Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 397: The Troll’s Explosive Head

After a while, Zhong Rensan indeed arrived at the clothing store.

However, as Liu Xing looked at Zhong Rensan at this moment, he still appeared conflicted and uneasy. It was clear that Zhong Rensan was somewhat skeptical about their group. Liu Xing understood that Zhong Rensan’s concern had its merits because it was a matter of life and death for his family. Apart from Zhang Jingxu, who had a somewhat elevated aura, the rest of their group appeared no different from ordinary people.

Therefore, Liu Xing thought about it from Zhong Rensan’s perspective and realized that he might have reconsidered if he were in Zhong Rensan’s shoes.

At this moment, Hu Li also noticed that something was amiss with Zhong Rensan’s expression. She approached him and said, "Zhong Rensan, at this point, you can only trust Mr. Zhang Jingxu and the others. They’ve already prepared a foolproof plan, even if the Troll has three heads and six arms, it won’t escape from Mr. Zhang Jingxu and his team."

Zhong Rensan, upon hearing Hu Li’s words, reluctantly smiled and replied, "Oh, I do have great confidence in Mr. Zhang Jingxu and his team. I believe they are capable of dealing with that Troll. However, there’s an old saying that goes, ’Better safe than sorry.’ So, I’m still worried that the Troll might successfully escape."

Hu Li shook her head and spoke with sincerity, "Zhong Rensan, I don’t mean to criticize you, but you’re an adult. Why are you so hesitant? You know that if the Troll isn’t dealt with, your family’s life will be in constant danger. Your descendants will also suffer from the Troll’s torment. Do you want your future generations to become murderers like you?"

Hu Li’s words left Zhong Rensan speechless.

Because Zhong Rensan had always believed that Hu Li shouldn’t know about his past actions.

So, Zhong Rensan, trying to hide his guilt, said, "Miss Hu Li, what are you talking about? I’ve dedicated my whole life to saving lives as a doctor. How could I possibly be a murderer?"

Zhong Rensan felt like he had been struck by lightning. He exclaimed, "What? Hu Li, how do you know about Gangzi? Gangzi and his family left Panlong Town long before you arrived. You couldn’t possibly know about Gangzi, unless Hu Cang told you?"

Hu Li shook her head, disdain evident in her expression. "Oh, since you put it that way, Zhong Rensan, it proves that Gangzi was indeed killed by you. As for how I know these things, your question is rather foolish. If I know that you’re troubled by the Troll, then how could I not know what the Troll likes to eat? Therefore, with a little deduction, it’s not hard to figure out Gangzi’s true cause of death. Besides, Gangzi’s sudden departure from Panlong Town was probably part of your plan."

Hearing Hu Li’s words, Zhong Rensan could only sigh helplessly and nod, admitting, "You’re right. I’m a murderer, a selfish one at that. I sacrificed innocent lives to the Troll to save my own. The person I feel the most remorse for is Gangzi, as he was the only child among those I killed."

Then, Zhong Rensan recounted why he had killed Gangzi in the first place.

It was during that summer when Zhong Rensan was feeling incredibly frustrated. The deadline for feeding the Troll was only two days away, and during this time, he had been unable to find any news of deaths or encounters with wanderers in the vicinity of Panlong Town. As for the homeless and the like, none had been seen in Panlong Town recently.

So, sitting in his office, Zhong Rensan let out a sigh and contemplated where to find food for the Troll. Could he resort to harming his patients?

Thinking about it, Zhong Rensan got up and went to inspect the wards. At that moment, there was only one elderly person suffering from heatstroke receiving an IV drip in the ward. However, the elderly patient’s family members were nearby, fanning him.

Clearly, Zhong Rensan knew he had no opportunity to act now. Even if he did have an opportunity, he couldn’t bring himself to harm this elderly person. After all, Zhong Rensan understood that while the people in Panlong Town were generally good, any medical mishap would certainly ruin his reputation, and he would have to leave Panlong Town, at the very least.

So, Zhong Rensan had to abandon his plan to harm the elderly patient.

Returning to his office, Zhong Rensan couldn’t help but sink into contemplation. He was a compassionate healer, but in his view, his family’s lives were more important than anyone else’s. After all, he had left his hometown and come to Panlong Town alone for the sake of his family.

Therefore, Zhong Rensan ultimately made up his mind. In order to fulfill his agreement with the Troll and protect his family, he was willing to commit murder with his own hands if necessary.

Just as Zhong Rensan firmly decided this, Gangzi appeared before him. This shook Zhong Rensan’s determination, as the love for the young was deeply ingrained in the genes of all mammals.

This was also why, online, some murderers received sympathy, but those who harmed minors, especially children, were universally condemned and vilified.

So, at this moment, Zhong Rensan could only sigh in his heart, deciding that he couldn’t harm children like Gangzi. Moreover, he had always had a good relationship with Gangzi.

Then, Zhong Rensan began to treat Gangzi.

However, as the treatment progressed, Zhong Rensan had a change of heart. Gangzi told Zhong Rensan that he had been cautious on his way here, making sure no one noticed him. After all, Gangzi was afraid that his father would scold him if he found out about his situation.

Hearing this, Zhong Rensan couldn’t help but have malicious thoughts. According to Gangzi’s account, no one knew about his visit to Panlong Town Clinic. This meant that even if he killed Gangzi, no one would be aware of it.

Therefore, Zhong Rensan, driven by evil, prepared a sedative, disguised as a tetanus shot, and injected Gangzi with it. Then, he concealed the unconscious Gangzi in his office because he wanted to wait for one more day. If someone died, he wouldn’t have to kill Gangzi.

Unfortunately, on the second day, Zhong Rensan heard no news of deaths in the vicinity of Panlong Town. So, with his eyes closed, Zhong Rensan took the now awakened Gangzi and secretly placed him in the basement. He made it look like Gangzi had been attacked by wild animals.

After the Troll had finished its meal, Zhong Rensan instructed it to dispose of Gangzi’s body on the mountain across the Panlong River, making it appear as if he had been attacked by wild beasts.

Of course, when Gangzi’s parents came to inquire about Zhong Rensan, he was still worried about being exposed by them. So, Zhong Rensan had the Troll scare Gangzi’s parents away.

Finally, Zhong Rensan, with a regretful expression, said, "Whenever I think about Gangzi now, I feel like a damned criminal. I can’t believe I laid hands on such a young child. I’m truly inhuman."

Hu Li chuckled and said, without giving Zhong Rensan any face, "Oh, Zhong Rensan, does that mean you think those homeless people deserve to die? Do you think those deceased, who should have rested in peace, should be dissected by you? You should know that the deceased with physical disabilities cannot be reborn."

Hearing this, Liu Xing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow because the belief that the deceased with physical disabilities cannot be reborn was prevalent in his hometown as well. So, in Liu Xing’s hometown, before burying the deceased, if they had an amputation or had certain organs removed during their lifetime, wooden carvings representing those missing parts were placed in the grave.

Liu Xing was beginning to notice that some aspects of Panlong Town were quite similar to his hometown. This made sense since both were located near Rongcheng.

However, Liu Xing felt like he was overlooking something.

At this point, Zhong Rensan had been silenced by Hu Li and alternated between blushing and paling.

"Alright, let’s not dwell on past events for now. Let’s discuss how to deal with the Troll next. Our plan is that a few of us will pretend to be patients, and then, Doctor Zhong Rensan, you’ll pretend to run out of medicine and need to go to the basement to get it. After you’ve fetched the medicine, return directly to your office, and we’ll take it from there," Zhang Jingxu suggested, trying to redirect the conversation.

Zhong Rensan, relieved to have some support, quickly agreed, "No problem, we’ll follow your plan, Master Zhang."

"It’s about time; we can start moving," Hu Li finally decided to let Zhong Rensan off the hook.

So, the group left Hu Li’s clothing store.

Following the plan, about ten minutes after Zhong Rensan returned to the clinic, Liu Xing and the others entered the clinic. They acted out their roles with Zhong Rensan and followed him to the entrance of the basement.

As Zhong Rensan opened the basement entrance, Ling Ishikawa used an invisible wind to blow a dose of sedative into the basement. Liu Xing and the others positioned themselves, ready to confront the potentially rampaging Troll.

Fortunately, the first person to emerge from the basement was Zhong Rensan.

Zhong Rensan nodded lightly, indicating that the Troll had not noticed anything unusual and was still hiding in the basement.

Once Zhong Rensan left, Liu Xing and Li Dian covered the basement entrance with a fishing net.

At this moment, the sound of dice rolling echoed, indicating that several Judgments were about to take place.

When the dice rolling sound subsided, everyone’s nerves were on edge because if their luck was bad, the Troll might have escaped by now.

After a minute passed with no movement from the basement, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that luck was on their side.

Another ten minutes went by, and Liu Xing couldn’t help but shake his numb body. According to the information about the sedative, the Troll should be entering a state of unconsciousness soon, and then they could proceed to deal with it.

However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred.

Liu Xing heard the basement suddenly filled with hurried footsteps, coming toward the entrance.

Then, the Troll burst out of the basement, crashing through the door. However, the Troll hadn’t expected the fishing net over its head, which trapped it.

Suddenly, time seemed to freeze.

"Well, because the Troll is trapped, let’s proceed with the Troll’s escape Judgment. Since the Troll is currently weakened and the fishing net has been equipped with black spheres, the Troll will escape in 1d4+1 rounds and then initiate the combat round," KP Snow Wind explained.

1d4+1 = 2+1 = 3.

Three rounds.

Seeing this result, Liu Xing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. In three rounds, Hu Li should be able to arrive, and then they could leave the Troll to her.

KP Snow Wind continued, "Now, players Wan Chongshan and Zhang Jingxu, are you planning to use bird guns to shoot the Troll from extremely close range?"

Wan Chongshan and Zhang Jingxu both nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes."

KP Snow Wind chuckled and said, "Very well, since you’re in extremely close range, there’s no need for a hit Judgment. Consider it an automatic success. Let’s proceed with the damage Judgment."

Zhang Jingxu, 2d6 = 4.

Wan Chongshan, 2d6 = 12.

As the damage Judgment was announced, time resumed its flow.

Liu Xing heard two gunshots from behind him, and the Troll in front of him had its head blown open and fell to the ground.

Everyone looked surprised; they hadn’t expected the Troll to be killed so easily. It seemed that the Troll’s hit points were probably below 16.

At this moment, KP Snow Wind spoke again, "Congratulations, players, for successfully defeating the Troll and completing the corresponding Side Quest. The rewards for the Side Quest have been distributed to each of you. You can check your ’Truth’ points through the character card interface."

Then, KP Snow Wind privately messaged Liu Xing, saying, "Congratulations, player Liu Xing, for triggering a solo Side Quest - killing Gu Master Chaxi. Player Liu Xing, please decide now whether to accept this solo Side Quest. If you accept it, the Side Quest - Man-Eater will not be triggered again."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow; this solo Side Quest seemed like a bit of a trap.

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