Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 447: Scapegoat

Chapter 447: Scapegoat

Though the crowd was in turmoil and numerous, lacking organization, upon seeing so many armed police officers, they made the rational choice to evade.

Thus, Liu Xing and others quickly arrived at the foreign tourist settlement near Glasgow Cathedral—Glasgow Royal Hospital (for the sake of the plot, Glasgow Royal Hospital was conveniently placed next to the cathedral).

Upon reaching Glasgow Royal Hospital, Liu Xing knew William was most likely here because Glasgow Royal Hospital was one of the most renowned hospitals in Scotland. After all, a hospital bearing the title "Royal" in Europe was undoubtedly top-notch.

Moreover, Glasgow Royal Hospital was now heavily guarded as many stranded foreign tourists had been sent here. Therefore, the police officers responsible for escorting these tourists also stayed temporarily.

If William were to die at Glasgow Royal Hospital at this time, it would be a disgrace for the police officers stationed there. If the masterminds behind the scenes incited these police officers, the Scottish police force might very well choose to confront the English side.

So, Liu Xing couldn’t help but glance at the hospital’s ward building.

After settling Tian Qing and other foreign tourists in the conference room of Glasgow Royal Hospital, Liu Xing and the others stayed at the entrance chatting.

At this moment, Jack approached carrying a bag of beverages. "Hey everyone, I wasn’t sure what flavors you liked, so I bought a bunch for you to choose from. Thanks for your help this time."

After randomly selecting a beverage, Alice said to John, "It’s nothing, it’s what we should do. But speaking of which, Jack, I suppose William has been brought here too, right? After all, the Royal Hospital is the best hospital in Glasgow."

Jack nodded, smiling. "You guessed right. William has indeed been brought to the Royal Hospital. I heard his surgery went fairly well; the bullet has been removed. However, William is still in a coma, under the watch of four of my colleagues."

Alice raised an eyebrow and remarked, "I see. If William manages to pull through this time, he could become the political rising star of Scotland. Maybe in a decade or so, we’ll be calling him the Prime Minister of Scotland."

Jack shrugged, expressing some concern. "That’s one way to put it, but I believe the English side won’t let William off easily. After all, what William is doing now is a direct affront to the English side, and England is known for valuing its reputation. So, I’m sure that even if William survives this time, in the next year, the English side will most likely assassinate him. Of course, they’ll probably pin the blame on the Russians."

For these European countries, the Russians were the perfect scapegoats. Firstly, historically, Russians and European countries had their conflicts, and secondly, the current Russians were fierce enough in their actions, accustomed to being scapegoated by European countries. So, apart from their habitual retaliation, the Russians wouldn’t do anything else.

But then again, Liu Xing sometimes wondered if the Russians, feared even by tigers and bears, would also be adept at dealing with mythical creatures when the need arose?

At this point, Ryuzaki sighed and said, "I’ve heard a saying in China that goes, ’The nail that sticks out gets hammered.’ William, this prominent figure, has surely become the primary target for the English side. After all, if Scotland breaks away from the Great Britain Alliance, it’s not just a matter of losing face for England; they’ll also lose a significant amount of practical benefits."

Zhang Jingxu shook his head, smiling. "William is seeking fortune in danger. After all, William is no fool; he should know his own weight. If he dares to stand out, he’ll definitely face retaliation from the English side. But he still chose to do so, indicating that he must have mentally prepared himself for the worst."

At that moment, Jack’s waist-mounted radio crackled to life.

"Jack, have you arrived at the Royal Hospital? If you have, come to the sixth floor to take over guarding William for us. We’re off to grab a meal now," a male voice said.

Jack chuckled and replied, "Of course, I’ll bring someone to relieve you now. But after this is over, you owe me a drink."

The male voice chuckled in agreement. "Absolutely. Jack, hurry up to the sixth floor of the ward. We’re famished, and those damn politicians upstairs only think about having us protect William, without considering sending us some food. I’m seriously considering cursing their entire families right now."

Jack put away the radio and said to Alice, "Alright, everyone, my buddy asked me to temporarily take over guarding William, so I’ll be heading off now. I’ll treat you to dinner when we get the chance."

Alice nodded, smiling. "That would be great. But Jack, do you have enough manpower? I remember your subordinates were sent to escort those troublemakers, right?"

It was then that Jack slapped his forehead, somewhat helpless. "Right, I just had them escort those troublemakers back to the police station, so now I don’t have anyone under my command. But I think I can guard William alone; after all, there are police officers all over Royal Hospital now. It shouldn’t be a problem."

Big problem.

Liu Xing and the others, knowing that assassins were prepared to attack William, understood that the changing of the guard was the most likely time for the assassins to strike. Moreover, the police officers in Royal Hospital were currently very relaxed, making it easy for assassins to sneak in.

Furthermore, these assassins were sent by Scotland itself, so they should have no trouble disguising themselves as Scottish police officers and sneaking into the Royal Hospital effortlessly.

Therefore, Liu Xing and the others knew the assassins were ready to act now.

So, Ling Ishikawa quickly spoke up, "Well then, since we’re idle anyway, let’s accompany Jack to guard William. After all, when William truly becomes the Prime Minister of Scotland in the future, we can boast to others that we once protected him."

After a moment of contemplation, Jack nodded and said, "So be it. I’ll have to trouble you all once again. Let’s go now."

And so, Liu Xing and his group followed Jack to the sixth floor of the ward.

But inside the elevator, Alice looked at the signs indicating the departments on each floor with some confusion. "Jack, are you sure your friend asked you to come to the sixth floor of the ward to guard William? But the sign here says the sixth floor is the oncology department. Would William really be here?"

Jack furrowed his brow, somewhat uncertain. "It should be here. Maybe they’re trying to mislead others by placing William in the oncology department?"

Liu Xing couldn’t help but sigh, knowing that they were going on a wild goose chase this time.

After all, Jack’s explanation was unlikely to hold water. The shooting incident involving William was already widely known, and now Royal Hospital was bustling with people. Just a little inquiry would reveal which ward William was in.

Therefore, Liu Xing was certain that Jack had fallen into a trap.

Sure enough, when Liu Xing and his group arrived on the sixth floor, they didn’t see the police officer whom Jack was supposed to replace.

"Damn it."

At this point, Jack had also realized that something was amiss. He took out his walkie-talkie intending to contact the previous police officer.

Of course, the result was fruitless.

"Damn it, I’ve been ambushed," Jack cursed under his breath.

Clearly, Jack was now a pawn in the game, and Liu Xing also understood the scheming of the mastermind behind the scenes—to make Jack a scapegoat.

"Time is of the essence now. We must quickly find the room where William is because, without a doubt, William is about to sacrifice himself for the country," Alice said calmly.

At this moment, KP Li Shunchan spoke up, "Alright, now it’s time for each player to make a Judgment, whether it’s inspiration or luck, to determine if you can find William’s room first. Of course, this Judgment will still be a blind vote."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and decisively chose inspiration.

Then, the sound of dice rolling echoed.

"So, player Liu Xing, you believe that William’s room should be in the Intensive Care Unit because the ICU is relatively secluded. After assassinating William, the assassins can easily escape, and it will cause a significant disturbance immediately," KP Li Shunchan privately messaged Liu Xing.

Liu Xing nodded gently. He had previously thought that William should be in the ICU. After all, William’s current status was quite special; he wouldn’t likely be placed in a regular ward. As KP Li Shunchan mentioned, in general, besides doctors and nurses, the ICU only had severely ill or comatose patients. Therefore, the two assassins could kill William without pressure and then escape.

At this point, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Now, the possible rooms where William might be are the surgery, orthopedics, and ICU. Among them, I believe the ICU is the most likely option. According to the news earlier, William fell into a coma due to excessive blood loss. Now that William’s surgery is over, theoretically, he should have been transferred to the ICU... Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility of William being hidden in other departments."

Alice thought for a moment and said, "To be safe, let’s split up into three groups. Ryuzaki and I will go to orthopedics, Ling Ishikawa and Hu Li will go to surgery, Zhang Jingxu, Liu Xing, and Jack will go to the ICU. When we find William, we’ll use the walkie-talkie to contact each other. If there are no objections, let’s set off now."

Although Liu Xing felt that Alice’s arrangement of Ling Ishikawa and Hu Li together was a bit troublesome, there was no time to quibble now. So, Liu Xing, Zhang Jingxu, and Jack took the elevator together, heading to the ICU on the top floor.

In the elevator, Jack took out his gun and said, "If things go as planned, the assassins assigned to kill William should be here soon. So, let’s prepare our guns. If we spot the assassins, we’ll attack directly. After all, those assassins won’t hold back."

Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu nodded, preparing their guns.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the ICU.

At this moment, the ICU was quiet.

Liu Xing took a few steps forward and checked the duty room of the ICU, only to find it empty.

Seeing this, Liu Xing knew for sure that William must be in the ICU.

Liu Xing gave Zhang Jingxu a glance, and Zhang Jingxu immediately took out the walkie-talkie to contact Alice and the others.

Then, the three of them began to cautiously explore the ICU.

It must be said that the ICU was the closest place to death in the hospital.

Because of the disappearance of doctors and nurses, there were only silently lying patients in the ICU. Apart from the footsteps of Liu Xing and his group, there was no other sound.

At this moment, Liu Xing heard the sound of the elevator doors opening.

However, Liu Xing knew that it couldn’t be Ling Ishikawa and the others coming out of the elevator now, as they wouldn’t arrive so quickly.

So, the only possibility for those who came to the ICU now was the assassins sent to kill William.

Therefore, Liu Xing and his group, after exchanging a glance, quietly retreated, only to see two figures wearing skull masks and holding submachine guns.

Submachine guns?!

Liu Xing was shocked because in such narrow terrain, the power of submachine guns was not to be underestimated.

At this moment, as an experienced police officer, Jack chose to draw his gun without hesitation.

After three gunshots, one of the masked figures was hit in the thigh and fell to the ground. However, the bullet that hit his chest only sparked off, indicating that both of these masked figures were wearing bulletproof vests.

This was even more troublesome because ordinary police pistols had weak penetration and would find it difficult to pierce through bulletproof vests.

At the same time, the uninjured masked figure on the opposite side also reacted and immediately sprayed bullets towards Liu Xing and his companions’ position.

Under the enemy’s suppressing fire, Liu Xing and his group could only take cover.

"Damn it, how do these guys have submachine guns and bulletproof vests?" Jack cursed again.

However, realizing that the two masked figures had guessed that Liu Xing and his team were low on firepower, the injured masked figure was responsible for providing cover while the other cautiously approached, preparing to eliminate Liu Xing and his group.

At this moment, Zhang Jingxu had a flash of inspiration. He raised the volume of the walkie-talkie and said, "Alice, where are you guys now?!"

"We should be about half a minute away. Is something wrong on your end?" Alice asked anxiously.

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