Chapter 122: Li Gou Dan
Liu Xing gazed at "Wu Lei," momentarily uncertain of what to do. Although Wu Lei bore a striking resemblance 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 village in the Northeast."
Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Li Gou Dan's fluent Northeastern accent 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 players like Tina, despite their "Westernized" appearance, still retained their original accents. Realizing this, Liu Xing sighed inwardly, feeling he had overthought the situation.
"Liu Xing, I'm glad to become 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 similar 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 only lasts 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, compared to a mere 40 in investigation. Liu Xing, 16/90, success.
"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 successful inspiration check.
At this revelation, 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 had complained 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 Xing composed 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 successful. 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 silly laugh, 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.]
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter