Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 362: Timing

Chapter 362: Timing

Meow Meow Meow?

Everyone looked at Wan Chongshan with confusion. They couldn’t believe that he had just claimed that Xiao Mochen was a girl. Although Xiao Mochen did have some feminine features, Liu Xing still believed that Xiao Mochen was a boy based on their behavior and mannerisms.

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone’s faces, Wan Chongshan continued, "You heard me right. I personally believe that Xiao Mochen is a girl, and I am over 70% sure of my opinion. When we were playing cards this afternoon, Xiao Mochen and I were sitting across from each other. I observed Xiao Mochen carefully and noticed that there was no Adam’s apple, and Xiao Mochen’s hands were very feminine. If you only looked at Xiao Mochen’s hands, you would assume that Xiao Mochen was a girl."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, just based on those two observations, we can’t be certain that Xiao Mochen is a girl. Although the Adam’s apple is an important indicator of gender, some men have less prominent Adam’s apples. As for the hands, Xiao Mochen could just take good care of them, or it could be a natural trait. After all, some people are just born that way."

Speaking of people being born with certain traits, Liu Xing thought of a patient he had treated in the past. This patient was skilled at imitating various sounds since childhood, and they were all very realistic. One time, while Liu Xing was giving the patient acupuncture treatment, the patient suddenly spoke in Liu Xing’s voice, which startled Liu Xing and almost caused him to insert the needle in the wrong place.

"I initially thought the same way as you did. Based on other aspects of Xiao Mochen’s appearance, Xiao Mochen does seem more like a boy. However, I couldn’t resist applying for an inspiration judgment from KP. The result was a great success, and KP told me that Xiao Mochen is indeed a girl." Wan Chongshan shrugged and smiled.

That explained it.

Since the inspiration judgment showed that Xiao Mochen was a girl, there was nothing more to say. After all, in this Cthulhu RPG Game, the judgment results were always accurate and beyond question.

Unless someone like Nyarlathotep’s incarnation, who refused to reveal their identity, came forward and tampered with the dice results...

"Wow, this module is so interesting. Xiao Mochen is actually a girl? Then she and Hu Li are a yuri couple. In that case, the love triangle between Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen, and Hu Li is even more intriguing. I’ve already imagined a dog-blooded Cosmic Country drama. First, Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen were childhood sweethearts. Then, Xiao Mochen left Panlong Town to work elsewhere, and Hu Li came to Panlong Town."

"Here, there may be two possible scenarios. The first scenario is that Hu Cang, for various reasons, couldn’t resist Hu Li’s temptation and forgot about Xiao Mochen, choosing to be with Hu Li instead. When Xiao Mochen suddenly returned to Panlong Town, she discovered that Hu Cang had moved on and was angry and jealous, so she stole Hu Cang from Hu Li. That’s how Xiao Mochen and Hu Li ended up together."

"As for the second scenario, Hu Cang remained steadfast and ignored Hu Li’s temptation. This made Hu Li angry and jealous, so after Xiao Mochen returned to Panlong Town, Hu Li successfully pursued Xiao Mochen. After all, women understand women better than men do." Ling Ishikawa said seriously, but it was all nonsense.

Li Dian looked at Ling Ishikawa with a black line on his forehead and said helplessly, "Ling Ishikawa, please don’t make up such wild stories. This is a Cthulhu RPG Game, not some dog-blooded TV drama. Why don’t you add car accidents or leukemia to the plot?"

Ling Ishikawa’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands. "Oh, Li Dian, you reminded me. We suspect that Hu Li is a fox spirit, right? I think it’s possible that either Hu Cang or Xiao Mochen has a terminal illness like leukemia or owes a large sum of money. Therefore, Hu Li is using this as leverage to force Xiao Mochen to be with her, promising to help Hu Cang or Xiao Mochen through their difficulties. What do you think? Is this scenario likely?"

Liu Xing looked at Ling Ishikawa speechlessly and had nothing to say.

However, upon further reflection, Liu Xing realized that Hu Cang’s suggestions were not entirely impossible. After all, the module plot of the Cthulhu RPG Game was not always grand and terrifying. On the contrary, there were many down-to-earth modules, such as the Rural Love Story module that someone had complained about on the forum.

In that module, players who accidentally arrived in a small town had to help two important NPCs overcome various obstacles from their parents to be together. However, the true identities of these two NPCs were quite special. One was a Ghoul, the other was a Deep One hybrid, and there was also an NPC named Shoggoth as the third party...

Now, Liu Xing felt that the module he was in was very down-to-earth, as it involved many aspects of China’s folklore.

However, when it came to fox spirits in folklore, most people’s first thought was Su Daji from Investiture of the Gods. Su Daji could be considered China’s first fox spirit, and most fox spirits in folklore were based on Su Daji’s character, seductive, captivating, and devouring people’s souls...

However, Liu Xing remembered that in some folklore, fox spirits also have more positive representations. These stories often revolve around the concept of repaying kindness. To put it simply, someone saves a fox spirit before it has the ability to transform into a human form. In gratitude, the fox spirit transforms and offers itself to its savior.

Therefore, Liu Xing believed that Hu Li’s situation should lean more towards the latter scenario. After all, if it were the former, Hu Li wouldn’t be openly residing in Panlong Town.

Consequently, Liu Xing considered Hu Li to be a relatively friendly NPC.

At this moment, Zhang Jingxu shook his head and said, "Personally, I don’t think the situation is as positive as you, Ling Ishikawa, imagine. When Xiao Mochen introduced us to Hu Li this afternoon, I could clearly sense a hint of resignation and resentment in Xiao Mochen’s expression. So, I suspect that Xiao Mochen might have been forcibly transformed by Hu Li!"

Forced transformation?!

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, "What on earth is this, Zhang Jingxu? Are you sure Xiao Mochen is male?"

Zhang Jingxu nodded and earnestly replied, "Yes, I believe Xiao Mochen was originally male. Then, after returning to Panlong Town and encountering Hu Li, for some reason, Hu Li transformed Xiao Mochen into a female. The reason is quite simple, you might have seen those look-alike pictures online, some are between men and women. Even though their appearances are very similar, we can still easily distinguish who is male and who is female, right?"

Liu Xing pondered for a moment and nodded, realizing that Zhang Jingxu had a point.

Zhang Jingxu continued, "This is because, no matter how similar two people may look, their temperaments differ, especially due to the differences brought about by their genders. It’s hard to explain in detail, so you’ll have to grasp it yourself. In short, at first, we all considered Xiao Mochen to be male because based on all the circumstances she displayed back then, she closely resembled a man. If it weren’t for Wan Chongshan’s successful Inspiration Judgment, who would believe that Xiao Mochen is female?"

"Although a person’s first impression isn’t necessarily correct, it’s usually reliable. That’s why I believe Xiao Mochen was originally male but, for some reason, was transformed into a female by Hu Li. So, the current Xiao Mochen appears male in many ways, with only a few subtle details suggesting that she is female, like Wan Chongshan mentioned, her Adam’s apple and hands."

Despite Zhang Jingxu’s somewhat convoluted explanation, Liu Xing understood his point.

To simplify, Zhang Jingxu believed that Xiao Mochen’s character card indicated male traits, but it was marked as female in the gender section.

Liu Xing supported Zhang Jingxu’s view and said, "I agree with you, Zhang Jingxu. I also think Xiao Mochen was originally male because Hu Cang mentioned that Xiao Mochen was his childhood friend, originally named Xiao Yong, and nicknamed Gou Dan. That doesn’t sound like a female name, does it? Furthermore, the current Xiao Mochen gives me the impression that only a small part of her body has been transformed into a female."

Liu Xing’s words were met with agreement from the others.

"So, can we now confirm that Hu Li is indeed a fox spirit?" Ling Ishikawa asked.

Liu Xing nodded but expressed some doubts, saying, "It’s possible, especially since Hu Li is Xiao Mochen’s nominal wife. She must know Xiao Mochen’s situation. However, considering the circumstances of this module, the conjecture that Hu Li is a fox spirit seems plausible. But we still don’t know why Hu Li transformed Xiao Mochen into a female and whether Hu Li is friend or foe."

"For now, let’s set aside the matter of Hu Li. I think her situation is quite special, and without more information, we won’t make sense of it. Moreover, time is limited, so let’s discuss the Side Quest to prevent the Black Internet Cafe arson case. Since the incident has already happened at this point in time, our best chance is to turn back time to this afternoon when Wang Anquan visited the cafe or even further back, before Wang Haiyang encountered any trouble. As for this kind of time manipulation, it should be part of the module’s second phase, as KP mentioned." Li Dian smiled and said.

Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and then said, "Regarding this Side Quest, I believe that the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is time reversal. After all, at this current time, the Black Internet Cafe arson case has already occurred and is irreversible. So, if we want to complete this mission, we need to adjust the timeline to this afternoon when Wang Anquan visited the cafe, or even further back, before Wang Haiyang got into any trouble. As for this kind of time reversal, it should be part of the module’s second phase, as KP mentioned."

"However, based on our current understanding and the reward for this Side Quest, it seems quite simple to complete. But unusual occurrences are often linked to hidden dangers. The missions in the Cthulhu RPG Game cannot be this straightforward. Therefore, I suspect that the way we complete this Side Quest will affect the development of other Side Quests."

"Great minds think alike."

Players who are eligible to advance to the Shoggoth Region module are undoubtedly skilled. Therefore, everyone present agreed with Ling Ishikawa’s idea.

After a brief discussion, the group reached a consensus to complete this Side Quest using gentle methods, trying not to involve more NPCs or mythical creatures to avoid affecting their respective Side Quests.

Next, the issue of allocating slots for the "Mad Disc Spirit" Side Quest arose.

After all, only three players were allowed to participate in this Side Quest.

However, Liu Xing and others were aware of the high difficulty of this Side Quest, as it was a protection mission, and the target that needed protection was already insane, making the quest even more challenging.

Therefore, Li Dian and Wan Chongshan decisively handed over this Side Quest to the trio of Liu Xing, as the remaining two players would definitely engage in other activities during this Side Quest. Moreover, the situations of Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa in this module were too unique to act alone.

As a result, Liu Xing’s group received the "Mad Disc Spirit" Side Quest from KP Snow Wind.

After receiving this Side Quest, Liu Xing suddenly remembered a problem and frowned, saying, "By the way, if I remember correctly, the NPC we need to protect, Guo Ming, seems to live on the same street as the Black Internet Cafe. He shouldn’t have been affected by the fire, right?"

Before the heavy rain fell, the fire had already spread, engulfing half of the street’s buildings in flames. Although Liu Xing was worried that Guo Ming had perished in the fire, the fact that the Side Quest had not failed indicated that Guo Ming should be unharmed.

Ling Ishikawa shrugged, unconcerned, and said, "It should be fine. After all, we can still accept this Side Quest. Besides, even if something did happen to Guo Ming at this time, we can go to other time points to protect him and still complete the Side Quest."

Other time points...

Liu Xing suddenly furrowed his brow. It seemed that this "Side Quest" might be a big trap, as if time could be reversed, it meant that they might return to the night when the incident occurred at Panlong Town Junior High, and then they would not only have to face the disc spirit but also deal with the rampaging students.

Therefore, Liu Xing seemed to have a realization and said, "Wait, if nothing unexpected happens, the Side Quests in this module should be affected by the time points. The difficulty of the Side Quests will change at different time points!"

Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and made an inference, "If the Side Quests are really affected by the time points, then some Side Quests can only be completed at specific time points!"

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