Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 358: Journey to Panlong Town (2)

Liu Xing couldn’t help but find it strange that there hadn’t been any Side Quest triggered yet related to that black cat demon. Was there something more significant about this black cat demon that remained undiscovered?

After resting on the third floor for an hour, everyone gathered on the first floor. Except for Li Dian, who stayed behind to assist Hu Cang and gain his trust, the rest of the group was ready to explore Panlong Town further.

Before leaving, Zhang Jingxu made sure to ask Hu Cang about the exact location of the teahouse run by Xiao Mochen. Liu Xing noticed a subtle change in Hu Cang’s expression when he heard Xiao Mochen’s name—there was a hint of complexity and helplessness. It seemed that the relationship between Hu Cang and Xiao Mochen was not simple.

After a brief conversation between Zhang Jingxu and Hu Cang, he bid farewell to everyone and left the clinic. Then he turned to Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa, saying, "Xiao Mochen is indeed a close childhood friend of Hu Cang. They used to live next door to each other, but their relationship cooled off when Xiao Mochen went to work in Rongcheng. Over two years ago, Xiao Mochen returned to Panlong Town and opened a teahouse. By the way, Xiao Mochen’s real name is Xiao Yong, and his nickname is Gou Dan."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Xiao Mochen’s teahouse wasn’t far away. Liu Xing and the group walked about twenty meters to the left and found Xiao Mochen’s teahouse.

As they approached the teahouse, they could hear the sound of people playing mahjong inside. Xiao Mochen was sitting in a recliner near the entrance, basking in the sun, with a teacup beside him.

When Xiao Mochen saw Liu Xing and the others, he stood up with a smile and said, "Hey, you’re here. Please come in."

Xiao Mochen’s teahouse was nicely decorated, with a clear distinction between the mahjong area and the tea-drinking area. Liu Xing and the group were directed to the tea-drinking area, where Xiao Mochen personally served them tea and water.

After placing some melon seeds and peanuts on the table, Xiao Mochen sat down and said, "There aren’t many entertainment options in Panlong Town. Besides the Black Internet Cafe next to the middle school, my teahouse is one of the few places to pass the time. You are welcome to visit my teahouse anytime."

Wan Chongshan nodded and smiled, saying, "Of course! I enjoy playing mahjong. Xiao Ge, can you help me find some suitable people to play with?"

Xiao Mochen chuckled and replied, "Don’t call me Xiao Ge; I’m only twenty-one years old. You’re older than me, so you can just call me Xiao Lao Di. As for playing mahjong, it’s not a problem. We have quite a few mahjong players in Panlong Town, but most of them are elderly folks, so we play for small stakes, around 1.5 cents per game. I hope that’s not too small for you, Wan Da Ge."

Wan Chongshan nodded and then got to the point, "That’s perfectly fine. I’m here to pass the time, not to make money by playing mahjong. By the way, Xiao Lao Di, do you play mahjong too?"

Xiao Mochen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course! Almost everyone in our Sichuan region knows how to play mahjong. I’ve been playing since I was twelve and used to join the adults’ games."

Wan Chongshan nodded and patted Xiao Mochen on the shoulder, saying, "Great! How about you join me in a game of mahjong, Xiao Lao Di? I also need you to introduce me to some other mahjong players."

Xiao Mochen seemed a bit hesitant at first but then reluctantly agreed, "Alright, I’ll accompany you in playing mahjong today, even though my wife doesn’t like me playing mahjong. You should know that we have quite a few henpecked husbands around here."

Wan Chongshan heard this and nodded, "No problem at all. If your wife comes later, just tell her that we forced you to play mahjong with us. I’m sure she’ll understand."

With that settled, Wan Chongshan and Xiao Mochen headed to find a mahjong table. Meanwhile, Liu Xing and the others planned to leave the teahouse and continue exploring Panlong Town.

Just as they were about to get up and leave, they noticed a shifty middle-aged man entering the teahouse. He approached Xiao Mochen and began speaking in a sly and cunning manner.

Zhang Jingxu furrowed his brow and whispered, "That middle-aged man seems to be Xiao Mochen’s father, and he’s here to ask Xiao Mochen for money. But it looks like Xiao Mochen doesn’t have a good relationship with his father."

Liu Xing nodded. Even though they couldn’t hear the conversation between Xiao Mochen and his father, it was evident from Xiao Mochen’s expression and tone that he disliked his father. The other mahjong players in the teahouse didn’t seem surprised by this interaction.

Finally, in frustration, Xiao Mochen took out a few hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to his father, who then left the teahouse with a smile.

"Let’s follow Xiao Mochen’s father. I have a feeling he might have ulterior motives for taking that money," Liu Xing said decisively.

From the moment Liu Xing saw Xiao Mochen’s father for the first time, he was certain that Xiao Mochen’s father was a drug addict. Xiao Mochen’s father had a yellowish complexion, emaciated body, weak limbs, a vacant gaze—traits that perfectly fit a drug addict.

More importantly, in the Cthulhu RPG Game, there was valuable information available from NPCs like drug addicts, and it could be easily obtained with a certain amount of money. In necessary situations, you could even hire a drug addict NPC to assist you.

So, Liu Xing believed that he might be able to learn the secret of the Black Flood Dragon and why Xiao Mochen and Hu Cang had remained silent about it from Xiao Mochen’s father.

Therefore, Liu Xing and his group discreetly left the teahouse and began to tail Xiao Mochen’s father.

Xiao Mochen’s father didn’t go far and entered a small supermarket. Liu Xing and his companions quickly followed, pretending to buy drinks and cigarettes. However, they didn’t spot Xiao Mochen’s father inside the store.

The small supermarket had limited space, with only four shelves, and no significant hiding spots. However, there was a door next to the cash register. It appeared that Xiao Mochen’s father had gone inside.

There was no way for Liu Xing’s group to enter the room, so they had to finish their purchases and leave the small supermarket.

Coincidentally, when Liu Xing left the supermarket, he noticed that right across the street was Panlong Town Elementary School. Since it was almost time for school, many elementary students wearing red scarves were entering the school.

However, what struck Liu Xing as strange was that the entrance gate of Panlong Town Elementary School was a crimson arch with white decorations, making it look like a gaping mouth with sharp teeth, resembling a bloodthirsty beast.

Because there were teachers on duty at the school gate, Liu Xing and his group couldn’t enter the school. Therefore, they continued along the street.

After walking a few steps, Zhang Jingxu suddenly stopped and said, "I didn’t expect the clinic to be next to the elementary school."

Liu Xing turned to look, and indeed, Panlong Town’s clinic was a two-story standalone building with a modest footprint of about sixty to seventy square meters. It appeared quite old, with its walls lacking tiles, covered in a layer of cement that had peeled away in some places. The windows were old-fashioned wooden frames that opened outward.

"This clinic looks quite run-down. In fact, most of the buildings we’ve seen in Panlong Town appear old," Ling Ishikawa remarked, furrowing her brow.

Liu Xing thought for a moment and realized that Ling Ishikawa had a point. Most of the buildings in Panlong Town did indeed seem quite old. Considering that Panlong Town was close to Rongcheng, it should at least be at a moderate economic level. Therefore, the buildings shouldn’t be so run-down. In fact, there should be a few newer structures.

Could it be that Panlong Town had been turned into an independent space by some powerful entity a long time ago, and that’s why the buildings had not been renovated for many years? But according to Hu Cang, Xiao Mochen had returned to Panlong Town just over two years ago. The timing didn’t quite match, unless Xiao Mochen had accidentally entered Panlong Town, just like Liu Xing and his group.

At this point, Zhang Jingxu asked Ling Ishikawa, "Ling Ishikawa, in general, what are the natural rules within an independent space? For example, would the walls still be subject to weathering?"

Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and nodded, "If the creator of the independent space didn’t modify its internal rules, then everything inside the space would continue as usual. So, the buildings in Panlong Town would still age."

"I see. Another question: If Panlong Town quietly turned into an independent space, wouldn’t the residents notice something strange about it?" Zhang Jingxu continued.

This question was quite pointed, and Ling Ishikawa pondered for a moment before offering her answer, "It would depend on how the creator of the independent space intended it. If they wished, they could easily hypnotize the residents to limit their awareness and activities within the space, considering that they had the power to create an independent space."

That made sense.

Since Liu Xing and his group were not ill at the moment and had no reason to enter the clinic, they continued their journey.

After walking about fifty meters, the number of buildings on either side of the street dwindled, indicating that they were nearing the riverbank.

As expected, Liu Xing saw the large bridge mentioned by Hu Cang, which had been affected by a mudslide. A section of the road leading to the bridge was completely buried by mud, creating a mound nearly two meters high. While it was possible for pedestrians to pass with care, vehicles could no longer use the road.

Suddenly, Liu Xing heard a cry—a pig’s cry. Clearly, the single-story house not far ahead was Panlong Town’s slaughterhouse.

However, as there was no reason for them to enter the slaughterhouse, Liu Xing’s group could only continue on their way.

When they reached the nearest intersection, they chose a new path.

Soon enough, Liu Xing’s group stumbled upon Panlong Town Junior High School.

Panlong Town Junior High School was situated near the Panlong River, and it wasn’t very large. Town-level junior high schools typically didn’t have many students, as most of the town’s students would be sent to County Town for their education.

Therefore, Panlong Town Junior High School appeared deserted, without a sound to be heard.

Wait a minute.

Liu Xing listened carefully and realized that there really was no sound coming from Panlong Town Junior High School. This was highly abnormal.

Liu Xing checked his phone and confirmed that it was Tuesday, with no holidays in sight. It was already half-past two, which meant it should be class time.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and shared his thoughts with Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu.

"What do you say we go take a look?" Ling Ishikawa suggested.

So, Liu Xing’s group approached the entrance of Panlong Town Junior High School. To their surprise, there was no gate, and they could see the school building through the entrance. However, the doors and windows of the school building were severely damaged, with some areas lacking doors and windows altogether.

It seemed that Panlong Town Junior High School had been abandoned.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked, "What’s going on?"

Zhang Jingxu shrugged and said with a smile, "It seems that Panlong Town Junior High School has been abandoned. After all, Rongcheng is right next door, so most of the junior high school students from Panlong Town probably go to school there."

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