Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 356: Lost Time

Liu Xing took a deep breath and spoke, "Did you all just feel it? It seems like there’s something watching us in this bamboo forest."

Ling Ishikawa nodded in surprise, saying, "What? So, I’m not the only one who felt that. When I was looking into the depths of the bamboo forest earlier, I suddenly felt like something had locked onto me. The sensation was strange, as if I were a rabbit being stalked by a tiger."

At this moment, after a brief conversation between Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan, Zhang Jingxu chimed in, "Wan Chongshan and I also had the same feeling as you. It confirms that something is indeed observing us deep within this bamboo forest. We’re just not certain whether it’s a wild beast or a mythical creature. However, it probably considers us prey by now. Given the density of this bamboo forest, it might take a while for whatever is lurking there to reveal itself."

Of course, Zhang Jingxu’s last statement couldn’t be taken seriously.

Liu Xing was certain that the presence watching them from the depths of the bamboo forest was some kind of mythical creature. For mythical creatures, leaving this bamboo forest would likely be a breeze.

So, Liu Xing speculated that this mythical creature in the depths of the bamboo forest was trapped there for some reason. However, to get more details, they would have to inquire with the locals of Panlong Town.

"Let’s retrace our steps for now to avoid any accidents. After all, there’s an old saying in China that says, ’A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall,’" Liu Xing said earnestly.

With that, Liu Xing and the others began to backtrack, returning to the broken bridge.

At this point, Liu Xing spotted a young man in a windbreaker, leaning against the railing and seemingly gazing at the scenery across the Panlong River.

Liu Xing exchanged a meaningful glance with Zhang Jingxu, who understood the signal. He and Wan Chongshan approached the young man for a chat.

It was only then that Liu Xing saw the true appearance of this young man. He could be described in one word: "handsome." He had the kind of looks that could easily make him a popular internet celebrity with the right packaging.

However, it was precisely because of this that Liu Xing found this young man rather peculiar, as he didn’t quite fit the overall atmosphere of Panlong Town.

It was like in a science fiction movie where a group of soldiers with laser guns were engaged in a firefight, and suddenly, a white-robed Taoist flying on a sword appeared, throwing a few yellow talismans to blow up the soldiers.

After a while, Zhang Jingxu returned and said, "This young man’s name is Xiao Mochen, and he’s a local of Panlong Town."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, curious. "Oh, Xiao Mochen is actually a local? I initially thought he was stranded in Panlong Town like us, considering his different style and unique name. After all, he doesn’t quite blend in with the others."

Zhang Jingxu smiled and nodded, continuing, "That’s what I thought at first too, but Xiao Mochen mentioned that he and Hu Cang are childhood friends who grew up together. He also shared a legend about that bamboo forest. Would you like to hear it?"

"Mr. Zhang Jingxu, please don’t keep us in suspense any longer. Please tell us," Ling Ishikawa said with a hint of impatience.

Zhang Jingxu smiled and began, "The legend goes way back in time when Panlong Town was located on the other side of the river, and the area where the bamboo forest stands today was once just fields. Suddenly, a monk arrived in Panlong Town, bought that piece of land for a sum of money, and commissioned the construction of a temple named Hualai Temple. On the day Hualai Temple was completed, the monk planted bamboo around its premises."

"This monk was rather peculiar. Apart from occasional visits to Panlong Town every ten days or so to purchase some groceries and vegetables, he spent most of his days inside Hualai Temple, never coming out. He never allowed any worshipers inside to offer incense and pray. Over time, the people of Panlong Town began to suspect something was amiss with the monk. However, since the monk had paid for the construction of Hualai Temple himself and never caused any trouble in Panlong Town, they didn’t have much to say."

"So, ten years passed with the monk leading a reclusive life inside Hualai Temple. Only occasionally, a Taoist would enter Hualai Temple early in the morning, stay for half a day, and then hurriedly leave Panlong Town. This Taoist arrived by boat, which piqued the curiosity of some mischievous kids in Panlong Town."

"I’m sure you all know what mischievous kids are like – they fear nothing and always seek mischief. Despite their parents repeatedly warning them not to play around Hualai Temple, one afternoon, these kids decided to sneak into Hualai Temple."

"Shortly after these kids entered Hualai Temple, strange roars echoed from within, followed by the cries of the children. At that time, there was no bridge, so the family members of these children had to take a longer route across a low bridge behind Hu Cang’s house. When they arrived at Hualai Temple, they found a scene of bloodshed and the mutilated remains of the children—or rather, chunks of flesh."

"Naturally, the furious parents blamed the monk as the culprit. However, after searching Hualai Temple thoroughly, they found no sign of the monk. At this point, some of the more composed family members realized something was amiss. Despite the delay on their way, it had taken only about ten minutes from the children’s cries for help to their arrival at Hualai Temple."

"Based on the gruesome condition of the children’s remains, it was clear they had been dismembered, but the method used was brutal, almost as if done barehanded. Moreover, some of the bodies bore bite marks that didn’t resemble human teeth. This alarmed the parents, and they decided to leave Hualai Temple immediately. They informed the town mayor, who, in turn, organized the townsfolk to return to Hualai Temple armed with weapons and conduct a search."

"In Hualai Temple, they discovered an underground chamber where they found a body torn in half, which turned out to be the monk’s. Additionally, they found a small box in the underground chamber, roughly the size of a rice cooker, covered in strange patterns. The knowledgeable town mayor suspected that this box might be used to seal some kind of monsters."

"To avoid unnecessary casualties, the mayor led everyone back to Panlong Town and sent people to nearby villages for assistance. However, the individuals sent for help returned early one morning, their bodies opened up and their organs missing. Clearly, they had been killed by the monsters released from the box, suggesting that these monsters possessed intelligence."

"Since we couldn’t seek help from the outside, the mayor ordered all residents of Panlong Town to stay indoors and organized a group of strong men to patrol the town. On the same evening, a lone bachelor living by himself was attacked by the monsters. When the patrol team arrived upon hearing the commotion, they found the bachelor already dead, his chest and abdomen split open, with his organs missing."

"At a time when the people of Panlong Town were in great distress, the Taoist who frequently visited the monk arrived in Panlong Town. He had sensed that something was amiss at Hualai Temple and, upon discovering the monk’s body, rushed to Panlong Town. After learning the whole story, the Taoist informed the mayor that the box indeed sealed a certain monster, and the monk had built Hualai Temple in Panlong Town to purify and redeem that monster."

"Things were progressing smoothly, and in theory, in another two years, they could have completed the purification of the monster. However, due to the mischievous kids opening the box, their efforts were in vain. The monster had been sealed for so many years and almost purified, so its anger was understandable. Therefore, the monk and the mischievous kids were killed by the monster."

"But because the monster had been sealed for so many years and had just escaped, its strength wasn’t what it used to be. It could only engage in guerrilla warfare with the residents of Panlong Town. However, if they couldn’t reseal the monster soon, when it fully regained its power, it would destroy the entire Panlong Town. Before being sealed, the monster had killed an entire town’s population overnight."

"Fortunately, the monk had prepared a contingency plan while building Hualai Temple. So, the Taoist used himself as bait and lured the monster back to Hualai Temple. When the monster was about to attack the Taoist, he activated the hidden mechanism left by the monk. It caused the bamboo trees planted around Hualai Temple to grow rapidly, completely encircling Hualai Temple. This bamboo cage trapped the monster, rendering it immobile."

"As for the Taoist, he was either trapped and died in Hualai Temple or was killed by the monster. However, before using himself as bait, the Taoist had informed the mayor that after trapping the monster, Panlong Town should be relocated next to Hualai Temple. The town’s collective energy could then keep the monster subdued to prevent it from escaping again. So, Panlong Town was moved from across the river and established next to the bamboo forest."

Listening to this story, Liu Xing couldn’t help but turn back to glance at the bamboo forest. In the real world, he would have dismissed such a tale with a laugh, but in this Cthulhu RPG Game world, he was certain that some kind of mythical creature lurked within that bamboo forest.

After all, most of the legends heard in the Cthulhu RPG Game were based on actual events.

Zhang Jingxu continued, "However, for some reason, when Wan Chongshan mentioned the Black Flood Dragon, Xiao Mochen’s expression visibly changed. Nevertheless, he continued to deny the existence of the Black Flood Dragon. Now he has bid us farewell and invited us to his teahouse this afternoon."

As Zhang Jingxu finished speaking, Xiao Mochen nodded to Liu Xing and the others before leaving.

Liu Xing sighed and said seriously, "It seems that we were being observed by that monster just now. I didn’t expect it to still be alive after being trapped in the bamboo forest for so many years."

Zhang Jingxu smiled wryly and said, "Of course, Liu Xing, you should know that most mythical creatures are essentially immortal beings. So, the fact that the monster is still alive is not surprising. Well, let’s return to Hu Cang’s house for now and talk to Li Dian about what just happened."

Liu Xing nodded, and the group headed back to Hu Cang’s house.

At that moment, Hu Cang and Li Dian were engaged in a casual conversation. When they saw Liu Xing and the others, Li Dian said something that caused Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan to freeze in shock, taking out their phones.

Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa stood puzzled, waiting for Zhang Jingxu to translate.

Language barriers were indeed troublesome.

Liu Xing had made up his mind that after completing this module, he would definitely purchase a "Textbook" from the Shop.

In the Shop, there was a special type of item known as a "Textbook." For example, the Beast Taming Notes that Liu Xing had seen in Ling Ishikawa’s bag belonged to this category.

In simple terms, "Textbooks" were books that allowed players to learn or improve their skill values. However, players needed to spend a certain amount of time in the module reading and comprehending them. These "Textbooks" also had limitations on the number of times they could be purchased. For instance, players from the Shoggoth Region could only buy three "Textbooks."

Now, Zhang Jingxu looked at Liu Xing with a serious expression and said, "Ryuusei, Ling Ishikawa, please check the time displayed on your phones right now!"

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and quickly checked his phone, only to find that it displayed 11:00 AM!

Liu Xing, just like Zhang Jingxu and Wan Chongshan earlier, was now wearing a shocked expression.

Liu Xing remembered that he and his group had left Hu Cang’s house at 8:30 AM. Although they hadn’t checked the time in between, based on his own estimation, they had spent at most half an hour outside.

So, where had those two hours gone?

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