Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 472: First Confrontation (1)

"Now that the Cult of the Cadaver has deployed hidden sentries around Bain Farm, we’re bound to be spotted if we go there. So, we only have one chance. We must plan ahead," Ling Ishikawa said earnestly.

Ryuzaki nodded, casually picking up a tablet and opening the map interface, then locating the map of Bain Farm’s surroundings. "The area around Bain Farm is mostly flat, so the Cult of the Cadaver’s sentries should be positioned near the outer intersections. This also allows more reaction time for Bai Hecheng and his team. But judging by their appearance, they probably didn’t bring many people with them. So, if we step on the gas, we can easily rush into Bain Farm. Plus, we won’t need to slow down on this route. We can trigger Bain Farm’s defensive measures and leave smoothly."

Ryuzaki drew a line on the map.

"OK, our action route is determined. Now, let’s discuss our timing. If we trigger Bain Farm’s defenses now, we might provoke Bain’s aggression. As you mentioned, Alice, Bain has a temper and might see us as enemies. Moreover, the Cult of the Cadaver might take advantage of the situation. But if we wait too long, Bain might already be under attack, and even if we trigger the defenses later, Bain might not even notice," Zhang Jingxu said with frustration.

Liu Xing sighed; it was indeed a dilemma.

After pondering for a moment, Alice spoke up, "Let’s act before the Cult of the Cadaver does. Our goal is to prevent them from obtaining the ’Cult of the Cadaver Rites,’ so we need to provoke Bain. And we have to trust Ryuzaki’s marksmanship; he should be able to hit those crows in moving vehicles. Then we’ll have a chance to explain to Bain."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "Alright, let’s get ready to move. Our cars will lead the way to attract the Cult of the Cadaver’s attention, and you guys seize the opportunity to shoot."

Everyone nodded and went to their respective cars.

"Let’s go," Alice said over the radio.

A kilometer’s distance quickly dwindled to zero, but upon seeing Bain Farm, Liu Xing suddenly realized something was amiss.

According to Bai Hecheng, the Cult of the Cadaver had already set up hidden sentries around Bain Farm, so their arrival should have been detected. After all, they came with force, without any attempt at concealment.

However, on the tablet screen, Bai Hecheng and the others remained remarkably calm, each busy with their tasks.

"We’ve been played. The Cult of the Cadaver may have already taken action, and they’ve tampered with the monitors," Liu Xing cursed under his breath, picking up the radio.

At that moment, the screen on the tablet suddenly switched to a smiling face—Shi Zixuan’s face. "Surprised? You’ve all been played by me. Although the system of this monitor is a bit strange, it’s nothing before my superb hacking skills."

Liu Xing furrowed his brows. He hadn’t expected Shi Zixuan to be able to crack Yis People’s high-tech... or perhaps Yis People’s technology wasn’t as invincible as believed.

"Well, I’ll be taking the ’Cult of the Cadaver Rites’ now. Hopefully, we’ll meet again in a few days, if you’re still alive," Shi Zixuan said with a smile before the tablet screen went black.

After parking the cars, Zhang Jingxu frowned and said, "What should we do now?"

Liu Xing shrugged, saying helplessly, "We’ve all been played by Shi Zixuan. There’s not much we can do now. We’ll have to retreat to the Safe Point and reconsider. But we need to dispose of these tablets and such to avoid being traced by Shi Zixuan again."

Alice also got out of the car from behind, feeling embarrassed. "Um, I didn’t expect these surveillance monitors made by Yis People to be so easily hacked and used against us by Shi Zixuan..."

Liu Xing shrugged, smiling, "It’s not your fault, Miss Alice. Who could have imagined that the high-tech devices made by the mythical creatures known as Yis People would be so shoddy? Human hacking technology effortlessly cracks them. But anyway, I didn’t anticipate it, so blame it on Yis People."

Although Liu Xing said so, he couldn’t help but think that Shi Zixuan’s luck might be exceptionally good this time, allowing her to crack the monitors made by Yis People.

After all, this was Cthulhu RPG Game. As long as a Judgment was possible, even with a success rate of just 1%, players might accomplish things deemed impossible by NPCs, provided their luck was good enough.

So, Liu Xing speculated that when Bai Hecheng and Shi Zixuan led the Cult of the Cadaver believers into the small grove, they sensed the presence of the monitors through a Judgment and then Shi Zixuan, through another Judgment of hacking technology, successfully infiltrated the monitor system and orchestrated this show.

It seemed not only their group had good luck, but Bai Hecheng’s group also wasn’t unlucky.

"Alright, let’s get rid of these tablets now to avoid leading the Cult of the Cadaver to our doorsteps. Then, let’s head back to the Safe Point and figure out how to destroy the replica of the corrupted wooden sculpture at EinsCastle," Yis People said, looking towards Bain Farm.

Everyone nodded and casually tossed the tablets and other devices into the roadside bushes before getting back into their cars to return to the Safe Point.

However, fearing that the Cult of the Cadaver might have followed them, Liu Xing and the others, after a brief discussion, decided to call Chris and have him arrange for people to set up checkpoints at the city’s entrance. After their group safely entered the city, they would find a reason to seal off the checkpoint and intercept the vehicles that followed, while also preparing a few more cars for themselves to switch out.

As for the tents at the camping site, Liu Xing and the others didn’t bother going back to tidy up since there was nothing worth taking. Besides, the Cult of the Cadaver might have already tracked down that camping site.

In the car, Liu Xing rested with his eyes closed. However, not long after, Zhang Jingxu suddenly said, "Oh no, do you think we might have fallen for a trick to lure us away from the mountain?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding Zhang Jingxu’s implication.

In theory, Bai Hecheng and his team’s sole objective on this trip was to steal the original "Cult of the Cadaver Rites." So, to be on the safe side, their best option would be to stick to the plan, steal the original, and immediately leave for EinsCastle. They wouldn’t even disclose to the enemy that they had obtained the original "Cult of the Cadaver Rites," to avoid raising suspicion. Therefore, it was highly likely that this was a ploy by the Cult of the Cadaver to make them think they had acquired the original "Cult of the Cadaver Rites," leading them to leave. This way, Bai Hecheng and his team would have more time to prepare, and there would be no one else bothering them.

However, Yis People shook his head and said, "That’s not necessarily the case. What if this is actually a series of stratagems by the Cult of the Cadaver? They might anticipate that we would think this way and try to lure us into their trap. Then they could easily deal with us. After all, no matter what, we can be sure that Bai Hecheng and his team are currently biding their time, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Going there now won’t do us any good."

Liu Xing nodded, finding Yis People’s words reasonable. Considering not only what the Cult of the Cadaver might be scheming but also the manpower they had invested near Bain Farm, it was clear that they outnumbered their group by far. If a fight broke out, their group would definitely be at a disadvantage, especially since the Cult of the Cadaver was already prepared.

Thinking this through, Liu Xing spoke up, "Mr. Liu Xing and Mr. Zhang Jingxu make valid points. So, do we take the risk for potential rewards, or do we retreat and seek stability for victory?"

There was a moment of silence among the group, as this was a dilemma, and the first person to speak would likely bear the brunt of the responsibility.

At that moment, KP Li Shunchan suddenly spoke up, "Actually, this problem is quite simple. It can be solved with a single Judgment. Would you like to take a gamble?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling like KP Li Shunchan was up to something.

"Alright, let’s do it. KP, you conduct this Judgment for us. But first, could you tell us what consequences we’ll face if this Judgment fails?" Ling Ishikawa asked, puzzled.

KP Li Shunchan chuckled and said, "This Judgment, as agreed upon by me and the KP on Bai Hecheng’s side, offers you three special Judgment opportunities. You can use these three special Judgments for any purpose, but they’re all blind. If these three special Judgments fail, nothing will happen, and the final interpretation is in our hands. So, would you like to proceed with a special Judgment?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xing and the others exchanged glances and then nodded unanimously. Although the special Judgment mentioned by KP Li Shunchan seemed unreliable, it wouldn’t have any side effects.

Therefore, Liu Xing nodded and said, "Okay, KP, please conduct a special Judgment for us. The content of the Judgment is about whether the Cult of the Cadaver is still around Bain Farm."

"Alright, the special Judgment is complete. Please be patient, players, and await the results," KP Li Shunchan said with a smile.

After a moment, Alice’s voice suddenly came through the radio, "Damn it, it seems like we’ve been tricked by the Cult of the Cadaver again. I suddenly remembered that my mobile phone was still receiving video data from the monitor, so I planned to transfer some important information from my mobile phone and then dispose of it. But I accidentally opened the video feed from the monitor and saw that Bai Hecheng and his team were still in that small grove, saying how easily they fooled us with just a few words."

It seemed that the special Judgment just passed.

However, Liu Xing still felt extremely annoyed because he felt like he had been outsmarted by Bai Hecheng and his team, fooled into leaving with just a few words...

So, Liu Xing picked up the radio and said, "Alice, should we turn the tables now? Judging from the current situation, Bai Hecheng and his team tried so hard to persuade us to leave because they were afraid of us causing trouble for them. So, from this, we can infer that the Cult of the Cadaver’s plan to steal the original ’Cult of the Cadaver Rites’ from Bain is a plan with a very low margin for error. So, we can go back and confront them."

"I was thinking the same thing, but we need to switch out two more cars first. I’m sure the Cult of the Cadaver has marked these two cars, and if they see them, they’ll definitely attack without hesitation. So, for safety’s sake, let’s intercept two cars on the road. Don’t forget, we’re police officers," Alice said seriously.

So, Liu Xing and the others parked the cars in the middle of the road, and soon, a pickup truck and an SUV stopped.

After Alice persuaded them, the owners of these two cars willingly contributed them. Of course, the reason they were so willing was that Alice offered very favorable terms for requisition: they would only need to compensate with a new car of the same model if the vehicles were damaged, and the requisition time was only about a day.

Anyway, it would be Manchester police who would be responsible for compensation.

After changing the cars, Liu Xing and his group headed towards Bain Farm again.

Ten minutes later, Liu Xing and the others arrived near Bain Farm once more.

"Alice, what’s our next move?" Liu Xing asked over the radio.

After a moment of thought, Alice spoke up, "I just checked the latest video feed from the monitor. Bai Hecheng and his team are still in that small grove, and some Cult of the Cadaver believers are informing them that our two cars are heading towards Bain Farm. Bai Hecheng has ordered nearby Cult of the Cadaver believers to intercept and control us. So, let’s go big and drive straight towards that small grove!"

Liu Xing was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "Okay, let’s go with your plan, Alice!"

At that moment, Liu Xing also saw a person standing in the middle of the road not far ahead, waving at their group.

"Hold on tight," Zhang Jingxu said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the car instantly accelerated, following the pickup truck driven by Alice and the SUV driven by Ryuzaki, and rushed straight towards that small grove!

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