Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Liu Xing and his group hadn’t gone very far when they heard Zhong Rensan’s screams coming 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 success, 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 relatively straightforward.

With that in mind, Liu Xing nodded and replied, "No problem. I agree with your plan, 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 success in killing the Troll was largely 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..."

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 speculation 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 her composure, 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 vigilant. If I were to enter Gu Master Chaxi’s territory or approach his location for an extended period, he would surely become wary, making it impossible for us to launch 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 worms come into contact with your skin, you may become 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 place the poisonous gu worms in some shadowy spots to attack you at any moment."

"Therefore, preparedness is key. There’s a vast difference in combat 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 to launch 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 plan. 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 their layouts 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 manipulate 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 you launch an attack on the supermarket owner, I will come 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 plan?"

Liu Xing pondered for a moment, and Hu Li’s plan did indeed seem like a good one. Given the information they had so far, Liu Xing couldn’t think of a better plan himself. Therefore, Liu Xing and the others agreed to Hu Li’s plan.

Satisfied, Hu Li nodded and said, "OK, since everyone agrees with my plan, let’s go with that. You can gather intelligence and prepare for now. Tomorrow, Ayako, you can come 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’ll come 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 but laugh 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 the communication with Hu Li from now on. I hope you can fulfill this mission successfully, 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 becoming 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 and comfort Hu Cang later? Based on my years of movie-watching experience, newcomers 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 succumb 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 pendant later. It’s not urgent at the moment. Let’s first discuss how to deal with Gu Master Chaxi. According to Hu Li’s plan, 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 upcoming 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."

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