Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 11: The Unreliable Teammate

Liu Xing glanced at his attire and, sure enough, found himself dressed in a Manchester United jersey, which fit perfectly with the story's backdrop. More importantly, Liu Xing was a Manchester United fan in reality, which led him to suspect that the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall might be capable of reading his inner thoughts. Could it be that it knew he was a fan and made such an arrangement? If that were the case, it was a terrifying prospect. After all, if the Game Hall had insight into his personal secrets, it could easily use those to craft scenarios that could lead to his demise within the game.

Nevertheless, Liu Xing tried to comfort himself by thinking it might just be a coincidence.

Liu Xing also noticed the time on his wristwatch was around eight in the morning. He speculated that although there was no announced time limit for the game, it would probably span about a day, and the boss of this Cthulhu run-through was likely the lord of the Castle.

A little while later, the game officially began.

Liu Xing instantly felt a surge of momentum, finding himself seated in a rapidly moving taxi.

He managed to maintain his balance and began to scrutinize the taxi driver, only to discover that the driver was Chinese! While most foreigners might find it difficult to distinguish between Asians, particularly those from East Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea, Liu Xing was confident in his ability to identify their nationalities at a glance.

Therefore, Liu Xing concluded that the taxi driver must be Chinese, and most likely, just like him, a player in the game. Players were drawn to the incident location for various reasons, much like Liu Xing himself had been drawn to the town of Eins because of his interest in the Castle.

This player, disguised as a taxi driver, might have come to the town of Eins for his own reasons and, due to certain circumstances, might end up stranded in Eins, eventually joining Liu Xing on his journey to the Castle.

Liu Xing felt quite persuaded by his analysis.

Just to be safe, however, Liu Xing decided to test the taxi driver with a code phrase.

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He chuckled and then said in Chinese, "Master, you must be Chinese, right?"

The taxi driver nodded, "Yes, I immigrated here a few years ago. Luck wasn't on my side, and I couldn't find a good job, so I had to resort to driving a taxi. After I drop you off at Eins, I have to go back for a board game organized by friends, hopefully around four-thirty."

Hearing this, Liu Xing was certain the taxi driver was a player like himself, as the driver mentioned a board game. In Western regions, the Cthulhu RPG game was very popular, and the time Liu Xing had entered this Cthulhu RPG game was also around four-thirty.

Liu Xing understood that the taxi driver was hinting at him.

After all, this was a real Cthulhu RPG game, not like a Tabletop or Online Game Group where you know who the players are. Initial probing was necessary because if you accidentally revealed too much to an NPC, it could be considered "leaving the game" and the penalties for that were unbearable.

After a warm exchange, Liu Xing was thrilled to discover that the player behind the taxi driver was actually a member of his own club.

This player's online name was Sansi, and the character card he was using was named Chen Ling. Chen Ling was precisely the combat-type player Liu Xing had hoped to partner with, since the character's backstory indicated that Chen Ling was a retired soldier.

Upon learning that they were both members of the same organization, Chen Ling warmed up a few degrees toward Liu Xing, especially after discovering that Liu Xing was a doctor. Chen Ling beat his chest in assurance, taking upon himself the responsibility for Liu Xing's safety, and they agreed that unless under special circumstances, they would act together.

Thus, Liu Xing had inadvertently acquired a bodyguard.

However, Liu Xing soon began to regret teaming up with Chen Ling, for Chen Ling was a typical chatterbox. He could turn a mundane incident into an epic tale full of twists and turns—a trait Liu Xing could still tolerate. But Chen Ling had another bad habit: getting so carried away in his excitement that he would gesticulate wildly, which nearly led to a car accident when his hands left the steering wheel just moments ago...

Liu Xing looked at Chen Ling with an expression that was beyond words, starting to ponder the likelihood of Chen Ling leading him to his demise...

After driving the taxi for more than ten minutes, Chen Ling arrived at the main stage for this session of the Cthulhu RPG Game—Eins Town.

Eins Town was much like any other English town, with its "minor differences" being the Castle to the west of the town. Of course, to Liu Xing, the Castle didn't seem all that grand. He estimated that the main structure was only about seven or eight meters tall, probably just two stories, but it did cover a broad area—about the size of two football fields, indicating to Liu Xing that it likely came with a sizable backyard.

After alighting from the car, Liu Xing handed over a hundred pounds to Chen Ling, which was the pre-agreed taxi fare before their arrival. Liu Xing had to honor "his" word.

Chen Ling accepted the money as if it were the most natural thing in the world and helped Liu Xing retrieve a suitcase from the taxi's trunk. Clearly, it belonged to Liu Xing. According to the game hints, the bottle of green tea that could restore SAN value, the sugar given by General Ke, and the amulet with the Elder Sign were all inside.

As for what else was in the suitcase, Liu Xing would have to find an opportunity to open it and see.

Following the plot's flow, when Chen Ling was about to leave Eins Town, Liu Xing witnessed all four tires of the taxi burst simultaneously...

Seeing this, Liu Xing couldn't help but comment on how the plot seemed a bit lackluster—who has ever seen a stationary taxi suddenly have all four tires burst at once?

Chen Ling, with an "I-knew-this-would-happen" expression, got out of the car and said to Liu Xing, "It seems I can now accompany you around Eins Town and meanwhile look for a garage to fix this."

Liu Xing nodded, and together they entered Eins Town.

Eins Town wasn't large, and it didn't take long for Liu Xing and Chen Ling to find a closed garage; next to it was a small tavern that had already opened for business.

In any game, taverns are always a good place to gather intelligence. So, Liu Xing invited Chen Ling into the tavern for a drink under the pretense of "fellow villagers meeting each other," hoping to gather some information while there.

Since it was still morning and Eins Town was not heavily populated, the tavern was quiet, with only the owner and one customer who was enjoying the English specialty—fish and chips.

Just as Liu Xing and Chen Ling approached the bar to inquire some information from the owner, a commotion erupted outside, and two men and a woman entered the tavern.

The moment these three walked in, Liu Xing heard that familiar synthesized electronic voice.

"All players have reached the plot trigger point. The guidance phase is over, and the official storyline begins!"