Chapter 126: Entering the Graveyard
"Aughra!"
Even though Aughra, being a black-clad figure, seamlessly blended into the pitch-black night, Liu Xing still managed to spot him with ease.
Indeed, even after the updates and revisions to the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall, inspiration remained a double-edged sword. Though it no longer involved SAN value checks, it still granted glimpses of things beyond the comprehension 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 player Liu Xing witnessed Aughra's instantaneous disappearance, please make a SAN value check. Success reduces 0 SAN points, failure reduces 1 SAN point," KP Luo Luo said with a smile.
Liu Xing: 40/78, success.
Though the SAN value check result was favorable, Liu Xing couldn't find much joy in it. After all, he had already encountered Nyarlathotep's avatars twice in a single day, and that was far from good news.
As the saying goes, Nyarlathotep was the Eldritch God who enjoyed toying with humanity the most, and now it seemed like he had taken an interest in Liu Xing. Nyarlathotep 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 Nyarlathotep's avatar once, it could have been explained as a coincidence. However, seeing Nyarlathotep'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 occultist 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 regular person. I don't want to spend every day researching strange things. If I do, I'll go crazy sooner or later."
"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 cosplaying McCree, for a compact 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 accidental discharge and someone got hurt," Luo Cong, although a bit eccentric 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 sound coming 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 not complicate 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 the large 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.
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