Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

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 outcome 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 success 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 successfully eliminate the Cult of the Cadaver entrenched in EinsCastle.

"Well, let’s go find an opportunity to talk to Chris later 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 players 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 players on both sides. Otherwise, if the NPCs of the stronger side were persuaded by the players to attack the players of the weaker side, the players 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 players back to the same starting line.

Of course, if one side’s players performed exceptionally well and gained assistance by completing certain missions in the module, the other side’s players 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 of combat strength, they shouldn’t be inferior to Bai Hecheng’s side.

As for the other NPCs they recruited, Jack and Buke, as well as Isabella, who might stand on their side, they were all good assets. Jack’s marksmanship, Buke’s first aid skills, and Isabella’s magic spells could all come 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 in combat as Baruka, Miguel excelled in many other areas. Not only could he be useful in battles, but he could also play 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 players 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 players 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 to compensate 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 started later in life without systematic training means they’re only somewhat effective in combat.

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-related 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 the last player 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 his combat 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 explanation 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—you should know about Migo, Yis People. They’re quite adept at human body modification. So, Miguel ended up like this—a half-robot."

Yis People nodded thoughtfully.

"Miguel is indeed well-suited for investigation. But according to what you said, Liu Xing, Wang Qi should have been successfully possessed by Gary and turned into an NPC. So, is Rayna the last player on Bai Hecheng’s side? But I feel like Rayna doesn’t seem like a player. After all, a player wouldn’t stay in one place for so long, unless it’s in a place 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 planned 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 Alice later, 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. Isabella 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 place 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 have come 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’t come 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 to come 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."

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