement, especially considering I¡¯m not certain if I can return to Hybrier." Liu Xing pondered for a moment and said, "I believe you still have a chance, Ling Ishikawa. As long as your world Mission hasn¡¯t ended yet, you¡¯ll have an opportunity to revisit Hybrier. After all, logically speaking, in Hybrier, there¡¯s Ibon worth visiting. And who knows, this time, the Cthulhu RPG Game might have a crossover event with Barbarian Conan?" "Barbarian Conan?" Li Dian expressed surprise. Liu Xing chuckled and continued, "Exactly, it¡¯s Barbarian Conan. In the rted lore, Barbarian Conan and Ibon exist in the same period in Hybrier. So theoretically, in this parallel world¡¯s Hybrier, you could encounter Barbarian Conan. Moreover, Barbarian Conan¡¯s strength should not be underestimated. If you can learn something from Barbarian Conan, it will be highly beneficial." Ling Ishikawa nodded and smiled, "That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m quite certain that there¡¯s Barbarian Conan in Hybrier in this parallel world. Ibon shared some stories about Barbarian Conan with me. However, in this world, Barbarian Conan¡¯s experiences differ somewhat from the original, or rather, it has some Cthulhu-themed characteristics. In simple terms, Barbarian Conan didn¡¯t be a king as in the original but continued to wander in Hybrier, hunting various mythical creatures." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised, and remarked, "That¡¯s quite a change in style, going from Barbarian Conan to the Witcher Geralt." Ling Ishikawa nodded and continued, "You¡¯re right, Liu Xing. Barbarian Conan indeed transitioned into a Witcher in this world, establishing a mercenary group in Hybrier that specializes in huntingmissions against mythical creatures. So, it¡¯s possible that in this parallel world, there might be a crossover with wizards. Barbarian Conan became the founder of Witchers." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s analysis seemed to make sense. After all, Witchers in their attack methodsbined swords and magic, simr to the mainstream attack methods in Hybrier, which primarily consisted of swords and magic. The background of wizards was also inspired by European settings, not far removed from Hybrier. So, Liu Xing suddenly started to look forward to it... "By the way, how is Ibon doing now? He¡¯s a future great Wizard, Ling Ishikawa. Have you seized the opportunity to build a good rtionship with him?" Wan Chongshan asked curiously. Ling Ishikawa nodded and smiled, saying, "Of course, I¡¯ll hold onto that thigh tightly. After all, it¡¯s a mobile ¡¯Book of Ibon.¡¯ Even if I don¡¯t need the ¡¯Book of Ibon,¡¯ I can sell these copies for a few thousand points each. These ¡¯Book of Ibon¡¯ should fetch at least that much." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment, agreeing, "That¡¯s right. I remember someone in my club once sold a damaged handwritten ¡¯Necronomicon¡¯ for 1,500 points. So, I think even a lower-tier version of the ¡¯Book of Ibon¡¯ should easily go for 3,000 points. Ling Ishikawa, you have a chance to make a fortune. But from what I¡¯ve heard from my mentor, the most sought-after items in the Hound of Tindalos region are collectibles rted to Cthulhu Mythos novels." "These collectibles may have almost no practical value, but many people in this region are wealthy yers. Their character cards usually have sufficient essential items, so they enjoy buying collectibles to demonstrate their knowledge. These collectibles are not easily obtainable, as most modules have rtively short durations. yers need to focus onpleting the Main quests to advance, which limits their opportunities to increase their favorability with characters. Therefore, rare items are highly prized. Even obscure characters from Cthulhu Mythos novels can sell their rted collectibles for 1,000 points each. Items like notebooks from Miskatonic University Antarctic Expedition Team members, the ship captain¡¯s log from a captain who defeated a Great Old One, or a cor from a god-ying hound, all fetch astronomical prices." "But the most famous collectible now is an autograph from H.P. Lovecraft himself. Yes, it¡¯s H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s actual signature. In the Cthulhu region¡¯s modules, yers have the chance to encounter H.P. Lovecraft at different points in time. And H.P. Lovecraft is under the protection of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. NPCs and yers, mythical creatures or Great Old Ones, can¡¯t harm H.P. Lovecraft. The most important thing is that H.P. Lovecraft is quite aloof. It¡¯s nearly impossible to obtain collectibles from him." As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, Wan Chongshan became excited and said, "That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve heard about H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s autograph on the forums. Someone reportedly offered 50,000 points to purchase H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s autograph, and others even proposed trading it for priceless antiques from the real world. But the owner of H.P. Lovecraft¡¯s autograph has never responded." Zhang Jingxu nodded and continued, "So, Ling Ishikawa, if you ever have the opportunity to return to Hybrier and meet Ibon, it would be best to establish a good rtionship with him and request some collectibles. Items like the magic wand Ibon used, a water bag, and most importantly, a ¡¯Book of Ibon¡¯ with Ibon¡¯s signature, could be sold for at least 10,000 points." Liu Xing was left somewhat stunned after hearing all this. He hadn¡¯t expected there to be such a lucrative opportunity. Today, Liu Xing had truly expanded his horizons. Ling Ishikawa also realized that this was a golden opportunity and nodded enthusiastically, saying, "Thank you all for the advice. If I have the chance to return to Hybrier, I¡¯ll definitely bring back Ibon¡¯s autograph for each of you. You should know that my rtionship with Ibon is very good." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 404: Stormy Skies on the Heavenly Terrace Chapter 404: Stormy Skies on the Heavenly Terrace Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and jokingly remarked, "Oh, did Ibon decide to treat you like a brother after seeing your transformation technique?" Ling Ishikawa¡¯s smile gradually faded as he sighed, "Alright, can you guys please stop with this joke? I¡¯m already feeling quite desperate. After using the transformation technique for the first time in Hybrier, I couldn¡¯t help bute to the Heavenly Terrace, contemting the idea that if I couldn¡¯t change back, I might as well jump off and end this life..." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow again, asking with a smile, "And then what happened?" Ling Ishikawa shrugged and continued, "The wind on the Heavenly Terrace was too strong,bined with the already cold weather in Hybrier. I was frozen and gave up on my thoughts. I left the Heavenly Terrace. However, that trip to the Heavenly Terrace unexpectedly had its perks. I discovered that I could see Ibon¡¯s room from there, and that day, I happened to witness Ibon preparing for some kind of Ritual Ceremony." Zhang Jingxu nodded thoughtfully, saying, "I assume that the Ritual Ceremony Ibon conducted was rted to Zhatuogua, considering Ibon is a follower of Zhatuogua, and he¡¯s destined to receive Zhatuogua¡¯s favor. So, Ling Ishikawa, did you consider joining Ibon and pledging yourself to Zhatuogua?" Ling Ishikawa shook his head, somewhat despondent. "At that time, my thoughts were the same as yours, Zhang Jingxu. I nned to follow Ibon and align with Zhatuogua. But what I didn¡¯t expect was that after conducting that Ritual Ceremony, Ibon became elusive. I could hardly find him outside, and I couldn¡¯t just knock on his door and tell him I knew what he was up to. So, I thought about participating in the Ritual Ceremony, but it would have been too abrupt." "Furthermore, one day while I was observing Ibon on the Heavenly Terrace, I saw him lure a Menial from the Mage Tower into his room. He then killed the Menial and used the blood to draw a magic circle. From that circle, he summoned a Formless Offspring, which he concealed in his room. So, I suspected that if I asked Ibon to let me join the Ritual Ceremony without convincing himpletely, I¡¯d only end up as a sacrifice." "However,ter on, Ibon seemed to return to normal. He didn¡¯t be more entric. But I still noticed something unusual about him in our interactions. As you all know, Ibon came from an ordinary family, so initially, hecked confidence and avoided initiating conversations. It was always me who initiated contact with him. However, after summoning the Formless Offspring, Ibon gained a lot of confidence. He started initiating conversations with me." "Although our rtionship is quite good now, Ibon never mentioned anything about the Ritual Ceremony. Even when I explicitly mentioned Zhatuogua, he actedpletely ignorant. Unfortunately, my character cardcks a psychology skill, so I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s lying. Overall, my rtionship with Ibon is good, and he might be willing to give me something. I just don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll have the chance to return to Hybrier and visit Serak¡¯s Wizard Tower again, as I¡¯mpletely unfamiliar with Hybrier¡¯s terrain."Liu Xing stroked his chin, curious. "Speaking of which, Ling Ishikawa, with both you and Serak either dead or missing, doesn¡¯t that mean Ibon now has control over Serak¡¯s Wizard Tower? After all, you mentioned earlier that you and Ibon were given authority over the Mage Tower by Serak before he secluded himself." Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before saying, "In theory, yes, that¡¯s how it should be. Apart from Serak, the Mage Tower¡¯s leadership consisted of only Ibon and me. So logically, Ibon should be the next master of the Mage Tower. However, as I mentioned earlier, Ibon is quite reclusive. Besides me, he doesn¡¯t have any friends within the Mage Tower. So, his rtionship with the other residents is not great. Therefore, Ibon might struggle to gain their support. Additionally, among the batch of apprentices who entered the Mage Tower with us, there¡¯s a guy named Costa who might stir things up." "This Costa is the illegitimate son of a minor lord near the Mage Tower. Since he has no inheritance rights and was shunned by the lord¡¯s other sons, Costa was forced to enter the Mage Tower, aiming to be a Wizard and then return to im his inheritance. Unfortunately, Costa had the misfortune of having his position taken by me. So, he¡¯s still just an ordinary apprentice. However, from what I know, Costa managed to gain the support of other apprentices and Menials within the Mage Tower through various means, bing a sort of leader among them." "So, if Ibon can¡¯t handle the Costa situation, there¡¯s a good chance that Costa might rece him. Alternatively, Ibon might be a formidable force with the help of that Formless Offspring and eventually seize control. But no matter how you look at it, Ibon¡¯s situation is precarious. I suspect that even though I killed Serak, Ibon might still be forced to leave the Mage Tower, just like in the Cthulhu Mythos. If Ibon doesn¡¯t leave the Mage Tower, he won¡¯t remain Ibon, and the world will lose the ¡¯Book of Ibon.¡¯" Liu Xing nodded in agreement. "You¡¯re right. ording to the principles of historical revision found in many time-travel novels, Ibon will probably leave the Mage Tower, and the only difference will be how he does it. So, Ling Ishikawa, if you want to see Ibon again, you¡¯ll have to put in some effort. However, considering the storyline, you should have a chance to encounter him at the border of Hybrier. Maybe you can try your luck." Zhang Jingxu chimed in with a smile, "Ling Ishikawa, you could also wait on Tun Ind. I remember that after traveling the border, Ibon spent some time in seclusion on Tun." Ling Ishikawa shook his head, somewhat resigned. "You guys are talking about going too far. Besides, I can¡¯t stay in Hybrier indefinitely. Even if I go to the border or Tun Ind in advance and wait, I might still miss Ibon if luck isn¡¯t on my side. But logically, I should have another chance to meet Ibon since my missions in these two modules are closely rted to him. So, I believe I¡¯ll have an opportunity in the next module or the one after that." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "Then remember to bring back some collectibles when you return. Our fortune might depend on it." At that moment, KP Snow Wind interjected, "Alright, our Private Room time for this session hase to an end. yers, please assume your respective roles." Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces, seeing that no one intended to continue the conversation. They then went back to their individual rooms. Of course, even though Ling Ishikawa was fundamentally a man, his body had fully transformed into that of a female. Therefore, Liu Xing felt a bit awkward sharing a room with Ling Ishikawa, fearing he might make some inadvertent mistakes. As a result, Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu decided to switch rooms. After helping Ling Ishikawa move his belongings, Liu Xing suddenly had an idea and pointed to the ceiling, saying, "Ling Ishikawa, it¡¯s still early. Shall we go up to the rooftop? I remember that Hu Cang¡¯s building should have rooftop ess." Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Okay, it¡¯s indeed early. Let¡¯s go up to the rooftop. Maybe we¡¯ll make some unexpected discoveries. Besides, I have some things I¡¯d like to discuss with you, Master, so it¡¯s a good opportunity." So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa made their way to the rooftop together. As they arrived on the rooftop, a cold shiver ran down Liu Xing¡¯s spine as a gust of wind blew past him. Since Liu Xing¡¯s group had arrived in Panlong Town during spring, and the weather had been rtively warm, they were all dressed in long-sleeved clothes. However, at this moment, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t determine the exact month, but judging from the attire of the people who hade to the market today, wearing two-piece or three-piece outfits, he estimated that it was now autumn. Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s reaction, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but say, "Master, it¡¯s a bit chilly tonight. Should we go back to our rooms or put on some more clothes?" Liu Xing moved his body a bit and smiled, saying, "It¡¯s alright; it¡¯s not too cold. I actually wanted to get some fresh air and clear my mind. The events of the past few days have been giving me a headache." Ling Ishikawa epted Liu Xing¡¯s decision, and they continued their walk on the rooftop. Liu Xing observed his surroundings and noticed that Hu Cang had beautifullyndscaped the rooftop. There were vegetable nts on both sides, and in the center, there was a small pond with carp and crucian carp swimming inside. Liu Xing chuckled and pointed to the pond, saying, "I didn¡¯t expect Hu Cang to have such taste. He has really taken care of this rooftop. But, Ling Ishikawa, what do you think about catching one of these fish and grilling it? After all, once we enter the next time frame in a few days, these fish should replenish, and Hu Cang probably won¡¯t notice." Ling Ishikawa smiled and shook his head, replying, "Master, it¡¯s not a sure thing. Serak mentioned that our actions in a situation like this might affect Panlong Town, so if we catch a fish now, there might be one less in the future." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "I see. Let¡¯s spare the fish, then." With that settled, Liu Xing crossed the pond and pointed in the direction of the supermarket¡¯s rooftop, saying, "Look, Ling Ishikawa, the gaps between these standalone buildings aren¡¯t too wide, only about half a meter." Indeed, this was the real reason Liu Xing had invited Ling Ishikawa to the rooftop. Back in their room downstairs, Liu Xing had suddenly remembered noticing the rtively short distance between these standalone buildings when he had returned from the teahouse. Now he wanted to confirm it. Ling Ishikawa walked over and took a look, saying, "You¡¯re right; the gaps between these standalone buildings aren¡¯t too wide, and there aren¡¯t significant height differences either. As long as we don¡¯t slip, we should be able to jump across without much difficulty. This would allow us to reach the rooftop of the supermarket directly." Liu Xing nodded and pointed to the supermarket¡¯s rooftop, saying, "You see, we have a clear view of the supermarket¡¯s rooftop from here. We can see that the entrance to the rooftop isn¡¯t locked, so I¡¯m concerned that Gu Master Chaxi might choose to escape from there when he realizes we¡¯re attacking. Therefore, we need to block this route." Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and said, "I¡¯ll go downstairs now and call Zhang Jingxu and the others up. We can discuss how to deal with this issue together." Liu Xing agreed with the n, and Ling Ishikawa headed downstairs. Liu Xing rubbed his chin, furrowing his brow. Because the rooftop entrance to the supermarket presented both an opportunity and a problem. While Liu Xing¡¯s group could use it tounch a surprise attack, Gu Master Chaxi could also use it to escape. Furthermore, they would have to split their forces, turning a two-pronged assault into a three-pronged one, making their already limited manpower even more stretched. It was troublesome. A gust of wind blew through again, causing Liu Xing to shiver. The rooftop wind was quite strong. After a while, Zhang Jingxu and the others joined Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa on the rooftop. After observing the situation, Zhang Jingxu and the rest also furrowed their brows. A momentter, Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said, "This is going to be tricky. We can¡¯t assign someone to guard the rooftop entrance, and even if we did, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop Gu Master Chaxi." "Indeed, this rooftop entrance is like the entrance on the first floor. It would require at least two people to secure it properly, but even with two, we might not be able to stop Gu Master Chaxi," Wan Chongshan added. The atmosphere fell into silence once again. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa suddenly smiled and said, "No, no, no. We don¡¯t necessarily need people to guard it. A ce like this rooftop entrance is perfect for setting traps. After all, if Gu Master Chaxi chooses this escape route in a hurry, he won¡¯t pay attention to what¡¯s underfoot. But the challenge is how to install traps at the supermarket¡¯s rooftop entrance. That¡¯s the tricky part." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s suggestion brightened everyone¡¯s eyes. Traps were indeed a good option. Liu Xing was about to speak when another gust of cold wind blew. The rooftop wind was truly strong. Liu Xing thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s idea. Traps could be an effective way to secure the rooftop entrance. Ling Ishikawa, after exining his n, went downstairs to inform the others and make preparations for setting traps. As Liu Xing remained on the rooftop, he couldn¡¯t help but feel the chilling wind once more. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 405: The Sudden Appearance of the Black Cat Demon Chapter 405: The Sudden Appearance of the ck Cat Demon Due to the strong winds on the rooftop, Liu Xing and the others returned to the third-floor hall for their discussion. Catching a cold in this weather would be far from ideal. Once everyone was seated, Liu Xing began, "Ling Ishikawa¡¯s idea is indeed excellent. Using traps against Gu Master Chaxi could yield substantial benefits. After all, Gu Master Chaxi will undoubtedly be severely weakened after such an attack. However, there are several challenges we must address. How do we acquire the traps, what kind of traps should we use, and how can we set them up at the entrance to the supermarket on the top floor without alerting Gu Master Chaxi?" After posing these questions, Liu Xing looked to Ling Ishikawa for answers. "Regarding these issues," Ling Ishikawa replied, "I have one suggestion: let¡¯s consult Hu Cang. He undoubtedly possesses more knowledge in this area." The others nodded in agreement. While they had heard of traps and seen them on television, when it came to crafting them, they were all at a loss. Furthermore, due to the peculiar nature of Panlong Town and its temporal distortions, Liu Xing¡¯s group was always treated as outsiders. Except for Hu Cang and a few others, the townspeople were unlikely to offer much help, especially for something as potentially harmful as traps or even lethal devices. So, it was decided to entrust this task to Hu Cang. Liu Xing¡¯s group then proceeded to the ground floor, where Hu Cang was preparing to close up shop for the day. "What¡¯s going on? Why is everyoneing down here?" Hu Cang asked with surprise. Speaking on behalf of the group, Liu Xing exined, "Mr. Hu Cang, here¡¯s the situation. We were just idly passing the time on the rooftop and discovered a way to reach the building where the supermarket is located directly from there. Moreover, the entrance to the top floor of the supermarket is open. This suggests that if Gu Master Chaxi were to be attacked by us, he might try to escape through that entrance. So, after discussing it, we¡¯ve decided to install some traps at the entrance on the top floor of the supermarket. That¡¯s why we¡¯vee to seek your assistance."Upon hearing this, Hu Cang furrowed his brow and went into deep thought. After a moment, he spoke again, "These traps won¡¯t be easy to obtain. As I mentioned before, most of the hunters in Panlong Town have switched professions, leaving very few people who still have animal traps. Among them, Xiao Mochen is the most familiar to us. His grandfather left him all sorts of animal traps, including various designs." "But now, we can¡¯t trust Xiao Mochen anymore. He might be a traitor. So, unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, we shouldn¡¯t rely on him. That leaves us with very few options. As far as I know, the only person left who might have some animal traps is Wang Anquan ¨C yes, Wang Haiyang¡¯s father, Wang Anquan." "Wang Anquan¡¯s father was also a hunter, but he suffered an injury while hunting in his youth and lost his left leg. As a result, he switched professions to be a cksmith, specializing in crafting various hunting tools, including animal traps. So, I believe there might still be some animal traps at Wang Anquan¡¯s house, or even if there aren¡¯t, Wang Anquan himself is skilled at craftsmanship. We can ask him to make the traps." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. He hadn¡¯t expected that their search would lead to Wang Anquan. Nevertheless, it was a good oue since they needed to collect gasoline from him anyway. Now, they could also acquire the animal traps, killing two birds with one stone. So, Liu Xing¡¯s group decided to visit Wang Anquan the following day. As for how to set the traps at the entrance of the supermarket¡¯s top floor without alerting Gu Master Chaxi, Hu Cang offered his advice. "From my observations over the years, Gu Master Chaxi spends most of his time in the supermarket, but asionally, he leaves. This usually happens at specific times, roughly once every three time intervals, and he¡¯s gone for a little over an hour each time. However, I¡¯m not sure where he goes during those absences. I never paid much attention to Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s movements before," Hu Cang exined earnestly. As soon as Hu Cang finished speaking, KP Snow Wind stepped forward and said, "Because you yers triggered a special setting in this module, you can now apply for a specific Judgment with me. In simple terms, once you know that something will happen at a certain time, you can request a special Judgment from me before the next time interval. If the majority of yers, which is five out of three, agree, we can proceed with the Judgment." Upon hearing KP Snow Wind¡¯s words, Liu Xing and the others were surprised to discover this special feature in the module. Nevertheless, Liu Xing thought it was a favorable feature for the yers. After sessfully applying for a Judgment, they could anticipate events and prepare ordingly. In this case, if the special Judgment seeded, Liu Xing¡¯s group could n to confront Gu Master Chaxi at a chosen time. So, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t resist saying, "KP, we¡¯d like to request a special Judgment. We want to know the time when Gu Master Chaxi will leave the supermarket." KP Snow Wind immediately responded, "Okay, now, please cast your votes, and if two more yers agree, we will initiate a special Judgment with a sess threshold of 60. If the vote fails, we will have to wait until tomorrow for a second attempt." "Agreed," Liu Xing and the others unanimously replied. There was no reason to reject this special Judgment. And so, the vote for the special Judgment passed. Special Judgment: 36/60, Sessful. "Alright, congrattions on passing this special Judgment. Gu Master Chaxi will leave the supermarket at the next time interval," KP Snow Wind announced with a smile. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that¡¯s it for today. Let¡¯s all return to our rooms and rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day," Liu Xing said with a smile. And with that, they all retired to their rooms, each with their own thoughts. The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Liu Xing was awakened by Zhang Jingxu, who had started moving around as soon as dawn broke. Seeing that he had unintentionally disturbed Liu Xing, Zhang Jingxu apologized, "I¡¯m sorry, Ryuusei, I didn¡¯t expect to wake you up." Liu Xing shook his head and smiled, "It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just waking up a little early. But why are you up so early, Mr. Zhang Jingxu?" Zhang Jingxu chuckled and replied, "It¡¯s a habit. During my time training under my master, he insisted that I must wake up at the crack of dawn for exercise, or I¡¯d face various punishments. So now, it¡¯s be a reflex for me. As soon as I see daylight, I wake up instantly." Liu Xing nodded, imagining Zhang Jingxu¡¯s challenging past. However, it reminded him of his own less-than-fond memories, particrly his high school days. Back then, no matter howte he stayed up, he¡¯d wake up instantly at six in the morning. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful that his character card belonged to the legendary Ind Nation High School student rather than a China High School student. ording to some "victims" on the forum, China High School student character cards not only required them to investigate events and confront mythical creatures but also mandated early bedtimes, diligent attendance in ss, and the risk of debuffs if they performed poorly on exams. These debuffs could range from mobility restrictions to financial constraints. What¡¯s more, if a male and female yer formed a duo, they might be used of dating, leading to parental involvement and additional debuffs. Given these challenges, very few yers willingly chose the China High School student character card when there were other options avable. As Liu Xing thought about it, he couldn¡¯t help but sneeze. "Are you catching a cold?" Zhang Jingxu asked with concern. Liu Xing nodded, realizing that he had indeed caught a cold. His character card disyed the word "cold," and almost all of his attribute values had dropped by one to three points, along with a decrease in some skill values. It seemed that staying on the rooftop for too long had exposed him to the cold wind. "Ryuusei, lie down on the bed, and I¡¯ll fetch some medicine from downstairs," Zhang Jingxu said as he left the room. After a while, Zhang Jingxu returned with water and medicine. He handed them to Liu Xing and said, "Because it¡¯s 1999 now, some medicines have side effects. They might make you feel a bit drowsy, but that¡¯s all. So, after taking the medicine, rest for a while. There¡¯s nothing important happening today, and you don¡¯t need to personally get involved." Liu Xing considered the day¡¯s tasks and realized that he might not need to participate in everything today. Taking the medicine and having some extra sleep sounded appealing; after all, idling around was quite enjoyable. So, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Okay, I¡¯ll leave today¡¯s tasks to you all." With that, he took the medicine. Before long, Liu Xing began to feel drowsy. Although he could counteract it with a Willpower Judgment, he didn¡¯t make the effort. Unbeknownst to him, he gradually drifted into slumber, and the voices of Zhang Jingxu and the others grew fainter. There was also the sound of dice being rolled. After some time, Liu Xing suddenly sensed that something was amiss. His chest felt heavy, but he knew it wasn¡¯t sleep paralysis. Instead, it felt like something heavy was pressing against his chest. Liu Xing considered the situation, doubting that Ling Ishikawa and the others would y such a prank on him. Could it be¡­? Liu Xing took a deep breath and abruptly opened his eyes, only to find a ck cat with heterochromatic eyes crouching on his chest. He furrowed his brow, realizing that this ck cat was most likely the ck cat demon. But why had ite to him now? Uncertain about the ck cat demon¡¯s intentions, Liu Xing decided to remain silent and observe. They stared at each other in silence for a while, and the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward. Finally, the ck cat demon couldn¡¯t resist breaking the silence, "Hey, kid, what¡¯s with the constant staring? I assume you already know who I am." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the ck cat demon¡¯s self-assured tone. However, upon further reflection, he acknowledged that the cat demon had the right to be confident, given its age of at least a hundred years. So, referring to itself as "old man" wasn¡¯t entirely inappropriate. Now, the question was, how should Liu Xing address the ck cat demon? He couldn¡¯t just call it "ck cat" or "old cat," right? The ck cat demon seemed to sense Liu Xing¡¯s dilemma and continued, "Kid, you can just call me ¡¯Cat Elder.¡¯" Liu Xing, upon hearing this, smiled and said, "Sure, may I ask, Cat Elder, what brings you here today?" The Cat Elder chuckled and ced its paw on Liu Xing¡¯s neck, saying, "What if I told you I want to borrow your help for something? Would you be willing to lend me a hand?" Liu Xing¡¯s smile disappeared from his face. The Cat Elder smiled again and withdrew its paw, speaking, "Alright, enough with the jokes. I¡¯m here to discuss something important with you, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. If you break this agreement, I might indeed have to borrow your head for something." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, took a moment to think, and then nodded, saying, "No problem, Cat Elder. I promise that I won¡¯t tell anyone about what you¡¯re going to tell me." The Cat Elder nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Very well, I trust you¡¯ll keep your word." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 406: The Commission of the Black Cat Demon Chapter 406: The Commission of the ck Cat Demon With a graceful leap, the ck Cat Demonnded on the table beside Liu Xing¡¯s chest, allowing Liu Xing to finally sit up and meet its gaze at eye level instead of looking up while lying down. However, Liu Xing was still puzzled by why the ck Cat Demon had suddenly sought him out and made him promise such a peculiar oath. Logically, Liu Xing believed that if the ck Cat Demon hade to find him today, it must have been for assistance or cooperation. After all, there was no reason for the ck Cat Demon to seek him out just for a casual chat. So, if the ck Cat Demon was indeed seeking help or cooperation, why did it insist on keeping this matter a secret from others and involving only him? Liu Xing had a hunch that whatever the ck Cat Demon was about to reveal wouldn¡¯t be simple. At this moment, the ck Cat Demon spoke, "Well, you should know my current situation by now. I am indeed deceased, but I have no idea why I have appeared as a spirit in this temporal distortion of Panlong Town. However, a voice in my mind has been urging me to find a helper to assist me in returning to life." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that the ck Cat Demon had truly perished. Nevertheless, he still had some doubts and asked, "Wait a minute, Old Cat, are you saying you¡¯re already dead, and yet when you were crouched on my chest earlier, I could still feel the weight of your body?" The ck Cat Demon chuckled and extended its paw, swiping it through the table beneath. Liu Xing saw the paw pass right through the table, and with another swipe, a piece of the table was missing. "You see, I¡¯m not entirely in a spirit state right now. I can freely switch between physical and ethereal forms. You should understand what I mean," the ck Cat Demon said with a grin. Liu Xing nodded, even though he was still a bit bewildered. He realized that the ck Cat Demon¡¯s current state was incredibly powerful since it could switch between being tangible during attacks and intangible when threatened. Under normal circumstances, the ck Cat Demon seemed nearly invulnerable. Therefore, Liu Xing silently cautioned himself not to provoke the ck Cat Demon, as he had no idea how he might meet his end if he did.Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s momentary distraction, the ck Cat Demon tapped the table with its paw and said, "Don¡¯t get distracted, and don¡¯t overthink it. Despite my current state, I¡¯m not as formidable as you might imagine. My powers have been greatly weakened, and I now possess only about a tenth of my former strength. Most of my magic spells are unusable, and I must rely entirely on these ws for attack. However, rest assured, I can still easily dispatch you even with these limitations." Liu Xing forced a smile and nodded. He knew the ck Cat Demon could indeed defeat him under the current circumstances. The ck Cat Demon smiled again and continued, "Alright, I won¡¯t tease you any further. But don¡¯t underestimate yourself or feel embarrassed about losing to this old cat. Remember, I¡¯ve lived for many more years than you, and my experiences far outweigh yours. If you can help me with what¡¯sing next, I¡¯ll reward you with something special." As soon as the ck Cat Demon finished speaking, KP Snow Wind stepped forward and said, "Congrattions, yer Liu Xing, you¡¯ve triggered a Side Quest¡ªThe Commission of the ck Cat Demon. If you sessfullyplete the task the ck Cat Demon has given you, you¡¯ll receive a mysterious reward. However, please note that during this quest, you cannot seek help from others or disclose the details of the ck Cat Demon¡¯s task to anyone else. Viting these two conditions will result in automatic failure of this Side Quest." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, as this Side Quest was somewhat expected. However, Liu Xing still had one question for the ck Cat Demon. "Old Cat, I have a question. How did you die? Was it at the hands of Gralki, or perhaps the ck Flood Dragon?" The ck Cat Demon pondered for a moment and then replied somewhat dejectedly, "Actually, I don¡¯t know how I died. It¡¯s rather embarrassing to admit, but I was killed in my sleep. When I realized I was under attack, I hadn¡¯t even opened my eyes before my assant took my life. However, I can say with certainty that it wasn¡¯t Old ck, the ck Flood Dragon. We were good friends." Liu Xing was surprised to hear that the ck Cat Demon and the ck Flood Dragon were good friends. After all, the previous ounts of them, especially from Hu Cang, had painted them as bitter enemies. Could it be that the legends Hu Cang spoke of were incorrect? Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s astonishment, the ck Cat Demon chuckled and said, "I see you¡¯ve heard that legend, haven¡¯t you? The one that depicts me as a notorious viin who massacred a town¡¯s people, narrowly escaped a highly skilled monk, wreaked havoc in Panlong Town, and ultimately perished alongside a ck-Clothed Taoist, all while being trapped in the bamboo forest next to Panlong Town?" Liu Xing nodded and replied, "Yes, that¡¯s what I heard. Are you saying that this legend is false?" The ck Cat Demon smiled again and said seriously, "If you believe me, then yes, that legend is entirely false. Every word of it is fabricated. It was spread by one of my enemies. Would you like to hear my side of the story?" Liu Xing nodded and said, "I¡¯d like to hear the details." The ck Cat Demon wore a nostalgic expression and began to speak in a somber tone, "Through a fortunate turn of events, I gained enlightenment and awakened my spiritual consciousness. However, I was still weak, and a Snake Demon had already taken control of the area. I had no choice but to leave my homnd because Cats and Snake Demons are natural enemies. If that Snake Demon had discovered me, I would have met an inevitable demise. As fate would have it, that Snake Demonter became my nemesis. The legend you mentioned earlier was spread by him." "I was a newly awakened monster with weakbat abilities at that time. I got injured in a hunter¡¯s trap near a ce called Wang Family Vige and ended up escaping to the vige. There, a child named Gou Dan captured me as a pet. However, Gou Dan was quite kind to me, so I stayed peacefully in Wang Family Vige, recovering from my injuries and practicing. Life was rtively good." "After more than a year had passed, my strength had greatly improved, and I could easily take on adult humans one-on-one. However, to hone mybat skills further, I decided to spend some time in the mountains. During the period I left Wang Family Vige, a group of bandits massacred all the vigers. So, I decided to seek revenge against these bandits and killed them all on a dark and windy night." "After eliminating the bandits, I encountered the Snake Demon and a Donkey Demon, who happened to be protectors of those bandits. The bandits had been supplying them with food, and although I wanted to kill them both, I knew it was impossible given my strength at the time. Thus, I chose to flee. However, I was eventually captured by them." "At the moment of my capture, a Taoist discovered us. The Snake Demon was injured by the Taoist, while I was taken to Panlong Town by the Donkey Demon. The Donkey Demon disguised itself as a monk and built Hui Temple. Inside the temple, it tormented me in various ways. The Snake Demon alsoter transformed into a Taoist and came to Panlong Town. They both wanted to torment me, so they never killed me." "After enduring their torture for a long time, I seized an opportunity to escape. However, it was during this escape that the Donkey Demon attacked some children ying near Hui Temple. Old ck, surprisingly, intervened and killed the Donkey Demon. But what I didn¡¯t expect was that the Snake Demonter fabricated the legend you heard earlier to tarnish my reputation. It even arranged for another monster to act out the story. I didn¡¯t bother to defend myself, so I ended up in my current state." Hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly realized the truth. He had always felt that something was off about the legend he had heard. It didn¡¯t make sense that a mischievous child could randomly break the seal on the ck Cat Demon¡¯s box. Furthermore, the ck Flood Dragon in Panlong Town couldn¡¯t have disguised itself as a Taoist and perished alongside the ck Cat Demon. Now, Liu Xing was inclined to believe the ck Cat Demon¡¯s ount. However, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the snake¡¯s body they had seen in the illusory realm and the ominous presence deep within the bamboo forest on their first day in Panlong Town. Liu Xing asked the ck Cat Demon about these two questions. The ck Cat Demon furrowed its brow and pondered for a moment before saying, "That bamboo forest is indeed suspicious. I couldn¡¯t enter it at all because I felt an invisible barrier blocking me. In my prime, I could have broken through it with magic spells, but now I¡¯m powerless. However, I can confirm that there¡¯s something within that bamboo forest, and it¡¯s been watching Panlong Town." Liu Xing nodded, in agreement. "I¡¯ve had a simr feeling. One time, when I passed by the bamboo forest, I sensed something deep inside watching me. But let¡¯s get back to the main topic. What do you need me to do, Old Cat?" The ck Cat Demon chuckled and replied, "I need you to find a few items to help me regain my strength. These items should be somewhere in Panlong Town, but for some reason, I can¡¯t sense them. That¡¯s where youe in. First, I need a cat cor. Although the Snake Demon and Donkey Demon originally made it to control me, the materials used for the cor are quite valuable, and I¡¯ve already broken its enchantments. Even if the Snake Demon is still around, it won¡¯t be able to control me again." "Next, I need a jade pendant. It has the power to calm the mind and reduce external interference. The pendant might look ordinary, so make sure you collect every jade pendant you can find; don¡¯t let any slip through your fingers. In addition to that, I require four small ck orbs. They may appear small, but they are extremely heavy and make no sound. You should be able to easily identify them. If you can¡¯t find all four, that¡¯s fine, but the more, the better." "Lastly, there¡¯s a white stone, about the size of amon pebble. It¡¯s distinctive because when you touch it, it alternates between feeling hot and cold. Once you get your hands on it, you¡¯ll know you¡¯ve found the right one. If you can retrieve these four items for me, I can regain some of my strength, and we can join forces to confront Gralki and restore Panlong Town to its former state." Liu Xing appeared calm on the surface but was deeply conflicted internally. He hadn¡¯t expected that three out of the four items the ck Cat Demon needed were already in his possession. However, he couldn¡¯t be sure of the ck Cat Demon¡¯s true intentions. In this module, it was challenging to determine the alignment of important NPCs, whether they were allies or foes. So, Liu Xing could only be certain that if he handed over all four items to the ck Cat Demon, the ck Cat Demon¡¯s strength would likely recover to somewhere between thirty to fifty percent. In the final battle, the ck Cat Demon might help his group confront Gralki, or it might assist Gralki against them. Most importantly, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t reveal this to anyone else now, as discussing it with others might lead to his demise, and that could happen at any moment. After all, the ck Cat Demon seemed unaffected by the temporal distortion. In the midst of his contemtion, the ck Cat Demon suddenly asked, "Kid, what are you thinking about right now?" Liu Xing quickly replied, "Oh, I was just thinking about whether I¡¯ve seen any of those things you mentioned before." The ck Cat Demon raised an eyebrow and grinned, saying, "I see. You¡¯re quite proactive, kid. So, tell me, have you seen any of those items I mentioned?" Liu Xing let out a sigh and said, "To be honest, I might have seen one of those items you mentioned. What do you think it could be?" Liu Xing¡¯s unexpected counter-question left the ck Cat Demon puzzled. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 407: "Earthquake" Chapter 407: "Earthquake" Liu Xing employed a strategy of retreat as advancement, catching the ck cat demon off guard. However, the ck cat demon, seasoned in experience, smiled and said, "From the tone of your voice, it seems you¡¯ve already found something, haven¡¯t you? If I¡¯m not mistaken, what you¡¯ve found should be my cat cor. Because among those four items, my cat cor looks the most useless. Even an ordinary person who gets hold of it would probably just toss it away." After hearing the ck cat demon¡¯s response, although Liu Xing couldn¡¯t psychoanalyze the demon, he had a rough idea. At the beginning, Liu Xing was concerned that the ck cat demon had been monitoring him all along, knowing that he had acquired those three items. After all, the fact that the ck cat demon could pick the right time to approach him indicated that it had been keeping an eye on him for a while. But Liu Xing found it strange. If the ck cat demon knew, why didn¡¯t it just say so outright? ording to Liu Xing¡¯s current understanding of the ck cat demon¡¯s personality, it was straightforward, didn¡¯t beat around the bush, and had no need to argue with him, given its strength. So, Liu Xing guessed that the ck cat demon genuinely couldn¡¯t see those four items. ording to the demon, its current state was highly unstable, so not being able to see some things was normal. Therefore, Liu Xing decided to employ a strategy of retreat as advancement to test the ck cat demon. If his guess was correct, Liu Xing made up his mind and said, "Old Cat, your guess is right. I¡¯ve already found that cat cor. However, the problem is that the cat cor has been damaged and split into two parts¡ªthe cor itself and an iron tag. We found these two parts in different ces." The ck cat demon furrowed its brows and said helplessly, "What happened? How did the cat cor get damaged? It was intact until my death. Bute to think of it, when I was attacked, I must have reacted instinctively, which might have caused the cor to split into two." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled, and asked, "By the way, Old Cat, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, when did you die?" The ck cat demon thought for a moment and replied, "I don¡¯t know the exact time, as creatures like us don¡¯t have a concept of time. But I do know that before I died, Gralki¡¯s disciple had already arrived in Panlong Town and put on quite a show." Hearing this, Liu Xing furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought. The ck cat demon¡¯s current statement contradicted what Xiao Mochen had previously imed. Xiao Mochen had said that the cor had been passed down by his ancestors, while the ck cat demon now stated that the cor had been intact until Gralki¡¯s disciple arrived in Panlong Town.Therefore, there was a significant discrepancy between the ounts of the ck cat demon and Xiao Mochen. Liu Xing was leaning towards the idea that Xiao Mochen was lying. If that were the case, it would also exin why Xiao Mochen knew about the Two-Five Gang¡¯s involvement. Even if someone wanted to ambush the ck cat demon while it slept, they would need to be nearly as powerful as the demon. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch the ck cat demon off guard and kill it without being detected. So, Liu Xing suspected that the person who attacked the ck cat demon was either a clone of Gralki or controlled directly by Gralki as a "disciple." However, who had killed the ck cat demon was not the most crucial question for Liu Xing. What mattered most was how Xiao Mochen had obtained the ck cat demon¡¯s cor. Clearly, Xiao Mochen couldn¡¯t have simply stumbled upon the cor along the way. First, the cor appeared worn and had a strange odor, making it unlikely that an ordinary person would choose to bring it home. Furthermore, if Xiao Mochen had genuinely discovered it identally, there would have been no need for him to im that it had been passed down by his ancestors. Additionally, Xiao Mochen had recently mentioned that his rtionship with his grandfather was strained, so it seemed unlikely that his grandfather would have passed down the cor to Xiao Dafu. However, this raised another question: how did the cor end up with Xiao Dafu? Liu Xing had personally apanied Xiao Mochen to find Xiao Dafu, so it seemed impossible for Xiao Mochen and Xiao Dafu to have coordinated their stories in advance. So, what was the exnation for all of this? At this point, the ck cat demon spoke seriously, "Kid, that damaged cat cor is meaningless to me. I need your help to repair it. ording to what you said, it¡¯s just split into two parts, so reconnecting them should suffice." Liu Xing nodded but appeared hesitant. "Old Cat, when we got the iron tag and cor, we already guessed that they could bebined. However, our attempts to connect them with ordinary materials like cotton thread or wire were unsessful. Can you tell us what we need to connect them properly?" The ck cat demon chuckled and nodded, saying, "As I mentioned earlier, the original materials of the cor and the iron tag are exceptional. They both possess powerful energies that ordinary cotton thread or wire couldn¡¯t withstand. They were originally connected using golden silkworm silk. Since you¡¯re nning to visit Gu Master Chaxi, I think you¡¯ll find the appropriate materials there. I believe they have gu worms rted to silkworms." Liu Xing thought for a moment, realizing that these missions were interconnected. However, at this moment, he had a sudden idea. With a smile, Liu Xing asked, "Old Cat, since we¡¯re talking about Gu Master Chaxi, could you help us deal with him? You know, with our current strength, dealing with Gu Master Chaxi won¡¯t be easy." The ck cat demon furrowed its brow and shook its head. "I can¡¯t do that. Although I could easily kill Gu Master Chaxi with my current strength, the problem is, I can sense that if I make a move, Gralki will alsoe after me. So, even if we kill Gu Master Chaxi, Gralki will go after us. In other words, I only have one chance to act, which means we only have one opportunity to deal with Gralki." So, Liu Xing pretended to look thoughtful and said, "I see. In that case, Old Cat, it¡¯s probably best for you not to take action right now. We¡¯ll handle Gralki, and when the time is right, you can join in to secure victory. But since you can¡¯t directly intervene, could you help us gather information about Gu Master Chaxi? We¡¯d like to know about the types of gu worms he has, where he keeps them, and whether he has any other significant means of attack besides gu worms." Facing Liu Xing¡¯s questions, after a moment of contemtion, the ck cat demon replied, "I can help you with those questions. How about this:e to the rooftop alone tonight, and I will provide you with the answers." Upon hearing this from the ck cat demon, Liu Xing felt relieved. At least the demon was willing to assist in gathering information, suggesting that it might be on their side. "Alright, I think we¡¯ve covered everything for now. Once you¡¯ve repaired the cat cor or found something else,e alone to the rooftop tonight, and I¡¯ll be there," said the ck cat demon as it stretchedzily, indicating it was about to leave. Liu Xing thought for a moment and decided to push his luck a bit further. "Old Cat, I actually have a few more important questions. Can you spare some time to answer them?" After some consideration, the ck cat demon replied, "Sure, go ahead and ask your questions. I¡¯ll tell you what I know, but keep in mind that I don¡¯t know everything, so don¡¯t expect too much from me." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright then, do you know the current whereabouts of the ck Flood Dragon? Is it still in Panlong Town?" The ck cat demon furrowed its brow and shook its head. "Old ck, I can¡¯t be sure about its current status. Although it¡¯s slightly more powerful than me, I can say for sure that it wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat Gralki. I can¡¯t sense Old ck¡¯s presence in this temporal distortion of Panlong Town, but logically, if a dead cat like me can appear here, Old ck should also be in Panlong Town." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that even the ck cat demon didn¡¯t know the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s current status. However, given the demon¡¯s uncertainty, there was still a chance that the ck Flood Dragon might appear in Panlong Town. Continuing his questioning, Liu Xing asked, "Old Cat, what¡¯s your opinion of Hu Li? You should know that she¡¯s currently assisting us, but I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something¡¯s off about her." The ck cat demon pondered for a moment before responding, "You¡¯re talking about that little fox, right? Well, she¡¯s not a bad creature, though she does have a bit of a temper. She¡¯s generally sensible, so working with her is a good choice. But I have to remind you, trust others but keep your guard up. Given the current state of Panlong Town, where drug dealers like Zha Kang inexplicably turned into Gu Master Chaxi, if that little fox were to change her mind, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising." Liu Xing nodded, although the ck cat demon¡¯s answer didn¡¯t provide much guidance. It seemed like the demon had more to imply. Finally, Liu Xing began to ask hisst question, "Alright, I have one more question I¡¯d like to ask you. Do you think..." Before Liu Xing could finish his sentence, the ck cat demon¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and it flew out of the window, almost as if it had vanished into thin air. Yes, the ck cat demon had appeared to fly out of the window in Liu Xing¡¯s eyes. Frowning, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t understand why the ck cat demon had abruptly left. Just then, Liu Xing felt the wooden bed he was on violently shaking, and nearby furniture toppled over. An earthquake? As someone from Rongcheng in real life, Liu Xing had experienced numerous earthquakes before. After bing a doctor, he had even participated in earthquake relief efforts. With his rich experience, Liu Xing rolled off the bed and took cover beneath it as the intense shaking continued. After more than ten seconds, the earthquake finally subsided. Liu Xing emerged from his hiding ce, relieved. The magnitude of the shaking had made him prepare for the possibility of the building copsing. Surviving a disaster felt good. Liu Xing took a deep breath by the window, calming himself down. However, as he regained hisposure, he realized that something was amiss about the recent "earthquake." First, if it were just an earthquake, there would be no reason for the ck cat demon to abruptly leave without a word. Moreover, based on the experiences of other yers in the forum, when encountering a natural disaster within a module, the KP usually required yers to pass an inspiration judgment and at least one luck judgment during the disaster. So, something didn¡¯t add up with this earthquake. Liu Xing began to consider the possibility that the earthquake was rted to Gralki¡¯s awakening. Perhaps Gralki had already awakened. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing that there might still be a time limit within this module. Gralki wasn¡¯t waiting around for the yers to confront him. It seemed that his group needed to advance the module¡¯s progress. The real trouble now was how to handle the ck cat demon¡¯s request. Given the current situation, Liu Xing felt that the demon might have ulterior motives, simr to Hu Li and Green Willow. However, since the ck cat demon could still provide some assistance at the moment, Liu Xing decided to repair the cat cor first and then deliver it to the demon while keeping an eye on the situation. Of course, the most challenging part was that Liu Xing couldn¡¯t inform Ling Ishikawa and the others about these developments. If he made a mistake, he would have to shoulder the me himself. The pressure was quite intense. As Liu Xing was lost in his thoughts, he heard Ling Ishikawa¡¯s voice from downstairs. "Ryuusei, are you okay?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 408: The Rampaging Pig Head Butcher Chapter 408: The Rampaging Pig Head Butcher Liu Xing hadn¡¯t expected Ling Ishikawa and the others to return so quickly, so he hastily ran to the window and called out, "I¡¯m fine, I¡¯lle down now." After saying that, Liu Xing went downstairs. Seeing Liu Xing unharmed, Ling Ishikawa breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It¡¯s great to see that you¡¯re alright, Ryuusei. That earthquake just now had me worried. I thought I wouldn¡¯t see you all until the next time point. Thankfully, Mr. Hu Cang¡¯s house is sturdy enough to keep me from being buried underground." Hu Cang chuckled and spoke, "Our houses here have solid foundations, but you must have noticed that this earthquake was quite unusual. Earthquakes are rare in Shudu, and as far as I remember, there has never been one in this temporal distortion of Panlong Town. Nobody has even mentioned earthquakes here." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that some aspects of this parallel world were simr to the real world. In Liu Xing¡¯s memory, Shudu had rarely experienced major earthquakes before 2008. However, after a significant earthquake that garnered global attention, Shudu began to face more frequent seismic activities. However, Liu Xing also remembered from the memories of "Watanabe Ryuusei" that the 2008 earthquake in this parallel world had some peculiarities. It urred in Wenchuan, but it started with three smaller earthquakes before the major magnitude 8 earthquake struck. Liu Xing spected that this earthquake might have been turned into a module by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. The yer tasked withpleting this module unfortunately failed to change history. Thinking about earthquakes, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but remember the Earth-boring Demon Worm he encountered in Earth Dragon Vige and a mysterious entity named Mi. Gou, whose true form he had not seen. He wondered if they had any connection to that major earthquake. While Liu Xing was lost in thought, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "You¡¯re right; this earthquake was indeed peculiar. I can sense that its epicenter should be in the direction of Panlong Lake. So, it¡¯s highly likely that Gralki caused it. Now the question is, has Gralki awakened, or is it preparing to trouble us?"Wan Chongshan shook his head and said seriously, "Gralki might have awakened, but I don¡¯t believe it currently has the power to confront us. If it did, Gralki would be right in front of us by now. I think Gralki has regained consciousness and the ability to act, but we should still expedite our actions. We need to eliminate those mythical creatures before Gralki makes a move." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and added, "Exactly. If we deal with the mythical creatures in Panlong Town sooner, we¡¯ll be better prepared to face Gralki. So, how did your missions go today?" While Liu Xing spoke, he nced at the items Ling Ishikawa¡¯s group had brought. He noticed that Li Dian was holding a stic container, likely containing gasoline. Ling Ishikawa nodded and smiled, "Today has been quite sessful for us. First, Hu Li volunteered to defend the rooftop exit of the supermarket after hearing about the intelligence we gathered. This way, we can drive Gu Master Chaxi to the rooftop, and Hu Li is also working on a medicine to expel any gu worms that might enter our bodies, ensuring our safety." "Then there¡¯s Xiao Mochen. Although he delivered a substantial amount of animal fur this morning, Hu Li found that one-third of it had various ws, like lower hardness and wormholes, making it unsuitable for crafting the special outfits we need. Nheless, we can still create six full-body leather suits, and we should have them by this afternoon." "Lastly, Wang Anquan came through for us. We finally met him today, and he provided us with enough gasoline and custom-made traps. Given our current situation, traps are more practical than firearms. These traps will be ready tomorrow morning, so we¡¯ve agreed with Hu Li that after the next time point, we¡¯ll set up traps and take action against Gu Master Chaxi." "As for the n, we¡¯ll enter the supermarket from the ground floor, with Zhang Jingxu and Li Dian guarding the entrance. The rest of us will go upstairs to confront Gu Master Chaxi. We¡¯ll either drive him to the rooftop or deal with him on the spot. After eliminating Gu Master Chaxi, we¡¯ll take the medicine from Hu Li to ensure we¡¯re not affected by gu worms and then leave the supermarket. Hu Li will handle the aftermath." "However, now that we have the gasoline, we¡¯ve decided to take on the Pig Head Butcher earlier. After all, the Pig Head Butcher is essentially a fearless, formidable bandit. We must seize the initiative and avoid a direct confrontation because our bird guns won¡¯t be effective against the Pig Head Butcher." After listening to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Everything was proceeding in the right direction. Furthermore, Liu Xing had nned to suggest to Hu Li to deal with the Pig Head Butcher or Water Ghost earlier to expedite the process. He was pleasantly surprised that the decision had already been made. Liu Xing inquired, "So, when do we n to take on the Pig Head Butcher?" Ling Ishikawa considered it and then smiled, saying, "We¡¯ll have to wait for news from Hu Li. She¡¯s currently investigating near the ughterhouse to confirm if the Pig Head Butcher is still there. She also needs to ensure that everyone inside the ughterhouse has evacuated. Since we n to set it on fire to kill the Pig Head Butcher, we can¡¯t risk harming innocent people by leaving the fire unattended." However, Liu Xing looked around and expressed concern, saying, "Although we know that Gralki caused this earthquake, the residents of Panlong Town are unaware of it. Judging by their current state, they don¡¯t seem to be nning to go home before the next time point. So, if we set a fire, it¡¯s highly likely that it will draw their attention." Ling Ishikawa nodded and shrugged, saying, "You¡¯re right, Ryuusei. As you know, there are fewer houses near the ughterhouse, and thend on both sides is rtively t. Many people have already set up camp there. Hu Li is trying to either drive these people away or hypnotize them. Given all this, it seems we won¡¯t be able to burn the Pig Head Butcher this afternoon. We¡¯ll have to wait and see if we can catch it off guard tonight." Liu Xing sighed and shook his head, "It¡¯s gettingplicated. Even if we act at night, someone will notice if we set a fire. Besides, the Pig Head Butcher is likely more active at night, so we won¡¯t have the element of surprise. If we have to face it head-on, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t stand a chance against the Pig Head Butcher." Zhang Jingxu chimed in, "You¡¯re absolutely right. The Pig Head Butcher is fearless, and our normal attacks won¡¯t harm it. Our bird guns are practically useless. Even regr weapons like knives would only be effective if we managed to sever one of its limbs. In closebat, we¡¯d likely be wiped out." Liu Xing and the others nodded in agreement. Just then, a series of screams,ing from people of all ages, echoed from the direction of the supermarket. Liu Xing and the others turned to see Hu Li running towards them with a group of panicked Panlong Town residents fleeing alongside her. Seeing this, Liu Xing realized what might have happened: the Pig Head Butcher had appeared! As Hu Li reached Liu Xing¡¯s group, she urgently eximed, "Quick, we need to go. The earthquake damaged the ughterhouse, and the Pig Head Butcher has awakened and started a rampage. We can¡¯t confront the Pig Head Butcher head-on right now. Let¡¯s go to Mr. Hu Cang¡¯s house and hide for a while." So, Liu Xing and the others followed Hu Li back to Hu Cang¡¯s home. To observe the Pig Head Butcher¡¯s situation, Liu Xing and the others instinctively made their way to the rooftop. At that moment, the Pig Head Butcher was walking down the streets of Panlong Town, holding a butcher¡¯s knife. Liu Xing noticed that although the Pig Head Butcher wasn¡¯t running, its long strides allowed it to move quite fast. Liu Xing estimated that even if they sprinted at full speed, they probably couldn¡¯t outrun the Pig Head Butcher. The scene unfolding before them confirmed this suspicion. A young man who had been running at full speed, initially with a distance of two to three meters between him and the Pig Head Butcher, was caught up by the Pig Head Butcher within ten seconds and then cleaved in two with a single stroke. "Damn, the Pig Head Butcher is too fast. It looks like using Kite to handle it won¡¯t work," Zhang Jingxu remarked. Liu Xing nodded and turned to Hu Li, asking, "Miss Hu Li, do you have any way to slow down the Pig Head Butcher? If we can slow it down, we might have a chance to deal with it." Hu Li shook her head in frustration, "I¡¯ve mentioned before that the Pig Head Butcher is essentially an instinct-driven zombie. My magic spells won¡¯t have any effect on it, and besides fire, the only way to control it would be to use traps. Zombies have almost no intelligence. Once we manage to control the Pig Head Butcher, we can easily dispatch it with a knife. However, we don¡¯t have the opportunity to make traps right now." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that digging a pit, the simplest kind of trap for dealing with the Pig Head Butcher, would take nearly an hour. Furthermore, Liu Xing was sure that if they started digging, KP Snow Wind would make them undergo a Luck Judgment. Failing it would alert the Pig Head Butcher, leading to a chase, and likely, casualties among their group. So, Liu Xing shook his head, but as he did, he noticed a corner of the rooftop with more than ten ss bottles. A brilliant idea struck him¡ªMolotov cocktails. The method for making Molotov cocktails was straightforward. The simplest version involved filling a ss bottle halfway with gasoline or alcohol, inserting a cloth as a wick, and ensuring the cloth was soaked in the mmable liquid for easy ignition. Using a Molotov cocktail was even simpler¡ªlight the cloth and throw it at the target. Given the current situation, using Molotov cocktails against the Pig Head Butcher seemed like an excellent choice. Liu Xing shared his idea, saying, "Mr. Hu Cang, do you have any cloth-based clothes at home? If so, please bring a few pieces of cloth and scissors up here. We¡¯ll use cloth, bottles, and gasoline to make Molotov cocktails." Hu Cang was initially puzzled but then nodded, saying, "Alright, I¡¯ll go get them!" Hu Cang left in a hurry, and Liu Xing and the others collected ss bottles from all corners of the rooftop, filling them with gasoline. After a while, Hu Cang returned with several bedsheets and a pair of scissors. Because the method for making Molotov cocktails was straightforward, KP Snow Wind did not subject their crafting to a Luck Judgment. Just as they finished crafting twenty-three Molotov cocktails, Hu Cang suddenly pped his thigh in frustration and said, "Oh no, the lighter I have at home seems to be out of gas!" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 409: Roasting the Pig Chapter 409: Roasting the Pig It was quite awkward, considering these makeshift Molotov cocktails required an open me to ignite, unlike the military-grade ones that could be activated with a pull of the ring. Furthermore, Liu Xing had checked the information on these improvised Molotov cocktails and discovered their extremely unstable nature. They would automatically explode five seconds after ignition, creating a hidden danger. So, it required the yer to throw the ignited Molotov cocktails quickly within a short timeframe, or there was a risk of self-immtion if they held onto them for too long. Therefore, if they didn¡¯t have a lighter or matches, they were in trouble. Just as Liu Xing was about to ask Zhang Jingxu and the others who had a lighter or matches, he noticed Ling Ishikawa. Liu Xing pped his thigh, suddenly remembering that Ling Ishikawa had a mobile lighter. After all, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s fireball art, although not very powerful, was more than sufficient to substitute for a lighter. Therefore, Liu Xing smiled at Ling Ishikawa and said, "Ling Ishikawa, it¡¯s time for you to show your true skills. Quickly use your fireball art." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "Oh, right, I can use fireball art. I almost forgot I had this Magic Spell. But using this fireball art is just perfect now. I have enough mana to use it more than ten times. I should be able to ignite all these Molotov cocktails." Liu Xing nodded and informed Wan Chongshan and the others about Ling Ishikawa¡¯s ability to use fireball art.With that settled, though one concern was removed, they still had a problem on their hands as they watched the pig head butcher wandering aimlessly below. After all, the pig head butcher was incredibly fast in its movements, and because itcked intelligence, it acted solely on instinct. With no more targets to attack on the street, it was like a headless fly, darting around randomly. This presented a problem because Liu Xing knew that the Molotov cocktail throws would require a throwing Judgment. He was sure that out of the five yers and two NPCs present, at least one had the throwing skill. If that were the case, Liu Xing would dare to jump down from the third floor and confront the pig head butcher directly. Therefore, Liu Xing felt that, with their base throwing skill of 20 points, it would be extremely difficult to hit the constantly changing direction of the pig head butcher. Sometimes, instincts were scarier than intelligence, and Liu Xing was certain that if their first round of Molotov cocktails failed to hit the pig head butcher, it would realize their hostile intentions. Then, it would be wary of them, making it nearly impossible to hit with Molotov cocktails in subsequent attempts. So, the first wave of Molotov cocktail attacks was crucial, determining whether they could deal with the pig head butcher or not. Liu Xing examined the Molotov cocktails in his hand and said, "What should we do? We need to find a way to slow down the pig head butcher¡¯s speed so that we can throw the Molotov cocktails more urately. If this first wave of Molotov cocktails doesn¡¯t hit, we may not have another chance to kill it today, and we might even anger it, making it continuously chase us." Hu Li rubbed his chin and said, "From my observations, it¡¯s clear that the pig head butcher is currently acting solely on instinct. Its choice of targets seems random. However, I suspect its vision has weakened or even disappeared entirely. It relies solely on its sense of hearing to determine its direction. When I first arrived at the ughterhouse, the pig head butcher suddenly burst out of it. It ignored one person who was too scared to move and another who ran away, going straight for the person who fled, not paying any attention to the trembling person in front of it." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "In that case, we can use sound to attract the pig head butcher¡¯s attention. Since the other residents of Panlong Town are hiding indoors and not making any noise, we can create some sound to lure the pig head butcher over. When ites downstairs, we can throw the Molotov cocktails directly at it. After all, Molotov cocktails are area attacks." Hu Cang added, pointing to the ss bottles on the floor, "Let¡¯s use these ss bottles to create noise. It will also distract the pig head butcher, as it won¡¯t realize that these bottles won¡¯t harm it." With the n decided, Liu Xing and the others didn¡¯t waste any time. They immediately threw several ss bottles towards the pig head butcher. Since these ss bottles were unlikely to hit the pig head butcher and would not cause any harm even if they did, KP Snow Wind did not require a throwing Judgment. Fortunately, the pig head butcher stopped in its tracks upon hearing the noise and focused its attention on the building where Liu Xing and the others were. Seeing this, Liu Xing threw another ss bottle towards the pig head butcher. "Smash." The pig head butcher, despite hearing the noise, didn¡¯t raise its head due to its inertia. Instead, it swung its pig-killing knife at the shutter door, tearing open arge hole. Just as the pig head butcher was about to squeeze through the opening, the Molotov cocktails above it had already turned into a rain of fire, about to hit the pig head butcher. At that moment, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "Since the pig head butcher did not attempt to dodge, the throwing Judgment for this round is automatically sessful. Now, let¡¯s judge the pig head butcher¡¯s position rtive to the Molotov cocktails¡¯ effective damage range. Due to the pig head butcher¡¯s unique characteristics, we have added a special feature¡ªburning value. When the pig head butcher¡¯s burning value reaches 100, it will diepletely. Each effective damage Molotov cocktail will increase the burning value by 20, and for the next 30d2 seconds (not cumtive), it will continue to increase by 1 per second." Rolling a 1d7 resulted in a 3. Rolling a 30d2 resulted in 27. 87 burning points! Liu Xing furrowed his brows, realizing that they hadn¡¯t quite reached a burning value of 100 for the pig head butcher. However, they were very close, needing just two more Molotov cocktails that could cause effective damage to the pig head butcher. Just as Liu Xing was thinking about this, the pig head butcher below suddenly emitted a painful roar. Liu Xing turned to look and saw that the pig head butcher had turned into a massive fireball, surrounded by a sea of mes. He could even smell the aroma of roasting pork. It was truly appetizing. The pig head butcher, now a fireball, began rolling on the ground instinctively in an attempt to save itself. However, Liu Xing and his group weren¡¯t going to give the pig head butcher a chance and continued to throw Molotov cocktails at it. Liu Xing: 29/20, failure. Ling Ishikawa: 36/20, failure. Zhang Jingxu: 23/20, failure. Li Dian: 90/20, failure. Wan Chongshan: 65/20, failure. Although all the Molotov cocktails thrown by Liu Xing¡¯s group in the second round missed, due to the Molotov cocktails¡¯ unique properties, a zing sea still formed around the pig head butcher, increasing its burning value by several points. Victory was within reach. Seeing the glimmer of victory, Liu Xing¡¯s group continued to throw Molotov cocktails. Since the pig head butcher only needed less than ten more points to reach a burning value of 100, KP Snow Wind didn¡¯t bother with throwing Judgments and directly increased the pig head butcher¡¯s burning value to 100. After about half a minute of roasting, the pig head butcher finally emitted another scream before copsing on the ground, lifeless. "Quick, let¡¯s retrieve the pig head butcher¡¯s knife before someone else takes it," Hu Li nervously said. Liu Xing¡¯s group hurriedly descended to the first floor, but they encountered a problem. The shutter door had been heated and discolored by the fire created by the Molotov cocktails. Liu Xing estimated that the shutter door might melt in a little while. Moreover, through the hole the pig head butcher had made, Liu Xing could see that the outside was still a sea of mes, showing no signs of extinguishing. Liu Xing furrowed his brows, feeling somewhat helpless. He said, "We just threw over twenty Molotov cocktails, and they¡¯re all piled up together. So, this sea of mes we¡¯ve created will likely continue for at least three to four minutes. We won¡¯t be able to get through from here." Hu Cang nodded and pointed towards the kitchen, saying, "Let¡¯s go this way and use the back door." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that the house had a back door. Through the back door, Liu Xing¡¯s group took about a minute to reach the front door. Fortunately, despite the pig head butcher being dead, its aura still deterred the residents of Panlong Town, and no one dared to approach its body. So, Hu Li easily retrieved the pig head butcher¡¯s knife. It was clear that the knife was of good quality, as it had been exposed to fire for so long, yet the de remained as sharp and undamaged as new. Hu Li nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Thanks to you all, I was able to deal with this rampaging pig head butcher. Once I finish making the daggers, I¡¯ll give you the promised rewards, plus an extra one to show my gratitude. Well, I¡¯ll head back now." After saying that, Hu Li took the pig head butcher¡¯s knife and left. Suddenly, it started pouring rain. It seemed that the next time point was approaching. The fire outside the door was extinguished by the downpour, and Liu Xing¡¯s group hurried inside to avoid getting drenched. After changing into dry clothes in their respective rooms, Liu Xing¡¯s group reconvened on the first floor. At this moment, Liu Xing realized that the heavy rain would continue until the next time point, meaning he would have to go to the rooftop to meet the ck cat demon in the pouring rain. He found this inconvenient, as Ling Ishikawa and the others would likely stay on the third floor in this heavy rain. If he had no valid reason to go to the rooftop, it would arouse Ling Ishikawa¡¯s curiosity or suspicion. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t reveal the ck cat demon¡¯s quest to everyone, and if Ling Ishikawa and the others followed him secretly to the rooftop, it could jeopardize the quest. Liu Xing rubbed his chin, contemting his options. However, at that moment, Ling Ishikawa suddenly pped his thigh and eximed, "Oh no!" All eyes turned to Ling Ishikawa, who looked a bit embarrassed. He exined, "I just remembered something. I have a very valuable figurine in my travel bag, and now I can¡¯t retrieve it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m feeling a bit agitated." While speaking, Ling Ishikawa discreetly exchanged a meaningful nce with Liu Xing. Liu Xing understood the message. Ling Ishikawa was referring to the underground statue in Panlong Town¡¯s middle school. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 410: Encounter with the Black Cat Demon Again Chapter 410: Encounter with the ck Cat Demon Again Liu Xing furrowed his brows as he contemted the situation. If the Pig Head Butcher had gone berserk due to Gralki¡¯s awakening, there was a possibility that the mysterious statue underground in Panlong Town might also emerge because of Gralki¡¯s revival. Liu Xing was concerned that if the mysterious statue were to surface, it could unleash even more terrifying disturbances, affecting the entire poption of Panlong Town. This could potentially plunge the entire town into chaos. However, due to the ongoing heavy rain, Liu Xing found it impractical to venture to Panlong Town Middle School to investigate further. Therefore, he could only bide his time for now. ncing at his phone, Liu Xing noted that it was only around noon. It seemed like another boring afternoon awaited them. Suddenly, Zhang Jingxu interjected, "Uh-oh, I just realized something. When we were in front of Hu Li, we kept addressing Ling Ishikawa as ¡¯Ling Ishikawa¡¯ instead of ¡¯Ishikawa Ayako¡¯ or just ¡¯Ayako,¡¯ didn¡¯t we?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Yes, that¡¯s right. At that time, I was a bit nervous and forgot that Hu Li was nearby. So, I directly called her ¡¯Ling Ishikawa.¡¯ But given the circumstances, Hu Li probably won¡¯t mind these details. Besides, I was speaking in the Ind Nation Language, so telepathicmunication could be considered a form of trantion. Hu Li might think she misheard or misunderstood... Well, I can¡¯t keep making excuses. Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯re on your own." At this point, Ling Ishikawa wore a resigned expression and replied, "Well, I think I¡¯m on the brink of death now. You guys better prepare to collect my corpse. After all, Hu Li is a perceptive person. She probably suspects or even knows my true identity by now... Oh well, I believe Hu Li will eventually realize my true identity because the few times I met her alone, I could sense her subtly probing me, and I¡¯ve shown some vulnerabilities." Liu Xing nodded and reassured, "It¡¯s alright. We won¡¯t really die in Panlong Town, and now we have a cooperative rtionship with Hu Li. She probably won¡¯t act recklessly against us anymore. After all, our only chance to leave this temporal distortion in Panlong Town and return to the real world is through cooperation." "I hope so," sighed Ling Ishikawa, sensing the awkward atmosphere.To lighten the mood, Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said, "But all jokes aside, we¡¯ve been pretty lucky today. If we hadn¡¯t obtained gasoline from Wang Anquan, we¡¯d probably be huddled in our homes right now, trembling in fear. Moreover, that berserk Pig Head Butcher might have broken in and attacked us." Liu Xing nodded, understanding that in the Cthulhu RPG Game, the Pig Head Butcher would definitely target the yers if it chose to attack. So, Liu Xing could imagine the chaotic scene of himself and his group fleeing through the streets with the Pig Head Butcher in pursuit. Looking back, he realized that Zhang Jingxu and the others had been fortunate to meet Wang Anquan and secure gasoline. Speaking of Wang Anquan, Liu Xing suddenly thought of an issue and asked, "By the way, Zhang Jingxu, didn¡¯t you say earlier that Wang Anquan would need until tomorrow to provide us with the animal traps he¡¯s crafting for us? But once tonight passes, it will be a new day. So, won¡¯t we miss out on those traps?" The smile on Zhang Jingxu¡¯s face gradually faded. "You¡¯re right. It seems we¡¯ll have to pay another visit to Wang Anquanter to get as many traps as we can. However, now that the Pig Head Butcher has been turned into barbecue, we don¡¯t need to worry about any mythical creatures suddenly emerging in the downpour." Wan Chongshan chimed in, "Indeed, we¡¯ve been fortunate. Even if we don¡¯t get those traps, we can still hold off the ck Cat Demon long enough for Hu Li to intercept Gu Master Chaxi on the supermarket rooftop. But due to certain ¡¯unmentionable¡¯ reasons, I have to keep that to myself." Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think of another matter. He spoke earnestly, "Speaking of this heavy rain, it¡¯s the perfect time for water ghosts to be active. Do you think water ghosts might be roaming around in the downpour?" Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before saying, "It¡¯s indeed a possibility. Normally, water ghosts stay submerged in water, and even when theye ashore, it¡¯s usually along riverbanks orkeshores with abundant moisture. In conditions like this heavy rain, water ghosts could indeed wander around Panlong Town. So, when we go to Wang Anquanter, we might encounter water ghosts." Li Dian, feeling somewhat frustrated, added, "On that note, we don¡¯t seem to have any effective methods to deal with water ghosts. Our bird gun is definitely useless, and while Ling Ishikawa¡¯s thunder and lightning technique theoretically deals high damage to water ghosts, it requires hitting them first, and the water ghosts can¡¯t stay in the water. As for closebat, well, none of us are skilled fighters..." Ling Ishikawa shrugged, saying, "If I had a suitable weapon, my melee abilities would be quite decent. However, I doubt I¡¯ll find any suitable weapons in Panlong Town, and using shape-shifting significantly weakens my strength." Liu Xing nced at Ling Ishikawa¡¯s currently slender arms and legs, nodding in understanding. Just then, Hu Cang brought out lunch, and they all began eating, despite the peculiar "meat aroma" still wafting in from outside the door. After finishing their meal, Liu Xing and the others returned to the third floor to rest in their respective rooms. With the heavy rain outside, there wasn¡¯t much they could do. Liu Xing gazed at the pouring rain outside and turned to Zhang Jingxu, asking, "Zhang Jingxu, how is it possible that China¡¯s Daoist sects didn¡¯t notice Panlong Town¡¯s eerie state, especially considering it¡¯s located near Rongcheng? It should have been rtively easy to discover, right?" Liu Xing had wanted to ask this question for a while now. ording to Hu Cang, Panlong Town was located near Rongcheng, just an hour¡¯s drive away, and it had close ties to the surrounding towns, as evidenced by the number of outside vendorsing to Fengchang Tian. Furthermore, Panlong Town still had hundreds of residents. Therefore, the situation in Panlong Town in 1999 should have alreadye to the attention of relevant authorities. Supernatural events like this would undoubtedly be known to the Daoist sects in China, especially since more than a decade had passed. Something didn¡¯t add up. Zhang Jingxu rubbed his chin, feeling conflicted. "Ryuusei, you¡¯re right. ording to all logic, the Daoist sects in China should have been aware of Panlong Town¡¯s situation. China¡¯s Daoist sects have been cooperating with the government, and if any supernatural phenomena urred within China¡¯s borders, the government would notify the Daoist sects to handle it. In a case like Panlong Town, it would be impossible for it to remain undiscovered and unaddressed for over a decade." "Moreover, ording to the regtions of our Daoist sects in China, in cases like Panlong Town, which are exceptionally rare, whether or not the Daoist sects have fully resolved the situation, they would still provide certain details and rmendations to make their members aware of such urrences. This way, members would have some understanding of how to handle such situations when they encounter them. However, to my knowledge, the Daoist sects in China haven¡¯t disclosed any information about Panlong Town." At this point, Liu Xing was even more puzzled. "That¡¯s strange. Could it be that Gralki¡¯s power is so immense that it canpletely erase Panlong Town from the real world or erase its existence from the real world?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said resignedly, "Ryuusei, what you¡¯re suggesting is even less likely. While the Great Old Ones are indeed powerful, their abilities haven¡¯t exceeded ourprehension. You understand what I mean, right, Ryuusei?" Liu Xing understood Zhang Jingxu¡¯s meaning, as he had raised this issue himself. However, he realized that he could now entertain a daring idea, even though itcked evidence. Soon, the afternoon passed by. Having spent an idle afternoon, Liu Xing and his group intended to go their separate ways after dinner. Liu Xing, of course, had no intention of going to Wang Anquan¡¯s ce since he still needed to meet the ck Cat Demon on the rooftop. With a little instigation from Liu Xing for safety¡¯s sake, Ling Ishikawa and her group decided to visit Wang Haiyang together. After Ling Ishikawa¡¯s group left, Liu Xing grabbed an umbre and headed to the rooftop. On the rooftop, the ck Cat Demon was crouched on the railing of a small fishpond, quietly watching the fish. As a supernatural being, the ck Cat Demon remainedpletely dry despite the heavy rain, which seemed to magically avoid touching its body. Impressive. Upon seeing Liu Xing, the ck Cat Demon smiled and said, "I thought you wouldn¡¯te to the rooftop in this heavy rain today. I was nning to summon you up here early tomorrow." Liu Xing shook his head and replied earnestly, "That¡¯s impossible, Cat Elder. If you call me, how could I note? Besides, you¡¯re here with valuable information for us. Both personally and for the greater good, I shoulde." Timing was everything. The ck Cat Demon chuckled and said, "Looks like you know how to talk. I like people like you. Alright, since your friends are all out, let¡¯s go back to your room to talk. I can¡¯t let you stand here in the rain." Liu Xing nodded, following the ck Cat Demon downstairs. Back in the room, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t wait to ask, "Cat Elder, how is the situation now?" After a moment of thought, the ck Cat Demon began to speak, "Gu Master Chaxi has already sensed that something is amiss. Your actions today while dealing with the Pig Head Butcher raised his suspicions. After all, there¡¯s a certain connection between Gu Master Chaxi and the Pig Head Butcher. So, after seeing you kill the Pig Head Butcher, he arranged for Xiao Dafu and others to monitor you, and Gu Master Chaxi has likely learned some information about you through Xiao Dafu." "However, these details aren¡¯t important. Because at the next time point, Gu Master Chaxi shouldn¡¯t retain any memories from this moment. So, you don¡¯t need to worry about him being on guard against you. But for safety¡¯s sake, you must deal with Gu Master Chaxi as soon as possible. You probably guessed it, but Gralki has already awakened, and it almost discovered me." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that the ck Cat Demon didn¡¯t know how to break Gralki¡¯s barrier. So, Liu Xing asked tentatively, "Cat Elder, do you know Green Willow?" Upon hearing the words "Green Willow," the ck Cat Demon¡¯s eyes sharpened. "Green Willow, huh? I didn¡¯t expect you to know her name. Anyway, let me give you a piece of advice: you should be cautious about getting too close to that person. You might end up getting duped." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised by the ck Cat Demon¡¯s evaluation of Green Willow. It seemed that the ck Cat Demon had some unresolved issues with her. Liu Xing quickly changed the subject, "I see. Thank you for your advice, Cat Elder. Now, back to the main topic, how powerful is Gu Master Chaxi now? Has he set any traps in the supermarket building?" The ck Cat Demon pondered for a moment before replying, "Gu Master Chaxi is indeed a cautious person. He has not only set various traps inside the supermarket building but also modified the entire structure. If you enter without caution, you will be caught off guard by Gu Master Chaxi. However, I¡¯ve obtained the structuralyout of the supermarket building and the locations of the traps. I¡¯ll give them to youter." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 411: The Kid in the Player Chapter 411: The Kid in the yer Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, pondering whether the ck cat demon¡¯s ws were suitable for drawingplex diagrams. The ck cat demon noticed Liu Xing¡¯s gaze on its ws and chuckled, "What are you looking at, kid? While my ws may not be ideal for drawing, I can use a minimal amount of energy to control the pen and create precise drawings without missing a single detail." Liu Xing nodded quickly, smiling, "I see. So, Cat Elder, can you give me theyout diagram of the supermarket building now?" The ck cat demon shook its head and replied, "I didn¡¯t expect you to visit me tonight, so I stored theyout diagram of the supermarket building in a rainproof location. Although I can make rain pass through my body, I cannot guarantee the diagram won¡¯t get wet without using some mana. So, wait here for a moment, and I¡¯ll retrieve it for you." With that, the ck cat demon leaped out of the window and vanished into the pouring rain. After a while, it returned with a piece of paper in its mouth. Liu Xing took the paper from the ck cat demon¡¯s mouth and noticed that it hadn¡¯t been wet, with only a few small raindrops on it. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but admire the ck cat demon¡¯s strength. It seemed that the demon was more powerful than at least ten of himselfbined. He unfolded the paper and finally saw theyout diagram of the supermarket building.As the ck cat demon had mentioned, Gu Master Chaxi had made significant alterations to the supermarket building,pletely changing its originalyout. For instance, on the third floor, which Liu Xing was most familiar with, the original structure of three rooms and a living room had been entirely opened up, turning it into onerge hall. However, what struck Liu Xing as strange was that the ck cat demon hadn¡¯t marked any "traps" or "gu worms" on the third floor, while the first and second floors had beenbeled. Could it be that Gu Master Chaxi didn¡¯t prepare defenses on the third floor? Liu Xing raised this question with the ck cat demon. The ck cat demon chuckled and pointed at the third floor, saying, "The third floor is indeed special. Its primary function is as a sacrificial site. When Gu Master Chaxi wants to offer a human sacrifice to Gralki or other powerful deities, they will bring the victims to the third floor for execution. Their blood is used to draw the ritual magic circle, and the victim¡¯s organs and body parts are arranged in a specific pattern on the circle. So, Gu Master Chaxi converted the third floor into arge hall, with no other arrangements, as it¡¯s not permitted to have anything else in a sacrificial site." "Now, let¡¯s take a look at the first floor. You probably know that it appears like a regr supermarket, but Gu Master Chaxi has hidden surveince bugs in every corner. These surveince bugs have a single function: they can share their vision with Gu Master Chaxi. So, when you entered the supermarket, Gu Master Chaxi already knew. If you make any suspicious moves, Gu Master Chaxi, who usually stays on the second floor, will take action." "On the second floor, you¡¯ll find Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s true stronghold. Therefore, numerous traps have been set up there. First, at the corner of the staircase between the first and second floors, where there should be light fixtures, Gu Master Chaxi has installed poisoned knives. When activated, these knives will drop freely, and if you get hit, you¡¯ll either be unlucky enough to die instantly or suffer from a lethal poison. Either way, you won¡¯te out unscathed. Since this staircase is devoid of sunlight, it¡¯s quite dim, and without my warning, there¡¯s a high chance you¡¯d fall victim to it." "Next is the second trap, which is simr to the first one. Gu Master Chaxi has created a hiddenyer in the ceiling of the entire second floor. When triggered, it releases a swarm of devouring insects living within. Individually, these insects aren¡¯t powerful, but when they work together, they can be a formidable force. Even at my peak, I wouldn¡¯t dare to confront them head-on. However, these insects have a significant weakness ¨C they fear fire. Using fire against them would eliminate the threat swiftly." "As for Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s gu worms, there are three types. The first is the Gu Master¡¯s personal Worm King, which you¡¯re probably aware of how to cultivate. It involves cing various poisonous insects in a sealed container, and the one that survives bes a gu worm. Then, a hundred gu worms are ced together, and the one that survives bes the Worm King. The Worm King¡¯s primary role is to help Gu Masters control other gu worms. In essence, if you control the Worm King, you control all surrounding gu worms." "However, the specific type of Worm King varies. Based on my special investigation, Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s Worm King should be a Heart-Changing Silkworm. It¡¯s tiny and looks like a maggot, but it can enter the brains of most creatures, secrete a silk-like substance, and take control of the host. Only by removing the silk can you break the control, but that¡¯s nearly impossible." "Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s second gu worm is the Poison Burst Insect, which is about the size of a cockroach and capable of flight. Upon receiving Gu Master Chaxi¡¯smand, these insects charge recklessly toward their target. When they approach or are about to die, they self-destruct, releasing a poison that covers a one-meter radius. If the poison touches your skin, you¡¯ll suffer various adverse effects, possibly leading to death." "Lastly, Gu Master Chaxi has a gu worm called the Mutant Worm. This gu worm is more like an exotic species, containing a unique liquid that, when injected into a creature, induces gic mutations within a short time. I don¡¯t know the specifics, as I only learned about it during a conversation with some foreign friends. This is my first time encountering the Mutant Worm, so I can¡¯t say what it will turn people into, but I¡¯d advise against risking it." After hearing the ck cat demon¡¯s exnations, Liu Xing¡¯s brows were twisted in knots. He hadn¡¯t expected Gu Master Chaxi to be such a formidable adversary. Firstly, the surveince bugs, while seemingly non-aggressive, provided Gu Master Chaxi with a significant advantage by transmitting their every move to him. In both the game and reality, the importance of having the upper hand in information was undeniable. Having the advantage of information allowed Gu Master Chaxi to n strategies based on their group¡¯s actions, while Liu Xing¡¯s group,cking this advantage, could only react passively, improvising as they went along. Furthermore, Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s remaining gu worms were nothing to be underestimated. In Liu Xing¡¯s eyes, the Devouring Insects were likely simr to Army Ants in nature, but they might be stronger in terms of size and individualbat abilities. If these insects got too close, it could be troublesome. Then there was the Heart-Changing Silkworm that Liu Xing had already encountered. Its ability seemed incredibly overpowered, as leaving silk threads in a creature¡¯s brain allowed control over that creature. Although the ck cat demon didn¡¯t mention it, Liu Xing suspected that there might be a limit to the number of creatures the Heart-Changing Silkworm could control. Next was the Poison Burst Insect, which made Liu Xing think of a game abbreviated as "sc2." In this game, there was a unit called the Poison Burst Insect with abilities simr to Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s, although thetter¡¯s version seemed to be a weaker one. However, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the size of the cockroaches mentioned by the ck cat demon. After all, there was a significant size difference between Northern and Southern Chinese cockroaches. Considering Panlong Town¡¯s location in southwestern China, it was more likely referring to Southern cockroaches. The thought of facing these giant Southern cockroaches, which could fly, made Liu Xing shudder. Thinking of countless Southern cockroaches swarming towards him and exploding in a shower of oily liquid gave him chills. As for the Mutant Worm, Liu Xing perceived it as something straight out of a biohazard scenario. It had the potential to mutate creatures into horrifying bio-weapons. However, Liu Xing assumed that the Mutant Worm would only be used as ast resort by Gu Master Chaxi. From the information provided by the ck cat demon, it was clear that Gu Master Chaxi held far more cards than their group. Therefore, Liu Xing felt grateful for the information provided by the ck cat demon. However, the problem now was that he couldn¡¯t directly share this information with Ling Ishikawa and the others. Since he couldn¡¯t reveal the existence of the ck cat demon, Liu Xing needed a usible exnation for the information. It wasn¡¯t like he could say he obtained it through stargazing and divination. His head was starting to ache. Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s dilemma, the ck cat demon added, "Kid, don¡¯t forget the agreement we made. You can share this information with others, but you must never mention my presence. Do you understand what I mean?" Liu Xing nodded reluctantly and said, "Cat Elder, why do you insist on hiding your identity? Mypanions and I share the same goal as you¡ªto deal with Gralki. So, why not reveal yourself to them?" The ck cat demon gave Liu Xing a meaningful look and replied, "Kid, things aren¡¯t as simple as you think. Let me ask you this: do you really understand yourpanions? Do you fully trust them?" These two questions from the ck cat demon left Liu Xing at a loss for words. After all, he was currently in the persona of "Watanabe Ryuusei." Besides having some knowledge about "Ling Ishikawa," he knew very little about "Zhang Jingxu." As for the neers, "Li Dian" and "Wan Chongshan," Liu Xing hardly knew anything about them. Regarding trust, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t honestly say he hadplete trust in hispanions, especially given his cautious nature as "Watanabe Ryuusei." Even trusting "Ling Ishikawa"pletely was difficult. However, since the ck cat demon brought up these questions, Liu Xing realized that there might be a hidden message. For instance, in the yer group, there could also be a "Kid." Liu Xing¡¯s thoughts turned to the Judgment during the "Interlude Growth," where he had chosen a number of question marks. It seemed that this Judgment held some significance. The reason the ck cat demon had found him might be because he had chosen a corresponding number in that Judgment. In a yer group of this size, having one "Kid" was entirely usible. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing asked tentatively, "Cat Elder, are you suggesting that among mypanions, there¡¯s someone else like Xiao Mochen?" The ck cat demon chuckled and replied seriously, "Yes, among yourpanions, there is indeed someone like Xiao Mochen, a follower of Gralki. However, because Gralki¡¯s power protects them, I can¡¯t be sure who among yourpanions is the follower of Gralki. But I can assure you that it¡¯s not you, which is why I sought you out." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and fell into deep contemtion. If there was another "Kid" among the yers, it would most likely not be "Ling Ishikawa," as both of them were devout followers of King Hastur in Yellow Robes. It was unlikely that they would align themselves with Gralki, a rtively weaker Great Old One. Additionally, Liu Xing trusted Zhang Jingxu, considering his strong connection to the traditional Daoist sects in China. It seemed improbable for him to associate with a malevolent entity like Gralki. Therefore, Liu Xing narrowed down the possibilities to either Li Dian or Wan Chongshan. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 412: The Help of the Black Cat Demon Chapter 412: The Help of the ck Cat Demon If there was only one suspicious character among the group, Liu Xing believed it would be Wan Chongshan. Wan Chongshan¡¯s luck in this module had been unusually good, and he had never mentioned his good fortune before. Europeans with good luck were often known to boast about it whenever possible, as humans, in general, had a tendency to seek recognition. Even someone like Liu Xing, with average luck, would mention their decent fortune when the topic came up. However, Wan Chongshan remained tight-lipped about it, but when others praised his good luck, he acted as if it were expected. This made Liu Xing increasingly suspicious of Wan Chongshan because he knew that in certain modules, yers with special affiliations could manipte the oue of the dice to some extent. If Wan Chongshan were indeed a Gralki believer, then in the current temporal distortion of Panlong Town, he would have the freedom to do as he pleased. Moreover, Liu Xing remembered that Wan Chongshan¡¯s profession was a geologist, meaning he must have traveled extensively and likely had encounters withkes. This made it usible that Wan Chongshan had met Gralki and be a believer. Most importantly, Liu Xing had wondered before how someone with a seeminglyckluster profession like a geologist could have reached their current level. After all, most geologist professions hardly ever utilized their skills. However, there was a saying in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall forum, "As long as you be a Great Old One¡¯s believer, no matter howckluster your profession may be, you can thrive in the Cthulhu RPG Game because you have the backing of a Great Old One." By the way, those who became believers of Great Old Ones were collectively referred to as "faithful yers" to distinguish them from yers who chose the path of fanatic believers. Since faithful yers had the backing of a Great Old One, they were usually guaranteed to seed in their objectives, as their missions often conflicted with those of regr yers. In this module, for instance, as a Gralki believer, the main quest was undoubtedly to ensure that other yers stayed in Panlong Town. However, since faithful yers often operated alone, they were frequently outnumbered and had certain advantages in the module, such as controlling the dice during their Judgment andmanding certain mythical creatures or NPCs, allowing them to uncover the truth behind the module in advance. Thinking about this, Liu Xing became more convinced that the ck cat demon was telling the truth rather than sowing discord. However, he also began to suspect that Li Dian might be a Gralki believer.Upon closer consideration, Li Dian had been quite uninvolved in this module, showing little initiative and minimal presence. This was highly unusual because yers who made it to the Shoggoth Region advancement module were usually skilled inmunication. After all, Cthulhu RPG Game was fundamentally a tabletop game that required yers to interact effectively, significantly affecting everyone¡¯s gaming experience. In the current Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall,munication skills were even more critical due to their impact on information gathering and integration, as well as the life-and-death matters at hand. For a yer to be passive and unengaged in the Shoggoth Region advancement module was almost unheard of, unless they had already given up on advancing to the Hound of Tindalos area. Therefore, Liu Xing found Li Dian¡¯s behavior highly abnormal. With this in mind, Liu Xing tentatively asked, "Cat Elder, I¡¯d like to confirm something. Are you sure that among mypanions, there¡¯s only one Gralki believer?" The ck cat demon nodded and replied with a smile, "That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m quite certain. Among your fourpanions, only one is a Gralki believer. However, it seems like you have suspicions about more than one person, given your current demeanor." Liu Xing awkwardly nodded, realizing that doubting his teammates was not a good sign. However, the ck cat demon had a different perspective. Looking at Liu Xing, the ck cat demon nodded in satisfaction and said, "Kid, this isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. In your human terms, it¡¯s a matter of not knowing what yourpanions are truly thinking. And if I¡¯m not mistaken, you seem to be suspicious of two people now, considering your close rtionships with them." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and continued, "That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve known the other twopanions for a while now, and I¡¯m familiar with their situations, so I¡¯m confident they are not Gralki believers. As for the other two, I met them only recently in Panlong Town, and their behavior here has been somewhat suspicious." "I see. Well, it looks like you¡¯ll have to find a way to distinguish between friend and foeter. But let me remind you, don¡¯t rush into things. It¡¯s better to y the long game and catch the big fish," the ck cat demon said in a serious tone. y the long game, catch the big fish. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding the ck cat demon¡¯s advice. It was indeed a good strategy. If there was a Gralki believer among them, Liu Xing had already deduced their likely n. They would likely hide in the early to mid-game, gain the trust of their group, and then betray them during the final showdown with Gralki. With this knowledge and the knowledge of the believer¡¯s existence, Liu Xing could prevent any potential betrayal. With these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing found the ck cat demon to be more reliable than before. Just then, the ck cat demon spoke again, "Kid, I¡¯ve found the materials you need to repair that cor. It¡¯s the silk from Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s heart-changing silkworm. Although it appears delicate, its durability is remarkable. You only need one strand to thread it through the iron te and cor. So, after you¡¯ve killed Gu Master Chaxi, make sure to get hold of the heart-changing silkworm. If you can¡¯t retrieve the silk yourself, hand over the heart-changing silkworm, the iron te, and the cor to me." Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "I understand, Cat Elder. However, I still want to ask if there¡¯s any way to make those gu worms lose their desire to attack me. You see, if I were to be killed by those gu worms, I wouldn¡¯t be able to retrieve the silk from the heart-changing silkworm." Despite having a jade pendant and leather protective clothing, Liu Xing still worried that the gu worms could harm his group, excluding the Gralki believer. So, having an additionalyer of protection would be ideal. After some thought, the ck cat demon nodded and said, "You¡¯re right. If you die, there¡¯s a chance the fox spirit might take the heart-changing silkworm¡¯s silk. That fox spirit is a bit stingy, and once she gets her hands on something, it¡¯s challenging to retrieve it. So, I¡¯ll tell you a few methods to avoid gu worm attacks." "First, as I mentioned before, there¡¯s the jade pendant. If you wear it, all gu worms except the heart-changing silkworm will lose their desire to attack you. However, remember that Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s heart-changing silkworm is a parasite, and it will carry out his orders without hesitation, except when the poison burst insect¡¯s venom sshes during an explosion." "The second method involves making an insect repellent. This repellent emits a strong, unpleasant odor and can cause substantial harm to certain types of gu worms, making them avoid you under normal circumstances. However, the downside is that the materials for this repellent are scarce, and the smell can be torturous for humans. You might find only a couple of materials like this in all of Panlong Town." "Then there¡¯s the leather protective clothing you¡¯re already wearing. It can provide some protection against Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s gu worms, but the tooth structure of the devouring insects is quite formidable, and the venom of the poison burst insect has some corrosive properties. With proper use, your leather protective clothing should help you avoid gu worm attacks." "Lastly, the fourth method is for you to be a Gu Master yourself. Unless you¡¯re born into a rival family or apprentice to a rival sect¡¯s Gu Master, most Gu Masters tend to coexist harmoniously. When Gu Masters create gu worms, they initially give their gu worms an order not to attack any other Gu Masters unless they issue a specificmand to do so. To issue newmands to gu worms, a Gu Master needs about half an hour to perform the necessary ritual." "So, if you be a Gu Master, Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s gu worms won¡¯t attack you, and he won¡¯t have the time to issue newmands to his gu worms. That way, you won¡¯t have to fear his gu worms anymore. Moreover, I happen to have a Gu Master training manual and the essential items needed to be a Gu Master. If you¡¯re interested, I¡¯d be happy to give them to you." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, finding the first three methods mentioned by the ck cat demon somewhat expected. However, the fourth method was beyond his imagination. What made Liu Xing wary was the fact that the ck cat demon happened to possess a set of tools for bing a Gu Master. It made Liu Xing wonder if the cat demon had an ulterior motive. Observing Liu Xing¡¯s changing expressions, the ck cat demon smiled and said, "Kid, I understand that you might not fully trust me and suspect that I have some ulterior motives. After all, in this world, acts of kindness are rare. But let me tell you the truth. I have various items rted to special professions, such as Western magic books, Chinese martial arts manuals, astrologer¡¯s crystal balls, and the like. The items rted to Gu Masters, I acquired from a bear demon in the Miao territory region over thirty years ago." Liu Xing, hearing this, nodded and replied with a smile, "I see, it seems I misunderstood your intentions, and I apologize for doubting you. So, may I ask what price needs to be paid to be a Gu Master?" The ck cat demon shook its head and said, "Bing a Gu Master doesn¡¯t require any specific payment. As long as you have the aptitude, you can be one. In simple terms, you need to learn the Gu Master¡¯s most basic magic spell, the insect control technique, and then use it on the Gu Master¡¯s emblem, the gu stone. If you sessfully cast the spell, it will activate the gu stone, and you¡¯ll be a Gu Master." Liu Xing was surprised to learn that bing a Gu Master was so straightforward. He had initially thought it might involve something like the gu worms recognizing their master through blood. Now that he knew the conditions were simple, he considered giving it a try. After all, having additional skills couldn¡¯t hurt. With determination, Liu Xing said, "In that case, please give me the items needed to be a Gu Master." The ck cat demon nodded and smiled, "Certainly. I¡¯ve collected these items over time, and they¡¯re of no use to me. I¡¯ll go get them for you now. I hope you can be a Gu Master as soon as possible." After saying this, the ck cat demon left once again. As the ck cat demon departed, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling in the distance. However, these dice seemed to be rolling incessantly, unlike the controlled rolls during a typical Judgment. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing the severity of the situation ¨C Ling Ishikawa and the others had likely encountered a real water ghost! Liu Xing wanted to go and help, but he couldn¡¯t find a suitable reason to approach Ling Ishikawa and the group. So, he could only sigh in frustration and silently pray that they could defeat the water ghost. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 413: Slaying the Water Ghost Chapter 413: ying the Water Ghost After a while, the sound of dice rolling from the other side continued incessantly, making Liu Xing increasingly uneasy. Just by listening to the dice hitting the ground, he could tell that the battle between Zhang Jingxu and the others against the Water Ghost was intense. However, fortunately, at this point, Jingxu and his group had not suffered any casualties. Just then, the ck Cat Demon returned. This time, the ck Cat Demon carried a yellowed booklet in its mouth and a small stone. The ck Cat Demon ced the items on the table and said, "Kid, it seems like yourpanions have been attacked by a Water Ghost." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting the ck Cat Demon to know about the Water Ghost attacking Zhang Jingxu and the others. However, this provided him with a reason to go and help. So, Liu Xing feigned surprise and said, "What? Mypanions were attacked by a Water Ghost? I can¡¯t let that happen. I need to go help them right away!" Liu Xing was about to leave the room, but the ck Cat Demon didn¡¯t give him the chance. "Kid, you can¡¯t go help yourpanions right now. I can sense that this attack by the Water Ghost was deliberate, someone intentionally lured the Water Ghost here. I suspect it might be that Gralki¡¯s follower causing trouble. And his purpose in doing so is likely to frame you," the ck Cat Demon said seriously. Liu Xing was genuinely surprised this time. "What? Are you saying that the hoodlum wants to frame me? That¡¯s strange. He can¡¯t just use me of sending the Water Ghost to attack them without any evidence, can he? His only reason is that I didn¡¯t apany them?"In Liu Xing¡¯s opinion, whether it was Li Dian or Wan Chongshan as the hoodlum, neither of them would be foolish enough to frame him like this. After all, they should know that he had a good rtionship with Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu. Unless they had solid evidence, Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu would not suspect him. Wait a minute! Liu Xing suddenly realized something. The hoodlum didn¡¯t need to convince Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu to suspect him. He only needed to convince Li Dian or Wan Chongshan! Because at the beginning of this module, yers were divided into two groups: Liu Xing with Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu, and Li Dian with Wan Chongshan. So, even if Li Dian and Wan Chongshan didn¡¯t know each other at the start of this module, after a few days of interaction and getting along, their rtionship should have improved. So, now assuming the hoodlum was Wan Chongshan, he would know that ording to the module¡¯s progress, they only needed one or two more time points to resolve the issue with Gu Master Chaxi and the Water Ghost. Then they could have the final showdown with Gralki¡¯s avatar. At that time, Gralki¡¯s avatar¡¯s power wouldn¡¯t have fully recovered to its best state within this module. So, Wan Chongshan believed that even if he betrayed his group, he might not be able to help Gralki¡¯s avatar eliminate the other yers. Moreover, the other yers would likely turn their anger against him, and he might end up being surrounded and killed. So, now Wan Chongshan, if he¡¯s not foolish, would realize that he had only two options. The first option was to find an opportunity to dy the progress, buying time for Gralki¡¯s avatar to recover. But in the current situation, unless he informed Gu Master Chaxi and the Water Ghost to escape early, they would undoubtedly be doomed. However, Wan Chongshan couldn¡¯t find a suitable solo action, and if Gu Master Chaxi and the Water Ghost suddenly fled, it might raise suspicions of leaks. Therefore, Wan Chongshan could only choose the second option, which was to sow discord. First, Wan Chongshan knew that the three-person group of Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Zhang Jingxu, although not inseparable, had a good rtionship. So, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to sow discord among them in a short time. Therefore, Wan Chongshan¡¯s best target was Li Dian. After all, after some time of interaction, Wan Chongshan and Li Dian¡¯s rtionship must have progressed, at the very least to a friendly level. So, this provided a basis formunication. Wan Chongshan only needed to find a suitable opportunity to sow discord between Li Dian and the trio of Liu Xing, causing Li Dian to stand on his side. Then, Wan Chongshan and Li Dian could betray Liu Xing¡¯s group together. This way, as long as the betrayal seeded, Wan Chongshan would essentially secure a victory. And throughout this text, "Wan Chongshan" can be reced with "Li Dian." Thinking of this, Liu Xing realized that he shouldn¡¯t go and help because it might expose the ck Cat Demon¡¯s presence. Even if he made up a reason to help, the hoodlum might use it as an opportunity to cause trouble. So, Liu Xing knew that the best thing he could do now was to stay in the room and wait for Zhang Jingxu and the others to return. After all, at this stage of the module, yers could "die ande back to life," so killing other yers wouldn¡¯t have any meaning. At this point, the ck Cat Demon spoke again. "Kid, I see you¡¯ve figured it out. Now, stay in this room, study the book I brought you. If you have talent, you might learn the Insect Control Technique in one or two hours. Then you can advance to be a Gu Master. Alright, I¡¯ll go take a look over there. Maybe I can identify who is Gralki¡¯s follower." With that, the ck Cat Demon left once more. Liu Xing sighed, picked up the small booklet from the table. "Gu Master¡¯s Beginner¡¯s Handbook," a booklet that recorded how an ordinary person could be a Gu Master. Due to the author¡¯s limitations and reasons, reading this booklet required passing an 80% sess rate Judgment. After passing the Judgment, the reader needed to spend 1d10 hours reading the book and would lose 1d5 sanity points. Afterward, the reader would learn the skill: Insect Control Technique. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by how peculiar this Beginner¡¯s Handbook was. The fact that he had to pass a Judgment due to the author¡¯s writing skills was unexpected, but luckily, the sess rate of the Judgment was high and almost impossible to fail. However, Liu Xing suddenly realized a problem: he didn¡¯t understand Chinese at all! After all, mentalmunication couldn¡¯t work with written text. Unless this was a talking book... Liu Xing opened the Beginner¡¯s Handbook hopefully and found that he indeed didn¡¯t recognize the characters. Frustrated, Liu Xing scratched his head and sighed, "How am I supposed to learn this?" Liu Xingy on the bed in resignation, contemting life. First of all, he couldn¡¯t bring out the Gu Master¡¯s Beginner¡¯s Handbook to have Zhang Jingxu or Hu Cang trante it. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t exin where he got the handbook, and its nature was very sensitive. Panlong Town had only one Gu Master, which was Chaxi. Liu Xing didn¡¯t want to be mistaken for a follower of Gralki. Liu Xing sighed and turned over, only to find his head hitting something. He reached out and found his phone. His eyes lit up, and he quickly unlocked his phone and opened a trantion app. Beforeing to China, Watanabe Ryuusei had anticipated possiblenguage barriers and had downloaded a trantion app. Now, it seemed like it wasing in handy. Liu Xing checked his phone¡¯s battery, which was at 36%. It should be enough to trante the Gu Master¡¯s Beginner¡¯s Handbook. So, Liu Xing began tranting the handbook diligently. Just then, KP Snow Wind suddenly spoke, "Congrattions, yers, on sessfully defeating the Water Ghost andpleting the corresponding Side Quest ahead of schedule. The rewards for the Side Quest have been distributed, and you can check them in your character cards." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Ling Ishikawa and the others had managed to defeat the Water Ghost, and it seemed there were no casualties. However, Liu Xing realized that since he hadn¡¯t been present, he wouldn¡¯t receive any rewards for defeating the Water Ghost. So, Liu Xing felt like he had missed out on this one. Since Ling Ishikawa and the others had defeated the Water Ghost and were likely to return soon, Liu Xing focused on tranting the handbook. The Gu Master¡¯s Beginner¡¯s Handbook was only five thin pages, so Liu Xing quickly finished the trantion. However, due to the app¡¯s limitations, the trantion had a 20% reduction in uracy. Just as Liu Xing was about to attempt the Judgment for the Gu Master¡¯s Beginner¡¯s Handbook, he heard hurried footsteps approaching, indicating that Ling Ishikawa and the others were back. Liu Xing decided to put away his phone and leave the room. Upon leaving, he saw Ling Ishikawa and the others, all covered in injuries. Each of them had varying degrees of wounds. Zhang Jingxu, who was most severely injured, had already fallen into aa. There were horrifying w marks on his chest. Liu Xing furrowed his brows and feigned surprise, saying, "What happened to you? Were you attacked by the Water Ghost?" Ling Ishikawa, with lighter injuries, nodded tiredly. "Yes, we were attacked by the Water Ghost on our way back after obtaining the pre-made animal traps from Wang Anquan. Thankfully, Wan Chongshan reacted quickly and dodged the Water Ghost¡¯s initial attack. We engaged in a direct battle with the Water Ghost. Fortunately, we had purchased some good iron knives from Wang Anquan; otherwise, we might not have been able to defeat the Water Ghost." After Ling Ishikawa¡¯s exnation, Liu Xing noticed that Wan Chongshan and the others were holding decent-looking iron knives, all stained with blood. At this moment, Hu Cang arrived with a first-aid kit. Zhang Jingxu had been ced on a table, and his clothes had been removed, revealing the terrifying w marks that extended from his left shoulder to the root of his right thigh. The wounds were deep, exposing bone, and fresh blood oozed from the injuries. Liu Xing furrowed his brows, realizing that Zhang Jingxu might be in serious danger this time. Fortunately, in a few hours, Zhang Jingxu woulde back to life. So, apart from Hu Cang, the others¡¯ emotions were rtively stable. Indeed, despite Hu Cang¡¯s best efforts, Zhang Jingxu ultimately died due to excessive blood loss. Hu Cang sighed and said, "It looks like we¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow to see Zhang Jingxu alive again." After properly arranging Zhang Jingxu¡¯s "corpse," Ling Ishikawa and the others changed into clean clothes and tended to their minor injuries before returning to the third-floor living room together. Hu Cang took a sip of water and asked, "How did you encounter the Water Ghost? I¡¯ve been in Panlong Town for so long, and I¡¯ve never encountered a Water Ghost or even heard of one." Ling Ishikawa sighed with lingering fear and exined, "The situation was like this. Just as we passed the bridge behind Panlong Town, the Water Ghost suddenly emerged from the nearby bushes. While Wan Chongshan, who was in the front, managed to evade the initial attack, Li Dian, who was behind, was struck and thrown. This disoriented our formation, leading to a chaotic battle. In the end, we managed to kill the Water Ghost with our knives, but it cost us Zhang Jingxu¡¯s life, and we all sustained injuries." Liu Xing nodded and said, "It seems we were too rxed. We didn¡¯t expect the Water Ghost to attack us proactively, especially during your return. It caught you off guard. Thankfully, you killed the Water Ghost, and the price wasn¡¯t too high. By the way, did you inform Hu Li about killing the Water Ghost to collect materials?" Ling Ishikawa shook his head, looking puzzled. "No, we specifically looked for Hu Li on our way back, but she wasn¡¯t home." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 414: The Water-Repellent Bead Chapter 414: The Water-Repellent Bead 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 woulde 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 me 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, ording 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 rmended 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 rmended 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 closebat 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 somemotion 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 burr?" Liu Xing asked Hu Cang. Hu Cang shook his head and replied, "Although there are indeed burrs 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 burr 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 toe and find us at this time." Ten secondster, the person who arrived on the third floor was indeed Hu Li. "Sorry for beingte," 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 willunch 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 ce, I didn¡¯t notice your conflict with the water ghost right away. When I returned from Green Willow¡¯s ce, 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¡ª 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 beades 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 y 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 andkes that connect to the ocean. These water ghosts won¡¯t have a water-repellent bead inside their bodies because they¡¯ve already evolved organs simr to fish." "The other category is human-turned water ghosts. If a human dies in water with intense resentment, they might be a water ghost. Of course, some malicious magic spells can directly transform a human into a water ghost. However, even if a person bes a water ghost, their body remains somewhat simr 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 regr 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 dly ept 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 nces, not knowing what to say. After a while, Wan Chongshan yed 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 onnd, but as a "Lake Dwellers," it preferred to stay in the water. Hence, water battles might be 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 ck Flood Dragon in Panlong River. ck cat demon had mentioned that the ck 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 ck cat demon. As his "underlings," Ling Ishikawa quickly agreed, while Wan Chongshan and Li Dian, after some contemtion, 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 rxing. 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 ced 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 paleplexion gradually regained its healthy color. Next, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s chest began to rise and fall, and his limbs disyed slight movements. A minuteter, 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. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 415: Confirmation Chapter 415: Confirmation "I swear, Ryuusei, there was no need for you all to gather around and witness my resurrection. Do you even realize how close you came to scaring me to death again?" Zhang Jingxu eximed, patting his chest once he had a clear understanding of the situation. Liu Xing chuckled and patted Zhang Jingxu¡¯s shoulder. "Wee back, Mr. Zhang Jingxu. Your remarkable performance in defeating the water ghost and sacrificing yourself led us all to gather here to witness your triumphant return." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, not entirely pleased. "Do you really expect me to believe your nonsense? But from what you¡¯re saying, Ryuusei, it seems that after my fainting spell, you and Ling Ishikawa managed to defeat the water ghost." Ling Ishikawa nodded and proceeded to inform Zhang Jingxu about everything that had transpired after his unconsciousness, including the matter of the water-repellent bead. After listening, Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "It seems that this Hu Li has a conscience after all, knowing to hand over the water-repellent bead to us. But, to be honest, the sensation of being killed is truly unbearable, especially after I lost consciousness. It felt like I was falling into an endless abyss, the weightlessness in my body and the despair in my mind constantly pushing me to the brink of copse. I had no idea how long I fell like that until I suddenly hit the ground, experiencing indescribable agony before Ipletely lost consciousness until just now." Watching Zhang Jingxu¡¯s expression of lingering fear, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but recall the sensation when he, as "Liu Xing," was killed by Bai Hecheng with a single strike. It was an experience that haunted him to this day. Unbearable memories. Thinking about this, Liu Xing spoke up, "Ah, it¡¯s all because I wasn¡¯t feeling well today and didn¡¯t apany you to Wang Anquan¡¯s ce. If I had been there, perhaps the water ghost wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill you, Zhang Jingxu. So, in a way, my absence yed a part in your death." Liu Xing¡¯s words were an attempt to preemptively silence any potential rumors, but he doubted they would have much effect. After all, rumors spread easily, but debunking them could be much harder.Zhang Jingxu shook his head and smiled. "Ryuusei, you¡¯re being quite insincere today. You actually said something like that? My death this time had nothing to do with you. Who could have known that the water ghost would attack us at that moment? And perhaps it was because you weren¡¯t present that the water ghost decided to ambush us on our way back. So, your absence may have actually been a blessing in disguise." Ling Ishikawa also nodded, smiling, and added, "Zhang Jingxu is right, Ryuusei. Your decision to stay behind was a contribution in its own right. At least it led the water ghost to reveal itself. If it hadn¡¯t attacked us this time, it would have been very difficult for us to locate its whereabouts, especially since we still don¡¯t know where it resides." Hu Cang, feeling drowsy, interrupted, "Well, now that Mr. Zhang Jingxu has safely returned, I¡¯ll head downstairs for some rest. Before you all arrived in Panlong Town, I used to go to bed around ten o¡¯clock every night, so I¡¯d like to get some sleep now. I won¡¯t keep youpany for the chat." Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, expressing his gratitude, "Very well, Mr. Hu Cang, you can go rest now. Although you couldn¡¯t bring me back to life this time, I still appreciate your help. Thank you." Hu Cang shook his head and earnestly replied, "A doctor¡¯s duty is to save lives. How could I, as a doctor, let you die without trying to save you? Besides, I must admit that my surgical skills need improvement, and that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t bring you back from the brink of death. So, your words of thanks make me feel humbled." After exchanging a few more polite words with Zhang Jingxu, Hu Cang left. With Hu Cang gone, Wan Chongshan retrieved a small package from under the table, resembling the kind seen in ancient costume dramas carried by passersby. "If no one objects, shall we open this package now?" Wan Chongshan proposed. Everyone nodded in agreement. Wan Chongshan then opened the package, revealing not many items inside. However, one item immediately caught Liu Xing¡¯s eye. It was a white stone, simr in size to a pebble. Liu Xing had a hunch that this white stone was the final item the ck cat demon needed. But it wasn¡¯t the right time to take it. Liu Xing didn¡¯t want to draw too much attention to himself, so he forcefully shifted his gaze to the other items in the package. Inside the water ghost¡¯s package, besides the white stone, there was a Nokia cell phone, a thick-looking book, a silver pendant with strange symbols, and a wallet. "It seems that this package is quite waterproof. This book doesn¡¯t show any signs of being soaked, and both the symbols on the book cover and the pendant seem to be rted to Gralki. The symbols on the book cover are identical to those on the pendant," Li Dian remarked. Indeed, the water ghost¡¯s package had impressive waterproofing, with no signs of water damage on any of its contents. The symbols on the book cover matched those on the silver pendant, resembling an abstract hedgehog. Speaking of which, Gralki did somewhat resemble a hedgehog. Liu Xing thought for a moment and pointed to the Nokia cell phone, saying, "Let¡¯s start by checking this Nokia cell phone for any valuable information. Even though the model appears quite outdated, as long as the text messages haven¡¯t been deleted, we should be able to uncover some information, such as whether Xiao Mochen is truly a follower of Gralki." However, Ling Ishikawa expressed some concerns, saying, "Is this Nokia cell phone still functional? I remember when we were dealing with the water ghost, I struck this package with my sword, and at the time, I felt that I hit something hard, which was probably this Nokia cell phone. So, I¡¯m worried that I may have damaged it." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and replied earnestly, "Ling Ishikawa, I believe this Nokia cell phone should still work. After all, it¡¯s a Nokia, known for its durability. It can even withstand close-range gunfire, let alone your sword strike." As he spoke, Zhang Jingxu picked up the Nokia cell phone, pressed the power button for three seconds, and the device dutifully powered on. After the familiar startup animation, Zhang Jingxu skillfully navigated to the call log. "Indeed, Xiao Mochen seems to be a follower of Gralki. He has known this water ghost since 1996, although back then, Xiao Mochen probably wasn¡¯t a follower of Gralki yet. Their contact was limited to one or two calls a year. However, it seems that theirmunication became more frequent after Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother fell critically ill. At least, they were talking at least twice a week," Zhang Jingxu said as he handed the phone over to Wan Chongshan. Finally, the phone reached Liu Xing, who nced at the screen. He noticed that there was only one contact saved ¨C "xiao," which was most likely Xiao Mochen. In the call log, as Zhang Jingxu mentioned, Xiao Mochen¡¯s contact with the water ghost became increasingly frequent over time. However, once the water ghost entered Panlong Town, their contact seemed to decrease significantly. This could be easily exined, as Xiao Mochen no longer needed to contact the water ghost via phone. They could meet openly, especially since Panlong Town wasn¡¯t toorge. Liu Xing continued his exploration, entering the text messages section, only to find itpletely empty. Shrugging, Liu Xing ced the phone back on the table and remarked, "All the text messages on this phone have been deleted. As an old ck-and-white screen phone, I doubt it can provide us with any useful information." In that era of ck-and-white screen phones, there were no apps for downloading, so information could only be obtained from the "contacts," "call logs," and "text messages" sections. No one objected to Liu Xing¡¯s assessment, so the Nokia phone was temporarily set aside. As the only "professional" among them, Zhang Jingxu picked up the book and briefly examined a few pages. "While this book doesn¡¯t have a title, from the content on the first few pages, it appears to be the ¡¯Bible¡¯ of Gralki¡¯s followers. It starts by asserting that Gralki is the one true god in this world, and humans who believe in Gralki can attain eternal life, and so on. However, what¡¯s noteworthy is the table of contents, which mentions how neers can contact Gralki and be his followers," Zhang Jingxu said with a furrowed brow. While Wan Chongshan and the others took turns inspecting the book, Liu Xing seized the opportunity to pick up the white stone. The Cold-Warm White Stone, a peculiar and rare stone with mysterious effects. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that the mysterious effect of the Cold-Warm White Stone likely involved stabilizing the erratic state of the ck cat demon. The sensation when holding the Cold-Warm White Stone was indeed unique, alternating between cold and warm, but the temperatures remained within the range tolerable by the human body. Truly a case of "ice and fire" in one. At this point, it was Liu Xing¡¯s turn to examine the book. Liu Xing handed the Cold-Warm White Stone to Ling Ishikawa, wearing a surprised expression, and said, "This little stone is quite interesting. It can continuously switch between hot and cold, although I¡¯m not sure what practical use it has." Ling Ishikawa took the Cold-Warm White Stone, and Liu Xing picked up the book, expecting something unusual. To his surprise, the book was also an "item." Gralki¡¯s Guidance Book, which required 3d5 hours of reading to master Magic Spells - Contacting Gralki in Dreams. Contacting Gralki in Dreams would cost the caster 2d6 sanity points, allowing them to connect with the Great Old One - Gralki during their slumber. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, suspecting that this Magic Spells was a trap set by Gralki. Before even encountering Gralki, the caster lost 2d6 sanity points, and when they did encounter Gralki in their dreams, they would likely lose even more sanity points, inevitably descending into madness. In the end, a caster who had gone insane would be susceptible to Gralki¡¯s influence, bing his ve. Therefore, Liu Xing quickly lost interest in this Magic Spells. Pretending to flip through a few pages of the book, Liu Xing spoke, "Thest entry in this book mentions a rather interesting Magic Spells. It allows the caster to encounter Gralki in their dreams. However, this also implies that contacting Gralki is rtively straightforward. So, it¡¯s safe to say that Xiao Mochen is indeed a follower of Gralki." At this moment, the sound of dice hitting the table resonated. Then, Wan Chongshan, who was holding the pendant, nodded and said, "Indeed, Xiao Mochen should be a follower of Gralki. When I was ying mahjong with him that day, I noticed not only that Xiao Mochen had no Adam¡¯s apple but also something hanging around his neck. Due to clothing covering it, I could only see that it was a silver chain. Now, the chain on this pendant is also a silver square-link chain, and this pendant should serve as proof of a Gralki follower¡¯s identity." Liu Xing recalled that Xiao Mochen did have something around his neck, but he couldn¡¯t remember if it was a silver square-link chain specifically. He only remembered that the chain was silver in color. However, this provided Liu Xing with an opportunity to perform the Judgment for the Gu Master¡¯s Entry Manual. Even though he had seeded in a secret roll, he couldn¡¯t exin his actions in front of everyone, as they had heard the dice fall on the table. Now, Liu Xing thought he could use the excuse of performing an inspiration Judgment to execute the Judgment for the Gu Master¡¯s Entry Manual. Thus, Liu Xing secretly contacted KP Snow Wind, saying, "KP, I want to perform the Judgment for the Gu Master¡¯s Entry Manual now, but I want it to be a secret roll." KP Snow Wind didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately conducted the Judgment for the Gu Master¡¯s Entry Manual. Judgment result: 53/60 (80-20), sess. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that his luck was still holding up. However, he had to continue the act. After the Judgment result was revealed, Liu Xing added, "Yes, I also remember that Xiao Mochen had something around his neck, although I¡¯m not entirely certain it was a square-link chain." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 416: The Familiar Phone Number Chapter 416: The Familiar Phone Number In summary, Xiao Mochen¡¯s identity as a Gralki disciple had been confirmed. Li Dian stroked his chin, speaking, "Although we can now confirm that Xiao Mochen was once a follower of Gralki, the question arises: Is Xiao Mochen still a devotee of Gralki today? After all, he has witnessed Gralki¡¯s actions, or rather, the destruction he brought to Panlong Town. I believe Xiao Mochen might choose to turn over a new leaf." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said earnestly, "It¡¯s not that simple. While I believe Xiao Mochen may regret his actions and feel guilty, he¡¯s past the point of no return. Besides, Ryuusei mentioned that Xiao Mochen¡¯s mother is still alive. This alone mightpel him to remain on Gralki¡¯s side. Moreover, beings like Gralki at that level could have already enved Xiao Mochen, or at the very least imnted psychological suggestions in his mind to prevent him from betraying it." Liu Xing nodded in agreement and added, "Exactly. In our recent interactions with Xiao Mochen, I could sense his inner conflict, but overall, he is still unwilling to admit his mistakes. Perhaps it¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t want to face his mother¡¯s death. Alternatively, as Zhang Jingxu mentioned, Xiao Mochen might have been subjected to Gralki¡¯s mental conditioning, preventing him from revealing the truth to us. In any case, I believe that even if Xiao Mochen isn¡¯t our enemy now, he could still be an obstacle on our path to eliminate Gralki." Wan Chongshan sighed and said with resignation, "As the saying goes, there¡¯s always something to be despised about a pitiable person. Xiao Mochen is a perfect example. Ryuusei, you¡¯re right; we should limit our contact with Xiao Mochen from now on. However, we also need to prepare ourselves mentally. If Xiao Mochen decides to inform Gu MasterChaxi about us, we might have to engage in a tough battle with him." Mentioning Gu MasterChaxi, Liu Xing remembered the information the ck cat demon had shared with him. Although he couldn¡¯t directly reveal this information to Zhang Jingxu and the others, he felt he could subtly convey it. Liu Xing cleared his throat and asked, "Ahem, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, do you have any insights on gu worms? As a professional from the Chinese Daoist tradition, you should have some knowledge about gu worms, right? For instance, what are the general types of gu worms?" Zhang Jingxu looked puzzled at Liu Xing, unsure why he was suddenly asking such questions with a peculiar tone. However, he quickly realized Liu Xing¡¯s intention and replied earnestly, "Indeed, I have some knowledge about gu worms. Over the years, as more Gu Masters have emerged from Miao territory and engaged in criminal activities outside, my mentor has taught me some information about Gu Masters and gu worms. In simple terms, gu worms can be categorized into two main types: offensive and auxiliary." Liu Xing nodded and continued his inquiry, "Then, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, within the auxiliary category, are there types of gu worms that provide vision or transmit information to Gu Masters? Do they exist?"Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingxu understood Liu Xing¡¯s implication ¨C that Liu Xing had obtained certain information through a special method but couldn¡¯t reveal it directly. Zhang Jingxu replied, "Indeed, there are such gu worms. They can convey what they see and hear to their masters. These gu worms are cultivated diligently by every Gu Master. So, I believe Gu MasterChaxi might also possess such gu worms. Consequently, our actions in the supermarket will likely be within Gu MasterChaxi¡¯s knowledge." Ling Ishikawa joined in, realizing Liu Xing¡¯s point, and said, "In that case, it¡¯s very likely that Gu MasterChaxi has set up some active-trigger traps within the supermarket building. When we enter the effective range of these traps, Gu MasterChaxi may activate them to harm us. With the advantage of vision and information, he could coordinate other gu worms for an assault." Zhang Jingxu pondered for a moment and said, "You¡¯re right. Gu MasterChaxi might indeed do that. Unfortunately, we have no countermeasures for this. We can¡¯t sever the connection between gu worms and Gu MasterChaxi, nor can we impair their visual or sensory abilities. So, we need to be cautious and not fall into Gu MasterChaxi¡¯s trap." Liu Xing nodded and asked further, "In that case, should we bring the remaining unused Molotov cocktails when we confront Gu MasterChaxi tomorrow? If we encounter an attack by gu worms, even if we can¡¯t kill them, the Molotov cocktails could deter them." Wan Chongshan chimed in, "That¡¯s right. If we face arge number of gu worms attacking us, the Molotov cocktails in our hands could be highly effective. But what worries me most right now is Gu MasterChaxi¡¯s ability to control people." Zhang Jingxu agreed, "Indeed, gu worms capable of controlling humans or other creatures are the trump cards of Gu Masters. They are usually small in size and can easily infiltrate a human or another creature¡¯s body through various means. Once inside, they manipte the host¡¯s brain using various methods to achieve control." Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brows and said, "So, the worm that looked like a maggot in the vomit Xiao Dafu spat out during our first encounter was likely the gu worm used by Gu MasterChaxi to control the addicts." Zhang Jingxu touched his chin, nodding, "That¡¯s likely the gu worm that controlled Xiao Dafu and the others. But I just remembered something. When we killed the pig head butcher this afternoon, we might have appeared too aggressive in Gu MasterChaxi¡¯s eyes. Moreover, Hu Li was with us at that time." Liu Xing shrugged and smiled, "That¡¯s true, but Zhang Jingxu, you don¡¯t need to worry about it. The timing has already passed. Even if Gu MasterChaxi suspected us back then, he should have forgotten it by now." Zhang Jingxu shook his head and expressed his concerns, "While that¡¯s true, there¡¯s always a ¡¯what if.¡¯ What if Gu MasterChaxi awakens his memories with Xiao Mochen¡¯s help? Besides..." Before Zhang Jingxu could finish, Wan Chongshan interjected with a smile, "Since you¡¯re so worried, Zhang Jingxu, how about we prepare our equipment now andunch a night raid on Gu MasterChaxi? Even if Gu MasterChaxi regains his memories, he probably won¡¯t be prepared at this moment." At first, Zhang Jingxu was surprised, but he then shook his head and said, "Gu MasterChaxi might not be prepared, but neither are we. Our protective suits are still with Hu Li, and to reach her, we have to pass through the supermarket. If Gu MasterChaxi does regain his memories, he¡¯ll likely start preparing. Moreover..." Liu Xing nodded and nced at his phone, saying, "Well, it¡¯s almost one o¡¯clock now. If we don¡¯tunch a night raid on Gu MasterChaxi, we should get some rest. After all, tomorrow morning, we¡¯ll be monitoring Gu MasterChaxi, retrieving the protective suits from Hu Li, and finding an opportunity to set traps." Ling Ishikawa stood up, stretched, and said, "That¡¯s right. I¡¯m already feeling tired. But speaking of which, should we store these water ghost-rted items in my room?" Before this, items like the "ownerless" ck spheres were stored in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s room because only his single room could amodate these misceneous items. As for the allocation of these items, Liu Xing and the others had decided to discuss it after killing Gu MasterChaxi. For Liu Xing, this was also a good thing because if he were to give all four of those items to the ck cat demon, he could collude with Ling Ishikawa and take those four items. So, Liu Xing immediately nodded and said, "Let¡¯s keep these things in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s room. After all, we don¡¯t need them for the time being. But speaking of which, we haven¡¯t opened this wallet yet." Because the wallet from Water Ghost seemed inconspicuous and typically only contained money, some bank cards, and maybe photos or business cards, they had unintentionally ignored it. The wallet was closest to Li Dian. Li Dian casually took the wallet and opened it. "Hmm?" Li Dian furrowed his brow and took out a key and a piece of paper from the wallet. Li Dian looked at the note and said, "This note only has an address in London, Ennd, and a telephone number, presumably andline." After Li Dian finished speaking, he passed the note to Wan Chongshan. Because the note had very little information, it soon reached Liu Xing¡¯s hands. Liu Xing took the note, and when he saw the telephone number recorded on it, he was momentarily stunned. This was the phone number of the Manchester police officer, Chris, who had adopted Isabe. Liu Xing remembered Chris¡¯s phone number because it was easy to remember. After removing the area code, thest seven digits of the phone number were 5201314, which phically tranted to "I love you forever" in Chinese. At the time, Liu Xing had thought that the phone number was randomly generated by the module author, but now it seemed that there was a deliberate reason behind it. Could Water Ghost be rted to Chris? "Liu Xing, what¡¯s wrong?" Ling Ishikawa asked with concern. Liu Xing snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, "It¡¯s nothing. I just find this phone number interesting. Thest seven digits are 5201314, which phically trantes to ¡¯I love you forever¡¯ in Chinese." After all, Liu Xing was currently using the character card "Watanabe Ryuusei," so he had no knowledge that the phone number belonged to Chris. He had toe up with a reason on the spot. After Ling Ishikawa tidied up the items on the table, everyone went back to their respective rooms to rest. The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Liu Xing was once again awakened by Zhang Jingxu. Liu Xing greeted Zhang Jingxu and then took the opportunity to go to the bathroom with the gu stone. Before going to bed the previous night, Liu Xing had checked his character card and found that he had gained a new skill: "Insect Control Technique: 40." Obtaining a skill value of 40 right away was satisfactory for Liu Xing. He had also noticed a special effect of the Insect Control Technique: when used on a gu stone, it had a 100% sess rate, bypassing the need for judgment. Therefore, Liu Xing¡¯s current visit to the bathroom was to activate the gu stone using the Insect Control Technique. Liu Xing locked the bathroom door and ced the gu stone on the sink. He then began reciting the spell for the Insect Control Technique. One minuteter, the spell waspleted, but there was no visible change in the gu stone. However, Liu Xing knew that he had sessfully activated the gu stone. Because at this moment, KP Snow Wind said to Liu Xing, "Congrattions, yer Liu Xing, for sessfully activating the gu stone. The character card ¡¯Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯ has gained a new sub-upation: Gu Master, and a new trait: Novice Gu Master. You can check the details on your character card." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 417: Trapped Black Flood Dragon Chapter 417: Trapped ck Flood Dragon Liu Xing chuckled and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Cat Elder. But I¡¯m curious about why you¡¯vee to find me at this moment." The ck Cat Demon nodded and looked in the direction of the supermarket building. "I¡¯vee to remind you of something. At this time, Gu Master Chaxi is likely to leave the supermarket and head to the mountains near Panlong Town to collect insects for refining gu worms. So, I believe you and your group would be willing to intercept Gu Master Chaxi." After hearing the ck Cat Demon¡¯s words, Liu Xing was momentarily puzzled but quickly realized they had been in a misconception. They had been nning to set traps on the rooftop of the supermarket, assuming Gu Master Chaxi would leave the supermarket first, but they forgot they could directly attack him while he was outside collecting insects. Gu Masters collecting insects outside wouldn¡¯t carry too many gu worms with them, making it a good opportunity to ambush them. With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but thank the ck Cat Demon. "Thank you for your reminder. I¡¯ll inform the others about this information, and I believe they¡¯ll also choose to intercept Gu Master Chaxi when he¡¯s outside." The ck Cat Demon smiled and nodded. "That¡¯s the idea, but I¡¯m concerned you might hesitate in the heat of the moment. When Gu Master Chaxi goes out, he always has those addicts he controls follow him secretly. So, if you decide to intercept him, you won¡¯t have to deal with arge number of gu worms, but you¡¯ll likely have to fight those addicts, even kill them." Liu Xing frowned, realizing that the ck Cat Demon had hit the key point. Liu Xing sighed and said, "I understand your point, Cat Elder. I¡¯ll talk to mypanions about it. I believe they¡¯ll be willing to take action, especially considering that those addicts are not good people, and most of the people in Panlong Town are probably already dead." The ck Cat Demon nodded and confirmed, "You¡¯re right. I can assure you that none of the natives in Panlong Town are alive now, so you don¡¯t need to feel any psychological pressure. After all, killing humans and killing zombies are two different concepts."Liu Xing thought about it and agreed that killing zombies wouldn¡¯t weigh on their conscience. Just as Liu Xing was about to speak, a sudden cold wind made him sneeze. "Ah, young one, your physical condition needs improvement if you can¡¯t even withstand a bit of cold wind. Well, the matter is settled now. You better go back and put on some more clothes. But don¡¯t forget what you promised me. Time is running out, and if you kill Gu Master Chaxi, you¡¯ll have to face Gralki next. So, you better find those four items for me as soon as possible," the ck Cat Demon said and then left the rooftop. Liu Xing shrugged and thought that the ck Cat Demon really didn¡¯t feel the cold, being a mythical creature who had practiced for hundreds of years. They also had protective magic spells. Back on the third floor, Liu Xing immediately put on an extrayer of clothing. Zhang Jingxu, in the room, noticed and asked, "Ryuusei, where did you just go? Ling Ishikawa came looking for you once, and I told him to check the restroom, but he came back saying you weren¡¯t there. Judging by your appearance, it seems you went to the rooftop again." Liu Xing felt a bit embarrassed but nodded and said, "Yes, I went to the rooftop again to check if there were any more ss bottles. We need them to make more Molotov cocktails for a better chance against Gu Master Chaxi. However, I didn¡¯t realize it¡¯s already winter." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said with a smile, "I see. Well, it looks like I¡¯ll need to wear moreyers today too. But on another note, Ryuusei, you should go find Ling Ishikawa now. He seems quite anxious." Taking the hint, Liu Xing left the room to find Ling Ishikawa. Ling Ishikawa was engrossed in Seirath¡¯s notebook when Liu Xing approached. "Ling Ishikawa, is there something you needed from me?" Liu Xing asked. Ling Ishikawa put down the notebook and turned to Liu Xing. "Here¡¯s the situation. You mentioned earlier that you wanted to go to Panlong Town Junior High to check on that statue. Considering the limited time, I think we should go there right now." Liu Xing thought for a moment and nodded. "You¡¯re right; time is running short. Let¡¯s go to Panlong Town Junior High to see if the statue has been unearthed. However, it¡¯s quite cold today, so make sure to wear extrayers before we head out." Ling Ishikawa agreed and put on an additionalyer of clothing before joining Liu Xing. They left the room together. At the entrance, they ran into Hu Cang. Liu Xing quickly gave a usible reason, exining that he and Ling Ishikawa nned to take a walk around Panlong Town to check the area around Panlong River where the ck Flood Dragon might be. Hu Cang epted the exnation and reminded them to return in time for dinner. Leaving Hu Cang¡¯s ce, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa headed straight to Panlong Town Junior High. As they approached the ck Inte Cafe, Liu Xing felt an inexplicable pressure, making him uneasy. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa exchanged nces, and their eyes conveyed vignce and concern. "Master, do you still want to go to Panlong Town Junior High? It seems that the statue has probably been unearthed," Ling Ishikawa asked. After considering it, Liu Xing nodded. "Since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s take a look at Panlong Town Junior High. Seeing is believing, and if we notice anything unusual, we can quickly retreat. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems." With that decision, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa entered Panlong Town Junior High. However, at that moment, something unexpected happened. While Liu Xing easily entered the school, Ling Ishikawa seemed to hit an invisible barrier and was pushed back, looking surprised. "What¡¯s wrong, Ling Ishikawa?" Liu Xing asked with some confusion. Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t reply but made another attempt to enter Panlong Town Junior High from Liu Xing¡¯s position, only to find himself still blocked by an invisible barrier outside the school. After confirming that he couldn¡¯t enter Panlong Town Junior High, Ling Ishikawa finally spoke, "Master, I can¡¯t enter Panlong Town Junior High. It seems like I¡¯m blocked by an invisible barrier." Liu Xing knew that Ling Ishikawa wouldn¡¯t joke at a time like this, so he decided to leave Panlong Town Junior High. After all, a wise man doesn¡¯t stand under a leaning wall, and Liu Xing didn¡¯t intend to take any unnecessary risks. However, Liu Xing soon discovered that he was seemingly trapped inside Panlong Town Junior High by the same invisible barrier, unable to leave. Seeing Liu Xing also unable to leave Panlong Town Junior High, Ling Ishikawa worriedly suggested, "Master, should I go and get Hu Li and the others to help?" Liu Xing thought for a moment and shook his head. "No need for that. Even if Hu Li and the otherse, I doubt it would make a difference. For now, I¡¯ll go inside and see what¡¯s happening. If I don¡¯t return within half an hour, you can go back and inform Zhang Jingxu and the others not toe to this ce." Ling Ishikawa sighed in resignation and said, "It seems like that¡¯s our only option. But please be careful, Master." Liu Xing nodded, took a deep breath, and then turned to enter the school¡¯s yground. As soon as he entered the yground, Liu Xing saw a statue about ten meters tall leaning against one of the school buildings. The statue was surrounded by dark swirling currents. What surprised Liu Xing even more was the statue¡¯s appearance ¨C it was a ck coiled dragon! Liu Xing immediately understood what was happening and took out the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s scale from his pocket. As expected, the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s scale was gently trembling now. Seeing this, Liu Xing contacted KP Snow Wind, "KP, can I infuse MP into the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s scale now and establish a connection with the ck Flood Dragon?" KP Snow Wind chuckled and replied, "Of course." With that, the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s scale flew out of Liu Xing¡¯s hand andnded on top of the statue, emitting a blinding light. When Liu Xing¡¯s vision cleared, he saw a young man dressed in ck standing before him. This must be the ck Flood Dragon. Before Liu Xing could speak, the ck Flood Dragon asked, "I sense the scent of the old cat on you. Is it the old cat who sent you to find me?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that the ck Cat Demon had at least been truthful about their rtionship. Liu Xing replied, "Yes, it was Cat Elder who sent me to find you, Jiao Dragon." The ck Flood Dragon chuckled and nodded. "It seems the old cat hasn¡¯t forgotten about me, but speaking of which, even though I¡¯m trapped in this statue, I can still sense the anomalies in Panlong Town and my current situation. So, I suppose the old cat is in a soul state as well. By the way, you can call me Dragon Elder." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright, Dragon Elder. Cat Elder is indeed in a soul state like you, but Cat Elder can still move freely within Panlong Town." The ck Flood Dragon¡¯s eyes dimmed for a moment, and he sighed. "You¡¯re right. Cat Elder is in a much better situation than me. After Gralki killed me, I¡¯ve been in a soul state, trapped inside this statue. If it weren¡¯t for you bringing in my scale, I wouldn¡¯t be able toe out and meet you." Liu Xing pondered for a moment and asked, "Dragon Elder, do you know how we can rescue you from this statue?" After a moment of silence, the ck Flood Dragon replied, "You should go find Cat Elder for that. Right now, I only know that I¡¯m trapped in this statue, but I¡¯m not entirely sure about the specifics of this situation. I¡¯ll have to rely on Cat Elder to investigate. I¡¯m about to return to the statue now, so the rest is up to you." Liu Xing nodded and said earnestly, "Alright, I¡¯ll go find Cat Elder then. But please, Dragon Elder, open the exit for me." "Exit? What exit?" the ck Flood Dragon asked, puzzled. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing was about to respond when he saw the ck Flood Dragon transform into a ck mist and return to the statue. "What¡¯s going on? If the invisible barrier at the entrance wasn¡¯t set up by the ck Flood Dragon, then who could it be? And why am I able toe out again? Is it because of the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s scale? Can I still go back in?" Liu Xing mused to himself. After a while of thinking and unable toe up with answers, Liu Xing decided to test his luck and walked toward the entrance. To his surprise, this time he was able to walk out of Panlong Town Junior High freely. However, when Liu Xing attempted to re-enter Panlong Town Junior High, he found himself blocked by the same invisible barrier. Meanwhile, Ling Ishikawa, who had been observing from a distance, approached and smiled, "I knew you¡¯d be alright, Master. But did you find anything inside Panlong Town Junior High?" Liu Xing nodded and rubbed his temples, saying, "The statue buried beneath Panlong Town Junior High has indeed been unearthed. However, its purpose was beyond my expectations. It¡¯s specifically designed to trap the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s soul. Luckily, I managed to meet the ck Flood Dragon¡¯s soul. But there are still some things I don¡¯t quite understand. Let¡¯s discuss it while we walk." Ling Ishikawa nodded, and they left together. Unbeknownst to them, on the rooftop of Panlong Town Junior High, a ck man smoking a cigar was watching them. Beside him, a young man in ck clothing with a cigarette gun lounged on a chair. "Boss, that person named Watanabe Ryuusei is an acquaintance of mine. Can you cut him some ck?" the ck man suddenly spoke. The young man took a drag from his cigarette and smiled. "Since you¡¯re asking, Aughra, I¡¯ll definitely consider it." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 418: The Ally - Black Cat Demon Chapter 418: The Ally - ck Cat Demon Aughra nodded in agreement, her smile warm as she said, "Well, thank you, Wang. However, your ns for this advancement module are rather malicious, aren¡¯t they? You¡¯ve set so many traps for the yers and added numerous plot twists. It seems like you don¡¯t want the yers to pass through this advancement module." Wang chuckled lightly, his tone yful as he replied, "You¡¯re absolutely right, Aughra. I had exactly that in mind. You know, once the yers advance to the Hound of Tindalos area, their identities cease to be yers and be pawns, puppets manipted without their knowledge. That yer with the character card ¡¯Watanabe Ryuusei,¡¯ the one you¡¯re grooming, is it not? Actually, I could sense your influence on him from the beginning. So, I¡¯ve been going easy on them right from the start. I¡¯ve removed many of the Plot Encounters and mandatorybat sections from this module, altered the behavior logic of some NPCs, and most importantly, I¡¯ve had those NPCs provide them with a lot of information. Now, I¡¯m just one step away from letting them pass through the module." Aughra conjured a ss of wine in her hand and raised it to Wang, saying, "Well then, thank you, Wang. I appreciate your favor. In the future, if you ever need my assistance, don¡¯t hesitate to ask. I will spare no effort in helping you with anything within my capabilities." Wang raised an eyebrow and conjured a small ss of white wine in his hand. "Oh, in that case, can I ask for the prize for the ultimate victor, Aughra? Can you provide it for me?" Aughra¡¯s smile froze momentarily, and she replied with some embarrassment, "Wang, you¡¯re joking, right? You should know what the prize for the ultimate victor entails. Since it¡¯s meant for the ultimate victor, it means only one of us can obtain it. So, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t fulfill your request." Wang took a sip of his white wine, speaking earnestly, "I knew you would say that, Aughra. But truth be told, I never expected you to agree to my request. I also have no intention of wandering around like the rest of you. To be the ultimate victor, well, honestly, at this point, I just want to quietly stay on my own plot ofnd before the final act begins." Aughra nodded, finishing her wine, and sighed, "You¡¯re right; it¡¯s a life-and-death struggle this time. Only one among us can be the ultimate victor and the true Nyathotep. The others will be just a part of the victor." Aughra pointed towards Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa in the distance, saying, "Indeed, we are shaping these yers¡¯ growth, much like refining gu. cing countless yers in the same area topete and selecting the cream of the crop to continue, subjecting them to fiercer battles. The yer who ultimately prevails will be the gu king we ept, ready for the final battle for our victory." Wang nodded, smiling as he said, "Aren¡¯t we all the same?"Meanwhile, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa had returned to Hu Cang¡¯s home. On their way back, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa decided to inform Zhang Jingxu and the others about what happened at Panlong Town Junior High. However, Liu Xing chose to omit the part about the ck cat demon. Upon arriving home, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa shared the events that took ce at Panlong Town Junior High. "So, what should we do? Given the current situation, it seems impossible to rescue the ck Flood Dragon. But even in a soul state, the ck Flood Dragon should be able to help us against Gralki. We must find a way to free it," Zhang Jingxu said, furrowing his brows. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and suggested, "Let¡¯s put the matter of the ck Flood Dragon on hold for now and focus on discussing Gu Master Chaxi. I have an idea. Why don¡¯t we take the initiative and confront Gu Master Chaxi? After all, Gu Master Chaxi has made preparations inside the supermarket building. We shouldn¡¯t rush headlong into it. Instead, we should wait until Gu Master Chaxi leaves the building beforeunching our attack." Liu Xing¡¯s proposal caught everyone off guard, and they chuckled politely, just as they had on the rooftop. They realized they had fallen into a mental trap. "Ryuusei, your idea is indeed excellent. If we can attack Gu Master Chaxi when he leaves the supermarket, it will be much easier. But how can we ensure that Gu Master Chaxi will leave the supermarket? Also, time is running out," Zhang Jingxu questioned. Although the yers were certain that Gu Master Chaxi would leave the supermarket at this point in time, they still had to follow the script. However, Hu Cang spoke up, saying, "When I woke up this morning and checked outside, everything seemed to be on schedule. This time should coincide with the Spring Festival, and I remember that during this period, Gu Master Chaxi often leaves for a couple of hours. Although I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯s up to, he always returns looking disheveled. So, he¡¯s probably out in the mountains around Panlong Town, catching insects." Hu Cang¡¯s words brought relief to Liu Xing and the others. Without this information, they would have had to wait for Gu Master Chaxi to leave the supermarket before preparing for an outdoor ambush, potentially missing a valuable opportunity. Therefore, Liu Xing immediately suggested, "I see. In that case, let¡¯s vote on it now. We can decide whether to attack Gu Master Chaxi inside the supermarket or outside in the wilderness. Personally, I believe ambushing him in the wilderness is the better choice. Not only is it easier to kill him, but our chances of casualties will also be reduced. Moreover, the supermarket is in a bustling area of Panlong Town. If we need to deal with gu worms, we¡¯ll likely have to use Molotov cocktails, and the consequences of using them indoors would be disastrous." Wan Chongshan jokingly remarked, "But won¡¯t using Molotov cocktails outdoors start a forest fire?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and responded, "Well, in the wilderness, we won¡¯t need to use Molotov cocktails. After all, Gu Master Chaxi can¡¯t carry arge number of gu worms with him at all times. When the timees, we should be able to engage him in closebat. Based on my years of gaming experience, characters like Gu Masters, who belong to the mage ss, usually have poor meleebat abilities. We can charge in and hack him to pieces." The group burst intoughter and nodded in agreement. As a result, they unanimously voted to ambush Gu Master Chaxi in the wilderness. After breakfast, Liu Xing and the others began their preparations. First, Ling Ishikawa went to find Hu Li. He had two purposes: to bring the protective suits and to inform Hu Li of the change in the situation, so she could prepare in advance. Next, Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan, along with Hu Cang and Li Dian, were in charge of preparing equipment, such as sharpening iron knives, loading ammunition for bird guns, and preparing rations. After all, even when attacking Gu Master Chaxi, they needed to find the right moment. Charging in recklessly was not an option. As for Liu Xing, he volunteered to monitor Gu Master Chaxi from the rooftop. He would notify the others as soon as Gu Master Chaxi left the supermarket. Of course, Liu Xing¡¯s primary objective was to take this opportunity to go upstairs and find the ck cat demon. He intended to inform the ck cat demon about rescuing the ck Flood Dragon from Panlong Town Junior High. Upon reaching the rooftop, Liu Xing saw the ck cat demon there, licking its paws. There was also arge, uneasy-looking carp nearby. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that the ck cat demon was eating fish. It seemed rather unimpressive. As soon as the ck cat demonid eyes on Liu Xing, its gaze sharpened, and it asked earnestly, "Kid, have you encountered that old dragon? Where is it now, and what¡¯s the situation?" Liu Xing nodded and proceeded to share the details of his encounter with the ck cat demon at Panlong Town Junior High. After listening, the ck cat demon thought for a moment and said, "I see. No wonder I couldn¡¯t locate that old dragon. It¡¯s trapped inside that statue. However, with my current abilities, I don¡¯t think I can rescue the ck Flood Dragon. So, kid, you need to give me the items I asked for right away." Liu Xing unconsciously nodded but was torn inside, unsure whether he should give all the items to the ck cat demon. While the ck cat demon had been cooperative so far and appeared to be on their side, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was off. It seemed too eager. However, at that moment, KP Snow Wind suddenly spoke, "Congrattions, yer, you¡¯ve triggered a Hidden Side Objectives Mission - Rescue the ck Flood Dragon. yer needs to provide two items to ck cat demon, and it will have a chance to save the soul of the ck Flood Dragon from the mysterious statue. Afterpleting this Hidden Side Objectives Mission, both ck cat demon and ck Flood Dragon will aid the yer in facing Gralki¡¯s incarnation." Liu Xing was taken aback, not expecting to trigger such a Hidden Side Objectives Mission. However, this mission came at the perfect time and reassured him. Even though NPCs could lie, the KP wouldn¡¯t. So, Liu Xing was now certain that the ck cat demon was on their side. With that in mind, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Cat elder, if all goes as nned, I should have everything you want. However, we need the jade pendant to defeat Gu Master Chaxi. The cor and iron tag are not repaired yet, so I can only give you the Cold-Warm Jade and the ck sphere for now." Upon hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, the ck cat demon raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "Looks like you still don¡¯t fully trust me, kid. You have all the items I want, but you didn¡¯t tell me. I understand your hesitation, though. I don¡¯t me you. Now, hand over those two items, and I¡¯ll go rescue the old dragon." Liu Xing nodded and went downstairs to retrieve the Cold-Warm Jade and the ck sphere from Ling Ishikawa¡¯s room. However, the ck sphere was quite heavy, and it took him a while to bring it up to the rooftop. Observing Liu Xing¡¯s panting state, the ck cat demon yfully ced its paw on the Cold-Warm Jade and the ck sphere. The two items transformed into a white and a ck fish, which were then sucked into the ck cat demon¡¯s mouth. "Burp," the ck cat demon belched, stretchingzily. In Liu Xing¡¯s eyes, the ck cat demon¡¯s demeanor had undergone a significant change, no longer resembling a cat but more like a cat demon. "Alright, I¡¯ll go rescue the old dragon now," the ck cat demon said before disappearing on the spot. Indeed, the ck cat demon¡¯s strength had significantly improved, increasing their chances of dealing with Gralki¡¯s incarnation. While contemting this, Liu Xing leaned against the rooftop railing, monitoring the supermarket building. After an uncertain amount of time, Liu Xing saw Ling Ishikawa returning on a tricycle. The supermarket building remained quiet, making him doubt whether Gu Master Chaxi would leave the building today. After some time, Ling Ishikawa reached the rooftop. "Leader, I¡¯ve discussed with Hu Li. As soon as Gu Master Chaxi leaves the supermarket, she wille to us. She will be responsible for tracking Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s movements," Ling Ishikawa reported. Liu Xing nodded and pointed at the supermarket building, saying, "The problem is that it seems Gu Master Chaxi has no intention of leaving the supermarket right now. I wonder how long we¡¯ll have to wait." Before Liu Xing could finish his sentence, he saw Gu Master Chaxi walking out of the supermarket. Liu Xing was left momentarily speechless. Now that Gu Master Chaxi hade out, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t stay on the rooftop for long. They went downstairs to inform Zhang Jingxu and the others. At that moment, Zhang Jingxu and the others had already put on their protective suits. However, due to the original materials used in the suits, they looked like they were cosying as animals. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 419: Gu Master Chaxi Stumbles Chapter 419: Gu Master Chaxi Stumbles It must be said that the protective suits crafted by Hu Li truly made the most of the original materials¡¯ properties, retaining theplete appearance of the original materials as much as possible. So now, if Zhang Jingxu and the others were to lie down in ce, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think they would appear as if a family of wolves and bears had invaded their home. With this thought in mind, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and say, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, the way you all look right now, you could easily find work at the zoo." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and tossed a protective suit to Liu Xing, saying, "Now, you can join us in working at the zoo as well. All right, no more joking. Ryuusei, why don¡¯t you try on this suit and see if it fits?" Liu Xing shrugged and started putting on the protective suit. In simple terms, this protective suit was somewhat akin to the costumes worn by cartoon characters in an amusement park. All one had to do was put it on, but someone else needed to help zip up the back. Once Liu Xing had the suit on, he felt that Hu Li¡¯s design was considerate. The face mask of this protective suit could be opened and closed, allowing for better venttion, so they wouldn¡¯t feel stifled inside. The only inconvenience was that due to the nature of the original materials used for the suit, Liu Xing felt that his movements had be significantly slower, and his hand dexterity had diminished considerably. Therefore, Liu Xing estimated that if they were to engage inbat with Gu Master Chaxi, many of their judgments would be affected to some extent. Just then, Hu Li finally arrived.Seeing Liu Xing and the others already in their protective suits, Hu Li smiled and said, "It seems like my design for the protective suits turned out quite well. Their camouge is exceptional. If Gu Master Chaxi were to sense your presence, you could just lie still, and he would probably think he¡¯s being overly suspicious." Wan Chongshan shook his head and remarked, "Miss Hu Li, have you ever seen a group of wolves, wild boars, and bears chatting together?" Wan Chongshan¡¯s statement instantly killed the mood... The atmosphere at the scene became somewhat awkward. Observing the situation, Ling Ishikawa quickly stepped in and asked, "Hu Li, since you¡¯re here now, it likely means Gu Master Chaxi has already left Panlong Town. So, which direction should we pursue Gu Master Chaxi in?" Hu Li nodded and pointed in the direction of the Panlong Town bridge, saying, "Gu Master Chaxi has already crossed the bridge and headed towards Eagle Mountain. All you have to do is follow Hu Cang. However, you should be aware that there are three addicts leaving Panlong Town with Gu Master Chaxi this time. One of them is Xiao Dafu, who is openly apanying Gu Master Chaxi. The other two addicts are stationed at a lookout point, with one watching from the mountain pass, and the other has already arrived at Eagle Mountain to scout." A mountain pass typically referred to a rtively t area between two consecutive mountain ridges, sometimes also implying a junction or crossroads in certain regions like Shudu. Liu Xing reckoned that when Hu Li mentioned "mountain pass," she was referring to the junction leading to Eagle Mountain. After hearing Hu Li¡¯s exnation, Hu Cang furrowed his brow and said, "This is troublesome. The mountain pass to Eagle Mountain is quite unique. It¡¯s essentially the only way to enter Eagle Mountain, and the terrain there is rtively t. At this time of year, the nearby farnds are likely not nted, so the addict stationed at the mountain pass would have an unobstructed view of everything within a hundred meters. If we get close to the mountain pass, we¡¯ll surely be noticed, especially since we¡¯ll definitely arouse Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s suspicion." Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Their appearance would undoubtedly raise eyebrows if anyone saw them. Therefore, Liu Xing suggested, "Mr. Hu Cang, can we circumvent the mountain pass and enter Eagle Mountain?" Hu Cang shook his head, saying helplessly, "Ryuusei, you and your group are outsiders, and you may not be familiar with the situation in Eagle Mountain. Let me briefly exin. Eagle Mountain is the tallest peak around Panlong Town, with an approximate height of over a hundred meters. The distinctive feature of Eagle Mountain is that it has sheer cliffs on three sides. If we don¡¯t enter through the mountain pass, we¡¯ll have to climb a vertical rock wall of at least ten meters. Let me be clear; I¡¯m definitely not capable of climbing that." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised by the unique situation of Eagle Mountain. As Hu Cang described, even a ten-meter vertical climb, especially on a natural rock surface, would be challenging for most people without proper training. Moreover, theycked safety equipment, making any attempt extremely risky. Liu Xing sighed and said, "Like Mr. Hu Cang, I have no experience with rock climbing. I believe most of us here, except for Mr. Wan Chongshan, may not have any expertise in it either. After all, Mr. Wan Chongshan, as a geologist, has likely ventured into remote areas and may have some knowledge. In summary, I suggest we avoid attempting to climb the rock wall to prevent idents, as we don¡¯t have the necessary safety measures in ce. Besides, there could be loose rocks below." Wan Chongshan¡¯s nod solidified the decision, vetoing any attempt to enter Eagle Mountain by climbing. Consequently, silence fell over the group once again. After a brief pause, Ling Ishikawa asked Hu Li, "Hu Li, do you happen to know how Gu Master Chaxi controls those addicts and how the addicts pass information to him? If we were to directly eliminate or incapacitate the addicts, would Gu Master Chaxi be suspicious?" Hu Li momentarily hesitated before responding, "Gu Master Chaxi controls the addicts using certain gu worms¡¯ characteristics. However, I¡¯m not sure which specific gu worm he uses. Regarding how the addicts ry information to Gu Master Chaxi, they likely employ ordinary methods like shouting loudly or directly seeking him out. I believe Gu Master Chaxi may have imnted gu worms on the addicts that allow him to maintain direct contact or control over them. This way, he can promptly receive information about the addict¡¯s situation." "However, under normal circumstances, Gu Master Chaxi wouldn¡¯t continuously focus his attention on those addicts. After all, if Gu Master Chaxi wants to share the vision or other sensory abilities of his gu worms underlings, it would require him to expend a significant amount of energy and mana. Additionally, during this time, Gu Master Chaxi cannot take any action, essentially making himself a sitting duck. So, it¡¯s highly unlikely that Gu Master Chaxi would keep his attention on those addicts for an extended period. As long as we can deal with the addicts proactively and eliminate the gu worms on them, Gu Master Chaxi won¡¯t be suspicious." Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but say, "In that case, we¡¯ll have to take the initiative and deal with the lookout addict at the mountain pass. However, it seems we¡¯ll need your assistance, Miss Hu Li, because even if we can handle the addict, we won¡¯t be able to capture the gu worm on the addict." After a moment of contemtion, Hu Li nodded and said, "That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Eagle Mountain is quite vast, and unless Gu Master Chaxi is near the mountain pass, he shouldn¡¯t sense my presence. So, I can assist you." Zhang Jingxu, upon hearing Hu Li¡¯s agreement, smiled and said, "Since Miss Hu Li is on board with this n, let¡¯s not waste any time and go trouble Gu Master Chaxi directly." As a result, the group temporarily removed their protective suits since wearing them was both peculiar and hindered their movement. Hu Cang had arranged for a manual tricycle to transport the suits and their weapons, including the iron bird spears, in the cargopartment. Then, Liu Xing and hispanions headed towards Eagle Mountain, led by Hu Cang. Along the way, Hu Cang continued to provide information about Eagle Mountain. Eagle Mountain earned its name because it was home to eagles, and its terrain was quite treacherous, featuring cliffs exceeding ten meters in height at many locations. Most importantly, there were no proper paths on Eagle Mountain. This was due to theck of game to hunt on the mountain and the absence of arablend, causing the residents of Panlong Town to generally avoid Eagle Mountain. However, Liu Xing believed that this was precisely why Gu Master Chaxi came to Eagle Mountain to collect insects. ces like Eagle Mountain were often covered in various types of vegetation, providing an excellent habitat for insects. As they talked, the group reached the mountain pass of Eagle Mountain. As Hu Cang had mentioned earlier, the mountain pass of Eagle Mountain was the sole entryway, offering an exceptional vantage point with a panoramic view of the surroundings. The addict controlled by Gu Master Chaxi was sitting by the roadside, smoking a cigarette and asionally surveying the area. "Gu Master Chaxi is now on the west side of Eagle Mountain, and the addict who scouted ahead has already rendezvoused with him. You can put on your protective suits now. I¡¯ll go up and eliminate the addict. After that, you can directly confront Gu Master Chaxi. However, heed my advice: when it¡¯s time to kill, don¡¯t hesitate." Hu Li spoke while quickening her pace. Liu Xing and his group followed Hu Li¡¯s instructions, donning their protective suits. All eyes were on Hu Li. From a distance, Hu Li greeted the addict, and then, in a graceful manner, approached him. She swiftly thrust a knife into the addict¡¯s chest, cleanly ending his life. Once Liu Xing and hispanions were ready and approached Hu Li, they saw her manipting what looked like a dragonfly-like creature in her hand. Liu Xing recognized it as the surveince bug that the ck Cat Demon had mentioned. "Alright, hurry up and go find Gu Master Chaxi. Eagle Mountain is quite vast, and losing him could be troublesome," Hu Li said with a smile. Liu Xing and his group nodded and, led by Hu Cang, continued toward the west side of Eagle Mountain. After walking for about ten minutes, Liu Xing happened to look up and was surprised to see Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s presence. At that moment, Gu Master Chaxi was leading Xiao Dafu and another addict, ascending a very steep mountain path. Fortunately, they were in a hurry and hadn¡¯t noticed Liu Xing and his group below them. Seeing this, Liu Xing immediately whispered to Ling Ishikawa and the others, pointing above and saying, "Gu Master Chaxi is up there!" Once they confirmed Gu Master Chaxi¡¯s location, Liu Xing and his group pressed themselves against the rock wall to avoid detection from the people above. "What should we do? There¡¯s no way we can engage inbat in their current location. Any sudden movement could result in them falling off the cliff," Hu Cang said with a furrowed brow. Liu Xing nodded, recognizing the impracticality of fighting on such a steep mountain path. Ling Ishikawa pondered for a moment and suggested, "In that case, we¡¯ll have to lie in wait. When Gu Master Chaxi and his group return along the same path, we can ambush them." "This might be tricky because, although the paths on Eagle Mountain are challenging, they are interconnected. Gu Master Chaxi and his group may not necessarily return the way they came," Hu Cang pointed out. This presented a challenge that left everyone feeling a bit frustrated. Just then, an unexpected turn of events urred. Liu Xing suddenly heard a scream from above and looked up to see someone falling from the mountain. "Thud!" The personnded heavily on the ground, convulsed a few times, and then went still, with a pool of blood spreading beneath them. Upon seeing the person¡¯s face clearly, Liu Xing was astonished and eximed, "What? This is actually Gu Master Chaxi!" Yes, the person who had fallen from the mountain was Gu Master Chaxi. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but look up and saw a ck figure darting past. He immediately realized what had happened. Clearly, Gu Master Chaxi had been suddenly attacked by the ck Cat Demon and had lost his footing, resulting in a fatal fall. Furthermore, the ck Cat Demon¡¯s presence here indicated that it had already left the ck Flood Dragon. Realizing this, Liu Xing heard a majestic dragon roaring from the direction of Panlong Town. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 420: The Final Battle Chapter 420: The Final Battle "With our current strength, dealing with Gralki¡¯s avatar is a bit troublesome. After all, all we can do is cheer from the sidelines. Getting close would be suicide, and using long-range attacks is like scratching an itch for Gralki¡¯s avatar, it won¡¯t even scratch the surface," Zhang Jingxu said helplessly. Liu Xing nodded in agreement because Zhang Jingxu was right. With their current abilities, it was virtually impossible to harm Gralki¡¯s avatar. After all, Gralki was a Great Old One, so its avatar wouldn¡¯t be weak either. However, what Liu Xing was more concerned about was another matter. "Following the ck Flood Dragon to vanquish Gralki¡¯s avatar is essentially just adding numbers, but let¡¯s not forget one thing. When we encounter Gralki¡¯s avatar, there will most likely be a sanity points check. I estimate it might be a 1d50 sanity points check." When yers encounter a Great Old One, sanity points checks are typically 1d100. So, Liu Xing spected that if they encounter Gralki¡¯s avatar, it would likely involve a 1d50 sanity points check. Therefore, Liu Xing was worried that their entire group might directly fall into temporary madness upon encountering Gralki... Ling Ishikawa rubbed his chin, saying with resignation, "There¡¯s no way around it. We can¡¯t just close our eyes and enter Panlong Lake. So, all we can do is hope for good luck, that we won¡¯t sumb to temporary madness. If we do, let¡¯s hope we randomly get temporary insanities like amnesia or unconsciousness, something better." Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, changing the subject. "About the sanity points check for Gralki¡¯s avatar, we¡¯ll just have to leave it to fate. But I¡¯m curious about some things in this module. Firstly, the side quest we triggered at the beginning, to protect Guo Ming, the sole survivor of the Panlong Town middle school incident. But given the current situation, with no disc spirit in Panlong Town, who would attack Guo Ming? It¡¯s a side quest, enemies should be set for us. We can¡¯t just spend a day with Guo Ming without any threats." Liu Xing furrowed his brows, agreeing with Zhang Jingxu. "You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been thinking about it too. Apart from the disc spirit, mythical creatures in Panlong Town probably wouldn¡¯t bother Guo Ming. After all, besides the disc spirit, Guo Ming likely didn¡¯t provoke any other mythical creatures. So, I¡¯m also puzzled about what enemies we¡¯ll encounter if we undertake Guo Ming¡¯s side quest." "I think the enemies in Guo Ming¡¯s side quest might actually be Guo Ming himself. He may have psychological traumas from the Panlong Town incident. So, while protecting him, there¡¯s a possibility he might, for various reasons, suffer a mental breakdown and start attacking us. However, since the goal of this side quest is to ensure Guo Ming¡¯s safety, we¡¯ll have no choice but to passively endure his attacks or abandon the side quest and kill Guo Ming," analyzed Wan Chongshan.Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Wan Chongshan¡¯s analysis was logical and convincing. Moreover, such situations weremon in Cthulhu RPG Game. At that moment, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "Alright, the private room time is up. Do you need to renew?" Liu Xing nodded, smiling, "Of course, we need to renew. We¡¯re about to face the final boss. We shouldn¡¯t waste any remaining private room time." KP Snow Wind chuckled, "That¡¯s true. But personally, I suggest you yers inform the ck Flood Dragon of your decisions sooner. It¡¯ll be more advantageous for you." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, sensing a hidden meaning in KP Snow Wind¡¯s words. So, Liu Xing asked Ling Ishikawa and the others, "What should we do? Should we go downstairs now and tell the ck Flood Dragon our decision?" Li Dian nodded, smiling, "I think we should do as KP suggested. After all, KP won¡¯t deceive us, and I can feel that both the ck Flood Dragon and the ck cat demon are straightforward personalities. So, if we wait an hour to tell them our decision, they might not say anything, but they¡¯ll probably be unhappy." Zhang Jingxu and the others also nodded in agreement. Thus, Liu Xing and his group decided to go downstairs to find the ck Flood Dragon and share their decision. As they descended, they saw Hu Cang ying with a dagger, with four more identical daggers on the table. Liu Xing knew these five daggers were the rewards promised by Hu Li. Hu Cang grinned as Liu Xing¡¯s group finally came downstairs. "You¡¯re here. The ck Flood Dragon has already gone to break the barrier at Panlong Lake. These five daggers are from Hu Li, and she asked me to tell you that if you decide to join the ck Flood Dragon to vanquish Gralki, just follow the route you took in the illusory realm to Panlong Lake." Liu Xing nodded, casually picking up one of the daggers. A poisoned dagger, with a unique material and coated with an unknown poison. When this dagger inflicts damage on an enemy, the enemy will undergo a difficult constitution judgment. If the enemy fails, they¡¯ll be poisoned, resulting in a decrease in attributes and skill values. The poison can stack three times, and the dagger itself deals 1d5 damage and can be used 10/10 times. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the effectiveness of the dagger crafted by Hu Li. It could inflict debuffs on enemies while causing damage, reducing their attributes and skill values. Moreover, this effect could stack. However, he quickly realized that while the dagger seemed impressive, upon closer examination, its effectiveness was limited. Firstly, the poison would only take effect if the enemy failed a difficult constitution judgment. Difficult constitution judgments might seem hard, but that¡¯s only for ordinary humans with constitution values around seventy or eighty. Sess rates would be less than half. However, for mythical creatures with constitution values around one or two hundred, passing such a judgment would be effortless. Therefore, this dagger could only be effective against human enemies; its use against mythical creatures would be challenging. Furthermore, the poison on the dagger could only be used ten times, and its usage was beyond the yer¡¯s control. Every time the dagger inflicted damage on an enemy, it would consume one use of the poison. Therefore, after a couple of intense battles, the poison would be depleted, turning the dagger into a regr weapon. So, Liu Xing felt that the dagger in his hand could only be considered better than nothing. Having something was better than having nothing at all. Of course, because this dagger was crafted by Hu Li, it had intricate patterns, giving it a high-end and antique appearance. Liu Xing thought he could use the excuse of it being a "collectible" to carry it around. After storing the dagger, Liu Xing said to Hu Cang, "Mr. Hu Cang, we¡¯ve decided to follow the ck Flood Dragon to vanquish Gralki. Are you joining us?" Hu Cang pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "I¡¯ll pass. I know my abilities won¡¯t be of any help in battling Gralki, and I might even hinder you. Also, I n to monitor Xiao Mochen. He¡¯s most likely a follower of Gralki, and I¡¯m concerned he might ambush youter. So, I¡¯ll stay back and watch your backs." Hu Cang¡¯s decision not to participate in the battle against Gralki¡¯s avatar didn¡¯t surprise Liu Xing. After all, despite being an important NPC in this module, Hu Cang was just a regr human. He wouldn¡¯t be of any use against Gralki, and there was a risk he might go berserk upon seeing Gralki¡¯s avatar, falling into temporary madness. So, even if Hu Cang wanted to join the battle against Gralki¡¯s avatar, Liu Xing would persuade him to stay back. Therefore, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright, Mr. Hu Cang, take care. We¡¯ll head out first." After Liu Xing finished speaking, he gave a signal to Ling Ishikawa and the others, and they left Hu Cang¡¯s house together. As Liu Xing and the others disappeared from Hu Cang¡¯s view, a cigarette appeared in Hu Cang¡¯s hand. Taking a drag, Hu Cang blew a smoke ring and said, "Aughra, you seem to value this human quite a lot. As one of Nyathotep¡¯s avatars, you actually intervened to kick a mere Gu Master off the mountain. Aren¡¯t you afraid ck Pharaoh will find out and ridicule you again?" Aughra emerged from the kitchen, holding a steamed bun. "As long as you, King, don¡¯t spill the beans, ck Pharaoh won¡¯t know about it. And what about you? Also an avatar of Nyathotep, pretending to be an NPC cooking for yers in the module." Hu Cang, or rather, King, chuckled and replied, "I have my hobbies. Besides smoking, I enjoy interacting with these yers." Aughra took a bite of the bun and nodded. "Your cooking skills are indeed good. But I hope you didn¡¯t add anything special to these foods." King smiled and shook his head. "Of course not. I know the rules better than you, Aughra. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve made arrangements. The avatar of Gralki won¡¯t harm the human you favor. But Aughra, you still haven¡¯t told me why you favor this human." Unable to change the topic, Aughra smiled and said, "It¡¯s simple. I think this human has good potential and could be an important pawn for me. That¡¯s why I favor him." King nced meaningfully at Aughra and shook his head. "Aughra, you still haven¡¯t told me the truth. But it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s none of my business." Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Aughra decided to take her leave. "King, I have some things to attend to. So, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I¡¯ll be going now." After Aughra finished speaking, she disappeared on the spot. King chuckled and also disappeared. Meanwhile, Liu Xing and his group had found the ck Flood Dragon and others. The ck Flood Dragon and ck cat demon were performing a ritual, while Hu Li and Green Willow were chatting on the side. Seeing Liu Xing and the others arrive, Green Willow smiled and said, "I knew you woulde, so I¡¯ve prepared something good for you." With that, Hu Li handed each of them a fragrance pouch. Taking the fragrance pouch, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow because the fragrance pouch was indeed something good. The fragrance pouch could cause the wearer to lose 4 sanity points when facing Gralki¡¯s avatar. After one use, the fragrance pouch would automatically be ineffective. "All right, now that you¡¯ve put on these fragrance pouches, you can prepare. The ck Flood Dragon and others are breaking the barrier at Panlong Lake faster than we expected. It should be sessful in about five minutes," Hu Li said seriously. Liu Xing and the others nodded, and they put on the fragrance pouches. Five minutester, with a cold snort from the ck Flood Dragon and ck cat demon, the barrier at Panlong Lake was finally broken. In front of Liu Xing and the others appeared not only the massive avatar of Gralki in Panlong Lake but also over a hundred women of various ages on the shore. Clearly, these women were residents of Panlong Town, but Liu Xing knew they had be ves of Gralki¡¯s avatar. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt a chill down his spine because even though these were weakened versions of Gralki¡¯s avatar, each of the over a hundred ves hadbat abilitiesparable to an adult man. So, these over a hundred ves of Gralki¡¯s avatar were a force not to be underestimated. Realizing this, Liu Xing finally understood why they hadn¡¯t seen any female residents in Panlong Town. It turned out they had all be ves of Gralki¡¯s avatar, used to protect its safety. At that moment, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "As you¡¯ve seen the Great Old One, Gralki¡¯s avatar, we¡¯ll now proceed with sanity points checks for the yers. But since you¡¯re all wearing fragrance pouches, you¡¯ll all lose 4 sanity points in this check." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 421: Slaying the Gralki Doppelg?ngers Chapter 421: ying the Gralki Doppelg?ngers "Damn it, why are there so many people." As KP Snow Wind¡¯s words fell, Liu Xing felt a twinge of headache and an inexplicable sense of irritability, his limbs beginning to tingle slightly. Sure enough, the loss of 4 sanity points at once was a critical threshold. Although he hadn¡¯t entered a temporary state of madness, his condition wasn¡¯t exactly favorable. Even though KP Snow Wind hadn¡¯t explicitly stated it yet, Liu Xing knew that if he were to pass judgment now, he would probably suffer some debuffs. "Snap out of it, we need to prepare forbat," the ck cat demon suddenly eximed. It was only then that Liu Xing realized he had been zoning out since losing those 4 sanity points. If it weren¡¯t for the ck cat demon¡¯s shout, he might not have even known how he would have diedter... probably torn to shreds by these Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves. Nevertheless, Liu Xing still felt nervous. In the past, it had always been him and a group of yers against a single mythical creature. Now, it was arge group of mythical creatures against just a few yers. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, it was no mere walk in the park for the yers; they were the ones being hunted. So, Liu Xing took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the iron knife in his hand.Just then, the Gralki doppelg?nger in Panlong Lake let out a peculiar roar, and the ves of these Gralki doppelg?ngers began picking up various "weapons" from the ground¡ªstones, branches, seashells... Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh with relief. It seemed that these Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves still had some distance from their original selves. The ves created by the Gralki¡¯s main body would have sharp ws when enteringbat, giving them a damage bonus of 1d6+1, higher than the usual melee weapons¡¯ damage. For instance, the iron knife in Liu Xing¡¯s hand only had a damage bonus of 1d6 due to its average craftsmanship. Therefore, Liu Xing now felt that these Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves were not as difficult to deal with as he had imagined... Of course, if it came to a fight, Liu Xing doubted he could even win one-on-one... Just as Liu Xing began to wander in his thoughts again, the ves of the Gralki doppelg?ngers unexpectedly started using the items in their hands as projectiles, hurling them towards Liu Xing¡¯s group. However, at the same time, the ck Flood Dragon roared angrily, instantly reverting to its true form, using its massive body to intercept all sorts of projectiles. The ck cat demon standing beside Liu Xing frowned and said, "Green Willow, you and I will go help the old dragon deal with the Gralki. Little Fox, you¡¯ll assist Ryuusei¡¯s group in dealing with these walking corpses. But remember, you must not show mercy. These walking corpses can never turn back into humans." With that, the ck cat demon also reverted to its true form, walking on the surface of the water towards the Gralki, while Green Willow waved her hands, instantly creating a green bridge with the flora around Panlong Lake, pointing straight towards the Gralki doppelg?nger in theke. As for the ck Flood Dragon, it first used a fierce tail swipe, sending most of the Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves on the shore flying, then followed up with a crushing move, squashing many of the Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves. Thus, there were only a dozen or so Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves left on the shore, and some of them were already missing limbs. Seeing this scene, Liu Xing breathed another sigh of relief. Fortunately, the ck Flood Dragon was thorough, clearing out most of the Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves. The remaining ones should be easy to handle with his group¡¯s cooperation with Hu Li. So, Liu Xing prepared himself forbat against the remaining Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves. Just then, time froze once again, and KP Snow Wind spoke, "Alright, yers, please note that we are about to enter thebat round. First, we need to determine which enemies will attack you during this round. There are a total of 11 Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves. They arebeled from A to K, while each of you yers isbeled as follows: Watanabe Ryuusei 1, Ling Ishikawa 2, Zhang Jingxu 3, Wan Chongshan 4, Li Dian 5, and NPC Hu Li 6. Let¡¯s proceed with the relevant judgments." Gralki doppelg?nger ve A, 1d6=2. Gralki doppelg?nger ve B, 1d6=6. ... Gralki doppelg?nger ve K, 1d6=1. After all the judgments were made, Liu Xing found that both he and Ling Ishikawa were quite lucky, needing to deal with only one Gralki doppelg?nger¡¯s ve each. However, Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan were not as fortunate, needing to face three Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves simultaneously. As for Li Dian and Hu Li, they had to deal with two Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves each. After allocating the enemies, KP Snow Wind continued, "Alright, enemies have been assigned. You yers can choose to fight individually or cooperate with other yers. Then, thebat rounds will proceed separately. You have one minute to discuss and inform me of your choices." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by KP Snow Wind¡¯s fairness in giving their group one minute to strategize. "I think if we team up in pairs, like me and Ling Ishikawa together against one Gralki doppelg?nger¡¯s ve, it¡¯s essentially two against four. Though it may seem to bnce our enemy count, it¡¯s not favorable for us because Ryuusei and Ling Ishikawa can deal with their enemies first and thene to help us. We should retreat first and lead our enemies around since Panlong Lake is quite spacious," Zhang Jingxu said quickly. Wan Chongshan nodded and said, "Right, I remember Gralki¡¯s ves have quite slow movement speed. These weakened versions of Gralki doppelg?ngers should be even slower. So, we can definitely kite them. I agree with Zhang Jingxu¡¯s idea." Thus, Liu Xing and the others decided to fight individually. "Okay, now officially entering thebat round. But let me remind you, even if you choose to fight individually, if you end up getting close or yers start helping each other, you will automatically be considered to be fighting together, and thebat rounds will be merged," KP Snow Wind said seriously. As KP Snow Wind finished speaking, time began to flow again, and Liu Xing and the others instinctively separated into pairs. Unlike the cautious Liu Xing and hispanions, Hu Li spoke casually, "I¡¯ll go up and help you guys deal with a few enemies first. I¡¯lle to assist you after I¡¯ve finished them off." With that, Hu Li dashed forward, and the Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves began running towards them. However, even though they were running, these Gralki doppelg?ngers¡¯ ves had essentially be zombies, so their coordination and mobility seemed greatly diminished. Consequently, these ves stumbled after running a few steps, falling to the ground, then scrambling back up to continue running. Liu Xing and his group exchanged nces and decided to take the initiative like Hu Li, pulling their assigned enemies away. Thus, Liu Xing led his opponent, an elderlydy who appeared to be in her sixties or seventies, frail and diminutive, yet her face, now a Gralki doppelg?nger¡¯s ve, was twisted and horrifying, with her features contorted beyond recognition. After confirming his opponent, Liu Xing felt conflicted. Apart from being disfigured, this Gralki doppelg?nger¡¯s ve in front of him looked no different from an ordinary elderly person. Thus, Liu Xing found it difficult to attack. However, fortunately, because Gralki¡¯s ves were a type of unique mythical creature, transformed from humans by Gralki, their physical condition during their human state also determined their attributes after transformation. Therefore, Liu Xing knew that the Gralki doppelg?nger¡¯s ve in front of him belonged to a weakened version, so as long as his luck wasn¡¯t terrible, he should be able to easily dispatch this Gralki doppelg?nger¡¯s ve. Just then, Liu Xing¡¯s vision blurred as something flew past him at lightning speed. Turning his head, Liu Xing saw that the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger was now engaged in a fierce battle with the ck Flood Dragon and Green Willow. Realizing that the blur was likely the ck cat demon, Liu Xing quickly understood. As expected, a secondter, the ck cat demon appeared before Liu Xing, effortlessly dispatching his opponent with a swipe. "Kid,e with me. Something seems off about this Gralki. What we see now is probably just its physical form. Its soul seems to be residing in some small crabs or shrimps by the edge of Panlong Lake. So, we¡¯ll continue dealing with the Gralki¡¯s physical form. You go to the edge of Panlong Lake and find the small creatures where Gralki¡¯s soul is likely dwelling. If you find any, kill them," the ck cat demon said before rushing back towards the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger. Liu Xing was now utterly bewildered. He hadn¡¯t even started, yet the ck cat demon had already helped him deal with his enemy. However, ck Cat Demon¡¯s words surprised Ryuusei. He hadn¡¯t expected Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger to separate its soul from its physical form. But upon careful consideration, Liu Xing realized it could be a good thing, as it provided a clear weakness to exploit. ncing at the battlefield, Liu Xing saw the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger locked in intensebat, and it seemed to be gaining the upper hand, which surprised Liu Xing. Meanwhile, Ling Ishikawa and Hu Li had already dispatched their opponents and were preparing to support Li Dian. As for Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan, they had taken their enemies and run towards Panlong Lake. Seeing this, Liu Xing knew that Zhang Jingxu and the others should be able to quickly eliminate the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s ves. Thus, he decided to head to the riverbank to find the small creatures where the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s soul was likely residing. Because Liu Xing understood that if the module had set up such a stage, it meant that the ck Flood Dragon and the others were likely unable to defeat the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s physical form, hence the need for yers to find the small creatures where the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s soul was residing. Therefore, the sooner he found them, the better. Thinking this, Liu Xing ran towards the edge of Panlong Lake. However, he quickly encountered a problem¡ªthe edge of Panlong Lake was teeming with various small creatures, including fish, shrimps, crabs, and ms, and the ck cat demon hadn¡¯t told him any specific features of the small creatures where the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s soul was likely residing. Liu Xing thought for a moment and then contacted KP Snow Wind, "KP, I¡¯d like to make an inspiration judgment to find the small creatures where the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s soul is likely residing." KP Snow Wind chuckled and replied, "Alright, I¡¯ll provide you with different clues based on the results of your inspiration judgment. I hope you¡¯ll have good luck." Liu Xing, 24/70, Sess. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed his luck was quite good. This sessful inspiration judgment should provide him with some valuable clues. "It seems your luck is not bad. So, the clue I¡¯ll give you this time consists of only two words¡ªspecies," KP Snow Wind said with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding the meaning of the clue given by KP Snow Wind. As a Great Old One from Ennd, it was highly likely that the small creatures where the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s soul was residing were indigenous creatures from Ennd. As a Shudu person, Liu Xing could naturally distinguish local creatures from Shudu. Just then, Ling Ishikawa and the others also dealt with the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s ves and came to Liu Xing¡¯s side. "Ryuusei, why did youe here? What did the ck cat demon tell you just now?" Ling Ishikawa asked in confusion. Liu Xing nodded and exined, "Here¡¯s the situation. What we see now is just the physical form of Gralki. Its soul is already attached to some small creatures by the edge of Panlong Lake. All we need to do is find those creatures and kill them. Even if we can¡¯t kill Gralki, we can severely weaken it. I have a hunch that the small creatures where Gralki¡¯s soul is residing are likely indigenous creatures from Ennd, so let¡¯s hurry and find them." Ling Ishikawa and the others nodded and started searching along the edge of Panlong Lake. However, Liu Xing didn¡¯t forget that there might be betrayers among the yers. Thus, he kept an eye on Li Dian and Wan Chongshan, fearing they might hide the small creatures where the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s soul was residing. But not long after, Liu Xing heard Ling Ishikawa exim loudly, "I found it!" At the same time, the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger, engaged in a fierce battle with the ck Flood Dragon and others, began charging towards Ling Ishikawa without hesitation! Clearly, Ling Ishikawa had indeed found the small creatures where the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s soul was residing¡ªa codfish. However, just as Ling Ishikawa was about to strike and cut the codfish in half, the Gralki¡¯s doppelg?nger¡¯s long thorn pierced through Ling Ishikawa¡¯s heart! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 422: Conclusion of the Module Chapter 422: Conclusion of the Module [Ling Ishikawa is still in female form.] "Congrattions to all yers for sessfully defeating Gralki¡¯s avatar andpleting the final mission of this module. Now, you still have thirty minutes of free time. After thirty minutes, this module will officially end," KP Snow Wind said with a smile. "Damn it," Liu Xing cursed under his breath and hurried towards Ling Ishikawa. Meanwhile, Hu Li, who was closest to Ling Ishikawa, had already pulled her off the spike of Gralki¡¯s avatar. Seeing this scene, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow. Although he was a bit far away, Liu Xing was certain that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s heart had been pierced by the spike of Gralki¡¯s avatar. So now, by hastily pulling Ling Ishikawa off the spike, Hu Li would undoubtedly cause her to bleed heavily. However, Liu Xing thought again. Judging by the thickness of Gralki¡¯s avatar¡¯s spike, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s entire heart was probably damaged. When Liu Xing reached Ling Ishikawa, the scene before him confirmed his suspicion¡ªthere was a bowl-sized cavity in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s heart, but no fresh blood flowed out. Instead, there was a grayish unknown liquiding out of the wound. Liu Xing furrowed his brow again, knowing that this gray liquid in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s wound was injected by Gralki¡¯s avatar through the spike, and its purpose was to transform Ling Ishikawa into a ve of Gralki¡¯s avatar. And now, KP Snow Wind had not announced Ling Ishikawa¡¯s death yet, which meant that Ling Ishikawa was likely undergoing the transformation into Gralki¡¯s avatar.But here¡¯s the problem: Gralki¡¯s avatar is already dead, so will Ling Ishikawa still be transformed into its ve? If Ling Ishikawa could be transformed into Gralki¡¯s avatar¡¯s ve, Liu Xing thought it might be a good thing because Gralki¡¯s avatar was already dead, so Ling Ishikawa wouldn¡¯t be controlled. Because ording to amon saying on the Europa continent: "A vassal of my vassal is not my vassal," so in general, Gralki couldn¡¯t directly control the ves transformed by its avatars. Therefore, if Ling Ishikawa sessfully became Gralki¡¯s avatar¡¯s ve, then Ling Ishikawa would be a "masterless ve," a "ve" that no one couldmand. In short, this wave was a bloodless profit for Ling Ishikawa, as she was transformed into a mythical creature for free. Of course, all of this depended on whether Ling Ishikawa couldplete the transformation. And now, the probability of Ling Ishikawapleting the transformation was fifty-fifty, or even lower, because Ling Ishikawa¡¯s current situation was somewhat special. Because ording to Liu Xing¡¯s memory, in the setting rted to Gralki, if Gralki transformed a human into its ve, it required two Judgments. The first Judgment urred when Gralki inserted its spike into the target¡¯s body and injected a special liquid into the target. During this time, if the target broke free from Gralki¡¯s spike, then the target would most likely die directly. If the target couldn¡¯t break free from Gralki¡¯s spike, then the special liquid injected by Gralki into the target¡¯s body would quickly grow, transforming the target into Gralki¡¯s ve. And now, Gralki¡¯s avatar, reflexively injected the special liquid into Ling Ishikawa¡¯s body at the moment of its death. However, because Gralki¡¯s avatar was already dead, Ling Ishikawa had only undergone the first step of the transformation. Therefore, Liu Xing felt that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation might not be optimistic. But at this moment, Green Willow had also arrived. "Green Willow, please find a way to save Ayako," Hu Li said anxiously. Green Willow looked at Ling Ishikawa¡¯s wound, somewhat helpless. "Little Fox, although my medical skills are good, I haven¡¯t reached the level of resurrecting the dead. So I might disappoint you this time. I can¡¯t save Ling Ishikawa because her heart has beenpletely damaged." Hu Li furrowed his brow and continued to ask, "Green Willow, if I can find a fresh heart, can you perform a heart transnt for Ayako to resurrect her?" Upon hearing Hu Li¡¯s words, Liu Xing and the others couldn¡¯t help but step back, as Hu Li¡¯s mention of a heart definitely referred to a human heart, and there were only a few humans present. Fortunately, Green Willow shook her head and said, "No, because in the end, Ling Ishikawa is just an ordinary person. Even if we were to transnt a heart, she can only survive with a heart that matches hers. Otherwise, even if she undergoes a transnt, Ling Ishikawa won¡¯t survive. As for the probability of heart matching, based on my experience, it¡¯s almost impossible, and most importantly, Ling Ishikawa was injected with some kind of special liquid after being pierced by Gralki¡¯s spike. The effect of this special liquid is likely to transform Ling Ishikawa into Gralki¡¯s ve. Although Gralki is dead, the transformation process is irreversible, so even if Ling Ishikawa doesn¡¯t die, she will be a mindless zombie." Hu Li wanted to say something more, but in the end, it turned into a sigh of helplessness. However, through the conversation between Hu Li and Green Willow, Liu Xing was able to gather a lot of information. For example, Green Willow referred to Ling Ishikawa as Ling Ishikawa, not Ayako, which indicated that Green Willow probably had realized Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation. And Hu Li¡¯s repeated appeals to Green Willow for help with Ling Ishikawa were also abnormal, so Liu Xing estimated that Ling Ishikawa might have really captured Hu Li¡¯s attention, otherwise Hu Li wouldn¡¯t have helped Ling Ishikawa like this. Of course, now Liu Xing felt that Ling Ishikawa¡¯s chances of surviving had increased by a few points, because it had been five minutes and KP Snow Wind still hadn¡¯t announced Ling Ishikawa¡¯s death. This meant that Ling Ishikawa was still holding on, and the longer time passed, the higher the chance Ling Ishikawa had of surviving. At this moment, Liu Xing also noticed that the question marks about the story background and the Interlude Growth had disappeared from the character card. Story Background: Panlong Town, a town that disappeared from the map at some point in time, and all those who knew about Panlong Town have died. All roads leading to Panlong Town have also been abandoned for various reasons. But in the pouring rain, a minibus miraculously entered the nonexistent Panlong Town... As for the earlier Interlude Growth, its true nature had now been revealed. 1d5=1, Key Individual. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. No wonder the story background and Interlude Growth were marked with question marks. If the yers had known the story background from the beginning, they would have definitely been able to analyze the ins and outs of this module based on the module¡¯s name. As for this Interlude Growth, it was obviously hinting at the yers¡¯ identities. Just like Liu Xing¡¯s identity as the "Key Individual," indicating that Liu Xing would y a crucial role in this module, and indeed he did, as the ck cat demon had sought Liu Xing out precisely because of this identity. But speaking of identities, Liu Xing suddenly remembered Erwuzi, whom he had been suspecting all along, surprisingly not betraying them in this final battle. This was rather abnormal because if Gralki¡¯s avatar died, Erwuzi would surely have been eliminated due to the mission failure. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at Li Dian and Wan Chongshan, finding themposed without any abnormality. Could it be that I made a mistake? Liu Xing rubbed his chin and could only conclude that he had overthought things from the start. At this moment, the ck cat demon, who had transformed back into human form, walked over and said, "I just observed with Old Dragon that after Gralki¡¯s death, the spiritual energy of Panlong Town began to fluctuate violently. It should be returning to its original state. However, since Panlong Lake has been Gralki¡¯s hiding ce for a long time, it¡¯s highly likely that Gralki will be buried there. So, for now, let¡¯s return to Panlong Town." Everyone nodded and followed the ck cat demon, leaving Panlong Lake. Ling Ishikawa¡¯s "body," of course, would also be carried away. Thus, everyone returned to Hu Cang¡¯s house. At this point, there were still ten minutes left until the official end of the module. However, what surprised Liu Xing was that Hu Cang was now nowhere to be found. "Hu Cang entered Panlong Town after the changes urred, but because he has spent too much time in Panlong Town, he has merged with the current Panlong Town. Therefore, when Panlong Town returns to its original state, Hu Cang will disappear along with the current Panlong Town," ck Flood Dragon exined. Liu Xing nodded, feeling somewhat mncholic. "I see. I was nning toe back and bid farewell to Hu Cang..." Liu Xing hadn¡¯t finished speaking when he heard the sound of dice hitting the ground. Clearly, this Judgment was crucial to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s life or death. Then, after a few seconds, Ling Ishikawa suddenly sat up, gasping for breath. Seeing this, when Hu Li wanted to go up to check Ling Ishikawa¡¯s condition, Green Willow grabbed Hu Li and said, "Wait a moment. Let¡¯s first determine whether Ling Ishikawa is a friend or foe." Hu Li nodded, nervously watching Ling Ishikawa. It took Ling Ishikawa more than a minute to finallye to his senses. "Uh, am I still alive? Wasn¡¯t I pierced through the heart by Gralki¡¯s spike?" Ling Ishikawa looked down and saw the gaping hole in his chest. Indeed, although Ling Ishikawa had regained consciousness, the hole in his chest had not healed. Moreover, Ling Ishikawa¡¯splexion was now pale, resembling a zombie from a movie set. Seeing this, Green Willow approached and briefly examined Ling Ishikawa¡¯s body. Then she nodded and said, "Ling Ishikawa¡¯s current situation is somewhat special. Simply put, as a human, Ling Ishikawa is already dead and has be something akin to a pig head butcher. Although Ling Ishikawa¡¯s physical strength hasn¡¯t increased much, one advantage Ling Ishikawa has over the pig head butcher is that he still retains clear self-awareness. Therefore, the current Ling Ishikawa should be considered a hybrid of human and monster." When Green Willow uttered the words "hybrid," Liu Xing almost burst intoughter because, from various perspectives, Ling Ishikawa could indeed be deemed worthy of the title "hybrid." As the person in question, Ling Ishikawa, then said with resignation, "Well, as long as I¡¯m okay, it¡¯s fine. But Green Willow, do you have any way to help me cover up this big hole in my chest? After all, even if I put on clothes, it will look very strange." As Ling Ishikawa was still in a female state, there were still contours on her chest. Green Willow chuckled and took out a green leaf from her pocket, cing it in therge hole in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s chest. Then, a magical scene unfolded: the small green leaf floated in the air within the gaping hole, emitting a green glow. The sensation was akin to the arc reactor in Iron Man¡¯s chest. After a moment, the green leaf began to emit a bright green light, and then some thin branches sprouted from the edges of Ling Ishikawa¡¯s wound, intertwining with each other to fill therge hole in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s chest. Although it looked somewhat bizarre, as long as she wore clothes, outsiders wouldn¡¯t be able to tell. However, at that moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt dizzy, everything spinning around him, and he instantly lost consciousness. When Liu Xing woke up again, he found himself lying on the street, with Zhang Jingxu and others sprawled around him. And not far away, Liu Xing also saw the minibus they hade in. Frowning, Liu Xing looked around and realized that they were still in Panlong Town, but it had returned to its normal state. However, "normal" here meant dpidated and deserted, devoid of any people... What surprised Liu Xing was that this Panlong Town in front of him was exactly the same as the one he and Zhang Jingxu had seen during the first temporal distortion. At this point, Zhang Jingxu and the others gradually woke up one by one. When Ling Ishikawa woke upst, KP Snow Wind spoke up, saying, "OK, congrattions to all yers for sessfullypleting this module. Now, let¡¯s enter the ending scene." As soon as KP Snow Wind finished speaking, Liu Xing lost control of his body again. He watched as "himself" and the others conversed for a while before boarding the minibus, driven by "Wan Chongshan," and quickly leaving Panlong Town. Then, Liu Xing lost consciousness once again. After "Liu Xing" and the others left Panlong Town, Wang suddenly appeared on the rooftop of Hu Cang¡¯s house, with Hu Li and Zhong Rensan standing behind him. "Hu Li, after you leave, find an opportunity to contact that Ling Ishikawa. It would be best if you can follow Ling Ishikawa¡¯s actions. Zhong Rensan, after you leave, find your own body and then rece it," Wang said in an emotionless tone. Hu Li and Zhong Rensan nodded before disappearing. Wang stood on the rooftop for another half hour before sighing and saying, "Although I don¡¯t want to get involved in this conflict, I also don¡¯t want to be used as a pawn. So, Yin En, I hope you don¡¯t disappoint me, my representative." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 423: Liu Xing and "Liu Xing" Chapter 423: Liu Xing and "Liu Xing" When Liu Xing regained consciousness once again, he found himself back in the real world. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that this time KP Snow Wind didn¡¯t conduct a summary. However, the gains from this module were disyed in list form on theputer. Liu Xing¡¯s gains from this module were quite substantial. Firstly, the Gu Master secondary profession, then the dagger crafted by Hu Li, and a strange temporary buff - pseudo godyer. Pseudo godyer, all yers who participated in killing the Great Old One¡¯s avatar could obtain this temporary buff. Its duration was three modules, and all mythical creatures in the module would show reverence towards the yer holding this temporary buff, significantly reducing the chance of mythical creatures initiating attacks against them. After reading the description of pseudo godyer, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but smile because the effect of this temporary buff was very useful. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, mythical creatures mostly initiated attacks against yers. So, this buff that could make mythical creatures hesitant to attack yers could potentially allow a module to end without encountering mythical creatures. It could be said that the value of this temporary buff was at least 5000 points or more. However, unfortunately, this temporary buff onlysted for three modules. It would have been better if it were permanent. Of course, if it were a permanent godyer buff, it would probably require killing the main body of a Great Old One.Just as Liu Xing was lost in thought, Yin En sent him a message - contacting him by phone. Without hesitation, Liu Xing took out his phone and dialed Yin En¡¯s number. After all, Yin En and he were already close. As the call connected, Yin En couldn¡¯t wait to ask, "Hey, Liu Xing, did you just return directly to the real world?" "Yes, I also returned directly to the real world. Is there a problem?" Liu Xing replied. Yin En breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Normally, after the KP officially ends a module, there should be a module settlement before letting the yer return to the real world. So, when you suddenly returned directly to the real world this time, I thought something unexpected had happened to me. That¡¯s why I specifically called to confirm. But if that¡¯s the case, then it should be a problem on the KP¡¯s side." Liu Xing nodded, suddenly enlightened, "So that¡¯s how it is. I was wondering why I returned directly to the real world this time. It turns out it was because of this reason. Bute to think of it, Yin En, when should we proceed to the next advancement module?" Yin En thought for a moment before saying, "I think we can do this: now we can include Zhang Jingxu in our small team. After all, if everything goes as nned, our next module teammate should also be Zhang Jingxu. So, I n to contact Zhang Jingxu first and then confirm the time for the next module." Liu Xing thought about it and agreed with Yin En¡¯s suggestion. Zhang Jingxu could indeed be included in their small team. First, because Zhang Jingxu¡¯s abilities were quite good, second, because the cooperation between the two sides in these two modules had been very pleasant, and third, as Yin En said, in the next module, Zhang Jingxu should still be with him and Yin En. Therefore, Liu Xing smiled and said, "That¡¯s great. Yin En, please contact Zhang Jingxu. After confirming the time for the next module, just send me a text." "OK, let¡¯s do that. I have to go home now to see my dad. It seems like my dad has been calling me about something." Yin En said and then hung up the phone. Liu Xing carefully thought about it and realized that he hadn¡¯t been home to see his parents for a while. So, he packed up casually and went home. That night, Liu Xing received a text message from Yin En, arranging to have the second advancement module three dayster. Zhang Jingxu had also agreed to join their team of two. This was good news. After ying at home for a day, Liu Xing felt that his parents seemed to be preparing to arrange a blind date for him, so he decisively "escaped" from home on the pretext of having urgent matters. After leaving home, Liu Xing thought it was still early and decided to go find Wu Lei again. However, whether it was by phone or going to Wu Lei¡¯s board game store, Liu Xing was met with a closed door. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but frown, starting to suspect that something unfortunate had happened to Wu Lei. Perhaps? A bold idea once again crossed Liu Xing¡¯s mind - Wu Lei was also a yer at the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Although there was no concrete evidence, Liu Xing now recalled his previous conversations with Wu Lei and found that the advice Wu Lei had given him was simr to the advice given by veterans on the forum to neers. And most importantly, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s master happened to be named Feng Zhicheng, which was Wu Lei¡¯s favorite name to use when creating character cards. ording to Zhang Jingxu, his master should also be participating in the game, and now Wu Lei was coincidentally missing. Moreover, upon closer inspection, Liu Xing found several suspicious points. Firstly, Wu Lei¡¯s family situation. Although Wu Lei didn¡¯t often mention his family situation, from his asional remarks and his spending ability, it seemed that Wu Lei¡¯s family situation was average at best. So, theoretically, it was impossible for Wu Lei to support a fairlyrge board game store in the downtown area of Rongcheng. After all, the prospects for board game stores in China were mediocre at best; most were either losing money or driven by the personal hobbies of the owners. Wu Lei couldn¡¯t have been unaware of this. Then there was Wu Lei¡¯s personality. Although Wu Lei, who was still in school, was outgoing and had made many friends, after deepermunication, Liu Xing knew that Wu Lei¡¯s personality was actually very steady. In important matters, Wu Lei tended to be conservative in his decision-making. So, when Wu Lei decided to leave the hospital that had employed him and open a board game store, Liu Xing thought Wu Lei was crazy. So, considering all these points, Liu Xing became more convinced that Wu Lei was Zhang Jingxu¡¯s master - Feng Zhicheng. Thinking of this, Liu Xing made up his mind to seize the opportunity to ask Zhang Jingxu about Feng Zhicheng when they proceeded to the second advancement module. For example, Feng Zhicheng¡¯s hometown, because Liu Xing remembered that as long as Wu Lei used Feng Zhicheng¡¯s name when building a character card, Feng Zhicheng would definitely be set as a resident of Qingcheng Mountain, because Feng Zhicheng himself was from Dujiangyan, and Qingcheng Mountain was located there. Having made up his mind, Liu Xing began to look forward to the second advancement module the next day. And so, the next day arrived, and Liu Xing logged in on time. But as soon as Liu Xing opened the Cthulhu Role- ying Game Hall, a system message popped up. "The Dragon Boat Festival gift package is now online. This Dragon Boat Festival gift package is divided into three tiers: 188, 450, and 998. yers can purchase ording to their own situation, but can only purchase one Dragon Boat Festival gift package." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, only then realizing that today was the Dragon Boat Festival. Because of thest Qingming Festival gift package, Liu Xing had drawn a lot of good things. Although those good things were all given to that damn Yis People, Liu Xing felt that with his decent luck, he should still be able to draw some good items from this Dragon Boat Festival gift package. So, Liu Xing clicked on the link provided in the system message. Entering the shop interface, Liu Xing found that this Dragon Boat Festival gift package was different from the Qingming Festival gift package. Regardless of the tier of the Dragon Boat Festival gift package, only one item would be drawn. However, Liu Xing still had quite a few points on hand, so he chose the 998-tier Dragon Boat Festival gift package, after all, this Dragon Boat Festival gift package could only be purchased once. But Liu Xing didn¡¯t immediately open the Dragon Boat Festival gift package. Instead, he went to bathe and change clothes first, then lit the incense he had just bought from Taobao. Afterpleting a set of preparations, Liu Xing clicked to open the gift package. Friend, using this item will add a friend with a favorability of 100 to your character card, and you can customize the name, profession, and personality of this friend. If the yer uses this item in a module, the generated friend will appear in the module. Liu Xing looked bewildered, never expecting to draw one of the three artifacts in the Cthulhu RPG Game - a Friend. However, speaking of which, Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall to be so informal, actually turning friends into items. But what made Liu Xing happy was that the effect of this item was quite good, and it could be used in the module. After all, as one of the three artifacts of the Cthulhu RPG Game, friends were recognized by all Cthulhu RPG Game yers. At this moment, Yin En sent Liu Xing a text message, telling him to get ready to start the game. So, Liu Xing put "Friend" into his character card and clicked to start the game. This time, Liu Xing instantly entered the game. First, there was the Interlude Growth, but this time the Interlude Growth was more normal. Doctrine Mastery: Because you have been studying the doctrine for a long time, your knowledge of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect¡¯s doctrine has be more advanced, so your ult knowledge has increased by 1d5 points. 1d5=5. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at his luck. Scenario: Dangerous Tour Group Difficulty: Hard Number of yers: 8 Background Story: Recently, there have been multiple idents involving tour groups in various locations in Ennd, with as many as hundreds of foreign tourists missing or injured in Ennd. Therefore, the English police have deployed arge number of forces to investigate, but there has been no progress. Instead, foreign tour groups continue to disappear in Ennd. Name: Watanabe Ryuusei Profession: Pre-college Student (Leader of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, New Gu Master) Gender: Male Age: 18 Trait: Leadership, Blessing of the Yellow King, pseudo godyer (remaining two modules) Rtion to this module: After leaving Panlong Town, you and Ling Ishikawa and others returned to Rongcheng. After receiving Lu Tianya¡¯s message, you continued to search for the Ancient One. As a result, when you arrived at the original destination, it was already empty. However, you received news that the Ancient One had gone to Manchester, Ennd, to watch a football match. So, you boarded the ne again and headed to Manchester, Ennd. Character Attributes: Strength: 60 Constitution: 60 Willpower: 75 Luck: 70 Agility: 50 Appearance: 85 Build: 60 Intelligence: 80 Inspiration: 70 Education: 70 Cthulhu Myth Knowledge: ?? Sanity: ??/?? HP: 12 MP: 30 Damage Bonus: 1 Credit: 30 Skills: Ind Nation Language 80, Library Use 60, Investigation 50, Listening 40, Persuasion 70, Combat 40, Evasion 40, ult 85, Gu Arts 30, Other Languages: Ancient One Language 60. Special Skills: Summoning/Dismissing Ba¡¯ya, Ritual Ceremony to Summon King Hastur in Yellow Robes Personal Items: Cell phone, English trantion of "Yellow King," Scriptures of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Yellow Seal Pendant, Soul Casket, Friend. Liu Xing looked at his personal items and realized that because security checks in China were so strict, he didn¡¯t bring those two daggers with him. At this moment, a familiar voice sounded in Liu Xing¡¯s ear, "Hello, yers. I am the KP of this module - Li Shunchan. Since this module is a 4v4petitive module, each side¡¯s yers will have their own KP responsible, and the results of various judgments by opposing factions will not be reported." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, never expecting that the KP of this module would be his old acquaintance. At this moment, KP Li Shunchan also noticed Liu Xing and specially privately chatted with Liu Xing, "Oh, didn¡¯t expect to see a familiar face here. It seems we¡¯re quite destined, but don¡¯t expect me to go easy on you. However, you¡¯re about to receive a surprise." As soon as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Liu Xing found himself sitting on a ne, still with the feminized Ling Ishikawa beside him. As for Zhang Jingxu, he was sitting in front with Lu Tianya. At this moment, a prompt sounded from the ne¡¯s broadcast, but because "Watanabe Ryuusei" didn¡¯t understand English, Liu Xing didn¡¯t know what the broadcast meant... "Master, we¡¯re about tond," Ling Ishikawa said softly. Liu Xing nodded and fastened his seatbelt. Ten minutester, Liu Xing and his party were standing outside the airport, waiting for the hotel car they had arranged beforehand. Bored, Liu Xing smiled at Ling Ish ikawa and said, "Ling Ishikawa, how did you manage to get on the ne this time? After all, your passport obviously doesn¡¯t belong to you." Ling Ishikawa shook her head helplessly and said, "Ryuusei-kun, don¡¯t tease me. We Ind Nation citizens don¡¯t need visas to European countries..." Liu Xing had intended to tease her a bit more, but he caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye - Juri Sonoda! Hastily, Liu Xing looked over and indeed saw Juri Sonoda. Liu Xing furrowed his brows. Since Juri Sonoda appeared here, it meant that the "Liu Xing" controlled by Yis People should also havee to Ennd. Sure enough, Liu Xing saw "Liu Xing". "Damn." Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but curse inwardly. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa also noticed Juri Sonoda and "Liu Xing". So, Ling Ishikawa looked at Liu Xing with a surprised expression. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 424: Cooperation with Yis People and the First Enemy Chapter 424: Cooperation with Yis People and the First Enemy Before this, Liu Xing hadn¡¯t told Yin En about the incident of his "Liu Xing" character card being hijacked by Yis People, so Liu Xing understood Ling Ishikawa¡¯s mood very well at this moment. Because Liu Xing¡¯s current mood was exactly like Ling Ishikawa¡¯s, both feeling like they had been cheated. Although Liu Xing had already guessed that sooner orter he would encounter Yis People in the module, he hadn¡¯t expected to meet Yis People so soon, and especially not in this confrontational advanced module. What¡¯s more, he had be teammates with Yis People! After all, in confrontational modules like this, yers from the same camp would surely gather together from the beginning. And now, his camp was just missing one yer, so Yis People must be his teammate. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt even more ufortable. It was like finally developing a good gaming ount, only to have it stolen right away, and then seeing the thief using your stolen ount to run dungeons together. What¡¯s most infuriating is that you can¡¯t get angry about it; you have to cooperate with this ount thief. As for why Liu Xing was sure that the current Yis People was also a yer participating in the advanced module, it was because character cards that hadn¡¯t participated in the module wouldn¡¯t meet the yers currently in the module. At this moment, Juri Sonoda also noticed Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, and walked over with a smile, saying, "Hey, Ryuusei, Ling Ishikawa, I didn¡¯t expect to meet again in Ennd. It¡¯s really fate." Liu Xing forced a smile and nodded, saying, "Yeah, Juri sister, I didn¡¯t expect to meet in Manchester. And judging by Brother Liu Xing¡¯s appearance, it seems like you¡¯ve almost recovered."Juri Sonoda nodded, looking at Yis People beside her, and said, "Of course, with the professional care of Miss Juri, Liu Xing must be recovering quickly. But although Liu Xing¡¯s body has almost recovered, he may have injured his head in the battle with those fanatics on Yueshihao. So he has lost the memories of his experiences on the Ind Nation." Upon hearing Juri Sonoda¡¯s words, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow. Because if Yis People wasn¡¯t lying, it meant that from the end of Professor Yang¡¯s module until the time he tore the card in the Yueshihao module, Yis People, who was lurking in the "Liu Xing" character card, was either asleep or unconscious. That¡¯s why there were no memories of the Ind Nation in the "Liu Xing" character card. If that¡¯s the case, then Yis People probably didn¡¯t know that he and Ling Ishikawa were "Liu Xing" and "Yin En." Thinking of this, Liu Xing decided not to reveal his true identity to Yis People for now, lest it make Yis People wary. After all, he still had to face Yis People one-on-one with his current character card in the confrontational module. If he let Yis People know his hand now, he would lose the advantage. And at this moment, Liu Xing saw another familiar figure¡ªNan Xiaoniao! Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. He didn¡¯t expect Nan Xiaoniao to appear in this module. Bute to think of it, Liu Xing felt quite sorry for Nan Xiaoniao because since "he" adopted Nan Xiaoniao, he had basically never seen her again. Because during the modules, he was worried that Nan Xiaoniao, a young girl, would hold him back, so he chose not to bring her along. Of course, what Liu Xing was more concerned about now was who the pretty girl next to Nan Xiaoniao was. The girl looked about twenty years old, with an APP score of around 85. And from her demeanor, she should be a Chinese. But judging from the intimate attitude between the girl and Nan Xiaoniao, it seemed like they had a very good rtionship. However, this also puzzled Liu Xing even more because he didn¡¯t remember this girl¡¯s existence. Could it be that Nan Xiaoniao only met this girl after he switched to the "Watanabe Ryuusei" character card? Juri Sonoda saw Liu Xing looking at Nan Xiaoniao and said with a smile, "This is Liu Xing¡¯s adopted daughter, Nan Xiaoniao. And the pretty girl next to Nan Xiaoniao is called Shi Zixuan. We met on the ne, and because Shi Zixuan and Nan Xiaoniao hit it off right away, Shi Zixuan just took Nan Xiaoniao to buy some gifts." Liu Xing nodded and couldn¡¯t help but look at Shi Zixuan again because he always felt that Shi Zixuan was also a yer. Because ording to a famous quote from JOJO - "Stand users attract each other," there was a post on the Cthulhu RPG Game forum suggesting that yers would also be attracted to each other in modules. Although the character cards yed by yers and the NPCs in the module didn¡¯t seem much different, when two yers who didn¡¯t know each other met, even with many NPCs around, they could still recognize each other¡¯s yer identities at first sight. So, Liu Xing felt that Shi Zixuan should also be a yer. Now the question was, with five yers present, who among Yis People and Shi Zixuan would be the yer from the opposing camp? The answer was soon revealed. After Shi Zixuan handed Nan Xiaoniao to Yis People, she smiled and said a few words to Juri Sonoda, then casually hailed a taxi and left. Of course, Liu Xing noticed that before Shi Zixuan left, she nced meaningfully at him, Ling Ishikawa, and Zhang Jingxu. It seemed that Shi Zixuan had also noticed the yer identities of the three of them. This was troublesome. Liu Xing rubbed his chin. Although Yis People was not an opposing yer, this was a good thing for Liu Xing because, after all, Yis People tore his character card, which ultimately belonged to him. But now that Shi Zixuan had arrived and immediately identified what his camp¡¯s four yers looked like, and his group had also identified Shi Zixuan as a yer, if Shi Zixuan sessfully reunited with her teammates, she could tell her teammates the appearance characteristics of his group, and then her teammates could observe his group secretly. I¡¯m in the light, the enemy is in the dark. By then, his group would be in a passive position. Just then, a bus stopped in front of Liu Xing. From the paint on the bus, Liu Xing knew that this bus should be the one arranged by the hotel to pick up guests from the airport. And since Yis People was his teammate, it meant that Yis People, Juri Sonoda, and Nan Xiaoniao should also be staying at the same hotel as his group. As expected. Liu Xing looked at Juri Sonoda sitting on the other side of the aisle and smiled, "Juri sister, it seems that we really have a connection. We¡¯re staying in the same hotel, and our room numbers might even be next to each other." After saying this, Liu Xing mentioned the room number that his group had booked. Sure enough, Juri Sonoda and her group¡¯s reserved room number was "conveniently" adjacent to the room number booked by Liu Xing¡¯s group. "Wow, it seems like we really have some fate. I thought we wouldn¡¯t meet again after the Morimoto Academy incident," Juri Sonoda said happily. At this moment, Yis People, who was taking care of Nan Xiaoniao in front of Juri Sonoda, spoke up, "You¡¯re Watanabe Ryuusei mentioned by Juri. Although we once fought together against the fanatics on Yueshihao, I lost the memories rted to you due to my injuries, which I regret deeply." Liu Xing shook his head and replied with a smile, "Brother Liu Xing, you¡¯re being too modest. If anyone should regret, it should be me. After all, you saved my life on Yueshihao, and I didn¡¯t do anything to help you." To be honest, Liu Xing felt quite ufortable talking to Yis People because it felt like talking to himself in the mirror... Yis People chuckled and looked at Ling Ishikawa sitting beside Liu Xing, saying, "Ryuusei, I heard from Juri that the person sitting next to you should be Ling Ishikawa, right? But..." Yis People hesitated, and Liu Xing naturally knew what Yis People wanted to say. After all, Ling Ishikawa was currently in a female form, while the Ling Ishikawa mentioned by Juri Sonoda was a male. So, Liu Xing, suppressing a smile, exined Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation. However, because he didn¡¯t intend to reveal what happened in Panlong Town, Liu Xing only said that Ling Ishikawa had be like this due to mistakenly using Magic Spells. Upon hearing this, Juri Sonoda smiled and said, "I see. That¡¯s why Ling Ishikawa looks like this. At first, I thought Ling Ishikawa had be a cross-dressing fashionista." Ling Ishikawa once again disyed a hopeless expression. However, Liu Xing noticed one thing now, and that was that Yis People had always referred to Juri Sonoda as "Juri," which in Ind Nation represented an intimate rtionship between the two. Because if the rtionship was ordinary, some title would be added to the name. Therefore, Liu Xing suddenly felt like he had been "cuckolded" by "himself." During their time in Yueshihao, Liu Xing could actually feel that Juri Sonoda had a certain interest in him. But at that time, Liu Xing thought that after the Yueshihao module, he wouldn¡¯t see Juri Sonoda again, so he didn¡¯t n to flirt with her. But now, seeing Juri Sonoda and Yis People bringing Nan Xiaoniao abroad for a trip, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel ufortable. But to be honest, Liu Xing could also guess why Yis People hade to Manchester. After all, Manchester wasn¡¯t considered a tourist city. It used to be an industrial area of Ennd, so there weren¡¯t many famous tourist attractions. So, Yis People didn¡¯te here for tourism; it was very likely that they weremissioned by someone, either Isabe or Chris. As for the so-calledmission, it should be rted to the background story of this module¡ªthe mystery of the disappearance of foreign tourist groups. Obviously, the reason why these foreign tourist groups disappeared was most likely due to attacks by mythical creatures or being captured by some secret cult... Of course, it could also be both. Therefore, Liu Xing spected that the opposing camp yers were probably from a certain secret cult or shared belief in some mythical creature. So, the mission of his side¡¯s camp was to solve the mystery of the disappearance of foreign tourist groups, while the mission of the opposing camp was to continue attacking and abducting a certain number of foreign tourist groups. After all, from the background story, all the people in those foreign tourist groups were taken away. At this moment, Lu Tianya, who was sitting behind Liu Xing, suddenly spoke up, "Wow, it seems like our timing toe to Ennd isn¡¯t great. Because recently, many foreign tourists have gone missing in Ennd. Just two days ago, a group of twenty people mysteriously disappeared in Manchester." Liu Xing pretended to be surprised and said, "What, is that true? Then aren¡¯t we in danger?" And at this moment, Yis People took the initiative to speak, "To be honest, this time Juri, Little Bird, and I came to Manchester, actually for this matter. Because of certain reasons, I have some rtionship with the police officer bureau chief in Manchester. So, he specially invited me toe and assist in the investigation. But speaking of which, we are currentlycking in strength and need help. So, Ryuusei, could you and your friends help us?" Liu Xing frowned. He didn¡¯t expect Yis People to suddenly ask for his help. The plot was progressing too quickly. And at this moment, Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brows and said, "Damn it, I just received news that the person we¡¯re looking for has disappeared because he also came to Manchester with a certain domestic tourist group." Liu Xing was dumbfounded. Although at the beginning, Liu Xing had also considered that the entry point of this module¡¯s plot should be his group being attacked by unknown individuals, thus officially starting the main quest to proceed with the module. But Liu Xing didn¡¯t expect that the Ancient One would be captured by those unknown individuals. However, upon careful consideration, this was also a good thing. After all, in this way, his group would have a reason to agree to Yis People¡¯s request, and then they could leverage the power of the Manchester police. Although in the Cthulhu RPG Game, the police force always seemed to be missing in major events, they were still useful in gathering intelligence in the early stages, as the police force could mobilize arge number of resources and ess various internal information that ordinary people couldn¡¯t reach. So, Liu Xing smiled and said, "It looks like we have to cooperate with Brother Liu Xing, because we came this time to travel to Ennd with a friend, but unexpectedly, he¡¯s also missing now. So, Brother Liu Xing, if you don¡¯t mind us holding you back, we¡¯re willing to work with you." Yis People shook his head with a smile and said, "No, no, no. Juri mentioned you to me before. Since you were able to solve the Morimoto Academy incident, it shows that your ability in dealing with those mysterious incidents is no less than mine." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 425: A Bit Safer Chapter 425: A Bit Safer Since encountering Yis People, Liu Xing had been closely observing their demeanor. So far, there hadn¡¯t been anything unusual about Yis People. Although the Cthulhu RPG Game required yers to y their roles well, it didn¡¯t demand absolute adherence to character roles. So, at times, yers could express their own emotions. For instance, when Ling Ishikawa saw Yis People earlier, the confused expression didn¡¯t fit the character setting, considering Ling Ishikawa hadn¡¯t encountered "Liu Xing" before. Therefore, Liu Xing believed even more that Yis People probably didn¡¯t know that "Watanabe Ryuusei" was their character card, or that they were "Watanabe Ryuusei." In conclusion, Liu Xing felt he had a slight advantage in the battle with Yis People because he could use this module to observe any new cards Yis People might have. After all, ording to logic, the "Liu Xing" character card would need to go through two or three modules before advancing. So, in these two or three modules, as long as Yis People wasn¡¯t too foolish, they should be able to develop new cards, such as using their own knowledge or utilizing resources in the module to create various high-tech weapons and items. Therefore, in this module, Liu Xing decided to pay close attention to Yis People¡¯s actions. After confirming cooperation with Yis People, the bus had already arrived at the hotel. After getting off the bus at the hotel, Yis People spoke up, "Ryuusei, you guys go back to the hotel and rest first. I need to go find Chris, the head of the Manchester Police Department, to report your situation. Since we¡¯ll be cooperating with the local police in Manchester for the next operation, we need to follow some of Manchester Police¡¯s rules. Besides, I¡¯ll try to get some weapons and equipment from Chris. I believe Chris would be willing to give me some pistols and bulletproof vests, and maybe we can also get first-hand information from the Manchester Police about the missing foreign tourist group."Liu Xing nodded. Working with the police indeed brought many conveniences, but it also required a certain cost. After all, there¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch in the world. So, the police couldn¡¯tpletely trust the yer¡¯s side, nor could they give the yer¡¯s side too much autonomy. Just as Yis People had said earlier, the yer¡¯s side was only responsible for assisting the Manchester Police, so the initiative naturally remained with the Manchester Police. Thus, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Then, I¡¯ll trouble you, big brother Liu Xing. But if possible, please ask about the missing case of the Chinese tourist group. It would be even better if you could bring back relevant internal information because we have a friend who disappeared after following the Chinese tourist group to Manchester." To be honest, Liu Xing felt a strange sense of amusement being called "big brother" by himself... Yis People thought for a moment and said with a smile, "No problem, I¡¯ll ask Chris for you. You guys wait for my good news at the hotel. It¡¯s gettingte now, so I¡¯ll be back soon." While speaking, Yis People gged down a taxi and left the hotel. So, Liu Xing and his group, along with Juri Sonoda and Nan Xiaoniao,pleted the check-in procedures and went to their respective rooms. The moment they entered the room, Liu Xing heard KP Li Shunchan saying, "Because the yers have reached the initial safe point of our camp, let me first exin a special setting in this module¡ªsafe points. Firstly, in this module, as long as yers from the same camp enter the same safe point, they can have unlimited Private Room time, of course, the rules that must be followed still apply. Secondly, the special function of safe points is that the opposing camp cannot detect what¡¯s happening inside the safe point. Simply put, yers don¡¯t need to worry about their camp¡¯s safe point being monitored by the opposing camp. However, yers shouldn¡¯t expect to engage in corresponding behaviors in the opposing camp¡¯s safe point." "Lastly, the most important setting about safe points is that every yer can set a safe point for their own camp. However, the safe point must be rtively enclosed, and the yer must have temporary usage rights to the ce, such as the hotel rooms you are in now, or a Private Room in a restaurant, or inside a car, and so on. But after setting your safe point, you won¡¯t be able to change it within three days. By the way, the hotel rooms you are in now are your initial safe points, and you can change your safe point now." After listening to KP Li Shunchan¡¯s introduction, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow. This safe point setting was quite interesting. Liu Xing had been pondering before about the regtions on Private Room time in this module. If it were restricted by time or frequency, it would be troublesome. Because this was ultimately apetitive module, unlike cooperative modules with linear storylines, where you could roughly analyze the next storyline based on known information and only need to have a few Private Room sessions at appropriate times toplete the module. Therefore, cooperative modules didn¡¯t demand much Private Room time. Butpetitive modules were different because the variables were significant. After all, each yer had their own subjective initiative and would change their actions ording to the changes in the module. So, one yer¡¯s actions could potentially cause significant changes in the entire module. Hence, yers needed a lot of Private Room time for discussions. Therefore, Liu Xing found this safe point setting very good, especially being able to set a safe point in a vehicle, which meant Private Room time could be initiated at any time. However, precisely because of this, Liu Xing had already predicted how intense this module would be. Although Ling Ishikawa was still in a female body at the moment, Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t intend to let Ling Ishikawa share a room with Lu Tianya. So, Liu Xing¡¯s group booked a total of four rooms, one for each person. Anyway, Liu Xing¡¯s group wasn¡¯t short of money. After unpacking his luggage, Liu Xing went to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s room, where Zhang Jingxu was already there. Private Room time automatically began. Seeing Liu Xing entering the room, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t wait to say, "Liu Xing, what¡¯s going on? Liu Xing... I mean, how did your character card end up here, and as a yer?" Zhang Jingxu, on the side, raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "What? That ¡¯Liu Xing¡¯ is also Liu Xing¡¯s character card? But how did it end up in someone else¡¯s hands? I remember character cards can¡¯t be traded." Liu Xing sighed and spoke up, "Zhang Jingxu, you should remember the module we did together at the beginning, right? The one with Professor Yang." Zhang Jingxu nodded, then eximed, "Liu Xing, are you saying that your character card was hacked by Yis People?!" Liu Xing shrugged, helplessly saying, "Exactly, my character card was indeed hacked by Yis People. I had encountered Yis People in the module, Professor Yang¡¯s module to be precise. Perhaps the reason that module was temporarily interrupted was because Yis People somehow infiltrated my character card." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment, then said, "I see. I¡¯ve only heard from some rumors that certain mythical creatures or Great Old Ones can obtain yers¡¯ character cards through special means. But there hasn¡¯t been any concrete evidence or victimsing forward to prove this rumor, so I thought it was just an urban legend. Didn¡¯t expect you, Liu Xing, to actually experience it. But speaking of which, incidents like this should be the responsibility of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, as it¡¯s considered a game loophole." Liu Xing nodded, exining the solution provided by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Ling Ishikawa rubbed her chin, speaking seriously, "If ites to a one-on-onepetitive module, Liu Xing, you¡¯ll likely be at a disadvantage. Yis People¡¯s technological level is exceptionally high. Once you engage in a one-on-one module with them, Yis People will surelye up with all sorts of advanced technology. And the most important thing is, Liu Xing, you can¡¯t kill Yis People because that¡¯s your character card. Unless you¡¯re willing to spend money on a resurrection module afterward." Liu Xing sighed again, wryly saying, "Yin En, you¡¯re right, but the situation is as it is now. I¡¯ll just have to give it my all when the timees. But from the current situation, it seems that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is quite discreet. They haven¡¯t informed Yis People about my situation, so Yis People probably doesn¡¯t know that I am the owner of their character card. So, Yin En, Zhang Jingxu, you both need to cooperate with me well this time and make sure Yis People doesn¡¯t find out that I am the owner of their character card." Yin En and Zhang Jingxu nodded simultaneously, smiling and saying, "No problem." Just then, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s phone rang suddenly. ncing at his phone, Zhang Jingxu frowned, saying, "It¡¯s a call from the China Daoist Sect. I need to go to the restroom to take this call because it¡¯s of a high level of confidentiality. When I answer this call, it will trigger a spell embedded in my phone. If it senses anyone outside the China Daoist Sect within a five-meter radius, it will automatically cut off the call, and I¡¯ll need to return to China immediately for investigation." With that, Zhang Jingxu briskly entered the restroom. After a while, Zhang Jingxu came out of the restroom, somewhat surprised, "Didn¡¯t expect to receive a special Side Quest even before the Main quest triggers. This special Side Quest can be shared, so, Liu Xing, you guys ept it." As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "yer Zhang Jingxu has shared a special Side Quest with you¡ªRescue Mr. Zhang. Would you like to ept this Mission?" "ept," Liu Xing said without hesitation. KP Li Shunchan continued, "OK, yer Liu Xing has epted the Side Quest¡ªRescue Mr. Zhang. The mission objective is to rescue the abducted Mr. Zhang. The mission reward is 500 points and a random item." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that this special Side Quest was indeed special. The mission objective was so concise... nothing was mentioned, not even the specific name of the person. However, the reward for this Side Quest was quite good. Although it was a random item, it was provided by the China Daoist Sect, so Liu Xing believed it would be excellent. "Zhang Jingxu, do you have any specific information about this Mr. Zhang? Why doesn¡¯t the Mission description even mention his name?" Ling Ishikawa asked in confusion. Zhang Jingxu shook his head, waving his phone and said, "I don¡¯t know either. But they said they would quickly send over the information about Mr. Zhang." Before Zhang Jingxu finished his sentence, his phone pinged with a message notification. Opening it, Zhang Jingxu said, "The information has arrived. The full name of Mr. Zhang is Zhang Wenbing, a financial manager of a well-knownpany in China. Thispany belongs to the hidden industry of the China Daoist Sect. A few days ago, Zhang Wenbing followed a tourist group to Ennd. The entire tourist group lost contact suddenly in London, so they hope we can investigate Zhang Wenbing¡¯s situation while investigating the missing Ancient One case. If possible, rescue Zhang Wenbing. In return, the China Daoist Sect will offer us many benefits." Zhang Jingxu finished and handed his phone to Liu Xing, disying Zhang Wenbing¡¯s photo on the screen. Zhang Wenbing in the photo appeared to be around thirty years old, handsome, clearly a sessful individual. After seeing Zhang Wenbing¡¯s photo, Ling Ishikawa fell into deep thought. A minuteter, Ling Ishikawa suddenly pped her hands, saying, "I knew this person looked familiar! Zhang Wenbing was my teammate during my first module." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, "What? Yin En, are you saying that this Zhang Wenbing is also a yer?" Ling Ishikawa nodded affirmatively, saying, "Exactly, Zhang Wenbing should be a yer. However, logically speaking, unrted yers shouldn¡¯t be involved in the same module. So, this missing Zhang Wenbing might likely be a yer from the opposing camp." Zhang Jingxu on the side shook his head, speaking seriously, "Not necessarily, because there¡¯s another possibility. Zhang Wenbing may have been eliminated in a previous module, resulting in him bing an NPC." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 426: The First Stage of the Main Quest Chapter 426: The First Stage of the Main Quest If a character card falls off, then before the yer resurrects the character card, it will temporarily be converted into an NPC. If the yer fails to revive the module, or simply does not perform the resurrection module, then this character card will be permanently converted into an NPC. So, Liu Xing spected that Zhang Wenbing should belong to the former, because logically, if Zhang Wenbing had already been permanently converted into an NPC, then even if Zhang Wenbing was caught in this module, there would be no special appearance requesting the yer to rescue Zhang Wenbing¡¯s Side Quest. After all, ording to the Daoist tradition, this Zhang Wenbing was just a financial manager of apany. It would be best if the Daoist tradition could rescue him, and if not, it wouldn¡¯t matter much. Moreover, this Side Quest does not specify any punishment for mission failure. "Well, let¡¯s put aside Zhang Wenbing¡¯s matter for now. If nothing unexpected happens, we should encounter this Zhang Wenbing while doing the Main Quest. After all, this Zhang Wenbing should not havepletely transformed into an NPC yet. Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall should not let him die in this module," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Liu Xing shrugged, suddenly thinking of a problem, that is, there seemed to be quite a few bugs in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Firstly, his character card was inexplicably hacked by Yis People, and then this "Zhang Wenbing" who had not beenpletely transformed into an NPC was involved in the module and was even in danger, forcing the KP to issue a special Side Quest for the yer to rescue "Zhang Wenbing." And the reason why such a special Side Quest was issued was also because this module waspetitive, so although the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall couldpletely control NPCs (probably), it was impossible for the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall topletely control the yers. So, as long as the yer was willing, it was entirely possible to kill "Zhang Wenbing." Therefore, if "Zhang Wenbing" was killed in this module, then the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall would not be able to give an exnation to the resurrected Zhang Wenbing through the resurrection module. Thinking of this, Liu Xing spoke up, "Zhang Jingxu, that¡¯s not necessarily the case. Since such a special Side Quest has appeared, it indicates that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall also dares not guarantee that Zhang Wenbing can survive in this module. Therefore, they hope that we will rescue Zhang Wenbing. Moreover, they have given such a tempting reward. Of course, considering the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s concern that Zhang Wenbing might die in this module, I suspect that there are yers in the opposing camp whose profession is Fanatic, or their sanity points are very low." Ling Ishikawa nodded, saying seriously, "Liu Xing, you¡¯re right. Although the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall can ensure that NPCs will not kill Zhang Wenbing, and can also use coercion to prevent ordinary yers from harming Zhang Wenbing, yers with professions like Fanatic or low sanity points are uncontroble factors. It¡¯s hard to say when they might kill Zhang Wenbing. So, it¡¯s possible that soon, the reward for this Side Quest we epted will increase."Liu Xing chuckled and shook his head, saying, "It¡¯s unlikely to be such a good thing, and even if it is, they probably won¡¯t inform us directly. After all, if they were to inform us, it would be equivalent to telling us that those missing foreign tourists are in danger, which is quite important information. So, I think even if they want to increase the reward, it will be by secretly upgrading the grade of that random item. Well, let¡¯s not discuss this Side Quest for now. There are priorities to consider. What we should discuss now is the Main Quest of this module." Ling Ishikawa shrugged, somewhat indifferent, "Actually, the Main Quest ofpetitive modules is quite straightforward. In in terms, it revolves around a goal andpeting with the enemy camp, or simply killing all yers of the enemy camp. From the current situation, it seems that in this module, the target both sides need topete for is those missing foreign tourists. We need to rescue all of these missing foreign tourists. And yers in the enemy camp are most likely to use these missing foreign tourists as sacrificial offerings for a Ritual Ceremony. After all, as far as I know, in mostpetitive modules, the evil side wants to conduct a Ritual Ceremony rted to the Great Old One." Liu Xing thought for a moment, still somewhat puzzled, "Indeed, as it seems now, the yers in the enemy camp are nning to use these missing foreign tourists as sacrificial offerings. But I¡¯m now pondering a question: why do they have to capture foreign tourists as sacrificial offerings? After all, arge number of missing foreign tourists will undoubtedly create enormous diplomatic and public opinion pressure on the English government, forcing the English government and certain forces to fully investigate these cases of missing foreign tourists. This may be counterproductive for the enemy camp, after all, the reason why secret cults are called secret cults is because they do not yet have the strength to put themselves openly." "Yes, you¡¯re right, Liu Xing. I agree with what you said. I also think that the enemy camp¡¯s behavior of kidnapping arge number of foreign tourists is somewhat strange because they could simply kidnap homeless people in Ennd or collude with certain mental hospitals or orphanages, taking those mentally ill patients or orphans who are not cared for by anyone as sacrificial offerings. This would be more cost-effective for them," Zhang Jingxu said, frowning. Liu Xing nodded, very much in agreement with what Zhang Jingxu mentioned. After all, Liu Xing had never heard of using non-English nationals as sacrifices, and sacrificing non-English nationals would yield better results than using English nationals. So, Liu Xing felt that there might be another hidden story behind this. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa, with a wide open imagination, said, "Do you think this module might be rted to the English government? After all, the old man of Ennd is already old and could pass away at any time, so they staged such arge-scale kidnapping of foreign tourists, actually to divert attention, so that everyone focuses on this kidnapping case. Then, they could use what you mentioned earlier, Zhang Jingxu, homeless people, mentally ill patients, and orphans as sacrificial offerings, and hold a Ritual Ceremony to extend the life of their old man?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Ling Ishikawa¡¯s wild imagination. However, on second thought, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s spection seemed reasonable. ording to "WatanabeRyuusei¡¯s" memory, the Queen of Ennd in this parallel world, ***** was already ny-two years old, and there had been frequent reports of *****¡¯s deteriorating health recently, although these reports had been denied by the English authorities. However, ***** hadn¡¯t appeared in public for a long time. In this parallel world, the power of the English royal family was significantly greater than in the real world, with the most significant change being that about half of Ennd¡¯s parliamentarians were directly appointed by the royal family. Therefore, the English royal family in this parallel world could directly influence English politics. So, many people believed that Ennd was still under the control of the royal family. So, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s conjecture could indeed be a reality. Just then, Liu Xing suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot about this. In the previous module in Panlong Town, didn¡¯t we find a note and a key in the water ghost¡¯s wallet? I remember the phone number on the note was for Chris¡¯s house." "Chris? The chief of the Manchester police department, Liu Xing, how do you know his home phone number?" Ling Ishikawa asked with some confusion. So, Liu Xing recounted his experience in the Castle module, reminding Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu to be cautious of Isabe, as based on the current situation, their group was definitely going to meet Isabe. After hearing Liu Xing¡¯s ount, Ling Ishikawa rubbed his chin and said, "I see. No wonder Yis People were brought in to help with the investigation by the Manchester police department. But in that case, I think Elizabeth might also be a suspect because she can control the Ghoul and needs a lot of blood. So, she has every reason to control the Ghoul to kidnap those foreign tourists, kill them, and use their blood for herself... Of course, this possibility is not high, after all, besides Manchester, there have been cases of missing foreign tourists in many other ces in Ennd." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Although Isabe will likely y a role in this module, if Isabe is on our side, it¡¯s good news, as Isabe¡¯s overall strength is quite good, and she¡¯s also a local, so she should be able to provide us with a lot of intelligence. But if Isabe belongs to the enemy camp, it¡¯s not good news for us because Isabe is currently lurking in Chris¡¯s house, and our every move will be under Isabe¡¯s control. Moreover, we still have no way to reveal Isabe¡¯s true identity." Zhang Jingxu shrugged and said with a smile, "How did we digress from the topic like this? Let¡¯s put Isabe¡¯s matter aside for now and discuss it after we¡¯ve contacted her. Now let¡¯s get back on track. Since we found Chris¡¯s phone number in the water ghost¡¯s wallet, it means the water ghost should know Chris. So, I think there are only two possibilities: first, the water ghost is Chris¡¯s enemy, and the phone number is used to confirm if Chris is at home, and the key is for opening Chris¡¯s door; the second possibility is that the water ghost is Chris¡¯s friend or colleague, and the key should open another door." After a moment of thought, Liu Xing nodded and said, "I think it should be thetter. That water ghost is most likely one of Chris¡¯s subordinates, and then, to carry out an undercover mission, joined Gralki¡¯s secret cult. Finally, brainwashed into bing Gralki¡¯s ve, controlled by Gralki and sent to China." At this point, Ling Ishikawa had already retrieved the note and key from his luggage. "It¡¯s a good thing those items were in my backpack, and my character card isn¡¯t the forgetful type, so it took a while to find these note and key. But I wonder if this key can still open the door at the address on the note, after all, it¡¯s been over ten years." Just then, there was a knock on the door. Liu Xing frowned, knowing it must be Yis People returning. So, after Ling Ishikawa put away the note and key, Liu Xing opened the door, and indeed, it was Yis People outside. And at this moment, Yis People was holding a suitcase in his hand. After entering the room, Yis People opened the suitcase, revealing the bulletproof vests and pistols he had promised earlier. "There are a total of six bulletproof vests, ten pistols, and one hundred magazines here. In addition, Chris will also make police badges for us to facilitate our investigation in Manchester. However, we¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow to get them. At the same time, we should also be able to get twenty tear gas and smoke grenades," Yis People said with a smile. Liu Xing frowned slightly; Chris seemed to have provided quite a lot of Weapons and Equipment. Yis People took out a pistol and handed it to Liu Xing, saying, "When I went to see Chris today, Chris happened to be leading a patrol team. So, when Chris knew that you guys were also willing to join my team to help investigate the case of missing foreign tourists, he unhesitatingly gave me these Weapons and Equipment. He also told me that these were all essential items because the enemies we might face next, a significant portion of them are human and they also have various types of light weapons." "Because currently, the missing foreign tourists in the Manchester area have basically disappeared in suburban areas, and at the confirmed crime scenes, the Manchester police found bullet holes, shotgun shells, and submachine gun bullet holes, as well as bullet casings. So, after professional analysis, the number of terrorists kidnapping foreign tourists is about ten people, and almost everyone is armed. However, no bloodstains were found at the crime scenes, indicating that these terrorists were only bluffing with their guns." "And besides the traces left by firearms, the Manchester police also found many terrifying scratches, which were obviously left by non-human creatures. So, these are also the targets we need to identify and find. Currently, I roughly specte that these scratches should have been left by Ghouls or Deep Ones, but tomorrow Chris will send someone to take us to the crime scene for an on-site inspection, and then we can find out the truth." As Yis People finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "The first stage of the Main Quest of this module¡ªinvestigation¡ªis now officially underway. yers, please investigate the crime scenes of the missing foreign tourists carefully, as your investigation results will affect the direction of the uing Mission." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 427: Unexpected Incident Chapter 427: Unexpected Incident Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that this module¡¯s Main quest was still divided into stages. It seemed that the plot would unfold based on the actions of the yer in each stage. "This Main quest seems quite interesting. It feels like ying a galgame, where our actions determine the development of the plot. So, I have a bold guess now. We¡¯ve gathered too much information in this module, which might not be a good thing. After all, although this staged Main quest appears to give yers a lot of autonomy, it actually forces them to follow the predetermined plot of the module," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Ling Ishikawa was right. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, doing a regr Main quest was like ying an open-world game, allowing freedom of movement in arge area as long as the final goal was achieved. But doing these staged Main quests was akin to ying a linear RPG game, following a mission¡¯s flow with time constraints in each stage. Just like the current first stage of this Main quest. Although it seemed like there was time for investigation for several days, Liu Xing was certain that within two or three days, Chris would issue new requirements, forcing the Main quest into the second stage. Zhang Jingxu nodded, speaking up, "Of course. Basically, allpetitive modules¡¯ Main quests are staged to ensurepetitiveness among yers and to prevent some yers from cking off or taking shortcuts." Just then, Yis People¡¯s phone rang. ncing at his phone, Yis People furrowed his brows and said, "It¡¯s Chris. He probably has some new information he wants to share with us." Yis People answered the call and activated the speakerphone. "Chris, is there something important you need from me right now?" The voice on the other end, Chris, spoke solemnly, "The situation has changed. My informant just ryed a message. A tourist group from the United States of America, on their way back to the hotel, seems to have been coerced by tworge trucks. They¡¯ve changed their route and are heading out of the city. So, I suspect these two trucks are involved. I¡¯ve already led a team of police officers to intercept. Liu Xing, bring yourpanions along. Make sure to wear bulletproof vests and carry handguns. If things go as expected, there might be a confrontation. We¡¯ll stay in touch via walkie-talkies."Chris finished speaking and hung up. Yis People put down his phone and took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket, tuning it to the appropriate channel. "Attention all colleagues on this channel. Suspects are holding a tourist group hostage and heading west out of town. To avoid alerting them, we won¡¯t set up roadblocks at the city¡¯s exits. All patrol cars will switch to unmarked vehicles for tracking." Chris¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie. Liu Xing sighed, speaking up, "Let¡¯s go. I didn¡¯t expect to get to the main action so quickly, but I think this operation might end up being fruitless." Ling Ishikawa nodded, smiling, "I think so too. After all, ording to the typical plot of those cop films, the suspects appearing at the beginning are either a misunderstanding or imitators. It¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll catch the real criminals. But regardless, we should still go and make our presence felt. After all, Chris calling us over this time is to assess our ability." "Exactly. I can feel Chris doesn¡¯t have much confidence in us. He probably reached out to me out of desperation. After all, he mentioned that apart from me, he doesn¡¯t know anyone else with the ability to deal with mythical creatures," Yis People shrugged. Hearing Yis People¡¯s words, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows. Because from Liu Xing¡¯s brief contact with Chris before, he knew that Chris probably didn¡¯t know about the existence of mythical creatures. And in Fisher¡¯s Vige, Alice mentioned that apart from some high-level officials in some countries, people like Chris, a police chief in a ce like this, were not on the same level. So, he shouldn¡¯t have known about mythical creatures through official channels. At most, he might have known about some secret cults. So, Liu Xing believed there were only two possibilities for Chris to know about mythical creatures now. The first possibility was that the English authorities discovered that the recent disappearances of foreign tourists might be rted to mythical creatures. And because these cases were scattered throughout Ennd, they had no choice but to inform the police chiefs in various ces, hence Chris, who didn¡¯t know how to deal with mythical creatures, finding Yis People. The second possibility was Isabe¡¯s doing. After all, Liu Xing knew Isabe was not someone to be underestimated. So, Liu Xing suspected Isabe either had something to do with the recent disappearances of foreign tourists or wanted to cause trouble amidst these incidents. Therefore, out of some purpose, she informed Chris of the existence of mythical creatures, and even Chris calling Yis People to Ennd, were all Isabe¡¯s doings. But regardless of which possibility it was, it wasn¡¯t good news for Liu Xing¡¯s group. After all, the former possibility indicated that the English authorities couldn¡¯t handle these recent disappearances of foreign tourists, while thetter possibility suggested Isabe might stir up trouble behind the scenes. On second thought, Alice should also appear in this module, right? Liu Xing remembered that in Fisher¡¯s Vige, Alice said she would return to Ennd after leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige. So, Alice should still be in Ennd now, and Alice¡¯s master was English, and even among all humans in the world, he was the foremost expert on mythical creatures. So, someone like Alice¡¯s master must be known to the English authorities. And after the recent disappearances of foreign tourists, the English authorities would definitely ask for his help in solving the case. Therefore, Alice was very likely to appear in this module, and she should be on their side. At this point, Liu Xing and his group had already equipped themselves with bulletproof vests and loaded their handguns, then they left the room together. Of course, Yis People and Ling Ishikawa also briefed Juri Sonoda and Lu Tianya on the situation before going downstairs together. In the hotel parking lot, Yis People pointed to a SUV that seemed to have been modified and said, "This is the vehicle Chris provided for transportation. It¡¯s been heavily modified, with bulletproof ss and tires. Now, the question is, who will drive?" The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Because Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa¡¯s main identities were students, and they hadn¡¯t learned how to drive. As for Zhang Jingxu, the Taoist, he apparently hadn¡¯t learned driving skills either. So, Yis People pped his forehead, somewhat helplessly saying, "Alright, it seems none of you can drive. Let me do it then. But my driving skills are just average. I can manage regr driving, but if we need to speedter, I hope you all are mentally prepared. Rolling over is quite likely." Zhang Jingxu nodded, smiling awkwardly, "No problem, we trust you won¡¯t flip the car." After getting into the car, Ling Ishikawa contacted KP Li Shunchan, saying, "KP, I want to set this car as my safe point." "OK, your safe point has been changed to this car," KP Li Shunchan replied with a smile. Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhang Jingxu took out his phone and opened the map of Manchester. "Our hotel is located on the west side of Manchester. ording to the recent radiomunication, the suspects still need ten minutes to reach the western exit of Manchester. So, if we leave now, we should be able to catch up, unless there¡¯s traffic." Yis People nodded and started the car, saying, "OK, everyone, please fasten your seatbelts. We¡¯re about to depart." Ten minutester, Liu Xing and his team arrived at the western exit of Manchester. ording to the information from the walkie-talkie, the two trucks with the bus full of foreign tourists were about to arrive here. So, Yis People slowed down, while Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa observed the traffic from the rear window. As it was a workday, there weren¡¯t many vehicles leaving the city. Soon enough, Liu Xing saw two trucks sandwiching a bus speeding past their group. Liu Xing also noticed that the passenger in the front truck seemed to be holding a long gun. Frowning, Liu Xing said, "Be careful. I saw the passenger in the front truck holding a long gun. The specific model is unclear, but it¡¯s likely a rifle. So, Yis People, drive carefully. Don¡¯t rush to the front." Yis People nodded and followed behind the second truck, saying, "Got it. I won¡¯t take unnecessary risks." At this moment, Chris spoke through the walkie-talkie, "The suspects¡¯ vehicles have left the city. I¡¯ve arranged a car ident ten kilometers ahead to stop them. Nick and Zhang Bolen, both of you lead your teams to control the western exit. Don¡¯t let any other vehicles leave Manchester. The rest of the teams, prepare forbat. These guys are likely hardened criminals." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and said to Yis People, "Liu Xing, you better tell Chris about Ryuusei¡¯s discovery. Let them all be careful. After all, if ites to a shootout between police handguns and rifles, we¡¯ll be at a disadvantage." Whether in cop films or in the real world, gunmen with rifles could easily overpower ordinary police officers armed only with handguns. Yis People nodded, picked up the walkie-talkie, and ryed Liu Xing¡¯s discovery to Chris. Chris was silent for a moment before saying, "Be even more careful, everyone. If you notice the enemy using rifles, avoid direct confrontation. Wait for backup to arrive. We just need to keep these guys here." Looking around, Liu Xing saw that five SUVs were trailing behind the trucks, all moving steadily. It seemed that at least in terms of numbers, they had the advantage... unless there were people inside the trucks as well. After a while, the front truck finally stopped. Liu Xing gripped his gun and said, "Let¡¯s wait in the car for now. If a gunfight breaks out, we¡¯ll help, but everyone be careful. If it gets too dangerous, retreat back into the car." Everyone nodded and began closely monitoring the situation ahead. At this moment, Chris got out of a nearby car with his men and approached the trucks. After more than ten minutes, Chris and his men returned, and Chris¡¯s voice came through the walkie-talkie, "I¡¯ve confirmed that the suspects on the trucks are indeed kidnappers, and there are at least two armed robbers on the bus. So, in the next few seconds, we¡¯ll start shooting to blow out the tires of the trucks and the bus, then hold our ground." After a brief pause, Chris began counting down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven... one!" As the countdown ended, Liu Xing heard a barrage of gunfire and the sound of tires bursting. Then, gunfire came from the direction of the trucks. Thus, both sides began a standoff. The robbers couldn¡¯t leave the scene because of the blown-out tires, and if they dared to exit the trucks, they would face a hail of bullets. As for the police officers, they remained calm, hiding behind vehicles and observing the robbers¡¯ movements. So, when the robbers realized their gunfire had no effect after a round, they gave up wasting bullets. More than ten minutes passed, and suddenly, Liu Xing heard the sound of helicopter des approaching. Liu Xing leaned out to see three helicopters with police markings flying towards them. Of course, at the same time, more than ten police cars arrived, and a group of officers with submachine guns disembarked. The situation was now under control. Liu Xing knew the robbers were trapped and couldn¡¯t escape unless they were all mythical creatures. At this point, negotiators began to approach the robbers. Liu Xing stretched and said, "It looks like we just came here to go through the motions this time. But unless something unexpected happens, these robbers aren¡¯t the ones we¡¯re looking for. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been caught so easily." Ling Ishikawa nodded, smiling, "Exactly. I¡¯m sure these robbers are just ordinary people, and their goal should be to kidnap these foreign tourists, then me all the previous kidnappings on themselves to demand higher ransom and gain more profit." Ling Ishikawa¡¯s analysis was logical and well-founded. After a while, Liu Xing saw that all the robbers had been apprehended. After all, they were now in a tight spot and couldn¡¯t escape unless they had wings. At this point, the crisis had passed, and Liu Xing¡¯s group could finally rx. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 428: Cult of the Cadaver Chapter 428: Cult of the Cadaver Watching as the bandits and foreign tourists were escorted into police cars, Liu Xing spoke up, "Looks like today¡¯s affair hase to an end. We can prepare to head back for dinner now. Honestly, I¡¯m exhausted, famished, and sleepy. After dinner, I¡¯m going straight to bed to adjust my jetg." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said, "I¡¯m feeling the same way. Liu Xing, could you give Chris a call and let him know we¡¯re leaving first? There¡¯s nothing urgent for us here now anyway." Yis People nodded, taking out their phone to make the call, but then they saw Chris approaching. Yis People rolled down the car window and began conversing with Chris in English. Meanwhile, Ling Ishikawa provided real-time trantion to Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, Chris says that today¡¯s case is just as we suspected. These bandits are all copycats, a group of mafia members who came over from Italy. They nned to kidnap these foreign tourists and then dere that they had kidnapped them before, demanding billions of dors in ransom. Unfortunately, their n failed this time." Liu Xing nodded. It was as expected. Just like those lesser-known terrorist organizations, they often surfaced to im responsibility for terrorist attacks to boost their organization¡¯s status in the martial world. Clearly, these bandits with mafia backgrounds also wanted to capitalize on the situation, but unfortunately, they were caught red-handed. However, Liu Xing still had some doubts. These bandits seemed too cowardly. Despite being surrounded and their vehicles damaged, with their firepower and hostages, they had the opportunity to negotiate with the authorities. It didn¡¯t make sense for them to surrender so easily. Moreover, ording to Chris¡¯s earlier statement, these bandits had kidnapped these foreign tourists within the city. This showed how inted their confidence was. But why did they capitte so quickly?So, with these thoughts in mind, Liu Xing voiced his doubts. Furrowing her brows, Ling Ishikawa said, "Ryuusei, what you said makes sense. Something seems off about these bandits upon closer examination. Could this be a tactic to lure us away from the main plot? Chris seems to think so too. He wants us to investigate those two trucks now. He suspects these bandits haven¡¯t been entirely truthful, as their motives and actions don¡¯t add up." Yis People nodded, turning to say, "You all heard Ling Ishikawa¡¯s trantion, right? Chris wants us to check out those two trucks now. He suspects these bandits haven¡¯t been entirely honest, given their motives and behavior." So, under Chris¡¯s guidance, Liu Xing¡¯s group first arrived at the rear of the trucks. At that moment, police officers were opening the rear doors of the trucks. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, instinctively cing his hand on his holster. Because ording to the ssic tropes of certain cop or horror movies, this situation often led to an ambush upon opening. However, Liu Xing was soon disappointed. There was no ambush upon opening. The rearpartments of the trucks were empty. But within a second, a foul stench hit Liu Xing¡¯s nostrils, making him feel nauseous. Fortunately, whatever he had eaten on the ne earlier had already been digested; otherwise, Liu Xing felt he would have vomited on the spot. Of course, Zhang Jingxu and the others were no better off. They quickly stepped away from the rearpartments of the trucks and began retching... except for Chris. After drinking the bottle of mineral water handed to him by a nearby officer, Liu Xing finally caught his breath and looked at the rearpartment of that truck with confusion. Because there was a huge logo on the truck¡¯s body. Although Liu Xing couldn¡¯t recognize the specificpany the logo represented, he could tell from its style that it was likely a courierpany, as the logo depicted a stick figure running with a box. Therefore, the nauseating stench emanating from the truck, which still lingered in Liu Xing¡¯s senses, was unlikely to ur in a courier truck. Liu Xing frowned, carefully recalling the putrid smell he had just encountered. He realized it smelled like rotting meat, but mixed with a strange fishy odor. Was it akin to the stench of fish? Could this incident involve both Ghouls and Deep Ones? At this point, Ling Ishikawa leaned in and whispered, "Master, it seems we might be dealing with Deep Ones again. Despite the heavy smell of decay, I still caught a distinct fishy odor from thatpartment. So, I suspect this disappearance of foreign tourists might be rted to Deep Ones." Liu Xing nodded, saying, "You¡¯re right. I also smelled that fishy odor, and it was truly unique. I feel like I¡¯ve never smelled anything like it before. But the putrid smell was also very peculiar. So, I suspect Ghouls might be involved too, especially considering the Yueshihao incident before, which seemed to involve cooperation between Ghouls and Deep One worshippers." In the Yueshihao incident, Liu Xing and Yin En faced off against Mo Jin, a hybrid Deep One, and possibly Bai Hecheng, who worshipped the Ghoul King. Ling Ishikawa sighed, somewhat helplessly remarking, "If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s going to be troublesome. Dealing with just one Deep One is difficult enough. If Ghouls are involved too, it¡¯ll be even harder to handle." At that moment, a police officer approached Chris and said something to him. "The officer told Chris that they have traced these two trucks back to a courierpany called Matchstick Man. Thispany is quite reputable in Ennd, belonging to the top tier of courierpanies. Since the drivers of these two trucks went missing, the courierpany confirmed that these trucks disappeared while en route with their cargo six hours ago. Thepany reported it to the police immediately, but because the disappearance urred near London, the Manchester police didn¡¯t receive the news right away," Ling Ishikawa tranted simultaneously. Liu Xing nodded, expressing his confusion, "If I¡¯m not mistaken, Manchester is only about a three-hour drive from London. Even if the trucks were moving slowly, they should have reached Manchester within four hours from London. So, we can infer that after being hijacked, these trucks headed straight for Manchester. They might have abandoned their original cargo midway but the question remains: where did the smell in the rearpartmente from? The original cargo shouldn¡¯t have smelled so foul, so it¡¯s highly likely that Ghouls and Deep Ones have been inside thosepartments." Ling Ishikawa nodded after some thought and said, "Indeed, that¡¯s a possibility. But what would Ghouls and Deep Ones be doing in the rearpartment? Are they there to help with moving cargo? If that¡¯s the case, it could be troublesome." In the Cthulhu RPG Game, mythical creatures are generally considered superior beings, so under normal circumstances, theymand humans to do their bidding, unless the human is a powerful Wizard. So, judging from the smell in the rearpartment, it¡¯s certain that not just one or two Ghouls or Deep Ones entered it. After all, while the odor of Deep Ones and Ghouls is strong, achieving the results we just saw would require four or five Ghouls or Deep Ones at least. So, tomand these four or five Ghouls and Deep Ones, you would need at least one Ghoul Elder or Deep One Elder. Of course, because this is a confrontational module, Liu Xing is more inclined to believe that it¡¯s yers who aremanding these Ghouls and Deep Ones. But if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s a big problem because yers who canmand Ghouls and Deep Ones aren¡¯t exactly benevolent. At this point, the smell in the rearpartment had dissipated enough for Chris to lead Liu Xing and the others inside, all wearing masks, of course. Armed with a small shlight, Liu Xing began inspecting the interior of the rearpartment. Soon, he noticed several suspicious scratches. Since this was a delivery truck, it would normally have no scratches, at most some dents. And it was evident that these scratches had appeared recently. Chris crouched in front of one of the scratches and, after observing for a moment, said something. Ling Ishikawa rubbed her head and awkwardly said, "Chris used a lot of technical jargon just now. I¡¯ll give a simplified trantion. Basically, he said these scratches were clearly caused by living organisms because if they were from a sharp object, the depth and width would be more consistent." Liu Xing nodded, smiling, "So, it¡¯s safe to say these bandits were lying. They were almost certainly coerced or bribed by mythical creatures to hijack this bus." Zhang Jingxu, on the side, thought for a moment and said, "The problem now is that these bandits are clearly expendable, sent here to die. But what¡¯s the purpose behind the other side¡¯s actions? Are they trying to lure us away or make uscent?" Liu Xing shrugged, shaking his head, "We don¡¯t know. Now we can only rely on Chris and their police interrogation abilities. But I doubt they¡¯ll get much out of them since the bandits won¡¯t likely reveal too much information. And I suspect these expendables might have been hypnotized." At this point, Yis People signaled for Liu Xing and the others to leave the rearpartment. In the driver¡¯s cabin of the truck, Liu Xing¡¯s group found nothing. But in the rearpartment of the other truck, they found more scratches and several scales. Picking up a scale, Liu Xing didn¡¯t need inspiration to determine it was from a Deep One. These scales were identical to the ones he had seen in Fisher¡¯s Vige. So, Liu Xing could confirm that this module was indeed rted to Deep Ones. After investigating both trucks, Yis People returned and, after a discussion with Liu Xing and the others, informed Chris that both Deep Ones and Ghouls were involved in the disappearance of the foreign tourists. Chris furrowed his brows. After saying a few words to Yis People, he turned and left. "Chris wants us to return and standby for now. Tomorrow, he¡¯ll arrange for us to visit the scene of the incident again, and he¡¯ll also request support from London," Yis People said. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, knowing for sure that the supporting from London would be Alice. After all, ording to the previous storyline theory, now was the perfect time to trigger the "Alice" storyline point. Back in the car, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Ah, this module seems quite challenging. Our enemies not only include Ghouls but also Deep Ones. At least one leader-level mythical creature is involved." Liu Xing nodded, somewhat helplessly saying, "What¡¯s going on? Ghouls usually dwell underground, so how did they end up cooperating with Deep Ones, who lurk in the water?" "I might know the reason," Yis People suddenly said. Liu Xing and the others looked at Yis People simultaneously. Yis People organized his thoughts and said, "Here¡¯s the thing. In thest module, I encountered an Ennd Wizard being pursued by Deep Ones. He told me about a secret cult in Ennd preparing for something big. This Wizard was originally an undercover agent within that secret cult, sent to make contact with another secret cult. But he was discovered by members of another secret cult." "So, this Wizard was being hunted down by both sides, and my team¡¯s main quest was to ensure his safety. Amidst the fanatical pursuit by cultists and Deep Ones, we sessfully escorted the Wizard to safety. But because the Wizard was critically injured from the start, we couldn¡¯t extract much more information from him. However, from what we¡¯re seeing now, I suspect the mastermind behind this disappearance of foreign tourists is the secret cult the Wizard mentioned, likely the Cult of the Cadaver." Liu Xing nodded. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, among human-created churches based on belief in mythical creatures, the most cohesive one is probably the Cult of the Cadaver. Due to the origins and doctrines of the Cult of the Cadaver, almost all Ghoul worshippers join the Cult of the Cadaver. And because there are many Ghouls in the upper echelons, no follower dares to establish their own sect. Therefore, the Cult of the Cadaver is virtually uncontested on its turf. But if it¡¯s indeed the Cult of the Cadaver, what could be their purpose in abducting so many foreign tourists? [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 429: Arrival of Alice Chapter 429: Arrival of Alice Liu Xing pondered for a moment before speaking, "If it truly is the Cult of the Cadaver, then we¡¯re in for trouble. After all, the Cult of the Cadaver has deep roots in various Western European countries. Their influence in these regions is substantial. Ennd can be considered one of the strongholds of the Cult of the Cadaver. Moreover, if I remember correctly, the Cult of the Cadaver is one of the rare secret cults in the Cthulhu RPG Game that takes the upper-ss route." Zhang Jingxu nodded beside him, smiling as he said, "Exactly. The Cult of the Cadaver indeed prefers the upper-ss route. After all, many European nobles of the past enjoyed indulging in activities that were thrilling and unconventional. Additionally, the Cult of the Cadaver promises them immortality, fulfilling their desires. So, quite a few European nobles joined the Cult of the Cadaver. Furthermore, I¡¯ve heard from my mentor that even now, many elites from Europe and America secretly join the Cult of the Cadaver." "In that case, we really need to consider the rtionship between the Cult of the Cadaver and the upper echelons of Ennd. Honestly, I feel like this operation by the Cult of the Cadaver is somehow rted to the upper echelons of Ennd. Or at least, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s actions have received tacit approval from the upper echelons of Ennd," Ling Ishikawa said, stroking his chin. Yis People shook his head, speaking earnestly, "I think that¡¯s highly unlikely. Unless the brains of the upper echelons in Ennd collectively short-circuited, it¡¯s impossible for them to allow the Cult of the Cadaver to act in this manner. After all, therge-scale disappearance of foreign tourists in Ennd would have severe international repercussions. The countries from which the missing touristse would pressure Ennd. Given Ennd¡¯s current situation, they cannot afford such pressure. So, even if the English authorities agree to the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s actions, they would likely demand that the Cult of the Cadaver target their own vulnerable groups like the homeless and mentally ill." Great minds think alike. After several hours of interaction, Liu Xing felt that Yis People had entered a state of immersion, treating himself as a yer rather than an NPC. Yis People¡¯s way of thinking had also be quite simr to that of a "human." Of course, Liu Xing noticed that Yis People didn¡¯tpletely adhere to the proper terms and tone in some instances. Liu Xing hardly ever heard Yis People use the terms "yer" and "NPC." However, if Yis People hadn¡¯t stolen his ount, Liu Xing might have genuinely mistaken Yis People for an ordinary yer. With this in mind, Liu Xing said, "I think both of you make valid points. So, if webine these two perspectives, it¡¯s not difficult toe up with two possibilities. The first possibility is that the Cult of the Cadaver has grown powerful enough to disregard the English authorities, who can only superficially investigate their actions. The second possibility is that the Cult of the Cadaver has entered into a deep coboration with the English authorities. The benefits that the English authorities can derive from this cooperation far outweigh the costs they need to bear. Considering real-world incidents like the Mysian Airlines disappearance, turning it into an unsolved mystery would, at most, affect Ennd economically and in terms of reputation. Moreover, the English authorities could shift the me onto a terrorist organization."Ling Ishikawa and the others nodded in agreement with Liu Xing¡¯s words, each lost in their own thoughts. After a while, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Actually, I think there¡¯s another possibility. The Cult of the Cadaver might be colluding with external forces, intending to disgrace the current English authorities in the case of the foreign tourists¡¯ disappearance. This would lead to a significant loss of credibility and might even force some officials to resign, allowing the Cult of the Cadaver to support their own followers into power. Then, they could quickly solve these cases of missing foreign tourists, enhancing their followers¡¯ influence and social prestige, ultimately making the Cult of the Cadaver the true power behind Ennd." Upon hearing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words, Liu Xing and the others frowned because Zhang Jingxu¡¯s exnation was also quite convincing. Firstly, if the information provided by Yis People was urate, the Cult of the Cadaver did seek external assistance, nning to create a major incident in Ennd. So, if the Cult of the Cadaver only intended to hold a Ritual Ceremony, they wouldn¡¯t need outside help. Typically, the strength of external assistance should beparable to that of the Cult of the Cadaver. Therefore, considering the scale of this operation, it¡¯s not easy for the Cult of the Cadaver to create such a significant incident. Then, regarding the settings of these secret cults in the Cthulhu RPG Game, it can be said that the ultimate goal of most churches in the world is to make everyone in the world worship their deities. Of course, Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day. Therefore, as long as the leaders of these secret cults aren¡¯t fools or reckless brutes, or blindly confident idiots, they would n their development routes well. For example, they might set a small goal first, turning all vigers in a vige into their followers, then target a city, then a country. Considering the current size of the Cult of the Cadaver in this parallel world, they have indeed reached the point of dominating a nation. However, for secret cults, they definitely cannot surface, or rather, they wouldn¡¯t want to surface unless the Cult of the Cadaver is prepared to resist the entire world of ordinary humans. With this in mind, Liu Xing sighed and said seriously, "I agree with your idea, Zhang Jingxu. The Cult of the Cadaver indeed might be plotting against Ennd. Because if the Cult of the Cadaver wants to seize control of a country, Ennd is indeed a good target. Firstly, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s development in Ennd should be quite good, with a certain foundation. Secondly, as an ind nation, Ennd is somewhat isted, so the chances of the Cult of the Cadaver being discovered after seizing power would be low. Even if discovered, other countries would hesitate to act against Ennd. Lastly, regarding the resistance the Cult of the Cadaver might face in seizing power in Ennd, since the English monarchy holds significant power in this parallel world, the Cult of the Cadaver could gain the support of half of the English people, whether in the name of the English monarchy or a certain political party. With the support of the people, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s path to seizing power would be much smoother." As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, Yis People nodded, "Indeed, and the Cult of the Cadaver has also joined forces with the Deep Ones this time. If they cooperate deeply, the Deep Ones can help the Cult of the Cadaver block the waters near Ennd. For an ind nation like Ennd, blocking the waters is essentially closing off the country. By then, the Cult of the Cadaver can do as they please in Ennd." After this thorough analysis, Liu Xing and the others became increasingly convinced that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s aim was likely to seize power in Ennd with this major incident. At this moment, the car had already arrived downstairs at the hotel. After calling Lu Tianya¡¯s three daughters down to have dinner together, Liu Xing and the others went back to their rooms to rest and adjust to the time difference. After all, there would likely be a tough battle ahead. Of course, both Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa instinctively came to Liu Xing¡¯s room. "Liu Xing, it seems this Yis People doesn¡¯t know your true identity. But he¡¯s not bad; at least he knows what he¡¯s doing. I thought he might be unsure of his own identity," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded, saying, "Yes, Yis People seems to be handling things quite well now. But from some details, I can still sense that he hasn¡¯t fully grasped his yer identity. But what worries me now is whether Yis People still retains the ability to foresee the future after stealing my ount. If he still has this ability, then I¡¯m in trouble." Zhang Jingxu shook his head, hesitating, "I think Yis People probably doesn¡¯t have the ability to foresee the future anymore. After all, if he¡¯s a yer, having the ability to foresee the future would allow Yis People toplete modules without any pressure. Just by using the ability once, he could go through the module¡¯s process. Then Yis People would know the difficult points and key points of the module. As long as luck isn¡¯t too bad, he could basically pass through unharmed. So, unless there¡¯s some glitch in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯d let Yis People retain the ability to foresee the future." Liu Xing thought for a moment, nodding, "That makes sense. Let¡¯s not talk about Yis People for now. Let¡¯s discuss this module. First, we can almost certainly conclude that the mastermind behind this module is the Cult of the Cadaver. And they¡¯ve also joined forces with a secret cult rted to the Deep Ones. I even suspect that this secret cult is rted to the Swollen Woman. Her name just popped into my head." "That¡¯s very possible," Zhang Jingxu said. "In general, in areas where Great Old Ones reside, other secret cults wouldn¡¯t dare to step in unless they worship that specific Great Old One or have gained its approval. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t allow anyone else to sleep beside their pillow. And the power of the Swollen Woman surpasses that of the Great Old Ones." "If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯re really in big trouble this time. This is probably the legendary world Main quest," Ling Ishikawa sighed. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He had some knowledge about the world Main quest. In simple terms, the world Missions that yers undertake can be understood as parts of the world Main quest. This means that the world Main quest isposed of all the world Missions in this parallel world, and thepletion or failure of each world Mission will affect the progress of the world Main quest. However, the start of the world Main quest also signifies that this parallel world is gradually heading towards destruction. Because the core of the world Main quest is the confrontation between two factions. One faction aims to ensure that certain Great Old Ones or multiple Great Old Ones upy the world, while the other faction aims to seal these Great Old Ones back and ensure the peace of the world. And now, if the Cult of the Cadaver sessfully seizes power in Ennd, their next target is likely to summon the Ghoul King they worship, the Great Old One Morkidian. "Morkidian, huh? So, is this parallel world nning to be the set for a zombie world war?" Ling Ishikawa joked. Liu Xing shrugged, smiling, "Well, speaking of which, we¡¯re about to meet an old acquaintance, Alice. After all, Alice mentioned that she should be in London now, and Alice is also considered a ¡¯professional.¡¯" As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, his phone rang. Liu Xing nced at the caller ID and found that it was Alice calling. ording to "Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s" memory, after leaving Fisher¡¯s Vige, Alice specifically exchanged phone numbers and agreed to contact each other by phone after she returned to the Ind Nation. And now, it seemed that Alice was calling most likely because she knew that Liu Xing and his team had arrived in Manchester and were involved in the case of the disappearance of foreign tourists. So, Liu Xing put the call on speakerphone. "Mr. Ryuusei, it seems we¡¯re destined to meet again even from afar. We¡¯re going to meet in Ennd so soon," Alice said with a smile. Liu Xing also smiled, saying, "We do seem to have a connection. Originally, Ling Ishikawa and I were here in Ennd for tourism. But unexpectedly, we got involved in this case of the missing foreign tourists. So, most likely, you¡¯re the support Chris invited from London, right?" "Yeah, I¡¯m on my way to Manchester now. Let¡¯s meet at your hotel tomorrow morning. I have a lot of information to share with you. Alright, I¡¯m driving right now, so I¡¯ll hang up," Alice said before ending the call. Liu Xing nced at the time on his phone and chuckled, "Well, let¡¯s rest for now. We¡¯ll be busy tomorrow." So, Liu Xing and the others went back to their rooms to rest. Early the next morning, Liu Xing received another call from Alice. She was already in the hotel lobby. Liu Xing called Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa, and they went downstairs together to meet Alice. In the hotel lobby, Liu Xing saw Alice. At that moment, Alice was talking to a young white man with a sturdy build and a buzz cut. Seeing Liu Xing and the others approaching, Alice smiled and said, "This is a friend I met in the Ind Nation, a pilot in the U.S. military stationed there. He happened to be touring Manchester this time, so I called him to help." The young white man nodded and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, my name is Nils T. Ryuzaki. It¡¯s a pleasure to work with you all. You can also call me by my nickname ¡ª NTR." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 430: Deep Diving Society Chapter 430: Deep Diving Society NTR?! Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised at Ryuzaki. Beside him, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but speak up, "Mr. Ryuzaki, you should know what NTR means, right?" Ryuzaki chuckled and nodded, "Of course, I¡¯ve been in the Ind Nation for several years now, studying the Ind Nationnguage on my own to understand Ind Nation anime and movies. So, I do know the meaning of abbreviations like NTR. However, because my name¡¯s abbreviation happens to be NTR, and us Americans tend to call others by their name¡¯s abbreviation, I¡¯ve grown ustomed to being called NTR over time. Plus, it¡¯s kind of amusing." After a brief pause, Ryuzaki continued, "By the way, miss, do you have a boyfriend? If not, would you consider me?" Liu Xing chuckled and said to Alice, "Miss Alice, you should be able to guess Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation by now. Could you please exin it to Mr. Ryuzaki?" Alice nodded and smiled, "I was just pondering how Ling Ishikawa could end up like this. But now, with what Mr. Ryuusei just said, I¡¯m more convinced of my initial thoughts. Ling Ishikawa must have undergone a gender transformation due to some magic spells. From male to female. However, from my perception, the magic power within Ling Ishikawa is gradually dissipating. It shouldn¡¯t be long before Ling Ishikawa returns to normal." "What? Alice, are you saying Ling Ishikawa was male? And turned female because of magic?" Ryuzaki eximed, looking shocked. As the one being approached, Ling Ishikawa nodded helplessly once again and spoke, "Yes, before this, due to being affected by a magic spell, I was forced to take on this appearance. However, in about three days, I should be able to revert to my true self. So, I¡¯m sorry for disappointing you, Mr. Ryuzaki."Ryuzaki was stunned for a moment, then determinedly said, "To be honest, you should know that we Americans are quite open-minded. So, I don¡¯t really mind your gender, Ling Ishikawa..." "I mind!" Ling Ishikawa interrupted immediately upon sensing the situation turning unfavorable. After this little incident, Liu Xing and the others moved to the hotel restaurant, where they had breakfast and chatted. Firstly, Alice provided thetest information. As Liu Xing had spected before, Alice¡¯s master had been invited by the English authorities to investigate the disappearance of foreign tourists this time. Alice and several of her fellow disciples who were still in Ennd were assisting in the investigation. After some time of investigation, Alice¡¯s master confirmed the mastermind behind the disappearance of foreign tourists to be none other than the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society! Among them, the so-called Deep Diving Society included Liu Xing and others¡¯ old opponents - the Deep Sea Gospel Society. Because this Deep Diving Society was recently established by merging several secret cults in the Asian region that worshipped the Deep One, the leader was rumored to be a powerful Deep One with over a hundred Deep Ones under him, and the number of hybrids exceeded four digits. Therefore, the powerful Deep Diving Society quickly absorbed many small secret cults and became a well-knownrge-scale secret cult in the Asian region and even the entire world. This also qualified them to cooperate with the Cult of the Cadaver. However, although Alice was considered a mid-level cadre in the Deep Sea Gospel Society before, after the merger into the Deep Diving Society, Alice was demoted to a grassroots level cadre. Hence, she did not have the qualifications to ess the content of the cooperation between the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society. Nheless, Alice still managed to learn some details through special means. In simple terms, this time the Deep Diving Society dispatched a senior cadre along with several Deep Ones and over a dozen ordinary members to Ennd. Because the appearance of Deep One hybrids was too distinctive and easily noticeable, they had to be cautious. This time, Deep Diving Society came to assist the Cult of the Cadaver, and in return, the Cult of the Cadaver helped the Deep One merge the secret cults in the Ennd region that worshipped the Deep One and allowed the Deep Diving Society to establish branches in the Ennd region, dividing Ennd between the two factions. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but frown. Because as a person from the Ind Nation, although most recent modules had taken ce abroad, Liu Xing was certain that he would return to the Ind Nation for modules soon. When that happened, as someone who believed in King Hastur in Yellow Robes, he would surely sh with this Deep Diving Society. However, from the current situation, Liu Xing knew that the Deep Diving Society was probably thergest secret cult in the Ind Nation, as long as nothing unexpected happened. Moreover, the leader of the Deep Diving Society should be an elder, even a leader-level Deep One, whose power might rival that of the Gralki Avatar in Panlong Town. Therefore, Liu Xing felt that when he returned to the Ind Nation for modules, he needed to be mentally prepared for confrontation. But back to the current module. It could now be reasonably confirmed that the opposing faction¡¯s yers in this module were likely followers of the Cult of the Cadaver or the Deep Diving Society. And the person Shi Zixuan they encountered at the airport earlier, Liu Xing suspected might be a follower of the Deep Diving Society. Next was the number of mythical creatures in the opposing faction. Considering the context, Liu Xing believed Alice¡¯s mention of "several" likely meant three or more but less than ten. So, the specific number should be around 1d7+2 Deep Ones. Then it depended on the luck of the opposing faction¡¯s yers to see how many Deep Ones they could summon. As for the number of Ghouls dispatched by the Cult of the Cadaver, Liu Xing thought it would be two to three times the number of Deep Ones. After all, as the host, if the Cult of the Cadaver didn¡¯t send out enough Ghouls, they would be looked down upon by the Deep Diving Society and considered insincere, merely using them as cannon fodder. Therefore, Liu Xing estimated that the number of mythical creatures on the enemy¡¯s side would likely be around twenty... It¡¯s gettingplicated. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Miss Alice, do you now know what the Cult of the Cadaver is up to and why they¡¯re specifically kidnapping foreign tourists?" Alice sighed, somewhat helplessly, "We¡¯re still investigating this because we¡¯re not entirely sure why the Cult of the Cadaver is doing this. But one thing we can confirm is that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s influence has infiltrated high levels in Ennd, not only in the government but also in the royal family. So, it¡¯s safe to say that our every move is probably under the control of the Cult of the Cadaver." Liu Xing frowned, speaking up, "If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯re too passive. Not only do we have fewer people than them, but we¡¯re also under their surveince. We¡¯re basically at a disadvantage and can¡¯t fight back." Alice nodded, shrugging, "That¡¯s right, the situation is very bad for us now. We¡¯re inferior to the Cult of the Cadaver in every aspect. And those Cult of the Cadaver followers who are now embedded in high positions in Ennd have been obstructing foreign professionals from entering Ennd. So, for now, we don¡¯t have any external support." "Then what about the police and the military in Ennd? Will they assist us?" Zhang Jingxu asked. Alice thought for a moment, uncertainly saying, "I can¡¯t be sure if the military will help us because they haven¡¯t made any statement on this matter yet. But the police have confirmed that they¡¯ll provide as much assistance as possible because the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s infiltration into the English police force isn¡¯t severe. After all, the Cult of the Cadaver takes an upper-ss route." Liu Xing sighed, speaking, "If only the police are providing assistance, then the situation is still not optimistic. After all, the police¡¯s firepower is very limited. Dealing with mythical creatures would require rifles." At this point, Ryuzaki, sitting beside them, chuckled, "Great minds think alike. Although I haven¡¯t seen those so-called mythical creatures you mentioned with my own eyes, Alice also briefed me on the characteristics of those mythical creatures. I realized that relying solely on the weapons of the police definitely won¡¯t be enough to deal with mythical creatures. So, I¡¯ve asked someone to bring me an automatic rifle. That way, I can provide you with some firepower support when the timees." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to find that despite Ryuzaki¡¯s unreliable name, he was quitepetent in action. Having an automatic rifle as firepower would definitely be advantageous in small-scale battles against mythical creatures. Yes, Liu Xing could tell that Ryuzaki was an NPC, probably a character card that hadn¡¯t resurrected after a yer¡¯s demise, as Liu Xing noticed a faded mark on Ryuzaki¡¯s hand. This faded mark indicated that this NPC used to be a yer¡¯s character card. Apparently, Ryuzaki¡¯s abbreviation as "NTR" was a result of that yer¡¯s peculiar sense of humor. But this was actually a good thing because when a yer¡¯s character card is discarded, the items they carried wouldn¡¯t disappear. So, Liu Xing believed Ryuzaki probably had some decent items that could assist them in this module. Just then, Liu Xing saw Yis Peopleing down with Juri Sonoda and Nan Xiaoniao. Yis People looked puzzled as he saw Liu Xing and the others sitting with Alice and Ryuzaki. Liu Xing signaled Ling Ishikawa, who got up and walked towards Yis People, calling them over. After a brief introduction, everyone sat down together and continued discussing the Cult of the Cadaver. Of course, Liu Xing noticed Alice¡¯s gaze constantly focusing on Yis People, indicating that Alice had sensed something unusual about Yis People¡¯s situation. After breakfast, Juri Sonoda and Lu Tianya took Nan Xiaoniao to the city center for sightseeing and shopping. Because Juri Sonoda and Nan Xiaoniao had minimal roles in this module and would only hinder duringbat encounters, it wasn¡¯t feasible for them to apany Liu Xing and the others. But because this was a confrontational module, Liu Xing and the others felt that the opposing yers might employ unconventional tactics, such as sending people to kidnap the three women. So, as a precaution, Lu Tianya was assigned to protect Juri Sonoda and Nan Xiaoniao. After seeing off the three women, everyone drove to QuarryBank in the south of Manchester. As the world¡¯s first modern industrial city, Manchester remained Ennd¡¯s secondrgest economic city, having sessfully transitioned into a service-oriented city. Therefore, many factories in Manchester still operated but had be tourist attractions, open for visitors. Among these, QuarryBank Textile Factory was the most famous. Located in the outskirts, QuarryBank Textile Factory was somewhat remote, surrounded by a small residential area and vast fields, offering a picturesque view. In the alley behind the small pub next to QuarryBank Textile Factory, Liu Xing and the others saw w marks on the wall. "This is the site of the first case of foreign tourists disappearing in the Manchester area. At that time, after visiting QuarryBank Textile Factory, the foreign tourist group came to this small pub to drink and rest. ording to the surveince footage in the pub, these foreign tourists left after drinking, and everything seemed normal at the time. However, for some reason, after leaving the pub, they all gathered in the alley behind the pub and then disappeared without a trace," Alice exined. Liu Xing frowned, expressing doubt, "Without a trace? That¡¯s not possible. I saw quite a few cameras nearby. The Cult of the Cadaver probably wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid those cameras while kidnapping so many people." Alice shook her head, saying helplessly, "At the time of the disappearance, there was a problem with the transformer nearby, causing a power outage, which resulted in all the cameras stopping working." "It seems the people of the Cult of the Cadaver are quite cautious," Zhang Jingxu said, examining the w marks on the wall. "Judging from these w marks, they were probably made by Ghouls. But the position of these w marks feels a bit off to me." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, carefully observing the w marks and indeed finding something unusual about them. Under normal circumstances, the height of a Ghoul should be simr to that of an ordinary human. But the height of these w marks was over two meters. Yis People stroked his chin, saying, "If the goal was to threaten those foreign tourists, the height at which the Ghouls swung their ws should be simr to their own height. So, the height of this Ghoul should be around two meters. A Ghoul that tall shouldn¡¯t be underestimated in terms of strength." Liu Xing nodded, realizing that for mythical creatures like Ghouls, which mainly relied on meleebat, their height essentially determined theirbat prowess. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 431: Fear of Ryuzaki Chapter 431: Fear of Ryuzaki "The Ghoul standing at two meters tall could probably slice us in half with a single swipe," Yis People expressed concern. Ryuzaki nodded beside him, his tone heavy, "Back when I was still a rookie, I underwent wilderness survival training in the Amazon jungle. I was with three teammates, and on the first night, we encountered an ident. One of my teammates screamed during their watch, waking us up. When we rushed to the scene, we found a lot of blood on the ground and strange footprints." "Based on those footprints, we deduced that the owner of those footprints was a humanoid creature over two meters tall and weighing three hundred kilograms. Then the rest of us started tracking this humanoid creature, and eventually found my teammate¡¯s body in a cave¡ªa body split in half, with its entrailspletely eaten, surrounded by numerous human corpses, most of whom were in military uniforms." "We contacted headquarters at the time, reporting our situation, considering we were undergoing wilderness survival training and only had a knife on hand. Faced with such Monsters, we couldn¡¯t possibly fight back. However, not long after, we were attacked by that Monster. Since it was nighttime, all I saw were its enormous, sharp ws, tearing myrade apart..." At this point, Liu Xing noticed Ryuzaki¡¯s hand trembling unnaturally, indicating that Ryuzaki had likely experienced temporary insanity at the time, leaving him with psychological trauma. Standing beside Ryuzaki, Alice sighed, patting his shoulder, "Before joining the Deep Sea Gospel Society, I served as a psychologist at the American military base in Japan. Ryuzaki visited me several times for counseling. At that time, I also believed Ryuzaki encountered a Ghoul in the Amazon jungle. After all, as far as I know, there are many cannibals in the Amazon jungle who worship Ghouls." Liu Xing nodded. On the Cthulhu RPG Game forum, many yers summarized a pattern: whenever a cannibal tribe appeared in a module, Ghouls would inevitably appear. Moreover, the members of the entire cannibal tribe would be disguised as Ghouls. However, what concerned Liu Xing more was whether Ryuzaki had a fear of Ghouls. After all, ording to the setting of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, if a yer enters a temporary state of madness due to a mythical creature, it is very likely that they will develop atent phobia of that mythical creature. When the yer encounters this mythical creature again, the phobia may be triggered once more. Therefore, Liu Xing expressed his concern, "Miss Alice, can you confirm whether Mr. Ryuzaki has fully recovered from his fear of Ghouls? If Mr. Ryuzaki experiences a rpse when encountering Ghouls again, it could pose a serious problem. After all, Mr. Ryuzaki is holding an automatic rifle, and if it identally fires, we could suffer heavy losses..."Alice frowned, nodding, "I understand what you mean, Mr. Ryuusei. So, let me give you all an overview. After prolonged treatment, Ryuzaki¡¯s current condition can only be described as rtively stable. At least, he no longer feels fear when faced with photos of Ghouls. However, as you can see now, Ryuzaki involuntarily trembles and has some mental issues whenever he thinks of Ghouls. And the reason Ryuzaki apanied me to Ennd this time to deal with the Cult of the Cadaver is actually a case of fighting fire with fire, allowing Ryuzaki to confront Ghouls directly." At this point, Ryuzaki also regained hisposure, nodding, "Alice is right. My condition isn¡¯t great right now, but I¡¯m mentally prepared. If I really have to face Ghouls this time, I should be able to remain calm and not be scared crazy." Liu Xing sighed reluctantly, "I hope so. If anything happens to Mr. Ryuzaki, it could be very troublesome for us." Although Liu Xing said so, he was very worried. After all, given the current situation, Ryuzaki was like a time bomb. He might explode instantly when encountering Ghouls. But Ryuzaki was undoubtedly their strongestbat force now. After all, Ryuzaki was a pilot, and pilots could be said to have the best physical fitness in the armed forces of various countries, and they also learnedbat skills and shooting. So, for Liu Xing and the others, Ryuzaki was now a double-edged sword. Although he could harm the enemy, he could also hurt himself. However, these words couldn¡¯t be said aloud at the moment, so Liu Xing decided to change the subject. "Speaking of which, Miss Alice, do you know where this alley leads?" Liu Xing asked. Alice took out her phone and pulled up a picture, saying, "This alley connects to a residential area, but due to various reasons, the residents on this side of QuarryBank Textile Factory have started moving out on arge scale to Manchester city, making this residential area almost deserted." "Did the Manchester police investigate the housing in this area?" Ling Ishikawa asked. Alice nodded seriously, "Of course, the Manchester police conducted a thorough search of this residential area after the incident, but still found nothing." Liu Xing thought for a moment, suddenly had a sh of inspiration, and said, "I think the Manchester police might have overlooked one ce, which is the QuarryBank Textile Factory." Alice raised an eyebrow and after a moment of contemtion, said, "That¡¯s right. I remember that the Manchester police did not search the QuarryBank Textile Factory because there were tourists visiting at the time. So, after questioning some tourists and QuarryBank Textile Factory employees, the Manchester police did not further investigate the QuarryBank Textile Factory. By the way, this alley does lead to the back entrance of the QuarryBank Textile Factory." Liu Xing nodded, seriously saying, "If that¡¯s the case, I think there¡¯s a possibility that the people from the Cult of the Cadaver have kidnapped those foreign tourists to QuarryBank Textile Factory because only the Cult of the Cadaver would have insiders in the QuarryBank Textile Factory who could secretly hide those foreign tourists there. After all, hidden in in sight, QuarryBank Textile Factory could be considered a blind spot for the Manchester police." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, there is such a possibility. From the perspective of this missing case of foreign tourists, the Cult of the Cadaver has been very meticulous in their actions, knowing to cut off the power supply in the area at the same time they act. So, I think the Cult of the Cadaver must have prepared the location to detain these foreign tourists from the beginning. If QuarryBank Textile Factory is indeed the ce prepared by the Cult of the Cadaver for detention, then it is indeed a very good ce because it is close enough and the chance of being discovered will be much smaller." Alice nodded and sighed, saying, "What you all said indeed makes sense. QuarryBank Textile Factory is indeed a good ce for the Cult of the Cadaver to detain foreign tourists. Firstly, it¡¯s a tourist attraction with many foreign visitors. Secondly, it¡¯s sparsely popted, especially this alley; hardly anyone walks through here all day. So, for the Cult of the Cadaver, controlling those foreign tourists and transporting them from here to the back entrance of QuarryBank Textile Factory without anyone noticing is entirely usible. Regarding QuarryBank Textile Factory, if I¡¯m not mistaken, it belongs to a Duke of Ennd¡¯s private property, and this Duke is indeed likely to have sided with the Cult of the Cadaver." "But if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s not easy for us to conduct a search of QuarryBank Textile Factory. Although QuarryBank Textile Factory is open to the public, in reality, it still belongs to that Duke¡¯s private property, and the strong influence of the English royal family means that the rights of these English nobles are significant. So, to search QuarryBank Textile Factory, apart from necessary search warrants, we also need the consent of the English royal family. And now, with the Cult of the Cadaver having insiders in the English royal family, if we follow this procedure, we will surely find nothing during our search of QuarryBank Textile Factory, as the Cult of the Cadaver will undoubtedly have moved those foreign tourists before our search." Alice¡¯s words plunged everyone into silence. After a while, Yis People sighed and said, "Well then, let¡¯s pretend to be ordinary tourists and enter QuarryBank Textile Factory for a visit. At the same time, we can observe the internal situation of QuarryBank Textile Factory. Perhaps we can gain something." Ryuzaki nodded at this point, smiling, "If we can find anything suspicious about QuarryBank Textile Factory, then I cane back tonight to confirm whether those foreign tourists have been detained inside. If we confirm that those foreign tourists are indeed detained in QuarryBank Textile Factory, then we can contact Chris and take action preemptively." So, the group entered QuarryBank Textile Factory as ordinary tourists. As a tourist attraction, the highlight of QuarryBank Textile Factory was its 19th-century spinning workshop, filled with various old-fashioned spinning machines. Also, because QuarryBank Textile Factory was a tourist attraction, coupled with it being a working day, QuarryBank Textile Factory appeared somewhat deserted. Liu Xing and the others dispersed very tacitly, pairing up and starting their investigation. Naturally, Liu Xing teamed up with Ling Ishikawa. "Leader, what do you think of Ryuzaki?" Ling Ishikawa suddenly asked. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, shaking his head, "I think Ryuzaki would be a good helper, but he could also be a time bomb at any moment. After all, his mental state is unstable, so I think we should keep a certain distance from Ryuzaki, just to be safe." Ling Ishikawa nodded, then said, "Should we try to persuade Ryuzaki to join our Worshipers of the Yellow Sect?" Liu Xing stopped in his tracks, looking at Ling Ishikawa with some surprise. He hadn¡¯t expected Ling Ishikawa toe up with such a daring idea. In the forum, many yers believed that in the modules of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, there were many hidden settings, among which there was one almost universally recognized hidden setting: the fanatical NPC of the module would not go into temporary madness under normal circumstances. This hidden setting had been affirmed by tens of thousands of yers. In this hidden setting, under normal circumstances, when the fanatical NPC encountered a mythical creature whose strength was not greater than the mythical creature they believed in, they would not undergo a temporary state of madness. However, if they encountered a mythical creature like a Star Kin or a Great Devouring Worm, they might still undergo temporary madness. Of course, this hidden setting only applied to mythical creatures. So, this hidden setting was very easy to understand; after believing in a higher-level mythical creature, the fanatical NPC would have a kind of mysterious self-confidence or superiority when faced with lower-level mythical creatures, thus counteracting some of the sanity point checks¡¯ effects. Therefore, if Ryuzaki were to join the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, then Ryuzaki, who believed in King Hastur in Yellow Robes, should no longer need to undergo rted checks when facing Ghouls to determine his mental state. But saying it was one thing, actually doing it would be troublesome. "Persuading Ryuzaki to join our Worshipers of the Yellow Sect is indeed a good idea. With Ryuzaki¡¯s belief, he should no longer have psychological trauma against low-level creatures like Ghouls. However, as a pilot, Ryuzaki¡¯s willpower is undoubtedly very firm. It won¡¯t be easy to persuade him to join us, and Alice and Ryuzaki have a very good rtionship. Alice is likely to notice any anomalies in Ryuzaki. If Alice finds out our identity, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to deal with internal strife first." Liu Xing frowned. Ling Ishikawa nodded, saying helplessly, "I¡¯m just saying it. It would be too difficult to persuade Ryuzaki to join us." Liu Xing took a few more steps, suddenly remembered someone, and stopped to say, "By the way, Ling Ishikawa, didn¡¯t you contact Suneo and the others recently? Did they mention what Miguel is up to?" Because of the previous module¡¯s restrictions, they couldn¡¯t contact the outside world, so Liu Xing almost forgot that as a leader, he could order his followers toe and help. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 432: Zhang Jingxu’s Junior Apprentice Sister Chapter 432: Zhang Jingxu¡¯s Junior Apprentice Sister Ling Ishikawa pondered for a moment before speaking, "Recently, Suneo and the others have established apany in Tokyo. They¡¯ve brought many believers to Tokyo under the guise of employees, including Miguel. Miguel is basically responsible for gathering various kinds of intelligence in Tokyo." Liu Xing nodded, smiling as he replied, "In that case, Ling Ishikawa, why don¡¯t you give Suneo and the others a call and have them arrange for Miguel toe over? After all, Miguel is a rarebat asset." "I understand. I¡¯ll call Suneo right away." Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t hesitate, immediately taking out her mobile phone to make the call. Meanwhile, Liu Xing suddenly noticed a small piece of cloth hanging on the spinning machine nearby. With a raised eyebrow, Liu Xing contacted KP Li Shunchan, "KP, I¡¯d like to brainstorm some inspiration for this piece of cloth to determine how it ended up here." KP Li Shunchan chuckled, replying, "Of course, but you could also choose not to brainstorm and simply analyze the cloth directly. Either way, you should be able to derive results. So, are you up for the challenge?" Liu Xing pondered for a moment, shaking his head, "Since you put it that way, KP, I¡¯ll refrain from the inspiration judgment. While my inspiration value is decent, there¡¯s always the risk of failure, which wouldn¡¯t be ideal. So, I¡¯ll stick to direct analysis for now." Having made his decision, Liu Xing squatted down to observe the specific details of the cloth. Firstly, the cloth was ck and rtively thin. It didn¡¯t seem like it had fallen from clothing but rather like it had been separated from an item such as a handkerchief.Secondly, the shape of the cloth was irregr, resembling a diamond. It didn¡¯t appear to be torn identally on the spinning machine but rather deliberately torn into this shape and then intentionally hung here. Standing up, Liu Xing first located the position of the QuarryBank Textile Factory¡¯s back door. He then drew a straight line from his current position to the back door of the QuarryBank Textile Factory and proceeded to walk along this path, keeping an eye out. Soon enough, Liu Xing discovered another piece of ck cloth, lying beneath another spinning machine. Upon seeing this piece of cloth, Liu Xing was almost certain that it was a clue deliberately left behind by one of the foreign tourists kidnapped by the Cult of the Cadaver. Speaking of which, this could be considered a standard survival tactic for the abducted. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa approached, saying, "Leader, I¡¯ve contacted Suneo. He¡¯s already arranged for Miguel toe to Ennd to find us. However, due to Miguel¡¯s special circumstances, even with connections, there¡¯s no way to get him on a ne or ship. So, Miguel has decided to swim directly from the Ind Nation to Ennd, which may take a few days." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Miguel had chosen to swim halfway across the globe to Ennd. But then again, considering Miguel¡¯s ability, it was indeed feasible. "By the way, Leader, take a look at this. We¡¯ve found two pieces of this type of cloth. It seems someone deliberately left them behind. So, I suspect these cloths are clues left by the foreign tourists kidnapped by the Cult of the Cadaver." Liu Xing pointed to the ck cloth. Ling Ishikawa examined the cloth and nodded, saying, "Leader, you¡¯re right. This style of cloth could only have been intentionally left behind..." Before Ling Ishikawa could finish, Zhang Jingxu hurried over and said, "Ryuusei Ling Ishikawa, we¡¯ve found several pieces of ck cloth here. It¡¯s highly likely that these are left behind by those foreign tourists kidnapped by the Cult of the Cadaver. Oh, you¡¯ve noticed them too." Liu Xing nodded, picking up the piece of ck cloth and said, "Indeed, Ling Ishikawa and I have found two pieces of this ck cloth. We also share your thoughts, believing that these ck cloths are likely deliberately left behind by those foreign tourists kidnapped by the Cult of the Cadaver." Zhang Jingxu pondered for a moment, then smiled, "Great minds think alike. Let¡¯s continue searching by zones, trying to find more of these ck cloths and other clues. Then, let¡¯s meet at the exit of the QuarryBank Textile Factory in ten minutes." Thus, Liu Xing and the others continued their search. Ten minutester, Liu Xing found another piece of ck cloth. He then briefly pieced together the three pieces of ck cloth and discovered that they were indeed from the same source, forming a corner of a handkerchief. Most importantly, on thest piece of ck cloth he found, Liu Xing saw two familiar yet unfamiliar square characters. Due to theirck of understanding of Chinese, neither Liu Xing nor Ling Ishikawa couldprehend the meaning of these two square characters. Thus, they hurriedly made their way to the entrance of the QuarryBank Textile Factory, where Zhang Jingxu and the others had already gathered. Liu Xing handed the piece of ck cloth to Zhang Jingxu, saying, "Zhang Jingxu, I just found another piece of cloth with two Chinese characters on it. Could you see what they mean?" Zhang Jingxu nodded, smiling, "Just now, we sorted through the collected cloths and found that they alle from the same handkerchief. So, most likely, those two characters are the name of the handkerchief¡¯s owner." Zhang Jingxu nced at the name on the cloth and then stood there in shock. Liu Xing knew that Zhang Jingxu most likely recognized the owner of the name on the cloth, and it was probably someone familiar to him. After half a minute passed, Zhang Jingxu finally snapped out of it, exining, "The two characters on the cloth are called ¡¯Fu Ping.¡¯ I¡¯m certain that the owner of this handkerchief is named Chen Fuping. Because Chen Fuping is my junior apprentice sister. I remember she used to have a handkerchief like this, and she embroidered the characters ¡¯Fu Ping¡¯ herself. Most importantly, when she wrote her name, she would omit the bottom dot of the character ¡¯Fu¡¯ because she was an orphan." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised to encounter Zhang Jingxu¡¯s junior apprentice sister here, and especially that she was one of the foreign tourists kidnapped. At this point, Alice interjected, "If I remember correctly, the foreign tourist group kidnapped here by the Cult of the Cadaver was a tourist group from the United States of America, and the tourists all seem to be students from the same university." Zhang Jingxu nodded solemnly, "If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s certain that among the foreign tourists kidnapped here by the Cult of the Cadaver, there is my junior apprentice sister, Chen Fuping. Because my junior apprentice sister was arranged by my master to go to the United States of America for studiesst year. Of course, it was only ostensibly for studying. In reality, it was because an underground organization of the Human Defense Committee was established in the United States of America, specifically to deal with various secret cults and mythical creatures within the United States of America. So, the Daoist sect sent a group of people over for mutual exchange and learning. My junior apprentice sister, Chen Fuping, was one of them." Alice raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "I see. I¡¯m familiar with that Human Defense Committee. My master mentioned it once; it¡¯s an organization initiated by the United States of America government. Although it hasn¡¯t been officially recognized by the US government yet, many high-ranking members of this organization have had contacts with US officials. However, because the foundation of the United States of America is still rtively young, about eighty percent of the lower to mid-level personnel in this organization are former US special forces and senior agents from various intelligence agencies." After Alice finished speaking, she nced at Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki shrugged and nodded, "I was invited to join that organization once because of my various abilities. I¡¯ve also encountered mythical creatures before. However, due to my psychological issues, I was eliminated directly. But I¡¯m quite d I didn¡¯t join them because I heard that the lower-level members of the organization are essentially cannon fodder." Zhang Jingxu shook his head with a wry smile, saying, "That¡¯s right. Although the Human Defense Committee is meant to deal with secret cults and mythical creatures, in reality, the weapons and equipment used by the lower-level personnel are mostly counter-terrorism equipment. So, when facing secret cults and mythical creatures, the oues are usually extreme¡ªeither the enemy is wiped out, or our team is. As a result, the probability of the initial teams sent out by the Human Defense Committee being wiped out by the enemy exceeds seventy percent. That¡¯s why the Human Defense Committee seeks talent assistance from other countries." Listening to this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help butment that the name "Human Defense Committee" was somewhat misleading. Furthermore, in Liu Xing¡¯s opinion, the Human Defense Committee was initially somewhat inted, trying to deal with mythical creatures and secret cults using counter-terrorism methods. Wasn¡¯t that just asking for trouble? But this also seemed to fit the current "image" of the United States of America. After all, as a country of immigrants that made its fortune from war during World War II, the United States of America was undoubtedly the most "scientific" country in the world. They might not have much understanding of mythical creatures and secret cults, so they couldn¡¯t immediately change their mindset when facing them. They thought they could deal with mythical creatures and fanatics armed with various firearms and equipment. "By the way, isn¡¯t there a Miskatonic University in the United States of America? I heard that university is the world¡¯s leading institution in the study of mysteries. So why doesn¡¯t the Human Defense Committee seek help from Miskatonic University?" Yis People suddenly asked. Alice shook her head, smiling as she replied, "Miskatonic University is indeed the foremost in the study of mysteries. That¡¯s why Miskatonic University haspiled a work on mysteries tentatively titled ¡¯Examination of Monsters and Eldritch Gods,¡¯ which records hundreds of mythical creatures with real photos, whose general characteristics have been confirmed, as well as dozens of mythical creatures mentioned in legends from various countries whose existence has been confirmed but haven¡¯t been sighted in the past hundred years. Lastly, there are more than ten Great Old Ones mentioned in legends, but regarding them, there¡¯s only their names and some aliases." "However, from this, it can be seen that Miskatonic University¡¯s research on mysteries only remains at the level of written knowledge. So, the professors of mysteries at Miskatonic University are essentially schrs, not wizards or Taoists. Therefore, they can only provide various opinions to the Human Defense Committee but cannot significantly enhance the overall strength of the Human Defense Committee. After all, the modern single-soldier weapons used to deal with ordinary fanatics and weaker mythical creatures might suffice, but when facing slightly more powerful mythical creatures or fanatics with Magic Spells, these counter-terrorism elites are just chickens and dogs." Alice¡¯s words made Liu Xing nod repeatedly because, as Alice said, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, modern weapons and equipment were indeed decent but had a low ceiling. Many Magic Spells could directly counter or weaken firearm damage, and many mythical creatures had their armor, greatly reducing the damage they received from firearms. So, on the forum, among the few posts that were always pinned by yers, there was one warning novice yers not to pursue a pure firearm route. Because although having shooting skills and firearm support in the early game allowed yers to handle modules with ease and not fall into too much disadvantage when facing enemies, after entering modules in the Hound of Tindalos area, yers still relying on firearms were easily killed. In short, if the Cthulhu RPG Game werepared to an RPG game, firearms were indeed artifacts in the early game, capable of dealing high physical damage. However, after the game entered the mid-game, monsters had extremely high physical defenses, making it impossible for yers to defeat them. But I digress. Curiously, Liu Xing asked, "Zhang Jingxu, what about the strength of your junior apprentice sister? Do we have a chance for a joint effort?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head, somewhat helpless, "My junior apprentice sister¡¯s strength is simr to mine. She can deal with a few fanatics, but she¡¯s powerless against mythical creatures. So, let¡¯s not count on coborating with her." At that moment, Yis People¡¯s mobile phone rang. Yis People picked up the mobile phone, frowned at first, then immediately changed his expression to a smile, handing the mobile phone to Zhang Jingxu. Then, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s expression mirrored Yis People¡¯s almost exactly. Seeing this, Liu Xing nced curiously at the mobile phone in Zhang Jingxu¡¯s hand. On the mobile phone screen, Shi Zixuan, whom they had met briefly, was holding Nan Xiaoniao, standing between Lu Tianya and Juri Sonoda, posing in front of a fountain. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow, then quickly realized and chuckled, "What a coincidence! I didn¡¯t expect Lu Tianya and the others to meet Shi Zixuan." Zhang Jingxu nodded, with a meaningful look, "Indeed, what a coincidence." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 433: Bai Hecheng Appears Chapter 433: Bai Hecheng Appears It was quite evident that Shi Zixuan was threatening their group. However, since their group didn¡¯t "know" yet that Shi Zixuan was associated with the Cult of the Cadaver, Liu Xing could only smile and change the subject, saying, "It seems Lu Tianya and the others are having a good time, so there¡¯s nothing for us to worry about. Miss Alice, let¡¯s proceed to the next crime scene. But Miss Alice, you can now contact Chief Chris and have him send people to monitor QuarryBank Textile Factory. We can almost confirm that the missing foreign tourists entered the QuarryBank Textile Factory. If everything goes as expected, those foreign tourists are still being detained there." Alice nodded, saying, "Yes, I have informed Chief Chris of the current situation. He wille over to investigate personallyter. So let¡¯s move on for now." After Alice finished speaking, everyone got into their respective cars and headed to the next crime scene. Once seated, Yis People couldn¡¯t help but pound his fist on the steering wheel. "Shi Zixuan is too arrogant! Sending us a photo to provoke us! It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t even care about us. Doesn¡¯t she fear we mighte trouble her right now?" Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brows. "Since she dares to do this, it means she isn¡¯t afraid of us troubling her. After all, we currently have no evidence linking her to the Cult of the Cadaver. Even if we find her, we can only deal with her with words." Liu Xing nodded and said, "So what should we do now? Since Shi Zixuan already knows Lu Tianya¡¯s itinerary, she should also know which hotel we are staying at. If they want to attack us in the hotel, it¡¯s basically a piece of cake, as they can easily enter and exit the hotel with a room key." Yis People pondered for a moment and said seriously, "Then let¡¯s do this. I¡¯ll talk to Christer and ask him to arrange a ce with higher security. We¡¯ll move out of that hotel as soon as possible. I¡¯ll also try to persuade Juri Sonoda to leave Ennd with Nan Xiaoniao. Mr. Zhang Jingxu, you should also arrange for Lu Tianya to leave Ennd." Zhang Jingxu shook his head reluctantly and smiled wryly. "Although Lu Tianya¡¯s strength is not as good as mine, it¡¯s still pretty decent. Plus, our side is a bit short-handed for this module. So let¡¯s have Lu Tianya stay and help us."Yis People nodded and sighed, "Yes, the power gap between the NPCs of both sides in this module is quiterge. On their side, there are at least a dozen mythical creatures, plus over a hundred fanatics, and probably an Ennd high-ranking mole who can track our movements. On our side, we only have a potential mole in the local Manchester police force, an ultist, an American pilot, and your apprentice who¡¯s already been captured. It¡¯s not a fair match at all." "Speaking of which, Zhang Jingxu, what¡¯s the true strength of your apprentice? After being captured by the Cult of the Cadaver, does she really have no ability to resist?" Ling Ishikawa asked curiously. Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and replied, "My apprentice¡¯s hidden abilities should be quite good. Although she¡¯s a genuine NPC, her parents were friends of my master. After my master adopted her, he treated her very well and gave her quite a few defensive items. So even if we don¡¯t rescue her, she should have the ability to escape from the Cult of the Cadaver. Of course, the premise is that the yers on the opposite side don¡¯t notice her." As soon as Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, his mobile phone rang. Zhang Jingxu frowned becausetely, whenever his mobile phone rang, it didn¡¯t bring good news. He checked his mobile phone and chuckled, "It seems our luck isn¡¯t bad. Among the foreign tourists captured along with my apprentice, there are two members from the Chinese Daoist sect. They are like my apprentice, adept atmunicating with spirits. Moreover, I¡¯ve met those two Daoists before, and their strength should surpass mine. So if they team up with my apprentice, they should be able to easily escape from the Cult of the Cadaver." Liu Xing nodded and said, "It looks like we have two more powerful allies. We can also temporarily ignore the case of the missing foreign tourists here. Even if Zhang Jingxu¡¯s apprentice and her twopanions manage to escape, they might be able to bring out the other foreign tourists as well." However, Ling Ishikawa shook her head as she looked at her mobile phone. "That¡¯s not necessarily true. I checked the case of the missing foreign tourists at QuarryBank Textile Factory. It happened a week ago. If Zhang Jingxu¡¯s apprentice and herpanions wanted to escape, they should have done so already. So I think they¡¯re nning to continue lurking among the foreign tourists, investigating why the Cult of the Cadaver kidnapped them." "I agree. After all, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this case of missing foreign tourists is not simple. Plus, my apprentice and herpanions were threatened by Ghouls when they were kidnapped by the Cult of the Cadaver. So I think they might have guessed that the mastermind behind this is the Cult of the Cadaver. Therefore, they are likely nning to observe quietly, gather more information, and then escape from the Cult of the Cadaver." Zhang Jingxu affirmed. At that moment, Yis People¡¯s mobile phone also rang. While retrieving his mobile phone, Yis People chuckled, "It seems today is quite busy. Calls and messages haven¡¯t stopped. Let¡¯s hope this is also good news on my end." He nced at his mobile phone and continued with a smile, "Looks like our luck is still holding. This message is from Chris. He conducted a ¡¯special¡¯ interrogation on those bandits captured yesterday. They confessed that they were instructed by someone named Alexander to kidnap the foreign tourists and provide them with relevant information. Alexander is a well-known mafia boss in Manchester. Until now, the Manchester police haven¡¯t been able to arrest him because he¡¯s cautious and has some high-level protection." "Now, the Manchester police have found a reason to arrest Alexander. But to be cautious, Chris is afraid that there might be Ghouls around Alexander. So he invited us to join tonight¡¯s arrest operation. However, Chris also thinks that Alexander might not be associated with the Cult of the Cadaver. As Alexander¡¯s old rival, Chris believes that, given Alexander¡¯s cautious nature, he would likely send a representative to cooperate with the bandits." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Indeed, those bandits are clearly just cannon fodder sent out by the Cult of the Cadaver. So logically, they wouldn¡¯t know who instructed them to kidnap the foreign tourists. Therefore, I suspect Alexander might be a scapegoat or someone the Cult of the Cadaver wants to deal with." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement while looking at her mobile phone, "That¡¯s right, Alexander is probably not associated with the Cult of the Cadaver. Chris likely understands this. But he still chooses to arrest Alexander, possibly seeking personal revenge. ording to online reports, Alexander is suspected of hiring killers and was involved in the murder of the former Manchester police chief, Tom, who was personally groomed by Chris." "It seems we¡¯re going to make another futile trip tonight. But why would the Cult of the Cadaver want to frame Alexander?" Zhang Jingxu wondered aloud. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and replied, "If the kidnapping incident from yesterday was indeed the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s attempt to frame Alexander, then it¡¯s highly likely that Alexander is an important member of a secret cult. And this secret cult has a strained rtionship with the Cult of the Cadaver. Therefore, the Cult of the Cadaver might be using this opportunity to eliminate that secret cult." At that moment, Alice¡¯s car stopped, indicating they had arrived at the scene of the second incident of missing foreign tourists. Seeing Liu Xing and the others getting out of the car, Alice spoke, "This is the North Corner area of Manchester. In recent decades, due to the increasing housing prices and consumption levels in the city center, many young artists have chosen toe here to pursue their artistic dreams. Therefore, this area has be the most artistic district in Manchester." Liu Xing looked around and indeed found the area quite artistic, with many street performers entertaining passersby. Additionally, there were numerous cafes and even a few shops selling vintage records. But what caught Liu Xing¡¯s attention the most was therge number of people in the North Corner area. In less than a minute of standing there, hundreds of people had passed by. He also noticed surveince cameras in front of every shop. So Liu Xing asked with a furrowed brow, "There¡¯s quite a crowd here, and surveince cameras are everywhere. How did the foreign tourists disappear in such circumstances?" Alice nodded, sharing his confusion, "Yes, I¡¯ve been wondering how the foreign tourists disappeared too. ording to the Manchester police investigation report, these foreign tourists arrived in North Corner at 2 PM. They then split up and agreed to meet the tour guide two hourster. However, when the two hours were up, none of the foreign tourists returned. So the tour guide started calling them one by one, but none of the calls went through." "So the tour guide remembered the recent cases of missing foreign tourists and decided to call the police directly. The Manchester police quickly arrived at the scene and checked all the surveince videos in North Corner. They found that the foreign tourists appeared many times in the surveince videos but always disappeared suddenly between two blind spots of the cameras. There are only five blind spots, but upon investigation, the police only found two blind spots leading to alleys. We¡¯re heading to those two alleys now." Liu Xing¡¯s first thought was two words ¡ª Void Spirit. Because the Void Spirit, a mythical creature capable of making people disappear into thin air, was the mostmon and likely to appear in this module. At this point, Alice took out a small bag from the car, from which she extracted some notebooks ¡ª police badges. After distributing the police badges, Alice smiled and said, "These police badges are genuine, so you don¡¯t need to worry about anyone questioning your identity. But before you leave Ennd, you must return these badges to Chris." After everyone took their police badges, they proceeded to the first alley. Unlike the alleys at QuarryBank Textile Factory, the alleys in North Corner were not as deserted. People were frequently entering and exiting the alleys, most of them locals from North Corner. Alice spoke in a low voice, "As you all know, getting drugs in Ennd is very easy, and for these young artists in North Corner, drugs are like treasures that give them more artistic inspiration. So almost all the alleys in North Corner have individuals or shops selling drugs. The two alleys we¡¯re going to are particrly notorious, known as ¡¯Drug Alleys¡¯ among the locals. Therefore, when we go inter, let¡¯s try not to interact with anyone inside." After Alice finished speaking, she led the way into the alley. Although the alley could amodate three people side by side, the drug dealers upying one side of the alley forced Liu Xing and the others to proceed in a single-file line. Once inside the alley, drug dealers continuously approached Liu Xing¡¯s group to sell drugs. Liu Xing noticed that these drug dealers seemed to have handguns holstered at their waists. At this moment, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "Now, yers can perform one Investigation Judgment or one Inspiration Judgment. After deciding which judgment to make, please contact me. However, the results of this judgment will be kept secret." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that there were indeed clues in this alley. Because Liu Xing¡¯s Inspiration attribute was rtively high, he naturally chose to perform an Inspiration Judgment. "OK, the results of the judgments from all yers are out. Please check your results," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. As soon as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Liu Xing felt a sense of enlightenment and couldn¡¯t help but look up. Then, Liu Xing saw someone staring intently at him and his group from the fourth-floor window to his right ¡ª someone familiar, a former teammate and enemy, Bai Hecheng! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 434: No Clue Chapter 434: No Clue Bai Hecheng, upon seeing Liu Xing noticing him, didn¡¯t flinch. He looked at Liu Xing with a slight smile on his face. Liu Xing frowned, not expecting Bai Hecheng to have also passed through the resurrection module, reviving the "Bai Hecheng" character card. However, Bai Hecheng¡¯s appearance also brought pressure to Liu Xing. Despite "Bai Hecheng" appearing somewhat deranged, his abilities were formidable. Moreover, Bai Hecheng was ruthless in his actions, showing no hesitation even when betraying his own teammates. Such enemies were the most challenging to deal with. After all, one never knew what kind of cunning tricks such individuals might have up their sleeves. As Liu Xing suddenly stopped, Ling Ishikawa, who was walking behind him, spoke up, "Ryuusei, what¡¯s wrong?" It was then that Liu Xing regained his senses and pointed upwards, saying, "Look up there." However, when Liu Xing looked back at Bai Hecheng on his head, he found that Bai Hecheng had disappeared. This was within Liu Xing¡¯s expectations because Bai Hecheng shouldn¡¯t have reached that level of audacity to brazenly appear in front of them. Alice, who was leading the group, also noticed Liu Xing¡¯s unusual behavior. She spoke with suspicion, "Mr. Ryuusei, what¡¯s wrong with you? Is there something up there?"Liu Xing sighed and uttered three words, "Bai Hecheng." Liu Xing knew that, given Alice¡¯s professionalism, she must be familiar with the name Bai Hecheng, as he was the mastermind behind the Yueshihao incident. Upon hearing Liu Xing mention Bai Hecheng¡¯s name, Zhang Jingxu and the others furrowed their brows, looking surprised. After all, everyone present knew who Bai Hecheng was. Alice nced around and whispered, "Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s leave this alley first. Since Bai Hecheng has appeared here, it¡¯s possible that this ce is a secret stronghold of the Cult of the Cadaver. Be cautious; members of the Cult of the Cadaver might attack us." So, Liu Xing and the others hastened their pace, swiftly traversing the alley. Upon reaching the other end of the alley, after exchanging nces, they directly entered a nearby caf¨¦ and took seats in a corner of the hall. As they settled down, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t wait and asked, "Ryuusei, the Bai Hecheng you mentioned, is that the fanatic causing trouble on Yueshihao?" Liu Xing nodded, affirming, "Yes, it¡¯s that Bai Hecheng. But I¡¯m still puzzled. How did Bai Hecheng end up here? The police in Cosmic Country should have confirmed Bai Hecheng¡¯s death by now." Alice shook her head and exined, "No, Mr. Ryuusei, the information you¡¯ve obtained from the official sources is actually a smokescreen released by Cosmic Country. From what I know, although Bai Hecheng¡¯s heart was pierced by a de, his unique physique prevented him from dyingpletely. Instead, he entered a state of pseudo-death. Later, when Bai Hecheng was being transferred by Cosmic Country officials, he was attacked by a group of unidentified assants who took him and another fanatic¡¯s body away. Initially, I thought these unidentified assants were from the Cult of the Cadaver or the Deep Sea Gospel Society, who were coborating with the Cult of the Cadaver at the time. But now, it seems they were the predecessors of the Deep Diving Society¡ª the Cosmic Deep Ones." "In the information avable so far, the Cosmic Deep Ones were initiated by a Deep One within Cosmic Country several decades ago. It quickly grew into a secret cult, swallowing up other secret cults within Cosmic Country and nearly all of Cosmic Country¡¯s high-ranking officials joined the Cosmic Deep Ones. Those high-ranking officials who didn¡¯t join were dealt with. Consequently, Cosmic Country has long been a puppet state. However, the Cosmic Deep Ones have always operated in the shadows." "A month ago, the Cosmic Deep Ones suddenly beganrge-scale activities, rapidly contacting Deep One-rted secret cults across Asia, integrating them swiftly, and naming the organization the Deep Diving Society. ording to the avable information, the Deep Diving Society is preparing to be the first sessful secret cult, nning to formally control Cosmic Country and transform it into a state worshipping the Deep Ones!" Upon hearing this, Liu Xing and the others were dumbfounded. Before this, Liu Xing already knew that the parallel worlds in the Cthulhu RPG Game would more or less reflect certain aspects of the real world, such as the World Crossing Incident and the Yueshihao module. In both the World Crossing Incident and the Yueshihao module, the shadow of secret cults appeared. Therefore, in this parallel world, the actions of the Cosmic Deep Ones made Liu Xing worry if the secret cult in Cosmic Country in the real world was also attempting some conspiracy. However, Liu Xing felt he might be overthinking. After all, in the real world, America had always been teaching Cosmic Country how to be a good "watchdog," so Cosmic Country, being under someone else¡¯s control, couldn¡¯t possibly allow a secret cult to take power. But in the parallel world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, the Deep Diving Society indeed had the chance to "whitewash" itself into a legitimate church, thus potentially turning Cosmic Country into a puppet state ruled by mythical creatures. Because in this parallel world¡¯s Cosmic Country, although there had been some unpleasant incidents during the split from the neighboring Goryeo, due to various reasons, the split ceremony between Cosmic Country and Goryeo had been rtively peaceful. So, although the rtionship between the United States of America and Cosmic Country was still good, the influence wasn¡¯t as significant as in the real world. Therefore, as long as the Deep Diving Society could sessfully "whitewash" itself, it had a real chance to turn Cosmic Country into a puppet state and be the first country in this parallel world ruled by mythical creatures. However, speaking of which, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that afterpleting the Yueshihao module, he seemed to have seen a piece of news in the real world. This news mentioned a case of body robbery in Cosmic Country... He became extremely apprehensive. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but inhale sharply, saying, "Miss Alice, if the Deep Diving Society really intends to transform Cosmic Country into a puppet state, shouldn¡¯t other countries choose to intervene in Cosmic Country¡¯s internal affairs? After all, they can¡¯t just watch a secret cult take power." At this, Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said helplessly, "That¡¯s not necessarily the case. As long as the Deep Diving Society doesn¡¯t reveal too many ws, we won¡¯t be able to stop them from transforming Cosmic Country into a puppet state. There are things we can¡¯t put on the table for everyone to see, so it¡¯s impossible for us now, unlike hundreds of years ago, to arbitrarily attack other countries just because of differences in belief." Yis People rubbed his chin and said, "It seems like the world is going to be chaotic. On one side, the Cult of the Cadaver is causing trouble in Ennd, while on the other side, the Deep Diving Society is attempting to control Cosmic Country. If this continues, other mythical creatures and their followers will follow suit, establishing their own territories on Earth." Yis People¡¯s words sent a shiver down Liu Xing¡¯s spine, because if the situation in this parallel world really turned out as Yis People described, then humanity would only have two choices¡ªeither perish or be ves to mythical creatures. "Yeah, where there¡¯s one, there¡¯s more. As long as one country is controlled by mythical creatures, other mythical creatures will surely start to move and try various things. By then, with the abilities of those mythical creatures, it¡¯s very likely that more countries will be controlled by them," Zhang Jingxu said gloomily. At this point, Ryuzaki cleared his throat and said, "Let¡¯s put aside these spections for now and get back to the point. Although we walked quite fast just now, I noticed some strange graffiti at some intersections in the alley." As he spoke, Ryuzaki took out a notebook and pen from his backpack and drew the graffiti he had just seen¡ª an Elder Sign. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, "Mr. Ryuzaki, are you sure the graffiti you saw looked like this?" Ryuzaki nodded earnestly, "Yes, I¡¯m sure the graffiti I saw was exactly like this. As a pilot, my dynamic vision is excellent, so I can guarantee that the graffiti I drew looks exactly like what I saw." Alice frowned and said, "This is strange. For many fanatical followers of secret cults, the Elder Sign symbolizes heresy, an impure symbol. It shouldn¡¯t appear in the territory of a secret cult." As mentioned earlier, the Elder Sign had a deterrent effect on mythical creatures. So, for fanatical followers who believed in mythical creatures, the Elder Sign represented evil. Therefore, it shouldn¡¯t appear in the territory of a secret cult. So, the appearance of the Elder Sign in the alley seemed suspicious to Liu Xing and the others. At this moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that on the outskirts of Manchester, there was a castle surrounded by Elder Signs. At that time, Liu Xing and Bai Hecheng believed that these Elder Signs were set up by the castle¡¯s owner to ward off mythical creatures. But now, looking back, Liu Xing felt something was amiss. Because the castle¡¯s lord, Gary, and Isabe, technically belonged to mythical creatures themselves, so they should also know the true purpose of the Elder Sign. It shouldn¡¯t make sense for them to put up so many Elder Signs. So, what was the reason behind it? Liu Xing scratched his head, feeling utterly clueless. Thus, the group fell into silence... After a while, Ling Ishikawa sighed and said, "Let¡¯s set aside the matter of the Elder Sign for now. We know too little at the moment to make any sense of it. So, let me mention something I find strange now. In the alley just now, all those drug dealers had earrings on their left ears." Alice thought for a moment, nodding, "I remember Chief Chris mentioning that Alexander, the leader of the mafia, requires all his lower-level members to wear earrings on their left ears. And if these lower-level members want to leave the mafia, they have to remove the earrings, but of course, the process of removing the earrings couldn¡¯t be too gentle." It¡¯s Alexander again. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, smiling as he said, "I increasingly feel that Alexander might not be affiliated with the Cult of the Cadaver, but rather their enemy. Because the Cult of the Cadaver wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough tomit crimes on their own turf. So, I think the foreign tourist disappearance case that happened here is likely a setup by the Cult of the Cadaver to frame Alexander." "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s what I think too. After all, this seems too fake, and I don¡¯t think the Cult of the Cadaver, who¡¯s trying to climb the socialdder, would stoop so low as to support a mafia boss who can¡¯t even rise to the surface," Zhang Jingxu continued. Liu Xing nodded, "These secret cults are all sly and crafty. So, it¡¯s normal for them to look down on the mafia. But with that said, we still need to go and arrest Alexander to find out who he has a feud with. Then we can understand why he offended the Cult of the Cadaver." As Liu Xing finished speaking, both Yis People and Alice¡¯s mobile phones rang simultaneously. Yis People picked up his mobile phone and frowned immediately, "It seems we won¡¯t be able to catch Alexander. Because Chris just texted me, saying Alexander has justmitted suicide by gunshot in his vi. It¡¯s confirmed now. Although many traces at the scene indicate that Alexandermitted suicide, Chris still feels something¡¯s off, so he wants us to hurry over." Alice nodded, "The message I received is exactly the same as Mr. Liu Xing¡¯s. So, let¡¯s go to Alexander¡¯s vi first." So, Liu Xing and the others left the caf¨¦ and drove to Alexander¡¯s vi. Soon, they arrived at their destination. Led by a police officer, Liu Xing and the others arrived at the scene of Alexander¡¯s "suicide"¡ª the master bedroom of the vi. The moment they entered the master bedroom, Liu Xing caught a familiar scent. Liu Xing nced around the room and noticed an exquisite incense burner ced on the bedside table. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 435: Farewell to Hu Li Chapter 435: Farewell to Hu Li "This fragrance, is it the scent of roses? But there seems to be something strange mixed in with it," Alice remarked. Liu Xing put on the rubber gloves the officer had handed him earlier and picked up the censer. "Have any of you felt a decrease in your reaction speed and cognitive ability upon entering this room?" he asked. Standing beside Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa nodded earnestly. "Yes, I felt a kind of indescribable difort upon entering this room. If Ryuusei hadn¡¯t mentioned it, I would have thought it was just me feeling unwell." "Mr. Ryuusei, are you suggesting Hypnotic Incense?!" Alice eximed in surprise. Liu Xing nodded, opening the censer and confirming, "Yes, it¡¯s Hypnotic Incense. But to be precise, it¡¯s a low-grade version made by the Cult of the Cadaver themselves. Miss Alice, you should also know that genuine Hypnotic Incense is very rare. Therefore, many secret cults produce various low-grade versions of it. The main difference between the low-grade and genuine Hypnotic Incense, besides the significant difference in effectiveness, is that the low-grade version cannot achieve being colorless and odorless. Hence, it has a peculiar smell, just as you mentioned." Liu Xing was so sure because the Hypnotic Incense Ryuusei held was also a low-grade version, and it happened to be sourced from the same "vendor" as the one used in the censer. As Liu Xing just mentioned, because genuine Hypnotic Incense is expensive and produced in limited quantities each year, many secret cults have tried to research its form. Of course, these secret cults could never replicate the genuine version, so they produced many low-grade versions of Hypnotic Incense. For instance, the one Bai Hecheng used in Yueshihao was a low-grade version, capable of inducing rapid hypnosis and emitting arge amount of ck smoke. The low-grade version of Hypnotic Incense in Ryuusei¡¯s possession was more maniptive, making those influenced by it more susceptible to various forms of suggestion. However, this version had a faint strange smell, allowing people to distinguish it clearly after a single sniff. What frustrated Liu Xing the most was that both the low-grade and genuine versions of Hypnotic Incense were named the same¡ªHypnotic Incense¡ªwithout any prefixes like other items.So, Liu Xing was now certain that Alexander was influenced by this low-grade version of Hypnotic Incense and ultimately chose to shoot himself after receiving psychological suggestions from someone. As for that someone, Liu Xing believed it was most likely someone from the Cult of the Cadaver. "This is difficult. Although we know Alexander was hypnotized intomitting suicide, we can¡¯t produce any solid evidence to prove it. Even if we could extract some hallucinogenic substances from the ashes in this censer, for ordinary people, it would only suggest that Alexander may have experienced drug-induced hallucinations and then chose to shoot himself," Zhang Jingxu shook his head. At this moment, Chris walked over and exchanged some words with Alice. Diligent interpreter Ling Ishikawa whispered to Liu Xing, "Alice has informed Chris about all the clues we found today at the North Point and Quarry Bank Textile Factory, including our analysis of Alexander¡¯s cause of death. Chris just mentioned after a preliminary investigation that Alexander received a phone call before shooting himself. The callsted only five seconds, after which Alexander hung up and chose to shoot himself. So, it proves our spection was correct. Alexander was likely imnted with a psychological suggestion early on and then, under the influence of this low-grade version of Hypnotic Incense, received a call from someone triggering the key words of the suggestion, ultimately forcing Alexander to kill himself." Liu Xing nodded, saying, "Did Chris mention whether the police can trace the phone number?... Never mind, it seems unlikely. After all, the other party has prepared so much to kill Alexander; they wouldn¡¯t forget to use a phone card with untraceable information." ording to the usual plot, the antagonist wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to use their personal phone to call Alexander. But this time, Liu Xing guessed wrong. Ling Ishikawa shook her head, somewhat puzzled. "No, Ryuusei, you¡¯re mistaken this time. The police technicians have already identified the phone number that called Alexander just now. It belongs to someone named Ace, who is one of Ennd¡¯s wanted criminals. Ace used to be the leader of a small secret cult and held a Ritual Ceremony in Portsmouth a year ago, during which twenty followers sacrificed each other by slitting their throats. Because of the gruesome scene, a timid new follower reported Ace, making him a wanted criminal. However, after that Ritual Ceremony, Ace disappeared." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, stroking his chin. "So, Ace must have joined the Cult of the Cadaver after that Ritual Ceremony and received protection from them, enabling him to remain hidden. But why would the Cult of the Cadaver bring Ace out now? Could it be they want to divert the attention of the police?" Alice, having finished her discussion with Chris, turned back and said, "Not necessarily. I¡¯ve heard of this Ace from my teacher. ording to my teacher¡¯s investigation, the Ritual Ceremony he held was likely to open the gateway to the Dreamrealm and sacrifice his followers to some mythical creature. Because there was a door to the Dreamrealm where Ace held the Ritual Ceremony, I think Ace entered the Dreamrealm to hide after the ceremony." "If we¡¯re talking about the Dreamrealm, it might be rted to Ghouls as well. After all, some theories suggest that Ghouls are creatures from the Dreamrealm, which is why they appear and disappear mysteriously. So, Ace could have joined the Cult of the Cadaver, and if he did, his position within the Cult of the Cadaver should be quite high," Zhang Jingxu analyzed. Liu Xing nodded seriously. "Based on the current situation, the likelihood of Ace joining the Cult of the Cadaver is very high. But what¡¯s strange is why Ace woulde forward at this moment. Logically, he had no reason to reveal himself." Yis People pondered for a moment before speaking. "Could it be that Chris said Alexander is cautious by nature, so Alexander wouldn¡¯t answer unknown calls? Therefore, the Cult of the Cadaver had to find someone familiar to Alexander to make the call. Ace happens to know Alexander, so it all makes sense." Yis People¡¯s spection indeed made sense. But now wasn¡¯t the time for such discussions. Liu Xing and the others hadn¡¯t forgotten their purpose foring here. So, Liu Xing and the others dispersed once again to investigate Alexander¡¯s home, but they found nothing useful. After all, the Cult of the Cadaver induced Alexander tomit suicide remotely, leaving no useful clues behind. Thus, Chris sent Liu Xing and the others back. Of course, Yis People discussed with Chris and sessfully obtained a new safe location from him. Back in the car, Yis People mentioned the address of the new safe location. Upon hearing the address of the safe location, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow and said, "The address of this safe location seems to be identical to the one on that piece of paper." Zhang Jingxu referred to the note found in the water ghost¡¯s wallet in Panlong Town. "Do you guys know the address of this safe location?" Yis People curiously asked. Zhang Jingxu nodded, briefly exining the matter of the water ghost¡¯s note to Yis People. Yis People raised an eyebrow and said, "Chris told me that this safe location belongs to the Manchester police and is specifically used as a meeting point for undercover operations. Only high-ranking officials of the Manchester police and their undercover agents know about it. So, the water ghost you encountered should be an undercover agent of the Manchester police. After all, in recent years, apart from Tom, no other high-ranking official of the Manchester police has died." The water ghost is an undercover agent of the Manchester police? Liu Xing now imagined how the undercover agent became the water ghost¡ªGralki¡¯s followers were preaching in Manchester. When the Manchester police found out, they sent an undercover agent into Gralki¡¯s church for investigation. But before this undercover agent could convey any useful information, Gralki turned him into a water ghost and sent him to Panlong Town. But that didn¡¯t matter anymore. "By the way, don¡¯t you think this Ace seems like a yer?" Ling Ishikawa spoke up. Zhang Jingxu nodded, saying seriously, "I think Ace should also be a yer. After all, enemies in the dark and us in the light, revealing information about the enemy¡¯s yers through modules is a form of bnce. But judging from the current situation, there are already at least two fanatical believers in the enemy camp. That¡¯s not good for us." yers whose profession is a fanatical believer can do whatever they want when their sanity points are low. And now it¡¯s certain that Bai Hecheng¡¯s sanity points have long been low, and Ace, who has conducted sacrificial rituals, probably has simr sanity points to Bai Hecheng. So, if Bai Hecheng cooperates with Ace, they would truly be capable of anything, making their team very passive. Thinking about this, Liu Xing sighed and said, "Well, when we return and meet with Lu Tianya and the others, we¡¯ll pack up and head to the safe location. Then, we¡¯ll tell Lu Tianya and the others not to contact Shi Zixuan anymore. It¡¯s best to have Lu Tianya and the others stay in the safe location to avoid being attacked by the enemy." Because in the other cases of foreign tourists disappearing in Manchester, they were all kidnapped by the Cult of the Cadaver, so there¡¯s no need for further investigation. Therefore, Liu Xing¡¯s team can wrap up now. But because Alice and Ryuzaki haven¡¯t found a ce to stay in Manchester yet, and the safe location Chris provided isrge enough, Alice and Ryuzaki decided to stay with Liu Xing¡¯s team during this time. Back at the hotel, Lu Tianya and herpanions had already returned due to a phone call. After exining to Lu Tianya¡¯s group, everyone packed up and went to Chris¡¯s provided safe location. Not long after they set off, Liu Xing and the others noticed someone was tracking them. But this was within Liu Xing and the others¡¯ expectations, considering that Shi Zixuan had already approached Lu Tianya¡¯s group, so it¡¯s natural for the enemy yers to arrange for someone to track them. Of course, since they anticipated being tracked, Liu Xing and the others were prepared. They directly ced the shing police lights they had prepared earlier on the roof of the car and stepped on the elerator to speed up, running red lights. Soon, Liu Xing and his team shook off the trailing vehicles behind them because those tracking vehicles didn¡¯t dare to run red lights like Liu Xing¡¯s team did. After all, after several cases of foreign tourists disappearing in Manchester, traffic police began to patrol at various intersections in the city. After losing the tracking vehicles, Liu Xing¡¯s team found a subway entrance to park at. After informing Chris to send someone to pick up the car, Liu Xing¡¯s team took the subway to the safe location. Chris¡¯s provided safe location was indeed well-hidden, located in the busiest area of Manchester¡ªright next to Albert Square in a high-end apartment building. Moreover, the design of this safe location was very peculiar. On the surface, it was a one-bedroom apartment on the first floor of this building, but once you opened the closet in the bedroom, you would discover an elevator leading to the basement, where the real safe location was. Liu Xing¡¯s team didn¡¯t use the key provided by Chris but tried the key from the water ghost¡¯s wallet. As expected... it didn¡¯t open. After all, with an undercover agent disappearing with the key, the Manchester police would at least change the locks of the safe location. So, Liu Xing¡¯s team simply opened the door the traditional way. When Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu, the first two to enter the room, suddenly froze in ce, blocking the others outside the door. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and peered through the gap to see a familiar person sitting on the sofa in the living room, cracking sunflower seeds. And this familiar person was Hu Li! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 436: News Brought by Hu Li Chapter 436: News Brought by Hu Li "Hu, Hu Li sister?!" Ling Ishikawa eximed. Hu Li chuckled and said, like a hostess, "Why are you all standing at the door? Come in quickly." So Liu Xing and the others entered the room with puzzled expressions. What surprised Liu Xing again was that Hu Li had already set up ten cups of tea on the coffee table, and most importantly, the tea was still steaming. From this, it could be seen that Hu Li already knew that their group woulde here. Before Liu Xing and the others could ask, Hu Li smiled and said, "I know what you want to say, so I¡¯ll answer directly. Firstly, after you left Panlong Town, Green Willow and I returned there together. I don¡¯t know why, but I could still sense your whereabouts. So, since I had nothing better to do in Panlong Town, I decided toe and y with you. However, I couldn¡¯t take a ne to Ennd, so I used some tricks to sneak in." "Because I knew the address of this ce while I was in Panlong Town, I guessed that you woulde here. So, I decided to wait for you here to give you a surprise. But now it seems that this surprise is a bit too much for you to handle all at once." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said with a wry smile, "Hu Li sister, this isn¡¯t a surprise, it¡¯s clearly a shock. But speaking of which, Hu Li sister, could you help us this time?" Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, silently apuding Ling Ishikawa¡¯s boldness. After all, Hu Li was a rarebat power. If things went as expected, Hu Li should be able to charm both Ghoul and Deep One.At this moment, Hu Li chuckled and nodded, saying, "Of course, you are my only friends now, so if you need my help, I will naturally choose to help. And I suppose what you need my help with is rted to the series of foreign tourist disappearances happening all over Ennd." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said, "Exactly. In short, a few of Zhang Jingxu¡¯s friends have also disappeared in Ennd. And since we know Chief Chris of the Manchester Police, we managed to get into the special task force investigating these disappearances. So, if you can, Hu Li sister, please join us." Hu Li thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, since you, Ling Ishikawa, said so, I¡¯ll join your task force. And I happen to have some useful information for you." "Please tell us," Zhang Jingxu said promptly. Hu Li thought for a moment and then said, "Here¡¯s the thing. Due to my identity, I couldn¡¯t enter Ennd through normal channels. So, Green Willow helped me find a professional who specializes in overseas smuggling. Everyone on that ship had simr identities to mine, so I made some friends on board. Among them was a wolf demon from Cosmic Country who told me that the Deep One in Cosmic Country had unified the underground circles and begun expelling other demons and monsters within Cosmic Country." "So, that wolf demon had to leave its homnd ande to Ennd to seek refuge with a friend, coincidentally, that friend is the Vampire known to Green Willow. I¡¯ve met that Vampire a few times, so it was natural for me and the wolf demon to be friends. It told me a piece of hearsay it heard back in Cosmic Country, which is that the Deep One of Cosmic Country has reached a cooperation agreement with the Cult of the Cadaver in Ennd, intending to summon their worshiped Great Old One!" With this revtion from Hu Li, everyone was astonished. Before this, Liu Xing and the others had thought that the Deep Diving Society and the Cult of the Cadaver only sought secr leadership in their respective countries. They hadn¡¯t imagined their ambitions went further, aiming to summon their respective Great Old Ones¡ªMordiggian and Cthulhu. Of course, the possibility that the Deep Diving Society intended to summon Dagon couldn¡¯t be ruled out. However, regardless of the oue, even if there was only Mordiggian, it could easily destroy this parallel world. After all, it wouldn¡¯t even need to act; its thousands of Ghouls could ughter all humans on Earth. So, Liu Xing and the others began to feel a bit panicked. But at this moment, Hu Li smiled and said, "There¡¯s no need to worry too much. After all, we killed Gralki in Panlong Town, and that Gralki was a Great Old One. So even though I¡¯m not familiar with the Great Old Ones worshiped by Ghoul and Deep One, I think we should be able to kill them too." Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, not knowing what to say for a moment. After all, he couldn¡¯t just tell Hu Li that the Gralki in Panlong Town was just a clone, far weaker than its original form, and that the power of Mordiggian and Cthulhu surpassed Gralki¡¯s by far. But although Liu Xing couldn¡¯t say it, Alice chose to speak up, "Gralki? Miss Hu Li, is that Gralki you mentioned a sea slug with spikes, and it likes to live inkes?" Hu Li raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised, "That¡¯s right, you know Gralki too?" Alice nodded and said seriously, "In that case, the Gralki you killed in Panlong Town should only be a clone of Gralki because although the Great Old Ones are very mysterious, some information about them has been gathered. For example, this Gralki. Its main body has always lived in the Saven Valley area of Ennd, but it can create clones in anyke in the world, enchanting ordinary people to pursue immortality and ultimately be its followers and ves." Hu Li frowned, somewhat incredulous, "What? That was just a clone of Gralki? Are you sure?!" Alice shook her head and said, "I¡¯m sure because this Gralki is the Great Old One with the most connections to the outside world, and it establishes various doctrines to enchant ordinary people. So, we¡¯ve gathered a lot of information about Gralki. Once, during our investigation, we found Gralki simultaneously appearing in threekes around the world, confirming its ability to create clones. And by the way, if I¡¯m not mistaken, the Great Old One worshiped by Ghouls is named Mordiggian, and the one worshiped by Deep Ones is named Cthulhu. And the power of Mordiggian and Cthulhu surpasses that of Gralki." Alice¡¯s words greatly benefited Liu Xing and the others because, as the saying goes, what yers know, character cards may not necessarily know. Although "WatanabeRyuusei" also knew a lot about Cthulhu, Liu Xing wouldn¡¯t mention it now. "Ah, so that¡¯s how it is... Bute to think of it, I also learned some news from that wolf demon. It turns out that there was a conflict between the Deep Ones of Cosmic Country and Ind Nation¡¯s Deep Ones recently, forcing a group of Ind Nation¡¯s Deep Ones to flee to Ennd. So, the Deep One from Cosmic Country who came to Ennd to help the Cult of the Cadaver this time also came to chase down those Deep Ones." Hu Li said somewhat embarrassedly. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing and the others who had experienced the Fisher¡¯s Vige module frowned. ording to Matsui Yui, the Deep Ones near Fisher¡¯s Vige could be considered traitors among the Deep Ones. So, the Deep Ones mentioned by Hu Li, being chased by other Deep Ones, should be the Deep Ones from Fisher¡¯s Vige. Most importantly, these Deep Ones also "coincidentally" arrived in Ennd. So, ording to the current situation of this module, Liu Xing could be sure that they would soon encounter Matsui Yui and her group again... Liu Xing now began to suspect whether this module was a "nostalgic" module, where yers and NPCs encountered in previous modules would appear in this module... "Well, let¡¯s not chat here. After all, this living room is too crowded with so many people, so let¡¯s go to the basement." Ryuzaki suddenly spoke up. Liu Xing nodded, as the ground floor was just a small one-bedroom apartment, so the living room area was very small, and with only one child among the ten people present, it felt very crowded. So, led by Alice, everyone entered the basement one by one through the hidden elevator, which was the real safe point. However, because the elevator could only carry one person at a time, Liu Xing and the others had to line up slowly. After the elevator carrying Hu Li closed its doors, Alice couldn¡¯t help but say to Liu Xing, "Mr. Ryuusei, what¡¯s the background of Miss Hu Li? I have a feeling that Miss Hu Li is not human, am I right?" Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "That¡¯s right, Miss Hu Li is not human, but a fox spirit. However, despite being a mythical creature, Miss Hu Li hasn¡¯t done anything harmful, and she has helped us a lot before. Most importantly, her ability is very powerful, so with her help, our chances of dealing with the Cult of the Cadaver will be much greater." Alice nodded somewhat skeptically, still worried, "I hope so. I didn¡¯t expect to cooperate with mythical creatures today, but since you, Mr. Ryuusei, are so confident in Miss Hu Li, I will trust her too... Bute to think of it, Mr. Ryuusei, your luck is so good. It¡¯s only been about a month since we left Fisher¡¯s Vige, and you¡¯ve already gone to kill a Gralki clone. I have to say, I admire you." Liu Xing smiled helplessly and said, "Miss Alice, do you think we wanted to encounter all these chaotic situations? You know, that Gralki clone almost wiped us out, and now, just a few dayster, we¡¯re caught up in the conspiracy of the Cult of the Cadaver again. What can we do? We¡¯re desperate too." Alice chuckled and changed the subject, "By the way, I remember, Mr. Ryuusei, you¡¯re about to start school soon. Now you¡¯re not facing the Deep Sea Gospel Society anymore but the even more powerful Deep Diving Society. So when you leave Ennd and return to Ind Nation, the pressure on you won¡¯t be small." Liu Xing sighed and shrugged, "We can only take it one step at a time now. Maybe this time we won¡¯t even have a chance to leave Ennd and go back to Ind Nation for school." At this point, only Liu Xing and Alice were left on the ground floor. After entering the elevator, Alice suddenly spoke up, "By the way, based on my woman¡¯s intuition, I think Miss Hu Li might like Ling Ishikawa." Then, the elevator doors closed. Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, realizing that Hu Li had just called Ling Ishikawa directly by her name, "Ling Ishikawa," instead of "Ayako," as she did in Panlong Town. So, Liu Xing could basically confirm that Hu Li already knew Ling Ishikawa¡¯s true identity. This was interesting. Aftering to the basement, Liu Xing directly contacted KP Li Shunchan, saying, "KP, have Ling Ishikawa and the others designated this ce as a safe point? If not, then I¡¯ll designate this ce as a safe point." KP Li Shunchan smiled and said, "OK, you¡¯ve now designated this ce as your new safe point. But Liu Xing, are you feeling pleasantly surprised now? Meeting so many old acquaintances." Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, saying, "I am indeed pleasantly surprised this time, meeting so many old acquaintances. Some of them I thought I¡¯d never see again in my life." "Then enjoy it, I hope you like it," KP Li Shunchan said meaningfully. Liu Xing knew that he might have been arranged. And arranging oneself so tantly, Liu Xing could only think of one name¡ªAughra. At this time, Ling Ishikawa walked over and said, "Leader, the area of this safe point is really beyond our imagination. It must be over a thousand square meters, with over ten rooms." Liu Xing looked around and found that this safe point was indeed quiterge. The hall in front of him alone must have been fifty or sixty square meters, and there was aplete set of furniture. "It seems that the Manchester Police Department is quite rich. They managed to build such arge basement, and the furniture looks quite high-end too," Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but marvel. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 437: Zhang Jingxu’s Arena of Trials Chapter 437: Zhang Jingxu¡¯s Arena of Trials Ling Ishikawa chuckled and remarked, "This is actually a good thing for us. After all, we have to stay here for another ten days to half a month. If this ¡¯safe spot¡¯ turns out to be just a basement, we¡¯d be quite ufortable." Liu Xing nodded and chose a room next to Ling Ishikawa¡¯s to settle in. After tidying up their rooms, the trio gathered once again. Ling Ishikawa, just entering the room, frowned and said, "Wow, this module is really messing with us. I could understand the appearance of Yis People and Alice, but now even Hu Li is showing up." Leaning against the headboard, Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "This module is indeed interesting. Many important NPCs from previous modules appear here. Fortunately, these NPCs are on our side, and they¡¯re all very powerful. It¡¯s a good thing for us." Ling Ishikawa shrugged and said, "True. I¡¯m really looking forward to the NPCs from the Fisher¡¯s Vige module. ording to Hu Li, those Ind Nation Deep Ones chased by the Cosmic Country Deep Ones should be the group of ¡¯traitor¡¯ Deep Ones led by Matsui Yui¡¯s Deep One father. They should also be on our side. Even if Matsui Yui¡¯s father doesn¡¯t show up, there should be a few Deep Onesing to help us." Just as Liu Xing was about to speak, he noticed Zhang Jingxu sitting beside him lost in thought. So, Liu Xing smiled at Zhang Jingxu and said, "Hey, Zhang Jingxu, why are you spacing out? Are you worried about your little junior sister?" It was then that Zhang Jingxu snapped out of his reverie and said somewhat helplessly, "Liu Xing, can you not tease me right now? Though I have to admit, I am thinking about my little junior sister. But I¡¯m not worried that she won¡¯t be able to escape from the Cult of the Cadaver. I¡¯m more concerned about what will happen when I meet my little junior sisterter. Will Lu Tianya use the Chai Dao to kill me..."Upon hearing this, both Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa smiled knowingly. Zhang Jingxu nodded with a wry smile and continued, "As you guys probably guessed, my rtionship with my little junior sister is somewhat ambiguous. But it¡¯s allplications caused by my character card. I believe you guys have experienced your character cards causing trouble as well." Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement because what Zhang Jingxu said was true. After all, yers could only control their character cards for two to three months within a year, and during the remaining eight to nine months, the character cards acted on their own, potentially causing all sorts of trouble. And one of the mostmon urrences was characters falling in love. Many people have said that love can be a sudden hormonal burst, so in many cases, romantic rtionships between men and women can be decided in a short period. Therefore, in the forums of the Cthulhu RPG Game, many yersined that if they didn¡¯t use a particr character card for over a month, when they used it again, they suddenly found themselves with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or even a spouse... For most people, this was somewhat hard to ept. So, Ling Ishikawa walked over and patted Zhang Jingxu on the shoulder, saying, "Zhang Jingxu, I understand you in this regard. Because my other character card is in a situation simr to yours." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, "Wait a minute, Ling Ishikawa, when you mentioned your other character card, you meant Yin En¡¯s character card, right? What happened to your character card?" Ling Ishikawa sighed and said helplessly, "A while ago, I managed to clear that resurrection module in my spare time. So in the ending scene of the resurrection module, I saw Yin En waking up in the sickbay, with the Miss and the policewoman standing on either side... And you can probably guess what happened next. I found that in the rtionships of my character card¡¯s characters, two additional NPCs with favorability appeared..." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help butugh and tease Ling Ishikawa, "Yin En, oh Yin En, I already warned you during the Yueshihao module that trying to have it both ways will lead to disaster. But didn¡¯t you say the ship wouldn¡¯t capsize back then?" Ling Ishikawa looked utterly dejected and nodded, saying, "Things change. At that time, I nned to contact my family to annul the engagement with the Miss afterpleting the Yueshihao module. And I had no intention of flirting with the policewoman. But unexpected things happened during the Yueshihao module, and it turned into what it is now. So, what can I do? I¡¯m quite hopeless now. I dare not use Yin En¡¯s character card for modules anymore because I¡¯m afraid of encountering a major failure and then being beaten to death by the Miss..." "Exactly. Considering the Miss¡¯s personality, if she finds out you¡¯re nning a harem, she will definitely beat you half to death. And I don¡¯t think the policewoman will look kindly on you either," Liu Xing said seriously. Ling Ishikawa looked up at the ceiling in silence. Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but add, "By the way, there¡¯s something I¡¯m not sure whether to mention now. I believe Hu Li¡¯s decision toe to Ennd with us this time isrgely because of you, Ling Ishikawa. You know what I mean." Ling Ishikawa sighed, rubbing his temples. After teasing Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing decided not to spare Zhang Jingxu either. So he shifted the focus to Zhang Jingxu and said, "By the way, Zhang Jingxu, what¡¯s the real rtionship between you and your little junior sister? Just a bit ambiguous?" Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "More or less. Fortunately, I had a feeling at the time, so I did the module a few days in advance. So at that time, my little junior sister and I just had mutual affection, and we hadn¡¯t confessed to each other yet. Luckily, the mission of that module brought me to the Ind Nation, and my little junior sister didn¡¯te with me. So I chose to keep my distance, and our feelings cooled down a lot. Later, I heard she went to the United States of America as an exchange student. I thought I might never see her again in this lifetime." Liu Xing stroked his chin and asked, "So now I want to ask you a crucial question: Does your little junior sister know Lu Tianya? Does Lu Tianya know about your little junior sister?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said helplessly, "They don¡¯t know each other. That¡¯s also my biggest concern because I know Lu Tianya¡¯s personality is very strong. So I dare not tell her about having a little junior sister, fearing she would be angry with me. As for my little junior sister, because before I went to the Ind Nation, my character card had beenmunicating with her all along, my character card didn¡¯t tell my little junior sister about Lu Tianya¡¯s situation. After all, at that time, my rtionship with Lu Tianya was just that of good friends. So my character card, while flirting with my little junior sister, maintained a normal attitude of a man and wouldn¡¯t disclose the situation of other girls to my little junior sister..." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing said with a smile, "Well, that¡¯s troublesome. If your little junior sister still has feelings for you, Zhang Jingxu, you¡¯re really in trouble. The gates of the arena of trials have already opened for you." Watching Liu Xing¡¯s cheerful expression, Ling Ishikawa, feeling daring, decided to strike back. "Liu Xing, don¡¯t act all high and mighty. Your situation isn¡¯t any better. After all, you¡¯ve been NTR¡¯d by yourself. Your wife and children have all be Yis People¡¯s now." Liu Xing retreated... "Alright, let¡¯s stop hurting each other now and get back to the point. We all understand the situation of this module now. This module definitely involves the Main Quest of this parallel world. So our sess or failure in this module willrgely determine the destruction or survival of this parallel world. Therefore, we must seed, not fail," Zhang Jingxu said solemnly. Liu Xing nodded and said, "Exactly, we must win this module. So I have a bold idea now, which is to find an opportunity to take out a yer from the enemy faction first, and that yer is Shi Zixuan. From the current situation, Shi Zixuan should be responsible for monitoring us in the enemy faction. So we can use Lu Tianya and her threepanions as bait to set up a trap to capture Shi Zixuan. What do you think?" Zhang Jingxu shook his head worriedly and said, "This is too risky. After all, we already know there are two fanatical believers among the yers in the enemy faction. So they are capable of anything. If we make one wrong move, we could end up losing everything. Therefore, I think it¡¯s better not to use this n of luring the enemy." Of course, both Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa knew that Zhang Jingxu was mainly worried about Lu Tianya¡¯s safety. So, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but say, "On the other hand, now that the Main Quest of this parallel world has begun, the connections between yers in this parallel world will be closer. So if Lu Tianya still has a character card in this parallel world, Zhang Jingxu, you should be able to meet her." Zhang Jingxu nodded, somewhat uncertain, and said, "That should be the case. But the appearance of my character card now is somewhat different from my appearance in the real world. And Lu Tianya, she should be using a character card just like you, Liu Xing, directly possessing an NPC. So when we meet, we may not recognize each other." Just then, there was a knock on the door. Liu Xing went to open the door and found Alice standing there. Alice held a phone and said, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, Chris just called me and told me that the foreign tourists who disappeared from the QuarryBank Textile Factory half an hour ago have escaped from the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s hands, and the leader of those foreign tourists is your little junior sister, Chen Fuping, as you mentioned earlier. So Chris has arranged for someone to bring Chen Fuping over. They should arrive in five minutes. Do you want to go up and wait for your little junior sister at the door?" As soon as it was mentioned, Zhang Jingxu nodded and said reluctantly, "Alright, I¡¯ll go up now." Watching Zhang Jingxu leave, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but say, "The wind is chilly, and the waters are cold, the hero is gone, never to return." On the side, Ling Ishikawa chuckled and said, "Leader, I think we should wait for Zhang Jingxu¡¯s little junior sister to arrive in the lobby now. Because Chen Fuping should bring a lot of information about the Cult of the Cadaver, considering she just escaped from them." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, naturally agreeing with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s suggestion. The two of them left the room and went to the lobby. And by now, the lobby was filled with people. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa found a ce to sit casually, eating the pistachios on the coffee table and chatting. After a while, Liu Xing heard the sound of the elevator running, indicating that Zhang Jingxu wasing down first. Then, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s little junior sister, Chen Fuping, finally showed her true colors. However, as soon as Liu Xing saw Chen Fuping, he knew that Zhang Jingxu might be in trouble this time, because Chen Fuping looked very happy, and her gaze hadn¡¯t left Zhang Jingxu since she came out of the elevator. Clearly, Chen Fuping still liked her senior brother Zhang Jingxu very much. But it had to be said that Chen Fuping, with her natural beauty, had an APP value of at least 85, much more attractive than those outside female stars who relied on stic surgery, makeup, and photo editing. No wonder "Zhang Jingxu" would flirt with her. Of course, at this moment, Zhang Jingxu was looking at Lu Tianya with a guilty smile. As a girl, Lu Tianya didn¡¯t need any sixth sense. She could see that Chen Fuping was interested in Zhang Jingxu. Andbined with Zhang Jingxu¡¯s guilty look, Lu Tianya¡¯s gaze toward Chen Fuping and Zhang Jingxu became more and more unsettling. Seeing this scene, Liu Xing mourned for Zhang Jingxu silently for three seconds again. Seeing that the arena of trials was about to open, Zhang Jingxu, in a moment of desperation, said, "Everyone, this is my little junior sister, Chen Fuping. She has gained a lot of useful information by going deep behind enemy lines these past few days. So let Chen Fuping tell us about this information." However, at this point, Chen Fuping had already sensed Lu Tianya¡¯s unfriendly gaze, so she quickly realized that Lu Tianya might be her love rival. So, without hesitation, Chen Fuping stared back at Lu Tianya. And thus, Lu Tianya and Chen Fuping began to stare each other down,pletely ignoring Liu Xing and the others. The big battle was about to begin. Seeing this situation, Zhang Jingxu could only give Liu Xing and the others a pleading look, but Liu Xing and the others acted as if they were wooden, pretending not to notice. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 438: Terrorist Attack Chapter 438: Terrorist Attack Witnessing Liu Xing and the others feigning death, Zhang Jingxu knew he couldn¡¯t rely on them for help anymore. So, Zhang Jingxu had no choice but to grit his teeth and position himself between Chen Fuping and Lu Tianya, forcibly cutting off their eye contact. Seeing Zhang Jingxu¡¯s actions, Chen Fuping and Lu Tianya both snorted coldly, causing beads of sweat to form on Zhang Jingxu¡¯s forehead... Fortunately, neither Chen Fuping nor Lu Tianya were the obstinate type, so there wasn¡¯t an immediate outbreak of conflict, and they ended up sitting together at the same coffee table. However, this was the moment for Zhang Jingxu to make his stance clear, as there were vacant seats beside both Chen Fuping and Lu Tianya. Of course, Zhang Jingxu ultimately chose to sit next to Lu Tianya, which made Chen Fuping¡¯s expression somewhat unpleasant. Shura field, oh, shura field. As a bystander, Liu Xing now found the atmosphere somewhat awkward. If it weren¡¯t for the difficulty in leaving casually at the moment, Liu Xing would have found an opportunity to depart long ago. After all, some dramas weren¡¯t very pleasant to watch.Everyone settled down. Zhang Jingxu quickly turned to Chen Fuping and asked, "Junior Sister, how were you all captured by the Cult of the Cadaver?" Chen Fuping forced a smile and replied, "At that time, we had just finished visiting the QuarryBank Textile Factory. Under the guidance of the tour guide, we entered a small bar next to the factory to rest and wait for the bus to pick us up. After a while, a few fellow tourists and the guide left the bar first, saying they were going to buy souvenirs. However, shortly after, the guide suddenly returned and told us that he and those tourists had been robbed by local thugs. Some tourists were even injured and copsed in the alley behind the bar, so the guide asked us to go and help." "So, even though I felt something was amiss, because saving people was the priority, we all went to the alley behind the bar. It turned out that in the alley, there was a Ghoul with a body size exceeding two meters, apanied by about a dozen fanatical followers of the Cult of the Cadaver. They instantly subdued me and the other tourists. Of course, both the guide and the tourists who had left earlier were also members of the Cult of the Cadaver, so we could only surrender and wait for an opportunity." "Then, the members of the Cult of the Cadaver blindfolded us and took us away. However, you know, Senior Brother, I have a very strong sense of space. Even without visual aid, I could still sense my location. So, I quickly realized that the Cult of the Cadaver had taken us to the back door of the QuarryBank Textile Factory, a ce that looked like a guard room. It was only about two or three square meters, just like where we are now, with an underground basement. So, we were initially imprisoned in this basement." "At night, the members of the Cult of the Cadaver brought us food. After we finished eating, they blindfolded us again, preparing to move us. So, while eating, I secretly tore my handkerchief into pieces, intending to leave marks along the way. Thus, when passing by the factory buildings of the QuarryBank Textile Factory, I left some fragments behind. However, after passing the factory buildings, I noticed that one of the Cult of the Cadaver followers seemed to have sprained his foot and was walking beside me. After that, I didn¡¯t have another chance to leave marks." "After leaving the QuarryBank Textile Factory, we were taken onto arge bus. Since I wasn¡¯t familiar with Ennd, I didn¡¯t know where the Cult of the Cadaver had taken us, only that it should be in the outskirts of Manchester, possibly a farm or a factory. Because before being taken into the factory, I heard the sound of an engine starting, and then a few minutester, the sound of wooden doors opening..." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Just as he was about to speak, he remembered that he was currently using the character card "Watanabe Ryuusei" instead of "Liu Xing." Liu Xing sighed helplessly because, ording to Chen Fuping¡¯s description, Liu Xing could almost confirm that the location where Chen Fuping and the others were transferred by the Cult of the Cadaver was the same as the location of his first module¡ªEinsCastle. Because for a bus to enter EinsCastle, it would have to open the main gate, and to open the gate, the motor on top of the gate tower needed to be activated. And EinsCastle is located near the outskirts of Manchester. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at Yis People. Logically, Yis People should know about what happened at EinsCastle back then. If Yis People could confirm this now, then one of the strongholds of the Cult of the Cadaver could be determined. Fortunately, Yis People chose to speak up at this moment, saying, "Miss Chen Fuping, I would like to ask you a question now. What was the ce like where you were finally detained? If nothing unexpected happened, I might know the location where you were detained." Chen Fuping raised an eyebrow, smiling as she replied, "Since you are all Senior Brother¡¯s friends, you can just call me Fuping. When I was unblindfolded, I found myself locked in an underground chamber. The chamber seemed quite historical, with walls around covered in what I could tell were old bloodstains. The walls had turned almost dark red, and I could faintly smell blood around." Yis People nodded, affirming, "Then I can confirm now that the location where the Cult of the Cadaver detained you, Fuping, should be the underground chamber of EinsCastle. Because I have been to EinsCastle before, and the situation you described is almost identical to what I saw. Moreover, the most important thing is that EinsCastle should be in a state of abandonment now." Alice frowned slightly, nodding as she said, "That¡¯s right. I remember EinsCastle is indeed in a state of abandonment. Because a year ago, the owner of EinsCastle was killed by a Ghoul, and his sister Isabe, being too young, is now adopted by Chris. So, even though theoretically EinsCastle still belongs to Isabe, because Isabe is not yet of legal age, EinsCastle is currently under the custody of the Manchester authorities. However, as you all know, maintaining a castle is very expensive. Therefore, the Manchester authorities haven¡¯t really maintained it. It¡¯s almost abandoned. So, in summary, it¡¯s very likely that the Cult of the Cadaver is using EinsCastle as one of their strongholds." "Wait a moment, Miss Alice, you should also know that the owner of EinsCastle was an evil Wizard who had killed many foreign tourists in that castle... Wait, now that I think about it, the owner of EinsCastle should also be a member of the Cult of the Cadaver, right? After all, he was a nobleman and associated with Ghouls. Although he was eventually killed by a Ghoul, legally, his criminal responsibility may not be pursued, but haven¡¯t the families of the victims demandedpensation?" Yis People said with some confusion. Liu Xing silently nodded. Before this, both Liu Xing and Yis People thought that after it was confirmed that the lord of the castle was a serial killer, EinsCastle would be sold or confiscated forpensation to the families of the victims. Unexpectedly, EinsCastle was still in Isabe¡¯s hands. However, most importantly, as Yis People said, it was highly likely that the lord of the castle was a member of the Cult of the Cadaver, and possibly a high-ranking one. Firstly, the lord of the castle was a nobleman who had lived for over a hundred years, definitely an attractive prospect for recruitment by the Cult of the Cadaver. Then, there was the Ghoul in the castle. At that time, Liu Xing thought that the Ghoul was under the control of the castle¡¯s lord, but now it seemed that the Ghoul and the castle¡¯s lord were likely cooperating. Lastly, considering the current situation, the Cult of the Cadaver had chosen EinsCastle as their stronghold, indicating their deep understanding of the castle. Most importantly, if Liu Xing remembered correctly, during the end screen of the module, he saw traces of Ghouls in the basement of EinsCastle. At that time, Liu Xing, who hadn¡¯t seen a Ghoul before, didn¡¯t think much of it, but now he realized that those traces were most likely left by the giant Ghoul encountered by Chen Fuping. Because the height of those traces couldn¡¯t be left by an ordinary Ghoul, and ordinary Ghouls wouldn¡¯t specifically jump up and down to scratch walls. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely uneasy. He didn¡¯t expect that the seemingly simple module back then would conceal such a big secret. Most importantly, he actually passed that module. "Civilpensation, as far as I know, even though the lord of EinsCastle was confirmed to be a serial killer, none of the families of the victims have sought civilpensation. Besides, this case involved mythical creatures, so it was eventually treated as cold case. Therefore, ording to thew, ownership of EinsCastle was inherited by Elizabeth," Alice exined. Yis People nodded, speaking seriously, "So, should we investigate EinsCastle now? I think EinsCastle should be an important stronghold for the Cult of the Cadaver. We need to eliminate this stronghold first." As Yis People finished speaking, Chen Fuping shook her head and said, "EinsCastle is not that easy to deal with. After I entered EinsCastle, I saw at least five Ghouls, and the number of Cult of the Cadaver members is also over a hundred. So, unless regr troops are mobilized to attack EinsCastle, it¡¯s impossible for the Manchester police alone to eradicate EinsCastle. Moreover, I can be sure that there are undercover agents of the Cult of the Cadaver in the Manchester police!" Zhang Jingxu nodded, speaking, "It¡¯s quite normal for the Cult of the Cadaver to have undercover agents in the Manchester police. After all, even among the high-ranking figures in Ennd, there are undercover agents of the Cult of the Cadaver. So, it¡¯s very easy for the Cult of the Cadaver to ce undercover agents in the Manchester police. But what needs to be determined now is the level of this undercover agent." Speaking of undercover agents, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but think of Isabe. After all, Isabe, like the lord of the castle, was a Wizard, so she was most likely associated with the Cult of the Cadaver. And now, the Cult of the Cadaver was using her territory as their stronghold. So, Liu Xing felt that the possibility of Isabe being an undercover agent of the Cult of the Cadaver was over ny percent, and Liu Xing even suspected that Isabe had already controlled Chris. At this moment, Chen Fuping continued, "Senior Brother, you should remember, Master once gave me a small mechanical beast. The beast is just the size of a thumb, and I can control it to move freely within a hundred meters, and it can also record nearby sounds. So, during the time I was imprisoned in EinsCastle, I used that beast to eavesdrop on conversations of the Cult of the Cadaver followers. Apart from hearing that the Cult of the Cadaver had nted an undercover agent in the Manchester police, I also heard that the Cult of the Cadaver was preparing for a terrorist attack in Ennd." "Terrorist attack?!" Everyone couldn¡¯t help but exim. As a professional among them, Ryuzaki couldn¡¯t help but say, "As things stand now, the Cult of the Cadaver will definitely choose the most impactful method for a terrorist attack¡ªhuman bombs. So, those kidnapped foreign tourists will probably be strapped with remote-controlled bombs and sent to major cities in Ennd, and then..." Though Ryuzaki didn¡¯t finish his sentence, everyone understood what he meant. Liu Xing sighed. If the Cult of the Cadaver really made those kidnapped tourists into human bombs and sessfully detonated them in the bustling areas of Ennd¡¯s major cities, the eyes of the world would focus on Ennd. Then, over fifty percent of Ennd¡¯s top officials would be ousted, and the officials recing them would most likely be followers of the Cult of the Cadaver. At this point, Chen Fuping continued, "That¡¯s right. The Cult of the Cadaver probably intends to do that. The reason I was able to lead some foreign tourists out of the clutches of the Cult of the Cadaver is because they nned to transfer us to major cities in Ennd. So, I took the opportunity to deal with the fanatical follower of the Cult of the Cadaver who was responsible for escorting us." Zhang Jingxu nodded, relieved as he asked, "By the way, who were the two fellow Daoists with you, and where are they now?" Chen Fuping chuckled and replied, "Senior Brother, you should know them too¡ªZhang Yihang and Wang Ming of the Shushan Sect. Since they wanted to gather more information, one of them should still be in EinsCastle, and the other should have gone to London by now." "Zhang Yihang and Wang Ming, ah, then I¡¯m relieved. These two guys are quite strong." Zhang Jingxu said with a sigh of relief. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 439: Conclusion of the First Phase 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 n." Chen Fuping nodded, smiling, "Brother, you¡¯re right. This n 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 n. As for Wang Ming, he¡¯s still at Eins Castle gathering information, wanting to see what the Cult of the Cadaver ns 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 nned 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 becent; after all, I think the terrorist attacks the Cult of the Cadaver is nning 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 n." Chen Fuping shook his head, speaking earnestly, "I don¡¯t think the Cult of the Cadaver will halt the terrorist attack n. 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 n through the mechanical beast. They might just think that an ident urred during the escort, leading to our escape. The fanatics at Eins Castle might not even move." Though Liu Xing heard Chen Fuping¡¯s exnation, he still felt some worry. If the members of the Cult of the Cadaver were NPCs, then Chen Fuping¡¯s spections would likely be urate. However, there were four yers stationed in the Cult of the Cadaver, and these yers probably had some authority within the Cult of the Cadaver. Therefore, the yers from the enemy camp would likely suspect that the escape of the foreign tourists was rted 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 n. 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 thepliment." 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 nned 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 exin 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 wasparable 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¡¯tpare 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 butfort her, "Come on, Ling Ishikawa, don¡¯t think too much now. As the saying goes, things will naturally be 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 Ennd 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 easilybel 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 Ennd. 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 fianc¨¦es..." 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 beenpleted, 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 beenpleted, 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 yer factions. At that time, yers 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. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 440: Dreamwalking in R’lyeh Chapter 440: Dreamwalking in R¡¯lyeh ording to KP Li Shunchan, the first NPC Liu Xing thought of was Isabe. Considering the current situation, Isabe should be associated with the Cult of the Cadaver. However, due to the influence of the Castle Lord, Isabe likely has severed ties with the Cult of the Cadaver. Now, Isabe stands as a neutral NPC, open to being swayed by yers from either faction. Most importantly, Isabe currently holds dual intelligence on both the Cult of the Cadaver and the Manchester police force. Therefore, whichever faction manages to sway Isabe to their side will gain a significant advantage in terms of information. In Liu Xing¡¯s view, Isabe should be the most worthwhile NPC to recruit in the second stage, but also the most challenging. Isabe is not merely awful loli, but rather a seasoned elder. Despite her age of a hundred years, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t deny Isabe¡¯s exceptional acting skills and remarkable psychological resilience. She effortlessly portrays a loli without a hint of w. Thus, for such a skilled NPC, unless KP Li Shunchan explicitly informs him that Isabe has joined their faction, Liu Xing would doubt whether he truly managed to recruit her. Furthermore, Liu Xing is aware of Isabe¡¯s ambition. To win her allegiance would demand a hefty price, causing significant strain on his faction. If yers from the opposing faction offer better terms, Liu Xing believes Isabe would readily defect. At that moment, Zhang Jingxu entered the room. Liu Xing noticed a p mark on Zhang Jingxu¡¯s face.Observing this, Ling Ishikawa chuckled and said, "Zhang Jingxu, it seems things are not too bad on your end if you¡¯ve only taken a p." Zhang Jingxu shrugged and replied resignedly, "Luckily, my persuasion with Judgment just scored a major sess. After getting pped by Chen Fuping, I managed to sessfully dissuade her. But to be honest, Chen Fuping¡¯s p was quite fierce, it even deducted some of my HP." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise, "What? Chen Fuping actually deducted your HP? Then it seems Chen Fuping¡¯s closebat ability must be formidable." Zhang Jingxu nodded and continued, "Indeed, Chen Fuping has been practicing martial arts since childhood. So in terms of closebat ability alone, Chen Fuping should be on par with Ryuzaki. That¡¯s why she could lead a group of foreign tourists, despite being hindered by Cult of the Cadaver, to escape." "I see. I didn¡¯t expect Chen Fuping to be proficient in both magic and martial arts," Ling Ishikawa remarked with a smile. After some thought, Liu Xing decided to inform Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu about Isabe¡¯s situation and the current status of the main quest¡¯s second stage. Furrowing his brows, Zhang Jingxu expressed concern, "ording to your description, Isabe seems to be quite a formidable character. Our chances of sessfully recruiting Isabe are only thirty percent at best. Even if we manage to recruit her, I suspect she¡¯ll only provide us with some information and not contribute much else." "Indeed, I share the same sentiment. From Isabe¡¯s current behavior, she¡¯s definitely a self-serving individual who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to sacrifice others for her own gain. She¡¯s skilled in deception and willing to forsake her dignity to y the role of a loli. So unless we offer her substantial benefits, recruiting Isabe would be of little value to us," Ling Ishikawa earnestly remarked. Liu Xing nodded, sighing, "Indeed, even though recruiting Isabe may not be greatly beneficial to us, if we let her fall into the hands of the enemy faction, she would be a major threat. After all, Isabe is currently Chris¡¯s adopted daughter, and with her cunning and intelligence, she must have already gained Chris¡¯s favor. Moreover, with Isabe¡¯s charm skill, if she were to be recruited by the enemy faction, our every move would be within their grasp." After a moment of contemtion, Zhang Jingxu sighed and said, "You¡¯re right, Liu Xing. Regardless, we must recruit Isabe. The key lies in whether Yis People will assist us. Among us yers, only Yis People knows Isabe and canmunicate with her. Besides, Yis People should have figured out by now that Isabe is associated with the Cult of the Cadaver." "However, Yis People might not necessarily be aware of Isabe¡¯s association with the Cult of the Cadaver. Because my knowledge of Isabe¡¯s true identity only came afterpleting the module and receiving the ending scene, as well as obtaining Isabe¡¯s character card as the MVP of that module. So if Yis People only inherited memories from my character card during the module, then Yis People might not know Isabe¡¯s true identity," Liu Xing expressed his concern. Ling Ishikawa frowned helplessly, saying, "If Yis People can¡¯t guess Isabe¡¯s true identity, then that¡¯s a real problem. After all, unless we expose Liu Xing¡¯s identity, it¡¯s impossible to alert Yis People about Isabe. So, in that case, we won¡¯t have any chance to recruit Isabe." As they discussed this, everyone fell silent. However, at that moment, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke up, saying, "Alright, congrattions to all yers for sessfullypleting the first stage of the Main quest. You¡¯ve performed exceptionally well in the first stage. If it were graded, you would have scored eighty points. Of course, I won¡¯t disclose where the remaining twenty points went. Nevertheless, although the Main quest has now entered the second stage, yers can still conduct a second investigation." "Now, let me tell you the theme of the second stage of the Main quest. It¡¯s just two words¡ªassembly. Based on your investigations and analysis, you can now confirm that the mastermind behind the disappearance of foreign tourists is the Cult of the Cadaver. Additionally, the Deep Diving Society has be involved in the case as an aplice of the Cult of the Cadaver. However, you also know that the disappearance of the foreign tourists is merely a prelude orchestrated by the Cult of the Cadaver. The real ¡¯meat¡¯ is yet toe. Therefore, to counter the formidable Cult of the Cadaver, you need to seek more external support." "The second stage of the Main quest willst for one week. During this time, you will definitely encounter NPCs who may be your allies. However, whether these NPCs will join your faction depends on your actions, as they can also be recruited by yers from the enemy faction. Additionally, these NPCs will only officially dere their allegiance to a faction after one week. So, in the uing week, you¡¯ll need to both poach NPCs from others and guard against others poaching yours. In short, I wish you all good luck." After hearing KP Li Shunchan¡¯s official introduction to the second stage of the Main quest, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow. Because, unsurprisingly, the NPCs that yers can recruit will meet yers from both factions during the next week. It may seem fair and just, but in reality, it¡¯s highly disadvantageous for Liu Xing¡¯s faction. The reason is simple: yers from the enemy faction can do as they please. If they encounter NPCs they can¡¯t recruit, they can choose to either kidnap or attack them, causing them harm or even death. In summary, if this module doesn¡¯t impose restrictions on yers from the enemy faction, Liu Xing feels that he won¡¯t even get to see those NPCs who will meet the enemy faction first... And even if they manage to recruit NPCs, they still need to ensure their safety during this week to prevent harassment from yers of the enemy faction. Therefore, the second stage of this Main quest is not favorable for Liu Xing¡¯s faction. "Now what should we do? This second stage of the Main quest is really unfriendly to us. I feel like we¡¯repletely on the defensive now," Ling Ishikawa said, frowning. Liu Xing sighed, helplessly saying, "Indeed, if Bai Hecheng¡¯s side isn¡¯t restricted in any way, we¡¯ll basically have to give up in the second stage. After all, Bai Hecheng and his team can do much more than us. So, I think this module should impose some restrictions on Bai Hecheng¡¯s side in the second stage." "In any case, let¡¯s take it step by step. It¡¯s gettingte now; we should go have dinner," Zhang Jingxu said, rubbing his temples. After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. After all, they had visited three ces during the day, and now they were quite tired. So, after ying with his mobile phone for a while, Liu Xing went to sleep. ... "Where am I?" Liu Xing said, looking bewildered. At this moment, Liu Xing found himself standing in a thick fog, with visibility limited to about one meter. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but recall a dream he had a long time ago, seemingly in the Yueshihao module, where he found himself in a mist. However, he only remembered being in the mist. Bute to think of it, Liu Xing suddenly realized that he was now having a lucid dream. A lucid dream, in simple terms, refers to being aware that one is dreaming while dreaming. Liu Xing tried moving around and found that he could control his body freely. So, he decided on a direction and started walking, eager to see whaty beyond the fog. Anyway, logically speaking, even if he died in the dream, he would only lose some sanity points or gain a temporary debuff, as this was just a dream. Unless this was the Dreamrealm. But just a few stepster, Liu Xing suddenly thought of a question: why did his dreams using the "Liu Xing" character card in the Yueshihao module and now using the "Watanabe Ryuusei" character card seem connected? After pondering for a while without finding an exnation, Liu Xing gave up thinking and continued forward. As Liu Xing walked, he also tried contacting KP Li Shunchan, but as expected, KP Li Shunchan didn¡¯t respond. And so, Liu Xing didn¡¯t know how long he had walked until he finally emerged from the fog! "I didn¡¯t expect to be able to walk out of this fog. I thought I would keep walking in it until I woke up from my dream," Liu Xing muttered to himself. As Liu Xing emerged from the fog, he looked around and realized he was standing in front of a vast ruin. The reason why this ruin was called "vast" was that the bricks scattered in front of Liu Xing were each three times his height. But most importantly, these bricks were all green, and some of them bore reliefs that made Liu Xing feel extremely ufortable, even though these reliefs were iplete, and some were just simple lines. In an instant, Liu Xing understood that the ruin before his eyes was likely the legendary R¡¯lyeh. Because, in the Cthulhu mythos, only R¡¯lyeh is a city built of giant green stones, emitting a strong aura of impurity from within. With this thought, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but look up and see, on a high mountain in the far distance, apletely closed giant stone fort looming amidst the dark clouds. That was the resting ce of the Great Old One¡ªCthulhu. Realizing this, Liu Xing wanted to shift his gaze away, but found that he had lost control of his body. And then, Liu Xing...woke up. Liu Xing looked at the white ceiling, taking quite some time toe back to his senses. A feeling of surviving a disaster swept over Liu Xing, making him shiver involuntarily. After a while, Liu Xing calmed down. Obviously, Liu Xing knew that he was most likely targeted by Cthulhu now, which was why Cthulhu guided him to R¡¯lyeh in his dream. So, it seemed that he was in big trouble! After all, the character card he was currently using was a follower of King Hastur in Yellow Robes, who was an enemy of Cthulhu. So, why would Cthulhu bring a follower of his enemy into his dream, if not to kill him? Perhaps, it was to try to turn him? Shaking his head, Liu Xing realized that he was doomed either way. If he didn¡¯t ept Cthulhu¡¯s turn, he would be killed by Cthulhu. But if he did ept Cthulhu¡¯s turn, King Hastur in Yellow Robes would certainly not spare him. It was a lose-lose situation... [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 441: Private Meeting with Juri Sonoda Chapter 441: Private Meeting with Juri Sonoda 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¡¯te up with a reasonable n. 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¡ªJuri Sonoda. Raising an eyebrow, Liu Xing said somewhat surprised, "Juri, why are you here so early?" Liu Xing nced 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 rted 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 bepletely 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 ss 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 ssmates 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 urately, 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 waspletely 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¡ªthat 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 Ind 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 hade 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 im 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 be 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 contemtion 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 eximed 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 ispletely 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 ept 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-ying here." Liu Xing¡¯s exnation was a mixture of truth and spection. If KP Li Shunchan was indulging in role-ying himself, Liu Xing wouldn¡¯t protest. However, knowing KP Li Shunchan¡¯s style and their rtionship, 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¡ªa 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 n, 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 Ennd, 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 meing 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 reiming 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 ss 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,ughing, "I wasn¡¯t discovered by the Cult of the Cadaver. It¡¯s just that there were no cars going to Eins Castlest 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 heardst 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 yers from both sides had begun contacting those neutral NPCs. If enemy faction yers 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 ind 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 onnd. However, theirbat capabilities onnd 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. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 442: Information from Matsui Yui Chapter 442: Information from Matsui Yui Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, opened the message, and indeed, as he had thought, Dogo Aige was seeking help from him. However, Dogo Aige¡¯s plea for help was somewhat tactful, merely mentioning encountering some financial difficulties and needing to borrow some money to tide over the situation. After all, Dogo Aige was still unaware that Liu Xing and the others were already aware of their circumstances... Liu Xing chuckled and said, "I didn¡¯t expect Dogo Aige and his group of Deep Ones to encounter financial troubles. It¡¯s really beyond my expectations." At this moment, Alice¡¯s mobile phone rang. As expected, it was a message from Matsui Yui. After reading the message, Alice smiled and said, "It seems Matsui Yui and their situation are not too favorable. After escaping from Fisher¡¯s Vige to Ennd, they¡¯ve run out of resources. But this is understandable. Creatures like Deep Ones generally don¡¯t consciously umte wealth, as money is truly irrelevant to them." Ling Ishikawa nodded and asked, "So what should we do now? Should we contact Dogo Aige directly, or should we lend them some money first?" After a moment of silence, Alice replied earnestly, "What weck now are strong allies. So I think it¡¯s necessary for us to directly contact Matsui Yui and her group, and have them join us. This is not only about helping them but also about them assisting us. It¡¯s a mutually beneficial situation." Therefore, everyone unanimously agreed with Alice¡¯s viewpoint, and Alice contacted Matsui Yui. After a ten-minute phone call, Alice breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The situation is not bad. Matsui Yui and her group are currently splitting up to escape. Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige are hiding in a hotel in Manchester, and they are on their way here."Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat disappointed. He hadn¡¯t expected Matsui Yui¡¯s father not to be with her. The help Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige could provide to their group would be very limited... So, Liu Xing felt that their group was at a disadvantage this time. Seeing the expressions of Liu Xing and the others, Alice chuckled and said, "Mr. Ryuusei, don¡¯t feel like we¡¯re at a disadvantage now. Because Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige are no longer the same as we saw them in Fisher¡¯s Vige. They have sessfully transformed into true Deep Ones now. After all, when facing the pursuit of the Deep Diving Society, ordinary humans and hybrids like them would be defenseless." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing chuckled and said, "I see. I was just thinking how bold Dogo Aige and the others were. Only two of them hiding in a hotel in Manchester, not afraid of being discovered by the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society, trying to catch two birds with one stone. Turns out, it¡¯s because they have significantly increased their strength." Alice nodded and continued, "Let me share another piece of good news. Since the main target of the Deep Diving Society is Matsui Yui¡¯s father, most of the Deep Ones sent by the Deep Diving Society for the pursuit have been lured to Scond Ind by Matsui Yui¡¯s father. There might be only a few stray individuals coborating with the Cult of the Cadaver on the maind of Ennd. Moreover, the Cult of the Cadaver has also dispatched many to assist the Deep Diving Society. So, our pressure will be alleviated somewhat in the short term." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, Chen Fuping suddenly said, "It seems we¡¯re getting another helper." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Oh, are more members of the Chinese Daoist Secting to Ennd now?" Chen Fuping shook his head and said with a smile, "No, no, no. The helper I mentioned is a Chinese friend I met in the United States of America named Yuan Chen. Yuan Chen¡¯s grandfather was said to have been a member of the Chinese Daoist Sect, but because Yuan Chen¡¯s grandfather had already integrated into society at that time, he didn¡¯t receive protection from the Chinese Daoist Sect during that major event. Therefore, he had to choose to leave his homnd and settle in the United States of America. However, Yuan Chen¡¯s grandfather was still very patriotic, so even though Yuan Chen was born and raised in America, his Chinese is better than his English. Therefore, we quickly became friends after I enrolled in school." "When I learned that Yuan Chen¡¯s grandfather had once been a member of the Chinese Daoist Sect, I revealed my own identity to Yuan Chen. So we became very open with each other. Yuan Chen even showed me various magic spells his grandfather had taught him. I have to say his abilities surpass mine, and most importantly, his grandfather left him quite a few treasures, especially that ancient sword. I think even our master would covet it." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. ording to Chen Fuping¡¯s introduction, Liu Xing began to doubt this Yuan Chen or Yuan Chen¡¯s grandfather. There must be one of them with a character card that had been left out of the game, because under normal circumstances, items held by human NPCs are usually ordinary unless they¡¯re key items in the module. After all, if yers could obtain powerful items from human NPCs, there would be no need to spend points to buy items from the shop. "I see. So indeed, the Chinese Daoist Sect has such a rule. If a member of the Chinese Daoist Sect decides to integrate into society, although they may still receive some help from the sect, the sect won¡¯t intervene in official decisions. Therefore, after that major event years ago, many members of the Chinese Daoist Sect who integrated into society chose to leave China. Yuan Chen¡¯s grandfather must have been one of them," Zhang Jingxu said seriously. At this point, Alice curiously asked, "By the way, I heard that the major event in China decades ago was caused by a mythical creature, right?" Before Zhang Jingxu could respond, Hu Li beside him spoke up, "That¡¯s right. The major event that happened in China decades ago was simply because of a great demon who wanted to ascend to be a legendary fairy. Then, because this demon was too arrogant in its actions, it was discovered by the Chinese authorities. So, in order to eradicate the problem at its root, the Chinese authorities had to resort to drastic measures to deal with that great demon..." Zhang Jingxu nodded with resignation. "That¡¯s right. Because China had just experienced chaos at the time, all sorts of monsters and gods emerged. That great demon was even more cunning than the current Cult of the Cadaver. So when the Chinese Daoist Sect and the authorities discovered everything, that demon city had already begun preparing to ascend as a new Great Old One. Hence, they had to take drastic measures. The chaotic times demanded stern actions. Thus, that major event... sigh." Liu Xing sighed, never expecting the major event from that Cthulhu RPG Game¡¯s parallel world to unfold this way. Seeing the atmosphere bing heavy, Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Anyway, Fuping, is your friend originally from Ennd, or did hee from elsewhere? But either way, he shouldn¡¯t be able to bring his ancient sword with him, right?" Chen Fuping chuckled and shook his head. "Under normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring that ancient sword on a ne casually. But his current status is as the closed disciple of Leonard, the renowned archaeology professor at Miskatonic University. So now, he can travel the world with that ancient sword under the guise of an antique." Archaeologist. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but shudder at the revtion. He felt that this Yuan Chen was up to something... Just then, Alice¡¯s phone rang again. "Matsui Yui and her group have arrived. I¡¯m going up to meet them now," Alice said, rising from her seat. Two minutester, Liu Xing finally saw Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui again. It must be said that because they had beenpletely transformed into Deep Ones, both Dogo Aige and Matsui Yui now bore Innsmouth faces, looking somewhat deprived of sanity. After Matsui Yui settled down, she spoke, "Thank you all for being willing to help us." Liu Xing smiled, shaking his head. "Alice should have informed you of the current situation. So, to be precise, this is mutual assistance. We¡¯reing together to deal with the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society." "That¡¯s right. The current situation is very dire for us. So we must help each other to thwart the plots of the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society. This way, Matsui Yui, you can stay in Ennd to evade the pursuit of the Deep Diving Society. But speaking of which, how did the Deep Diving Society discover and start pursuing you guys when you were isted in Fisher¡¯s Vige?" Ling Ishikawa asked curiously. Matsui Yui sighed, saying helplessly, "We were on guard day and night, but still, unexpected dangers arise. Here¡¯s what happened. Because one of our own made a mistake and was slightly punished by my father, the traitor felt humiliated. So, in the dead of night, he escaped from Fisher¡¯s Vige and contacted the Deep Diving Society on the Ind Nation. At that time, my father sensed that something was amiss and prepared to leave Fisher¡¯s Vige with his people. But unexpectedly, the pursuit from the Deep Diving Society arrived so quickly." "As a result, after suffering heavy casualties, we finally escaped from Fisher¡¯s Vige and ended up here in the British Isles. Because the Deep Ones on the British Isles had shed with the local ghouls long ago, and ultimately, due to defeat, they were forced to leave the British Isles. So, there are very few Deep Ones on the British Isles. Moreover, on Scond Ind, there is a good friend of my father¡¯s. Currently, my father is staying with him along with the other members of our n." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Oh, so there were conflicts between the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Ones before? I didn¡¯t expect them to start cooperating again now. It¡¯s true what they say, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests." Zhang Jingxu nodded, stroking his chin. "In that case, if we have the opportunity, we can use a divide and conquer strategy. Alliances formed solely for the sake of interest are very fragile. If we can sow discord among them, our chances of sess will be greater." At this point, Dogo Aige shook his head, saying helplessly, "The cooperation between the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society is very simple. The Cult of the Cadaver allows the Deep Diving Society to enter the British Isles to hunt us down, and the Cult of the Cadaver provides assistance in personnel and intelligence to the Deep Diving Society. As for the price the Deep Ones have to pay, it¡¯s that those members of the Deep Diving Society who enter the British Isles to hunt us down must follow the arrangements of the Cult of the Cadaver while pursuing us. So, we have very little room to intervene." "By the way, those ghouls who left EinsCastle, are they now chasing Matsui Yui¡¯s father with the members of the Deep Diving Society?" Lu Tianya suddenly asked. Matsui Yui furrowed her brows, saying, "They shouldn¡¯t be. My father¡¯s friend is a well-known businessman in Scond. When he nearly drowned by the seaside as a child, my father saved his life, so he became my father¡¯s good friend. When we fled from the Deep Ones, he also gave us a lot of help. So..." Before Matsui Yui could finish, Alice interrupted, "Wait a moment, Matsui Yui, is your father¡¯s friend named Rogers, the real estate tycoon in Scond?" Matsui Yui looked at Alice in shock. Before Matsui Yui could speak, Alice sighed and said, "Two days ago, Rogers died in a car ident. Now, Rogers¡¯s eldest son inherits the family fortune. Whether Rogers¡¯s eldest son will continue to hide your father and your n members like his father did, we can¡¯t say for sure." Matsui Yui turned pale and said, "Then my father is in danger! I remember my father mentioned that three years ago, Rogers sought his help to choose one of his three sons as the sessor. And the result was that Rogers¡¯s second son was chosen. So now, Rogers¡¯s eldest son bing the heir is very likely because he has reached a cooperation with the Cult of the Cadaver or the Deep Diving Society!" Liu Xing nodded and said, "Then, Matsui Yui, do you have any way to contact your father and ask him to leave Scond Ind as soon as possible?" Matsui Yui shook her head, saying helplessly, "I can indeed contact my father now, but it will also expose our location. So, I only have one choice now, which is to go to where my father is hiding and tell him everything in person." As Matsui Yui spoke, she stood up, ready to leave. At this moment, Alice grabbed Matsui Yui¡¯s arm and said earnestly, "Matsui Yui, give us a little time. Let us discuss whether we should go to Scond with you." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 443: Chaos! (1) Chapter 443: Chaos! (1) "I think this time we should help Matsui Yui and go to Scond to support Matsui Yui¡¯s father. After all, it will be beneficial for us in many ways. Firstly, Matsui Yui¡¯s father¡¯s strength is unquestionable, definitely stronger than all of us herebined. We have no reason to let go of such a powerful ally. Secondly, we can take this opportunity to deal with the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society members who went to hunt down Matsui Yui¡¯s father. This can be considered as cutting off one of their arms, which would benefit our future actions. Lastly, and most importantly, we can use this opportunity to bring the Cult of the Cadaver to light, especially since they are likely involved in the murder case of Scond¡¯s real estate tycoon, Rogers." Alice said seriously. Liu Xing nodded and said, "I agree with your point, Alice. As we discussed before, going to Scond to help Matsui Yui¡¯s father is essentially helping ourselves. So, this trip to Scond is necessary. The question is, who among us will go?" Yis People thought for a moment and said, "Firstly, Nan Xiaoniao definitely cannot go with us to Scond. And Juri Sonoda cannot go either, as she needs to take care of Nan Xiaoniao. So, it seems like I¡¯m the only one from my side who can go." Just as Zhang Jingxu was about to speak, Chen Fuping preempted, "Because I¡¯m going to pick up my friend Yuan Chen shortly, I¡¯ll stay here to protect Juri Sonoda and the others." Seeing Chen Fuping choosing to stay behind, Zhang Jingxu could only smile and say, "Since Junior Sister wants to stay, then Lu Tianya wille with me to Scond. After all, it¡¯s better to have more people for this operation." So, except for Juri Sonoda, Nan Xiaoniao, and Chen Fuping, everyone else chose to go to Scond. After a while, Liu Xing and the others arrived at a secure rear entrance. The rear entrance of the safe point was actually a long underground passage, and the exit of this rear entrance was the lowest level of a nearby underground parking lot. Of course, this area had already been bought by the Manchester police department, and the cars that Liu Xing and the others left at the subway entrance yesterday were already parked in the underground parking lot.So, Liu Xing and the other four remained in one car, while Lu Tianya was arranged by Zhang Jingxu to ride with Alice. After all, if Lu Tianya was in the car, Liu Xing and the others would not be able tomunicate. As everyone settled in the car, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but say, "It seems like this time we have to race against Bai Hecheng and the others. If they meet Matsui Yui¡¯s father first, they will most likely choose to win over Matsui Yui¡¯s father. Then our situation will be even more unfavorable." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "That¡¯s right. The strongest neutral NPC in this module should be Matsui Yui¡¯s father. I think his strength should beparable to the Gralki¡¯s avatar in Panlong Town. So, if Matsui Yui¡¯s father joins the Cult of the Cadaver, then we¡¯re really in trouble in this module." Ling Ishikawa chuckled confidently and said, "I don¡¯t think Matsui Yui¡¯s father would stand on the side of the Cult of the Cadaver. Judging from the current situation, Matsui Yui¡¯s father is definitely a person of loyalty and righteousness." "Yes, that¡¯s what I think too. After all, Matsui Yui¡¯s father specifically had Matsui Yui and Dogo Aigee to Manchester to hide. It must be worried that there might be some unexpected situations, and he can also divert attention for Matsui Yui. So, unless Matsui Yui also joins the Cult of the Cadaver, Matsui Yui¡¯s father would not stand on their side." Yis People said seriously. Upon hearing Yis People¡¯s words, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise his eyebrows, feeling like Yis People had made a remarkable prediction... With that said, Liu Xing and the others chatted as they arrived at the port heading to Scond. Chris had arranged a yacht ready to depart. After entering the yacht¡¯s lounge, Alice pped her hands and said, "If I remember correctly, all of you are neers to Ennd, so you might not be very clear about the situation between Ennd and Scond." Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and said, "Um, I just know that Scond has always been nning something, preparing to leave your Great Britain Alliance. It seems like there have been several referendums." Alice nodded, somewhat helplessly, and said, "That¡¯s right. The Great Britain Alliance isposed of Ennd, Scond, Northern Irnd, and Wales. But the reason why the Great Britain Alliance was formed back then was because Ennd was rtively dominant, almost coercing Scond and other regions to sign the Great Britain Alliance. But now, Ennd¡¯s influence has waned, so Scond, which has never fully submitted to Ennd, has been nning to leave the Great Britain Alliance." "So, after we arrive in Scondter, we must adapt to the local customs. If someone asks whether you support Scond¡¯s departure from the Great Britain Alliance, just express your support directly to avoid any idents. After all, there are quite a few extremists in Scond. And if I¡¯m not mistaken, Rogers¡¯ eldest son seems to be the leader of some extremist organization." Matsui Yui thought for a moment and said seriously. Liu Xing frowned, feeling worried. "So, you mean, the Cult of the Cadaver also intends to make Scond and other regions leave the Great Britain Alliance?" With Liu Xing¡¯s words, everyone fell into contemtion. After a while, Alice, as a native of Ennd, spoke up, "I think it¡¯s very likely, because, as I said, in recent years, Ennd¡¯s influence within the Great Britain Alliance has been declining. Although it seems like only Scond is constantly causing trouble and wanting to leave the Great Britain Alliance, Wales and Northern Irnd are also secretly preparing, waiting to see the situation. If Scond officially leaves the Great Britain Alliance, then Wales and Northern Irnd will also choose to leave the Great Britain Alliance." "So even if the Cult of the Cadaver manages to control the government of Ennd, they still won¡¯t be able to control the three regions of Scond. Moreover, when the Cult of the Cadaver changes the government of Ennd, it¡¯s when Ennd¡¯s influence within the Great Britain Alliance is at its lowest. Therefore, at that time, there¡¯s more than an eighty percent chance that Scond will sessfully leave the Great Britain Alliance, and Wales and Northern Irnd also have a probability of over fifty percent of leaving the Great Britain Alliance." "So now the leader of the Cult of the Cadaver should understand that if he wants to control the government of Ennd, then the Great Britain Alliance will inevitably be history. Unless he can move forward on all fronts and control Scond and other regions simultaneously, but this possibility is not great. Therefore, I think the current n of the Cult of the Cadaver is to use helping Scond and other regions to leave the Great Britain Alliance as a bargaining chip, seeking the support of Scond and other regions. Among them, helping Rogers¡¯ eldest sonmit patricide is very likely one of the steps." Alice¡¯s words made everyone involuntarily take a cold breath. They hadn¡¯t expected that the Cult of the Cadaver not only wanted to overthrow the government of Ennd but also aimed to make the entire Great Britain Alliance history. If the Cult of the Cadaver seeds, it would be like a major earthquake in the world political arena, its influence absolutelyparable to the Northern Alliance that imed to be unbreakable over twenty years ago when it announced its dissolution. "This damned Cult of the Cadaver really knows how to make a grand entrance, stirring up such big news as soon as they arrive." Yis People sighed. Liu Xing sighed and said, "Let¡¯s not worry about what will happenter for now. Let¡¯s discuss the current situation. If there are no surprises, the members of the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society should have already arrived in Scond. So after we disembark, we need to quickly rendezvous with Matsui Yui¡¯s father. But speaking of which, Matsui Yui, do you know where your father is?" Matsui Yui nodded and said, "If the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society haven¡¯t taken action yet, then my father should be in sgow, thergest city in Scond. When I arrive in sgow, I should be able to sense my father¡¯s whereabouts." Soon, Liu Xing and the others arrived in sgow. sgow is located in the estuary area, so the shipbuilding industry is very developed. Therefore, Liu Xing and the others¡¯ yacht docked at a somewhat dpidated shipyard. In the shipyard, a bearded man was waiting for Liu Xing and the others. "I¡¯m John. Chris asked me toe here to assist you." John reached out his hand and smiled. Alice smiled, shook hands with John, and exchanged information. After a while, John left first, and Alice said with a serious expression, "The situation is somewhat unfavorable now. Rogers¡¯ eldest son William is organizing arge-scale parade. The atmosphere in sgow is tense, and it is very likely to trigger unrest. So if we want to enter the city now, we may be involved in the unrest." Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised, "Oh, so Rogers¡¯ son is called William. That¡¯s actually a good name." The William mentioned by Liu Xing refers to the famous national hero of Scond, William Wace, who led the Scottish rebellion against the rule of Ennd. Alice shrugged and nodded, saying, "By the way, Rogers¡¯ family name is Wace, iming that their ancestors were William Wace himself. Therefore, Rogers¡¯ eldest son now ims to be the reincarnation of William Wace and will lead the people of Scond to resist the rule of Ennd once again." "It seems that this William knows how to capitalize on poprity. But I heard that there are many famous families in Scond named Wace, and these families all im to be descendants of William Wace." Lu Tianya said with a smile. "Of course, because William Wace is a national hero of Scond. Plus, due to Ennd¡¯s deliberate suppression, the specific deeds and direct descendants of William Wace are almost impossible to verify, leaving behind various legends. So many Scottish families choose to use the name of William Wace." Zhang Jingxu said. At this moment, Matsui Yui suddenly said, "Oh no, I can now sense my father¡¯s location within the urban area of sgow, so we must enter the urban area of sgow." Alice nodded and said seriously, "Well then, it seems we have no choice but to enter the urban area of sgow. Because William has applied for three days for thisrge-scale parade, we can¡¯t wait until three dayster to enter the urban area of sgow. Besides, thisrge-scale parade could turn into unrest at any time. But John has already helped us prepare local police cars and uniforms in Scond. Let¡¯s change into themter and enter the urban area of sgow. That way, we¡¯ll be safer." So, the group rested in the shipyard for half an hour before John brought three police cars and ten sets of uniforms. After changing into the uniforms, Liu Xing and the others got into separate police cars. Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa, and Yis People were in one car; Zhang Jingxu, Lu Tianya, and Hu Li were in another car; Alice, Ryuzaki, and Matsui Yui¡¯s couple were in another car. The group drove the police cars into the urban area of sgow. As John had said before, the urban area of sgow was already crowded with people, and the crowds participating in the parade had filled every street, so Liu Xing and the others¡¯ police cars soon became immobile. So, after some discussion, Liu Xing and the others decided to park the police cars on the side of the road and then walk. "It seems that the situation is even more troublesome than we imagined. I didn¡¯t expect so many people to take to the streets for the game." Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Alice sighed and said helplessly, "With the current situation, I think whether the Cult of the Cadaver can seize the government of Ennd or not, Scond will probably leave the Great Britain Alliance. After all, that¡¯s the general trend." At this moment, Matsui Yui, holding a map, finally determined his father¡¯s location. "I can now confirm that my father¡¯s approximate location should be at sgow Cathedral, and the other n members are around my father, and there have been no casualties so far." Matsui Yui said affirmatively. Liu Xing nced at the map and found that their current location,pared to sgow Cathedral, was not too far away. This made Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It seems that we came just in time..." Before Liu Xing could finish, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke up, "Because all yers in this module have arrived in Scond, the sudden Mission of this module¡ªThe Great Chaos of Scond¡ªwillmence in five minutes! Please prepare, yers!" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 444: The Great Turmoil! (1) Chapter 444: The Great Turmoil! (1) The Scond Turmoil?! Liu Xing and the others were taken aback. They hadn¡¯t expected such a sudden mission. Judging from the name of this sudden mission, Liu Xing felt that it would definitely be unfavorable to their side. After all, they were "police officers" now. Once the major turmoil broke out, they were likely to be targets of attack by the rioters. After all, what those rioters wanted to disrupt the most was "order." And on this street, within a radius of a hundred meters, there were only their group of "police officers." So Liu Xing knew that as soon as the major turmoil began, their group was likely to be isted and vulnerable. They would either end up dead or injured. Therefore, Liu Xing immediately said, "We should hurry and head to sgow Cathedral as soon as possible. I can see that the demonstrators are getting more and more agitated. I¡¯m afraid that as soon as someone lights the fuse, these demonstrators will erupt into arge-scale riot." Zhang Jingxu and the others, as fellow yers, naturally voiced their agreement. Alice nced at the demonstrators around them and said with deep resonance, "Indeed, the expressions of these demonstrators are bing increasingly fervent. I feel like sgow has be a powder keg. As soon as it ignites, if we¡¯re surrounded by these demonstrators, it will be troublesome. So let¡¯s quickly take the alley and head to sgow Cathedral." After making the decision, Liu Xing and the others immediately set off, briskly making their way towards sgow Cathedral. Because sgow Cathedral was located within the sgow city area, Liu Xing and the others roughly estimated the distance and their current speed, realizing that they could barely reach sgow Cathedral within five minutes.This made Liu Xing breathe a sigh of relief. After all, once they entered sgow Cathedral, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry much about the rioters. sgow Cathedral was one of the most famousndmarks in Scond, with many famous figures from Scottish history resting there. Combined with the local people¡¯s faith, Liu Xing believed that even if arge-scale riot broke outter, the rioters wouldn¡¯t attack sgow Cathedral. Thinking of this, Liu Xing and the others quickened their pace. Soon, they arrived at the street opposite sgow Cathedral. It had to be said that as a cathedral that took over three hundred years toplete, sgow Cathedral looked truly magnificent and majestic. Even the demonstrators around sgow Cathedral seemed less vociferouspared to those on other streets. After all, almost all cathedrals in European regions had attached graveyards for burying some well-known noble figures, and sgow Cathedral was no exception. But actions speak louder than words. At this moment, Liu Xing and the others were blocked by the demonstrators opposite sgow Cathedral. At this moment, there were only forty seconds left until the official start time of the "Scond Turmoil" mission. Time was running out. Liu Xing frowned, gritted his teeth, and said, "Let¡¯s just go straight through now. It¡¯s impossible for these demonstrators to make way for us in a few hours." To prevent Alice from refusing, Liu Xing chose to start crossing the crowd directly after speaking, with Ling Ishikawa and the others following closely behind. Seeing this, Alice could only sigh helplessly, keeping up with Liu Xing and the others, and instructing Ryuzaki to hold up his police officer badge to clear the way ahead. Although the actions of Liu Xing and the others aroused dissatisfaction among the demonstrators, the uniforms worn by Liu Xing and the others made the more rational demonstrators choose to step aside, albeit with verbal abuses directed at Liu Xing and the others. Thus, Liu Xing and the others made it to the front of sgow Cathedral amidst the spitting from the demonstrators. In front of sgow Cathedral, in addition to the original gatekeepers, there were also several local Scottish police officers maintaining order at the entrance. However, it was obvious that these local Scottish police officers didn¡¯t take this demonstration seriously. They were chatting andughing in twos and threes at the entrance, not paying much attention to the demonstrators in front of them. A glimpse of the leopard from the cat. Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly. Judging from the mentality of these police officers in front of sgow Cathedral, it was easy to guess that the local Scottish police officers didn¡¯t take this demonstration too seriously. So when the turmoil broke outter, the local Scottish police officers would have to pay the price for their contempt. And it was also possible that because of the contempt of these local Scottish police officers, sgow¡¯s turmoil would be difficult to control in a short time, gradually escting into a major turmoil throughout Scond. This was very real. Just then, KP Li Shunchan spoke again, "Now, please pay attention, everyone. The sudden mission¡ªScond Turmoil¡ªhas officially begun. Due to the deliberate instigation by some people, during the sgow Grand Parade organized by William Wace, a police officer who had been bribed suddenly shot William Wace, who was giving a speech, leading torge-scale riots by the demonstrators. Moreover, rumors of Ennd preparing to suppress Scond by force have appeared on various social tforms in Scond, so more and more Scottish people are choosing to take to the streets to vent their dissatisfaction with Ennd..." "Now, as Ennd police officers, each of you yers will have a chance of being attacked by people from Scond. Your chosen response will greatly influence the course of the Scond Turmoil. Therefore, I hope all yers will be cautious and avoid making any provocative actions to exacerbate the current tense situation. After all, the oue of the Scond Turmoil is closely rted to your main quest. As for the reward for this sudden mission, it will be determined based on each yer¡¯s performance during the Scond Turmoil." After listening to KP Li Shunchan¡¯s briefing on the sudden mission, Liu Xing began to feel a headache. Because in the mission briefing, it was mentioned that "people from Scond" mightunch attacks against them, which meant that besides the ordinary demonstrators, the local Scottish police officers in front of them might also attack them. And the worst-case scenario would be that after the situation deteriorated, the Scond military might also pose a threat to them. Moreover, the most important thing was that, given the current situation, it was impossible for the Ennd side to enter Scond in the short term. After all, if the Ennd side entered Scond before resolving the William shooting incident, it was highly likely that the Scond Turmoil would escte into an Ennd-Scond war. So Liu Xing could be sure that his group would be isted and without support in Scond for a short period of time, and their enemies would not only include the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society but also the entire Scond! Just thinking about it gave him a headache... But now was not the time to contemte life. Liu Xing felt that his group must quickly enter sgow Cathedral. Because if the news of William being shot reached the Scottish police officers at the entrance, it would be troublesome for them to enter sgow Cathedral. Although KP Li Shunchan did not specify whether the police officer who shot William was Scottish or English when introducing the sudden mission, Liu Xing was sure that the me would definitely fall on the English side. So now, as Ennd police officers, his group had be the most unwee people in Scond. Thinking of this, Liu Xing gave Ling Ishikawa a meaningful look. After all, "Watanabe Ryuusei" couldn¡¯t speak English, so there was no way for him to intervene at this moment. So, Ling Ishikawa took over the position of leading the group from Liu Xing and walked to the front. Seeing Liu Xing and the others approaching, the leading Scottish police officer said somewhat surprised, "Uh, aren¡¯t you sgow police officers? I don¡¯t remember sgow having so many Asian police officers." Only then did Liu Xing notice that he seemed to have been given a mentalmunication buff by Hu Li again, enabling him to understand othernguages. Ling Ishikawa chuckled and said, "We were sent from Edinburgh to support you. After all, the scale of today¡¯s parade far exceeds the past, and there are many foreign tourists at sgow Cathedral, especially from Asia. So we were sent here to take care of the tourists at sgow Cathedral." Edinburgh, the nominal capital of Scond. At this time, the sound of dice falling was heard. "So you guys are police officers from the capital. I heard that the capital recruited a batch of immigrant police officers to fight against racism before. You must be them. But your arrival is just in time. There are indeed many tourists from Asia inside the cathedral now. Due to this parade, they are feeling worried and restless, so I¡¯ll leave it to you." The leading Scottish police officer said with a smile. Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that his group¡¯s luck was still good this time. So Liu Xing and his group sessfully entered the high church of sgow Cathedral. In fact, sgow Cathedral consisted of two churches: the high church facing the street and the low church behind it. After entering the high church, Liu Xing said to Matsui Yui, "Matsui Yui, where is your father now?" After pondering for a moment, Matsui Yui pointed in the direction of the low church and said, "My father and the other n members should be in the underground crypt of the low church." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Let¡¯s go, we need to hurry..." Before Liu Xing could finish speaking, he saw someone walking towards him, someone he never expected to see in the module. Tian Qing, Liu Xing¡¯s first love. Tian Qing walked up to Liu Xing and smiled, "Excuse me, officer, how long will the protest outsidest?" Seeing Liu Xing, who waspletely speechless with shock, Zhang Jingxu, who realized that something was wrong, hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Sorry, my colleague here doesn¡¯t speak Chinese. As for the protest outside, it may take a while. Miss, it¡¯s better for you to rest inside the cathedral and leave after the protest ends to avoid any idents." Tian Qing nodded and left. "Hey, Ryuusei, what¡¯s wrong with you?" Ling Ishikawa said, feeling worried. Liu Xing snapped out of his daze and stammered, "Nothing, I just mistook someone for someone else." Seeing that Liu Xing didn¡¯t want to say more, Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t ask further, just patted Liu Xing on the shoulder and followed Matsui Yui towards the low church. At this moment, Liu Xing¡¯s head was already a mess, but he knew it wasn¡¯t the time to let his mind wander. So Liu Xing took a deep breath, forced himself to temporarily forget about Tian Qing, and quickly followed Ling Ishikawa and the others. Soon, Liu Xing and his group arrived at the entrance of the low church, where a tall, handsome young white man was standing. "Dad!" Matsui Yui eximed in surprise. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting this young white man to be Matsui Yui¡¯s father¡ªBaruka. Baruka nodded and said somewhat strangely, "Didn¡¯t I ask you to stay in Manchester? Why did youe looking for me?" It seemed that Baruka didn¡¯t know that Rogers had encountered trouble. So Matsui Yui briefly exined the current situation to Baruka. Baruka frowned and said, "I see. Then you shoulde in with me first." Led by Baruka, Liu Xing and his group arrived at the back of the low church, where they saw a passage leading underground. "Thirty years ago, Rogers¡¯ real estatepany received a mission to repair sgow Cathedral, so Rogers took this opportunity to build a new underground crypt next to the existing one in the low church, nning to move in after a hundred years. So when I came seeking his help, he let me and the other n members hide here first." Baruka exined. Alice nodded and asked, "Uncle, does William know about this ce?" Baruka shook his head and said affirmatively, "William definitely doesn¡¯t know about this ce because only Rogers and I know about the existence of this underground crypt. After all, this underground crypt was built by the two of us." As Baruka spoke, he led everyone into the underground crypt. Due to limited manpower, the area of ??this underground crypt was notrge, only about a dozen square meters, and a candle could illuminate the entire underground crypt. At this time, Alice and Yis People¡¯s mobile phones rang simultaneously. Yis People took out his mobile phone and pretended to be surprised as he said, "What?! Because William was injured by an Ennd police officer at the City Hall, it causedrge-scale riots among the protesters. Chris asked us to leave Scond quickly!" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 445: Great Chaos! (2) Chapter 445: Great Chaos! (2) "Damn it, William is definitely orchestrating this whole thing, trying to create a big news story to push Scond out of the Great Britain Alliance!" Alice eximed angrily. Liu Xing sighed, saying resignedly, "Actually, anyone with clear eyes can see that William is behind all of this, but those with ulterior motives won¡¯t care about that. They only see now as the perfect opportunity to push Scond out of the Great Britain Alliance. If things go as nned, those participating in the protests outside have already been stirred up by those with ulterior motives, preparing to plunge sgow into chaos." Baruka nodded earnestly from the side, adding, "Exactly. I spent a considerable amount of time in Scond in the past and got to know many locals through Rogers. It¡¯s undeniable that Scots have a very low sense of belonging to the Great Britain Alliance. Only about twenty percent of Scots believe that Scond should join the Great Britain Alliance. And those twenty percent, if they express their stance in public, are likely to face bacsh or even attacks from other Scots." "As for the remaining eighty percent of Scots, they can be divided into moderate and radical factions. The best example is Rogers and his son, William. Rogers belongs to the moderate faction. Although he believes Scond should leave the Great Britain Alliance, he also recognizes that Scond has been under English rule for centuries and is heavily reliant on Ennd in many aspects. So Rogers feels that Scond isn¡¯t ready to formally leave the Great Britain Alliance yet. After all, Scond still retains some autonomy in domestic affairs." "Then there¡¯s William, an extreme nationalist. His sole aim is for Scond to break free from English rule, leave the Great Britain Alliance, and be a truly independent country. What happens to Scond after independence isn¡¯t a concern for William and his ilk. That¡¯s also why Rogers doesn¡¯t want William to be his heir. He believes William would ruin the entire family. And now, William wants to ruin the entire Scond." Zhang Jingxu shrugged and said, "These matters are beyond our involvement. So, Mr. Baruka, you should gather your people quickly. Let¡¯s leave Scond as soon as possible. If this chaos esctes further, we might find ourselves trapped in sgow." "We can¡¯t leave anymore," Alice said, shaking her head as she held her mobile phone. "Scond¡¯s troops have arrived in sgow and begun joint operations with the local police to suppress the riots. But it¡¯s clear that they are just going through the motions under the instructions of those with ulterior motives. They¡¯re letting the riots continue. Ennd¡¯s attempts to send support have been rejected by Scond. So, sgow has be a besieged city. To leave sgow, we¡¯ll have to pass through the blockade set up by the Scottish police and military." Baruka furrowed his brows, saying helplessly, "Although I can shapeshift into a human form, resembling you all, my other kin are not as capable. At most, they can maintain the appearance of Innsmouth Face. If we act together, it¡¯ll attract too much attention. Cult of the Cadaver and Deep Diving Society will definitelye after us." Liu Xing nodded and said, "In that case, we¡¯ll have to wait here for now, until the chaos in sgow subsides a bit. Then we can figure out a way to leave."Although Liu Xing sounded casual, he was deeply worried. He was certain that yers from the opposing faction were ready to target their group. After all, members of the opposing faction were already in Scond, most likely in sgow, since the sudden mission urred there. yers wouldn¡¯t stray too far from sgow. Moreover, considering the current situation, the mastermind behind this chaos likely involved the Cult of the Cadaver. So, Liu Xing was sure that the Cult of the Cadaver could now mobilize the police forces in sgow. Therefore, if the opposing faction yers spent some effort investigating, it wouldn¡¯t be hard for them to discover that their group had entered sgow Cathedral. After all, a group of predominantly Asian-faced police officers wasn¡¯tmon in sgow. So, Liu Xing had no doubt that when their group left the underground tomb and returned to the surface, a group of Ghouls and Deep Ones would suddenly appear around them. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. The atmosphere in the underground tomb became even more oppressive as everyone fell into their own thoughts. After a while, the sound of a text message alert broke the silence once again. Alice picked up her mobile phone and looked at it, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Chris got some information from his Scottish friend. After 5 PM, Scond will officially start suppressing the riots. It¡¯s expected to bepletely under control by around 8 PM. However, the sgow police will continue patrolling, so we just need to be careful and bypass them to return to the shipyard where we came from today. Then we can safely return to Ennd." Liu Xing nodded, taking out his mobile phone to check the time. It was only one o¡¯clock in the afternoon. "It¡¯s still early. Do you guys want to rest and have something to eat?" Baruka suggested with a smile. Because they hade in such a hurry, Liu Xing and the others hadn¡¯t prepared any provisions. After all, they hadn¡¯t expected something like this to happen in sgow. So, when Baruka mentioned it, Liu Xing realized he was actually quite hungry. But what Liu Xing was more concerned about now was whether he could stomach the food eaten by the Deep Ones... Soon enough, Liu Xing realized he had worried needlessly because the food Baruka brought out was all canned. Delicious. After finishing lunch, Baruka spoke again, "The underground tomb has very limited space, so you can choose to rest in the low church. It¡¯s still under maintenance, so no one should bother us. Besides, considering theyout of sgow Cathedral, the riots are unlikely to reach it. Unless the people from the Deep Diving Society deliberatelye looking for us." sgow Cathedral sits atop a small slope, making it unlikely for rioters to reach, especially considering its special significance to Scond. After a moment of thought, Liu Xing signaled to Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa, saying, "Alright, Zhang Jingxu, Ling Ishikawa, and I will head up first. If there are any special circumstances, we¡¯ll contact you by phone." So, Liu Xing and the other two chose to head up to the low church to rest and keep watch as a lookout. "KP, can we still set up a safe point here?" Zhang Jingxu messaged KP Li Shunchan. KP Li Shunchan chuckled and replied, "Due to the sudden mission, you can now set sgow Cathedral as your temporary safe point. After the sudden mission ends, sgow Cathedral will no longer be your safe point." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, nodding. "Okay, please set sgow Cathedral as our temporary safe point. But does that include both the high church and the low church?" "Of course. sgow Cathedral now serves as your temporary safe point. You canmunicate freely now," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. As soon as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Liu Xing, what happened in the high church earlier?" Liu Xing sighed, saying, "The girl who came to me in the high church just now is Tian Qing, my high school ssmate and my first girlfriend..." Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa were dumbfounded. After a moment, Zhang Jingxu regained hisposure and said, "Liu Xing, are you sure about this?" Liu Xing nodded, saying earnestly, "I¡¯m a hundred percent certain it¡¯s her, Tian Qing. Initially, I thought she just looked simr, but as soon as she spoke, I knew it was her." Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow, saying, "This shouldn¡¯t be happening. When I first entered the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, I was also worried about encountering familiar faces in the modules. So, I even posted on the forum to ask about it. Other yers said they had never encountered familiar faces in the modules. Some yers even went to their own homes to check, but found nothing." Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement, adding, "That¡¯s right. Although these parallel worlds are highly simr to our real world, one thing is certain: the situations of yers in the real world should not appear in parallel worlds, even trivial matters..." "What if?" Liu Xing interjected before Ling Ishikawa could finish. Before Ling Ishikawa could continue, Liu Xing suddenly interrupted. Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu fell silent once again. Liu Xing sighed and leaned back on the bench, gazing up at the ceiling. When he saw Tian Qing, Liu Xing¡¯s first thought was disbelief, but soon after, a chill ran down his spine. After all, this was the real Cthulhu RPG Game. Most importantly, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but link this to the news he had seen in the real world ¡ª the incident of body snatching in Cosmic Country. So, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but start to suspect that the game was invading reality! If that were true, then there would be no way to continue ying. Liu Xing closed his eyes, unable to suppress a sigh. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa suddenly said, "Fortune favors the prepared mind. Even if disaster strikes, we can¡¯t avoid it. After we clear the module, we can check the news in the real world to see what¡¯s really going on." Zhang Jingxu sighed and smiled bitterly, "That¡¯s right. Once we return to the real world, everything will be clear. In fact, from the very beginning when the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall appeared, some people spected that it would eventually turn the game into reality. But over the years, many yers chose to ignore this spection. After all, the more we understand about the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, the more we realize how terrifying its power is..." Hearing this, Liu Xing nodded. From the current disy of power by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, turning the game into reality would be a piece of cake. So, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Alright, let¡¯s not dwell on these issues for now. Let¡¯s focus on the immediate problem. I believe Bai Hecheng and his group are probably on their way to cause trouble for us." Ling Ishikawa shrugged helplessly, saying, "Now that sgow has be Bai Hecheng¡¯s territory, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they find us. After all, our target is too big. But if it reallyes to a fight, I think Bai Hecheng and his group will still be wary. After all, they can¡¯t instantly control us. If ites to a fight, I¡¯m afraid the sanity points of the entire sgow poption will be tested." Just as Liu Xing was about to respond, a gunshot rang out from the direction of the high church. Without hesitation, Liu Xing rushed towards the high church. Seeing this, Ling Ishikawa quickly turned to Zhang Jingxu and said, "Zhang Jingxu, you go down first and call for some help." Ling Ishikawa then followed Liu Xing. By the time Liu Xing arrived, he had drawn his gun, but he had calmed down a bit by now. Instead of charging into the high church, he cautiously peeked inside to assess the situation. Inside the high church, two groups were in a standoff. One group consisted of the Scottish police officers standing in front of the tourists, while the other group was a bunch of shy, punk-looking locals, likely members of the sgow mafia. On the ground, one of the locals was rolling around, clutching his thigh. Of course, Liu Xing¡¯s primary concern was Tian Qing¡¯s safety, who was safely huddled with another girl. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief and decided to wait for backup before going in. After all, if he rushed in alone, it might provoke the locals. But if he waited for a couple more people toe and entered together, the locals would probably surrender. After all, there¡¯s strength in numbers. At that moment, Ling Ishikawa arrived at Liu Xing¡¯s side. Liu Xing briefed Ling Ishikawa on the current situation. So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa decided to hold their ground. After a while, Zhang Jingxu arrived with Alice and Ryuzaki. Then, Liu Xing and the others entered the high church with their guns. As expected, the locals, as Liu Xing had predicted, surrendered when they saw that the tide had turned. "Phew, we were wondering why you weren¡¯t in the high church. Turns out you went to the low church, huh? But you¡¯re just in time," the leading Scottish police officer said with a smile. Alice nodded and said, "Aftering all the way to sgow, it wouldn¡¯t be right if we didn¡¯t pay our respects to our ancestors in the low church. But why would these thugs dare to cause trouble here ?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 446: Sure Enough Chapter 446: Sure Enough The lead Scond 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 Scond 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 Scond can¡¯t break away from the Great Britain Alliance, we can still pressure Ennd into granting us more autonomy and benefits." Alice smiled again, adding, "Certainly. With Ennd 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 Scond police officer suddenly remarked. The lead Scond police officer nodded, sighing. "Indeed, these sacrifices are necessary. After all, over the centuries, our ancestors paid a heavy price in blood to resist Ennd¡¯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 Scond 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 rted to the Cult of the Cadaver. Also, judging by the attitudes of these Scond 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 Scond police officers." "Exactly. If this shooting incident is a joint operation between the Cult of the Cadaver and Scond, 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 isparatively 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 hade 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 Scond? 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 y 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 andughed, "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 sgow, 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 Scond 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. Scond is seizing this opportunity to pressure Ennd. Just now, I saw the news that the police officer shot by that William guy is from Ennd. Given the deep-seated animosity between Scond and Ennd, allowing the riot to continue unchecked is a way for Scond 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 Scond and Ennd ran so deep. But if William dies, won¡¯t this riot spread from sgow to all of Scond?" Liu Xing furrowed his brows, only just recalling that this sudden mission was titled "Scond Riots," not "sgow Riots"! So, the current sgow riots were just an appetizer! Therefore, if William¡¯s shooting triggered the sgow riots, then William¡¯s death might spark the Scond 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 Wace family, where William is from, in Scond?" Liu Xing asked. Alice thought for a moment and replied seriously, "The Wace family¡¯s status isn¡¯t particrly high. At most, they¡¯re considered nouveau riche. After all, if it weren¡¯t for Rogers¡¯ diligent work in establishing Scond¡¯s most famous real estatepany, 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, "Congrattions, yer, 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 hispanions exchanged nces. 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 contemtion, Alice spoke up, "Indeed, for the masterminds, William must die now. Once William is dead, the sgow riots will escte into the Scond Riots..." Alice hadn¡¯t finished her sentence when her mobile phone rang. "It¡¯s Chris," Alice said as she answered the call. One minuteter, 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 escting 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 Scond 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 apany us? We¡¯re short on manpower here." Alice nodded and smiled, "Of course, we¡¯re here in sgow to cooperate with your work." The lead Scond 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 toe with us, so we must leave Lu Tianya behind as a liaison. So, let¡¯s call Hu Li over." Everyone agreed with the n. 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 sgow Cathedral. Outside sgow Cathedral, Liu Xing saw chaos everywhere. Vehiclesy 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. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 447: Scapegoat Chapter 447: Scapegoat Though the crowd was in turmoil and numerous,cking organization, upon seeing so many armed police officers, they made the rational choice to evade. Thus, Liu Xing and others quickly arrived at the foreign tourist settlement near sgow Cathedral¡ªsgow Royal Hospital (for the sake of the plot, sgow Royal Hospital was conveniently ced next to the cathedral). Upon reaching sgow Royal Hospital, Liu Xing knew William was most likely here because sgow Royal Hospital was one of the most renowned hospitals in Scond. After all, a hospital bearing the title "Royal" in Europe was undoubtedly top-notch. Moreover, sgow Royal Hospital was now heavily guarded as many stranded foreign tourists had been sent here. Therefore, the police officers responsible for escorting these tourists also stayed temporarily. If William were to die at sgow Royal Hospital at this time, it would be a disgrace for the police officers stationed there. If the masterminds behind the scenes incited these police officers, the Scottish police force might very well choose to confront the English side. So, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at the hospital¡¯s ward building. After settling Tian Qing and other foreign tourists in the conference room of sgow Royal Hospital, Liu Xing and the others stayed at the entrance chatting. At this moment, Jack approached carrying a bag of beverages. "Hey everyone, I wasn¡¯t sure what vors you liked, so I bought a bunch for you to choose from. Thanks for your help this time." After randomly selecting a beverage, Alice said to John, "It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s what we should do. But speaking of which, Jack, I suppose William has been brought here too, right? After all, the Royal Hospital is the best hospital in sgow."Jack nodded, smiling. "You guessed right. William has indeed been brought to the Royal Hospital. I heard his surgery went fairly well; the bullet has been removed. However, William is still in aa, under the watch of four of my colleagues." Alice raised an eyebrow and remarked, "I see. If William manages to pull through this time, he could be the political rising star of Scond. Maybe in a decade or so, we¡¯ll be calling him the Prime Minister of Scond." Jack shrugged, expressing some concern. "That¡¯s one way to put it, but I believe the English side won¡¯t let William off easily. After all, what William is doing now is a direct affront to the English side, and Ennd is known for valuing its reputation. So, I¡¯m sure that even if William survives this time, in the next year, the English side will most likely assassinate him. Of course, they¡¯ll probably pin the me on the Russians." For these European countries, the Russians were the perfect scapegoats. Firstly, historically, Russians and European countries had their conflicts, and secondly, the current Russians were fierce enough in their actions, ustomed to being scapegoated by European countries. So, apart from their habitual retaliation, the Russians wouldn¡¯t do anything else. But then again, Liu Xing sometimes wondered if the Russians, feared even by tigers and bears, would also be adept at dealing with mythical creatures when the need arose? At this point, Ryuzaki sighed and said, "I¡¯ve heard a saying in China that goes, ¡¯The nail that sticks out gets hammered.¡¯ William, this prominent figure, has surely be the primary target for the English side. After all, if Scond breaks away from the Great Britain Alliance, it¡¯s not just a matter of losing face for Ennd; they¡¯ll also lose a significant amount of practical benefits." Zhang Jingxu shook his head, smiling. "William is seeking fortune in danger. After all, William is no fool; he should know his own weight. If he dares to stand out, he¡¯ll definitely face retaliation from the English side. But he still chose to do so, indicating that he must have mentally prepared himself for the worst." At that moment, Jack¡¯s waist-mounted radio crackled to life. "Jack, have you arrived at the Royal Hospital? If you have,e to the sixth floor to take over guarding William for us. We¡¯re off to grab a meal now," a male voice said. Jack chuckled and replied, "Of course, I¡¯ll bring someone to relieve you now. But after this is over, you owe me a drink." The male voice chuckled in agreement. "Absolutely. Jack, hurry up to the sixth floor of the ward. We¡¯re famished, and those damn politicians upstairs only think about having us protect William, without considering sending us some food. I¡¯m seriously considering cursing their entire families right now." Jack put away the radio and said to Alice, "Alright, everyone, my buddy asked me to temporarily take over guarding William, so I¡¯ll be heading off now. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner when we get the chance." Alice nodded, smiling. "That would be great. But Jack, do you have enough manpower? I remember your subordinates were sent to escort those troublemakers, right?" It was then that Jack pped his forehead, somewhat helpless. "Right, I just had them escort those troublemakers back to the police station, so now I don¡¯t have anyone under mymand. But I think I can guard William alone; after all, there are police officers all over Royal Hospital now. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem." Big problem. Liu Xing and the others, knowing that assassins were prepared to attack William, understood that the changing of the guard was the most likely time for the assassins to strike. Moreover, the police officers in Royal Hospital were currently very rxed, making it easy for assassins to sneak in. Furthermore, these assassins were sent by Scond itself, so they should have no trouble disguising themselves as Scottish police officers and sneaking into the Royal Hospital effortlessly. Therefore, Liu Xing and the others knew the assassins were ready to act now. So, Ling Ishikawa quickly spoke up, "Well then, since we¡¯re idle anyway, let¡¯s apany Jack to guard William. After all, when William truly bes the Prime Minister of Scond in the future, we can boast to others that we once protected him." After a moment of contemtion, Jack nodded and said, "So be it. I¡¯ll have to trouble you all once again. Let¡¯s go now." And so, Liu Xing and his group followed Jack to the sixth floor of the ward. But inside the elevator, Alice looked at the signs indicating the departments on each floor with some confusion. "Jack, are you sure your friend asked you toe to the sixth floor of the ward to guard William? But the sign here says the sixth floor is the oncology department. Would William really be here?" Jack furrowed his brow, somewhat uncertain. "It should be here. Maybe they¡¯re trying to mislead others by cing William in the oncology department?" Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but sigh, knowing that they were going on a wild goose chase this time. After all, Jack¡¯s exnation was unlikely to hold water. The shooting incident involving William was already widely known, and now Royal Hospital was bustling with people. Just a little inquiry would reveal which ward William was in. Therefore, Liu Xing was certain that Jack had fallen into a trap. Sure enough, when Liu Xing and his group arrived on the sixth floor, they didn¡¯t see the police officer whom Jack was supposed to rece. "Damn it." At this point, Jack had also realized that something was amiss. He took out his walkie-talkie intending to contact the previous police officer. Of course, the result was fruitless. "Damn it, I¡¯ve been ambushed," Jack cursed under his breath. Clearly, Jack was now a pawn in the game, and Liu Xing also understood the scheming of the mastermind behind the scenes¡ªto make Jack a scapegoat. "Time is of the essence now. We must quickly find the room where William is because, without a doubt, William is about to sacrifice himself for the country," Alice said calmly. At this moment, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "Alright, now it¡¯s time for each yer to make a Judgment, whether it¡¯s inspiration or luck, to determine if you can find William¡¯s room first. Of course, this Judgment will still be a blind vote." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and decisively chose inspiration. Then, the sound of dice rolling echoed. "So, yer Liu Xing, you believe that William¡¯s room should be in the Intensive Care Unit because the ICU is rtively secluded. After assassinating William, the assassins can easily escape, and it will cause a significant disturbance immediately," KP Li Shunchan privately messaged Liu Xing. Liu Xing nodded gently. He had previously thought that William should be in the ICU. After all, William¡¯s current status was quite special; he wouldn¡¯t likely be ced in a regr ward. As KP Li Shunchan mentioned, in general, besides doctors and nurses, the ICU only had severely ill oratose patients. Therefore, the two assassins could kill William without pressure and then escape. At this point, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Now, the possible rooms where William might be are the surgery, orthopedics, and ICU. Among them, I believe the ICU is the most likely option. ording to the news earlier, William fell into aa due to excessive blood loss. Now that William¡¯s surgery is over, theoretically, he should have been transferred to the ICU... Of course, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility of William being hidden in other departments." Alice thought for a moment and said, "To be safe, let¡¯s split up into three groups. Ryuzaki and I will go to orthopedics, Ling Ishikawa and Hu Li will go to surgery, Zhang Jingxu, Liu Xing, and Jack will go to the ICU. When we find William, we¡¯ll use the walkie-talkie to contact each other. If there are no objections, let¡¯s set off now." Although Liu Xing felt that Alice¡¯s arrangement of Ling Ishikawa and Hu Li together was a bit troublesome, there was no time to quibble now. So, Liu Xing, Zhang Jingxu, and Jack took the elevator together, heading to the ICU on the top floor. In the elevator, Jack took out his gun and said, "If things go as nned, the assassins assigned to kill William should be here soon. So, let¡¯s prepare our guns. If we spot the assassins, we¡¯ll attack directly. After all, those assassins won¡¯t hold back." Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu nodded, preparing their guns. Soon, the three of them arrived at the ICU. At this moment, the ICU was quiet. Liu Xing took a few steps forward and checked the duty room of the ICU, only to find it empty. Seeing this, Liu Xing knew for sure that William must be in the ICU. Liu Xing gave Zhang Jingxu a nce, and Zhang Jingxu immediately took out the walkie-talkie to contact Alice and the others. Then, the three of them began to cautiously explore the ICU. It must be said that the ICU was the closest ce to death in the hospital. Because of the disappearance of doctors and nurses, there were only silently lying patients in the ICU. Apart from the footsteps of Liu Xing and his group, there was no other sound. At this moment, Liu Xing heard the sound of the elevator doors opening. However, Liu Xing knew that it couldn¡¯t be Ling Ishikawa and the othersing out of the elevator now, as they wouldn¡¯t arrive so quickly. So, the only possibility for those who came to the ICU now was the assassins sent to kill William. Therefore, Liu Xing and his group, after exchanging a nce, quietly retreated, only to see two figures wearing skull masks and holding submachine guns. Submachine guns?! Liu Xing was shocked because in such narrow terrain, the power of submachine guns was not to be underestimated. At this moment, as an experienced police officer, Jack chose to draw his gun without hesitation. After three gunshots, one of the masked figures was hit in the thigh and fell to the ground. However, the bullet that hit his chest only sparked off, indicating that both of these masked figures were wearing bulletproof vests. This was even more troublesome because ordinary police pistols had weak pration and would find it difficult to pierce through bulletproof vests. At the same time, the uninjured masked figure on the opposite side also reacted and immediately sprayed bullets towards Liu Xing and hispanions¡¯ position. Under the enemy¡¯s suppressing fire, Liu Xing and his group could only take cover. "Damn it, how do these guys have submachine guns and bulletproof vests?" Jack cursed again. However, realizing that the two masked figures had guessed that Liu Xing and his team were low on firepower, the injured masked figure was responsible for providing cover while the other cautiously approached, preparing to eliminate Liu Xing and his group. At this moment, Zhang Jingxu had a sh of inspiration. He raised the volume of the walkie-talkie and said, "Alice, where are you guys now?!" "We should be about half a minute away. Is something wrong on your end?" Alice asked anxiously. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 448: Stratagem Chapter 448: Stratagem Zhang Jingxu¡¯s exchange with Alice was evidently intended for the two men in ck to hear. Upon learning that Alice and herpanions would arrive at the Intensive Care Unit, the two men in ck promptly chose to retreat. Despite their firepower advantage, they understood the principle that ants could overwhelm an elephant. Continuing the fight now would not be in their favor. Thus, while maintaining suppressive fire on Liu Xing¡¯s group, the two men withdrew to the elevator. Although Liu Xing¡¯s group wanted to intercept the two men, their inferiority in firearms rendered them powerless, only able to watch helplessly as the two men descended in the elevator. Zhang Jingxu took out his walkie-talkie and said, "Alice, we just encountered two men armed with submachine guns. They are likely the assassins targeting William. They¡¯ve already taken the middle elevator downstairs. Send someone to watch the elevator now. We must seize the opportunity to apprehend them." "OK," Alice replied briskly before ending the transmission. Meanwhile, Jack sessfully contacted other police officers in the Royal Hospital and informed them of the recent events in the Intensive Care Unit. As the right elevator door opened, Ling Ishikawa emerged, stating, "The two killers have left the elevator on the third floor. ording to information from medical staff on the third floor, they¡¯re likely nning to escape to the parking lot through the fire escape route." Zhang Jingxu nodded and entered the elevator, saying, "Then let¡¯s hurry downstairs and try to intercept these killers. We cannot let them escape."However, Jack shook his head, saying, "I¡¯ll stay here in the Intensive Care Unit for now. While we¡¯re not entirely sure if William is here, leaving now might make us susceptible to usations of dereliction of duty. Besides, staying here can prevent those killers from making a surprise return." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that although the killers had fled through the fire escape route and one was injured in the leg, limiting their mobility, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean they intended to escape Royal Hospital. They might indeed, as Jack suggested, attempt a counterattack and return to the Intensive Care Unit to continue their assassination n. So, should they pursue the killers or stay in the Intensive Care Unit and observe the situation, waiting to confirm the killers¡¯ whereabouts before deciding? Before Liu Xing and his group could dwell on it, Alice¡¯s voice came over the walkie-talkie, "The killers are heading towards the parking lot now. However, other police officers outside have begun attacking and besieging them... Damn, they¡¯ve been forced into the conference room!" Hearing this, Liu Xing immediately entered the elevator, pressing the button for the first floor, as Tian Qing was still in the conference room! Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu understood this and said nothing more. Thus, Liu Xing¡¯s group descended in the elevator. However, just as the elevator doors closed, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice rolling. Frowning, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this ongoing judgment was rted to Jack and William. Was Jack also an assassin? Nevertheless, at this point, Liu Xing and his group had no reason to return to the Intensive Care Unit. They could only proceed to the conference room with doubts and unease. Outside the conference room, dozens of police officers had blocked all exits, ready to shoot down the killers the moment they stepped out. Liu Xing approached Alice anxiously, asking, "Alice, what¡¯s the situation now?" Alice shook her head, sighing, "After entering the conference room, the killers seized control of the foreign tourists inside and refused anymunication with us. We can¡¯t enter the conference room to arrest them. So, we¡¯re at a standstill." A stalemate. This was thest thing Liu Xing and his team wanted. Time was precious, and further dy could jeopardize their evacuation from Scond back to Ennd. "By the way, don¡¯t you find it strange? Why haven¡¯t the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Diving Society shown up yet?" Yis People surveyed the surroundings, questioning. Hu Li, beside him, shook her head, pointing at the conference room. "No, these two killers are from the Cult of the Cadaver. I can sense a distinct corpse odor on them, the kind that only appears on those who have consumed human flesh." Since Hu Li confirmed it, it was conclusive that the two killers were from the Cult of the Cadaver. Liu Xing nodded and said, "So it seems the Cult of the Cadaver isn¡¯t just focused on high-level operations as we thought. Their influence has already infiltrated the lower ranks of police officers." Just then, a ck-d figure emerged from the conference room, shouting loudly, "Prepare a fully fueled armored vehicle for us within twenty minutes! Otherwise, we¡¯ll kill everyone in the conference room. Remember, everyone. We won¡¯t hesitate to kill each and every one of them." After speaking, the figure turned and went back into the conference room, not worried in the slightest that the police officers behind might open fire. "Damn, is this killer doing this deliberately? His strong London ent has exposed his identity. Now, this me will squarely fall on us, the English," Alicemented with frustration. Old habits die hard. For police officers, a criminal¡¯s ent could reveal a lot of information. Experienced officers were familiar with various regional dialects and ents. So, the Scottish police officers present also recognized the ent of the ck-d figure. Thus, Liu Xing heard the Scottish police officers around him cursing Ennd. In the current situation, even if the two ck-d figures weren¡¯t from Ennd, the Scots would still assume they were English. Regardless, the objectives of the two ck-d figures had been achieved. They had sessfully shifted me onto Ennd once again. But for Liu Xing at that moment, these matters were not important. What mattered was how to rescue Tian Qing, who was trapped in the conference room. Because the sgow Royal Hospital had a ster reputation, boasting world-leading departments, it often hosted various medical forums and conferences. Therefore, the conference room at the sgow Royal Hospital was a massive auditorium capable of amodating hundreds of people, which also contributed to why it became a temporary shelter. Currently, there were over two hundred foreign tourists trapped inside the conference room. Liu Xing rubbed his temples. Though there were only two enemies in the conference room, they were armed with submachine guns, posing a serious threat. If Liu Xing¡¯s teamunched a frontal assault, the two men in ck would undoubtedly harm the hostages. After all, the true identities of these two men in ck were members of the Cult of the Cadaver, who were even more terrifying than extremists. Therefore, Liu Xing began to suspect that the true targets of these two members of the Cult of the Cadaver might be the foreign tourists in the conference room. At this moment, Alice spoke up, "Damn it, I knew the Scond side had colluded with the Cult of the Cadaver. The special police in sgow will take at least half an hour to reach here due to roadblocks. As for the armored vehicle the killer demanded, it¡¯s impossible to deliver it here within twenty minutes." Liu Xing frowned. Things were getting troublesome indeed. Meanwhile, the surrounding Scottish police officers were in tense discussion. After all, there were over two hundred foreign tourists in the conference room. If the two men in ck started ughtering them, there would undoubtedly be casualties in the double digits. Then, these Scottish police officers would also face severe consequences. Therefore, a few representatives among the Scottish police officers present began intense discussions. Suddenly, Liu Xing came up with a n. "Since we only have two enemies, they can¡¯t possibly guard all entrances to the conference room. Moreover, there are many windows in the conference room. So, we can ambush near the windows and entrances, waiting for the right moment to strike and kill the two men in ck. Of course, this is quite risky. Unless we can ensure a clean kill before they react, casualties are inevitable." The others nodded. Given the current situation, Liu Xing¡¯s n was indeed the best solution. "OK, I¡¯ll go talk to the Scottish police officers now. If they agree to support our n, we should be good to go," Alice said, heading to find the officers who were discussing. One minuteter, Alice returned, saying, "OK, they¡¯ve agreed to our n. We¡¯ve been assigned to the rear door of the conference room. Once the operation begins, we¡¯ll enter through the rear door." Due to the urgency of the situation, Liu Xing and his team immediately began their operation, making their way to the rear door of the conference room without any pressure. Unfortunately, the curtains in the conference room were drawn, so to avoid alerting the suspects, Liu Xing and his team didn¡¯t dare to open them to observe the situation inside. Thus, Liu Xing could only eavesdrop on the conference room¡¯s activities from the rear door. However, to Liu Xing¡¯s surprise, the conference room was eerily silent, with not even a whisper heard. This was highly unusual. After all, there were over two hundred foreign tourists in the conference room. It was unlikely for there to beplete silence. Could it be...? Liu Xing frowned, switched his mobile phone to recording mode, and slipped it through the door crack into the conference room. Thirty secondster, Liu Xing retrieved his mobile phone, plugged in his earphones, and yed back the recording at maximum volume. To his shock, there was indeed no sounding from the conference room! Realizing something was amiss, Liu Xing directly opened the rear door and entered the conference room. The conference room was empty! Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s sudden action, Zhang Jingxu and the others, along with the Scottish police officers, quickly entered the conference room and stared nkly at the empty space. In the middle of the corridor to the right of the conference room, there was suddenly arge pit. "Damn, we¡¯ve been tricked," Liu Xing cursed. Approaching the edge of the pit, Ling Ishikawa felt the mud and spoke, "From the traces inside the tunnel, it seems that the Ghoul dug this tunnel only a few minutes ago. Therefore, the Cult of the Cadaver probably intended to target the foreign tourists in the conference room from the beginning. It seems we¡¯ve fallen into the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s trap." Zhang Jingxu nodded helplessly. "If things go as expected, the Cult of the Cadaver initially nned to use a diversionary tactic to send the two killers to assassinate William, attracting the attention of the police officers in the hospital. When we unexpectedly ran into them, the Cult of the Cadaver decided to stick to their n, making the two killers pretend to flee to the conference room. Then, using dying tactics, they set forth some difficult conditions to prevent the police from acting rashly. In conjunction with the underground Cult of the Cadaver followers, they kidnapped all the foreign tourists in the conference room." Liu Xing sighed. "So what do we do now? Should we follow this tunnel to pursue the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people? After all, it¡¯s only been about five or six minutes since they left, and with so many foreign tourists, they can¡¯t move quickly." "Yes, to be precise, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people should have opened this tunnel about ten minutes ago. Because ten minutes ago, I suddenly felt the atmosphere in the conference room be chaotic, making it impossible for me to discern the situation inside. So, we can still pursue them. However, it¡¯s better for me to go alone. Once I confirm the whereabouts of the Cult of the Cadaver, I¡¯ll contact you by phone," Hu Li said seriously. Liu Xing nodded decisively, and Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa naturally agreed as well. Thus, Liu Xing and the others surrounded the pit, blocking the view of the Scottish police officers, allowing Hu Li to transform back and enter the tunnel. Then, Liu Xing and his team decided to leave the hospital and return to the cathedral. After all, high-ranking officials from the sgow police would arrive here shortly. If their identities were exposed, they might really be in trouble. However, just as Liu Xing and his team were about to leave the conference room, they heard a barrage of gunfire erupting from the top floor of the hospital! "Oh, not again," Yis People couldn¡¯t help but exim. Clearly, another assassin had arrived at the Intensive Care Unit to assassinate William, and a battle had ensued with Jack, who was guarding there. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 449: Special Operation Chapter 449: Special Operation "What should we do? Should we go up and take a look now?" Liu Xing frowned, speaking up. Zhang Jingxu nced at the Scond police officers running towards the hospital and shook his head, saying, "Let¡¯s just forget it for now. There¡¯s too many people around, and going up there to join the crowd wouldn¡¯t make much sense. So let¡¯s take this opportunity to go back to the cathedral." Liu Xing nodded and discreetly left sgow Royal Hospital with Zhang Jingxu and the others. Meanwhile, on the streets, aside from the mess, it seemed like all the rioters had already dispersed. "It looks like the riot is about to end," Alice sighed. Liu Xing nodded, but he had a different perspective because he felt that Bai Hecheng and their mission were likely the cause of the major riot in Scond. Looking at the current situation, Bai Hecheng seemed to have gainedplete control, so Liu Xing was certain that with Bai Hecheng¡¯s personality, they would seize the opportunity to expand their advantage. So, trouble was brewing. Without the rioters obstructing them, Liu Xing and the others quickly returned to sgow Cathedral.By this time, sgow Cathedral was deserted. Then, Liu Xing and the others used the excuse of keeping watch to stay in the high church, while Alice and the others returned to the low church to meet up with Matsui Yui and the rest. "The situation is very unfavorable for us now. We arepletely on the defensive. I never expected that the Cult of the Cadaver would still be nning to kidnap foreign tourists. But what do they want with so many foreign tourists? If they just want to carry out some terrorist attacks or conduct a ritual ceremony, they shouldn¡¯t need so many people," Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but remark. Ling Ishikawa rubbed his chin, speaking seriously, "I think Bai Hecheng and their main quest might be different from ours. Simply put, their main quest isn¡¯t a specific goal, but a numerical value, like an influence value?" Zhang Jingxu nodded, saying, "Indeed, there is such a possibility. I remember seeing simr missions on forums before, where yers gain influence points through various events, and the level of influence affects the progress of the module. So judging by Bai Hecheng¡¯s actions now, their main quest should be rted to some kind of point system." Liu Xing sighed helplessly, saying with a bitter smile, "Then this sudden mission should provide Bai Hecheng with a lot of points. After all, kidnapping over two hundred foreign tourists right under the noses of so many Scond police officers would definitely cause a huge reaction once the news gets out. And of course, this news will definitely get out." Ling Ishikawa shrugged, saying, "The only good news now is that William probably hasn¡¯t been killed yet, since KP hasn¡¯t hinted at William¡¯s death. So we still have a chance to turn the tables." Ling Ishikawa said that, but Liu Xing and the others knew that their chances of turning the tables were very slim. Most importantly, Liu Xing was worried about Tian Qing. Zhang Jingxu also noticed Liu Xing¡¯s worried expression and could only pat Liu Xing on the shoulder, saying, "Liu Xing, you have to trust Hu Li¡¯s tracking ability now. And judging by the way the Cult of the Cadaver is behaving, Tian Qing and the others shouldn¡¯t be in danger in the short term. But the most important thing now is, Liu Xing, you¡¯re sure that this Tian Qing is the same one you know from the real world, right?" Liu Xing nodded, affirming, "Yes, I¡¯m sure of that now. So there are only two possibilities. The first is that Tian Qing, like Lu Tianya, lost her character card after entering the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. The second possibility is what we mentioned before, that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall has begun invading reality, turning our real world into a parallel world for the game. And I¡¯m more inclined towards the second possibility because as far as I know, Tian Qing has no knowledge of Cthulhu myth, so logically, she shouldn¡¯t have entered the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall." Ling Ishikawa nodded, saying, "That makes sense. The prerequisite for entering the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is that the yer must have some understanding and interest in Cthulhu myth." Just then, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s phone suddenly rang, and without much thought, it was naturally from Hu Li. Ling Ishikawa answered the call and put it on speakerphone. "Sister Hu Li, what¡¯s the situation now?" "The situation is a bit tricky now because the people from the Cult of the Cadaver have taken those foreign tourists onto a fishing boat. If nothing goes wrong, they should be heading to Ennd. So I¡¯m currently undercover on this fishing boat, and I¡¯ll contact you after the boat docks," Hu Li said before hanging up. Zhang Jingxu rubbed his chin, saying, "Ennd, huh? It seems like the main target of the Cult of the Cadaver is still in Ennd. But we don¡¯t know if Bai Hecheng and the others are following that fishing boat back to Ennd." Liu Xing thought for a moment, shaking his head. "They probably aren¡¯t. After all, the sudden mission hasn¡¯t ended yet, so Bai Hecheng and the others probably won¡¯t leave Enndpletely..." BOOM! Before Liu Xing could finish his sentence, a deafening explosion came from the direction of sgow Royal Hospital! "Damn, are they really going mad?!" Ling Ishikawa eximed in shock. Liu Xing hurriedly stepped out of the high church, looking towards sgow Royal Hospital, only to see billowing smoke rising into the sky. At this moment, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "The sudden mission has entered a new stage - the sgow Big Explosion. Because there has been a major explosion in the hospital¡¯s ward, causing arge number of casualties among civilians and police officers, the situation in Scond has be even more tense. Now, yers can choose whether to ept Chris¡¯s newmission." A newmission? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, already having a rough idea of what Chris¡¯s newmission might be. After a while, Alice arrived with Ryuzaki and the others at the high church. "Chris just called me on the phone, asking if we¡¯re willing to join a special task force. The goal of this special task force is to investigate who is behind the current situation in Scond. But because the situation in Scond is too tense right now, the number of people in this special task force is only two. So that¡¯s why they need our help." Liu Xing nodded, somewhat puzzled. "Oh, did Chris say what we need to do, and how do we leave Scond if we join this special task force?" Alice thought for a moment and replied, "Chris said we only need to protect the two members of the special task force. The specific mission objectives will only be revealed when we meet those two members. But Chris mentioned that if the operation goes smoothly, our n to leave Scond will proceed as scheduled tonight." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "It seems like this mission¡¯s process is quite short, only requiring a few hours toplete. I think we can ept this mission since Chris has spoken. We should give Chris some face." Liu Xing nodded, smiling. "Exactly, we should respect Chris¡¯s request. So let¡¯s join this special task force." Alice also smiled, saying, "Alright then, because this mission is quite special, only four of us can join the special task force at most. Ryuzaki and I will take two spots, so who among you would like toe?" Liu Xing frowned, not expecting that there would only be two spots avable for yers this time. But it was understandable since Alice was the liaison officer, and Ryuzaki¡¯sbat skills were unquestionable. It was normal for the two of them to join the special task force. At this moment, Yi¡¯s People suddenly spoke up, "How about this, Ling Ishikawa and I will stay behind. Ryuusei and Zhang Jingxu can join this special task force. Having too many girls might attract attention." Alice nodded in agreement, adding, "Yes, since the riot hasn¡¯t beenpletely quelled yet, local thugs may still be lurking around. If these guys are high, they might choose to attack us. So I think it¡¯s better for Ling Ishikawa to stay." Ling Ishikawa shook his head helplessly, saying with a bitter smile, "Alright, let Liu Xing and me stay behind. We¡¯ll contact you by pher. But I want to emphasize again, I¡¯m just temporarily in a female body, so please treat me as male." The high church suddenly filled with cheerful atmosphere. After some simple preparation, Liu Xing and the others set off to meet up with the special task force from Ennd. Soon, Liu Xing and the others found themselves in a restaurant near sgow Royal Hospital, where they saw two men in Scond police uniforms. After Alice got a clear look at one of the men¡¯s faces, she couldn¡¯t help but whisper, "Why is this guy here too? Try not to talk to the guy sitting on the leftter, especially you, Ryuusei and Zhang Jingxu, because he¡¯s quite entric." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, unable to resist observing the man sitting on the right. From his appearance, the man looked to be around thirty years old, handsome, with neatly trimmed beard, resembling a typical English gentleman from the movies. At that moment, the man stood up and said, "You must be the helpers Chris mentioned. I¡¯m Burke White, a forensic pathologist. It¡¯s a pleasure to work with you all." Alice nodded, smiling, "I¡¯ve heard of Mr. Burke¡¯s name for a long time. I¡¯ve heard that Mr. Burke is one of the best young forensic pathologists in Ennd. I¡¯m truly honored to be able to work with Mr. Burke today. But please allow me to introduce Mr. Burke to you. This is Ryuzaki, a pilot from the United States of America stationed in the Ind Nation. He¡¯s very skilled with firearms. And these two are Zhang Jingxu and Watanabe Ryuusei, both famous ultists from the Ind Nation, specialized in investigating missing foreign tourists." Upon hearing that Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu were ultists, Burke¡¯s eyes lit up, and he stepped forward, saying with a smile, "Oh, so both of you are ultists from the East. Would you be interested in conducting academic research with me after this operation? Although I¡¯m a forensic pathologist, I¡¯m very interested in the ult, and I¡¯ve encountered many paranormal events." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, nodding, "Of course, Mr. Burke, we¡¯d be happy to conduct research with you on the ult. But let¡¯s focus on the task at hand for now. Mr. Burke, could you tell us what the mission objective of this special task force is?" Burke shrugged, pointing to another person, saying, "You¡¯ll have to ask our team leader, Mr. Rhodes, about that. All I know for now is that I¡¯m here to perform autopsies." At that moment, Rhodes stood up and said seriously, "Let me cut to the chase. Half an hour ago, Scond officially informed Ennd that William was attacked by Ennd police officers at sgow Royal Hospital and is now confirmed dead. So they¡¯re asking for an exnation from us, or else Scond will start a full-scale blockade and unterally withdraw from the Great Britain Alliance. Therefore, our goal this time is to find William¡¯s body, perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. If we can confirm that William died from other causes, we can turn the tables on Scond." Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but frown because logically, if William had died, KP Li Shunchan would have hinted at it. After all, William¡¯s life or death would affect the development of the sudden mission. So Liu Xing now believed that William probably hadn¡¯t died. But based on the previous situation, Liu Xing was certain that Scond intended to deal with William, but if William was still alive, it meant that he had escaped Scond¡¯s control. So if they could find William next, Scond would have to bow to the English authorities. Then, this sudden mission could be considered a victory for their side. At this point, Alice spoke up, "But speaking of which, do you guys know what just happened with the big explosion?" Burke shook his head, somewhat puzzled. "We¡¯re not sure about that because Scond hasn¡¯t provided any exnation yet. The only thing we know is that the explosion urred on the top floor of the hospital ward." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 450: Corpse Examination Chapter 450: Corpse Examination Liu Xing frowned, unexpectedly the recent explosion had urred in the intensive care unit. "Well, that¡¯s troublesome. The top floor of the hospital is the ICU, and we had basically confirmed that William was staying there. If William is dead and hasn¡¯t been moved from the ICU, his body might be unrecognizable by now," Zhang Jingxu pretended to express concern. However, Buke remained calm and said, "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a big problem. Back when I was on the battlefield in Iraq, I¡¯ve seen all sorts of corpses, even those blown into pieces. I could determine the exact cause of death for those bodies. So as long as we can get ess to William¡¯s body, give me half an hour, and we canplete the mission." Rhodes nodded, saying, "OK, since Mr. Buke, you¡¯re so confident, I¡¯ll trust you. Time is of the essence now, let¡¯s head to the sgow Royal Hospital. Our informant there is ready to assist us." Thus, Liu Xing and the others once again arrived at the sgow Royal Hospital and saw their contact waiting for them in the parking lot¡ªa senior man wearing a white coat. Alice raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, "I didn¡¯t expect our insider to be Mendez. Mendez is quite influential in the Scottish medicalmunity." Liu Xing chuckled, "So Mendez is the legendary turncoat, huh?" Alice nodded, smiling, "From the Scottish perspective, Mendez can indeed be considered a turncoat. But I remember Mendez came from a poor family. If it weren¡¯t for the charity of a kind person when he was young, Mendez might just be an ordinary person now. Moreover, Mendez also studied at a university in Ennd, so it¡¯s normal for him to help us." However, Liu Xing still had some concerns. Mendez might be a double agent; after all, betraying one¡¯s own nation isn¡¯t an easy decision.At this point, Mendez took out a box and said, "Time is short. I heard they¡¯ll soon send people to take away William¡¯s body. We have at most half an hour to an hour." Rhodes took the box, opened it, and found inside two sets of white coats, four sets of non-medical staff blue uniforms, and six masks. After a brief discussion, Alice and Buke put on the white coats, while Liu Xing and the other four put on the blue uniforms. Then, Mendez led Liu Xing and the others to the morgue of sgow Royal Hospital. On the way, Rhodes couldn¡¯t help but ask Mendez, "Mr. Mendez, do you know if the body in the morgue is indeed William?" Mendez shook his head, somewhat helpless, "I¡¯m not sure either. My specialty is neurology, so when William was brought in due to gunshot wounds, it didn¡¯t pass through my hands. Besides, our director issued a gag order immediately, forbidding doctors and nurses involved in the surgery from disclosing William¡¯s condition. So I only got some hearsay." Rhodes nodded, this was within his expectations. Meanwhile, Alice took the opportunity to tell Liu Xing and the others about Buke, "As you just saw, Buke is very obsessed with mysticism. But strictly speaking, he¡¯s just a case of chuunibyou. He always believes he canmunicate with corpses, which is why he¡¯s one of the best in the English forensic circle. But my master has specifically observed him dissecting bodies and found that he doesn¡¯t actuallymunicate with them. You understand what I mean." Liu Xing nodded, understanding that Alice was hinting at Buke having delusional disorder, thinking he couldmunicate with corpses due to his supposedly extraordinary talent. NPCs like Buke were quite challenging for yers since they were mostly superficial enthusiasts. Although they were usually enthusiastic about mysticism, their reactions might be more severe than ordinary people when encountering mythical creatures and supernatural events. So considering Buke¡¯s potential delusional disorder, Liu Xing suspected Buke¡¯s sanity points weren¡¯t high. At this point, Liu Xing and the others had sessfully arrived at the morgue. However, in the morgue at this moment, there was a police officer and a doctor examining apletely disfigured body wearing a police uniform. Liu Xing frowned because the body looked a lot like Jack. "Oh, Dr. Mendez, what brings you here?" the doctor said, somewhat surprised. Mendez remainedposed and said, "The director said to prepare to transport both William and the bodies of the deceased police officers, so we¡¯re here to determine the identities of William and those officers, and to tidy up their appearance as much as possible. After all, they are heroes of Scond." Upon hearing Mendez¡¯s words, the police officer immediately saluted Mendez and earnestly said, "Thank you, Professor Mendez. I hope you can arrange for my colleagues to rest in peace and prepare them for their journey." Mendez nodded, pointing to the body suspected to be Jack, "Hmm, but speaking of which, do you have any issues with this body you¡¯re examining?" The police officer sighed, somewhat resigned, "This body was found in the ICU after the explosion. It¡¯s the only body wearing a police uniform found at the scene. But ording to our investigation, there were at least two individuals wearing police uniforms in the ICU at the time¡ªone was our colleague, and the other was the assassin who came to attack William. So we need to confirm the true identity of this body to facilitate our police department¡¯s decision-making." Mendez chuckled, patting Buke beside him, "Then let us handle this matter. This is my good friend Witt. He currently serves as a forensic scientist in the Nethends police force. So I requested to have him assist me with this work." The doctor and the police officer exchanged a nce, then said, "We¡¯ll leave it to you, Dr. Mendez. After all, I¡¯m just a temporary recruit pulled in. I¡¯ve been studying this body for half a day and still haven¡¯t determined whether it¡¯s a police officer or the killer." Mendez smiled again and said earnestly, "Everyone has their specialties. Even if you ask me to identify this body, I can only say ¡¯seek further advice¡¯. But luckily, Witt is here. Alright, this morgue is quite small. You all go about your tasks, and I¡¯ll contact the higher-ups once we have results." So, the police officer and the doctor left the morgue together. After checking the door lock, Mendez turned and said, "Alright, we can start now." Buke had already found the bodybeled "William Wace" and, together with Rhodes, ced it on the autopsy table. This body was also best described aspletely disfigured, with severe burns all over, especially on the face, which was unrecognizable. Buke put on rubber gloves and took out a scalpel to start his work, while Rhodes took out a small camera and began recording. Soon, Buke came to a conclusion, "The cause of death for this body is indeed gunshot wounds. However, it¡¯s strange because there¡¯s only one gunshot wound in the heart area, but ording to the previous video footage of William being shot, he was hit at least three times, none of which were in the heart area. So this body cannot be William¡¯s." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Buke¡¯s quick conclusion. Rhodes, holding the camera, nodded and said, "OK, with this video footage, Scond won¡¯t be able to deceive us. But the most important question now is: where is William?" "If everything goes as expected, William should still be in the hospital. Because I can confirm William was indeed brought to the hospital and fell into temporary unconsciousness due to excessive bleeding from the gunshot wounds. Since William was brought to the hospital, I¡¯ve found an excuse to go to the hospital¡¯s surveince room and haven¡¯t seen any suspicious vehicles leaving the hospital. So William should be hidden in a room somewhere in the hospital," Mendez said seriously. Rhodes nodded, stroking his chin, "What do you all think? Should we try to find William? If we can find him, Scond will surrenderpletely, and our mission will be more than aplished." Alice frowned, worriedly saying, "But that¡¯s not easy. The hospital is sorge, and searching for William without any clues is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Plus, we could be exposed at any moment. So I think it¡¯s better to retreat directly. After all, our mission has already been aplished." At this point, Zhang Jingxu walked up to Liu Xing and whispered, "Ryuusei, what do you think now?" Liu Xing thought for a moment and said seriously, "I think we still have a chance to find William. ording to previous intelligence, William should still be in the hospital. And if William hasn¡¯t been controlled by Scond or the Cult of the Cadaver, then he should be hiding in the fire escape." Zhang Jingxu nodded, smiling, "Great minds think alike. That¡¯s what I think too. But I need to confirm one thing." Zhang Jingxu turned and walked to Buke, pointing to the body suspected to be Jack, "Mr. Buke, can you determine the identity of this body now? I have a hypothesis that needs confirmation." Buke nodded, not saying much, and began his work. This time, Buke¡¯s efficiency was even faster. In less than five minutes, Buke came to a conclusion, "The identity of this body should not be a police officer. Because the cause of death for this body is multiple gunshot wounds, and from the size of these wounds, they should all be caused by police-issue firearms. Assassins wouldn¡¯t use lower-powered police firearms. Also, there¡¯s something special about this body¡ªthe organs have undergone some degree of mutation, which wouldn¡¯t be seen in a police officer, especially since they undergo annual physical examinations. If there were organ mutations, they would definitely be discovered and the officer would be suspended for treatment." As Buke spoke, he removed various organs from the body¡¯s abdomen, and Liu Xing could see that these organs were somewhat different from those of a normal person, appearing denser. After carefully observing for a while, Alice said seriously, "The identity of this body should be confirmed as a follower of the Cult of the Cadaver. A long time ago, my master rescued a follower who had left the Cult of the Cadaver. That follower told my master that the Cult of the Cadaver was conducting secret research on a special drug. This drug can modify various organs of the human body, thereby improving human physical qualities to a certain extent, but it makes the appearance extremely monstrous and terrifying." Buke nodded, suddenly realizing, "I see. I didn¡¯t expect there to be such a miraculous drug. But what is the Cult of the Cadaver? Why haven¡¯t I ever heard of it?" Alice briefly exined the situation of the Cult of the Cadaver to Buke. After pondering for a moment, Buke said seriously, "It seems that the person who contacted me today, Ling Chen, should be from the Cult of the Cadaver." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Bai Hecheng and the others had already contacted Buke. "Mr. Buke, can you tell us in detail how that person contacted you?" Zhang Jingxu quickly asked. Buke nodded, somewhat embarrassed, "As you know, there are many strange websites on the inte nowadays. By chance, I entered a website that studied mysticism rted to corpses. Many posts on this website seemed wed to me, so I couldn¡¯t help but register an ount and reply, pointing out their shorings and my views. Then someone iming to be a forum moderator contacted me, inviting me to participate in an offline event where I could see various valuable corpses." "Did you agree, Mr. Buke?" Alice raised an eyebrow. Buke scratched the back of his head and whispered, "I agreed. But at the time, I didn¡¯t know he was from the Cult of the Cadaver. Although I¡¯m enthusiastic about studying mysticism and corpses, my values are very upright, and I would never associate with the Cult of the Cadaver!" Looking at the determined Buke, Liu Xing already had a n in mind. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 451: Rescuing William Chapter 451: Rescuing William Before this, Liu Xing had been pondering a question: should he take advantage of the special mechanism in the second phase and arrange for a few NPCs to infiltrate Bai Hecheng¡¯s side? After all, yers from both sides could interact with NPCs, and NPCs wouldn¡¯t formally decide to join either side until a weekter. Of course, Liu Xing knew that Bai Hecheng was probably thinking the same thing. At that moment, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice hitting the ground. Then, Liu Xing saw Zhang Jingxu take out a walkie-talkie, tune it to a channel, and say, "Mr. Jack, can you hear me?" After about ten seconds, a somewhat weary voice came from the walkie-talkie on the other end, "Oh, I didn¡¯t expect you, Zhang Jingxu, to know about this channel." Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said seriously, "Well, before this, I noticed that your walkie-talkie was on this channel from the beginning, so I tried to contact you through this channel as a test. But now, the main issue is urgent. Mr. Jack, you¡¯re with William now, right?" After a moment of silence, Jackughed and said, "Since you¡¯ve figured it out, there¡¯s no need for me to conceal it. Yes, William is with me. But I won¡¯t disclose our current location because both of us, abandoned by Scond, don¡¯t want to be pawns for your advancement." At this moment, Buke suddenly took the walkie-talkie from Zhang Jingxu¡¯s hand and said with a smile, "Jack, can you still recognize my voice?""Buke?! How did you end up here?" Jack eximed in surprise. "That¡¯s not important now. What¡¯s important is that you should know I serve Ennd, so the reason I¡¯m here should be obvious. So, I¡¯ll say it straight: tell me where you and William are right now. We¡¯lle to pick you up immediately and then leave Scond together, heading to Ennd for refuge. You should know better than I do that if your fellow Scots catch you, it¡¯s certain death," Buke said seriously. After pondering for a moment, Jack sighed and said, "Buke, you¡¯re right. If we want to stay alive, we have to rely on you now. So, Buke,e to the utility room on the third floor of the hospital. But you¡¯d better bring a doctor and a First Aid kit because William¡¯s condition isn¡¯t looking too good right now." Buke put down the walkie-talkie and said, "Jack used to be myrade-in-arms. We served together in the Iraq War. Although there were quite a few unpleasant incidents at the beginning due to him being English and me Scottish, after going through some things, we became close brothers. But I never thought we would meet under these circumstances." Rhodes then made arrangements, "Okay, William¡¯s condition isn¡¯t great right now, so let¡¯s set off immediately. By the way, Mr. Mendez, have you prepared the cars?" Mendez nodded and smiled, "I¡¯ve prepared two cars in the parking lot. Once we get William, we can leave immediately." "Okay, let¡¯s go," Rhodes said, pushing open the morgue door. So, Liu Xing and the others began to head to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, Mendez also grabbed a First Aid kit from the emergency room and made sure to inform the senior officials of the Scond police about the autopsy results. Of course, Mendez naturally portrayed the identity of the corpse as an assassin. On the way, Alice curiously asked Zhang Jingxu, "Zhang Jingxu, how did you know Jack was still alive?" Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said, "I was just taking a gamble this time. Since it was confirmed that the body was the assassin¡¯s, Jack should still be alive. And coincidentally, I had noticed the frequency on Jack¡¯s walkie-talkie before, so I thought I¡¯d try my luck." However, Liu Xing knew that Zhang Jingxu wanted to take a gamble because he believed William might be with Jack. At this time, downstairs from the hospital, Liu Xing saw many disheveled police officers leaning against the wall, all with various scratches on them. As for the top floor of the hospital, a gap had been sted open, and debris would asionally fall. Soon, Liu Xing and the others arrived at the utility room on the third floor of the hospital and finally saw Jack and William. At this point, William¡¯s face was pale, and blood was seeping through the bandages on his body, indicating that his recently healed wounds had ruptured again due to excessive movement during transfer. Seeing this, Mendez immediately opened the First Aid kit to treat William. "Give me five minutes. If we don¡¯t treat William¡¯s wounds now, he might die from excessive blood loss during the transfer." Rhodes nodded and said to Alice, "Alice, take someone to the parking lot and start the two cars. We¡¯ll be ready to leave shortly." Alice nodded and took Ryuzaki to the parking lot. At this moment, Jack sighed helplessly and said with some emotion, "I really didn¡¯t expect that you all were from the English side." Buke shrugged, smiling, "And you probably didn¡¯t expect that your beloved Scond would mercilessly betray you. But that¡¯s within my expectations because I know you¡¯re a tough nut. Although your abilities are good, you¡¯re not good at managing interpersonal rtionships. It¡¯s easy for you to offend your superiors, which is why you¡¯ve remained just a small leader for so many years." Jack lit a cigarette, nodding, "That¡¯s right. On the first day I joined the Scond police force, I offended the Chief of the sgow police department. Later, I also casually arrested his son and kept him in custody for a few days. So, that fat pig despises me to the core, and I¡¯ve been suppressed by that damn fat pig all along. And this time, I was probably targeted because I investigated the financial dealings between that fat pig and a secret organization. So, he wanted to take this opportunity to have the assassin kill me." "A secret organization?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and quickly signaled to Zhang Jingxu. Understanding the signal, Zhang Jingxu said seriously to Jack, "Mr. Jack, do you have specific information about this secret organization? If things go as expected, this shooting of William and the riots in sgow are both orchestrated by that secret organization." Jack thought for a moment and said, "About this secret organization, I discovered it about half a month ago. Because I knew that fat pig had been wanting to find an opportunity to kick me out of the police department, so I wanted to investigate that fat pig¡¯s dark history. That way, that fat pig wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with me. So, I started to track that fat pig¡¯s son, because that fat pig¡¯s son was a troublemaker in sgow, always causing trouble." "Then one night, I followed that fat pig¡¯s son to a nightclub. It happened that the head of security at the nightclub was a closerade of mine from before. So, after hearing about my situation, he voluntarily helped me install a bug in the private room. That¡¯s how I heard that the fat pig¡¯s son said his dad recently made a fortune and bought him a new luxury car." "Upon hearing this, I knew the fat pig had taken a bribe from someone and was preparing to help someone get someone out of jail. So, I focused on this and found out that the fat pig did indeed release someone from the detention center. However, this person was just an ordinary thug detained for fighting. But this thug happened to be my informant, so I asked him about the situation." "Then the thug told me that the fight was just a show, arranged by a rich but entric ck man. So, I investigated this ck man and found that he had close ties to many high-ranking officials in sgow. But when I checked his identity through the registry system, I found out that this ck man had been dead for three years. So, I realized that this ck man must have joined some mysterious organization." After listening to Jack¡¯s ount, Liu Xing was certain that the ck man was also a follower of the Cult of the Cadaver, and now the upper echelons of sgow, even Scond, were likely cooperating with the Cult of the Cadaver... Of course, Liu Xing even suspected that the Cult of the Cadaver had already taken control of their partners. At this point, Zhang Jingxu also informed Jack about the Cult of the Cadaver. "I see. No wonder the assassin who cameter looked so strange. I thought I was seeing things, but it turns out this guy is really a ghost, a Ghoul," Jack said with augh. Zhang Jingxu nodded and pointed to William, "By the way, Mr. Jack, how did you and William end up hiding here together?" Jack shrugged and said, "At that time, I was lying in wait. After ambushing and killing the assassin, I found a C4 bomb that had already been activated in the assassin¡¯s backpack. There was only half a minute left before it exploded, and I didn¡¯t have any handy tools to disarm the bomb, so I had no choice but to escape. At that moment, I found William waking up, so I took him and fled here, then I told William about the situation." Buke raised an eyebrow and whispered, "So, what does William think now, Jack? You should know what William means to us in Ennd." Jack nodded, sighed again, and said, "Don¡¯t worry, now William has realized the truth and knows that he¡¯s been made a scapegoat by those ambitious Scots. So, now he¡¯s decided to seek revenge for himself." At this point, Mendez spoke up, "Okay, William¡¯s wounds have been treated. Let¡¯s hurry to the parking lot." As soon as Mendez finished speaking, Liu Xing heard the sound of dice hitting the ground. At this moment, Alice¡¯s voice came from the walkie-talkie on Zhang Jingxu¡¯s waist, "Zhang Jingxu, you guys need to find a chance toe to the parking lot as soon as possible. Because I¡¯ve seen a lot of police cars entering the hospital." Jack frowned and said, "It seems that fat pig ising to the hospital. But there shouldn¡¯t be a problem because that fat pig is just putting on a show. But he¡¯ll probably start his performance directly downstairs in the hospital, so we have to go around from the back of the hospital." Rhodes nodded, had William sit in a wheelchair, and put a mask on him. "Let¡¯s go. If we encounter any obstacles, we¡¯ll break through forcefully." "Okay, let me lead the way." Mendez left the utility room first. Everyone sessfully arrived at the ground floor of the hospital, but they also heard noisy conversations outside the main entrance of the hospital. It seems that the fat pig mentioned by Jack had arrived. So, going through the main entrance was definitely not an option now. Therefore, Mendez led everyone to the back door of the hospital and then proceeded around the perimeter of the hospital towards the parking lot. During this time, the sound of dice hitting the ground was incessant, causing Liu Xing¡¯s forehead to be covered in sweat. But fortunately, Liu Xing and his group sessfully reached the parking lot without any idents. Sitting in the car, Liu Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that luck was on their side this time. Once everyone was seated, the two cars left sgow Royal Hospital, one after the other. At this moment, KP Li Shunchan smiled and said, "It seems your luck is pretty good. You managed to leave sgow Royal Hospital with William unscathed. So, I congratte you on sessfully rescuing William. If you can safely take William to Ennd, then you will have sessfully prevented the major riots in Scond and will receive the reward for this emergency mission." Liu Xing thought for a moment, took out his mobile phone, and started searching the news. "sgow Royal Hospital rocked by a major explosion, suspected terrorist attack." "Patriot William targeted in two assassination attempts, assassins believed to be from Ennd." "sgow riots have resulted in hundreds dead, thousands injured, and economic losses in the tens of millions. Who will bear this responsibility?" ... Obviously, most of these news headlines were pointing fingers at Ennd, but these media outlets hadn¡¯t reported William¡¯s "death" yet. It seems that the Scottish side had already taken care of these media outlets. At this time, Alice, sitting in the front row, received a call from Chris. After a brief exchange, Alice hung up and said, "Chris is very happy that we managed toplete the mission smoothly, so he has prepared a celebration for us in Manchester. We just have to return tonight. But at the same time, there¡¯s also some bad news. Half an hour ago, the royal family suddenly summoned many doctors to Buckingham Pce. It¡¯s feared that Her Majesty the Queen¡¯s time is running out..." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 452: Shot Chapter 452: Shot Liu Xing frowned unexpectedly as he realized that the Queen of Ennd was in critical condition at this time. In this parallel world, or rather, in this world, the Queen of Ennd stood out for her remarkably long reign. Although she had been reported seriously ill and near death several times in recent years, she had always managed to pull through in the end. However, Liu Xing understood very well that this time, the Queen of Ennd might truly be in jeopardy, especially since the Cult of the Cadaver had be involved. From the perspective of the Cult of the Cadaver, they would certainly wee the demise of the Queen of Ennd. After all, if the Queen of Ennd passed away, the Cult of the Cadaver would gain another important card in their hands. Given that the Cult of the Cadaver possessed magic capable of "raising the dead," it was highly likely that the Ennd royal family would seek their assistance to resurrect the Queen of Ennd. However, realizing this, Liu Xing stumbled upon another issue. Although Tian Qing¡¯s sudden appearance had made Liu Xing feel like this parallel world was the real world, there were still conflicts between this parallel world and the real world, such as the status of the Ennd royal family. Because of encountering Tian Qing earlier, Liu Xing¡¯s mind was somewhat unsettled, causing him to forget this point. Therefore, now that he recalled it, Liu Xing began to doubt that his thoughts might be wrong. "It¡¯s troublesome. If the Queen passes away at this time, the Ennd royal family might choose to have the Cult of the Cadaver resurrect her. After all, for the Ennd royal family, the Queen must not die now," Buke, sitting in the co-pilot seat, spoke up. Alice nodded with a hint of resignation. "Exactly, for the Ennd royal family, the Queen is theirst pir. ording to the agreement signed between the Ennd royal family and Parliament years ago, after the Queen¡¯s demise, the power of the Ennd royal family will be greatly weakened. They will merely be a figurehead thereafter. So, in recent years, the Ennd royal family has been negotiating with Parliament. It seems they¡¯vee up with a rather bizarre verbal agreement, stating that if the Queen can live to a ripe old age, then the Ennd royal family will have the opportunity to renegotiate with Parliament. And now, the Queen of Ennd is ny-eight years old." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. "Are you kidding me? Is this how you handle such important matters in Ennd? You decide such crucial issues through betting?"Alice shrugged, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Well, you see, this should be Parliament¡¯s way of saving face for the royal family. After all, if you understand the history of Ennd, you¡¯ll know that the rtionship between Parliament and the royal family is incrediblyplex. Moreover, in history, Parliament and the royal family have made quite a few bizarre agreements. So, getting back to the point, I believe the reason the Ennd royal family is willing to cooperate with the Cult of the Cadaver is probably because they hope the Queen can live for another two years to win that verbal agreement..." Liu Xing nodded. If the Ennd royal family didn¡¯t want to lose out, they would undoubtedly seek the assistance of the Cult of the Cadaver. However, a problem arose now. The assistance from the Cult of the Cadaver wasn¡¯t aimed at prolonging the Queen¡¯s life but rather transforming her into a Ghoul. And Liu Xing was certain now that the Cult of the Cadaver would definitely meddle with the Queen. In that case, the Queen would most likely be a puppet of the Cult of the Cadaver. Then, the Cult of the Cadaver could leverage the Queen to manipte Ennd, thereby increasing their chances of seizing power. At this moment, Jack, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. "ording to what you¡¯ve said and the current situation, the best solution to this problem now is to ensure the Queen¡¯s death thoroughly, without giving the Cult of the Cadaver a chance to transform her into a Ghoul. Otherwise, if the Cult of the Cadaver controls the Queen, they will undoubtedly further control the Ennd royal family." Jack¡¯s words caused a momentary silence in the car. It had to be said that Jack¡¯s proposed solution was indeed the best choice because if the Cult of the Cadaver formally cooperated with the Ennd royal family, troubles would escte dramatically. And the best way to resolve this trouble undoubtedly started from the source, ensuring the Queen becamepletely "deceased." However, for Alice and Buke, these English individuals, such an approach was outright treasonous. And for Liu Xing and his foreignpanions, the thought of assassinating a foreign head of state was something they wouldn¡¯t even dare to consider... Not to mention, even if they dared, the chances of sess were slim. After all, over the years, aside from countries with rtively chaotic political situations, incidents of the assassination of heads of state were extremely rare. After a moment, Alice chuckled and said, "What are we even thinking? With our current qualifications, we cannot participate in such a major event. So, we can only wait quietly for the situation to unfold." Alice¡¯s words left everyone speechless. After all, as Alice had said, they as a group were not qualified to participate in the maneuverings of this major event. However, Liu Xing pondered for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but ask KP Li Shunchan, "KP, speaking of the life and death of the Queen of Ennd, there should be a confrontational module, right?" KP Li Shunchan chuckled and said, "You guessed it right, Liu Xing. Let me tell you directly. This confrontational module is an upgraded module in the Hound of Tindalos area. However, this module is divided into four factions: the Cult of the Cadaver, the official Ennd faction, the Ennd royal family, and themoners. But the most important thing is that the oue of your module will affect the development of that module. If you sessfully defeat Bai Hecheng and his group, then in the other module, the Cult of the Cadaver faction¡¯s yers will have fewer resources at their disposal. At the same time, yers from the official Ennd faction will receive more intelligence about the Cult of the Cadaver. By the way, there are currently ten modules being simultaneously conducted within the British Isles." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that ten modules were being conducted simultaneously within the British Isles. However, upon closer thought, this was quite normal. After all, just in the Saven Valley area alone, four or five modules could be conducted simultaneously, and each module could ensure the participation of a Great Old One. Moreover, the Cult of the Cadaver had already begun full-scale operations, causing disturbances everywhere within the British Isles. While Liu Xing was lost in thought, Alice suddenly hit the brakes, causing Liu Xing¡¯s head to directly make intimate contact with the front seat... Liu Xing gasped for air, about to ask Alice what was wrong, only to see two police officers approaching. It was then that Liu Xing noticed that there were several police cars parked at the intersection ahead, and over a dozen police officers were questioning passing vehicles. It seemed that sgow had been ced under martialw. A police officer stood by the driver¡¯s side and knocked on the window, saying, "Please step out of the vehicle for inspection." Alice frowned because they had left in such a hurry that they hadn¡¯t had a chance to change back. They were still dressed as doctors and nurses. And most importantly, Liu Xing and the others still had their guns holstered. If these police officers found out, it would be big trouble. However, at this moment, Jack stepped forward, got out of the car, and presented his police officer badge to the officer, saying, "We are currently on a special mission and cannot undergo inspection." As Jack spoke, he nervously scanned the surroundings. Alice also cooperatively rolled down the window, presenting her own police officer badge. After confirming the authenticity of their police officer badges, the two officers nodded and said, "OK, you may continue with your secret mission. We hope you have a safe journey. But be careful ahead; the unrest in the slum district hasn¡¯tpletely subsided." Jack nodded and smiled, "Thank you for the reminder. If we happen to meet again at the police station, I¡¯ll treat you to a cup of coffee." Jack returned to the car and let out a sigh of relief, "Looks like we¡¯re in luck. Nobody has noticed yet that we¡¯ve taken William from the hospital." Liu Xing was about to nod when he suddenly realized that something seemed off. Since the William shooting incident began, Liu Xing felt that the Cult of the Cadaver hade prepared, with one action following another. His group waspletely passive, feeling ensnared in the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s ns. However, after Jack took William away, the Cult of the Cadaver had been silent. Logically, the Cult of the Cadaver should have a way to confirm William¡¯s status and should have prepared corresponding countermeasures. So now, logically speaking, the Cult of the Cadaver should be able to confirm that William was still alive and should be able to find out that it was their group who had taken him away. But now, there was no movement from the Cult of the Cadaver, which made Liu Xing recall a phrase¡ªwhen things go against the norm, there must be a demon. However, Liu Xing also thought that it was possible that the Cult of the Cadaver was short-staffed due to capturing over two hundred foreign tourists and nning to smuggle them out of Scond. Thus, they might not have enough manpower to deal with their group. Of course, it was also possible that the Cult of the Cadaver wanted to create a big news event. "Be careful; we¡¯re entering the slum district now. There¡¯s a high chance we¡¯ll encounter people throwing stones at us, or even potential road robberies. So, if necessary, I¡¯ll fire a warning shot. If they persist, we¡¯ll have to retaliate with gunfire, because we can¡¯t get caught up in the turmoil of the poor," Jack said nervously. The destination of Liu Xing¡¯s group was a shipyard located in High Bay, which was a famous slum district in sgow. Most of High Bay¡¯s residents worked in the shipyards of various sizes in the area. However, with the continuous decline of the world¡¯s shipbuilding industry in recent years, many residents of High Bay had lost their jobs, causing the already troubled High Bay topletely be a slum district. One major problem in the slum district was the chaotic security situation, with numerous gangs. So, although the unrest in the sgow city center had subsided, it still continued in the High Bay area. At this moment, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke, "Now, please roll a 50% sess rate Judgment each for yers Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu. The Judgment results will determine what you will encounter next." Liu Xing: 39/50, sess. Zhang Jingxu: 96/50, critical failure. Liu Xing frowned. Although his Judgment roll was sessful, Zhang Jingxu¡¯s critical failure indicated that their group might encounter trouble before reaching their destination. Sure enough, Liu Xing heard the sound of intense gunfireing from not far away. Jack¡¯s face changed, and he said anxiously, "Alice, step on the gas now. Let¡¯s quickly leave this street. There¡¯s likely a conflict between the ck Car Gang and the Blood Hand Gang up ahead. If we get involved, idents are highly probable because both mafia groups have many rifles and grenades." Alice nodded and immediately stepped on the gas to try to leave the street quickly. However, just then, a ck car suddenly sped out from a nearby alley, narrowly passing by Liu Xing¡¯s vehicle. Before Liu Xing and the others could even breathe a sigh of relief for avoiding an ident, they heard another round of intense gunfire! Then, time seemed to freeze familiarly, allowing Liu Xing to see a barrage of bullets outside the car. "Now, because you have been caught up in a mafia pursuit and have been targeted by mafia gunmen, you have been affected. Since you are all wearing bulletproof vests, please roll a 1d10 dice each to determine how much damage you will take in this round of gunfire. I will also make secret rolls for the NPCs¡¯ injuries," KP Li Shunchan said solemnly. Liu Xing: 1d10 = 8. Zhang Jingxu: 1d10 = 3. Liu Xing frowned. He hadn¡¯t expected his luck to be so bad this time, rolling an 8 for damage. Before Liu Xing could mourn for himself for three seconds, KP Li Shunchan spoke again, "Judgment is over. The game continues!" As soon as KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Liu Xing felt as if his chest had been hit hard by a baseball bat twice. Then, after a few seconds, a wave of indescribable pain swept through his body, causing Liu Xing¡¯s brain to stop thinking instantly. And at this moment, KP Li Shunchan¡¯s voice still appeared clear in Liu Xing¡¯s ears, "Because you have suffered a high amount of damage at once, you will now make a Willpower Judgment. If you fail the Willpower Judgment, you will fall into aa. Of course, because we at the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall are very humanized, Liu Xing, you can choose to enter aa directly now." Without hesitation, Liu Xing chose to enter aa because he couldn¡¯t endure the pain right now. So, KP Li Shunchan didn¡¯t hesitate either and directly let Liu Xing enter aa. ... Liu Xing didn¡¯t know how long it had been when he suddenly felt as if someone was repeatedly stabbing needles into his chest, causing him to open his eyes in pain. Then, Liu Xing realized that he was lying in a room at the Manchester safe point, and his chest was already wrapped in arge number of bandages. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 453: Fortune in Misfortune Chapter 453: Fortune in Misfortune At this moment, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "Because yer Liu Xing was hit by several bullets, losing 8 HP in one go, he will be in a critical condition for the next week. And he will remain injured until the end of this module, which is a week after. While in critical condition and injured, some of Liu Xing¡¯s attribute values and skill levels will decrease to a certain extent." Liu Xing furrowed his brows upon hearing KP Li Shunchan¡¯s words. He quickly opened his character card panel and found that his current critical condition had indeed directly halved many attribute values and skill levels, with the remaining values also decreasing more or less. As for Liu Xing¡¯s current HP value, after rescue efforts, it had recovered to 6/12, exactly half. However, Liu Xing, after attempting to move a bit, realized that even without external help, he couldn¡¯t sit up. Any movement involving his chest wound sent a sharp, agonizing pain through him. It seemed he would be bedridden for a week. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Liu Xing managed to open his mouth and said, "Come in." Ling Ishikawa entered the room, now back in his male form. Seeing Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa breathed a sigh of relief. "Liu Xing, you¡¯re finally awake. I thought you¡¯d be unconscious for another day or two."Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, curious. "Oh, so I¡¯ve been unconscious for a long time?" Ling Ishikawa nodded, saying seriously, "Yes, Liu Xing, you¡¯ve been unconscious for two days now. But speaking of which, Liu Xing, your luck is really bad. I checked with Zhang Jingxu yesterday, and you rolled an 8 on a d10." Liu Xing sighed helplessly, smiling bitterly. "What can I do? I feel desperate too. My luck has been pretty good before. I never expected to crash during this Judgment..." At this point, Zhang Jingxu walked in, looking somewhat embarrassed. "It¡¯s actually my fault. If I hadn¡¯t rolled a major failure earlier, we wouldn¡¯t have been caught up in the mafia¡¯s chase, and you wouldn¡¯t be in this state now, Liu Xing." Zhang Jingxu seemed to be in decent shape now, indicating his HP had fully recovered after treatment. Liu Xing shook his head, saying, "No, no, no. It¡¯s fate. Even if you hadn¡¯t rolled that major failure, I would¡¯ve still ended up seriously injuredter." Of course, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t me Zhang Jingxu. "By the way, has anything important happened during the two days I was unconscious?" Liu Xing asked. Ling Ishikawa nodded earnestly, "Quite a lot has happened in these two days. Firstly, although you were attacked by the mafia, everyone except you sustained only minor injuries, so we managed to reach the shipyard rtively smoothly. Meanwhile, we faced an attack from the Cult of the Cadaver, but luckily, it was just their vanguard. With Baruka¡¯s help, we easily dealt with them." "Then we decided to leave sgow Cathedral and head towards the shipyard through the sewers. However, due to both my and Yis People¡¯s poor luck, we encountered another attack from the Cult of the Cadaver. But Baruka¡¯s strength is incredible; he single-handedly fought off four Ghouls, and we managed to leave the sewers unharmed and meet up with you at the shipyard." "Next, during our return journey to Ennd by sea, our luck still wasn¡¯t good, and we encountered a joint blockade from Scond and the Deep Ones. Fortunately, we managed to escape without much trouble. After returning to Ennd, we had you and the others treated, and since the treatment went smoothly, we decided to bring you all to the safe point in Manchester." "Then there was the interrogation of William. ording to the information provided by Chris, William did indeed betray his father Rogers under the influence of the Cult of the Cadaver, particrly Bai Hecheng, who manipted him into orchestrating a car ident to capture Rogers and extract information about Baruka¡¯s whereabouts. However, despite intense pressure, Rogers remained defiant and didn¡¯t reveal Baruka¡¯s location. But William did provide several possible hiding ces for Baruka to the Cult of the Cadaver. Fortunately, they only arrived at sgow Cathedralter." "As for why he was shot, William imed he was tricked by the Scottish higher-ups. They tasked him with organizing arge rally in sgow and delivering a speech, promising to elevate him as the new William Wace of the era and integrate him into politics. However, when he was shot, he realized he had been used." "So, with a sense of resentment, William woke up shortly after being shot. He cleverly feigned continued unconsciousness and overheard the Scottish higher-ups nning to assassinate him. Hence, after being transferred to the intensive care unit and making sure the police officers and medical staff left, he escaped to the toilet. Then, after confirming Jack¡¯s and hismon plight, he decided to escape together with Jack." "Now, William has been turned into a tainted witness by the English authorities, while Jack has been relocated to the Manchester police department through Chris¡¯s connections. Mendez also resigned from sgow Royal Hospital and has gone to Buckingham Pce to treat the Queen. As for Scond, they seem to have backed down, and the riots in sgow have mostly subsided. However, for some reason, the KP hasn¡¯t reminded us that the sudden mission has officially ended." Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but interject, "What about Hu Li? How is she doing? Has she contacted you?" Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa exchanged a nce before shaking their heads. "Hu Li hasn¡¯t contacted us yet. We also checked with Chris and found out that the English maritime authorities haven¡¯t located the ship carrying the over two hundred foreign tourists. So, we specte that the ship is still at sea, waiting for an opportunity to enter Ennd... Of course, we don¡¯t rule out the possibility that the ship might head elsewhere. But Liu Xing, rest assured, if there¡¯s any news, we¡¯ll inform you first. So, for now, focus on recovering. Try to be able to walk within three days, as it¡¯s Isabe¡¯s birthday. Chris invited us to his house, and it would be great if you could join. After all, Yis People might not be reliable." Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Okay, I think my recovery ability should be decent. Although every movement hurts like hell right now, I¡¯m confident I can start moving around in three days. If not, I can always use a wheelchair to meet Isabe. But either way, we need to figure out how to win over Isabe." Zhang Jingxu gave Ling Ishikawa a signal, and Ling Ishikawa smiled, saying, "Liu Xing, you should rest now. We won¡¯t disturb you. By the way, there¡¯s a bottle of painkillers and sleeping pills in your bedside table. If the pain bes unbearable, take two pills." Liu Xing nodded, watching Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa leave. Sighing, Liu Xing acknowledged that despite the current favorable turn of events in the storyline for his group, the absence of Tian Qing still troubled him. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t deny that Tian Qing still held a ce in his heart. Tian Qing was Liu Xing¡¯s first love and his only girlfriend. Although there were many girls at Shudu Traditional Chinese Medicine University, and Liu Xing had excellent qualities himself, he couldn¡¯t forget Tian Qing. During his time at the university, despite some ambiguous interactions with other girls, he never took the final step because he always hoped for reconciliation with Tian Qing. Previously, Liu Xing had thought he could do anything for survival in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, but now he realized he would have to eat his words... Lost in thought, Liu Xing was suddenly interrupted by KP Li Shunchan, "We¡¯re now entering the settlement phase of the sudden mission. Since you sessfully rescued the key figure, William, therge riot in Scond has been downgraded to just the sgow riot. As for your mission reward, you have gained recognition from the English authorities. You now officially have a special assignment from the Manchester police department, with the same authority as regr police officers. Additionally, you can now receive more assistance from Chris." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. The reward for the sudden mission was decent, and it would indeed aid their future missions. Previously, although Chris had provided them with genuine police officer credentials, strictly speaking, they were still fake police officers. This posed a potential problem if Bai Hecheng and others exploited this loophole. Now, they had fewer worries. As for receiving more help from Chris, Liu Xing assumed it meant better weapons and equipment. After all, police officers had different types of weapons. However, Liu Xing still had a concern. So far, apart from meeting Bai Hecheng and Shi Zixuan once, his group hadn¡¯t had any contact with yers from the enemy camp, let alone information about them. In any game, information was crucial, often determining the oue of a battle. Liu Xing was sure that Bai Hecheng and others had gathered a lot of information about them. Apart from knowing Bai Hecheng, Shi Zixuan, and Ace¡¯s names, they knew nothing else. If things continued like this, Liu Xing felt that they would eventually be ambushed by Bai Hecheng¡¯s side... At that moment, the door opened again, and in addition to Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa, Buke entered, carrying a first aid kit. "Buke has voluntarily joined our temporary team as our team doctor. He wants to change your medication," Ling Ishikawa exined. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, looking at Buke with some suspicion. He hadn¡¯t expected Buke to choose their side within a week. However, Buke clearly misinterpreted Liu Xing¡¯s expression and said with a smile, "Mr. Ryuusei, you must trust my professional skills. After all, being a forensic doctor isn¡¯t just about dissecting bodies. I¡¯ve also studiedmon diseases and trauma treatment. Plus, I used to be a military doctor a few years ago, so I¡¯ve seen much worse gunshot wounds than yours." Liu Xing nodded and said, "I see. I may have been overthinking it. Please, Buke, change my medication." As an experienced military doctor, Buke¡¯s skills were indeed impressive. He quickly changed Liu Xing¡¯s medication. After packing up the first aid kit, Buke smiled and said, "Mr. Ryuusei, you¡¯re lucky. Although both bullets hit your chest, they narrowly missed your spine and organs. They were just flesh wounds. Otherwise, you might not have survived." Liu Xing nodded. Indeed, he was fortunate that the bullets hadn¡¯t hit his spine or organs. It was a stroke of luck in misfortune. In the USB drive Yin En had given him before, Liu Xing had learned about a hidden setting in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. During damage judgments, the KP would also make some real random decisions to determine how the injuries were caused. For example, the 8 points of damage Liu Xing suffered could be caused by a bullet hitting his lungs or kidneys, breaking his spine, or two bullets hitting his body, causing excessive bleeding. Although these injury methods only resulted in an 8-point HP loss for Liu Xing, their aftermath would be vastly different. For instance, hitting organs would permanently lower Liu Xing¡¯s attribute values and skill levels, breaking his spine would paralyze him, while flesh wounds would temporarily decrease certain attribute values and skill levels. Thinking about this, Liu Xing felt a bit frightened and relieved at the same time. "All right, Mr. Ryuusei, you should rest. I¡¯ve checked your wound, and it¡¯s healing very well. You should be able to get out of bed tomorrow, barring any fear of pain," Buke said with a smile. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 454: Yellow King Appears Chapter 454: Yellow King Appears Liu Xing shook his head solemnly and said, "It all depends on how much pain I¡¯ll be in at that time. Right now, I feel like I can¡¯t move at all. Every slight movement sends a wave of difort through my entire body." Buke nodded, smiling, "That¡¯s normal. Because even though your wounds have been treated, gunshot wounds are different from knife wounds. After all, they¡¯ve pierced through you directly, so the healing process might be slower. And your wound is right in the chest area, which makes it easy to affect your entire body with even a slight movement. So, Liu Xing, it¡¯s best for you to stay in bed for today. Oh, and if you need to use the bathroom, remember to press the button by the bed." A sudden realization struck Liu Xing, and he immediately had a foreboding feeling. Liu Xing then noticed that there were suddenly many buttons by his bedside. As a doctor in the real world, Liu Xing had heard of such beds... In simple terms, they were automated hospital beds. Patients only needed to press a button, and the bed would adjust automatically, activate the electric heating function, and most importantly, open the toilet function... After all, some patients couldn¡¯t move freely, so they could only take care of their personal needs in bed, which Liu Xing now found himself fitting into. Thus, Liu Xing felt a sense of inexplicable humiliation... After cracking a joke, Buke, along with Zhang Jingxu, left the room. Liu Xing sighed and nced at the clock in the room, realizing it was already seven in the evening. After some thought, Liu Xing decided to take a nap to relieve his worries before attempting to get out of bed.So, Liu Xing took the two bottles from the bedside table, swallowed a painkiller and a sleeping pill, then closed his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, Liu Xing drifted into slumber. And this time, Liu Xing found himself back in R¡¯lyeh once again. Looking at the ruins before him, Liu Xing felt extremely ufortable, as if he were about to vomit. However, despite feeling uneasy, Liu Xing decided to stay in R¡¯lyeh. After all, here he could at least see his surroundings clearly, unlike in the perpetual mist where he wouldn¡¯t even know how he would die... Thus, Liu Xing decided to explore the ruins of R¡¯lyeh. And so, Liu Xing wandered aimlessly through the ruins of R¡¯lyeh for more than ten minutes, yet still saw no signs of life, only discovering numerous sculptures. And these sculptures mostly depicted various poses of Cthulhu, after all, this was Cthulhu¡¯sir. Just as Liu Xing was admiring a rather intact Cthulhu sculpture, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps, as if several people were walking briskly. Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing subconsciously looked towards the source of the footsteps, glimpsing several figures darting past through the crevices of the ruins. Liu Xing could confirm that what he saw were indeed "human" figures, not "Deep One" figures. So, Liu Xing thought about calling out to those people, but immediately dismissed the idea. He couldn¡¯t be sure whether they were friend or foe, whether they would harm him. After all, he still hadn¡¯t figured out why he coulde to R¡¯lyeh in his dreams, so he dared not ascertain how any mishaps in his dream would affect him in reality... Thus, Liu Xing could only choose to follow the footsteps ahead and continue forward with those people. Soon enough, Liu Xing found that those people had entered a cave. The entrance of this cave was mostly blocked by copsed buildings, leaving only a crevice through which a person could crawl. After some thought, Liu Xing decided against risking entering the cave, as he had no idea whaty inside. However, at that moment, Liu Xing realized that he seemed to have arrived in the residential area of R¡¯lyeh, as the surroundings were filled with copsed house ruins, and amidst the wreckage, Liu Xing also spotted a lot of misceneous items like furniture and weapons. Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow, suddenly remembering that R¡¯lyeh not only housed Cthulhu in slumber but also many of Cthulhu¡¯s kin. Liu Xing began to feel somewhat anxious. Would there be awakened Cthulhu kin in R¡¯lyeh now? ording to Murphy¡¯s Law, the more you don¡¯t want something to happen, the more likely it is to happen. Suddenly, Liu Xing caught a whiff of a pungent fishy smelling from behind him. He instinctively turned around and saw a group of Deep Ones standing behind him, ring at him menacingly. These Deep Ones were vastly different from the ones Liu Xing had encountered before. They were muchrger in size, at least exceeding three meters in height, and their scales were already greenish-ck. Most importantly, these Deep Ones were armed with various cold weapons, clearly not to be trifled with. In short, Liu Xing knew he definitely couldn¡¯t defeat these Deep Ones, not even one of them. So, Liu Xing¡¯s only thought now was to escape, but he also realized that he couldn¡¯t move his legs anymore. Thus, Liu Xing could only watch helplessly as those Deep Ones approached him. And then, Liu Xing woke up. Sweating profusely, Liu Xing stared at the ceiling, unable to help but feel relieved that he had woken up at a critical moment. Otherwise, he might have been torn apart in his dream. However, at this moment, Liu Xing suddenly felt as if he were being watched. Following that gaze, Liu Xing saw a figure dressed in yellow robes, their facepletely shrouded in shadow, standing silently at the foot of his bed. King Hastur in Yellow Robes?! At this, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "Although you¡¯ve seen the Yellow King, as you are a follower of the Yellow King, under the patronage of the Yellow King, you won¡¯t lose any sanity points because of this." With KP Li Shunchan¡¯s confirmation, Liu Xing was sure that the Yellow King standing before him was real, not someone ying cosy. However, Liu Xing was still puzzled. Why would the Yellow King appear before him? Could it be that the Yellow King had also noticed his strange dreams? And at that moment, the Yellow King spoke, "My humble follower, do you know why I¡¯vee to find you?" At this moment, memories from Watanabe Ryuusei also surfaced in Liu Xing¡¯s mind, memories about what to pay attention to whenmunicating with the Yellow King. Liu Xing nodded respectfully and said, "Master, your visit must be about the dream I just had. I saw those damned heretics¡ªthe Deep Ones in my dream. So, the ce I dreamed of must be the legendary R¡¯lyeh." The Yellow King nodded, smiling, "Indeed, the ce you dreamed of is indeed R¡¯lyeh, the ce where my archenemy Cthulhu slumbers. And the reason you dreamt of that ce is because Cthulhu has noticed you. It wants to draw you into the dream realm of R¡¯lyeh and then kill you there, thereby causing you to lose your soul and be a vegetable in reality." A chill ran down Liu Xing¡¯s spine. He hadn¡¯t expected that if he died in the dream realm, it would actually affect him in reality. But Liu Xing didn¡¯t forget to tter the Yellow King, "I see. Then, I suppose, Master, you came to rescue me from the dream realm?" "Of course. You are my only recognized follower in the human world. How could I just stand by and watch you get hurt by Cthulhu? However, I¡¯ve also just noticed that on Earth, Cthulhu¡¯s kin are stirring. Their goal is likely to awaken Cthulhu from R¡¯lyeh. And when Cthulhu awakens, the entire Earth will be ruled by Cthulhu. So, I assume you wouldn¡¯t want to see that scene." The Yellow King spoke. Liu Xing nodded earnestly, "Of course not. So, please, Master, lend us your aid." The Yellow King pondered for a moment, and a bracelet suddenly materialized in his hand. "I will try to stop Cthulhu. But before that, Cthulhu and I had made a pact. We agreed that we cannot personally intervene with each other¡¯s followers and kin. So, I can only send you to deal with Cthulhu¡¯s human followers. And this bracelet is the only help I can offer you." The bracelet in the Yellow King¡¯s hand suddenly disappeared and reappeared in Liu Xing¡¯s hand. The Yellow King¡¯s Bracelet (Only usable by character card Watanabe Ryuusei), a bracelet once worn by the Yellow King. Because it still carries the aura of the Yellow King, the wearer will be partially immune to the influence of other Great Old Ones andpletely immune to sanity checks upon encountering mythical creatures. When necessary, the wearer can permanently sacrifice certain attribute values to gain the Yellow King¡¯s assistance. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Judging from the effects of this bracelet, he had to admit it was a divine artifact. However, the price to use it was still substantial. Bing a fanatic of the Yellow King and having to fulfill the missions provided by the Yellow King essentially meant bing an advanced henchman for the Yellow King... But most importantly, he was serving the Yellow King, not Hastur! That was a bit annoying... But for now, Liu Xing had no choice but to put on the bracelet. After all, the Yellow King was standing right in front of him, and he had no other options. After wearing the bracelet, Liu Xing suddenly felt admiration and reverence towards the Yellow King. He felt that whatever the Yellow King said was right, and he would do whatever the Yellow King asked without hesitation. He couldn¡¯t deny that although he detested and resisted this feeling, he knew he couldn¡¯t resist it now. Since he couldn¡¯t resist, he could only ept his fate. Seeing Liu Xing put on the bracelet, the Yellow King said satisfactorily, "That¡¯s right. From now on, Cthulhu won¡¯t be able to influence you anymore. But you still need to be careful because Cthulhu might have informed its followers about your situation. Its followers will definitelye looking for trouble. So, when you return to the Ind Nation, you must quickly develop more followers for me." As the Yellow King finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan continued, "Because yer Liu Xing has gained the trust of the Yellow King, the character card Watanabe Ryuusei will activate a special value¡ªYellow King¡¯s Reward Points. When the yerpletes missions provided by the Yellow King, they will receive a certain number of Yellow King¡¯s Reward Points. And when the umted Yellow King¡¯s Reward Points reach a certain amount, the yer will receive rewards from the Yellow King. Now, yer Liu Xing has received the first mission provided by the Yellow King¡ªdeveloping followers (long-term)." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing¡¯s mindset finally bnced out somewhat. At least he wasn¡¯t just working for the Yellow King for nothing, and the rewards the Yellow King could provide should be quite good. Thus, Liu Xing earnestly said, "No problem, my Lord. When I return to the Ind Nation, I will quickly expand the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect." The Yellow King nodded and said, "That¡¯s good. When you develop enough followers for me, I wille to you again and give you the rewards you deserve. Well, I have to leave now because I can¡¯t stay on Earth for too long." After the Yellow King finished speaking, he disappeared directly. As the Yellow King left, Liu Xing felt the admiration and awe he had towards the Yellow King dissipate. This made Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief because that feeling was really ufortable. But he had to admit, the Yellow King was quite easy to talk to and treated him fairly well. He could be considered a decent "boss." Thinking this, Liu Xing opened the character panel and checked the "Yellow King¡¯s Reward Points." Simply put, the Yellow King¡¯s Reward Points were an umtion reward system. When it reached 100, the yer would receive the first reward, then 200, 300... after reaching 1000, it would be 2000, 3000... and so on. As for the mission provided by the Yellow King¡ªdeveloping followers (long-term), every thousand Worshipers of the Yellow Sect developed would earn the yer 100 Yellow King¡¯s Reward Points. And there was no time limit. It seemed that until the Yellow King called off this mission, Liu Xing could continue to earn Yellow King¡¯s Reward Points through it. And now, the number of followers of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect had reached 457. It seemed that Honekawa Suneo and the others had been very sessful in their missionary work on the Ind Nation. Liu Xing felt that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he could receive the first reward from the Yellow King. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 455: Don’t Call Me Taketori, Call Me Eldritch God, Sir! Chapter 455: Don¡¯t Call Me Taketori, Call Me Eldritch God, Sir! Liu Xing, lost in thought, suddenly realized that his chest hadn¡¯t hurt since the appearance of the Yellow King, and logically, the effects of the painkillers should have worn off by now. Unable to resist, Liu Xing reached to touch his wound, finding it almost fully healed with minimal pain. Seems like the Yellow King helped with the healing... strange. Noticed an additional temporary buff on his character card interface¡ªPain Sensation Diminished. In this module, the character card would experience an 80% reduction in pain. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. This temporary buff was quite helpful. In this real Cthulhu RPG Game, pain was a hidden attribute, varying based on one¡¯s constitution and willpower... Thus, when Liu Xing was hit earlier, although he felt he could have resisted through willpower, he chose to forgo it because he felt at the brink of agony, unable to do anything and suffering immensely. Therefore, Liu Xing considered this temporary buff quite beneficial, ensuring he could attend Isabe¡¯s birthday party in three days. With that in mind, Liu Xing nced at the clock in the room, realizing it was only three in the morning, deciding to go back to sleep. And this time, with the Yellow King¡¯s bracelet, Liu Xing wasn¡¯t drawn into Cthulhu¡¯s dreamscape.He slept until dawn. As a wounded person, Ling Ishikawa brought breakfast to Liu Xing¡¯s room. "Hey, Liu Xing, you¡¯re looking good today," Ling Ishikawa said with a smile. Liu Xing nodded, saying, "Of course, I met the Yellow King yesterday." Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, surprised. "What? Liu Xing, you mean the Yellow King? Hastur¡¯s avatar?" Yin En, as Liu Xing¡¯s best teammate in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, was naturally trusted. So, Liu Xing chose to share his meeting with the Yellow King with Yin En, hoping for better assistance in the future. After all, Yin En was now practically the second inmand of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. To expedite the sect¡¯s growth, they needed Yin En¡¯s help. Therefore, Liu Xing informed Yin En of his encounter with the Yellow King. However, he didn¡¯t mention the "reward points" from the Yellow King, keeping something in reserve. After hearing Liu Xing¡¯s ount, Ling Ishikawa stroked his chin and said, "I see. In this case, your situation with the Yellow King could be both advantageous and disadvantageous. Since the Yellow King is just one of Hastur¡¯s incarnations, his level is lower than Cthulhu¡¯s, so if you¡¯re bound to the Yellow King and encounter a Great Old One, his assistance to you would be limited." "But then again," Ling Ishikawa continued after some thought, "from your conversation with the Yellow King, he seems quite human-like and approachable. Unlike those Great Old Ones who often disregard humans, so under normal circumstances, the Yellow King should be willing to help us. Therefore, before entering the Cthulhu area, the Yellow King should be more of an asset than a liability to you. However, once in the Cthulhu area, you¡¯ll need to find a way to establish a connection between the Yellow King and Hastur." Liu Xing nodded, finding Ling Ishikawa¡¯s thoughts simr to his own. "But what I¡¯m curious about now is why I was drawn into Cthulhu¡¯s dream, pulled into the ruins of R¡¯lyeh, and to be honest, I feel it might not have been the dream realm¡¯s R¡¯lyeh, but rather the Mirror World¡¯s R¡¯lyeh," Liu Xing said with a furrowed brow. Because the fog outside the ruins of R¡¯lyeh was somewhat simr to what he saw in the Mirror World, and in the final scene of the Shrinemodule, that person seemed to break through the mist into the ruins of R¡¯lyeh. So, after Liu Xing shared the situation of the Mirror World with Ling Ishikawa, Ling Ishikawa also agreed that Liu Xing¡¯s dream of R¡¯lyeh was located in the Mirror World. Furthermore, after pondering for a moment, Ling Ishikawa said, "Regarding the Mirror World, I¡¯ve heard some rumors. Many yers believe that Mirror World, like the Dreamrealm, belongs to a special space. Theoretically, any module involving mirrors could lead to participation in the Mirror World. However, because Mirror World¡¯s regions are separated by fog, it¡¯s not much different from doing modules in parallel worlds. Therefore, most yers believe there¡¯s nothing particrly worthwhile to explore in the Mirror World." Liu Xing shook his head, saying thoughtfully, "Perhaps, but I still feel that the Mirror World isn¡¯t that simple. However, we¡¯ll only have a chance to study the Mirror World¡¯s situation when we get the opportunity to participate in modules there." At this moment, Zhang Jingxu knocked and entered, "Liu Xing, the information you wanted is here. Chris just called; the English Coast Guard has spotted the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s ship, but due to interference from the Deep Ones, the Coast Guard vessels were all destroyed. So, they couldn¡¯t continue tracking the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s ship. Right now, all they know is that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s ship is expected tond on the western coast of Ennd." Liu Xing nodded, relieved. "That¡¯s good. As long as the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s shipnds in Ennd, we should have a chance to see Tian Qing and the others again. But speaking of which, do we have any information about the Cult of the Cadaver near Manchester?" "Yes, when we returned to Ennd the day before yesterday, Chris informed us that about a third of the Cult of the Cadaver followers hiding in EinsCastle had left, heading to the residential area where Alexander used to live. After entering a vi, they disappeared, and the owner of that vi is an Italian businessman. However, this Italian businessman¡¯s ancestors are all pure Scots," Ling Ishikawa said. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, smiling as he said, "The crafty rabbit has three burrows. It seems Bai Hecheng and their crew realized the risk of putting all their eggs in one basket, so they¡¯ve scattered their people. But this gives us an opportunity; once we ascertain their whereabouts, we can dismantle them one by one." Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly, Chris thinks the same. He¡¯s already arranged reliable manpower to monitor EinsCastle and the vi. After confirming the situation inside, we¡¯ll move in to dismantle these two Cult of the Cadaver strongholds. Baruka should bring his tribe to assist us." Suddenly, Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brow and began, "Uh-oh, I seem to..." Before Ling Ishikawa could finish, he vanished from the room. Liu Xing frowned, surprised that Ling Ishikawa had been teleported to Hybrier again. Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu shook his head in resignation, saying, "Liu Xing, you should have your breakfast now. I¡¯ll go inform the others about Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation to prepare them mentally." As Zhang Jingxu spoke, he left the room. After finishing his breakfast, Liu Xing contemted stretching his legs. After all, he couldn¡¯t feel much pain now... Most importantly, Liu Xing needed to use the restroom. Carefully, Liu Xing moved off the bed, using the IV stand as support, and slowly made his way to the bathroom. After resolving his physiological needs, Liu Xing finally felt relieved. However, as Liu Xing prepared to brush his teeth and wash his face, he noticed numerous scars on his face. It seemed that after being hit and unconscious, he might have suffered some inhumane treatment, with his face being dragged along the ground... This also exined why Liu Xing¡¯s APP value on his character card had temporarily decreased by 5 points... Liu Xing sighed and began washing his face with a towel. Then, Liu Xing saw his reflection in the mirror had turned into someone else, resembling "Liu Xing"! Frowning, Liu Xing quickly looked around but found nothing unusual in the bathroom. The atmosphere in the bathroom suddenly became tense. Taking a deep breath, Liu Xing looked back at the mirror, only to find his reflection still resembling "Liu Xing." "Who¡¯s ying tricks on me?" Liu Xing asked tentatively. But there was no response. Starting to feel anxious, Liu Xing attempted to leave the bathroom, only to find that the door had disappeared, leaving only a cold wall. Seeing this, Liu Xing had no choice but to contact KP Li Shunchan, "KP, what¡¯s going on here?" KP Li Shunchan chuckled and said meaningfully, "Please explore for yourself, yer." Hearing this from KP Li Shunchan, Liu Xing felt relieved because, from KP Li Shunchan¡¯s tone, it seemed that whoever caused all this trouble wasn¡¯t targeting him specifically. So, was this a joke being yed on him? Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Logically, the entity capable of such actions must have a high level, as "it" knew he was "Liu Xing." After pondering for a moment, Liu Xing suddenly had a realization. That is... "Taketori?" Liu Xing murmured softly. A momentter, a childish female voice replied, "How did you know it was me, Liu Xing?" Liu Xing sighed with relief once again, realizing he was right. At that moment, a small boat made of bamboo leaves appeared in front of Liu Xing, with a tiny, beautiful girl sitting on it. This was the Eldritch God who almost destroyed the world¡ªTaketori. The reason Liu Xing guessed it was Taketori was that many of the NPCs in the current module were from the Ind Nation, reminding Liu Xing of the Eldritch God Taketori. Although Liu Xing saw in the ending scene of the module that the Eldritch God Taketori had been purified, he didn¡¯t know to what extent Taketori had been purified. So, from the current situation, the Eldritch God Taketori should only have been purified of her evil side, restoring her original appearance. Thinking of this, Liu Xing decided to y it safe, smiling as he said, "Of course, I know it¡¯s you. But Taketori, why would you y such a joke on me?" Taketori tilted her head and said, "I wanted to make sure you were really Liu Xing, because there¡¯s another Liu Xing in the next room. However, I sensed a strange aura from him, one that felt very familiar to me. So, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s Liu Xing, even though he has a human body. But when I met you, I sensed the aura that Liu Xing should have had, so I suspected you were Liu Xing." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "That¡¯s right, I am Liu Xing. But as you can see, my body has been taken over by someone else temporarily. However, why are you here, Taketori?" Taketori shrugged, looking puzzled. "When the evil consciousness that possessed my body was purified, I regained my self-awareness. But I was too weak at the time, so I fell into a deep sleep, recovering my strength while asleep. Then, about a month ago, I felt that the power I had painstakingly umted seemed to have been stolen by someone, so I immediately tried to wake up. But because of insufficient strength, I could only enter a semi-conscious state to ensure my power wasn¡¯t stolen, until today when I finally woke uppletely." After listening to Taketori¡¯s words, Liu Xing finally understood why Yis People were able to steal his character card. It turned out that Yis People had borrowed Taketori¡¯s power! Before this, Liu Xing had been a little confused. Although Yis People¡¯s racial talent was "ount theft," in Liu Xing¡¯s investigation, there had never been a precedent of Yis People stealing a character card. But now, hearing what Taketori said, everything made sense. After all, Taketori was, in a way, a "demigod." So, Liu Xing looked at Taketori with aplicated expression and asked, "Can you help me regain control of my body now, Taketori?" Taketori raised her head proudly and said solemnly, "Of course, but you can¡¯t call me Taketori; you have to call me Eldritch God, Sir!" Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but cry andugh at the same time, feeling somewhat helpless. "Okay, Eldritch God, Sir. But haven¡¯t you already returned to normal? Why do you still want to be called Eldritch God?" Taketori snorted and said seriously, "Because I think the title of Eldritch God sounds majestic, whereas Taketori sounds too weak." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 456: Average Scumbags Chapter 456: Average Scumbags Looking at Taketori¡¯s proud and aloof expression, Liu Xing really didn¡¯t know what to say now. But regardless, Taketori, despite appearing somewhat unreliable, was after all a "god" level NPC. Moreover, judging from the fact that Yis People had sessfully stolen his character card with the help of Taketori¡¯s power, it seemed that the power of the "gods" might be able to surpass the rules of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall to some extent. Thinking of this, Liu Xing suddenly realized something. The conversation he had just had with Taketori had already exceeded the boundaries of the game in a strict sense, yet KP Li Shunchan had not issued any warning or interference. This indicated that Taketori was also enjoying some sort of special treatment. Therefore, Liu Xing felt it necessary to win over Taketori. Judging from Taketori¡¯s current attitude towards him, Liu Xing believed that Taketori would likely agree to help him. So, Liu Xing pretended to respectfully ask Taketori, "So, Lord Eldritch God, could you help me retrieve my physical body?" Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s good attitude, Taketori¡¯s mood greatly improved as he said, "Since you, Liu Xing, have put it that way, then I, Lord Eldritch God, will help you reim your physical body. After all, before this, you have also helped me once. I, Lord Eldritch God, do not like owing others any favors." At this moment, KP Li Shunchan finally spoke up, saying, "Congrattions to yer Liu Xing for sessfully reaching a cooperation with the demigod Taketori. So, after sessfullypleting this module, yer Liu Xing, please pay attention to receiving a special gift in your mailbox." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Taketori to bring him a special gift as well. "All right, I, Lord Eldritch God, have had enough fun. Now, I must go find a ce to restore my strength, so I will take my leave for now." Taketori said, then transformed into a butterfly and disappeared through the wall.And at this moment, the bathroom returned to its original state. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Taketori¡¯s appearance was an unexpected delight for him. Now, Liu Xing felt that his chances of reiming his character card from Yis People had increased significantly. Leaving the bathroom, Liu Xing bumped into Zhang Jingxu. Zhang Jingxu looked somewhat surprised at Liu Xing and said, "Liu Xing, although you¡¯re feeling weakened now, you still need to put on a front. After all, if others see you like this, it won¡¯t be easy to exin." Liu Xing nodded, smiling, "OK, I understand. But Zhang Jingxu, what brings you here now?" Zhang Jingxu waved a stack of paper in his hand and said, "This was just faxed to us by Chris. It¡¯s the floor n of EinsCastle and the vi area, along with maps of the surrounding area. Most importantly, thest few sheets are predictions of the underground tunnels in EinsCastle and the vi area. Since ghouls are mythical creatures that often lurk underground, their ability to dig tunnels is unquestionable." Taking the stack of maps, Liu Xing nodded and said, "The Cult of the Cadaver will definitely dig tunnels. After all, it¡¯s one of their major advantages. But the problem now is that the undergroundworks of major cities in Ennd are extremelyplex..." Because Ennd was the world center a hundred years ago, its industry was extremely developed. Therefore, cities like Manchester, being important industrial centers, had constructed extensive subway stations and sewers underground. Additionally, due to the bombings during World War II by Germany, Manchester, as a major bombing target, also constructed numerous underground air raid shelters. So, the undergroundwork in Manchester was undoubtedly intricate, resembling an underground kingdom. Zhang Jingxu spread his hands, somewhat helpless, "As you said, the underground world of Manchester will indeed be a paradise for the Cult of the Cadaver. Chris also believes that the cultists hiding in the vi are probably now underground. However, because Ennd¡¯s economy hasn¡¯t been doing well in recent years, the maintenance of the subway and sewer systems in Manchester iscking in some areas. Therefore, we don¡¯t have a clear understanding of the situation in certain sections of the subway and sewer. To avoid getting incorrect intelligence, Chris won¡¯t be giving us the maps of the Manchester subway and sewer for now." Liu Xing frowned. This wasn¡¯t good news because it meant that the underground world of Manchester would be the cult¡¯s stronghold, and they might suffer in that aspect. Trouble. Liu Xing sighed and suddenly remembered something. "By the way, has that friend of your junior sister arrived? How strong is he?" Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, "Yuan Chen¡¯s strength is even stronger than I imagined. He¡¯s skilled in both martial arts and magic, with a good personality. So overall, Yuan Chen can be considered a good helper for us." Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, smiling, "It seems our situation isn¡¯t bad. We¡¯ve already received help from so many NPCs. We should be able topensate for ourck of numbers with quality." "Exactly. Currently, Chris estimates that there are about three hundred Cult of the Cadaver followers active in Manchester. Moreover, these cultists are armed with arge number of weapons, plus an unknown number of mythical creatures. The pressure on our side is quite high. After all, even if Chris can help us intercept two-thirds of the enemies, we still need to deal with the remaining one-third ourselves. But considering our currentposition, our chances should be fifty-fifty." Zhang Jingxu said with conviction. At this moment, footsteps were heard in the corridor, and Zhang Jingxu had not closed the door when he came in. So, to be safe and not arouse suspicion, Liu Xing quicklyy back on the bed. Then, Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige walked in. Matsui Yui took out a small bottle and smiled, saying, "Mr. Ryuusei, after hearing about your injury, my father asked me to bring you this bottle of medicine. As long as you apply this medicine once a day, it should help your wounds heal faster. And you don¡¯t have to worry about any side effects because this medicine is made from pure natural herbs, and its effectiveness has been verified for thousands of years." Liu Xing took the bottle and immediately checked the information on the medicine. Top-grade healing medicine for Deep Ones (6/6), extremely effective in treating various external injuries, able to rapidly restore the HP of the injured party, can only be used once per day. Liu Xing was naturally very satisfied with the effectiveness of this medicine. Besides a few items that could unconditionally restore a certain value of HP, most recovery-type items did not directly indicate how much HP they could restore. Instead, they described the effects as "slow" or "small amount." So, the effectiveness of this medicine in Liu Xing¡¯s hand was already very good. Of course, the most important thing was that this medicine really had no side effects. Before taking it, Liu Xing was worried that using this medicine would turn him into a Deep One. After all, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, many items used by mythical creatures had side effects for human yers. And the mostmon side effect among them was changing the yer¡¯s race... So, Liu Xing smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle. You¡¯ve been very considerate." Matsui Yui shook her head and said seriously, "No, Mr. Liu Xing, you don¡¯t need to thank us. If it weren¡¯t for your righteous actions, my father and the other nsmen might have been trapped in Scond. By the way, my father also asked me to bring you a piece of news. Yesterday, my father felt that a powerful Deep One had arrived in Manchester." Liu Xing frowned and quickly asked, "Oh, how does the strength of that Deep Onepare to my uncle¡¯s?" Matsui Yui shook her head, saying helplessly, "My father can¡¯t be sure about this because that Deep One deliberately released its aura, and it was fleeting. So, my father couldn¡¯t be sure if that Deep One held back, nor could he determine its exact strength. But judging from the aura it emitted, it definitely couldn¡¯t match my father." Liu Xing nodded, knowing that this sudden release of aura by the Deep One was likely advised by Bai Hecheng and others, with the purpose of misleading their group. "Alright, we should go back now. Mr. Chris prepared a ce for us this morning, and we need to take care of things." Matsui Yui said, leading Dogo Aige out. After Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige left the room, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Chris is still somewhat worried about Baruka and the others because, as the saying goes, ¡¯different races have different hearts.¡¯ Although Baruka and the others are our reliable helpers, they are still Deep Ones. So, Chris arranged for Baruka to stay at an abandoned subway station. But speaking of which, the smell of Deep Ones is indeed very strong. When we were on the boat back to Ennd that day, I almost vomited..." Liu Xing chuckled and said, "It seems passing out at that time was a wise choice. But those two shots really made me suffer. You know, I¡¯ve died once in a module before, but the feeling of being barely alive is indeed more unbearable." Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment, then fiddled with his mobile phone. Liu Xing¡¯s phone rang with a notification sound. Taking the phone, Liu Xing found that Zhang Jingxu had sent him a photo. The protagonist of the photo was himself, lying unconscious on a table with blood soaking his clothes. Seeing the photo, Liu Xing felt the pain from his chest wound start to throb again... "If I didn¡¯t know you only received 8 points of damage, I would have thought you might have died in Scond. But I have some unreliable news for you, Liu Xing, would you like to hear it?" Zhang Jingxu suddenly said with a wink. Liu Xing felt a sense of unease, but couldn¡¯t resist saying, "Well, Zhang Jingxu, go ahead and tell me." So, Zhang Jingxu sent another photo to Liu Xing. In the photo, Alice was looking nervously at the unconscious Liu Xing. Liu Xing¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he quickly said, "Zhang Jingxu, what are you doing? With my injuries like this, you still have the heart to take photos..." Before Liu Xing could finish his "reprimand", Zhang Jingxu chuckled and said, "First of all, this was actually taken by Ryuzaki because emergency measures were needed to save you. So, Buke arranged for Ryuzaki to record the situation on video to facilitate theter medical staff in understanding your initial condition and the treatment you received. So, Ryuzaki ended up capturing these things that shouldn¡¯t have been captured. Then Ryuzaki thought there might be something unclear between you and Alice, so he sent me this photo." Liu Xing frowned, feeling annoyed, "How could you guys tarnish someone¡¯s innocence like this? I¡¯ve only met Alice for less than twenty-four hours in total, and there were no memories of Alice before that in Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s memory." "Oh?" Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, pretending to be skeptical, "Liu Xing, tell me, does Alice¡¯s behavior look like that of a concerned colleague?" This question left Liu Xing speechless because Alice¡¯s behavior indeed didn¡¯t look like that of a concerned colleague, but rather like someone concerned about a very important person to them. This puzzled Liu Xing greatly. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Jingxu continued, "So, Liu Xing, you bettere clean. When did you start getting involved with Alice?" Liu Xing shook his head and said seriously, "How would I know? I really don¡¯t know why Alice is so concerned about me. You know, I first met Alice in Fisher¡¯s Vige, and there were no memories of Alice before that in Watanabe Ryuusei¡¯s memory." Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow, knowing that Liu Xing couldn¡¯t lie about this, so he also felt puzzled and said, "Oh, that¡¯s strange. But after discovering that you were seriously injured, Alice¡¯s behavior really seemed like that of your girlfriend. Could it be that Alice has a crush on you?" Liu Xing shook his head andughed, "How is that possible? I¡¯ve only met Alice for less than twenty-four hours in total. How could Alice like me?" "But how do you exin this?" Zhang Jingxu asked again. Liu Xing was speechless. Zhang Jingxu patted Liu Xing¡¯s shoulder and said seriously, "Wee to the club with me and Ling Ishikawa. Our trio can now be considered as average scumbags. My Chen Fuping and Lu Tianya, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Hu Li and policewoman, Miss Sawada, and now your Alice and Tian Qing." Liu Xing looked up at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, unable to refute for a while. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 457: Ling Ishikawa’s Swift Return Chapter 457: Ling Ishikawa¡¯s Swift Return "Indeed, the way of heaven follows a good cycle of karma, Liu Xing, weren¡¯t you teasing me and Ling Ishikawa just a few days ago? Now you probably didn¡¯t expect retribution toe so quickly," Zhang Jingxu still couldn¡¯t resist adding insult to injury. Liu Xing sighed helplessly. Considering the current situation, even without Alice, he couldn¡¯t shake off the connection with Juri Sonoda and Tian Qing. After all, Juri Sonoda had already expressed affection for him, and he couldn¡¯t let go of Tian Qing now... Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but mock himself, "Indeed, such is the unpredictability of life and the cycle of karma. Just two days ago, I was merely a bystander. I never thought I¡¯d be arranged by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall so quickly. Now I¡¯m starting to wonder if they¡¯ll set me up with a childhood sweetheart in the next module." It had to be admitted that Liu Xing¡¯s trio had all been forcibly turned into scumbags by the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall. Except for Zhang Jingxu, who actively flirted with Lu Tianya, the rest were all victims of the hall¡¯s chaotic matchmaking, forcing Liu Xing and others into harems... Of course, it could also be a Chai Dao ending. Anyway, Liu Xing felt that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall couldn¡¯t possibly be so benevolent. At that moment, Liu Xing¡¯s vision suddenly blurred, and Ling Ishikawa appeared in the room again. This time, Ling Ishikawa looked disheveled, with torn clothes and a haggard appearance. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Ling Ishikawa, what happened to you? How did you end up like this? But you¡¯ve returned so quickly." Ignoring Liu Xing¡¯s inquiry, Ling Ishikawa picked up the room¡¯s water jug and started drinking directly from it. Sip after sip.After finishing the entire jug in one go, Ling Ishikawa finally spoke, "Geez, from now on, wherever I go, I¡¯ll make sure to carry a water jug with me. The feeling of not having water to drink is unbearable." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words, Liu Xing knew that this time his trip to Hybrier was probably for wilderness survival. Zhang Jingxu patted Ling Ishikawa¡¯s shoulder, expressing concern. "Judging by your appearance, you must have suffered a lot in Hybrier. Do you want me to get you some food and drinks?" Ling Ishikawa shook his head, smiling bitterly. "No need. I was just short of water in Hybrier this time. The food was pretty good, plenty of fish and meat every day. It¡¯s just that there were no seasonings. Oh, by the way, I really did meet Barbarian Conan this time. And it was him who took me to y wilderness survival in Hybrier." Liu Xing looked surprised. "What? You really met Barbarian Conan? Are you sure he¡¯s the real Barbarian Conan, not just an NPC with the same name?" Ling Ishikawa nodded, affirming, "Yes, he¡¯s the real Barbarian Conan. At first, I thought I had encountered an ordinary NPC with the same name. But after learning about his background and experiences, I knew he was indeed Barbarian Conan. And of course, the most important thing is that his strength is indeed very strong. He effortlessly killed more than a dozen fully armed snake men alone." "I can¡¯t believe that the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall is so up-to-date, actually coborating with ¡¯Barbarian Conan¡¯? But the question remains, Ling Ishikawa, how did youe back so quickly? It¡¯s only been a few hours," Zhang Jingxu asked puzzledly. Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, surprised. "What? I¡¯ve only been away for a few hours? That¡¯s impossible. Although the flow of time in Hybrier is different from here, I spent several months with Barbarian Conan in the wilderness this time. I thought it had been several days already." Then, Ling Ishikawa recounted his experience in Hybrier this time. Because Ling Ishikawa killed his own cheap master, Serak, in the previous module, Ling Ishikawa was forced to start his wandering life. However, since Serak¡¯s Wizard Tower was originally located in the wilderness, Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t encounter anyone in the first two days after returning to Hybrier. Fortunately, Ling Ishikawa brought a pistol with him to Hybrier, so he hunted with it and used fireball art for barbecue... Then, on the morning of the third day, Ling Ishikawa suddenly heard a fight, and following the sound, he arrived at the scene to see Barbarian Conan fighting a group of snake men. Knowing his own capabilities, Ling Ishikawa decisively chose to be a bystander, secretly cheering for Barbarian Conan on the sidelines. Soon, Barbarian Conan single-handedly defeated the group of snake men effortlessly, and Ling Ishikawa took the opportunity to approach and strike up a conversation with him. Although Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t know Barbarian Conan¡¯s true identity at the time, he understood that an NPC who could easily defeat ten opponents was definitely remarkable. And he happened to need someone strong to rely on at the moment. So, Ling Ishikawa befriended Barbarian Conan, and they hit it off immediately, quickly bing good friends. Then, Ling Ishikawa learned that Barbarian Conan had encountered a group of snake men attacking a merchant convoy over a month ago while traveling. Naturally, Barbarian Conan intervened and defeated the snake men, but he became a target for them. The snake men relentlessly pursued Barbarian Conan day and night, forcing him to venture deeper into the wilderness in hopes of evading them. After some conversation, although Ling Ishikawa knew that being with Barbarian Conan meant facing the snake men¡¯s pursuit, he also believed in Barbarian Conan¡¯s strength. So Ling Ishikawa chose to apany him. Thus, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s wilderness survival journey officially began. Because the snake men could ambush from anywhere at any time, Ling Ishikawa and Barbarian Conan had to remain vignt, leading to a decline in Ling Ishikawa¡¯s sleep quality and deteriorating mental state. Also, due to theck of time to boil water and cook in many instances, Ling Ishikawa had to "change jobs" to a barbarian, following Barbarian Conan to eat raw and drink blood, living in a very miserable state. However, during this time, Ling Ishikawa still learned a lot from Barbarian Conan. He acquired various wilderness survival skills and significantly improved his swordsmanship. Now, Ling Ishikawa¡¯s swordsmanship skill value had reached 89! What does a skill value of 89 mean? It means just one step away from bing a grandmaster! So, although Ling Ishikawa¡¯s time in Hybrier was miserable and unbearable, he still felt it was worthwhile. In addition, because Ling Ishikawa killed many snake men with Barbarian Conan, he collected a lot of equipment and items "dropped" from them. However, because these equipment and items were specifically for snake men, they were all in an "unidentified state" when they reached Ling Ishikawa¡¯s hands. They needed professionals to identify them before their information could be revealed. Of course, even without identification, these items could still be used, but the consequences of blind use could be severe. Speaking of which, Ling Ishikawa waved his left hand, and a ck hole appeared beside him. "This is a new Magic Spells I learned in Hybrier, called Storage Space. Its effect is simr to the ubiquitous Ring of the Universe in some fantasy novels. It can create a space that only I can control. The size of this storage space depends on my strength. So, the volume of my storage space is currently about one cubic meter." Ling Ishikawa exined. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Although this effect is somewhatmonce, it¡¯s still a divine skill. After all, a cubic meter of space can hold a lot of things. If used properly, it can not only alleviate our logistical pressure at certain times but also catch others off guard." Hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Ling Ishikawa felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head, saying helplessly, "Well, because my current strength is still too weak, my storage space can only hold items. Ordinary objects, once they enter my storage space, will instantly turn to dust." Zhang Jingxu nodded, saying, "If that¡¯s the case, Ling Ishikawa, the effectiveness of your Magic Spells will be greatly reduced. Because items in the Cthulhu RPG Game usually require a guiding process, it¡¯s better to carry them with you for easy use. And your storage space is also too conspicuous." "That¡¯s right, I also think so. But something is better than nothing," Ling Ishikawa shrugged, smiling. After finishing, Ling Ishikawa took out several bottles and cans from the storage space. "These are what I found on the snake men. ording to the snake men¡¯s settings, the contents of these bottles and cans must be poisons. So I think we can use these poisons to deal with Bai Hecheng and the others. After all, using poison against poison is a good choice." Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t forget that his character card "Yin En" was dropped due to being poisoned by Bai Hecheng, and "Yin En" was forced to tread on thin ice and test the boundaries on the verge of being Chai Dao crazy. So, now Ling Ishikawa nned to use poisons made by snake men to deal with Bai Hecheng and others. However, poisons were a double-edged sword. They could severely injure opponents, but they could also backfire. Therefore, Zhang Jingxu said with some concern, "Ling Ishikawa, are you sure you want to use these poisons made by snake men? You know, the poisons made by snake men are extremely potent. So until you¡¯re sure of the effects of these poisons, it¡¯s better not to use them casually." Ling Ishikawa chuckled and patted his chest, saying confidently, "Don¡¯t worry, although I¡¯m not sure of the specific effects of these poisons yet, I¡¯ve confirmed that they are all area-effect poisons. Because the snake men used these poisons to deal with me and Barbarian Conan, so these poisons are essentially poison gas bombs. Just throw them forcefully to break the bottles, and a poisonous mist with a radius of about five meters will be released. So as long as we control the distance properly, these poisons can be quite useful." Hearing Ling Ishikawa¡¯s words, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then, Ling Ishikawa, be careful with these poisons. If used properly, they can indeed have excellent effects, such as using them in narrow terrain, which can both pressurize the enemy¡¯s position and help us block routes. But speaking of which, what¡¯s your world mission this time, Ling Ishikawa? Is it just running around with Barbarian Conan?" Ling Ishikawa shook his head, feeling conflicted. "To be honest, I¡¯ve started to doubt the world mission I¡¯ve epted. The goal seems to be to rece Ibon with me. Because after wandering with Barbarian Conan, we finally arrived at the Turanian Penins, which is where Ibon, ording to Cthulhumyth¡¯s setting, begins to worship Zhatuogua." Liu Xing frowned and said, "Indeed, that seems to be the case. After all, you were the one who killed Serak and arrived in Turan. Meanwhile, the main male lead, Ibon, is nowhere to be found. But this could also be a good thing. Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯ll soon be able toe into contact with Zhatuogua. Remember, Zhatuogua is one of the more approachable Great Old Ones." Zhang Jingxu, on the side, also nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "That¡¯s right. I also think Zhatuogua is one of the more approachable Great Old Ones. And there are many benefits to following it. After all, Ibon became Hybrier¡¯s, even humanity¡¯s, first magician by following Zhatuogua. It¡¯s a pity that among the three of us, I¡¯m the only one who hasn¡¯t found a Great Old One to rely on yet. But Ling Ishikawa, let me tell you something..." Liu Xing knew what Zhang Jingxu wanted to say, so he quickly gave Zhang Jingxu a look, hoping he wouldn¡¯t mention Alice¡¯s matter. "Zhang Jingxu, are you talking about Alice and Liu Xing?" Ling Ishikawa smiled and said. Before Liu Xing could speak, Zhang Jingxu eximed in surprise, "You also know about this? Did Ryuzaki send you the photos?" Ling Ishikawa shook his head and said seriously, "Ryuzaki didn¡¯t send me any photos. It¡¯s just that when I was idle in Hybrier, I used Prophecy Art once to predict what would happen next. And I saw a photo of you and Alice in Alice¡¯s room. It seemed quite intimate." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 458: Kidnapping Case Resurfaces Chapter 458: Kidnapping Case Resurfaces "Meow, Meow, Meow?" Liu Xing looked at Ling Ishikawa with a puzzled expression. Ling Ishikawa shrugged, somewhat perplexed, "Liu Xing, you also know how my Prophecy Art works. Although the effects of the previous two Prophecy Arts were decent, I can¡¯t be sure if this one will still be sessful. But judging from your and Zhang Jingxu¡¯s reactions, it seems like I might have hit the mark again?" Zhang Jingxu nodded with a smile, informing Ling Ishikawa about the photo incident. Ling Ishikawa raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Oh, I see. So, it seems like you, Liu Xing, have joined us now. But honestly, I still believe that you and Alice have nothing going on between you. After all, we changed character cards together and went through the module together. So, could it be that your character card was already associated with Alice before?" Zhang Jingxu nodded knowingly, adding, "Exactly. Actually, back in Fishman Vige, I found it strange when Alice suddenly joined us. But if your character card is indeed linked to Alice, then it makes sense." Liu Xing looked helpless, speaking earnestly, "I can now confirm that my character card really has nothing to do with Alice. Moreover, logically speaking, my character card has never experienced amnesia, so..." At this point, Liu Xing didn¡¯t know what else to say because he had already exined everything he could. Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa understood this, so after teasing Liu Xing a bit more, they both left, especially Ling Ishikawa, who needed to go back and change his attire. Meanwhile, Liu Xing continued to ponder why Alice was so concerned about him. Could it be that he was truly outstanding, capturing Alice¡¯s heart at first sight...?Soon, a day passed by. As the Cult of the Cadaver suddenly entered a dormant phase and Liu Xing¡¯s group stillcked the strength to actively confront them, they could only idle around in safe areas, asionally gathering insignificant pieces of information from the outside world. While lying on his sickbed, refreshing the news on his mobile phone out of boredom, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke up, "Now, each yer, please roll a difficult Luck Judgment. If you pass, you¡¯ll receive crucial information." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and chose to roll immediately. Liu Xing, 12/35 (70), seeded. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief, realizing his luck had returned. Then, suddenly, Liu Xing¡¯s hand moved involuntarily, tapping into a news article. The headline of the news article read: "Midnight Disappearance Case in London Subway!" Liu Xing frowned. The content of the news was simple: Last night, a remote subway station witnessed a disappearance case involving three passengers waiting for thest train. As thest subway was about to arrive, the station¡¯s surveince suddenly malfunctioned. The station staff heard several screams from the tform, but when they rushed over, the three passengers had vanished. Subsequently, the London police arrived, finding footprints and drag marks near the tform, leading them to conclude it was a kidnapping case. Towards the end of the article, the author mentioned a piece of hearsay from a police officer friend, stating that among the footprints found by the London police, there were some clearly non-human ones. Seeing this, Liu Xing knew that this subway disappearance case was also the work of the Cult of the Cadaver. This was likely the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s second step n. Closing his mobile phone, Liu Xing rubbed the back of his head in confusion, wondering why the Cult of the Cadaver had started kidnapping locals again. At that moment, Zhang Jingxu and the others entered Liu Xing¡¯s room once again, including Yis People. "Did you guys see that news?" Yis People asked. Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa nodded, while Zhang Jingxu shook his head, saying, "My luck wasn¡¯t good this time. I didn¡¯t pass the difficult Luck Judgment." So, Liu Xing briefed Zhang Jingxu on the content of the news. Zhang Jingxu frowned, somewhat surprised, "What? The Cult of the Cadaver is kidnapping locals again? But why start kidnapping locals this time?" Yis People shook the mobile phone, saying, "After reading that news, I searched other websites on my mobile phone and found that not only in London but also in other cities of Ennd, various disappearance cases have urred. These cases share severalmon features: negative numbers of missing persons, urrences in public ces, and all nearby surveince facilities malfunctioned during the disappearances. It¡¯s obvious that these are all the doings of the Cult of the Cadaver." Liu Xing nodded, rubbing his chin, "So, it seems our previous spection is likely correct. Bai Hecheng¡¯s Main quest this time should be rted to points, and these points should be chaos values. Because the more chaotic Ennd bes, the more likely the Cult of the Cadaver is to seed in seizing power." Zhang Jingxu and the others nodded in agreement. "If Bai Hecheng¡¯s Main quest is indeed point-based, then that¡¯s not good news for us because it means Bai Hecheng can y guerri warfare against us, just like how we could take on various Side Quests to earn points back when we were in Panlong Town," Ling Ishikawa expressed his concern. Zhang Jingxu shook his head, smiling, "There¡¯s no need to worry about that because Bai Hecheng will definitely have a Main quest they mustplete. So, as long as we keep a close watch on the Cult of the Cadaver followers we¡¯ve already identified, we should be able to catch Bai Hecheng in the act." Just as Yis People was about to speak, his mobile phone rang. Checking his phone, Yis People spoke up, "It¡¯s Chris again. He has a new Mission for us: to patrol and enforce fishingws in the Manchester subway station. Chris just received intel that a group of Cult of the Cadaver followers hiding in the vi area suddenly showed up and went straight to a bar outside the vi area, which used to belong to Alexander but is now owned by a mysterious person. Chris suspects this mysterious person is affiliated with the Cult of the Cadaver." "But the crucial point is that the location of this bar is peculiar. It¡¯s directly above one of the main sewer lines in Manchester, so Chris spectes that the Cult of the Cadaver followers will enter the sewer through there and proceed to other locations. Given yesterday¡¯s disappearances in Ennd, Chris believes these Cult of the Cadaver followers also n to conduct kidnappings in the subway station nearby, and conveniently, there¡¯s a subway station nearby that¡¯s ideal for the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s operations." Liu Xing nodded, but then he suddenly remembered something: there¡¯s no subway in the real world Manchester. Because Liu Xing had visited Manchester a few times in the real world, once even to watch a Manchester United game, so he knew Manchester didn¡¯t have a subway. But in this parallel world, Manchester unexpectedly had a subway. Yis People continued, "Alright, Chris has sent us the subway map. The station we need to go to is only three hundred meters away from the vi area, and just fifty meters from the bar where the Cult of the Cadaver followers are. Moreover, it¡¯s easy to ess the subway station from the sewer below the bar; they just need to dig a hole. For the Cult of the Cadaver, it¡¯s a piece of cake. And most importantly, this subway station is quite remote. Normally, there aren¡¯t many people there because it¡¯s near the vi area, where residents are either rich or wealthy and rarely use the subway for travel." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled, "But how can we be sure that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people will strike there? What if there¡¯s no one to kidnap at that subway station? That would be awkward." "So that¡¯s why Chris wants us to go. He hopes we can catch these Cult of the Cadaver followers, and then we can find out where the remaining followers in the vi area are hiding," Yis People exined. Ling Ishikawa pondered for a moment before saying, "So, Chris is preparing to take action against the Cult of the Cadaver followers in Manchester?" Yis People shook his head, smiling, "Not exactly. Chris is just worried that these Cult of the Cadaver followers hiding in the vi area might cause trouble. After all, as the saying goes, the residents in the vi area are either rich or wealthy. If anything happens in the vi area, Chief Chris, as the police chief, will be affected, and he might even be forced to step down. So Chris ns to clean up the Cult of the Cadaver followers in the vi area." At this point, KP Li Shunchan also stepped forward, saying, "Alright, now that you all know the contents of this Side Quest, which is to patrol and enforce fishingws, capturing the Cult of the Cadaver followers who may attempt kidnappings in the vi area subway station. But I can also tell you now that yers from the opposing faction will also decide whether to undertake this Side Quest. Of course, the Mission for yers from the opposing faction is naturally to sessfully carry out the kidnappings. And if you are willing to ept and sessfullyplete this Side Quest, you will receive a special reward... which I cannot reveal just yet." KP Li Shunchan was quite pleased with this announcement. Liu Xing didn¡¯t hesitate and nodded directly, "Since Bai Hecheng¡¯s team might also undertake this Side Quest, we have no reason to refuse it. After all, even if we fail the Mission, we¡¯ll still have a chance to determine Bai Hecheng¡¯s situation." The others shared the same thoughts as Liu Xing, so Liu Xing¡¯s group epted the Side Quest. "Now that we¡¯ve epted the Side Quest, let¡¯s head to the vi area. We need to arrive at our destination before the Cult of the Cadaver takes action, and we also need to disguise ourselves to avoid detection by Bai Hecheng¡¯s team," Yis People suggested. Ling Ishikawa nodded, smiling, "This Side Quest couldn¡¯t havee at a better time. I was just looking for someone to test my swordsmanship on. So, please tell Chris, Mr. Liu Xing, to prepare a sharpened longsword or a katana for me." "No problem," Chris replied, pulling out his mobile phone to text Chris. Zhang Jingxu looked at Liu Xing with some concern, saying, "Ryuusei, maybe you should stay back this time and rest at home." Liu Xing checked his character card and found that his HP had already recovered to 8 points. So, after giving it some thought, Liu Xing decided he wanted to make the trip. "My HP has recovered somewhat, so as long as I¡¯m not as unlucky asst time, I should be fine." Since Liu Xing said so, Zhang Jingxu didn¡¯t insist further. He just went out to get a wheelchair for Liu Xing. "Although you¡¯ve regained your mobility, Ryuusei, you still shouldn¡¯t engage in strenuous activities to avoid reopening the wound. So, it¡¯s better for you to use the wheelchair. Plus, you can help us conceal a Vityaz-SN submachine gun," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. It was then that Liu Xing noticed Zhang Jingxu had ced a Vityaz-SN submachine gun on the wheelchair. "After wepleted the sudden Mission, Chris sent us five Vityaz-SN submachine guns with corresponding ammunition, as well as more than ten sets of military-grade body armor and helmets. Now ourbat effectiveness has increased by a level," Zhang Jingxu said with a grin. Liu Xing nodded. Thebat effectiveness of the Vityaz-SN submachine gun was unmatched by pistols. Since military-grade body armor was too conspicuous, Liu Xing and the others wore police-grade body armor instead. Then Liu Xing sat in the wheelchair, pushed by Ling Ishikawa. It was strange to be in a wheelchair, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but feel. Meanwhile, Alice and Ryuzaki were already prepared in the hall. Now that Liu Xing knew Alice might be interested in him, he felt a bit hesitant to look at her. Although Alice¡¯s expression was normal, she sounded a bit anxious as she said, "Mr. Ryuusei, you should rest at home instead of pushing yourself toe with us to the subway station." Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, standing up directly. "The medicine Matsui Yui gave me worked really well, and with my decent recovery ability, I can move freely now. Also, I can use the wheelchair to conceal a Vityaz-SN submachine gun for you guys. If a conflict arises, you might not be able to handle the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people with just a few small handguns." Alice nced at the Vityaz-SN submachine gun on Liu Xing¡¯s thigh and eventually nodded. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 459: Kidnapped Chapter 459: Kidnapped Soon, the group arrived at a bridal photography studio near the vi areasubway station, where Chris was speaking to his subordinates in front of the monitors. "Mr. Chris, we¡¯re here. How are things going?" Alice greeted. Chris turned around, about to reply, when he saw Liu Xing in a wheelchair, and said with some confusion, "Mr. Ryuusei, why are you here today? Your body hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. It¡¯s better not to participate in this operation. After all, those on the other side are a group of ruthless and fanatical believers who won¡¯t hold back." Liu Xing smiled and shook his head, saying, "Mr. Chris, you don¡¯t need to worry. After two days of rest and applying the medicine Baruka gave me, I¡¯ve recovered almostpletely. I can now move freely. Sitting in this wheelchair is just to deceive the enemy and hide Victor inside. This way, if we have to fight the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s believers, we won¡¯t be at too much of a disadvantage." Chris nodded, smiling. "I see. Thank you, Mr. Ryuusei, for bravely joining us despite your injuries. Earlier, I was concerned that our firepower might be insufficient because you¡¯ll have to pretend to be ordinary citizens waiting at the subway station. That means we can only carry handguns. However, through our investigation, we can confirm that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s followers are nning to target this subway station. I¡¯ve contacted a friend who works on the subway, and they¡¯ve filmed the area from this station to the next one. They discovered that about a hundred meters from this station¡¯s departure point, on the right side, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people have opened up a hole." "When should we go to the subway station then? Unlike bus stops, there¡¯s only one train, so we can¡¯t wait there indefinitely. Besides, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people will surely be monitoring the station. If they notice anything unusual, all our efforts will be wasted," Alice said earnestly. Chris thought for a moment and said, "The Ennd police havepiled a list of recent kidnapping cases and found that they mostly urred during two time periods. Firstly, definitely around midnight when there¡¯s minimal foot traffic, making it less likely for the criminals to be spotted immediately. Also, our police response efficiency is lower during that time, with only one or two officers avable, so we can¡¯t risk tracking the kidnappers." "As for the second time period, it¡¯s between seven to eight in the evening. During this time, the flow of people is low as many are either at home or out enjoying themselves. Additionally, staff in public ces are also less vignt. This makes it an opportune time for the Cult of the Cadaver, especially at the vi areasubway station. Because thest train at midnight from there usually carries no passengers, we believe the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people are likely to strike between seven and eight." After hearing Chris¡¯s analysis, Liu Xing nced at his mobile phone and noticed it was only six o¡¯clock.As it was still early, Chris invited Liu Xing and the others to have a meal first. During the meal, Chris couldn¡¯t help but say, "I used to hear about mythical creatures from you all and didn¡¯t think much of it, assuming they were simr to monsters in games. But when I saw Baruka¡¯s tribe in person, I was almost scared out of my wits." Ling Ishikawa chuckled and said, "Mythical creatures are called that because we humans know very little about them. We think they only exist in myth and aren¡¯t real. So, when we encounter them for the first time, it often challenges our perspectives. It¡¯s normal for you to be scared, Mr. Chris." Chris nodded, curious, "I see. But this gentleman looks somewhat unfamiliar. I don¡¯t know how to address you." Ling Ishikawa looked helpless. Zhang Jingxu, holding back a smile, pointed at Ling Ishikawa and said, "Mr. Chris, you actually know this gentleman. He is Ling Ishikawa." Chris raised an eyebrow, surprised. "What, he¡¯s Ling Ishikawa?! Mr. Zhang Jingxu, don¡¯t joke with me. As an experienced police officer, I¡¯ve met countless people, and I can tell the difference between men and women... But then again, this gentleman does bear some resemnce to Ling Ishikawa." Zhang Jingxu exined Ling Ishikawa¡¯s situation to Chris, and with confirmation from Liu Xing and the others, Chris reluctantly epted reality. "I see. I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Ling Ishikawa to possess such formidable magic spells. But it¡¯s also a good thing. I believe the Cult of the Cadaver only knows what Ms. Ling Ishikawa looks like when transformed into a woman, not his original appearance," Chris said seriously. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling Chris¡¯s point was valid. Since Ling Ishikawa appeared in this module as a female, the information collected by Bai Hecheng¡¯s side might be wed, so they might not know Ling Ishikawa¡¯s true appearance. Therefore, Liu Xing said seriously, "Mr. Chris, you¡¯re absolutely right. I also think that the Cult of the Cadaver probably doesn¡¯t know Ling Ishikawa¡¯s true appearance. So I believe Ling Ishikawa can now be our trump card." Ling Ishikawa nodded and said with a smile, "Exactly. I agree. Since the Cult of the Cadaver doesn¡¯t know what I look like now, I can do much more. For example, I could find an opportunity to join the Cult of the Cadaver." Alice shook her head and said, "You¡¯re thinking too much. The Cult of the Cadaver is a rtively closed secret cult. Their way of recruiting believers is very simple, with middle-ranking members directly approaching potential recruits. Their target demographic is usually elites, so it¡¯s difficult for ordinary people to join. And as Mr. Chris should know, although the authorities in various European countries have long been aware of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s existence, they haven¡¯t been able to infiltrate it. So, Ling Ishikawa, you shouldn¡¯t think too much about bing a mole." Ling Ishikawa, hearing Alice¡¯s words, could only nod helplessly, smiling bitterly, "Well, alright. I won¡¯t count on bing a mole for the Cult of the Cadaver for you guys. But there are still other things I can do. After all, you guys have to stay hidden, while I can openly appear in public." After some discussion, Chris decided to arrange a new identity for Ling Ishikawa as an intern journalist at a newspaper in Manchester. This would allow Ling Ishikawa to gather firsthand information by entering certain scenes promptly. Before this, Liu Xing and the others had been staying at a safe point to avoid revealing their whereabouts and the location of safe points. Thus, much of the information was ryed to them via Chris¡¯s mobile phone. Consequently, Chris might have overlooked some useful intelligence since he wasn¡¯t a professional. At this point, it was already 6:40. Chris nced at his mobile phone and said, "Now, everyone can start disguising themselves. At 7:10, a subway train will arrive at the vi areasubway station. By the way, I¡¯ve reced the subway station staff with our police officers. So, you can simply bring your guns and enterter. Also, if the Cult of the Cadaver doesn¡¯t attack you, just take the subway back to the safe point." Alice nodded seriously and asked, "But if we¡¯re attacked by the Cult of the Cadaver, how should we respond? Should we shoot at them directly to try to leave one or two alive? Or should we pretend to surrender and follow them?" After pondering for a moment, Chris said, "Since none of you are professional police officers, and those Cult of the Cadaver guys are lunatics, I think it¡¯s safer for you to decide your actions based on the specific situation. If the Cult of the Cadaver believers act unfavorably towards you, then shoot them directly. If they¡¯re not vignt and don¡¯t search you before taking you away, then try to follow them back to their base in the vi area. We¡¯ll track you and coordinate from there to deal with these hidden Cult of the Cadaver believers." After hearing Chris¡¯s n, everyone agreed without objections. Therefore, Liu Xing and the others finished their disguises and entered the vi areasubway station. It¡¯s worth noting that because Ling Ishikawa had changed his identity, he temporarily withdrew from this operation to continue monitoring with Chris at the bridal photography studio. Of course, after disguising themselves, Liu Xing and the others entered the vi areasubway station in batches ording to the contents of their disguises to avoid arousing the suspicion of Cult of the Cadaver followers outside the station. First were Alice and Ryuzaki, disguised as a newlywed couple because they were both white. Then, Yis People dressed as a rich second-generation figure, wearing designer clothes and exaggerated sunsses. As for Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu, they were made up to look like Arabs, wearing white robes. Additionally, because the robes were loose and easy to conceal items, Chris also equipped Zhang Jingxu with a Vityaz-SN submachine gun. This way, Liu Xing¡¯s team¡¯s firepower increased significantly. When Zhang Jingxu pushed Liu Xing onto the tform, he noticed that apart from Alice and the other two, there was only a man in a hoodie leaning against the wall, ying with his mobile phone. However, Liu Xing could tell that although the man seemed to be ying with his mobile phone, he would asionally nce at them and even after observing for a while, he would pretend to stroll around, finally stopping at a position where he could see Liu Xing¡¯s group, muttering to himself from time to time. Therefore, Liu Xing could be sure that the man was monitoring them. After a while, Zhang Jingxu whispered to Liu Xing, "This person seems suspicious. He¡¯s probably from the Cult of the Cadaver, and it seems like he¡¯s contacting others because I can see a Bluetooth earpiece under his hoodie." Liu Xing nodded, knowing that they were probably the targets of the Cult of the Cadaver. At that moment, another round of dice falling was heard. Liu Xing noticed that Yis People shook his head lightly, indicating that he hadn¡¯t thrown the dice. So, this should be KP Li Shunchan making a covert move, possibly deciding whether the Cult of the Cadaver woulde to capture them, how many people woulde, or whether mythical creatures would be involved. Liu Xing took a deep breath and looked up at the signboard, realizing that the next subway train would arrive in ten minutes. One minuteter, Liu Xing heard a hurried footsteps approaching from nearby, probably about five or six people. The man beside them also changed his position, blocking the path behind Liu Xing¡¯s group. Liu Xing silently gripped the gun handle, ready to attack at any moment. Half a minuteter, six ck-d figures wearing skull masks and carrying various handguns climbed up from below the tform. The man standing behind Liu Xing¡¯s group also pulled out a handgun and pointed it at them. At this moment, Liu Xing¡¯s group also cooperated to show a "panicked" demeanor, but in reality, they gathered together to ensure they wouldn¡¯t be picked off one by one by the Cult of the Cadaver followers in front of them. At this moment, the leader among the Cult of the Cadaver followers stepped forward and said, "Don¡¯t be nervous, as long as you cooperate with us and follow us obediently for a trip, we won¡¯t trouble you. And we can guarantee that you¡¯ll be released in no more than a month. So, we hope you don¡¯t make any meaningless struggles to cause trouble for both sides." As the best actor among Liu Xing¡¯s group, Alice nodded at this point, her voice trembling, "Okay, but we hope you¡¯ll keep your promise." "OK, please follow me. The subway ising soon. You don¡¯t want to be squashed into meat patties with us, right? Oh, Old ck, go and help the guy in the wheelchair," the leader said, checking the timetable. The next subway train would arrive in three minutes. So, Liu Xing¡¯s group obediently followed the Cult of the Cadaver followers and jumped down onto the tform, walking along the tracks. The Cult of the Cadaver followers also kept their promise and just surrounded Liu Xing¡¯s group in the middle, without physical contact. Soon, Liu Xing¡¯s group entered a sewer with the Cult of the Cadaver followers. At this point, Alice couldn¡¯t help but ask, "May I ask who you are and why you¡¯re kidnapping us?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 460: Tricks of the Cult of the Cadaver Chapter 460: Tricks of the Cult of the Cadaver The lead follower of the Cult of the Cadaver was a straightforward person, answering directly, "You can think of us as some extreme organization. The reason we chose to kidnap you all is merely to negotiate with the English authorities. However, let me make it clear, regardless of the oue, within a month, we will release you. During this time, we won¡¯t mistreat you. Of course, since you all are from the vi area, you might find it initially ufortable to adapt to the life of ordinary people." Alice nodded and continued, "So, you¡¯re saying that the recent kidnapping cases across Ennd were all done by you?" "Exactly," the lead member of the Cult of the Cadaver admitted without hesitation. "Because we are still an emerging organization with little influence in this world. So, in order to expand rapidly and negotiate with the English authorities as soon as possible, we had to resort to mass kidnappings. This way, the English authorities won¡¯t take long toe to the negotiating table with us." Surprised by their cooperation, Alice decided to ask a sharper question, "In that case, were the previous cases of missing foreign tourists also your doing?" To Liu Xing¡¯s surprise, the lead follower of the Cult of the Cadaver shook their head and denied, "The cases of missing foreign tourists were not our doing. You see, we¡¯re just copycats. Butter, when negotiating with the English authorities, we might also take responsibility for the cases of missing foreign tourists." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting the lead follower of the Cult of the Cadaver to say this. But soon, Liu Xing realized that it was still a conspiracy by the Cult of the Cadaver. In simple terms, this time, the Cult of the Cadaver suddenly started kidnapping local people in Ennd not primarily to pressure the English authorities but to develop a group of "casual supporters." After all, in today¡¯s Western countries, there is no shortage of white knights. Even ISIS has people trying to whitewash its image, so it¡¯s quite normal for the Cult of the Cadaver to want to use this section of society to create public opinion. Therefore, the Cult of the Cadaver now wants to package itself as a "vulnerable" organization oppressed by the English authorities, intending to gain support from some ordinary English people. This way, when the Cult of the Cadaver officially seizes power from the English authorities, they won¡¯t be without a single supporter. Furthermore, the Cult of the Cadaver can also portray itself as "fighting for the people."So, the reason why the Cult of the Cadaver is kidnapping these local English people might indeed be as they say ¨C they won¡¯t mistreat these kidnapped locals but will brainwash them to some extent before releasing them. As for why the Cult of the Cadaver doesn¡¯t admit to the missing foreign tourists¡¯ cases being their doing, it¡¯s probably because they don¡¯t intend to let go of these foreign tourists. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow, starting to worry about Tian Qing. Soon, under the coercion of the Cult of the Cadaver followers, Liu Xing and others arrived at the underground base of the Cult of the Cadaver in the vi area. Although this underground base was rtively crude, it was also fully equipped, roughly divided into two areas: internal and external. The external area was guarded by the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s followers, while the internal area was naturally provided for the kidnapped people to live in. As for this internal area, it was arranged by the Cult of the Cadaver intorge suites resembling hotel apartments,plete with kitchens and bathrooms. Between the internal and external areas, there was only an iron fence for separation. In this internal area, besides Liu Xing and others, there were seven other kidnapped victims. However, judging from the condition and expressions of these victims, they seemed to be treated quite well here. At this moment, the Cult of the Cadaver follower who led Liu Xing and others into the internal area spoke up, "Alright, you can now choose a room to rest in. We will notify you at meal times. If you have any dietary restrictions, please inform us in advance so we can make arrangements. And onest thing, we have installed signal jammers here, so don¡¯t expect to make calls for help. However, if you want to inform your family of your safety, you can submit an application to us, and we will handle it ordingly." With that, the Cult of the Cadaver follower left. Liu Xing furrowed his brow, feeling that these people from the Cult of the Cadaver were overly confident, not even conducting body searches. Alice looked around and said, "This secret base seems to have been built recently because many ces look new and quite rough. But surprisingly, there isn¡¯t even a single surveince camera here." Zhang Jingxu nodded, taking out his mobile phone, "That¡¯s right, not only are there no cameras here, but there aren¡¯t even any listening devices. It seems this underground base is disposable for the Cult of the Cadaver." "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, how can you be so sure that there are no listening devices here? Compared to cameras, listening devices are much more covert," Ryuzaki asked curiously. Zhang Jingxu chuckled and shook his mobile phone, "My mobile phone here has a kind of ck technology. Simply put, it can detect listening devices within a certain range. As for the specific theoretical basis, I can¡¯t exin it, but I can assure you that the effectiveness of this ck technology is very good, with an uracy rate almost reaching one hundred percent." Liu Xing knew that what Zhang Jingxu referred to as ck technology was an item sold in the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall¡¯s Shop called "Yis People¡¯s ck Technology Chip," which could be directly imnted into the mobile phone carried by a character card, granting the mobile phone a special function. However, because the granted function had randomness, and there were all sorts of weird and bizarre functions, such as determining the age of everyone within a certain range; rating the appearance of everyone within a certain range (ording to Yis People¡¯s aesthetic standards); querying how many insects there were within a certain range... Of course, although there were many practical functions, there were also many useless ones. For example, detecting the number of nearby listening devices; determining the number of mythical creatures within a certain range; being able to bypass any signal jamming. However, because the Yis People¡¯s ck Technology Chip could only be used once on the same character card, it was evident that Zhang Jingxu had pretty good luck to obtain a very practical function. After all, in many modules set in modern urban settings, the presence of listening devices was quitemon. So, now that it¡¯s confirmed there are no cameras or listening devices here, Liu Xing and the others rxed a bit. "If everything goes as nned, Chris and his team should have already located our position. ording to the n, they shouldunch an attack here in twenty minutes. We just need to hold our ground, and luckily, there are plenty of sofas here we can use as cover," Yis People said, surveying the surroundings. At this moment, a victim who had been previously captured walked over, smiling, "Hello, I¡¯m Martha. Nice to meet you all." Alice nodded, pretending to be puzzled, "Hello, I¡¯m Alice. But Martha, aren¡¯t we being kidnapped right now? Why do you seem so cheerful?" Martha shrugged, still smiling, "Those people already said they won¡¯t harm us, and they¡¯ll eventually let us go. Plus, they¡¯ve been treating us fairly well these past few days, so our mindset has improved a lot, even though the feeling of being restricted is still awful." Alice nodded thoughtfully, "Let¡¯s hope they keep their promise. But speaking of which, were you all kidnapped together?" When Martha nodded, Liu Xing knew that this Martha and the other six "victims" were most likely also followers of the Cult of the Cadaver. The reason is simple: Chris had mentioned before that there hadn¡¯t been any simr kidnapping incidents in Manchester. ording to the modus operandi of the Cult of the Cadaver, they would definitely let the police know when theymit a crime. So, it can be inferred that Martha and the others are also followers of the Cult of the Cadaver, disguised as victims to gain the trust of the real victims and assist other followers of the Cult of the Cadaver in brainwashing the victims. After all, people tend to follow the crowd. When the real victims see these fake victims believing in the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s rhetoric, they will also be more likely to ept and believe in the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s story. Then, gradually, these victims will be sessfully brainwashed within a month. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but admire the ingenuity of the Cult of the Cadaver. If he and his group didn¡¯t know the truth, they might have been fooled by them. After chatting with Martha for a while, Alice finally persuaded her to leave. After Martha left, Alice sighed and said, "It seems the Cult of the Cadaver is quite skilled at ying tricks. Martha and the others should also be from the Cult of the Cadaver. So, when Chris arrives, we¡¯ll arrange for two people to keep an eye on them to prevent them from causing trouble." Liu Xing nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he felt like someone was watching him from behind, or rather, watching his group. When Liu Xing turned around, he saw a familiar figure¡ªBai Hecheng! At this moment, Bai Hecheng wasn¡¯t wearing a mask like the other followers of the Cult of the Cadaver, just a face mask. So, Liu Xing immediately recognized Bai Hecheng. At this moment, Bai Hecheng was talking to a follower of the Cult of the Cadaver, asionally ncing at Liu Xing¡¯s group. This made Liu Xing somewhat worried. Had Bai Hecheng also recognized them? Of course, Liu Xing was now torn. Should he take the initiative and shoot Bai Hecheng? Firstly, he had a reason to attack Bai Hecheng. Secondly, they were only about ten meters apart, separated by what seemed to be a not very sturdy iron fence. If he attacked, he would definitely hit Bai Hecheng. Moreover, with the Vityaz-SN submachine gun¡¯s high rate of fire and damage, he should be able to kill Bai Hecheng instantly. Most importantly, Chris would also bring people to attack here soon. So, even if he took the initiative to attack, they should be able to hold on until Chris came to support them. And maybe with just their group alone, they could defeat the followers of the Cult of the Cadaver here. So, what should he choose? After thinking for a moment, Liu Xing spoke, "Be careful, act natural. Bai Hecheng is now outside watching us. I didn¡¯t expect him to be here, but since he is, we have a chance to deal with a big problem in advance. So, should we wait for Chris and coordinate with him, or should we take action now to prevent Bai Hecheng from escaping?" Before Liu Xing could finish speaking, he heard a gunshot from above. Clearly, Chris had already begun his operation, and the followers of the Cult of the Cadaver in the external area had entered a state of chaos. Seeing this situation, Liu Xing and the others no longer hesitated. While seeking cover, they also took out their weapons. And Liu Xing¡¯s primary target was naturally Bai Hecheng. But before Liu Xing could pull the trigger, Ryuzaki shouted, "Get down!" Liu Xing instinctively lowered his body, then heard a loud noise. He felt a wave of heating from behind, pushing him forward! At that moment, time seemed to stop. KP Li Shunchan also stepped forward to join in the fun, saying, "Because you were hit by a human bomb. However, due to the inferior power of this poor-quality bomb, coupled with your location within the cover range, you only lose 1 HP this time. But because you have unhealed wounds, your wounds have burst again, and you will continue bleeding until proper treatment is received, losing 1d2 HP every hour." Liu Xing furrowed his brow. It seemed he couldn¡¯t heal his wounds well in this module. After KP Li Shunchan finished speaking, Liu Xing mmed into the wall, feeling his body in turmoil. In short, he felt extremely ufortable and lost the ability to think for a while. After lying on the ground for more than ten seconds, Liu Xing finally came to his senses, struggling to get up from the ground. Zhang Jingxu and the others also stood up at this time. Although they looked a bit disheveled, they didn¡¯t seem to have suffered too much damage. As for Martha and the others, they had turned into a pile of flesh by now... Liu Xing quickly looked away and nced at the external area, only to find that Bai Hecheng was gone, leaving behind some of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s followers holding guns to cover their retreat. And at this time, Chris had already entered the underground base with a group of fully armed police officers, engaging in a gunfight with the followers of the Cult of the Cadaver. Due to the advantage in weapons and equipment, Chris quickly gained control of the situation. However, those remaining followers of the Cult of the Cadaver, seeing that they had no way out, chose tomit suicide by swallowing their guns. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 461: Ghoul Statue Chapter 461: Ghoul Statue "Are you all okay?" Chris asked with concern through the iron fence. Alice nced at everyone and shook her head. "Looks like we¡¯re all fine. Fortunately, we were at a distance from those human bombs, and there were some buffers in between. But the crucial thing is that those human bombs didn¡¯t have much power." At that moment, Ryuzaki suddenly interjected, "If things went as expected, the seven Cult of the Cadaver followers were all rigged with remote-controlled bombs triggered simultaneously. So, I believe these bombs were likely controlled by Bai Hecheng, who escaped earlier. He must have realized we identified these seven as Cult of the Cadaver members and that we were armed, so he detonated their bombs to prevent us from hindering his escape." "What? Someone escaped?" Chris furrowed his brow. Alice nodded, pointing to the right. "Yes, over ten Cult of the Cadaver followers fled to the right. Among them is someone named Bai Hecheng, possibly a mid-level member of the cult. It¡¯s only been two or three minutes since they fled, so I suggest you send someone, Mr. Chris, to pursue them." Chris nodded, quickly turning to organize some police officers to pursue Bai Hecheng. "It seems the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s n this time is quite sophisticated," Yis Peoplemented, stroking his chin. "Undercover agents like Martha not only expedite the brainwashing of the kidnapped victims but also, ording to their ¡¯agreement,¡¯ when the kidnapped are released, these agents are effectively cleared of suspicion. Then, at the right time and ce, they can detonate their bombs, causing even greater chaos." Liu Xing nodded. If Martha and others¡¯ remote-controlled bombs had exploded in a police car or in the police station, the consequences would have been dire. Cult of the Cadaver could then manipte the media, using the authorities of failing to protect the kidnapped... Indeed, it¡¯s quite a cunning n.At this point, Chris brought out a key and opened the iron gate. Zhang Jingxu noticed the bloodstains on Liu Xing¡¯s chest. "Ryuusei, your wound seems to have reopened." Liu Xing pretended to be unaware, hastily covering his chest. "Uh, I was thrown against the wall by the shockwave earlier. It might have caused my wound to reopen. But it¡¯s just a minor injury, just a bit of bleeding, nothing to worry too much about." Chris shook his head, taking out a walkie-talkie. "Mr. Buke, you cane in now. I have an injured person here who needs your attention." After setting down the walkie-talkie, Chris earnestly told Liu Xing, "Mr. Ryuusei, you must understand this is no minor injury. A wound reopening like this can lead to severe bleeding, especially considering you already bled heavily a few days ago. If you bleed heavily again now, it might not be life-threatening, but it could cause manyplications." As Chris finished speaking, fully equipped Buke arrived with a first aid kit, rushing in. Seeing Liu Xing¡¯s condition, Buke frowned. "Mr. Ryuusei, why do you always have to be so stubborn? I heard from Chris earlier that you would get injured in this operation." Liu Xing felt a bit embarrassed, nodding. "It¡¯s just an ident. Who would have thought that the Cult of the Cadaver would be so ruthless, actually turning their own people into human bombs? Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been injured." Buke sighed, starting to tend to Liu Xing¡¯s wound. Meanwhile, Chris received a report on his walkie-talkie from a police officer. Though they caught up with Bai Hecheng and his group, Bai Hecheng ordered the remaining Cult of the Cadaver followers to cover their escape, resulting in losing track of Bai Hecheng. Hearing this, Zhang Jingxu couldn¡¯t help but exim, "The Cult of the Cadaver is indeed an extreme secret cult. These followers truly don¡¯t value their own lives." Chris nodded, pointing at the bodies of the Cult of the Cadaver followers outside. "You¡¯re right. These people really don¡¯t care about life. After realizing they couldn¡¯t escape from us, their first choice was tomit suicide by swallowing their guns, not intending to leave any survivors. It seems the Cult of the Cadaver truly intends to make a big news ssh this time." Buke had finished treating Liu Xing¡¯s wound by now, and out of professional habit as a forensic expert, he approached the scattered remains, beginning his examination with interest. "Buke, there¡¯s nothing pleasant about these bodies. They died because the remote-controlled bombs on them exploded," Ryuzaki remarked. Buke shook his head solemnly. "No, no, no, you¡¯re mistaken. I don¡¯t think they died from the explosion because the color of these flesh pieces is already dull and whitish, and the blood has started to coagte. So, I believe they were already dead for some time before the explosion urred." Alice furrowed her brow, taking out wet wipes to clean her hands, muttering curses. "Damn, I felt something was off with that Martha when I shook her hand earlier. Her hand was unnaturally cold, and her eyes seemed to have turned white..." Buke then went out again to examine the bodies of the Cult of the Cadaver followers outside. After a while, Buke returned, stating, "From what I¡¯ve found so far, these Cult of the Cadaver followers were already dead for some time, and they were likely resurrected through the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s Magic Spells. And the effect of these spells is quite remarkable. These bodies show no signs of decay. ording to your ounts, these resurrected bodies likely retain self-awareness." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting these Cult of the Cadaver followers to be resurrected corpses. Chris, after some contemtion, spoke up, "It seems we¡¯re truly in trouble this time. These Cult of the Cadaver followers have be thinking zombies. It means they might be like the zombies in movies. Unless we shoot them in the head or turn them into minced meat, we can¡¯t kill them again. So, coupled with their loyalty to the cult, theirbat effectiveness might surpass our imagination." The others nodded in solemn agreement. "All right, let¡¯s leave this cursed ce for now. Alice, you and the others head directly back to the safe point. If anythinges up, we¡¯ll contact each other via mobile phone. I need to report the situation here to the higher-ups," Chris said, leading the way out. Liu Xing and the others were also eager to leave, following a police officer out of the underground base and into a nearby bar. In this bar, several bodies of Cult of the Cadaver followers were strewn about. As Liu Xing and the others were about to leave the bar, Alice suddenly eximed and ran toward a corner of the bar. Naturally, Liu Xing and the others followed, only to find a finely crafted, lifelike Ghoul statue. This Ghoul statue was about the same size as the Deep One statue they obtained at Morimoto Academy, and it seemed to be made of a simr material. However, this Ghoul statue perhaps hadn¡¯t been used in a Ritual Ceremony, so itcked the sinister aura of the Deep One statue. However, this Ghoul statue still made people feel very ufortable, as if it sent shivers down their spine. "Yes, it¡¯s this statue. Mr. Ryuusei, do you remember the story I told you about Fisher¡¯s Vige? I can confirm that the statue that turned a family of five into Ghouls is exactly the same as this one," Alice said. Liu Xing furrowed his brow and couldn¡¯t help but reach out to touch the Ghoul statue, trying to gather more information about it. But just as Liu Xing¡¯s hand reached out, Alice mercilessly pped it away. "Mr. Ryuusei, it¡¯s better not to touch this Ghoul statue casually. It looks very sinister, and if you turn into a Ghoul because of it, that would be troublesome," Alice said unsympathetically. Liu Xing nodded somewhat embarrassedly, not saying anything. At this point, as a professional, Zhang Jingxu took out a pair of rubber gloves from his pocket and directly examined the Ghoul statue. This time, Alice didn¡¯t say much either. After a while, Zhang Jingxu, after pretending to study it, spoke up. "This statue indeed originates from the hands of the Cult of the Cadaver. However, the cult didn¡¯t infuse any Magic Spells into this Ghoul statue. So apart from looking scary, it won¡¯t have much impact on people. Therefore, I believe the main purpose of this Ghoul statue is to serve as a token, proving that this ce is owned by the Cult of the Cadaver." Ryuzaki nodded, smiling. "This Ghoul statue does look a bit frightening. If I saw it in a bar while drinking, I¡¯d probably have nightmares at night. So, should we take this Ghoul statue with us, or should we just smash it in ce?" Zhang Jingxu stroked his chin, saying, "I think we should just smash it. After all, this Ghoul statue has no utility for us." So, after Alice informed the police officer in the bar, she took away the Ghoul statue. Then, by the roadside, with Ryuzaki exerting his strength, they smashed the Ghoul statue fiercely on the ground. With a "crack," the Ghoul statue turned into pieces. However, what surprised Liu Xing and the others was that inside the Ghoul statue, there was a severed arm. But judging from the appearance of this severed arm, it didn¡¯t seem to belong to a human. "No wonder I felt uneasy all along. It turns out it¡¯s because this Ghoul statue contained such a thing. But anatomically speaking, this severed arm couldn¡¯t possibly belong to a human, so I suspect it¡¯s from a Ghoul," Liu Xing shrugged, saying, "Who this arm belongs to doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is how we deal with it. After all, we can¡¯t just throw this thing in the trash casually." Alice, looking troubled, took out her mobile phone and contacted Chris, asking him to send someone to handle the arm. After Chris¡¯s people arrived and took away the arm, Liu Xing and the others set off on their way again. When they reached the safe point, it was already midnight, so Liu Xing and the others went back to their rooms to rest. Of course, Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t forget to help Liu Xing take a bath, after all, Liu Xing covered in blood wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep. As for Ling Ishikawa, although he now had a new identity, he didn¡¯t n to leave the safe point to live alone outside, because if the Cult of the Cadaver discovered his true identity, being alone would be dangerous. Then, Liu Xing finally had a good night¡¯s sleep. However, early the next morning, Zhang Jingxu woke Liu Xing up. "What¡¯s up, Zhang Jingxu?" Liu Xing asked groggily. Zhang Jingxu tossed the clothes he was holding onto Liu Xing¡¯s bed and said, "Because Chris is going to London tomorrow to attend a meeting about the Cult of the Cadaver, he decided to move Isabe¡¯s birthday party to today. And because there are quite a few social elitesing to Isabe¡¯s birthday party, Alice has prepared a few sets of formal wear for us. You can try this set first, and if it¡¯s not suitable, there¡¯s still time to change." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, getting up and saying, "So, this means the storyline of this module is about to enter the next phase. Once Chris¡¯s meeting in London is over, Ennd¡¯s official response to the Cult of the Cadaver will likely lead to a formal war." Zhang Jingxu nodded, sounding worried. "Yes, if Ennd officially goes to war with the Cult of the Cadaver, it¡¯s not good news for us either because we will definitely be subject to Ennd¡¯s reorganization. From advisors to employees, we might lose our freedom of action and be ordered around. And if we refuse to be reorganized, we¡¯ll likely be kicked out." "Yeah, after all, this concerns the future political direction of Ennd. Ennd won¡¯t allow us to act freely. So, we need to spend thesest few days of freedom in Manchester searching for clues and intelligence," Liu Xing sighed. At this moment, Ling Ishikawa walked into the room, smiling, "Liu Xing, do you want to hear some good news?" "Is it about Tian Qing?" Liu Xing immediately asked. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 462: Good News and Bad News Chapter 462: Good News and Bad News The only good news Liu Xing could think of now was about Tian Qing... And Ling Ishikawa knew this, so this time Ling Ishikawa didn¡¯t disappoint Liu Xing, "That¡¯s right, it¡¯s about Tian Qing. Just now, Chris received news from the English Coast Guard. They found a stranded ship on the coast of Liverpool. After inspection, they found that this ship was the one Cult of the Cadaver used to transport foreign hostages. Although the followers of Cult of the Cadaver and those foreign hostages are no longer there, judging from various traces on the ship, Cult of the Cadaver treated those foreign hostages fairly well, so Tian Qing should be safe for the time being." Liu Xing nodded and continued to inquire, "Did the English Coast Guard find any clues to determine where Cult of the Cadaver took Tian Qing and the others?" Ling Ishikawa chuckled and said, "ording to the investigation by the English Coast Guard and Liverpool authorities, Cult of the Cadaver has already transferred those foreign hostages ind. As for the destination of Cult of the Cadaver, Liu Xing, you should be able to guess." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and uttered four words, "Manchester!" As a fan of Manchester United, Liu Xing naturally knew about their arch-rivals "Liverpool", so he knew that Liverpool was west of Manchester. And it was precisely because of the geographical location between Manchester and Liverpool that Manchester United and Liverpool became arch-rivals in the English Premier League. "The destination where Cult of the Cadaver transferred the foreign hostages should indeed be Manchester. No matter how careful Cult of the Cadaver is, it¡¯s not easy to transfer over a hundred foreign tourists. So, Cult of the Cadaver is bound to slip up. Therefore, to minimize mistakes, Cult of the Cadaver will definitely transfer those foreign hostages nearby, and Manchester is a good choice. Moreover, EinsCastle is a very good hiding ce," Zhang Jingxu said, stroking his chin. Liu Xing nodded, relieved, "If the destination where Cult of the Cadaver transferred the foreign hostages is Manchester, then it couldn¡¯t be better. After all, in the uing module plot, our activities should be limited to Manchester. Then I still have a chance to rescue Tian Qing.""It¡¯s us," Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu said in unison. The three smiled at each other. "Then let me thank you both here. Now I am finally sure that we are not just superficial teammates," Liu Xing said, somewhat moved. Zhang Jingxu shrugged and said with a smile, "I¡¯ve said it before, I can understand your feelings very well, Liu Xing, and you and Ling Ishikawa have been helping me find Lu Tianya all along. So why wouldn¡¯t I help you rescue Tian Qing?" Ling Ishikawa patted Liu Xing on the shoulder and said earnestly, "My only advantage is loyalty. Since I have be your teammate now, Liu Xing, I will definitely not let my friend fight alone. Besides, my old man at home often reminds me¡ªhelping others is helping oneself. Although I am carefree in this Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall now, who knows what will happen in the future? So, I might trouble you guys then." Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "Anyway, I still want to thank you again, and you can rest assured that I will prioritize the module." "Alright, Liu Xing, you should try on the clothes now. We¡¯ll leave after breakfast because Chris¡¯s house is still quite far from here," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. As Zhang Jingxu spoke, he led Ling Ishikawa out of the room. Liu Xing picked up the set of formal wear and tried it on. He found that the suit fit him very well, as if it were tailored for him. This surprised Liu Xing somewhat because although some of the clothes he bought fit him well in terms of size, they still felt somewhat off when he wore them, as store-bought clothes are made using standardized measurements, and everyone¡¯s body shape varies. Therefore, to get clothes that truly fit, one usually has to opt for customization, as only custom-made clothes are made based on the customer¡¯s measurements and then tailored ordingly. Therefore, Liu Xing now felt that the clothes on him should be custom-made. Thinking of this, Liu Xing took off the clothes and wanted to look for abel, only to find that this piece of clothing had nobels at all. Obviously, this was a custom-made garment. So the question arose, how could Alice have his body measurements?! Liu Xing didn¡¯t believe that this garment was casually given to him by Alice; nor did he believe that Alice could immediately discern his body measurements and then have someone make a suit for him. Could Alice really know him?! Liu Xing was increasingly puzzled. "Forget it, I won¡¯t think about it. Cross that bridge when wee to it," Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly. After changing out of the formal wear, Liu Xing left the room to have breakfast in the hall. Upon entering the living room, Liu Xing saw a new face¡ªa young man who looked to be around twenty years old and quite handsome. But what caught Liu Xing¡¯s attention the most was that this young man had a sword strapped to his back. Liu Xing knew that this was Yuan Chen, whom Chen Fuping had mentioned before. "Mr. Ryuusei, how was the formal wear? Does it still fit?" Alice smiled and asked. Liu Xing nodded and replied, "Miss Alice, the formal wear you provided fits me perfectly. Thank you for your trouble." Liu Xing noticed a hint of hesitation in Alice¡¯s eyes. At this moment, Yuan Chen, who was standing beside him, suddenly approached and asked seriously, "Hello, Mr. Ryuusei, have you recently felt troubled by nightmares?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting Yuan Chen toe out with such a startling question right away. And the nightmares Yuan Chen mentioned should refer to the Cthulhu-induced dreams. It seemed that this Yuan Chen still had some tricks up his sleeve. Thinking of this, Liu Xing nodded and said, "That¡¯s right, recently I¡¯ve asionally had a nightmare. It¡¯s about aimlessly wandering in a ruined ce, and encountering some strange-looking Deep Ones." Yuan Chen sighed and said, "Indeed, you are also one of those chosen by Cthulhu." "Me too?" Liu Xing was surprised that Yuan Chen actually knew the name Cthulhu. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, NPCs who know the names of Great Old Ones are extremely rare because even the fanatical NPCs who worship the Great Old Ones only know their titles or have given them grandiose titles themselves. Thinking about it, Liu Xing increasingly felt that this Yuan Chen was not ordinary. "Cthulhu? What¡¯s that?" Liu Xing pretended to be unaware. Yuan Chen thought for a moment and said, "Since Mr. Ryuusei, you recently encountered a manifestation of Gralki, then you should be familiar with the concept of Great Old Ones. Cthulhu is one of the Great Old Ones, and it¡¯s considered one of the more powerful ones." Liu Xing acted as if he suddenly realized. Yuan Chen paused and continued, "Most importantly, ording to my grandfather, although Cthulhu is dormant in the deep sea, due to its powerful mental strength, it has always been secretly monitoring the entire world and asionally pulling some humans into its dream realm. Over time, these people pulled into the dream realm be its ves." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing from Yuan Chen¡¯s words that Yuan Chen didn¡¯t truly understand Cthulhu, but only knew that Cthulhu could invade dreams. So, Liu Xing began to wonder how Yuan Chen¡¯s grandfather knew about Cthulhu. "I see. So, it seems I¡¯m in trouble. Yuan Chen, do you have any way to help me?" Liu Xing pretended to look anxious. Yuan Chen shook his head and then nodded, saying, "To be honest, I can¡¯t help Mr. Ryuusei right now because we¡¯re all in the same boat. I¡¯ve also caught Cthulhu¡¯s attention, so I can only say we fight together and seize the opportunity to break free from Cthulhu¡¯s control." Liu Xing looked at Yuan Chen with some surprise, not expecting that Yuan Chen had also been invaded by Cthulhu¡¯s dreams. After all, Cthulhu is not the kind of Great Old One who chooses randomly. It only selects those who interest it and are mentally exceptional for dream invasion. From the surface, Liu Xing didn¡¯t see anything abnormal about Yuan Chen¡¯s mentality. At this moment, Alice¡¯s mobile phone rang. "Chris wants us toe over early because a high-ranking official wants to see us," Alice said with a smile. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, knowing that the high-ranking official who came was an NPC that he and his team needed to win over, and this NPC was very important because it would determine how much help they would receive from the English government in the module. So, Liu Xing and the others hurriedly finished breakfast and then changed into formal wear to go to Chris¡¯s house. As the chief of the Manchester police department, Chris naturally had a good ie, so his house was also in a vi area, but not the same one as the vi area where the Cult of the Cadaver was located. As Liu Xing and the others entered Chris¡¯s house, they were called into the study by Chris. In the study, a middle-aged man with graying temples was sitting there drinking tea. "This is Wesker, a senior inspector from Ennd," Chris introduced briefly. Wesker stood up, smiling, "Chris has told me your names, so there¡¯s no need for introductions. But you¡¯re truly young heroes, fighting on the front lines against mythical creatures and secret cults at such a young age. I truly admire you." After hearing Wesker¡¯s words, Liu Xing knew that Wesker was a decent NPC who took the initiative to understand the situation of their group. As a representative, Alice spoke, "Oh, it¡¯s nothing. We just did what we had to do. After all, we can¡¯t just stand by and let the Cult of the Cadaver seize power in Ennd, as it would be a disaster for all the people of Ennd." Wesker nodded approvingly, apuding, "Miss Alice, what you said is correct. We certainly cannot stand by and let the Cult of the Cadaver grow stronger. But as I believe Chris has already mentioned to you, many people from the Ennd royal family have joined the Cult of the Cadaver, and recently, Her Majesty the Queen¡¯s health has been deteriorating. So, I specifically sent spies to track some members of the Ennd royal family and found that they have been in frequent contact with the Cult of the Cadaver. This is not good news." Liu Xing frowned, not expecting that members of the Ennd royal family would actually consider cooperating with the Cult of the Cadaver. "This is simply unbelievable. Are the members of the royal family crazy? Don¡¯t they know that although the Cult of the Cadaver can resurrect the dead, the resurrected willpletely obey the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯smands! Hasn¡¯t my master already spoken to Prince Charles about this?" Alice eximed in surprise. Wesker nodded, somewhat helplessly, "Yes, Miss Alice, your master did indeed contact Prince Charles, and Prince Charles is willing to stand with us. However, ording to thetest news, Prince Charles has already been put under house arrest by other members of the royal family, and there are also many other members of the royal family who have been simrly detained..." Alice furrowed her brow, saying weakly, "Could it be that some members of the royal family are nning a rebellion? Are they truly insane?" Wesker sighed and said seriously, "It seems likely because ording to the intelligence we have, those members of the royal family who are colluding with the Cult of the Cadaver intend to make a deal with them. The Cult of the Cadaver will be responsible for performing a resurrection ceremony for Her Majesty after her death and allowing Her Majesty to ¡¯live¡¯ for a few more years. After we reach a new agreement with our parliament, the Cult of the Cadaver will manipte Her Majesty to abdicate to the heir they have chosen. And those members of the royal family¡¯s task is to serve as a protective umbre for the Cult of the Cadaver, preventing us from taking action against them." Making a deal with the devil. These four words suddenly shed through Liu Xing¡¯s mind. Obviously, those members of the royal family were overestimating their own strength, thinking that their status and position would allow them to negotiate with the Cult of the Cadaver. Little did they know that the Cult of the Cadaver was already prepared to betray them. At this moment, Chris spoke up, "By the way, now the royal family is putting pressure on our police force, hoping that we will abide by the promise made in the neenth century to always be loyal to the royal family." ording to the relevantws passed in the neenth century, Ennd police officers arepletely loyal to the Ennd royal family, not the English government. Thinking of this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow. In this world where the influence of the Ennd royal family still loomedrge, there were probably quite a few important members of the Ennd police force who would stand with the Ennd royal family. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 463: Five Sets of Data Chapter 463: Five Sets of Data Wesker noticed the furrowed brows of Liu Xing and others, then smiled and said, "Rest assured, although technically our Ennd police force is supposed to be loyal to the Ennd royal family, after the Second World War, our Ennd police force practically became a part of the official Ennd. Only some specially designated police officers are entirely loyal to the Ennd royal family. So, as of now, I can assure you that eighty percent of Ennd police officers are on our side." Twenty percent? Liu Xing frowned. If he remembered correctly, the number of Ennd police officers should be around a hundred thousand, which meant about twenty thousand of them would choose to stand with the Ennd royal family. That wasn¡¯t good news. "So, Mr. Wesker, may I ask about the current condition of Her Majesty the Queen?" Alice asked earnestly. Wesker¡¯s smile gradually faded, and he shook his head helplessly. "Regarding this matter, I¡¯ll be frank with you. Her Majesty the Queen is now critically ill. It¡¯s possible that she may leave us in theseing days..." Clearly, as this module entered its third stage, the Ennd Queen was about to be history. The atmosphere in the room became somewhat solemn. After a moment, Wesker spoke again. "Right now, you don¡¯t need to worry about London¡¯s affairs; leave that to the people in London. What we need to address is the issue here in Manchester."Alice nodded, saying seriously, "Alright, Mr. Wesker, then what do you need us to do now?" Wesker pulled out a file folder and said, "Because weck manpower tobat mythical creatures and fanatics, we have to entrust the elimination of mythical creatures and fanatics within the Manchester area to you all. Of course, our police force will assist you to the fullest, and if necessary, the military will also intervene. Inside this folder are five sets of data on important figures hidden within the Cult of the Cadaver in the Manchester area. If possible, please make sure to deal with these five individuals." After Wesker finished, Chris smiled and said, "Since there are quite a few Manchester officials waiting to see Mr. Wesker outside, I¡¯ll apany him to handle them for now. Miss Alice, you can study the documents in the study room." Chris escorted Wesker out of the study room. Alice immediately opened the file folder and distributed the five sets of data to Liu Xing and the others for review. The first set of data in Liu Xing¡¯s hands featured a photo of someone he knew well¡ªBai Hecheng. ording to the information, Bai Hecheng encountered a follower of the Cult of the Cadaver while traveling within the Cosmic Country. He then joined the cult and soon conducted a Ritual Ceremony alone in the Cosmic Country, brutally killing ten people. This led to him being pursued by the Cosmic Country police, who also contacted the International Criminal Police Organization to globally pursue Bai Hecheng. During the pursuit, Bai Hecheng disappeared for a while, leading the Cosmic Country police to believe he had fled the country. Consequently, their pursuit rxed, allowing Bai Hecheng to sneak onto the Yueshihao cruise ship and establish contact with another secret cult called the Deep Sea Gospel Society. They nned to sacrifice all passengers on the Yueshihao cruise ship in a Ritual Ceremony. However, due to some passengers sensing something amiss, the tragedy was averted, and Bai Hecheng was "killed." After "death," Bai Hecheng¡¯s body, along with that of another fanatic, was taken by the Cosmic Country police for autopsy. However, it was seized by members of the Cult of the Cadaver during transport, and Bai Hecheng was resurrected and transferred to Mexico, where he became the head of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s operations. With the change in leadership, Bai Hecheng was active in Mexico, supporting a local drug dealer to be one of Mexico¡¯s top drug lords within three months. Then he demanded the drug dealer provide arge number of sacrifices, namely humans, for the Cult of the Cadaver. Due to a sudden increase in strange murders in Mexico, where victims would be found days after going missing, the International Criminal Police Organization intervened, leading to the discovery of Bai Hecheng¡¯s involvement. Due to the heinous nature of Bai Hecheng¡¯s crimes, the International Criminal Police Organization quickly coordinated with Mexican and neighboring authorities for arge-scale joint operation. Ostensibly targeting the drug dealer supported by Bai Hecheng, it was actually aimed at capturing Bai Hecheng. However, Bai Hecheng was aware of this and immediately left Mexico, sneaking into Ennd. Although the Ennd police knew Bai Hecheng had arrived, his ties with the Cult of the Cadaver in Ennd quickly obscured him from their view until Liu Xing and his team discovered him a few days ago. After reviewing Bai Hecheng¡¯s information, Liu Xing noticed a problem: there was no mention of Bai Hecheng¡¯s experience at Eins Castle in this data. Considering that the English authorities could surely uncover Bai Hecheng¡¯s experience at Eins Castle, and if they investigated diligently, they should notice significant changes in Bai Hecheng¡¯s behavior after leaving Eins Castle... though it might not be substantial given Bai Hecheng¡¯s already low sanity points. Nevertheless, it was reasonable to expect the English authorities to include Bai Hecheng¡¯s experience at Eins Castle in the data. Thus, the most probable reason for this omission was "Liu Xing." Among those who went to Eins Castle with Bai Hecheng was "Liu Xing." Even though "Liu Xing" was now opposed to Bai Hecheng, the English authorities were likely still somewhat wary of "Liu Xing," fearing continued association with Bai Hecheng. Hence, they deliberately omitted this section, a way of indicating to "Liu Xing" that they didn¡¯t fully trust him. Exchange of information. The second set of data Liu Xing received featured a photo of a young man who appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with an average appearance, yet the age listed was forty-eight. This man¡¯s name was Ace. Ace hailed from a remote town in the eastern part of France. His father had passed away due to illness before Ace was born, leaving Ace to grow up in impoverished single-parent household. This upbringing resulted in Ace suffering from poor physical development from a young age, leading to ostracism and bullying from peers, which made Ace¡¯s character somewhat weak. At the age of fifteen, Ace¡¯s mother also passed away from illness, forcing Ace to abandon his studies and take odd jobs to survive. He was then recruited by a local obscure secret cult, or rather, offered as a sacrifice, as when the cult was discovered and dismantled by local authorities, Ace was found unconscious in a magic circle, having taken arge amount of sleeping pills, with a knife nearby. Consequently, Ace was considered a victim by local authorities and inherited the only asset of the obscure secret cult¡ªa dpidated two-story building. It was within this building that Ace obtained something that transformed him from a timid but kind person into a terrifying Demon. Initially, Ace repeatedly imed in public that he experienced nightmares every night, being swallowed by a giant snake, but people around him dismissed it, mocking Ace for being too timid, fearing nightmares to such an extent. During this time, Ace¡¯s physical condition also deteriorated. It wasn¡¯t until a yearter, when Ace, already emaciated, abruptly left the area, setting fire to the house. Then, for over twenty years, Ace disappeared without a trace, with locals assuming he had died. However, two years ago, Ace suddenly appeared in the capital city of Paris, his appearance unchanged from over twenty years ago, but his personality drastically altered, exuding confidence and assertiveness. Subsequently, Ace established a secret cult called Dream Serpent in Paris, quickly gaining numerous followers. However, Ace incurred the wrath of other established secret cults in Paris and was expelled. On the night Ace left Paris, the leader of the secret cult that harbored the deepest grudge against Ace and his family suddenly "disappeared" along with his family. Surveince footage revealed a giant snake-shaped shadow entering the cult leader¡¯s house that night... Leaving France, Ace arrived directly in Ennd, continuing to propagate his secret cult. However, this time, Ace learned to keep a low profile until the incident mentioned by Chris urred, alerting the English authorities to Ace¡¯s presence. Two days ago, Ace returned to Portsmouth and was spotted by local police. However, before they could arrest him, Ace fled Portsmouth on a motorcycle, abandoning the motorcycle in the outskirts of Manchester. After reviewing Ace¡¯s information, Liu Xing realized that he and his team had underestimated Ace¡¯s strength, thinking him to be a mere talker who convinced a group of believers tomit suicide. But now, Liu Xing was certain that Ace, like "Watanabe Ryuusei," had received the favor of a powerful entity, possessing at least one powerful Magic Spell. However, Liu Xing was curious whether the giant snake mentioned by Ace might be the Great Old One¡ªsnake god Yig. At this point, the third set of data reached Liu Xing¡¯s hands. This data was sparse,cking even a photo. Rayna, nationality unknown, currently identified as a middle-aged Caucasian male, fluent in English, French, German, and other major Europeannguages. Three years ago, he entered Ennd and masterminded the William shooting incident, having had telephone contact with William, during which William heard Bai Hecheng¡¯s voice. Therefore, it is currently spected that Rayna may be hiding in Manchester. Liu Xing rubbed his chin, beginning to suspect that this Rayna might be an NPC and likely the main antagonist, or final boss, of this module. Perhaps defeating Rayna would lead to victory for his team in this confrontational module. However, there was a problem. The information about Rayna in this data was limited to one useful piece: "middle-aged Caucasian male." Just considering the poption in the Manchester city area meeting this criterion would likely yield tens of thousands of individuals... So, finding this Rayna wouldn¡¯t be simple. At this moment, Liu Xing received the fourth set of data. The introduction of this individual was somewhat extravagant, with over ten photos attached, each depicting a person with different appearances, including both men and women, ranging in age from seventeen or eighteen to over forty. The onlymonality among these photos was yellow skin, ck eyes, and ck hair. As for this person¡¯s name, it was marked with a question mark, with a note appended afterward: Current Alias: Shi Zixuan. Shi Zixuan (currently using an alias) was female, confirmed to be a Chinese national, with an unknown age and real name, and was one of the most active thieves internationally. Due to Shi Zixuan¡¯s mastery of disguise and expertise in voice modtion, she could quickly change her appearance and identity, continuously stealing various valuable items. Currently, she was being widely pursued by the International Criminal Police Organization, but with limited sess. The reason the English authorities were able to identify Shi Zixuan was that she had used this appearance and identity to steal a famous painting in Germany a week prior. However, the German authorities only notified Ennd of this after Shi Zixuan had entered Ennd, allowing her safe entry into Manchester. After Chris reported that Shi Zixuan might be associated with the Cult of the Cadaver, the English authorities took a risky move, using an undercover agent within the Cult of the Cadaver to confirm that Shi Zixuan had indeed received an invitation from the Cult of the Cadaver toe to Manchester to steal a book¡ªThe Cult of the Cadaver Rituals! Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected Shi Zixuan to be so formidable, renowned internationally as a master thief. Moreover, her purpose ining to Ennd this time was to steal The Cult of the Cadaver Rituals. However, as The Cult of the Cadaver Rituals was a published magic book, there were many versions of it. However, Liu Xing believed that since this was amission from the Cult of the Cadaver, the version of The Cult of the Cadaver Rituals that Shi Zixuan intended to steal was likely the original manuscript! Before Liu Xing could ponder further, the fifth set of data had already reached his hands, and Liu Xing believed that this data should reveal the origins of thest yer on the opposing team. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 464: Employment Status Chapter 464: Employment Status Wang Qi?! Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow. He hadn¡¯t expected the owner of thisst piece of information to be Wang Qi! Considering Wang Qi had been murdered in the real world, the "Wang Qi" character card shouldn¡¯t have joined the Cult of the Cadaver. Although transformed into an NPC, characters derived from character cards still maintained their original personalities based on the yer¡¯s portrayal, along with inheriting various rtionships, including conflicts with other NPCs or yers. Therefore, the "Wang Qi" who had harbored strong resentment towards Bai Hecheng back in EinsCastle shouldn¡¯t logically have be a "colleague" with Bai Hecheng. Moreover, after leaving EinsCastle, "Wang Qi" should have directly returned to the Magic Capital. Thinking this through, Liu Xing felt it necessary to first examine Wang Qi¡¯s information to understand what Wang Qi had experienced during this time. At the beginning of this information, Wang Qi had returned to the Magic Capital to continue his studies. After a peaceful three months, Wang Qi, while ying basketball with ssmates, collided with the basketball hoop in a fierce struggle, inadvertently knocking himself unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital where, after a week of treatment, he finally recovered from the danger but suffered from amnesia and a drastic change in personality. Upon discharge, Wang Qi immediately applied for a leave of absence from school and traveled to Ennd. However, Wang Qi soon went missing in Ennd. His disappearance urred in Manchester, alongside over ten other tourists from different countries. Consequently, the English authorities were deeply concerned about this disappearance, deploying arge number of police forces to investigate. Eventually, the authorities found the other foreign tourists except for Wang Qi at a port in Liverpool. Upon questioning, these tourists imed they were kidnapped by robbers while traveling and were brought to Liverpool via the port with the intention of being transported elsewhere. Wang Qi, however, was shot and killed in the water while trying to escape the clutches of the robbers, his body¡¯s whereabouts unknown. During the investigation of this case, the English police found the behavior of these so-called robbers peculiar. Upon discovery, they immediately fled in a speedboat without any resistance, leaving the other foreign tourists behind, as if they were waiting for the police to rescue them. Therefore, the author of this information believed that these so-called robbers were members of the Cult of the Cadaver. Their goal was to turn Wang Qi from light to darkness, making him an undercover agent for the Cult of the Cadaver. This incident conveniently solved Wang Qi¡¯s visa problem, lingering in Ennd.Subsequently, like Bai Hecheng and others before him, Wang Qi disappeared for a while until recently when some foreign tourists who had escaped with Chen Fuping imed to have seen Wang Qi. Furthermore, Wang Qi was seenmanding other followers of the Cult of the Cadaver, indicating a high position within the organization. However, to date, the English authorities have not determined why Wang Qi chose to join the Cult of the Cadaver or how he rose to a mid-level position within the organization. From Ennd¡¯s perspective, Wang Qi had been an ordinary person before being injured and unconscious. At this point, Liu Xing was also puzzled, unable to understand why Wang Qi had be a mid-level figure in the Cult of the Cadaver. All he knew was that the sudden injury to "Wang Qi" was likely due to the real-world Wang Qi being killed. Wait a moment. Liu Xing suddenly thought of a possibility. "Wang Qi" suffered an ident and was seriously injured and unconscious after the death of Wang Qi in the real world, subsequently experiencing amnesia and a drastic change in personality upon awakening. This mirrored the situation when his own character card, "Liu Xing," was hijacked by Yis People! Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that the current "Wang Qi" had also been hijacked by someone. However, this couldn¡¯t be the work of the Yis People, as they had no reason to join the Cult of the Cadaver. Therefore, summarizing the situation, the NPC who stole the "Wang Qi" character card must be rted to the Cult of the Cadaver. Instantly, Liu Xing narrowed down the suspect: Gary, the brother of Isabe, the former owner of EinsCastle. Based on the information avable, Gary was undoubtedly connected to the Cult of the Cadaver. Bai Hecheng joined the Cult of the Cadaver because he obtained a mysterious parchment in EinsCastle. Additionally, there was a Ghoul in EinsCastle back then. Although Liu Xing initially thought Gary enved the Ghoul, it now appeared Gary was cooperating with the Ghoul. Finally, the fact that the Cult of the Cadaver chose EinsCastle as its base was likely due to Gary¡¯s suggestion, or rather, Wang Qi¡¯s proposal. Gary took over Wang Qi¡¯s body, and everything fell into ce. At this moment, everyone had finished reading the five sets of information. Alice looked at Yis People with aplex expression and said, "Mr. Liu Xing, I believe after reading these five sets of information, you should know what I want to say, right?" Yis People sighed and nodded. "Of course, Miss Alice, I know what you want to say. In fact, I now understand why Mr. Wesker and Mr. Chris handed over these five sets of information to us. It¡¯s a test of my intentions... Firstly, I admit that I did indeed visit EinsCastle with Bai Hecheng and Wang Qi back then, and also helped the Manchester police solve a major case. All of this can be verified directly from the inte." "Then, regarding the situation at that time, because I was still an ordinary doctor back then and had no knowledge of mythical creatures and supernatural events, many things that happened then seemed off to me now. However, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it at the time. Now it seems those things are the reasons why Wang Qi and Bai Hecheng joined the Cult of the Cadaver. Of course, I must rify one point first: I will never collude with Bai Hecheng and Wang Qi. I hope you can believe me." Then, Yis People recounted in detail everything that happened in the Castlemodule. "It seems that the parchment must be the reason why Bai Hecheng joined the Cult of the Cadaver. But I still don¡¯t understand why Wang Qi would also join. Logically, Wang Qi shouldn¡¯t have been influenced by that parchment," Zhang Jingxu said, rubbing his chin. At this point, Liu Xing decisively spoke up, saying, "If nothing unexpected happened, then Gary must have taken over Wang Qi¡¯s body. Based on the current situation, Gary is not only a member of the Cult of the Cadaver but also capable of using magic. So Gary should have the ability to possess Wang Qi." "I agree with Mr. Ryuusei¡¯s view. ording to my master¡¯s research, there is indeed a type of magic spell that can take over someone else¡¯s body. However, this type of magic spell is quite special and can only seed when the mental state of the target is very poor. Wang Qi¡¯s injury and unconsciousness fit this condition," Alice said seriously. At this point, Zhang Jingxu, holding Shi Zixuan¡¯s information, said, "Miss Alice, do you have any more information about this Shi Zixuan?" Alice thought for a moment before speaking, "I do have some understanding of Shi Zixuan. When I was still in the Ind Nation, Shi Zixuan appeared in Kyoto and stole a treasure from a secret cult meeting. This incident caused quite a stir in Kyoto¡¯s secret cult circles. Everyone was on edge. Therefore, the Deep Sea Gospel Society and several other secret cults investigated Shi Zixuan and found that she had visited the Ind Nation multiple times and stolen many things, including artworks, jewelry, and some ancient books. Shi Zixuan stole these things simply because someone offered to pay her to do so." "In short, Shi Zixuan is a professional thief. As long as you can contact her and offer enough money, Shi Zixuan will steal whatever you want for you. Even in the eyes of outsiders, secret cults considered dangerous ces are just gardens to Shi Zixuan. This is thanks to her incredible disguise skills, which can make her look like anyone. So many people in secret cults suspect that Shi Zixuan has gained the favor of some Great Old One to possess such powerful disguise skills." "Of course, some secret cults have tried to trouble Shi Zixuan. They attempted to ambush her during a meeting, but Shi Zixuan simply used her teleportation ability to escape the encirclement instantly. This is also Shi Zixuan¡¯s mostmonly used escape skill. Basically, after sessfully stealing something, Shi Zixuan will teleport away directly. So I don¡¯t think we can catch Shi Zixuan unless we have a way to lock onto her teleportation magic spells." Teleportation?! Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow. Because, as always, the magic spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game are one trap after another. But from what Alice said, Shi Zixuan¡¯s teleportation was truly instantaneous, requiring no spellcasting or preparation, and could be used at least once in every module, which was a bit of a bug. But since Shi Zixuan was not affiliated with the Cult of the Cadaver, it meant that although Shi Zixuan, Bai Hecheng, and the others belonged to the same faction, Shi Zixuan might not necessarily fully support Bai Hecheng and the others, as Shi Zixuan was in a "hired" status. In the setting of the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall, yers have a special status called "hired status." This status only appears inpetitive modules. Only when a yer and other yers in the same faction have very serious disagreements on certain aspects will this yer be judged as being in a "hired status." Once theyplete the special mission assigned by the module, this yer can choose to withdraw afterpleting the mission. If the yer¡¯s faction wins the module, the yer can still receive the appropriate rewards. If the yer¡¯s faction fails, the yer will not suffer any losses, essentially just running the module for nothing. Of course, the difficulty of that special mission would not be lower than the main quest of the module. And this time, the special mission Shi Zixuan needed toplete was probably to steal the "Cult of the Cadaver Ritual" book. Thinking of this, Liu Xing spoke up, "By the way, Miss Alice, do you know where the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ that Shi Zixuan wants to steal is now?" Alice nodded and said affirmatively, "If nothing unexpected happened, the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ that Shi Zixuan wants to steal should be in the hands of Bain, a famous collector in Manchester. This Bain specializes in collecting all kinds of forbidden books rted to mysticism, and the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ in his possession is said to be the original manuscript of legends. However, Bain is not easy to deal with. After all, he dares to collect so many forbidden books rted to mysticism, indicating he¡¯s quite capable." "Grand Wizard Bain?" Zhang Jingxu suddenly spoke up. Alice raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised. "Oh, I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Zhang Jingxu to know about this. Yes, Bain is currently the most powerful wizard in Ennd, a superhuman who has lived for hundreds of years. So even the Cult of the Cadaver dare not provoke Bain easily. They can only choose to have Shi Zixuan steal the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ for them." "Is there any way we can persuade Bain to help us deal with the Cult of the Cadaver?" Ling Ishikawa asked curiously. Alice shook her head helplessly. "As a wizard who has lived for hundreds of years, Bain has long seen through the world. Except for asional outings, Bain basically stays on his farm researching those forbidden books. It¡¯s impossible for us ordinary people, or even mythical creatures like Ghouls, to enter that farm. And the envoys sent by the English authorities to Bain were also turned away. So let¡¯s not expect Bain to lend a hand to help us." At this moment, Chris suddenly knocked on the door and walked in, saying, "How¡¯s everyone doing with the information? If you have any questions, feel free to tell me, and I¡¯ll do my best to answer them." As Chris finished speaking, Yis People spoke up, saying, "Mr. Chris, do you believe me now?" The atmosphere instantly became tense. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 465: Farewell Isabella Chapter 465: Farewell Isabe Chris pondered for a moment before speaking, "Although I anticipated that Mr. Liu Xing would ask this question, I didn¡¯t expect him to do so quite so soon... Nevertheless, since you¡¯ve brought it up, Mr. Liu Xing, I¡¯ll be frank with you. While I believe you wouldn¡¯t collude with Bai Hecheng and Wang Qi, given that you rescued Isabe, the higher-ups remain wary of you due to your prior interactions with Wang Qi and Bai Hecheng." Yis People nodded and sighed, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Chris, for your straightforward response. I will demonstrate my position through actions. However, I have another question for you, Mr. Chris. Were the two bodies found in EinsCastle indeed those of Gary and the old steward?" Chris furrowed his brow and shook his head, "If we¡¯re to speak inly, I can confirm that the bodies were those of Gary and the old steward. However, I noticed a peculiar circumstance at the scene. The old steward appeared to have struggled intensely before his death, whereas Gary seemed motionless, offering no resistance. This struck me as quite remarkable because even if one chooses not to resist, reflexes typically kick in when under attack. Therefore, I surmised that Gary had already died before the assault. However, upon examination of Gary¡¯s body, no signs of poisoning or simr conditions were found." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing could now be certain that the current Wang Qi had indeed been possessed by Gary. Yis People shared the same belief. "In that case, I believe the current Wang Qi is highly likely to be Gary. From the current situation, we can deduce that Gary was a member of the Cult of the Cadaver. When resurrecting corpses, the Cult of the Cadaver doesn¡¯t merely revive them but rather facilitates a rebirth of the body and soul together. However, the resurrected soul is then controlled by the Cult of the Cadaver. Hence, Gary likely used some form of magic spell to hide his soul within Wang Qi¡¯s body. Then, he seized Wang Qi¡¯s body while he was injured and unconscious," Yis People earnestly stated. At this point, Alice chimed in, "Indeed, my master once mentioned that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s proficiency in soul matters is considerable. They¡¯ve even created pure spirit ghosts. Therefore, I believe Gary could have indeed possessed Wang Qi¡¯s body." Chris nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin, "There is indeed such a possibility. Previously, we found it strange that Wang Qi abruptly joined the Cult of the Cadaver, unlike Bai Hecheng, who underwent a process. Additionally, during interactions with Chinese officials, it was noted that Wang Qi, upon awakening, no longer recognized his family and friends, disying odd behavior. It seems Wang Qi has indeed been possessed by Gary." "However, shifting the focus, Mr. Chris, what are your current thoughts on Isabe?" Yis People suddenly posed a sharp question.Chris furrowed his brow, understanding Yis People¡¯s implication, "Although Isabe is Gary¡¯s sister, she is still young and has been under Gary¡¯s captivity. I believe Isabe couldn¡¯t possibly be affiliated with the Cult of the Cadaver." Yis People shook his head, stating seriously, "There is a saying in China, ¡¯a person¡¯s upbringing shapes their views.¡¯ Growing up in such a family background, Isabe must have witnessed Gary and the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s actions. Hence, we need to suspect that Isabe is aware of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s existence, and perhaps..." Yis People left his sentence unfinished, merely gazing quietly at Chris. Chris sighed helplessly, shaking his head, "I understand that Isabe may have some connection to the Cult of the Cadaver. However, in the past year, I haven¡¯t noticed anything unusual about Isabe. She lives and studies like an ordinary young girl. Therefore, I believe Isabe is likely unaware of Gary¡¯s actions." Yis People shrugged, ceasing to press Chris further, as he knew continuing to do so would yield no results. At this point, Alice stepped in to mediate, "Speaking of which, Mr. Chris, I have a question as well. Regarding that Rayna, are there truly no other leads?" Chris nodded, affirming, "Indeed, the police have limited information about Rayna. Rayna holds a high position within the Cult of the Cadaver, serving as the leader in the Manchester area. Over the past decade or so, Rayna has remained in Manchester without participating in any activities. It¡¯s likely that Rayna is deceased by now. Despite the scarce information about Rayna, our undercover agents within the Cult of the Cadaver have gathered some gossip." "Firstly, Rayna is a typical English person, somewhat proud and believing in white supremacy, with a strong disdain for ck people, considering them inferior and fit only to be ves. However, Rayna holds a favorable view of Chinese people because, before joining the Cult of the Cadaver, she nearly died from flu but was saved by a Chinese doctor. This might exin why Rayna is willing to coborate with Bai Hecheng and Wang Qi." "Secondly, concerning Rayna¡¯s personal interests, our undercover operative responsible for transporting goods within the Cult of the Cadaver mentioned that many untranted foreign literary books were among the shipments sent to Manchester, all neatly packaged, presumably intended for Rayna. Additionally, during a previous operation, our Manchester police intercepted a batch of smuggled artifacts, including many ancient books from various Asian countries, with Rayna listed as the recipient." "Lastly, a tidbit about Rayna is that her left leg may be disabled, possibly due to a past ident. However, the reliability of this gossip is low, as the undercover source who ryed this information only glimpsed Rayna from afar, observing her walking with a limp and a cane. Hence, I suggest disregarding this tidbit to prevent it from biasing your perceptions." Liu Xing nodded, feeling somewhat puzzled. Given the current situation, although Gary had possessed Wang Qi¡¯s character card, Gary shouldn¡¯t be able to transform into a "yer" like Yis People. Therefore, the current Wang Qi should still be an NPC. Logically, Rayna should be thest yer from the enemy camp in this module. However, based on the gossip Chris mentioned, Rayna seemed more like an NPC. After all, if Rayna were a yer, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to stay in Manchester for over a decade. Typically, yers participate in modules five to six times within a year in the parallel world, totaling over fifty modules in the past decade. Of course, it¡¯s also possible that Rayna has more than one character card. So, Rayna might have participated in a dozen or even twenty modules over these past ten years. However, typically, as a senior fanatic believer, Rayna¡¯s modules would have been significant events. But Chris didn¡¯t mention this. Could it be that Rayna hasn¡¯t been using this character card much? At this moment, Chris¡¯s mobile phone rang. "The time for the birthday banquet has arrived. Let¡¯s all head to the backyard," Chris announced. So, Liu Xing and the others nodded and followed Chris to the backyard, which had already been set up. Dozens of middle-aged men and women, dressed in formal attire, were gathered in small groups, chatting. The arrival of Liu Xing¡¯s group caught their attention. Given Chris¡¯s position as the head of the Manchester police department, aside from his rtives, those who woulde to celebrate Isabe¡¯s birthday would be high-level officials and sessful entrepreneurs from Manchester. Hence, these people were acquainted with each other, while Liu Xing¡¯s group were all strangers. Moreover, among Liu Xing¡¯s group, only Alice and Ryuzaki were white. Under the scrutiny of these people, Liu Xing felt ufortable all over. Fortunately, at this moment, the protagonist of today¡¯s birthday banquet, Isabe, made her entrance. "Wow." As Isabe stood on the makeshift stage, exmations of admiration rose from the audience below because Isabe was simply stunning. And Liu Xing hadn¡¯t forgotten, Isabe¡¯s APP value was a perfect 100! "Isabe is too beautiful, isn¡¯t she?!" Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but exim. Ryuzaki nodded, saying, "No wonder Chris believes Isabe isn¡¯t part of the Cult of the Cadaver. How could such a beautiful angel be a bad person? It¡¯s a pity though. If Isabe were a few years older, I could call Chris my father-inw." Upon hearing Ryuzaki¡¯s words, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, beginning to anticipate Ryuzaki¡¯s reaction when he learned Isabe¡¯s true age. At this moment, Alice, who was the first to regain herposure, suggested, "Let¡¯s find a corner with fewer people and continue discussing the information we just received." Arriving at a less crowded corner, Zhang Jingxu remarked, "Isabe is too beautiful. She¡¯s almost unreal." Zhang Jingxu¡¯s implication was clear and directed at Yis People. However, Yis People didn¡¯t take the bait. Instead, he continued, "I feel the same way. The first time I saw Isabe in EinsCastle, she seemed like a celestial being to me. And when Isabe asked me to take her away from EinsCastle, I agreed without hesitation." Upon hearing Yis People¡¯s response, Liu Xing realized that Yis People only inherited the memories of the "Liu Xing" character card. That was a relief. Liu Xing stroked his chin, looking at Isabe and asked, "So, what are we going to do here next? Are we just going to eat and leave?" Alice nodded, smiling, "Of course. Mr. Ryuusei, do you have any acquaintances here? Well, let¡¯s get back on track. Based on the information Chris mentioned earlier, we shouldn¡¯t expect to find Rayna directly. Simrly, we probably won¡¯t have the opportunity to catch Shi Zixuan either. Wang Qi and Ace haven¡¯t shown up yet. So, I think our best bet for now is to try to find Bai Hecheng. After all, Bai Hecheng is quite active at the moment." "Right. In the past two encounters with Bai Hecheng, they were both within the known operating range of the Cult of the Cadaver. So, we have three ces to try to find Bai Hecheng. Firstly, EinsCastle, which has now be the headquarters of the Cult of the Cadaver in Manchester. We shouldn¡¯t risk it. Then there¡¯s the QuarryBank Textile Factory. But ording to the information provided by Chen Fuping, the QuarryBank Textile Factory should only be a small outpost and transit point for the Cult of the Cadaver. The likelihood of Bai Hecheng appearing there isn¡¯t high. Finally, there¡¯s the North Corner Area. I suspect the Cult of the Cadaver has set up a temporary outpost there specifically for their operations within the city," Ling Ishikawa said seriously. Yis People thought for a moment and said, "I believe the North Corner Area is the most likely. From the current movements of the Cult of the Cadaver, their ultimate goal seems to be within the city. So, they must have arranged a certain number of believers within the city. And the North Corner seems like a good ce..." Before Yis People could finish, a female voice suddenly interrupted, "That¡¯s right, the Cult of the Cadaver does have an outpost in the North Corner." Isabe! Liu Xing turned around to see Isabe standing behind him. At this moment, the others in the backyard stood still, silent. Liu Xing frowned and asked, "Isabe, are you really a member of the Cult of the Cadaver?! What have you done for them?" Isabe shrugged, smiling, "I haven¡¯t done anything. They were just captivated by my beauty. And by the way, I¡¯m not a member of the Cult of the Cadaver." Isabe finished speaking and looked at Liu Xing with interest. Liu Xing¡¯s intuition told him that Isabe probably had figured out his true identity. At this moment, just as Yis People was about to speak, Isabe interjected, "I know what you want to say, Liu Xing. I heard everything you said to Chris in the study room just now. So, let me tell you now, Gary did join the Cult of the Cadaver, and he was the head of the Cult of the Cadaver in Manchester. Rayna was Gary¡¯s deputy. However, because Gary and I have had our differences since we were kids, after Gary joined the Cult of the Cadaver, he sealed me in EinsCastle. So, like you, I really dislike the Cult of the Cadaver." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 466: Arrival of Miguel Chapter 466: Arrival of Miguel Liu Xing looked at Isabe and said seriously, "So, Miss Isabe, would you be willing to help us deal with the Cult of the Cadaver?" Isabe nodded without hesitation and said with a smile, "Of course, I would be willing. If you hadn¡¯te here today, I was nning to find you in a safer ce. My damned brother is preparing to retaliate against me. The reason he possessed Wang Qi¡¯s body is because Imanded a Ghoul to ambush him, forcing him to abandon his original form." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing remembered that the Ghoul in EinsCastle had actually been controlled by Isabe. So, when Gary entered the basement, Isabe had already manipted the Ghoul to attack him, leading Gary to choose ¡¯soul projection¡¯ and possess Wang Qi¡¯s body. Finally, everything made sense. However, Liu Xing¡¯s main concern now was whether Isabe genuinely wanted to help them or not because Isabe was a cunning fox. "So, Miss Isabe, how do you n to cooperate with us?" Zhang Jingxu suddenly asked. Isabe rubbed her chin and smiled, saying, "I can provide you with a lot of intelligence on the Manchester branch of the Cult of the Cadaver because I have a reliable undercover agent embedded there. When necessary, I will have that undercover agent assist you." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, knowing that the undercover agent Isabe referred to was most likely the Ghoul. "Okay, Miss Isabe, what do you need us to do?" Alice continued to inquire.Isabe shrugged and said, "As long as you can eliminate the Manchester branch of the Cult of the Cadaver. However, I must inform you of one thing now: the Cult of the Cadaver is preparing a major event in Manchester. So, you need to speed up your actions." Yis People furrowed their brows and hastily asked, "Oh, Miss Isabe, do you know the specific ns of the Cult of the Cadaver?" Isabe shook her head, somewhat helpless, and said, "I¡¯m not very clear about the specific ns because my undercover agent hasn¡¯t reached that level of intelligence yet. But what I can confirm now is that the Cult of the Cadaver has begun preparations. The reason is simple: many followers of the Cult of the Cadaver have been entering the Manchester city area in batches recently, and the door in the cave behind EinsCastle has also been opened recently." The door?! Liu Xing was astonished. "Miss Isabe, you mean the door that leads to Dreamrealm?" Isabe nodded, affirming, "Yes, that door does lead to Dreamrealm. The other end of the door is the territory of the Ghouls. My damned brother joined the Cult of the Cadaver after entering Dreamrealm and making contact with the Ghouls. Moreover, the Magic Spells he used to possess Wang Qi¡¯s body were taught to him by an elder Ghoul." "Miss Isabe, have you been to the Ghoul territory in Dreamrealm? What are the Ghouls like there?" Alice asked. Isabe thought for a moment and said, "I have been to the Ghoul territory in Dreamrealm, but that was decades ago. With the strength of the Ghouls at that time, they should have easily upied Manchester because there were over a hundred thousand Ghouls." "Gasp." Liu Xing and the others were shocked to hear that there were so many Ghouls. "But you can rest assured. The door was restricted by a powerful entity long ago, so now, even stronger Ghouls cannot pass through it to our world. Therefore, it¡¯s impossible for the Ghouls from Dreamrealm tounch arge-scale invasion of Manchester. I suspect the reason the Cult of the Cadaver opened that door is to seek some technical and material assistance from the elder Ghouls in Dreamrealm, such as some kind of formation!" Isabe first reassured everyone, then sent their hearts racing. In the Cthulhu RPG Game, if Magic Spells were like a flintlock rifle that often misfired, then formations were like powerful cannons. Although the casting requirements for formations were high and required arge amount of materials to construct, once sessfully deployed, the effects of formations could change the entire module¡¯syout. So, if the Cult of the Cadaver really intended to use formations, then Liu Xing could be certain that their ultimate mission would be to prevent the Cult of the Cadaver from sessfullypleting that formation. At this point, Isabe turned back to look at the guests and said, "Alright, I have to leave now. If I keep these people waiting too long, they will start to suspect something unusual. I will send each of you a messageter, and we willmunicate via text. Feel free to ask me any questions, and if I know the answer, I will definitely tell you." After saying this, Isabe returned to the small stage, and the guests who had been "frozen" finally returned to normal, continuing their previous activities. Seeing this scene, Ling Ishikawa couldn¡¯t help but say, "It seems that this Isabe is not to be underestimated. Just her group Charm Art could easily wipe us out." Ryuzaki nodded, hesitatingly saying, "Yes, bute to think of it, didn¡¯t Isabe mention something about decades ago just now? So, if that¡¯s the case, isn¡¯t Isabe already in her forties or even older?!" Liu Xing chuckled and patted Ryuzaki¡¯s shoulder, saying, "Ryuzaki, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d pursue her if Isabe were a bit older? Now we can confirm that Isabe¡¯s age absolutely meets your requirements. So, here¡¯s your chance." Ryuzaki quickly shook his head, disheartenedly saying, "No, no, no, I don¡¯t have a motherplex, and besides, Isabe¡¯s real age could probably make her my grandmother. So, let¡¯s just ignore this issue for now." Alice nodded beside him, saying, "That¡¯s right, let¡¯s put this issue aside for now and discuss whether we should trust Isabe. Because we still know too little about her, I don¡¯t know whether I should believe what she said." Liu Xing thought for a moment and said earnestly, "Considering the current situation, I believe we have no choice but to trust Isabe. We are in a passive position right now, and we need to know what¡¯s happening with the Cult of the Cadaver in Manchester. So, even if Isabe is associated with them, we have to trust the intelligence she provides us, although we shouldn¡¯t fully trust her." "I agree with Mr. Ryuusei¡¯s view. The information in Isabe¡¯s hands is crucial for us. We have to trust it, and most importantly, it seems that the Cult of the Cadaver is indeed preparing for a major event. Therefore, we must act quickly to deal with them," nodded Yis People. Zhang Jingxu, on the sidelines, also nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly. We must eliminate them before the Cult of the Cadaver acts. Otherwise, Manchester will turn into Roon City. My master once mentioned a formation called the Source of gue, which the Ghoul n excels at. Its effect is to infect all creatures within a certain range with a special gue. This gue can make the infected obey themands of the Ghouls, and when necessary, the Ghouls canmand the infected to enter a rapid mutation phase, turning into something akin to zombies." "I¡¯ve heard about this formation from my master as well. During the medieval period, the Ghouls used this formation to create several zombie cities on the Europa continent. If it weren¡¯t for thebined efforts of the wizards on the Europa continent, those zombie cities would have overrun everything. They forcefully destroyed many gates leading to Dreamrealm. Otherwise, our world would have be the domain of the Ghouls," said Alice seriously. Upon hearing Alice¡¯s words, Liu Xing suddenly remembered a yer mentioning a parallel world in the forum, one ruled by Ghouls after the medieval period, where humans were mere livestock for the Ghouls... Of course, there were also other parallel worlds ruled by mythical creatures, and modules conducted in these parallel worlds automatically increased in difficulty. At that moment, Liu Xing saw Wesker approaching with a ss of red wine. "Mr. Liu Xing, I¡¯ve heard from Chris about your thoughts. Personally, I have full confidence in you and Bai Hecheng. When we investigated Bai Hecheng¡¯s information, we also checked yours. Your performance on the Yueshihao cruise ship impressed me. So, let me give you a tip. Not only are we in Ennd monitoring your every move, but China has also intervened in this matter," Wesker said with a smile. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows. Wesker¡¯s ¡¯tip¡¯ was more like a veiled threat because, after all, ¡¯Liu Xing¡¯ was ultimately a Chinese person, with family and connections in China. Yis People sighed and nodded, asking, "Mr. Wesker, will you restrict my actions?" Wesker shook his head and said, "Why would we restrict Mr. Liu Xing¡¯s actions? Mr. Liu Xing, you can still act with others. And if Mr. Liu Xing can thwart the conspiracy of the Cult of the Cadaver with others, both Ennd and China will reward you together." With that, Wesker turned and left. Yis People sighed again, shrugged, and said, "It seems that if I fail this time, it will be my end." Just as Liu Xing was about to nod, he felt someone staring at him. Suddenly, Liu Xing¡¯s mobile phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, it was Miguel. Liu Xing remembered arranging for Miguel toe to Ennd to help him a few days ago. But because the current Miguel couldn¡¯t arrive in Ennd through normal means, he had said he didn¡¯t know how long it would take him to reach Ennd. So, Liu Xing had almost forgotten about it. Realizing this, Liu Xing knew that Miguel had been watching him just now. So, Liu Xing answered the phone, "Hello, Miguel, are you nearby now?" "Yeah, I¡¯m on the rooftop of the building behind you, Master. But I just found a suspicious-looking vehicle parked at the entrance of the vi area, with four people inside, all strapped with remote-controlled bombs!" Miguel said seriously over the phone. Liu Xing furrowed his brow. Miguel¡¯s abilities were unquestionable. After all, after undergoing modifications by the Migo, the current Miguel wasparable to an advanced version of the Terminator. So, Liu Xing was sure Miguel wouldn¡¯t be mistaken. Moreover, it was obvious that the four people with suicide bombs in the car were from the Cult of the Cadaver. Because, at this time, the only organization nning terrorist attacks in Manchester was the Cult of the Cadaver. Moreover, if this terrorist attack seeded, it would kill or severely injure Liu Xing¡¯s group, Isabe, and even wipe out high-level figures in Manchester. Then, the administrative efficiency of Manchester would be greatlypromised. So, what should be done now?! Before Liu Xing could think, Miguel sounded a bit urgent, "Master, the people in the car are making phone calls now. I¡¯ve started to monitor their conversation... They¡¯ve confirmed your location and are about to drive in for a suicide terrorist attack. Should I take them out directly?!" "Yes!" Liu Xing said without hesitation. A momentter, the sound of dice rolling could be heard. One secondter, Liu Xing heard four muffled gunshots. "Master, I¡¯ve sessfully killed the four individuals. However, the remote-controlled bombs on them haven¡¯t been detonated. It seems that the detonators are not on them. Should I detonate the bombs directly?" Miguel asked. Liu Xing thought for a moment and said seriously, "For safety reasons, Miguel, you should detonate those remote-controlled bombs. But try to minimize casualties. After the detonation is sessful, leave immediately. We¡¯ll contact each other by phone." "Understood." Miguel hung up the phone. Then, Liu Xing heard a loud explosioning from the entrance of the vi area. "Liu Xing, what¡¯s that explosion?" Zhang Jingxu looked at Liu Xing in surprise. And so did Ling Ishikawa and the others. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 467: Mist Rises Chapter 467: Mist Rises "Yes, that¡¯s right. But it¡¯s not the time to discuss this now. Let¡¯s talkter," Liu Xing said in a low voice, ncing at the restless crowd around him. Zhang Jingxu and the others nodded, not saying much more. Ling Ishikawa, on the other hand, seemed to understand everything, indicating that he already knew it was Miguel who caused the explosion at the vi area entrance. With the explosion at the vi area entrance, Chief of Police Chris would certainly inquire about it. Since Liu Xing and his group were not interested in the banquet in the first ce, they took their leave. Passing by the explosion site at the vi area entrance, Liu Xing looked at the scene and couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved that Miguel arrived just in time and discovered the suicide car bomb. Otherwise, if that car bomb had rammed into Chris¡¯s home, several members of their group would likely have been casualties. When Liu Xing and his group reached a safe location, preliminary investigation reports on the explosion from Chris¡¯s side had also been released. The contents of this report were both expected and somewhat surprising to Liu Xing and the others. Firstly, the bodies of the four individuals in the car had been obliterated by the detonation of the remote-controlled bombs, rendering them unidentifiable. Furthermore, because the car was parked in a blind spot of the vi area surveince cameras, the police were unsure why the remote-controlled bombs on these four individuals were detonated prematurely. Secondly, there was the issue of the identities of these four individuals. Based on the clothing fragments found at the explosion site and footage retrieved from nearby cameras, it was highly likely that these four individuals were foreign tourists previously abducted by the Cult of the Cadaver in Scond. However, what puzzled Chris was that these foreign tourists seemed calm and rxed in the car, showing no signs of being kidnapped. Therefore, Chris believed that these tourists had likely been controlled by the Cult of the Cadaver. Lastly, the targets of these suicide bombers were undoubtedly headed towards Chris¡¯s home, as there were no other targets in the vi area worth attacking for the Cult of the Cadaver at that time. After reading Chris¡¯s report, Liu Xing felt conflicted. Although Miguel hadn¡¯t been exposed because of this incident, which relieved Liu Xing, strictly speaking, Miguel hadmitted the crime of illegal entry and intentional homicide. But now, the Cult of the Cadaver had begun to use those foreign tourists they had abducted for suicide attacks, and this included the foreign tourists abducted together with Tian Qing in Scond. This made Liu Xing even more worried about Tian Qing.Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but speak to Ling Ishikawa beside him, "Ling Ishikawa, any news from Hu Li?" Ling Ishikawa had anticipated Liu Xing asking this question when he saw the report, so he sighed and shook his head helplessly. This made Liu Xing even more worried. It had been several days since Hu Li went to track the Cult of the Cadaver, but so far, he hadn¡¯t transmitted any useful information back, not even a message confirming his safety. Moreover, Hu Li was a formidable mythical creature; theoretically, he should have been able to find opportunities to send back one or two pieces of information. Had something happened to Hu Li too? At that moment, Liu Xing¡¯s mobile phone rang again, and the caller was still Miguel. "Leader, I¡¯ve reached the location where you are now, but it seems like I¡¯m being tracked by something. Its tracking ability is very strong, and I might not be able to shake it off for a while. Also, every time I try to confirm its identity, it manages to evade me," Miguel said. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Miguel had been targeted so quickly and that the tracker seemed quite capable, being able to stick to Miguel firmly and avoid revealing its own identity. But since someone was already tracking Miguel near the safe point, it likely meant that the safe point had beenpromised. That was troublesome. "In that case, Miguel, try your best to shake it off. If it bes impossible, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to help you," Liu Xing replied after a moment of thought. "Understood," Miguel said before hanging up. Ling Ishikawa, who was nearby, recognized Miguel¡¯s voice, so he asked, "What happened to Miguel?" Liu Xing sighed and recounted everything that had just happened. After listening, Ling Ishikawa furrowed his brows, somewhat surprised, "So that¡¯s what happened. Fortunately, Miguel arrived just in time; otherwise, even if we didn¡¯t die this time, we would have all been seriously injured. Then we would have to watch Bai Hecheng and the others do as they pleased. But speaking of which, I didn¡¯t expect Bai Hecheng and the others to find the safe point so quickly. It seems we¡¯ll have to find another time to relocate. After all, with the tunneling ability of those ghouls from the Cult of the Cadaver, entering the safe point would be too easy." At that moment, Zhang Jingxu, sitting in the front row, looked at his mobile phone with a wry smile and said, "It seems like we¡¯ve walked into a ho¡¯s nest this time. Chen Fuping just sent me a message; Hu Li has returned to the safe point. He sensed a strange presence around the safe point, so he went out to investigate and found a person wearing a mask and sunsses loitering outside the safe point. That person quickly noticed Hu Li and immediately turned and left. So now Hu Li is tracking that person. If everything goes ording to n, the person Hu Li is currently tracking should be the Miguel you mentioned, Ryuusei." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, smiling, "So that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll call Miguel now and ask him to stay put. Then, Ling Ishikawa, you call Hu Li and have her meet up with Miguel directly and return to the safe point together." While speaking, Liu Xing took out his mobile phone to call Miguel. Ling Ishikawa nodded and dialed Hu Li¡¯s number. Ten minutester, Miguel and Hu Li returned to the safe point together. "Ling Ishikawa, where did you find such a capable helper? I almost got rid of this guy myself. But speaking of which, this guy¡¯s aura is strange. He doesn¡¯t seem human, nor does he seem like a monster," Hu Li said as he scrutinized Miguel, speaking up. Ling Ishikawa shrugged and briefly recounted Miguel¡¯s situation, omitting the details about the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect. Liu Xing noticed that when Yis People heard that Miguel had been modified by Migo into a half-robot, a glint of interest shed in their eyes. They carefully inspected Miguel up and down, much like a butcher examining amb about to be ughtered. To Liu Xing, an outsider, Yis People seemed like an old butcher assessing its prey. However, Liu Xing could empathize with Yis People¡¯s current mood. After all, in the Cthulhu mythos, both Yis People and the Migo race were synonymous with high technology, and they had encountered each other before, even having conflicts over territory on Earth. So, when faced with Miguel, a creation of the Migo, it was natural for Yis People to feel the urge to act. If Yis People weren¡¯t currently in the guise of "Liu Xing," they would surely haveid hands on Miguel by now. But now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on such thoughts. Liu Xing anxiously turned to Hu Li and said, "Miss Hu Li, why did you suddenly return? Did you discover anything about the Cult of the Cadaver?" Hu Li chuckled, patting Liu Xing¡¯s shoulder and said, "Rest assured, Ryuusei, I¡¯ve taken care of it. I¡¯ve rescued your sweetheart and her friend. Oh, you two are done showering already? I thought you wouldn¡¯t be out for at least an hour." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, quickly turned around, and saw Tian Qing and Li Mengyao standing behind him, with Tian Qing¡¯s face flushed red. "Oh, so that¡¯s why Miss Hu Li came to our rescue. It turns out Tian Qing caught the eye of this handsome police officer. I remember back in Scond, I felt that this handsome police officer was looking at you oddly. You even scolded me for making baseless ims," Li Mengyao said jokingly to Tian Qing. "How is that possible?" Liu Xing and Tian Qing eximed simultaneously. Li Mengyao was momentarily surprised, then chuckled even more happily. "Look how synchronized you two are, giving exactly the same response... Wait a minute, handsome guy, do you speak Chinese? No, you must have spoken Ind Nation Language just now. Why did it trante to Chinese in my head?" After a moment of thought, Liu Xing asked, "Miss Li Mengyao, do you remember what kind of creatures kidnapped you from Scond?" Li Mengyao nodded, shuddering as she recalled, "Of course, I remember. They were terrifying monsters, like bio-weapons straight out of a Resident Evil movie. And the scariest part is, these monsters were intelligent and could speak humannguages!" "Since you¡¯ve seen Ghouls before, I won¡¯t hide anything from you. You¡¯ve been involved in a supernatural event. The creatures you encountered are called Ghouls, and they¡¯ve established a secret cult called the Cult of the Cadaver on the European continent. This cult is nning to overthrow the government of Ennd. So they¡¯ve been kidnapping foreign tourists all over the British Isles to further their ns. The sgow riots were also their doing. As for our identities, we¡¯re not police officers but individuals specialized in dealing with these supernatural events. I believe you¡¯ve already seen Miss Hu Li¡¯s true form," Liu Xing said, mixing truth with fiction, which was sufficient to deceive Tian Qing and Li Mengyao, ordinary people. However, Liu Xing underestimated Tian Qing and Li Mengyao. He thought they would exim, "That¡¯s impossible," or "I don¡¯t believe it," after hearing his exnation. Instead, they simply nodded and calmly epted Liu Xing¡¯s words. At that moment, Hu Li patted Liu Xing¡¯s shoulder and said with a smile, "Tian Qing and Li Mengyao have much better attitudes than you imagined, Ryuusei. If it weren¡¯t for their resilience, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to rescue them from the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s clutches. And on our way back to the safe point, I told them a lot of things, such as how worried you were about Tian Qing¡¯s safety." Liu Xing shook his head with a wry smile, realizing that Hu Li had yed him. As for Ling Ishikawa and the others, they were smiling and watching, offering no help to Liu Xing. Liu Xing sighed and shrugged, saying, "Don¡¯t think too much about it. I just felt that Miss Tian Qing resembles an acquaintance of mine, so I acted a bit strangely earlier. Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about that now. The Cult of the Cadaver hase knocking on our door, and they¡¯re preparing to strike Manchester. We must find a way to deal with them as soon as possible." At that moment, Li Mengyao suddenly raised her hand, looking expectantly at Liu Xing. Knowing what Li Mengyao was thinking, Liu Xing shook his head and said, "Miss Li Mengyao, I know you want to join us, but both you and Tian Qing are just ordinary people. Our line of work is far more dangerous than infiltrating behind enemy lines. Besides facing gunfire, there are also powerful monsters and evil magic. So, we¡¯ll arrange for you to return home directlyter. For now, find a room and rest." After hearing Liu Xing¡¯s words, Li Mengyao deted like a balloon, looking unhappy as she nestled into Tian Qing¡¯s embrace. Tian Qing could only smile wryly as she patted Li Mengyao¡¯s head. However, at that moment, Miguel spoke up, "Mr. Ryuusei, when Inded in Liverpool, I noticed a strange thick fog suddenly appearing by the seaside, directly stopping at the coastline. At the time, I was in a hurry to find you, so I didn¡¯t pay much attention." Liu Xing furrowed his brow, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding. Zhang Jingxu, holding his mobile phone, sighed and said, "The Cult of the Cadaver has begun its move. Thick fog now covers the entire coastline of Ennd, causing all sea and air routes to halt. It seems that until we deal with the Cult of the Cadaver, this thick fog won¡¯t dissipate." "Yes, this should be Thick Fog created by Deep One using Magic Spells. When I was with the Deep Sea Gospel Society, I heard that with a sufficient number of Deep Ones, they could create enough thick fog to cover the entire world. Moreover, this Thick Fog carries a corrosive effect. If ordinary ships and nes want to force their way through, unless they can break through within half an hour, they¡¯ll never make it out," Alice said seriously. Liu Xing sighed helplessly, realizing that his n to send Tian Qing and Li Mengyao away might not be feasible anymore. Ling Ishikawa shrugged and said, "It seems that the Cult of the Cadaver intends to confront the authorities of Ennd. Miss Hu Li, why don¡¯t you tell us about your findings now?" [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 468: The Final Deadline Chapter 468: The Final Deadline Hu Li nodded, speaking, "There¡¯s not much to say about the situation underground. I basically followed along with the Cult of the Cadaver onto the ship without much pressure. However, due to the tight security of the Cult of the Cadaver on the ship and the fact that foreign tourists like Tian Qing were confined to rtively closed cabins, I couldn¡¯t investigate the situation inside. So, I found a ce to rest on the ship, nning to contact you all once the ship docked. But shortly after setting sail, I noticed a group of Deep Ones boarding. They shed with the Cult of the Cadaver followers onboard because the Cult didn¡¯t help them catch Baruka as agreed." "However, the conflict was more bark than bite. After the head of the Cult of the Cadaver onboard promised to continue assisting the Deep Ones in pursuing Baruka, they grumbled and left. Then, the Ghouls onboard started berating the Deep Ones for theirck of contribution and constantints. It¡¯s evident the cooperation between the Cult of the Cadaver and the Deep Ones is fragile and internal conflicts have emerged. So, we might find an opportunity to exploit this rift." "Because the Cult of the Cadaver was discovered by the English Coast Guard, they decided to disperse. They abandoned therge ship and split into multiple smaller vessels. Naturally, I chose to hide on the same boat as Tian Qing and Li Mengyao. There, I found a peculiarrge crate riddled with holes. It was guarded around the clock by Cult of the Cadaver followers. However, I couldn¡¯t sense any living presence inside the crate, not even a scent." "So, I became curious and seized an opportunity to enter the crate. Inside, I found a wooden sculpture resembling a totem pole from South America, adorned with numerous bizarre creatures. Initially, I thought nothing of the sculpture except for its exquisite craftsmanship. However, soon after, I heard two people standing in front of the crate." "Suddenly, the wooden sculpture emitted ck smoke from all over, pouring out through the holes. I heard someone copse, and then the ck smoke slowly turned crimson before returning into the wooden sculpture. The sculpture, originally wooden in color, also turned slightly red. That¡¯s when I realized something was amiss. But as I tried to find a chance to leave the crate, I noticed a monster on the sculpture seemed to be staring at me. My intuition warned me that if I moved recklessly, I¡¯d surely die inside that crate." "So, I had no choice but to y along and stay put in the crate. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t contacted you all this time. Roughly every hour, someone would be brought outside the crate to be food for this sculpture. When the ck smoke started changing color, the person¡¯s vitality weakened until it vanishedpletely. However, they didn¡¯t seem to be corpses but rather turned into zombies, still able to move." Upon hearing this, Alice couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, "Miss Hu Li, where is the wooden sculpture now?!" Hu Li thought for a moment, pointing towards EinsCastle, "If the Cult of the Cadaver hasn¡¯t relocated it, then the sculpture should still be at EinsCastle." Alice nodded, somewhat frustrated, "It seems that the wooden sculpture is the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s ultimate weapon against us. So, if I¡¯m not mistaken, its effect is to turn living people into zombies. Moreover, the Cult of the Cadaver likely has a way to expand the sculpture¡¯s range of influence. In that case, the entire Manchester will be threatened by this sculpture."Liu Xing and others nodded in agreement. "Yes, after each feeding, the sculpture¡¯s color bes increasingly red, and the emitted ck smoke bes denser. Furthermore, after arriving at EinsCastle, the Cult of the Cadaver took the sculpture to the Dreamrealm, indicating they intend to further enhance its power," Hu Li said seriously. Liu Xing nodded, curious, "So, Miss Hu Li, how did you manage to escape from EinsCastle and also rescue Miss Tian Qing and Miss Li Mengyao?" Hu Li shrugged, smiling, "I suppose I was lucky. Besides the wooden sculpture, there were many wood shavings and cotton inside the crate to cushion it. So, although I couldn¡¯t leave the crate recklessly, I could still transform back into my original form and hide among the fillings. After arriving at EinsCastle, your Bai Hecheng came with some followers to take away the sculpture. Although he nced inside the crate, he didn¡¯t notice me." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing realized Bai Hecheng might not have passed Judgment, hence failing to detect Hu Li¡¯s presence. "After Bai Hecheng and his group left with the sculpture, I seized an opportunity to escape. Initially, I nned to flee directly. However, as I was leaving EinsCastle, I noticed Tian Qing and Li Mengyao being taken to EinsTown in batches. There was only one Cult of the Cadaver follower guarding them. So, after finding a drivable car, I seized the chance to rescue them. Then, I drove back. Of course, I changed cars several times along the way, ensuring that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people didn¡¯t catch up," Hu Li said with a smile. At this moment, Li Mengyao interjected, "By the way, the reason the Cult of the Cadaver took us to that town was to brainwash us separately. When I and Tian Qing were brought into a room by one of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s followers, he lit a candle in front of us and forced us to stare at the me continuously. After a while, I felt like I entered a semi-conscious state, losing control of my body and constantly hearing someone whispering in my ear." Hu Li nodded, saying seriously, "That candle contained a certain amount of sedative, inducing an extremely rxed mental state. Moreover, when I found the car to rescue Tian Qing and Li Mengyao, I saw that Cult of the Cadaver follower reciting a spell, attempting to influence Tian Qing and Li Mengyao, making them believe that the Cult of the Cadaver was the righteous side." Liu Xing nodded, finally understanding why those four foreign tourists willingly became suicide bombers. "It seems we have to act in advance. It¡¯s highly likely that the other foreign tourists have already been brainwashed into loyal followers of the Cult of the Cadaver. This means the Cult gains several hundred significant pawns because these tourists are technically victims, and we can¡¯t entirely restrict their actions. So, they might cause us significant trouble," Zhang Jingxu said, stroking his chin. Liu Xing nodded, finding Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words very urate. After all, in the public eye, these foreign tourists were all victims, and their families have been urging the English authorities to rescue them promptly. So, when the Cult of the Cadaver releases these fully brainwashed foreign tourists, even if the English authorities know they¡¯ve turned into followers of the Cult, they won¡¯t be able to control them. At most, they¡¯ll be questioned by police officers for a while before being released. And when these brainwashed foreign tourists integrate into society, they can do a lot of things. For example, they can control public opinion, propagate how good the Cult of the Cadaver is, and justify their kidnapping as a means to draw attention to the Cult and resist persecution from the English authorities. Though these statements might seem nonsensical, many people would believe them, and various conspiracy theories would arise to support them. Then, the Cult of the Cadaver can openly emerge into the spotlight. Of course, the Cult of the Cadaver would definitely choose to change its name at that time. After all, the name "Cult of the Cadaver" doesn¡¯t sound like something good... Just then, Alice¡¯s mobile phone rang, disying Chris¡¯s caller ID. "Alice, have you seen the news about the sudden appearance of Thick Fog along the English coastline?" Chris sounded urgent. Alice frowned, replying, "Yes, we just saw the news, and we¡¯re certain that the Thick Fog is the work of the Cult of the Cadaver. What¡¯s more concerning is that this Thick Fog also seems to have some lethality." Chris sighed, saying, "I already know about that. The Cult of the Cadaver has made contact with the London authorities. They¡¯ve requested a negotiation in three days at a farm on the outskirts of London. They haven¡¯t disclosed the agenda, but ording to the information from our undercover agent in the Cult of the Cadaver, they likely want us to acknowledge them as a legitimate sect and grant them the right to freely propagate!" Indeed, the Cult of the Cadaver was preparing to step into the limelight. "What was your response?" Alice inquired. Chris replied, "We¡¯re in a tough spot now. We can¡¯t dispel the Thick Fog, and as you know, Ennd being an ind nation, blocking maritime and air transport would be catastrophic. Our economic sector estimates we only have three days before the economic losses from this Thick Fog be astronomical. So, we have no choice but to negotiate with the Cult of the Cadaver. We might have to make concessions to a certain extent..." Upon hearing Chris¡¯s words, Liu Xing had a foreboding feeling. Because if the English authorities chose topromise with the Cult of the Cadaver, it meant that their group might lose the support of the English authorities. Then, the bnce of victory in this module would directly tip towards Bai Hecheng¡¯s side. Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but speak up, "Alice, can Mr. Chris and I have a private conversation?" Alice nodded, passing the mobile phone to Liu Xing. Taking the phone, Liu Xing addressed Chris, "Mr. Chris, this is Ryuusei. I¡¯d like to ask, if the authorities in London decide topromise with the Cult of the Cadaver in three days, can you dy fulfilling the promises?" At this point, Wesker¡¯s voice came from the phone, "Give me the phone." "Mr. Ryuusei, I understand your concerns, but I hope you can understand ours too. Ennd¡¯s economic situation is already dire, and we can¡¯t afford a prolonged standoff with the Cult of the Cadaver. So, if we haven¡¯t found a way to dispel the Thick Fog within three days, we¡¯ll definitely have to concede to the Cult of the Cadaver. However, rest assured, even if we choose topromise, we¡¯ll still support you in dealing with the Cult of the Cadaver because we all know their ambitions," Wesker said earnestly. Though Wesker¡¯s words sounded noble, Liu Xing knew better than to fully trust politicians¡¯ words, or else you¡¯d be left counting your losses after being sold out. Liu Xing was certain that if the Cult of the Cadaver demanded the English authorities to reveal their group¡¯s whereabouts, or to directly expel them from the country, or even arrest them and hand them over, the English authorities would undoubtedlyply without hesitation. After all, when pushes to shove, self-interestes first. After a moment of contemtion, Liu Xing decided to ask Wesker onest question, "Mr. Wesker, if you dopromise with the Cult of the Cadaver, how long can you dy before taking real action?" As Liu Xing finished speaking, KP Li Shunchan interjected, "Now, please select a representative from each yer to roll a 1d10+3 dice. The result will determine how much longer you can stay in this module. Of course, if you fail toplete Phase Three Mission within this time, you¡¯ll be eliminated altogether." Just as Liu Xing expected. Sighing inwardly, Liu Xing said, "Then let me roll the dice. I think my luck has been decenttely." Ling Ishikawa and the others nodded gently, agreeing to let Liu Xing, handle this crucial dice roll. Liu Xing, 1d10+3 = 6+3 = 9 Nine days. Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Three more days, and they should officially enter Phase Three. As long as the missions in Phase Three weren¡¯t too challenging, six days should be quite ample. "Okay, so this module will end directly after nine days. I hope all yers will continue to work hard and make the most of these final nine days toplete the missions. By the way, these missions won¡¯t just be aboutbat for you all," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 469: Taking Initiative? Chapter 469: Taking Initiative? Upon hearing the final words spoken by KP Li Shunchan, Liu Xing knew that there was indeed a confrontational module unfolding over in London, and that the oue of certain events in that module might very well affect their own module. Take, for instance, the Thick Fog issue by the seaside. "All right, Mr. Ryuusei, I hope you can gather some evidence of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s crimes in these few days. That way, we can opt out in advance, deal with the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s branch in Manchester, which would also serve as a show of strength, letting them know we¡¯re not to be trifled with," Wesker said earnestly. Liu Xing pondered for a moment before replying, "OK, no problem." After finishing his words, Liu Xing handed back the mobile phone to Alice. Of course, Liu Xing said this, but deep down, he doubted whether Wesker could deliver on his words. He felt that even if they managed to obtain evidence of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s crimes, Wesker would likely only use that evidence as leverage in negotiations with them, rather than taking direct action against the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s branch in Manchester. Alice didn¡¯t exchange many words with Wesker either; she simply hung up the phone and remarked, "Looks like we¡¯re in big trouble. If nothing unexpected happens, we¡¯ll lose the support of the police in three days." Liu Xing nodded with resignation, saying, "As long as the Thick Fog issue remains unresolved, the English authorities will undoubtedly choose to negotiate with the Cult of the Cadaver. But given the current situation, it¡¯s practically impossible for the English authorities to dissipate the Thick Fog within three days. So, if the English authorities start negotiations with the Cult of the Cadaver, it means we¡¯ve been abandoned by them... They might even betray us." For a moment, everyone was speechless."But then again, as long as we seize the opportunity, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to eliminate the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s branch in Manchester within three days. After all, we¡¯ve already confirmed that EinsCastle is the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s most important stronghold in Manchester, and those kidnapped foreign tourists are still in EinsCastle. If we can persuade Chris, we can directly go and wipe out the Cult of the Cadaver in EinsCastle," Ryuzaki suddenly spoke up. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. While Ryuzaki¡¯s words made sense, implementing them would likely not go smoothly unless they could achieve a major sess in persuading Chris and then get lucky to avoid Wesker. Only then would Chris lead all the manpower of the Manchester police to deal with the Cult of the Cadaver. After all, Liu Xing estimated that the number of Cult of the Cadaver followers in Manchester might have already exceeded two hundred, plus those foreign tourists who had been brainwashed by the Cult of the Cadaver. It would probably require the participation of all police officers from the Manchester police station to sessfully eliminate the Cult of the Cadaver entrenched in EinsCastle. "Well, let¡¯s go find an opportunity to talk to Christer and see if he has any thoughts on taking action against EinsCastle in these two days. But I think the chances are slim," Ling Ishikawa shrugged. Alice sighed and said, "Indeed, I¡¯ll go find my teacher now to understand the situation in London and see if he has any suggestions to offer us." As Alice left, everyone dispersed, while Liu Xing and the other three gathered together to begin their discussion. "What do you think, we only have nine days left now, we must find a way to speed up," Zhang Jingxu spoke up. Liu Xing rubbed his chin and offered his thoughts, "I think we shouldn¡¯t be too hasty for now. Let¡¯s wait until the third stage of the module officially begins. After all, we need to first determine what our final goal is... Although we can now confirm that our ultimate target should be that wooden sculpture of the Cult of the Cadaver." Yis People nodded and smiled, "I think you¡¯re right, Ryuusei. We shouldn¡¯t rush it. After all, confrontational modules are always fair. Even if the English authorities yield to the Cult of the Cadaver, the impact on us will manifest in other forms over at Bai Hecheng¡¯s side. After all, this Thick Fog situation shouldn¡¯t have been caused by Bai Hecheng and his group." After Yis People¡¯s words, Liu Xing realized he had indeed been too anxious, forgetting the biggest characteristic of confrontational modules, which was fairness. Although there might be a significant disparity in the strengths of the NPC forces on both sides, for the yers on both sides, the support they could receive from NPC forces would be roughly the same. This ensured that there wouldn¡¯t be too much of a gap between the yers on both sides. Otherwise, if the NPCs of the stronger side were persuaded by the yers to attack the yers of the weaker side, the yers on the weaker side would truly have no chance. Therefore, even if the English authorities stopped supporting them to negotiate with the Cult of the Cadaver, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s side would also, for various reasons, abandon their support for Bai Hecheng and his group, bringing both sets of yers back to the same starting line. Of course, if one side¡¯s yers performed exceptionally well and gained assistance bypleting certain missions in the module, the other side¡¯s yers wouldn¡¯t benefit. For example, the NPCs both sides recruited in the second stage of this module. Thinking this through, Liu Xing suddenly felt that their odds were quite good. Because their group had already recruited Baruka, a powerful fighter, along with Baruka¡¯s Deep One subordinates, Liu Xing believed that in terms ofbat strength, they shouldn¡¯t be inferior to Bai Hecheng¡¯s side. As for the other NPCs they recruited, Jack and Buke, as well as Isabe, who might stand on their side, they were all good assets. Jack¡¯s marksmanship, Buke¡¯s first aid skills, and Isabe¡¯s magic spells could alle in handy at critical moments. And then there were their original NPC helpers, making their lineup even more formidable. Miguel was undoubtedly a versatile talent. Although he might not be as strong inbat as Baruka, Miguel excelled in many other areas. Not only could he be useful in battles, but he could also y a huge role in tracking and counter-tracking, not to mention his other abilities like insight. Hu Li¡¯s Charm Art was undoubtedly a trump card, as for most yers at this stage, they didn¡¯t have items to resist charm; it all depended on their luck and willpower judgment. Moreover, Hu Li¡¯s knockout drugs could also be extremely useful in certain situations. Then there¡¯s Chen Fuping and Yuan Chen. If these two Taoists perform well, they can also have a significant impact. Moreover, when dealing with yers like Bai Hecheng who have turned into mythical creatures, there are several Taoist techniques that can provide bonuses. Ryuzaki, who uses firearms, can be said topensate for a weakness in the team. After all, among our group, Ryuzaki is the only one proficient with firearms. So, Ryuzaki¡¯s presence diversifies our group¡¯s output, instantly increasing both burst damage and sustained damage. As for Alice and Lu Tianya, Liu Xing feels that while they both know some magic and Taoist techniques, their age and the fact that they both startedter in life without systematic training means they¡¯re only somewhat effective inbat. Lastly, there¡¯s Juri Sonoda, Li Mengyao, and Tian Qing. Liu Xing can only say that this module isn¡¯t suitable for them... As for Nan Xiaoniao, Liu Xing actually feels guilty towards her. Ever since he adopted Nan Xiaoniao, he¡¯s been running around due to module-rted reasons and basically hasn¡¯t taken care of her at all. It¡¯s undoubtedly irresponsible behavior, but it¡¯s also inevitable. As Liu Xing was lost in thought, Ling Ishikawa spoke seriously, "Although we have to wait until the third stage to determine our goal, we need to do some preliminary preparation now. For example, we need to determine the exact location of the wooden sculpture and who is responsible for guarding it. If possible, we should also confirm who thest yer is and what Rayna looks like." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Let¡¯s leave this to Miguel. After all, Miguel¡¯s investigation ability is on par with Hu Li¡¯s, and hisbat power is even higher than Hu Li¡¯s. Plus, Miguel¡¯s own characteristics make him the perfect candidate for investigation." "By the way, who exactly is Miguel? He doesn¡¯t seem like a normal person," Yis People asked, puzzled. Just as expected. Liu Xing knew Yis People would ask this question, so he had prepared his exnation long ago. "Miguel is an NPC that Ling Ishikawa and I met in a module a long time ago. His identity is indeed very special. He used to be a human, but unfortunately, he was captured by a mythical creature. We suspect that mythical creature was a Migo¡ªyou should know about Migo, Yis People. They¡¯re quite adept at human body modification. So, Miguel ended up like this¡ªa half-robot." Yis People nodded thoughtfully. "Miguel is indeed well-suited for investigation. But ording to what you said, Liu Xing, Wang Qi should have been sessfully possessed by Gary and turned into an NPC. So, is Rayna thest yer on Bai Hecheng¡¯s side? But I feel like Rayna doesn¡¯t seem like a yer. After all, a yer wouldn¡¯t stay in one ce for so long, unless it¡¯s in a ce like the simple-minded Gotham City, where various events happen every day," Ling Ishikawa said with doubt. Yis People shook his head, saying helplessly, "I can only confirm that Wang Qi has transformed from a character card into an NPC. But I¡¯m also puzzled about Rayna¡¯s situation. However, speaking of which, Shi Zixuan nned to steal Bain¡¯s ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites,¡¯ right? We can take the initiative and go talk to Bain about this. Even if we can¡¯t meet Bain, we can lie in wait near Bain¡¯s farm for Shi Zixuan to appear." Liu Xing nodded, smiling, "That¡¯s indeed a good idea, but capturing Shi Zixuan won¡¯t be easy. After all, Shi Zixuan has the teleportation skill, and we have no way to counter it. Of course, if Bain is willing to help, then we still have hope." "Let¡¯s give it a try. I think Shi Zixuan¡¯s teleportation skill probably has a random effect within a certain range, and he can¡¯t use it twice in a short time. So, as long as we prepare in advance, we have a chance to ambush him," Ling Ishikawa said seriously. So, Liu Xing and his team decided to first talk to Aliceter, then prepare for defense after determining the situation around Bain¡¯s farm, and wait for Shi Zixuan to walk into their trap. "The next topic is whether we should go to Beicuo," Liu Xing said. Yis People thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "I think we can go to Beicuo. Isabe has already said that the Cult of the Cadaver has arranged for some people to enter the Manchester city area, and in the Manchester city area, the most likely hiding ce for the Cult of the Cadaver is Beicuo. If we go now, we should gain something, and maybe even get some important information, because these Cult of the Cadaver followers who entered the Manchester city area should havee with a mission." Ling Ishikawa shrugged beside him and said with a smile, "I think we don¡¯t need to go to Beicuo because even if we confirm that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people are hiding in Beicuo, Chris probably won¡¯te to help us. As for the purpose of these Cult of the Cadaver followers entering the Manchester city area, they probably want to prepare in advance to encircle Wei and save Zhao. As long as the Manchester police want to act against EinsCastle, these Cult of the Cadaver followers will start causing chaos in the Manchester city area, forcing the Manchester police toe back and suppress them, after all, the public doesn¡¯t know about EinsCastle." Liu Xing nodded. Ling Ishikawa was right. Simply put, these Cult of the Cadaver followers are bargaining chips. If the Manchester police want to raid EinsCastle, these Cult of the Cadaver followers will start causing chaos in the Manchester city area, effectively exploiting the Manchester police¡¯s weakness because the Manchester police are not as ruthless as the Cult of the Cadaver and are more restrained. Just then, Alice suddenly walked into the room and said, "Everyone, my teacher just sent me a message. He told me that the reason the Cult of the Cadaver sent Shi Zixuan to deliver Bain¡¯s ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites¡¯ is because that book is indeed authentic. Moreover, it contains a kind of magic spells that can unleash the true effect of the corrupted wooden sculpture, the one Hu Li saw. It can turn all living creatures within a certain range into obedient undead under the control of the corrupted wooden sculpture." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 470: Yis People’s Black Technology Chapter 470: Yis People¡¯s ck Technology Upon hearing Alice¡¯s words, Liu Xing and the others knew that this trip to the farm was inevitable. "Miss Alice, didn¡¯t you say Cult of the Cadaver wouldn¡¯t dare to provoke Bain at will? Howe now a branch of Cult of the Cadaver in Manchester dares to go steal from Bain?" Zhang Jingxu asked curiously. Alice sighed and said somewhat helplessly, "It¡¯s just unfortunate timing. Under normal circumstances, Cult of the Cadaver wouldn¡¯t dare to provoke Bain. After all, Bain has a violent temper, the kind that seeks revenge for any wrongdoing. And when he strikes, it¡¯s always deadly. So, although Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s overall strength is stronger than Bain¡¯s, they still dare not confront him directly because it¡¯s not worth the risk." "But the problem now is that there¡¯s a ny percent chance Bain is in seclusion recently because just a month ago, Bain unted that he got a rare ancient book called ¡¯The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun¡¯. It records magic spells highlypatible with Bain, so he started seclusion. He should be in the underground private room of the farm now. So, Cult of the Cadaver wants to take this opportunity to steal the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t expected Bain to have ¡¯The Secret Scripture of Xuanjun¡¯. It seemed he truly had a connection with it. "In that case, we shouldn¡¯t dy. Let¡¯s go to Bain¡¯s farm now to scout ahead and upy some advantageous observation positions before Cult of the Cadaver does." Ling Ishikawa suggested. So, led by Alice, Liu Xing and the others headed to Bain¡¯s farm. Bain¡¯s farm was located in the south of Manchester, surrounded by vast ins. Apart from a few small forests, there were hardly any concealed areas near Bain¡¯s farm. Although it was called a farm, Bain¡¯s farm wasn¡¯t thatrge. Alice drove around Bain¡¯s farm and it only took five minutes. Moreover, the interior of Bain¡¯s farm didn¡¯t have any crops nted, nor were there any livestock. It seemed Bain regarded this ce as his country vi.However, Liu Xing could feel that despite Bain¡¯s farm seeming defenseless and easily essible, there were crows perched on the fence of Bain¡¯s farm at intervals. They remained motionless when a car passed by, staring at it intently. Obviously, these crows were likely magic creatures summoned by Bain. So, Liu Xing was sure that if they rashly entered Bain¡¯s farm, they would definitely be subjected to prepared magic attacks from Bain. "It seems Bain has been prepared for a long time. These crows can basically ensure that not even a fly can get into Bain¡¯s farm. It seems Shi Zixuan¡¯s idea of stealing the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ is quite far-fetched." Ling Ishikawa sighed. Alice nodded, smiling, "It seems my master was right. Bain¡¯s farm defenses are indeed good. These crows are magic creatures, with astonishing vision and the ability to sense magic fluctuations around them. Most importantly, these crows can share perception with Bain. So, if anyone dares to trespass Bain¡¯s farm, Bain will know immediately." "Besides these crows, I can also sense that Bain has applied a static electricity magic on this fence. If someone tries to trespass by climbing over this fence into Bain¡¯s farm, they¡¯ll trigger the static electricity magic and end up unable to take care of themselves, with symptoms like incontinence. I¡¯ve heard that the Manchester police often receive calls from Bain toe here and arrest some thieves who are already foaming at the mouth." "And then, on the roof of the main building of Bain¡¯s farm, my master told me that the lightning rod on the roof is actually a magic turret. As long as someone sessfully climbs over the fence, this lightning rod willunch various magic attacks. Basically, Bain doesn¡¯t need to personally intervene; intruders will be turned into ashes by various magics. In short, Bain¡¯s farm defense is extremely strong. Anyway, it¡¯s very difficult for us to get in." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "So, Alice, do you have any way to contact Bain? If we could meet Bain, Cult of the Cadaver wouldn¡¯t be able to get the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯." Alice shook her head, still somewhat helpless. "I thought about that too, but as I mentioned before, Bain is currently the number one magician in the European region, with a very high status in the martial world. Even my master has only had a chance encounter with Bain, and I¡¯ve only heard Bain¡¯s name. So, I have no way to contact Bain. Besides, our every move now should be under Bain¡¯s watch. If he intended to meet us, he would have notified us by now." "Then let¡¯s forget about it. We can¡¯t force ourselves into someone else¡¯s business. For now, let¡¯s secure a good observation point. I think the small forest we just passed by is good. It¡¯s probably thergest around Bain¡¯s farm, and it has dense bushes. Most importantly, the small forest is on a small hill, which is a vantage point." Zhang Jingxu suggested. So, Alice parked the car in the small forest mentioned by Zhang Jingxu. Liu Xing looked around and found it indeed a good observation point. They could see Bain¡¯s farm and its surroundings clearly, and the middle of the small forest happened to have a sizable clearing for them to set up camp. "This is indeed a good ce. But we can¡¯t stay here because Cult of the Cadaver will surelye to scout before deciding to attack Bain¡¯s farm. They¡¯ll probably choose this ce too. So, unless we want to directly confront Cult of the Cadaver, we should give up this territory." Ling Ishikawa shrugged. Alice chuckled and took out a box from the trunk of the car. "I¡¯ve prepared for this situation. There are some high-tech monitors in this box. We can set them up in this forest now to monitor Bain¡¯s farm instead of us." As Alice spoke, she took out the monitors from the box. These monitors were only the size of soybeans, extremely discreet. What¡¯s even more miraculous was that after Alice activated the remote control, these monitors automatically floated and changed from ck to green and earthy yellow. Then, they flew directly onto the branches and leaves of the trees. Seeing this scene, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow because these monitors were indeed too high-tech. So, Liu Xing felt these monitors couldn¡¯t have been made by human technology because, in the worldview of the Cthulhu myth, such ck technology creations couldn¡¯t possibly be made by humans. "Wow, Miss Alice, your monitor is quite impressive. It¡¯s so small yet it can fly and change color. It¡¯s truly incredible. Has the technological level in Ennd reached such heights?" Ling Ishikawa eximed exaggeratedly. Alice chuckled and replied, "No, no, Mr. Ling Ishikawa, you¡¯re thinking too much. These monitors are all made by a mythical creature called Yis People. And Yis People are quite special. They asionally possess humans in a spiritual state and then use the human body for various research purposes. After a certain period, Yis People will choose to leave, allowing the original human soul to return to the body, possibly leaving behind some useful ck technology. My master knows someone who has been possessed by Yis People before, and these monitors were given to my master by that person." Upon hearing the words "Yis People," Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at the Yis People in front of him, then quickly chose to look away. At that moment, the Yis People remained unmoved upon hearing Alice mention their race, as if they were not a Yis People at all. "I see. I thought this monitor looked strange. It doesn¡¯t seem like something that can be produced by current human technology." Zhang Jingxu rubbed his chin. Alice shrugged and said with a smile, "As long as this monitor works well, it doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s made by humans or Yis People. Anyway, let¡¯s leave here quickly now to avoid encountering people from Cult of the Cadaver." So, Liu Xing and the others got into the car and left the small forest. On the way back, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but look back at Bain¡¯s farm. And... nothing happened. Liu Xing shrugged with some regret. During the return journey, Liu Xing and his group didn¡¯t see any vehicles resembling Cult of the Cadaver. It seemed Cult of the Cadaver hadn¡¯t prepared to cause trouble at Bain¡¯s farm yet. Back at the safe point, Alice projected the monitor¡¯s images onto therge TV in the living room to observe Bain¡¯s farm situation in real time. However, at that moment, Chris brought another piece of bad news: Cult of the Cadaver had already released the first batch of kidnapped foreign tourists. As expected, these tourists, like Liu Xing and his team had feared, had been brainwashed by Cult of the Cadaver. They refused to cooperate with inquiries from local authorities, and under the strong demands of their families, the local authorities had no choice but to let these tourists go home. "It seems Cult of the Cadaver is preparing to cause trouble. As soon as those kidnapped locals return, they canunch a propaganda campaign and further pressure the English authorities to concede," Lu Tianya said helplessly. Liu Xing nodded and suddenly remembered something. He then said to Zhang Jingxu, "Zhang Jingxu, didn¡¯t your junior sister mention that among the people kidnapped with her, there was still a member of your Daoist sect left in Manchester? Do we have any news about that person now?" Zhang Jingxu raised an eyebrow and then walked to Chen Fuping¡¯s room. After a moment, Zhang Jingxu smiled and said, "It looks like we¡¯re getting another helper. Wang Ming was also released by Cult of the Cadaver along with this batch of foreign tourists. And he brought back some useful information. But now, I need to go out with Chen Fuping to confirm Wang Ming¡¯s current situation. After all, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that Wang Ming has also been brainwashed by Cult of the Cadaver." At this point, Hu Li spoke up, "Then let me go with you. As a fox spirit, my ability to see into people¡¯s hearts is quite good. I can help you determine whether he has been brainwashed by Cult of the Cadaver and whether Cult of the Cadaver has sent anyone to track us." "OK, then we¡¯ll trouble Miss Hu Li," Zhang Jingxu said with a smile. Then, Zhang Jingxu and the other two left the safe point. Not long after, Zhang Jingxu and the others returned to the safe point with a somewhat disheveled young man. "Wang Ming, go take a shower in my room. Your body size is simr to mine. Just change into my clothes," Zhang Jingxu said, pointing to his room. Wang Ming nodded and greeted Liu Xing and the others before heading to Zhang Jingxu¡¯s room to shower. "Now we can confirm that Wang Ming hasn¡¯t been brainwashed by Cult of the Cadaver because when he realized something was wrong, he hypnotized the Cult of the Cadaver follower responsible for brainwashing him first, sessfully turning the tables. Then, Wang Ming obtained some information from that Cult of the Cadaver follower. Apart from what we already knew, there¡¯s one piece of information that¡¯s quite important to us: there are still seven Ghouls lingering in Manchester. The rest of the Ghouls have already gone to London. So, dealing with Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s branch in Manchester will be much easier now." "And then, Wang Ming¡¯s discoveries during his time undercover in Cult of the Cadaver. Firstly, Bai Hecheng haspleted the transformation from a human to a Ghoul. Now, Bai Hecheng can freely switch between human and Ghoul forms. Secondly, Ace. ording to Wang Ming, we can actually recognize Ace quite easily because Ace always wears a white robe with arge snake pattern on it. As for Rayna and Shi Zixuan, these two have always been elusive. Wang Ming hasn¡¯t seen them in Eins Castle." "Finally, and most importantly, Wang Ming¡¯s most important discovery is that there is indeed a mole from Cult of the Cadaver in the Manchester police department. Because Wang Ming has overheard Bai Hecheng contacting that mole several times. So, recently, Cult of the Cadaver has been fully aware of all the dynamics of the Manchester police department. Also, the news about Isabe¡¯s birthday party was passed on to Cult of the Cadaver by that mole. That¡¯s why Cult of the Cadaver arranged the suicide terrorist attack. As for Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s next n, it¡¯s to make that mole defect directly, coordinating with those foreign tourists to create news and public opinion!" Zhang Jingxu said seriously. Upon hearing this, Liu Xing suddenly realized that thest yer on Bai Hecheng¡¯s side should be the police officer mole. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 471: First Confrontation (1) Chapter 471: First Confrontation (1) Liu Xing thought for a moment, then immediately spoke up, "In that case, it¡¯s necessary for us to inform Chris about this matter. He should investigate the undercover agents in the police department. Moreover, I believe this undercover agent holds a significant position within the police department; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have ess to such vital intelligence." Alice nodded, taking out her mobile phone. "Yes, I¡¯ll talk to Chris about this right away. I think he may have already suspected that there¡¯s an undercover agent on his side." "By the way, Wang Ming mentioned that the undercover agent is probably a middle-aged woman with a peculiar ent, not like a local from Ennd," Zhang Jingxu added. Just then, Liu Xing¡¯s mobile phone suddenly rang, with the caller ID showing ¡¯Unknown.¡¯ Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, knowing it was likely Isabe calling. "Mr. Ryuusei, I need to inform you of something. The Cult of the Cadaver is preparing tounch an attack on the Manchester Police Department. Their reasoning is that the Manchester Police believe the kidnapped foreign tourists staged the event, so they intend to violently interrogate them," Isabe said with a smile. Liu Xing frowned, surprised at how quickly the Cult of the Cadaver was moving. They were already nning to strike against the Manchester Police Department. If the Cult of the Cadaver seeded this time and controlled the narrative, it would deal a significant blow to the credibility of the Manchester Police Department. With this in mind, Liu Xing said to Isabe, "Miss Isabe, do you know when exactly the Cult of the Cadaver ns to act?"Isabe thought for a moment before replying, "It should be within the next couple of days. You should be aware of the negotiations between the English authorities and the Cult of the Cadaver. So, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s actions are aimed at forcing greater concessions during negotiations." As expected. Liu Xing sighed, saying, "In that case, Miss Isabe, do you know about the corrupted wood carvings?" "What?!" Isabe eximed in surprise. "Mr. Ryuusei, are you saying that the Cult of the Cadaver has brought corrupted wood carvings to Manchester?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised at Isabe¡¯s reaction. It seemed the effects of these corrupted wood carvings were indeed terrifying. So, Liu Xing informed Isabe about the corrupted wood carvings. After a moment of silence, Isabe spoke again, "I see. It¡¯s likely not the genuine corrupted wood carving but a replica. As far as I know, the real corrupted wood carving should still be kept in the Dreamrealm. The Cult of the Cadaver shouldn¡¯t have the authority to use the real corrupted wood carving. However, even if it¡¯s just a replica, we shouldn¡¯t underestimate its abilities. If someone from the Cult of the Cadaver masters its catalytic effect, the entire Manchester will be affected, and ultimately, everyone in Manchester will be under the control of the Cult of the Cadaver." "However, because it¡¯s only a replica, it should be rtively easy for us to destroy it. Just throw it on the ground, and the replica of the corrupted wood carving will be rendered useless. Therefore, I believe the Cult of the Cadaver will likely deploy a significant number of followers to guard the replica of the corrupted wood carving. But with Mr. Ryuusei¡¯s current capabilities, you should have a chance to destroy the replica of the corrupted wood carving. So, when I sense the Cult of the Cadaver using the replica of the corrupted wood carving, I¡¯ll give you a call. You¡¯ll have to destroy it within a day." After listening to Isabe¡¯s words, Liu Xing felt relieved. As Isabe had mentioned, there were several options among his group who could sneak into the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s headquarters and destroy the replica of the corrupted wood carving, such as Hu Li and Miguel. "Okay, we should be able to destroy the replica of the corrupted wood carving. But I have another question for you, Miss Isabe. Do you know about Bain¡¯s Farm?" Liu Xing continued. Isabe replied somewhat puzzled, "Bain¡¯s Farm? Of course, I know about it. After all, Bain¡¯s name is well-known throughout Europe. He¡¯s a powerful Wizard. When Bain started his farm in Manchester, my damn brother even considered abandoning Eins Castle and running away." Liu Xing raised his eyebrow again, surprised at Bain¡¯s reputation. Just a name almost made Gary give up his inheritance and leave his hometown. After Liu Xing informed Isabe about the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s n to steal the original "Cult of the Cadaver Ritual" from Bain, Isabe fell silent. Just when Liu Xing thought Isabe might have hung up, she finally spoke, "If everything goes as expected, the Cult of the Cadaver might indeed steal the original ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ from Bain. Because you see, Bain, as a very powerful Wizard, naturally has great confidence in his magic. So, during his seclusion, he usually neglects the defense of the farm, believing that no one can break through his magic. But the current Cult of the Cadaver does have the ability to do so, as there are countless Wizards in the Dreamrealm who are stronger than Bain." "So, I think since the Cult of the Cadaver dares to send people to steal the original ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ from Bain, they must have sought the help of Ghoul Wizards in the Dreamrealm. Therefore, the Cult of the Cadaver should have a way to break Bain Farm¡¯s magic defenses. By then, Shi Zixuan should be able to easily steal the original ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual,¡¯ unless Bain happens to be reading the original ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ as well." Upon hearing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow. He realized that his group had been somewhat misled by Alice, exaggerating Bain¡¯s abilities. "Alright, Mr. Liu Xing, I must hang up now. Ever since Gary returned to Manchester, he¡¯s had people watching me. So, for safety¡¯s sake, I need to go back and act as if nothing has happened," Isabe said as she ended the call. Because Liu Xing had put the call on speaker while talking to Isabe, Zhang Jingxu and the others also heard the conversation. "Damn, how could I forget about this? You see, ording to my master¡¯s investigation, most of the magic humans wieldes from various mythical creatures. Therefore, the magical talents of mythical creatures surpass those of humans. So, although Bain is very powerful, there must be Wizards among the Ghoul n who are even more formidable," Alice said somewhat regretfully. Zhang Jingxu shrugged and said, "Actually, this is just a minor inconvenience. As long as we cause a disturbance when the Cult of the Cadaver acts, directly triggering Bain Farm¡¯s defense measures, Bain shoulde out to assess the situation. Unless the Cult of the Cadaver truly brings in a powerful Ghoul Wizard from the Dreamrealm, they won¡¯t be able to match Bain in a direct confrontation." Alice nodded, looking at therge TV in the living room. "In that case, we need to station some people outside Bain Farm at all times. This way, we can react promptly. So, who should we send?" Liu Xing and the others frowned because it was evident they would need to split their forces. Still, the old saying goes ¡ª soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals. In critical plotlines, ordinary NPCs wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against yers. yers could better utilize their subjective agency. With just one or two judgments, yers could resolve those NPCs in various ways. After all, NPCs had to follow the plot, whereas yers could prepare in advance once they spected about the plot. "Well, how about this? Watanabe Ryuusei, Ling Ishikawa, Alice, Ryuzaki, and I will go and station ourselves outside Bain Farm," Zhang Jingxu proposed, a decision Yis People could only agree with. After selecting the team, Alice retrieved camping equipment from the misceneous room at the Safe Point. Then, they all got into their vehicles and headed back to Bain Farm. However, this time, Liu Xing¡¯s group didn¡¯t get too close to Bain Farm. Instead, they chose a camping site about a kilometer away from Bain Farm. Since it was Friday, the camping site was quite crowded. Finally, Liu Xing¡¯s group settled in a less crowded corner. "It¡¯s a good thing there are quite a few people here; it makes us less conspicuous," Liu Xing said with a smile as he got out of the car. Ryuzaki nced around and nodded. "Okay, at least there aren¡¯t any suspicious individuals around us now. I haven¡¯t spotted any surveince devices either, so it seems the Cult of the Cadaver isn¡¯t nning to stay here." After chatting for a while, Liu Xing¡¯s group began setting up their tents. With Ryuzaki, a professional present, the tent setup was done quickly. Then, Ryuzaki brought out a box of tablets from the car and connected ten tablets to the monitor¡¯s feed. He ced them in Alice¡¯s tent. Bain Farm remained tranquil. "Alright, now we can enjoy our vacation. Let¡¯s have a barbecue. I¡¯ve alreadypleted the setup. If any suspicious individuals appear on the monitors, my mobile phone will receive an alert," Alice said with a smile. Hearing Alice¡¯s words, Liu Xing¡¯s group couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had been busy dealing with the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s schemes for the past few days, putting tremendous psychological pressure on them. Now, they truly needed a break, even if it might end in a few hours. Of course, Liu Xing¡¯s group remained vignt. While enjoying the barbecue, they continued to observe their surroundings. However, Liu Xing¡¯s group seemed to be overly cautious this time. Even as the night grewte, they didn¡¯t notice anything unusual. So, Liu Xing¡¯s group retired to their tents peacefully. The night passed without incident. But early the next morning, Alice woke up Liu Xing¡¯s group. "Wake up, everyone. It seems the Cult of the Cadaver is ready to attack Bain Farm." Liu Xing¡¯s group quickly got dressed and gathered in Alice¡¯s tent. They saw Shi Zixuan and Bai Hecheng¡¯s figures on the tablet screen, along with over a dozen Cult of the Cadaver followers. "Hey, Bai Hecheng, are you sure this thing works? I don¡¯t want to end up in pieces because of some magic," Shi Zixuan said, ying with a ring in her hand. Bai Hecheng chuckled and reassured her, "Shi Zixuan, rest assured. This ring has a magic nullification enchantment attached to it. Once you put it on, the nullification enchantment will activate, and for half an hour, you won¡¯t trigger any magic. That should be enough time for you to retrieve the book from the farm." Shi Zixuan nodded dubiously. "That¡¯s good to know. But if I find out the Cult of the Cadaver is deceiving me, you won¡¯t have peaceful days ahead. I¡¯ll make sure to bankrupt the Cult of the Cadaver." Facing Shi Zixuan¡¯s threat, Bai Hecheng smiled but remained silent. At that moment, a minion approached them respectfully. "Master Bai Hecheng, we¡¯ve set up covert sentries on all roads around Bain Farm, and there¡¯s been no activity from the police department." Bai Hecheng nced at the sun in the sky, then took out a revolver from his pocket. He loaded a silver bullet into it and aimed at the main building of Bain Farm. The bullet silently flew out of the barrel and exploded upon reaching the rooftop of the main building, showering it with silver powder. "This is the second precaution provided by the higher-ups. In simple terms, once the silver powder is inhaled, whether you¡¯re a powerful Wizard or a tiny ant, you¡¯ll lose your ability to sense anything for a short time. So, unless you¡¯re right in Bain¡¯s face, he won¡¯t detect you. The effect of this powdersts for an hour. But we also need an hour to ensure the powder prates Bain¡¯s underground Private Room. So, Miss Shi Zixuan, you can start preparing now," Bai Hecheng exined to Shi Zixuan. Shi Zixuan nodded and entered a tent that had just been set up. Seeing this, Alice frowned and asked, "What should we do now?" Liu Xing rubbed his chin and said, "Things have gottenplicated. If the silver powder works as Bai Hecheng ims, then we must leave immediately and trigger Bain Farm¡¯s defense measures within an hour." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 473: The First Confrontation (2) Chapter 473: The First Confrontation (2) Liu Xing gripped the handgun tightly in one hand while clutching the car handle with the other, ready to jump out and engage with the Cult of the Cadaver at any moment. However, that was the worst option considering the numerous members of the Cult of the Cadaver. At that moment, Alice¡¯s voice came through the inte again, "Bai Hecheng and his group have realized we¡¯ve turned the tables on them. They¡¯re packing up and getting ready to drive away. Bai Hecheng himself is carrying a box, so I believe it contains something crucial. However, Shi Zixuan is in another vehicle, so it¡¯s possible Bai Hecheng¡¯s box is just bait, meant to distract us while Shi Zixuan makes a move." Liu Xing nced at Ling Ishikawa. Ling Ishikawa gritted his teeth and said, "I think we should go after Bai Hecheng. Even if the box he¡¯s carrying is just bait, catching Bai Hecheng would still be a win. Considering the current situation, Bai Hecheng is a significant member of the Cult of the Cadaver. Taking him down would be a major blow to them, outweighing any drawbacks for us." Zhang Jingxu, focused on driving, nodded in agreement with Ling Ishikawa¡¯s suggestion. Recent events made it evident that Bai Hecheng was highly active in this module. His presence and name were frequently observed, indicating his importance within the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s faction. In any game, the roles yers assume are categorized into various types, ranging from tanks, DPS, support, to controllers. Simplistically, they can be categorized as leaders and followers. Simrly, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, yer roles are versatile, with their impact varying significantly across modules. In an adventure-focused module, yers with roles like soldiers or explorers would naturally lead the team, while others serve as support. In a module centered around decryption in a private room, yers with roles like detectives or police officers would take the lead. Schrs like geologists or physicists typically y a supporting role. Hence, it can be inferred that in this module, the most important yer in Liu Xing¡¯s group is Yis People, as Liu Xing has close ties to Chris and Isabe, crucial NPCs in this module. Additionally, Yis People has knowledge of EinsCastle. Next in importance is Liu Xing, who has a good rtionship with WatanabeRyuusei and Alice, serving as a lubricant within the group. Thenes Zhang Jingxu, who knows Alice and is acquainted with Chen Fuping, who has brought in reinforcements in the form of Yuan Chen and Wang Ming. Ling Ishikawa ranks lowest because his connections are limited to Liu Xing and Alice. Based on Liu Xing¡¯s understanding of Bai Hecheng¡¯s faction, aside from the suspected undercover police officer at Manchester Police, among the three known yers, Bai Hecheng undoubtedly serves as the core. Ace, although not fully understood by Liu Xing, appears to be affiliated with another Great Old One, possibly recruited by the Cult of the Cadaver. Shi Zixuan, as a mere mercenary tasked with stealing the Cult of the Cadaver Rituals, holds rtively less influence in this module.Therefore, in a confrontational module, given the chance to neutralize the core yers of the opposing faction, all yers would seize the opportunity, unless faced with urgent matters. Hence, Liu Xing and his team are aligned in their thinking: capturing Bai Hecheng would be worth sacrificing the Cult of the Cadaver Rituals. Moreover, Shi Zixuan might retreat after achieving her objective, effectively reducing the enemy¡¯s numbers by two. Even if they obtain the Cult of the Cadaver Rituals to activate the corrupted wooden statue, the threat posed to Liu Xing¡¯s team would diminish significantly. With this in mind, Liu Xing took out the inte and said, "Alice, let¡¯s go after Bai Hecheng!" "OK," Alice replied curtly before ending the call. Suddenly, Liu Xing heard a series of dice hitting the ground, some of which sounded different from before, indicating that Bai Hecheng was rolling dice on his end. As Bai Hecheng and Shi Zixuan had already left the small grove in separate vehicles, and the remaining Cult of the Cadaver followers were armed and ready to ambush, Alice decided not to enter the grove. Instead, she relied on the surveince footage to determine the direction Bai Hecheng¡¯s vehicle was heading and pursued directly. Though the Cult of the Cadaver followers in the grove attempted to "wee" Liu Xing¡¯s group with gunfire, their amateurish marksmanship resulted in all shots missing their targets, leaving Liu Xing relieved yet wary. It was a case of once bitten, twice shy. Liu Xing dared not dwell on the sensation of being shot. The chase continued. Despite Liu Xing¡¯s team driving vehicles suitable for off-road terrain, theycked a speed advantage over Bai Hecheng¡¯s vehicle. Despite Ryuzaki and Zhang Jingxu¡¯s skilled driving, they couldn¡¯t close the gap significantly. The distance between the two parties remained around ten meters. Alice¡¯s voice came through the inte again, "Ryuusei, continue the pursuit of Bai Hecheng. I¡¯ll switch ces with Ryuzaki and take over the shooting. Of course, you can take shots whenever you get the chance." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling Alice was overestimating their abilities. Shooting at another speeding vehicle from a moving car would indeed be an extremely challenging shot. Their shooting skills were basic at best, so unless luck favored them, hitting Bai Hecheng¡¯s vehicle was unlikely. However, despite not holding much hope of hitting Bai Hecheng¡¯s vehicle, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa both leaned out and initiated a round of shooting towards Bai Hecheng¡¯s vehicle simultaneously. KP Li Shunchan didn¡¯t say much either; he simply rolled a round of dice. Due to the numerous Judgments, KP Li Shunchan didn¡¯t immediately ry the results to Liu Xing and the others. However, as expected by Liu Xing and his team, none of the shots hit; they all missed... However, this served as a warning to the upants of Bai Hecheng¡¯s vehicle. When Liu Xing and the others ceased firing, they also retrieved their weapons and began to retaliate. Their weapons of choice were submachine guns. "Everyone, get down!" Zhang Jingxu shouted, then began maneuvering the vehicle in a zigzag pattern to evade the iing gunfire. Meanwhile, the sound of dicending was incessant, and Liu Xing also heard the sound of ss shattering. Fortunately, after this round of gunfire, there were no casualties. It seemed both sides were evenly matched in marksmanship and luck. Of course, by now, the SUV Liu Xing was in had all its windows shattered. "What now? Should we continue shooting?" Ling Ishikawa whispered. Liu Xing checked his magazine, which now only had three rounds left. "Let¡¯s fire another magazine and try our luck. It¡¯ll also buy some time for Alice and the others." Liu Xing and hispanions understood that their sess in stopping Bai Hecheng¡¯s escape depended mainly on Ryuzaki¡¯s luck. So, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa took the opportunity to fire another round. However, this time, to be safe, they didn¡¯t lean out of the window but shot blindly with one hand. As for the result, needless to say, they missed again. However, Bai Hecheng¡¯s side didn¡¯t return fire, whether due to ack of ammunition or a show of weakness, it was unclear. Just then, Ryuzaki¡¯s voice came through the inte, "Ryuusei, can you shoot again? This time, add a bit more lead, force Bai Hecheng to slow down?" Liu Xing nced at Ling Ishikawa, who nodded in agreement. "OK, Ryuzaki, we¡¯ll start shooting again," Liu Xing responded before taking out his handgun and following Ryuzaki¡¯s instructions to adjust the aim slightly ahead of the target before pulling the trigger. After another round of dice rolling, KP Li Shunchan chuckled, "Your luck seems to be holding up. You managed to hit twice this time. So, both Ryuusei and Ling Ishikawa, who hit the target, will gain the skill - Pistol Shooting, with a skill value of 5d5+10." Liu Xing, 5d5+10=28 Ling Ishikawa, 5d5+10=30 A pleasant surprise. Liu Xing hadn¡¯t expected himself and Ling Ishikawa to be so lucky, passing such difficult shooting Judgments. And at that moment, Bai Hecheng¡¯s vehicle suddenly swerved and crashed into a tree by the roadside. It appeared that one of the shots fired by Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa had hit the driver directly. "Be careful, don¡¯t rush in!" Ryuzaki reminded. Liu Xing nodded, then turned to Zhang Jingxu and the others, saying seriously, "Watch out for these Cult of the Cadaver guys. We can¡¯t afford to provoke them with their submachine guns. Let¡¯s use the car as cover first and assess the situation before taking action." "Understood." So, Liu Xing and his twopanions mimicked scenes from police films, opening the car doors and taking cover behind them, focusing on aiming their weapons. But there was no movement from the vehicle. At that moment, Ryuzaki and Alice arrived at the scene. "Help me set up the gun. I¡¯ll go up and check the situation first," Ryuzaki said as he took out a table from the pickup truck¡¯s cargo hold. Ryuzaki ced the table on the ground, then pushed it forward. However, there was still no movement from the vehicle. Liu Xing frowned, feeling somewhat worried. "Could it be that everyone in that car is dead? That shouldn¡¯t be possible, right? The Cult of the Cadaver guys have already died once; they shouldn¡¯t die so easily again." Zhang Jingxu nodded hesitantly. "Could it be that we¡¯ve been tricked again?" It was very possible... Though Liu Xing didn¡¯t voice it out loud, he felt that his team had fallen into a trap once again. At that moment, Ryuzaki had already pushed the table to the side of the vehicle and began observing the situation inside through the broken window. After a moment, Ryuzaki spoke, "You cane over. Everyone inside the car should be dead." As Ryuzaki spoke, he took out his gun and fired a few more shots at the people inside the car to make sure they were thoroughly dead. Liu Xing and his team walked over and saw Bai Hecheng, with three holes in his head, embracing the box. He lookedpletely dead. However, Liu Xing didn¡¯t hear KP Li Shunchan announce Bai Hecheng¡¯s death, and he didn¡¯t quite believe Bai Hecheng would die so easily. So, Liu Xing began to suspect that this wasn¡¯t Bai Hecheng! Just as Liu Xing was contemting whether to request a Judgment from KP Li Shunchan to confirm if the corpse was indeed Bai Hecheng, he suddenly heard dripping soundsing from the box. A timed bomb?! "Run!" Ryuzaki shouted loudly. Before Liu Xing could turn around, the box suddenly popped open, and a spring clown jumped out, holding a small g that read "loser." There was no need for a Judgment now; Liu Xing knew immediately that this "Bai Hecheng" was fake, and his team had ultimately fallen for the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s diversion! "Damn it, f*ck, sun of a beach..." Ryuzaki cursed repeatedly. Meanwhile, Liu Xing frowned deeply, feeling extremely frustrated. He hadn¡¯t expected their first confrontation with Bai Hecheng and his group to end so disastrously, leaving thempletely outmaneuvered. [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 474: The Betrayal of Shi Zixuan Chapter 474: The Betrayal of Shi Zixuan "Let¡¯s head back. Staying here any longer serves no purpose, and there¡¯s a possibility that the Cult of the Cadaver mighte looking for trouble," Alice said, feeling frustrated. With that, a displeased Liu Xing and the others got back into the car, deciding to return directly to Manchester. However, on the way back, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but nce at the Bain Farm and the patch of woods. He noticed that the people from the Cult of the Cadaver had already left, and the magic crows on the fence of the Bain Farm were nowhere to be seen. It seemed that the Cult of the Cadaver had seeded. Liu Xing covered his face and leaned back in his seat, somewhat resigned. "It seems we¡¯ve lost thoroughly this time. We werepletely yed by Bai Hecheng and his group," he said. Zhang Jingxu sighed and said with a wry smile, "Our loss this time is quite normal because we were a bit too careless. We didn¡¯t take Bai Hecheng too seriously and treated him like our previous opponents." Liu Xing nodded, acknowledging Zhang Jingxu¡¯s words. Indeed, they had been too careless, still using the mindset of dealing with NPCs when facing Bai Hecheng and Shi Zixuan. They had been too presumptuous in their actions, allowing themselves to be led by Bai Hecheng. "Alright, now that the original copy of ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites¡¯ is likely in the hands of the Cult of the Cadaver, we need to think about how to destroy the corrupted wooden statue replica at EinsCastle. If we fail again, then we¡¯re truly finished," Ling Ishikawa spoke up. Liu Xing pondered for a moment before saying earnestly, "Actually, our chances of destroying the corrupted wooden statue replica at EinsCastle are quite high. With Miguel and Hu Li¡¯s help, once they determine the location of the corrupted statue, we just need to lure away the guards at EinsCastle. If the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s forces guarding the replica diminish, Miguel and Hu Li can seize the opportunity to destroy it. With Miguel and Hu Li¡¯s strength, there are hardly any members of the Cult of the Cadaver left in Manchester who can stop them." Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa both nodded, knowing Miguel and Hu Li¡¯s capabilities. They were far superior to ordinary mythical creatures, at least at an elite level. Among the members of the Cult of the Cadaver remaining in Manchester, Liu Xing thought that only the giant Ghoul could be considered elite, perhaps along with Bai Hecheng.So, Liu Xing felt confident about their next move. Soon, Liu Xing and the others returned to Manchester and went straight back to the Safe Point after changing cars. Upon learning that the original copy of ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites¡¯ had been taken by the Cult of the Cadaver, Lu Tianya and the others wore solemn expressions. After all, this concerned their lives... However, at that moment, Miguel returned. "I went around EinsCastle and confirmed the specific location of the corrupted wooden statue replica. Although I initially wanted to destroy it directly, there were too many Cult of the Cadaver devotees guarding it, and some powerful Ghouls were hiding in the shadows. So, I couldn¡¯t guarantee a sessful destruction. Therefore, to be safe and avoid alerting them, I chose to investigate other parts of EinsCastle," Miguel exined. "Then I discovered that the Cult of the Cadaver had set up an altar in the castle¡¯s backyard, and basic preparations had beenpleted. It seems they¡¯re nning a Ritual Ceremony there. They¡¯ve also fortified the surroundings with watchtowers, snipers, heavy machine guns, and even buried a lot ofndmines underground. As for the cultists, almost all of them are armed with submachine guns. So, EinsCastle has essentially be a fortress," Miguel said seriously. After hearing Miguel¡¯s words, Liu Xing and the others furrowed their brows. They hadn¡¯t expected the Cult of the Cadaver to acquire so many weapons, turning EinsCastle into a fortified stronghold! Now, they couldn¡¯t rely on the support of the Manchester police force. While the police could handle armed thugs to some extent, attacking a fully armed fortress would be suicidal. However, on second thought, how did the Cult of the Cadaver manage to obtain so many weapons? Manchester was an ind city, making it extremely difficult to smuggle in weapons, especially heavy ones like machine guns. Thinking about this, Liu Xing said, "It seems that the Cult of the Cadaver has likely turned some Ennd military personnel. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have ess to so many military-grade weapons." Miguel nodded, confirming, "Indeed, most of the weapons in EinsCastle are current weapons of the Ennd military. I also found their armory, and the crates inside bear the emblem of the Ennd military. So, I believe there¡¯s definitely a mole within the military." Zhang Jingxu frowned, feeling helpless. "If there¡¯s a mole in the Ennd military, it¡¯ll be difficult for us to seek their assistance. It seems attacking EinsCastle is out of the question now." "By the way, Miguel, did you find any of the kidnapped foreign tourists in EinsCastle or the town? How are they doing now?" Alice asked. Miguel thought for a moment before nodding. "I did find quite a few kidnapped foreign tourists, but they¡¯ve all been assimted by the Cult of the Cadaver. They¡¯re now nothing but puppets controlled by the cult. The most troublesome thing is that if weunch an attack on EinsCastle and the town, the Cult of the Cadaver might use these tourists as human shields." Liu Xing frowned. If that were the case, then the Manchester police would indeed be unable to assist them. Even if they knew the tourists had be members of the Cult of the Cadaver, they wouldn¡¯t dare to attack them due to various pressures. So, these tourists had be the strongest shield of the Cult of the Cadaver. "Wow, how are we supposed to fight against the Cult of the Cadaver? We can¡¯t just send a few of us to attack EinsCastle, isn¡¯t that just sending ourselves to die?!" Ling Ishikawained helplessly. At this moment, Tian Qing suddenly raised her hand and spoke up, "Although I don¡¯t fully understand the current situation, I think, Mr. Ryuusei, your goal shouldn¡¯t be to capture EinsCastle, but simply to stop the Cult of the Cadaver from using the corrupted wooden statue replica to unleash Magic Spells to threaten Manchester. So, we can find a way to infiltrate EinsCastle, head straight to the backyard, and then make a quick getaway." Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Tian Qing¡¯s words brought their train of thought back on track because initially, they had all been thinking of eliminating all the Cult of the Cadaver members entrenched in EinsCastle. In reality, their only goal was to destroy the corrupted wooden statue replica. Without it, the Cult of the Cadaver wouldn¡¯t pose a threat to Manchester. "Thank you, Miss Tian Qing, for your suggestion. We did indeed overthink it. While capturing EinsCastle could solve the problem once and for all, it¡¯s impossible for us under the current circumstances. So, we¡¯ll have to settle for n B and focus on destroying the corrupted wooden statue replica. This will still thwart the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s plot. However, sneaking into EinsCastle won¡¯t be easy," Liu Xing said, looking at Miguel. Miguel wasted no time and projected a 3D model of EinsCastle on the table. "Apart from the main entrance, there are three ways to enter EinsCastle. The first is through the mountain next to EinsCastle. However, I¡¯ve investigated the situation on that mountain. It¡¯s been untouched for years, with no paths, and there¡¯s a cave connecting to the Dreamrealm, where many Cult of the Cadaver members are stationed. So, our chances of sess using this route are only fifteen percent. But the advantage is it leads directly to the backyard." "The second route is the underground tunnels of EinsCastle. I¡¯ve only located them using ultrasound, so I¡¯m not clear on their exactyout. I know a few entry and exit points, but I can sense traps and some creatures inside, possibly Cult of the Cadaver devotees or even Ghouls. I believe our chances of infiltration through this route are only twenty percent, and once inside, we might be heavily surrounded by the Cult of the Cadaver." "As for thest route, it involves climbing the cliffs on three sides of EinsCastle. The advantage of this route is that the Cult of the Cadaver pays little attention to what¡¯s below the cliffs. So, our chances of sessful infiltration are as high as seventy percent. However, if we¡¯re spotted during the climb, we¡¯ll have nowhere to hide, and it¡¯ll almost certainly mean death. So, it¡¯s a high-risk, high-reward option." After listening to Miguel¡¯s descriptions of the three routes, Liu Xing understood that Miguel¡¯s predicted sess rates were based on which route they chose at the time of infiltration. Considering the sess rates of the three routes, Liu Xing believed only the third route was viable. The sess rates of the other two were too low, and most importantly, they couldn¡¯t afford to fail now. So, Liu Xing suggested, "We can¡¯t afford to lose anymore. For safety¡¯s sake, let¡¯s go with the third route. Of course, another option is to divide our forces into three. If the other two routes are discovered by the Cult of the Cadaver, we¡¯ll retreat immediately and regroup below the cliffs. What do you think?" "Agreed," everyone nodded in agreement. With that, they made up their minds and split into three groups to infiltrate EinsCastle when necessary. As for the specific division of routes, it would depend on the circumstances at the time. "Oh, Mr. Liu Xing, why don¡¯t you call Isabe now and ask if she knows about the underground tunnels in EinsCastle? If Isabe can provide more information, perhaps we can still consider making the underground tunnels our primary route," Zhang Jingxu suggested to Yis People. Yis People nodded and took out their mobile phone to contact Isabe. However, at that moment, Liu Xing suddenly heard the sound of the elevator starting. Thinking it might be Matsui Yui, he was surprised when the person who stepped out of the elevator shocked him. Shi Zixuan! Everyone was astonished to see Shi Zixuan at the Safe Point. This meant... Before Liu Xing could think further, Shi Zixuan smiled and said, "Don¡¯t worry, only I know about this safe ce. The people from the Cult of the Cadaver don¡¯t know about it. Thanks to you all, I¡¯ve also sessfullypleted the mission the Cult of the Cadaver gave me. I can finally extricate myself from this mess." Liu Xing furrowed his brows and asked, "So, Shi Zixuan, are you saying you¡¯re no longer with the Cult of the Cadaver?" Shi Zixuan nodded earnestly, "Yes, I¡¯m no longer with the Cult of the Cadaver. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be the only one here. In fact, I never intended to take on the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s mission in the first ce. But I had to repay a favor, so I reluctantly epted the mission to steal the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites.¡¯ However, it made me very uneasy because after witnessing what the Cult of the Cadaver is capable of, I can¡¯t imagine how terrible it would be if they really controlled Ennd. That¡¯s why I¡¯vee to you now." Listening to this, Liu Xing understood Shi Zixuan¡¯s thoughts. Although Shi Zixuan¡¯s profession was a thief, she was ultimately a normal person. So, after this module, the probability of Shi Zixuan turning against the Cult of the Cadaver was very high. Normal career yers and fanatic believer yers were inherently opposed, so Shi Zixuan didn¡¯t want to see the Cult of the Cadaver grow. That¡¯s why she specifically came to find them. With this in mind, Liu Xing basically regarded Shi Zixuan as one of their own. Ling Ishikawa also thought the same, "So, Shi Zixuan, do you have anything you want to tell us?" Shi Zixuan took out a memory card and said, "This memory card contains information about Rayna, Ace, and Romero, the undercover agent the Cult of the Cadaver has ced in the police force." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 475: Shi Zixuan’s Grand Gesture Chapter 475: Shi Zixuan¡¯s Grand Gesture Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that Shi Zixuan had presented him and his group with such a grand gift upon arrival. As the saying goes, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, the demand for information gathering is exceptionally high. Moreover, there¡¯s an old saying: "Know yourself, know your enemy, and you shall not be defeated in a hundred battles." Knowing the specific situation of one¡¯s opponent allows for better nning to deal with them. Therefore, the information Shi Zixuan brought could be considered a timely boon. "For certain special reasons, I must leave Manchester within half an hour. So, you have ten minutes to ask me any questions you may have. However, there are still some questions I cannot answer," Shi Zixuan said earnestly. Liu Xing understood that the "special reasons" Shi Zixuan mentioned referred to the limitations imposed by the module on her. After all, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to let Shi Zixuan assist Bai Hecheng¡¯s side inpleting the mission and then "join" Liu Xing¡¯s side. Time was of the essence. Zhang Jingxu immediately inquired, "Miss Shi Zixuan, Cult of the Cadaver should have obtained the original copy of ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ by now. Do you know how long they will need to learn the Magic Spells and activate the replica of the corrupted wooden sculpture?" Shi Zixuan shrugged, smiling as she replied, "I need to correct you on one point. The ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ I obtained from Bain¡¯s farm wasn¡¯t the original; it should be one of the earliest printed copies. So, as far as I know, Bai Hecheng and his group¡¯s progress in learning Magic Spells is rtively slow. Barring any surprises, they shouldplete their studies in three days. However, I¡¯ve peeked at the spellcasting requirements. They will need five days to truly activate the Magic Spells and initiate a chemical reaction with the corrupted wooden sculpture. Moreover, the casting of these Magic Spells is easily interruptible, and the bacsh from the spells is quite strong. So, you should understand what I mean." Alice nodded, somewhat puzzled. "By the way, Shi Zixuan, I¡¯m curious about how you managed to steal the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ from under Bain¡¯s nose and how you decoded the surveince system. You should know about Yis People, right? Since the surveince system is their technology." Shi Zixuan nodded, somewhat surprised. "What? The surveince system was made by Yis People?! Of course, I¡¯m aware of Yis People¡¯s existence. I once had a mission to steal an Electric Therapy Device manufactured by Yis People. However, despite Yis People¡¯s technology being far superior to ours, the materials they use on Earth are quite ordinary. Additionally, some of the algorithms they use are identical to ours, so I specte that the items they manufacture on Earth are just their practice works.""So, when Bai Hecheng and his group reached the small grove, although I discovered the presence of surveince cameras and couldn¡¯t pinpoint their exact locations, I could hijack the signals emitted by those cameras. Therefore, while I was still behind enemy lines at the time, I had no choice but to tamper with those signals, causing you to receive incorrect information. As for how I entered Bain¡¯s farm, it was actually when you first approached Bain¡¯s farm. As for how I managed to evade Bain¡¯s defensive measures, it¡¯s because of the silver powder used by the Cult of the Cadaver. It can indeed negate certain magic effects within a certain range and suppress human perception ability." "By the way, Bai Hecheng still has three bullets containing that silver powder. This means you¡¯d better not attempt to use magic against Bai Hecheng and his group. Because if you do, you¡¯re likely to be countered by Bai Hecheng. Also, remember to avoid that silver powder. If you don¡¯t evade it in time, your perception ability will greatly diminish. In severe cases, you may even feel like you¡¯ve lost control of your entire body. So, you must be careful about this, or else you¡¯ll be at their mercy." "Buting back to it, after I entered Bain¡¯s farm, I could still sense that Bain had discovered me. However, I¡¯m not sure if it was because of the silver powder. Bain didn¡¯t intervene to stop me. You see, Bain only lost perception ability, but he can still cast magic attacks against me. ording to Bai Hecheng, the effect of this silver powdersts only about an hour. So theoretically, Bain should have realized that his ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯ had been stolen by now. Yet, Bain remains silent. Therefore, I suspect Bain deliberately let me steal the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual.¡¯" Listening to this, Liu Xing also felt confused. Because if Shi Zixuan was telling the truth, why would Bain intentionally let go of the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Ritual¡¯? Could Bain also be rted to the Cult of the Cadaver? If that were the case, their group would be in trouble again. "Miss Shi Zixuan, do you know about the underground passages of EinsCastle?" Zhang Jingxu asked. Shi Zixuan nodded, smiling. "Of course, I know about the underground passages of EinsCastle. At the beginning, the underground passages of EinsCastle had been abandoned for over a hundred years. Even Gary, now known as Wang Qi, had forgotten about the situation of the underground passages. So, Bai Hecheng and I entered the underground passages three times before confirming the current situation of the EinsCastle underground passages. However, I do not rmend you to enter EinsCastle through the underground passages. Because now, the Cult of the Cadaver has stationed personnel at various important intersections in the underground passages. Although these people are not strong, once they die, the Cult of the Cadaver will know that someone has invaded the underground passages. I believe you wouldn¡¯t want to engage in direct conflict with the Cult of the Cadaver." Liu Xing shrugged, shaking his head. "We certainly don¡¯t want to engage in direct conflict with the Cult of the Cadaver. As Miss Shi Zixuan has seen, we only have so few people, and the Cult of the Cadaver has already transformed EinsCastle into a fortress. Engaging in open warfare with them would be tantamount to seeking our own demise." Shi Zixuan smiled again, saying, "Exactly. Now that you know the Cult of the Cadaver has transformed EinsCastle into a fortress, you should also guess that they have acquired a batch of military supplies. So, I advise you not to expect assistance from the English military anymore, at least during this time when the Cult of the Cadaver holds the advantage." Liu Xing sensed the implication behind Shi Zixuan¡¯s words, indicating that their group shouldn¡¯t hope to gain assistance from the English military in this module, so they shouldn¡¯t try to directly breach EinsCastle to defeat Bai Hecheng and the others. Unable to overpower, they had to outsmart. At this point, Shi Zixuan nced at her watch and said, "It¡¯s almost time for me to leave Manchester. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be in big trouble. Oh, here¡¯s my business card. If you need my assistance in any mission, feel free to contact me. Though my rates are indeed high, they are absolutely worth it." After speaking, Shi Zixuan disappeared from the Safe Point, leaving only her business card behind. Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and casually picked up the card. As Liu Xing expected, this business card was also an item from the Cthulhu Role-ying Game HallShop. Its effect was quite simple: yers could use it to contact the owner of the card and offer points or items as stakes to request assistance for missions. Once the owner epted the mission, the Cthulhu Role-ying Game Hall would bind the employer and the employee. When a module rted to the employer¡¯s mission urred, the employee would be forcibly included in the module and aligned with the employer. It seemed Bai Hecheng and his group had hired Shi Zixuan through this business card. Liu Xing pondered for a moment and decided to keep the business card. He felt he would inevitably encounter Shi Zixuan again, and there might be asions where her assistance would be valuable. "Alright, now we can basically abandon the route of entering EinsCastle through the underground passages. If the Cult of the Cadaver has stationed people at those important junctions, we won¡¯t have a chance to sneak into EinsCastle," Miguel sighed and spoke. At this, Hu Li shook her head, smiling. "That¡¯s not necessarily true. If the Cult of the Cadaver only relies on the life or death of those people to detect intruders in EinsCastle, we can simply render them unconscious. And I happen to have suitable sedatives." Liu Xing¡¯s eyes lit up momentarily, but he quickly calmed down. "Miss Hu Li, your idea is good, but there¡¯s a question I¡¯d like to ask. Will your sedatives work on zombies? If, as expected, the Cult of the Cadaver has stationed foreign tourists turned zombies as human rm systems in the underground passages, then those tourists have been given instructions by the Cult of the Cadaver: either we intruders die, or they die!" Hu Li looked somewhat embarrassed as she nodded reluctantly. "Well, my sedatives indeed have no effect on zombies. And I agree with Mr. Ryuusei¡¯s opinion. The Cult of the Cadaver must have given those zombies orders. As long as they can¡¯t stop our advance, they¡¯ll choose to die, and they even have remote-controlled explosives attached to their bodies." "For safety¡¯s sake, let¡¯s just abandon the underground passage route. However, we can still use it when escaping from EinsCastle. After all, we don¡¯t need to worry about being discovered by the Cult of the Cadaver at that time... Now, let¡¯s vote. Should we believe Shi Zixuan¡¯s words and open the Memory Card she gave us?" Ling Ishikawa held up the Memory Card and asked. Liu Xing nodded and said, "I think we can trust Shi Zixuan. Because she has no reason to deceive us. As Shi Zixuan just said, if she wanted to harm us, the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s people would probably be in front of us by now." With unanimous agreement, they opened the Memory Card and projected its contents onto the TV. After opening the Memory Card, Liu Xing found that besides a picture, there were only three documents inside, corresponding to Rayna and others. Liu Xing first opened the picture and found it to be theyout of the underground passages of EinsCastle, with the positions of the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s outposts marked by Shi Zixuan. After a brief nce, Liu Xing closed the picture, as it was no longer the focus. "Whose profile should we look at first?" Liu Xing asked. Alice raised her hand first and said, "I want to see Rayna¡¯s information because this Rayna is too mysterious. I can¡¯t wait to know his true identity." Liu Xing nodded and opened Rayna¡¯s profile. When Rayna¡¯s photo appeared, Liu Xing and others all eximed in surprise, as this was another familiar face - Alexander. Yes, Rayna was none other than the "deceased" mafia boss, Alexander. "So that¡¯s it. I always felt Alexander¡¯s death was a bit abrupt. Although we seemed to have found a reason for Alexander¡¯s death, I always felt that reason wasn¡¯t sufficient. Now, we¡¯ve finally found the real reason," Zhang Jingxu said with a furrowed brow. Liu Xing nodded and continued to read Rayna¡¯s profile. After arriving in Manchester, Rayna had been active in the public eye under the identity of "Alexander." Using this identity, he eliminated anyone who might pose a threat to the Cult of the Cadaver, as mafia vendettas were a very simple and direct reason. The reason why Chris¡¯s former boss, former Manchester police chief Tom, was killed was because Tom identally discovered Rayna¡¯s true identity and, following the thread, began investigating the Cult of the Cadaver. He also had decisive evidence, so Rayna had to kill Tom. Although Rayna found a scapegoat to take the me, Chris was convinced that Rayna was Tom¡¯s murderer. Therefore, for safety¡¯s sake, Rayna had to settle down as a mafia boss for the time being and temporarily cut off contact with the Cult of the Cadaver. As for the kidnapping of foreign tourists that urred in Manchester initially, it was basically Rayna¡¯s doing. Rayna had territories in the QuarryBank Textile Factory and the North Corner, where there were also many followers of the Cult of the Cadaver. They would directly take action once they found suitable targets, and they would also tamper with the corresponding surveince footage. That¡¯s why the missing foreign tourists in the North Corner disappeared suddenly within a few seconds when passing through blind spots of two surveince cameras. As for this "death of Alexander," Rayna did indeed die by suicide. However, his body was soon taken away by the Cult of the Cadaver and transformed into a Ghoul. Rayna had formally returned to the Cult of the Cadaver, and his most powerful ability now was mind control! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 472: First Confrontation (1) Chapter 472: First Confrontation (1) "Now that the Cult of the Cadaver has deployed hidden sentries around Bain Farm, we¡¯re bound to be spotted if we go there. So, we only have one chance. We must n ahead," Ling Ishikawa said earnestly. Ryuzaki nodded, casually picking up a tablet and opening the map interface, then locating the map of Bain Farm¡¯s surroundings. "The area around Bain Farm is mostly t, so the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s sentries should be positioned near the outer intersections. This also allows more reaction time for Bai Hecheng and his team. But judging by their appearance, they probably didn¡¯t bring many people with them. So, if we step on the gas, we can easily rush into Bain Farm. Plus, we won¡¯t need to slow down on this route. We can trigger Bain Farm¡¯s defensive measures and leave smoothly." Ryuzaki drew a line on the map. "OK, our action route is determined. Now, let¡¯s discuss our timing. If we trigger Bain Farm¡¯s defenses now, we might provoke Bain¡¯s aggression. As you mentioned, Alice, Bain has a temper and might see us as enemies. Moreover, the Cult of the Cadaver might take advantage of the situation. But if we wait too long, Bain might already be under attack, and even if we trigger the defensester, Bain might not even notice," Zhang Jingxu said with frustration. Liu Xing sighed; it was indeed a dilemma. After pondering for a moment, Alice spoke up, "Let¡¯s act before the Cult of the Cadaver does. Our goal is to prevent them from obtaining the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites,¡¯ so we need to provoke Bain. And we have to trust Ryuzaki¡¯s marksmanship; he should be able to hit those crows in moving vehicles. Then we¡¯ll have a chance to exin to Bain." Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright, let¡¯s get ready to move. Our cars will lead the way to attract the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s attention, and you guys seize the opportunity to shoot." Everyone nodded and went to their respective cars. "Let¡¯s go," Alice said over the radio.A kilometer¡¯s distance quickly dwindled to zero, but upon seeing Bain Farm, Liu Xing suddenly realized something was amiss. ording to Bai Hecheng, the Cult of the Cadaver had already set up hidden sentries around Bain Farm, so their arrival should have been detected. After all, they came with force, without any attempt at concealment. However, on the tablet screen, Bai Hecheng and the others remained remarkably calm, each busy with their tasks. "We¡¯ve been yed. The Cult of the Cadaver may have already taken action, and they¡¯ve tampered with the monitors," Liu Xing cursed under his breath, picking up the radio. At that moment, the screen on the tablet suddenly switched to a smiling face¡ªShi Zixuan¡¯s face. "Surprised? You¡¯ve all been yed by me. Although the system of this monitor is a bit strange, it¡¯s nothing before my superb hacking skills." Liu Xing furrowed his brows. He hadn¡¯t expected Shi Zixuan to be able to crack Yis People¡¯s high-tech... or perhaps Yis People¡¯s technology wasn¡¯t as invincible as believed. "Well, I¡¯ll be taking the ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites¡¯ now. Hopefully, we¡¯ll meet again in a few days, if you¡¯re still alive," Shi Zixuan said with a smile before the tablet screen went ck. After parking the cars, Zhang Jingxu frowned and said, "What should we do now?" Liu Xing shrugged, saying helplessly, "We¡¯ve all been yed by Shi Zixuan. There¡¯s not much we can do now. We¡¯ll have to retreat to the Safe Point and reconsider. But we need to dispose of these tablets and such to avoid being traced by Shi Zixuan again." Alice also got out of the car from behind, feeling embarrassed. "Um, I didn¡¯t expect these surveince monitors made by Yis People to be so easily hacked and used against us by Shi Zixuan..." Liu Xing shrugged, smiling, "It¡¯s not your fault, Miss Alice. Who could have imagined that the high-tech devices made by the mythical creatures known as Yis People would be so shoddy? Human hacking technology effortlessly cracks them. But anyway, I didn¡¯t anticipate it, so me it on Yis People." Although Liu Xing said so, he couldn¡¯t help but think that Shi Zixuan¡¯s luck might be exceptionally good this time, allowing her to crack the monitors made by Yis People. After all, this was Cthulhu RPG Game. As long as a Judgment was possible, even with a sess rate of just 1%, yers might aplish things deemed impossible by NPCs, provided their luck was good enough. So, Liu Xing spected that when Bai Hecheng and Shi Zixuan led the Cult of the Cadaver believers into the small grove, they sensed the presence of the monitors through a Judgment and then Shi Zixuan, through another Judgment of hacking technology, sessfully infiltrated the monitor system and orchestrated this show. It seemed not only their group had good luck, but Bai Hecheng¡¯s group also wasn¡¯t unlucky. "Alright, let¡¯s get rid of these tablets now to avoid leading the Cult of the Cadaver to our doorsteps. Then, let¡¯s head back to the Safe Point and figure out how to destroy the replica of the corrupted wooden sculpture at EinsCastle," Yis People said, looking towards Bain Farm. Everyone nodded and casually tossed the tablets and other devices into the roadside bushes before getting back into their cars to return to the Safe Point. However, fearing that the Cult of the Cadaver might have followed them, Liu Xing and the others, after a brief discussion, decided to call Chris and have him arrange for people to set up checkpoints at the city¡¯s entrance. After their group safely entered the city, they would find a reason to seal off the checkpoint and intercept the vehicles that followed, while also preparing a few more cars for themselves to switch out. As for the tents at the camping site, Liu Xing and the others didn¡¯t bother going back to tidy up since there was nothing worth taking. Besides, the Cult of the Cadaver might have already tracked down that camping site. In the car, Liu Xing rested with his eyes closed. However, not long after, Zhang Jingxu suddenly said, "Oh no, do you think we might have fallen for a trick to lure us away from the mountain?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding Zhang Jingxu¡¯s implication. In theory, Bai Hecheng and his team¡¯s sole objective on this trip was to steal the original "Cult of the Cadaver Rites." So, to be on the safe side, their best option would be to stick to the n, steal the original, and immediately leave for EinsCastle. They wouldn¡¯t even disclose to the enemy that they had obtained the original "Cult of the Cadaver Rites," to avoid raising suspicion. Therefore, it was highly likely that this was a ploy by the Cult of the Cadaver to make them think they had acquired the original "Cult of the Cadaver Rites," leading them to leave. This way, Bai Hecheng and his team would have more time to prepare, and there would be no one else bothering them. However, Yis People shook his head and said, "That¡¯s not necessarily the case. What if this is actually a series of stratagems by the Cult of the Cadaver? They might anticipate that we would think this way and try to lure us into their trap. Then they could easily deal with us. After all, no matter what, we can be sure that Bai Hecheng and his team are currently biding their time, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Going there now won¡¯t do us any good." Liu Xing nodded, finding Yis People¡¯s words reasonable. Considering not only what the Cult of the Cadaver might be scheming but also the manpower they had invested near Bain Farm, it was clear that they outnumbered their group by far. If a fight broke out, their group would definitely be at a disadvantage, especially since the Cult of the Cadaver was already prepared. Thinking this through, Liu Xing spoke up, "Mr. Liu Xing and Mr. Zhang Jingxu make valid points. So, do we take the risk for potential rewards, or do we retreat and seek stability for victory?" There was a moment of silence among the group, as this was a dilemma, and the first person to speak would likely bear the brunt of the responsibility. At that moment, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke up, "Actually, this problem is quite simple. It can be solved with a single Judgment. Would you like to take a gamble?" Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling like KP Li Shunchan was up to something. "Alright, let¡¯s do it. KP, you conduct this Judgment for us. But first, could you tell us what consequences we¡¯ll face if this Judgment fails?" Ling Ishikawa asked, puzzled. KP Li Shunchan chuckled and said, "This Judgment, as agreed upon by me and the KP on Bai Hecheng¡¯s side, offers you three special Judgment opportunities. You can use these three special Judgments for any purpose, but they¡¯re all blind. If these three special Judgments fail, nothing will happen, and the final interpretation is in our hands. So, would you like to proceed with a special Judgment?" Upon hearing this, Liu Xing and the others exchanged nces and then nodded unanimously. Although the special Judgment mentioned by KP Li Shunchan seemed unreliable, it wouldn¡¯t have any side effects. Therefore, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Okay, KP, please conduct a special Judgment for us. The content of the Judgment is about whether the Cult of the Cadaver is still around Bain Farm." "Alright, the special Judgment isplete. Please be patient, yers, and await the results," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile. After a moment, Alice¡¯s voice suddenly came through the radio, "Damn it, it seems like we¡¯ve been tricked by the Cult of the Cadaver again. I suddenly remembered that my mobile phone was still receiving video data from the monitor, so I nned to transfer some important information from my mobile phone and then dispose of it. But I identally opened the video feed from the monitor and saw that Bai Hecheng and his team were still in that small grove, saying how easily they fooled us with just a few words." It seemed that the special Judgment just passed. However, Liu Xing still felt extremely annoyed because he felt like he had been outsmarted by Bai Hecheng and his team, fooled into leaving with just a few words... So, Liu Xing picked up the radio and said, "Alice, should we turn the tables now? Judging from the current situation, Bai Hecheng and his team tried so hard to persuade us to leave because they were afraid of us causing trouble for them. So, from this, we can infer that the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s n to steal the original ¡¯Cult of the Cadaver Rites¡¯ from Bain is a n with a very low margin for error. So, we can go back and confront them." "I was thinking the same thing, but we need to switch out two more cars first. I¡¯m sure the Cult of the Cadaver has marked these two cars, and if they see them, they¡¯ll definitely attack without hesitation. So, for safety¡¯s sake, let¡¯s intercept two cars on the road. Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re police officers," Alice said seriously. So, Liu Xing and the others parked the cars in the middle of the road, and soon, a pickup truck and an SUV stopped. After Alice persuaded them, the owners of these two cars willingly contributed them. Of course, the reason they were so willing was that Alice offered very favorable terms for requisition: they would only need topensate with a new car of the same model if the vehicles were damaged, and the requisition time was only about a day. Anyway, it would be Manchester police who would be responsible forpensation. After changing the cars, Liu Xing and his group headed towards Bain Farm again. Ten minutester, Liu Xing and the others arrived near Bain Farm once more. "Alice, what¡¯s our next move?" Liu Xing asked over the radio. After a moment of thought, Alice spoke up, "I just checked thetest video feed from the monitor. Bai Hecheng and his team are still in that small grove, and some Cult of the Cadaver believers are informing them that our two cars are heading towards Bain Farm. Bai Hecheng has ordered nearby Cult of the Cadaver believers to intercept and control us. So, let¡¯s go big and drive straight towards that small grove!" Liu Xing was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "Okay, let¡¯s go with your n, Alice!" At that moment, Liu Xing also saw a person standing in the middle of the road not far ahead, waving at their group. "Hold on tight," Zhang Jingxu said. As soon as he finished speaking, the car instantly elerated, following the pickup truck driven by Alice and the SUV driven by Ryuzaki, and rushed straight towards that small grove! [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] Chapter 476: Infiltration Chapter 476: Infiltration Simply put, those foreign tourists who have been brainwashed by the Cult of the Cadaver, turned into mindless zombies, are all under Rayna¡¯s control, making them serve the Cult of the Cadaver. So, Shi Zixuan believes that as long as Liu Xing and the others can kill Rayna, then these foreign tourists will no longer be aplices of the Cult of the Cadaver. However, these foreign tourists will also truly die because of this... In the final section of Rayna¡¯s information, Shi Zixuan also mentioned that Rayna had once married and had children under the identity of "Alexander". However, three months ago, Rayna suddenly chose to divorce his wife, after giving her a substantial amount ofpensation, and also granted custody of the child to his wife. What¡¯s more important is that the day before yesterday, Rayna instructed awyer who was a member of the Cult of the Cadaver to transfer all of "Alexander¡¯s" inheritance to his ex-wife and child, and prepared to send his ex-wife and child out of Ennd. However, due to the sudden Thick Fog that locked the country, Rayna¡¯s ex-wife and child should still be stranded in Liverpool. Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn¡¯t help but speak up, saying, "If that¡¯s the case, then Rayna should have feelings for his wife and child. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have divorced his wife in advance and still nned to send his wife and child away from this dangerous ce." Lu Tianya nodded and affirmed, "Indeed, although Rayna is a fanatic believer, ultimately he is still a person. Love and family are hard to give up for anyone, so it¡¯s normal for Rayna to still have feelings for his wife and child." "So, should we use this as a breakthrough point? To try to persuade Rayna to defect?" Ling Ishikawa asked. Yis People shook his head, saying helplessly, "When Rayna was still human, perhaps we could persuade him to defect. But now it¡¯s probably toote because Rayna has be a Ghoul, and a Ghoul like Rayna, who was transformed from a corpse, can only be considered a minor Ghoul. It should also be under the control of the Ghoul responsible for its transformation, so it¡¯s basically impossible for us to persuade Rayna now." Zhang Jingxu nodded and said, "Exactly, for Ghouls like Rayna, who were transformed into Ghouls after death, they can only be considered minor Ghouls and will be controlled by their superior Ghouls for their entire lives. So even if Rayna still has feelings for his wife and son now, it¡¯s useless.""Well then, let¡¯s continue to look at Ace¡¯s information," Liu Xing said as he opened Ace¡¯s file. In addition to what Liu Xing and the others already knew, there were also many noteworthy pieces of information provided by Shi Zixuan in Ace¡¯s file. Firstly, why Ace joined the Cult of the Cadaver, or rather, why Ace was coerced into bing a pawn of the Cult of the Cadaver. After the Ritual Ceremony, Ace, who was wanted by the English police, had no choice but to flee into the Dreamrealm. However, trouble followed him, and Ace was soon targeted by a Moon Beast. Naturally, Ace was no match for the Moon Beast, so he became the Moon Beast¡¯s ve. So, after being tormented by the Moon Beast, Ace was brought to a city by it to be sold. Because the Moon Beast could sense a powerful deity behind Ace, it decided it would be safer to sell him. Then, Ace was sold to a Ghoul, who happened to be one of the high-ranking members of the Cult of the Cadaver and also knew about Ace¡¯s actions in Ennd. Thus, Ace was semi-coercively "invited" to join the Cult of the Cadaver by that Ghoul, and Ace had no choice but to agree because the Great Old One Mordiggian behind the Cult of the Cadaver was no less powerful than the snake deity he worshipped. So, Shi Zixuan believed that Ace now should be in a dilemma, not fullymitted to serving the Cult of the Cadaver. Birds hide in their nests, and rabbits are cooked when the dogs die. Ace understood very well that he was just a dog to the Cult of the Cadaver. When useful, they would treat you well, but when not, sorry, you were only good for meat. So, upon seeing this, Liu Xing understood Shi Zixuan¡¯s implicit message, that Ace was also trying to find a way to break free from the Cult of the Cadaver because Ace could be certain that in the uing module, he would definitely turn against the Cult of the Cadaver, and he would be risking his life by infiltrating behind enemy lines. Therefore, Ace wouldn¡¯t fully cooperate with them now because it was Ace¡¯s best chance to escape from the Cult of the Cadaver, and possibly hisst chance. After all, therger the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s influence, the greater their control over Ace, and the harder it would be for Ace to break free from their control. If the Cult of the Cadaver were to fail in Manchester, then Ace would have a chance to leave the Cult of the Cadaver. So, simply put, as long as the Cult of the Cadaver was at a disadvantage, Ace might choose to give up advancing in this module and try to break free. Although dropping out in the module was the same as dying, both meant you might lose a character card, but as long as you dropped out correctly and sessfully passed the resurrection module, the items on your character card would still be retained. So, this cost was eptable to Ace. Thinking of this, Liu Xing began to consider the possibility of kicking Ace out of this module. And Zhang Jingxu was thinking the same, "Although we can¡¯t persuade Rayna to defect, if we handle it properly, Ace should choose to leave the Cult of the Cadaver, or escape from it. So, we can still use this Ace as a breakthrough point to weaken the Cult of the Cadaver¡¯s power." Alice nodded and said, "That¡¯s right. If we can get this Ace to leave the Cult of the Cadaver, it would be great because judging from Shi Zixuan¡¯s spection about Ace¡¯s abilities, Ace should be a formidable wizard, and his magic is mainly venomous, which makes it difficult for us to defend against." Liu Xing nced at Shi Zixuan¡¯s prediction of Ace¡¯s abilities and found the key point was the word "poison". From this, it could be seen that Ace might indeed be associated with the same Great Old One worshipped by the snake men. But then again, dealing with poison-based magic spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game was indeed very difficult. In many cases, you didn¡¯t even know when or how you were poisoned, and this kind of poison caused by magic spells was very difficult to cure. Of course, the casting conditions for Poison-type Magic Spells are still very stringent, so even if the sess rate is low, Liu Xing feels that Ace¡¯s threat to their group isn¡¯t significant. However, Liu Xing noticed in Shi Zixuan¡¯s final summary of Ace, it mentioned that Ace¡¯s personality is very introverted and self-deprecating, somewhat submissive, but whenever ites to the snake deity he believes in, Ace bes very assertive. That makes things easier. Liu Xing stroked his chin, thinking that as long as they target Ace¡¯s beliefs, it should be easy to persuade Ace to leave the Cult of the Cadaver, and then the situation would be four against two. After reviewing Ace¡¯s information, Liu Xing opened thest document, the undercover Manchester police officer bureau, the most mysterious yer of the Bai Hecheng faction¡ªRomero. Romero, currently twenty-five years old, was born in a slum in Argentina. Due to his outstanding football talent, he sessfully immigrated to Ennd. However, at the age of neen, he retired due to a serious injury to his left leg and then sessfully entered the police academy, bing a civilian police officer. Although Romero¡¯s experience was very inspiring, because of his background and the disability he had, Romero often faced racial discrimination in the police station, which made him withdrawn. And such a withdrawn personality is the best candidate for a secret cult¡¯s missionary because such personalities are more prone to extremism and are willing to find spiritual sce for themselves. So Romero was quickly noticed by Rayna, still "Alexander". After a brief contact, Romero was recruited into the Cult of the Cadaver by Rayna, bing an undercover agent of the Cult of the Cadaver in the Manchester police officer bureau. Moreover, Rayna even arranged someckeys to help Romero gain experience, so Romero quickly leveled up three times, bing a mid-level cadre of the Manchester police officer bureau and was hailed as the rising star of the police force. This reminded Liu Xing of a movie¡ª "Infernal Affairs". If the Cult of the Cadaver can endure for more than ten years before taking action, then they would have a police bureau chief as an undercover agent. But then Liu Xing suddenly remembered something, that is, Wang Ming had previously mentioned that the undercover police informant who talked to Bai Hecheng on the phone was a woman, but Romero is a man. However, Liu Xing quickly got the answer. It turns out that, to be cautious, Rayna always demanded that Romero not directly contact him, onlymunicate through intermediaries, and Romero¡¯s chosen intermediary should be his family. So, this became somewhat troublesome. Although they could inform Chris about Romero¡¯s situation and make Chris wary of Romero, even transfer Romero to some less critical department, Chris couldn¡¯t gather enough evidence to arrest Romero in the short term. So during this time, Romero could still provide information about the Manchester police officer bureau to the Cult of the Cadaver without any pressure. "Alice, please transfer the contents of this Memory Card to Chris now. Although even if Chris knows this information now, it won¡¯t be of much use, it¡¯s better than nothing," Alice sighed and said. Liu Xing nodded. Chris was basically impossible to lead the manpower of the Manchester police officer bureau to raid the Cult of the Cadaver, or do anything to Romero for now, but regardless, these messages that should be told to Chris must be conveyed. Just a few minutes after sending these documents, Chris called back. Liu Xing answered the phone, and Chris on the other end was excited, saying, "Mr. Ryuusei, are you sure the information you sent me is true?" Liu Xing thought for a moment and said seriously, "I believe the authenticity of this information is over eighty percent because the content of these materials matches, and Shi Zixuan has no reason to deceive us now." After a moment of silence, Chris said helplessly, "Damn it, I¡¯ve always felt something was off about Alexander. As a mafia boss, he was always elusive, and my former boss Tom, before he got in trouble, told me he was investigating Alexander. So even though someone took the me after he got in trouble, I still believe it was Alexander¡¯s doing. But unfortunately, I never had substantial evidence to prove my point, so I¡¯ve let Alexander roam free. What¡¯s most annoying is that a few days ago when we were retrieving Alexander¡¯s body, I actually mourned for that damn guy for three seconds!" Liu Xing nodded silently because he understood Chris¡¯s feelings at the moment. At this point, Alice gestured and took Liu Xing¡¯s mobile phone, saying, "Mr. Chris, do you know if Alexander¡¯s body was taken away?" "Of course I know, because Alexander¡¯s body was in our police station at the time, and when Alexander¡¯s family came to im the body, I approved their request to take it away because at that time I thought there was nothing wrong with Alexander¡¯s body. Now that I think about it, I just hate myself for not sending Alexander¡¯s body directly to be cremated!" Chris said angrily. Since Chris said so, Liu Xing was sure that the information provided by Shi Zixuan was mostly reliable. "Never mind, since it¡¯s confirmed that Rayna is Alexander, then I must personally kill this damn guy. But I really can¡¯t believe that Romero turned out to be a member of the Cult of the Cadaver. Although Romero did face racial discrimination when he first entered the police station, which made him somewhat alienated, he quickly adjusted, and he also showed strong talent in solving cases... Well, this is indeed exactly the same as the information in the documents. And recently, Romero has been very interested in various news in the police station," Chris sighed and said. Alice raised her eyebrows and asked, "So, Mr. Chris, what are your ns for dealing with Romero, the undercover?" Chris smiled bitterly and said, "If I have a week now, then I can definitely produce evidence of Romero colluding with the Cult of the Cadaver and then make this sly guy roll into jail. But now I only have three days, and there¡¯s no way I can get conclusive evidence to deal with Romero. After three days, Romero is ny percent likely to officially reveal his identity, and I have no way to deal with him." [Thanks for reading at /maxnkoga , if you supporting this novel, a heartfelt thankyou, enjoy the content!] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!