Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 265: Ling Ishikawas Return

Chapter 265: Ling Ishikawas Return

Upon entering the Old Teaching Building, Liu Xing felt an inexplicable chill that occasionally passed through his body. He couldn't help but think of the Red-Clothed Female Ghost. However, he quickly realized that it was just the occasional cold wind blowing in from the windows at the end of the corridor.

Although the Old Teaching Building had been abandoned for a long time, it was still frequented by people due to the "accidents" and "suicides" that occasionally occurred there. As a result, most areas were relatively clean.

Liu Xing's group was assigned to the fourth floor of the Old Teaching Building because Juri Sonoda remembered that Higashi Meizi had been found dead by "suicide" from the fourth floor back in the day. So, Liu Xing and his team planned to investigate the scene.

Of course, Liu Xing and Ming Hanxing didn't necessarily expect the fourth floor to be the Deep Sea Gospel Society's primary murder site for Higashi Meizi. After all, even though the Old Teaching Building was abandoned, killing someone in a place like this could still leave behind some difficult-to-erase evidence. Most importantly, if Deep Sea Gospel Society was killing for ritual purposes, the location for such a ceremony wouldn't be chosen so casually.

Therefore, Liu Xing didn't expect to find any useful evidence on the fourth floor. He just hoped to establish contact with Higashi Meizi since she had always been active in the Old Teaching Building.

So, Liu Xing decided to go alone. Although it was a risky move in the Cthulhu RPG Game, Liu Xing believed that Higashi Meizi probably posed little danger at the moment and wouldn't attack him. Thus, he decided to take the risk.

Most importantly, Liu Xing had obtained a "protective charm" from Juri Sonoda, which was a bracelet given to her by Higashi Meizi years ago. Liu Xing believed that since Higashi Meizi was still searching for her lost cherished item, it indicated that she might retain some memories from the past. Therefore, the bracelet he had in his possession should have some effect.

With this in mind, Liu Xing exchanged a glance with Ming Hanxing. Then, Ming Hanxing, accompanied by Honekawa Suneo and others, led the security guards in another direction, providing cover for Liu Xing to head to the outermost classroom on the fourth floor, the same classroom where Higashi Meizi had supposedly "committed suicide."

Entering the classroom, Liu Xing didn't feel the eerie sensation he had anticipated. It seemed that horror movies and novels were deceiving.

Liu Xing carefully observed the classroom. Due to the long abandonment of the Old Teaching Building, the desks and chairs were piled up in the corners. However, it was evident that this classroom hadn't been visited in years, as it was covered in thick dust. Every step Liu Xing took seemed to have an otherworldly quality to it.

Approaching the classroom's window, Liu Xing noticed that all the windows had been sealed shut with welding. It seemed that Morimoto Academy had taken these measures to prevent any further "accidents" or "suicides" by students.

However, Liu Xing lightly tapped on the glass and found it to be the kind of very thin, old-fashioned glass that could easily be broken even with bare hands, let alone with all the chairs in the room.

So, these were just Morimoto Academy's feeble attempts to cover up the truth, as everyone knew that such measures were ultimately futile.

Seeing this, Liu Xing decided to talk to KP Fangs. "KP, can I conduct an investigation now to find some clues?"

KP Fangs chuckled and replied, "You can, but you'll need to pass a very difficult Investigation Judgment to get results."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow. His Investigation Skill value was only 50, and if he had to pass a very difficult Judgment, it would be reduced to 10.

However, since a very difficult Investigation Judgment implied the possibility of obtaining valuable information, Liu Xing decided to take the risk, embracing the idea of "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

So he proceeded.

Liu Xing, 100/10, critical failure.

Liu Xing fell silent. He didn't expect his luck to be this bad, rolling a 100.

Now, Liu Xing was worried about the consequences of this critical failure in his investigation. The greater the reward, the greater the risk, and Liu Xing suspected that he might have made a grave mistake.

At that moment, KP Fangs smiled and said, "Liu Xing, now you can make an inspiration Judgment."

Liu Xing sighed in relief. If he could make an inspiration Judgment, it meant that the consequences of his failed investigation weren't severe, and there might even be some unexpected benefits.

Since he could make an inspiration Judgment in a place like this, where the possibility of the supernatural was high, it likely meant that there were indeed supernatural elements at play.

Liu Xing, 63/70, success.

After passing the inspiration Judgment, Liu Xing noticed that the dust-covered floor suddenly displayed clear footprints, silently approaching him step by step.

To be honest, when Liu Xing saw this, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Despite his mental preparedness, he knew that he was about to face something supernatural, and his heart rate increased.

At this moment, KP Fangs spoke at the right time, "Liu Xing, you don't need to make a sanity check because your Cthulhu Mythos knowledge has reached a certain level."

Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that his character card was quite advantageous since he didn't have to lower his sanity when facing these situations. This was a significant advantage, considering that ordinary players tended to go insane through repeated sanity checks.

Just then, Liu Xing saw that the footprints had stopped in front of him.

Liu Xing couldn't help but swallow hard and said, "Is it you?"

Liu Xing received no response to his words, but he felt like he was standing in front of an open refrigerator, experiencing a continuous wave of cold air that made his teeth chatter.

Liu Xing cautiously took a step to the left, but the two footprints still appeared right in front of him. This left Liu Xing feeling somewhat perplexed. What was Higashi Meizi thinking? Why didn't she reveal herself?

However, it seemed that Higashi Meizi had no intention of attacking him at the moment. So, Liu Xing decided to boldly take another step forward. Once again, the footprints appeared about half a meter in front of him.

Seeing this, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. He took several steps and reached the classroom's doorway. This time, the footprints didn't appear outside the classroom. Liu Xing turned back with a puzzled expression. This time, the footprints had appeared behind him.

Liu Xing sighed and spoke once more, "Higashi Meizi, or whoever you are, if you truly are Higashi Meizi or remember being her, please reveal yourself and communicate with me. We are on the same side, and we both want to make the Deep Sea Gospel Society pay."

Still no response.

Liu Xing shook his head in frustration. Why wasn't Higashi Meizi acknowledging him?

However, Liu Xing soon thought of a possibility: Higashi Meizi might have already revealed herself, but due to the differences between the living and the dead, he couldn't see her yet.

So, Liu Xing believed he needed a bottle of Bull's Tears.

But because Liu Xing had entrusted Bull's Tears to Ming Hanxing, he had to find Ming Hanxing first.

With that, Liu Xing had to leave the classroom. In another classroom on the far side, he found Ming Hanxing and others. The security guards were busy installing surveillance equipment.

Seeing Liu Xing at the door, Ming Hanxing and the others exited the classroom. Honekawa Suneo was the first to speak, "Leader, did you discover something?"

Liu Xing nodded and shared everything that had just happened and his thoughts.

Ming Hanxing took out Bull's Tears from his pocket and handed it to Liu Xing. "It seems like that should be Higashi Meizi, and it's safe to say that she hasn't lost her sanity and doesn't pose any threat."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "Exactly, that's what I think. Now let's go to that classroom together. I also find it suspicious, so we should search it."

Ming Hanxing and the others agreed, and they followed Liu Xing.

Meanwhile, on the first floor, Lu Tianya, accompanied by Yuan Meixiang, had reached the fourth floor.

Seeing Lu Tianya holding a compass, Liu Xing knew that Lu Tianya must have sensed Higashi Meizi's presence.

Lu Tianya saw Liu Xing and the others and furrowed her brow. She said, "You must have seen Higashi Meizi, right? Are all of you planning to confront her together? Higashi Meizi has become a Spirit now. Unless her level reaches a certain point, she can't appear in front of so many people. Your presence will destabilize her spiritual form because your anger disrupts her. That's why Ghosts don't appear in crowded places."

Liu Xing felt embarrassed and nodded. He had forgotten about this important detail.

Lu Tianya shook her head, pointing at Liu Xing. "Ryusei and I can handle this alone. You all should stay here as backup. If anything unexpected happens, we'll call for help loudly, and you can come over."

Lu Tianya then led Liu Xing into the classroom.

As a Taoist, Lu Tianya deftly took out a small box from her pocket and removed a black, unidentified substance that resembled a clump of grass. He began reciting a Chinese incantation that Liu Xing couldn't understand.

Liu Xing couldn't understand the words because, as an "Island Nation" character, he hadn't learned the skill "Other Languages: Chinese." Therefore, Liu Xing couldn't comprehend what Lu Tianya was saying. This feeling made Liu Xing somewhat frustrated.

However, it was clear that Lu Tianya was performing a spell, and the incantation had been going on for almost a minute. This indicated that the spell had a long preparation time, which seemed to be a characteristic of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Finally, after a five-minute-long chant, Lu Tianya's spell was complete. The black, unidentified substance in her  hand quickly burned away, turning into a white mist that filled the classroom.

At that moment, Liu Xing's vision blurred, and he saw a teenage girl in Morimoto Academy's school uniform standing before him.

Liu Xing had previously seen Higashi Meizi's photo with Juri Sonoda, and the girl in front of him looked identical.

Indeed, the Red-Clothed Female Ghost was Higashi Meizi.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Miss Higashi, we finally meet."

Higashi Meizi appeared puzzled. She glanced at Lu Tianya and then fixed her gaze on Liu Xing. "Who are you people? Why did you suddenly appear in our classroom, especially you? Why were you walking around in our classroom and calling my name?"

Liu Xing was bewildered. He had no idea what Higashi Meizi was talking about. Meanwhile, Lu Tianya furrowed her  brow, looking at Higashi Meizi with surprise as she carefully observed her.

Liu Xing, concerned that Higashi Meizi might be displeased with Lu Tianya's actions, tried to divert her attention. However, before Liu Xing could speak, Lu Tianya, now a woman, interjected. "It's okay. We just wanted to pay a visit to Higashi Meizi upon hearing she was here. But we have other matters now, so we'll leave first," she said, her voice carrying a different, softer tone than before.

With a composed demeanor, Lu Tianya led Liu Xing away. Liu Xing was puzzled by her abrupt decision to leave without questioning Higashi Meizi, but he trusted Lu Tianya's professionalism and followed her lead.

Once outside the classroom, Lu Tianya closed the door and sighed deeply. She turned to Liu Xing and expressed her concerns, her feminine intuition giving her a different perspective on the situation. "This isn't good. It seems someone has been misleading Higashi Meizi," she said thoughtfully.

Liu Xing, troubled, inquired further. Lu Tianya, pausing to gather her thoughts, explained her suspicion of a Taoist or Yin Yang Master deceiving Higashi Meizi into believing she was still alive. She spoke with conviction, her insights tinged with a unique blend of empathy and determination.

As they discussed the alarming possibility of someone manipulating Higashi Meizi, they were interrupted by the exclamations of Ming Hanxing and others, reacting to the sudden appearance of Ling Ishikawa.

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