Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 407: "Earthquake"

Liu Xing employed a strategy of retreat as advancement, catching the black cat demon off guard. However, the black cat demon, seasoned in experience, smiled and said, "From the tone of your voice, it seems you’ve already found something, haven’t you? If I’m not mistaken, what you’ve found should be my cat collar. Because among those four items, my cat collar looks the most useless. Even an ordinary person who gets hold of it would probably just toss it away."

After hearing the black cat demon’s response, although Liu Xing couldn’t psychoanalyze the demon, he had a rough idea. At the beginning, Liu Xing was concerned that the black cat demon had been monitoring him all along, knowing that he had acquired those three items. After all, the fact that the black cat demon could pick the right time to approach him indicated that it had been keeping an eye on him for a while.

But Liu Xing found it strange. If the black cat demon knew, why didn’t it just say so outright? According to Liu Xing’s current understanding of the black cat demon’s personality, it was straightforward, didn’t beat around the bush, and had no need to argue with him, given its strength. So, Liu Xing guessed that the black cat demon genuinely couldn’t see those four items. According to the demon, its current state was highly unstable, so not being able to see some things was normal.

Therefore, Liu Xing decided to employ a strategy of retreat as advancement to test the black cat demon.

If his guess was correct, Liu Xing made up his mind and said, "Old Cat, your guess is right. I’ve already found that cat collar. However, the problem is that the cat collar has been damaged and split into two parts—the collar itself and an iron tag. We found these two parts in different places."

The black cat demon furrowed its brows and said helplessly, "What happened? How did the cat collar get damaged? It was intact until my death. But come to think of it, when I was attacked, I must have reacted instinctively, which might have caused the collar to split into two."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled, and asked, "By the way, Old Cat, if you don’t mind me asking, when did you die?"

The black cat demon thought for a moment and replied, "I don’t know the exact time, as creatures like us don’t have a concept of time. But I do know that before I died, Gralki’s disciple had already arrived in Panlong Town and put on quite a show."

Hearing this, Liu Xing furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought. The black cat demon’s current statement contradicted what Xiao Mochen had previously claimed. Xiao Mochen had said that the collar had been passed down by his ancestors, while the black cat demon now stated that the collar had been intact until Gralki’s disciple arrived in Panlong Town.

Therefore, there was a significant discrepancy between the accounts of the black cat demon and Xiao Mochen. Liu Xing was leaning towards the idea that Xiao Mochen was lying. If that were the case, it would also explain why Xiao Mochen knew about the Two-Five Gang’s involvement.

Even if someone wanted to ambush the black cat demon while it slept, they would need to be nearly as powerful as the demon. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to catch the black cat demon off guard and kill it without being detected. So, Liu Xing suspected that the person who attacked the black cat demon was either a clone of Gralki or controlled directly by Gralki as a "disciple."

However, who had killed the black cat demon was not the most crucial question for Liu Xing. What mattered most was how Xiao Mochen had obtained the black cat demon’s collar.

Clearly, Xiao Mochen couldn’t have simply stumbled upon the collar along the way. First, the collar appeared worn and had a strange odor, making it unlikely that an ordinary person would choose to bring it home. Furthermore, if Xiao Mochen had genuinely discovered it accidentally, there would have been no need for him to claim that it had been passed down by his ancestors. Additionally, Xiao Mochen had recently mentioned that his relationship with his grandfather was strained, so it seemed unlikely that his grandfather would have passed down the collar to Xiao Dafu.

However, this raised another question: how did the collar end up with Xiao Dafu? Liu Xing had personally accompanied Xiao Mochen to find Xiao Dafu, so it seemed impossible for Xiao Mochen and Xiao Dafu to have coordinated their stories in advance.

So, what was the explanation for all of this?

At this point, the black cat demon spoke seriously, "Kid, that damaged cat collar is meaningless to me. I need your help to repair it. According to what you said, it’s just split into two parts, so reconnecting them should suffice."

Liu Xing nodded but appeared hesitant. "Old Cat, when we got the iron tag and collar, we already guessed that they could be combined. However, our attempts to connect them with ordinary materials like cotton thread or wire were unsuccessful. Can you tell us what we need to connect them properly?"

The black cat demon chuckled and nodded, saying, "As I mentioned earlier, the original materials of the collar and the iron tag are exceptional. They both possess powerful energies that ordinary cotton thread or wire couldn’t withstand. They were originally connected using golden silkworm silk. Since you’re planning to visit Gu Master Chaxi, I think you’ll find the appropriate materials there. I believe they have gu worms related to silkworms."

Liu Xing thought for a moment, realizing that these missions were interconnected. However, at this moment, he had a sudden idea.

With a smile, Liu Xing asked, "Old Cat, since we’re talking about Gu Master Chaxi, could you help us deal with him? You know, with our current strength, dealing with Gu Master Chaxi won’t be easy."

The black cat demon furrowed its brow and shook its head. "I can’t do that. Although I could easily kill Gu Master Chaxi with my current strength, the problem is, I can sense that if I make a move, Gralki will also come after me. So, even if we kill Gu Master Chaxi, Gralki will go after us. In other words, I only have one chance to act, which means we only have one opportunity to deal with Gralki."

So, Liu Xing pretended to look thoughtful and said, "I see. In that case, Old Cat, it’s probably best for you not to take action right now. We’ll handle Gralki, and when the time is right, you can join in to secure victory. But since you can’t directly intervene, could you help us gather information about Gu Master Chaxi? We’d like to know about the types of gu worms he has, where he keeps them, and whether he has any other significant means of attack besides gu worms."

Facing Liu Xing’s questions, after a moment of contemplation, the black cat demon replied, "I can help you with those questions. How about this: come to the rooftop alone tonight, and I will provide you with the answers."

Upon hearing this from the black cat demon, Liu Xing felt relieved. At least the demon was willing to assist in gathering information, suggesting that it might be on their side.

"Alright, I think we’ve covered everything for now. Once you’ve repaired the cat collar or found something else, come alone to the rooftop tonight, and I’ll be there," said the black cat demon as it stretched lazily, indicating it was about to leave.

Liu Xing thought for a moment and decided to push his luck a bit further. "Old Cat, I actually have a few more important questions. Can you spare some time to answer them?"

After some consideration, the black cat demon replied, "Sure, go ahead and ask your questions. I’ll tell you what I know, but keep in mind that I don’t know everything, so don’t expect too much from me."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright then, do you know the current whereabouts of the Black Flood Dragon? Is it still in Panlong Town?"

The black cat demon furrowed its brow and shook its head. "Old Black, I can’t be sure about its current status. Although it’s slightly more powerful than me, I can say for sure that it wouldn’t be able to defeat Gralki. I can’t sense Old Black’s presence in this temporal distortion of Panlong Town, but logically, if a dead cat like me can appear here, Old Black should also be in Panlong Town."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised that even the black cat demon didn’t know the Black Flood Dragon’s current status. However, given the demon’s uncertainty, there was still a chance that the Black Flood Dragon might appear in Panlong Town.

Continuing his questioning, Liu Xing asked, "Old Cat, what’s your opinion of Hu Li? You should know that she’s currently assisting us, but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off about her."

The black cat demon pondered for a moment before responding, "You’re talking about that little fox, right? Well, she’s not a bad creature, though she does have a bit of a temper. She’s generally sensible, so working with her is a good choice. But I have to remind you, trust others but keep your guard up. Given the current state of Panlong Town, where drug dealers like Zha Kang inexplicably turned into Gu Master Chaxi, if that little fox were to change her mind, it wouldn’t be surprising."

Liu Xing nodded, although the black cat demon’s answer didn’t provide much guidance. It seemed like the demon had more to imply.

Finally, Liu Xing began to ask his last question, "Alright, I have one more question I’d like to ask you. Do you think..."

Before Liu Xing could finish his sentence, the black cat demon’s expression suddenly changed, and it flew out of the window, almost as if it had vanished into thin air.

Yes, the black cat demon had appeared to fly out of the window in Liu Xing’s eyes.

Frowning, Liu Xing couldn’t understand why the black cat demon had abruptly left.

Just then, Liu Xing felt the wooden bed he was on violently shaking, and nearby furniture toppled over.

An earthquake?

As someone from Rongcheng in real life, Liu Xing had experienced numerous earthquakes before. After becoming a doctor, he had even participated in earthquake relief efforts.

With his rich experience, Liu Xing rolled off the bed and took cover beneath it as the intense shaking continued.

After more than ten seconds, the earthquake finally subsided.

Liu Xing emerged from his hiding place, relieved. The magnitude of the shaking had made him prepare for the possibility of the building collapsing.

Surviving a disaster felt good.

Liu Xing took a deep breath by the window, calming himself down. However, as he regained his composure, he realized that something was amiss about the recent "earthquake."

First, if it were just an earthquake, there would be no reason for the black cat demon to abruptly leave without a word. Moreover, based on the experiences of other players in the forum, when encountering a natural disaster within a module, the KP usually required players to pass an inspiration judgment and at least one luck judgment during the disaster.

So, something didn’t add up with this earthquake.

Liu Xing began to consider the possibility that the earthquake was related to Gralki’s awakening. Perhaps Gralki had already awakened.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, realizing that there might still be a time limit within this module. Gralki wasn’t waiting around for the players to confront him.

It seemed that his group needed to advance the module’s progress.

The real trouble now was how to handle the black cat demon’s request. Given the current situation, Liu Xing felt that the demon might have ulterior motives, similar to Hu Li and Green Willow.

However, since the black cat demon could still provide some assistance at the moment, Liu Xing decided to repair the cat collar first and then deliver it to the demon while keeping an eye on the situation.

Of course, the most challenging part was that Liu Xing couldn’t inform Ling Ishikawa and the others about these developments. If he made a mistake, he would have to shoulder the blame himself.

The pressure was quite intense.

As Liu Xing was lost in his thoughts, he heard Ling Ishikawa’s voice from downstairs. "Ryuusei, are you okay?"

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