Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 400: Xiao Mochen’s Anomaly

After some consideration, Liu Xing spoke up, saying, "Alright, let’s do this. I’ll have a good talk with Xiao Mochen shortly. It just so happens that Xiao Mochen is feeling guilty about his previous attack on me, so I should be able to convince him to join us. Besides, this matter also involves Xiao Dafu, so we must inform Xiao Mochen about it one way or another."

Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement, saying earnestly, "You’re right. We must inform Xiao Mochen in advance. Even though Xiao Mochen and Xiao Dafu have a strained relationship, Xiao Dafu is still Xiao Mochen’s father. The grudge between them is deep, and we are likely to be forced to kill Xiao Dafu. So, Ryuusei, you should definitely give Xiao Mochen a heads-up to avoid any conflicts with him later."

Liu Xing nodded in return and smiled, "Okay, but I believe Xiao Mochen will stand with us. In my opinion, Xiao Mochen is quite conflicted about keeping his despicable father around. He does it out of filial duty, but he doesn’t really have any affection left for Xiao Dafu. So, I think if Xiao Mochen finds out that Xiao Dafu is now controlled by Gu Master Chaxi and turned into a walking corpse, he will most likely choose to uphold justice."

At that moment, Hu Cang’s voice suddenly echoed from the staircase, "Ryuusei, you’re absolutely right. Xiao Mochen will definitely choose justice. He harbors deep hatred for his father, especially considering his miserable childhood, which Xiao Dafu largely contributed to. Xiao Mochen’s mother also fell ill during that time. Then there were the events in Rongcheng where Xiao Dafu ruined Xiao Mochen’s career and wiped out his savings, not to mention the medical bills for Xiao Mochen’s mother."

"So, at that time, Xiao Mochen wanted nothing more than to kill Xiao Dafu, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He knew that if he killed Xiao Dafu, he would end up in prison, leaving his mother all alone. So, Xiao Mochen had to endure it and ignore Xiao Dafu. But that cunning Xiao Dafu started portraying himself as a saint as soon as he returned to Panlong Town, emotionally blackmailing Xiao Mochen."

"Thus, Xiao Mochen, who was morally blackmailed, had no choice but to accept the reality and support Xiao Dafu, the parasite. Fortunately, Xiao Dafu’s true nature was exposed soon after, lightening Xiao Mochen’s burden. His hatred for Xiao Dafu grew stronger, and he has mentioned wanting to kill Xiao Dafu more than ten times."

Hearing Hu Cang’s account, Liu Xing realized that Xiao Mochen’s cooperation was assured. All that was needed was to give him a reason, and he would readily choose to uphold justice.

Zhang Jingxu signaled Liu Xing and the others with a glance, then got up and approached Hu Cang, whispering a few words. After that, Zhang Jingxu and Hu Cang went upstairs.

"Alright, since Zhang Jingxu is comforting Hu Cang, let’s continue discussing our strategy against Gu Master Chaxi. We’ve decided that Ryuusei will be responsible for contacting Xiao Mochen, and we should be able to gather information about individuals like Xiao Dafu who are controlled by Gu Master Chaxi. We need to discuss the equipment we’ll need to deal with Gu Master Chaxi," Wan Chongshan said.

Liu Xing nodded and said seriously, "In my opinion, we must definitely bring those two bird guns with us. They are currently our only long-range weapons, and engaging Gu Master Chaxi in close combat would put us at a disadvantage. However, I believe it’s also necessary to acquire several sets of beekeeper-like suits. These suits would protect us from gu worm attacks."

Li Dian clapped his hands and grinned, "Great minds think alike. I was thinking the same thing. Beekeeper suits, with their full-body coverage and face shields, can effectively shield us from around ninety-nine percent of gu worm threats. So, if we can obtain enough beekeeper suits, dealing with Gu Master Chaxi will be much easier."

However, Ling Ishikawa interjected with a caveat, "I’m afraid we might not find beekeeper suits in Panlong Town. Beekeepers are usually itinerant and travel to different places over time to ensure a steady supply of honey for their bees. So, they may only be available in Panlong Town during specific periods. Additionally, beekeepers typically work in pairs as husband-and-wife teams, so we might only be able to secure two sets, and they may not even be willing to sell them."

Ling Ishikawa’s words left the group in silence. His assessment was logical, as beekeepers often followed this pattern. They only appeared in Panlong Town at specific times, and they rarely sold their customized suits, as these outfits were essential for their livelihoods and not readily replaceable.

However, Liu Xing offered an alternative idea, "Perhaps we don’t need to buy beekeeper suits from beekeepers. We could consider having a local tailor in Panlong Town create a few lower-quality versions of beekeeper suits for us. These suits would need to cover the entire body and include face masks, made from leather or similar materials."

Ling Ishikawa’s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "That’s a possibility. We could approach Hu Li, who has a sewing machine in his clothing store. Liu Xing, do you remember seeing a sewing machine there?"

Liu Xing furrowed his brow as he recollected and then realized, "Yes, I do. There is indeed a sewing machine in Hu Li’s clothing store, along with a fair amount of fabric."

Moreover, the crucial point was that Hu Li could operate paper dolls through magic spells, which didn’t require rest and would make for excellent labor.

Liu Xing turned to Ling Ishikawa and said, "So, this task can be assigned to you. If you’re agreeable, you can discuss it with Hu Li right away. We can’t afford to delay, and we need these suits prepared before the next scheduled event."

Ling Ishikawa nodded and stood up, stating, "Alright, I’ll go talk to Hu Li now."

With that, Ling Ishikawa left the room to find Hu Li.

Liu Xing thought for a moment and then said, "Now, I’ll go find Xiao Mochen. Wan Chongshan, keep an eye on the situation upstairs. Be cautious that Zhang Jingxu and Hu Cang’s conversation doesn’t turn sour."

As Liu Xing finished speaking, there was a sound of dice rolling upstairs, indicating that Zhang Jingxu had likely successfully persuaded Hu Cang.

Leaving Hu Cang’s house, Liu Xing headed straight to Xiao Mochen’s teahouse, easily finding him there.

Xiao Mochen was currently playing mahjong with others. When he saw Liu Xing enter, he stood up and greeted him, saying, "Mr. Ryuusei, what brings you here?"

Liu Xing gestured upstairs and didn’t speak further, being cautious not to reveal sensitive information in front of others. He didn’t want to be mistaken for a "Monster."

Xiao Mochen realized the situation and quickly found a bystander to take his place in the game. He then led Liu Xing upstairs.

Once on the second floor, Xiao Mochen couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, "I heard from Hu Cang that you just dealt with a Troll hiding in the clinic’s basement. Based on your appearance now, it seems you handled that Troll easily, right?"

Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "Indeed, that Troll was quite powerful, but it had clear weaknesses, so we managed to defeat it easily. But, speaking of which, did Hu Cang tell you the whole story?"

Hu Cang shook his head, looking somewhat puzzled, "When Hu Cang came by, he only mentioned that you were going to deal with the Troll, but he didn’t elaborate on anything else. However, I could tell from his expression that he was conflicted and nervous at the time. He kept fidgeting and occasionally touching his pocket. It looked like he had a dagger?"

Liu Xing pondered for a moment and then decided to reveal the full story to Xiao Mochen. Since Gangzi and Xiao Mochen were also close friends, Xiao Mochen was one of the involved parties.

Therefore, Liu Xing explained the events, including Zhong Rensan killing Gangzi and Hu Cang killing Zhong Rensan.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Mochen reluctantly said, "I see. No wonder when I asked Hu Cang earlier, he was unwilling to talk about it. It turns out it was because of this. But it seems Hu Cang also knew that if I found out, I would have stopped him."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, "What? Xiao Mochen, don’t you plan to seek revenge on Zhong Rensan? After all, he killed Gangzi, who was your good friend."

Xiao Mochen nodded, speaking seriously, "Yes, Gangzi was indeed my good friend. But, you see, people can’t be brought back to life. Even if we kill Zhong Rensan for avenging Gangzi, Zhong Rensan’s descendants might find out and come after us in revenge. Besides, violence is illegal and punishable by law. Of course, in today’s Panlong Town, we don’t have to worry about legal consequences, and Zhong Rensan can resurrect. Killing him once doesn’t seem like a big deal..."

Liu Xing, while deep in thought, found Xiao Mochen’s character somewhat reminiscent of certain clichéd movie protagonists, filled with wisdom and ready to forgive easily.

However, truthfully, Liu Xing wasn’t particularly fond of this personality type, as it felt somewhat insincere.

Nevertheless, Liu Xing didn’t express his true thoughts and continued, "Xiao Mochen, your ability to see things from this perspective is admirable. But I didn’t come to see you about this matter. I’m here to talk about your father, Xiao Dafu."

Xiao Mochen furrowed his brow and asked, "My father? What happened to him?"

Liu Xing sighed and said seriously, "Here’s the situation. We’ve confirmed that your father, Xiao Dafu, is completely under the control of Gu Master Chaxi. In other words, Gu Master Chaxi can turn your father into a mindless puppet at any moment and control him as she pleases. Now, we’re planning to launch an attack on Gu Master Chaxi the day after tomorrow. Do you understand what I mean, Xiao Mochen?"

Xiao Mochen furrowed his brow and asked, "Are you saying that as soon as you attack Gu Master Chaxi, my father will become a mindless puppet? And if you kill Gu Master Chaxi, will my father return to normal?"

Liu Xing thought for a moment and then shook his head, saying, "While I can’t be certain, I believe there’s no chance of your father returning to normal. Gu Master Chaxi controls your father using low-level gu worms, and the way these gu worms control people is through violent means, taking control of their bodies. Your father likely died the moment he was controlled."

Xiao Mochen sighed and said, "Alright, I understand. I’m well aware of why you’ve come to see me now. You can go ahead and do what you need to do. If my father dies, it’s his own fault."

Liu Xing nodded and continued, "Okay, Xiao Mochen, would you be willing to join us? We’re currently short on manpower."

Xiao Mochen fell into deep thought once again.

After a moment, he said, "I’m just an ordinary person, and even if I join you, I won’t be able to provide much help. So, I’d rather not join just for the sake of it."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, intending to use the "Judgment" skill on Xiao Mochen to persuade him. However, before he could speak, KP Snow Wind approached and delivered unexpected news, "Player Liu Xing, I want to make it clear that for certain reasons, if you choose to use persuasion or fast-talk skills on Xiao Mochen now, it will automatically result in a ’failure.’"

Liu Xing was surprised by this development. It seemed that Xiao Mochen was resistant to persuasion, even to the point of being immune.

Could it be?

Liu Xing had a daring hypothesis.

Since KP Snow Wind had explicitly stated that persuasion or fast-talk skills wouldn’t work on Xiao Mochen, Liu Xing didn’t want to waste any more time. He nodded and prepared to take his leave.

As he left the teahouse, he encountered Ling Ishikawa returning from Hu Li’s place.

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