Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

"By the way, Liu Xing, if you don't have any other plans for tomorrow, I hope you can pay a visit to the television station. If everything goes smoothly, there should be some valuable information available there, particularly about Killer Demon. I've checked the recent online chatter about Killer Demon, and it seems there's been no activity lately. 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 the latter, as the Dark Willow Gang may have discovered that Killer Demon was responsible for killing those four men in black 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 make complete 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 replaced 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 collaborate 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 planning 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't late, 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-playing: 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 the later 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-related side quest in this module.

Initially, Liu Xing planned 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 popular 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 Occultist and Historian, with their specialized knowledge and abilities, were considered capable. However, professions like journalists, lacking specific expertise and abilities, often ended up as cannon fodder.

Liu Xing could already deduce the possible side quests related 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 relatively easy to complete.

However, if Juri Sonoda was investigating the Dark Willow Gang, the difficulty was uncertain. Based on the current information available, there was a significant gap in combat strength within the Dark Willow Gang. The likes of Mikageichi were undoubtedly mythical creature-level combatants. Mid-tier members like Kojima Kanto probably had combat abilities similar to Sawada Yinyin. As for regular gang members, their combat 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, completing 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 internet, 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 place. Journalists like Juri Sonoda often had early mornings and late 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 in comparison, 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 surveillance 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 explained, handing a piece of parchment to Liu Xing.

Liu Xing accepted 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 places. 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's laboratory. Aoki asked me to tell you not to enter the underground tunnels for now to avoid accidental harm. However, the Ghouls on Aoki's side all wear black 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 thick layers of concrete there, so they had to give up."

[Author suddenly increased the word count, such long chaps...]

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