Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 499: Farewell Sirius

Ling Ishikawa chuckled, feeling no pressure as she said, "Who isn’t just a baby after all? Baruka told me before that, from our human perspective of time, my Shoggoth is just a three-year-old child. Although its intelligence level is equivalent to that of a ten-year-old, so Baruka suggested that I treat that Shoggoth like a child. This way, I could tame it better. And as Baruka said, my little one at home now pretty much listens to me obediently and rarely opposes my commands."

Hearing this, Liu Xing asked curiously, "Speaking of which, how did Baruka and the others train this group of Shoggoth? The Ancient One and his group spent tens of thousands of years without being able to completely subdue the Shoggoth, yet Baruka and his group took only a few decades to make these Shoggoth obey them, even easily transferring them to you, Ling Ishikawa."

Ling Ishikawa shrugged and replied, "It’s probably because the Ancient One and Baruka have different attitudes towards the Shoggoth. The Ancient One believed that since they created the Shoggoth, they should be enslaved by them. So, they always made the Shoggoth do all sorts of dirty work, which made the Shoggoth resentful towards the Ancient One, leading to their rebellion. As for Baruka and his group, when they encountered this group of Shoggoth, they first subdued them and then had a good chat with the leader of these Shoggoth, establishing a relationship of friendship rather than superiority. Then, over the decades, Baruka has always kept his promises and didn’t force the Shoggoth to do anything, so their relationship with Baruka and his group became better and better, almost like close friends."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, not expecting such an approach.

"However," Zhang Wenbing expressed concern, "the enemies in this module are not human, which is not good news for us. After all, these animals won’t engage in any strategy with us; they’ll just attack whenever they find the opportunity. So, it’s very disadvantageous for our exploration team, especially considering Miguel is still unconscious."

Liu Xing nodded, acknowledging Zhang Wenbing’s valid concerns. Their combat capabilities as a group were indeed worrisome.

Firstly, Liu Xing had to admit that his close combat abilities were almost nonexistent. So when facing the carnivorous animals on Zekiel Island, if he stayed at a distance, he could shoot with his rifle and perhaps inflict some damage. But if those animals ambushed him up close, he’d be helpless.

Then there was Zhang Jingxu, whose close combat abilities weren’t much better than Liu Xing’s. Moreover, the magic spells Zhang Jingxu mastered weren’t particularly effective against the carnivorous animals. Additionally, the spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game had their drawbacks, with some having long casting times, making it nearly impossible for Zhang Jingxu to deal with the animals on Zekiel Island, especially since all the animals Liu Xing had seen so far were fast runners.

At least in Liu Xing’s view, all those animals were sprinter-level fast.

So half of their group was essentially just bystanders.

Among the remaining three, Miguel was supposed to shoulder significant responsibilities as the combat force of the expedition team. However, with Miguel’s fate uncertain and even if he were to wake up during this module, his combat capabilities would undoubtedly be greatly reduced. After all, many of the mechanical parts on Miguel’s body should have been scrapped over the years.

Then there was Buke, a retired military doctor. His abilities in firearms and close combat should still be decent. However, according to Buke, he had been retired for many years, and during these years, he had been transitioning into a forensic pathologist. So Buke’s combat effectiveness would need to be adjusted down a notch or two.

So, in the end, Liu Xing realized that Ling Ishikawa had unexpectedly become the strongest combatant in their expedition team. However, Liu Xing also had to admit that Ling Ishikawa’s current combat prowess was indeed formidable. After all, Ling Ishikawa had first learned magic with the great Wizard Serak in Hybrier, then braved dangers with Barbarian Conan, learning Conan’s swordsmanship. So now, Ling Ishikawa could be said to have both magical and martial prowess, more formidable than most NPCs and players.

Of course, despite Ling Ishikawa’s formidable combat prowess, he could still be taken out with a single shot...

With that thought, Liu Xing couldn’t help but pat Ling Ishikawa on the shoulder and say, "Ling Ishikawa, we’ll be relying on your swordsmanship from now on."

Ling Ishikawa sighed helplessly and said with a bitter smile, "Then you better give me a sword at least. When I checked the armory before, it seemed like there were only some machetes available. My swordsmanship will definitely be affected by that. Moreover, if we encounter large predators like lions or tigers, I’m afraid I won’t be able to withstand their strength..."

Just then, the KP chopsticks interrupted, "Alright, the Private Room session is over now. Everyone, please stay in character."

Since the Private Room session had ended, Liu Xing naturally chose to escort the guests, preparing to enter the Soul Casket and have a good chat with Ancient One Sirius.

So, after Zhang Jingxu and the others left the room, Liu Xing took out the Soul Casket.

Soon, Liu Xing entered the Soul Casket and stood in front of Sirius.

"Mr. Liu Xing, it’s been a while since you last visited me," Sirius said with a smile.

Liu Xing shrugged, first recounting his encounter with the Cult of the Cadaver in Manchester.

Sirius furrowed his brows, somewhat puzzled. "I didn’t expect those Ghouls to actually leave the Dreamrealm and infiltrate Earth. I wonder where they got the courage to try to establish a foothold on Earth."

Liu Xing shrugged again. In Sirius’s mind, Earth’s image remained in the phase where it was forced to flee into the Soul Casket, a time when Earth was a chaotic battleground where various powerful mythical creature races occupied its lands and seas. So, at that time, the Ghoul clan was seen as insignificant by other mythical creatures and had no chance of claiming any territory on Earth.

And in Liu Xing’s impression, the Ghoul in the Cthulhu myth seemed to have appeared after humans "dominated" Earth.

After all, at that time, other mythical creatures were either driven off Earth by enemies or forced to hide in some dark corners of Earth, trembling in fear. Additionally, a large number of Great Old Ones were sealed on Earth. Therefore, some mythical creature races that originally had an advantage in the "battle for Earth" chose to leave Earth.

When the cat’s away, the mice will play.

After most mythical creature races left Earth, humans seized the opportunity and became the "masters" of Earth. So, before this, the Ghouls, who had never had the chance to enter Earth, finally found a soft target they could exploit. Hence, they began to enter Earth from the Dreamrealm.

Of course, these were just some speculations by Liu Xing.

After the pleasantries, Liu Xing decided to get to the point and informed Sirius about the situation on Zekiel Island.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Sirius furrowed his brows and after a moment of silence, he said, "It seems that Zekiel Island should be a secret base left behind by our Ancient One. Because during the war back then when we were at a disadvantage, some suggested creating a new species - one more obedient and stronger than Shoggoth. So, some people above arranged a team of genetic engineers for this project. Moreover, I have a friend who is a member of that team of genetic engineers."

"He told me that due to the urgent time, they decided to each create a prototype of a new species, and then place these new species on a Small Island. This Small Island would have all the common terrains found on Earth at the time. Then, these new species would rapidly develop on that Small Island. By emitting some kind of electromagnetic waves, those new species would engage in battles on the island, and during these battles, they would absorb the abilities of other defeated new species. After hundreds of experiments, enough data would be accumulated to create a powerful new species."

"As for what happened later, perhaps due to the rebellion of the Shoggoth, the plan had to be put on hold before it was completed. Our Ancient One clan had to retreat to the depths of the ocean. So, the plan had to be shelved. However, perhaps because the person in charge of this plan believed that our Ancient One clan would one day counterattack the mainland, so they maintained the minimal operation of the equipment on Zekiel Island, allowing the experiments to continue. Of course, now I suspect that the thunderstorm you just mentioned, Liu Xing, might have caused the outdated equipment on Zekiel Island to overload. It’s very likely that Zekiel Island is now in chaos."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said seriously, "Please, Sirius, enlighten me further."

Sirius shook his head and sighed, "Our Ancient One clan belongs to the technological race. Almost everyone learns various technological knowledge after birth, so now I can roughly guess the operating principles of the equipment on Zekiel Island. Basically, it can be summarized in three words - creation, promotion, absorption. Firstly, there must be a life creator in the research facility on Zekiel Island, capable of manufacturing corresponding creatures according to the set program in a short time. Then these creatures are released into various areas of Zekiel Island. Next, through some catalytic instruments in the research facility, a certain radiation or wave is emitted, allowing the creatures on the island to grow into complete beings in a short time. Of course, the fluctuation Miguel just mentioned is very likely the result of that catalytic instrument. However, it’s obvious that the instrument caused an excessive output due to absorbing a large amount of electrical energy, which affected the mechanical parts on Miguel, rapidly aging his mechanical systems."

"As for the final absorption device, Liu Xing, you can understand it as a giant juicer. This giant juicer can transport the final victorious creature on Zekiel Island into it, and then by some means, decompose that final victor into the most basic substance. Then it’s transported back to the life creator at the beginning, and a new cycle begins. But now, I think, the thunderstorm just now might have caused problems with all the instruments in the research facility. So, Liu Xing, you and your group should be prepared for the worst."

Liu Xing nodded. According to Sirius’s explanation, if the equipment in the research facility on Zekiel Island had indeed malfunctioned, then the worst-case scenario would be that all the animals on Zekiel Island would grow faster, become more aggressive, and the synthetic beast formed in the end would not be sent back to the research facility for decomposition.

This meant that their group might have to face a relentless pursuit from a synthetic beast...

This wasn’t good news at all.

Seeing Liu Xing’s grim expression, Sirius comforted him, "Liu Xing, don’t worry too much. After all, sometimes a setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Although the thunderstorm caused a problem with the equipment in the research facility, it may also have caused the security system inside the research facility to malfunction. And if nothing unexpected happens, my missing compatriot should be close to breaking free from the confinement of the security system in the research facility. So, my compatriot should be close to being rescued."

Facing Sirius’s comfort, Liu Xing could only force a smile because he knew that in the Cthulhu RPG Game, such good fortune was rare.

"Well, Liu Xing, for now, go back and gather more information, and then come to me again. By then, I should be able to provide you with more help," Sirius said earnestly.

Liu Xing nodded, knowing that there was nothing more to discuss, so he exited the Soul Casket.

Although all the information obtained from Sirius this time was bad news, Liu Xing finally knew what the true background of this module was.

However, just thinking about the synthetic beast that might appear in the end made Liu Xing’s head ache a bit. After all, the abilities of this synthetic beast were not to be underestimated. And now it could be confirmed that this synthetic beast had several hundred, even thousands, of hit points.

After all, the previous fully armed exploration team had attempted to hunt down the synthetic beast, but they were effortlessly wiped out by the synthetic beast.

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