Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 396: Preparation Complete

At this moment, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa wore expressions of confusion, as neither of them had expected Hu Li to suddenly "attack" Ling Ishikawa.

"Alright, Ishikawa Ayako, you should be able to understand what I’m saying now," Hu Li said with a smile.

Ling Ishikawa nodded somewhat awkwardly and replied, "Yes, I can understand what you’re saying now, but..."

Before Ling Ishikawa could finish, Hu Li interrupted, saying, "But what? The reason I kissed you is to grant you telepathic ability. So, Ishikawa Ayako, don’t overthink it. Although I prefer women over men at the moment, it doesn’t mean I’ve fallen for you at first sight."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xing looked at Hu Li in surprise. He hadn’t expected that telepathic communication would be taught in such a manner. In that case, hadn’t Hu Li also been "improper" with him?

Seeing Liu Xing’s puzzled expression, Hu Li instantly guessed what was on his mind.

"Mr. Ryuusei, I hope you don’t think too much about it. There are many ways to teach telepathic communication, and it doesn’t necessarily involve kissing. The method I used on you, for example, was to insert a dagger directly into your chest and use it as a conduit to transmit telepathic ability," Hu Li said, rolling her eyes.

Liu Xing nodded somewhat awkwardly, not sure what to say.

Hu Li then took Ling Ishikawa’s hand and said with a smile, "Ishikawa Ayako, your name is a bit too long and not very easy to pronounce. So, I’ll just call you Ayako from now on."

Hu Li heard Ling Ishikawa call her "Sister," and it made her even happier. "Well, since you’re calling me Sister Ayako, I have to show my appreciation. Come on, let’s go inside and pick out a few outfits. Consider it a gift from your sister."

After saying that, Hu Li led Ling Ishikawa into a clothing store, with Liu Xing following along.

During the time Ling Ishikawa was choosing clothes, Hu Li turned to Liu Xing and said, "Mr. Ryuusei, how are the preparations on your side? We’ll have to deal with that Troll in another hour or two."

Liu Xing nodded and replied with a smile, "Don’t worry, Miss Hu Li, we are fully prepared on our end. Moreover, Ishikawa Ayako arrived at just the right time. Her profession in Island Nation is a Yin Yang Master, so she knows quite a few Magic Spells, including ones that can counter Trolls."

Hu Li looked surprised and turned to Ling Ishikawa, saying, "Well, isn’t that a pleasant surprise? I thought Ayako was just an ordinary girl. I didn’t expect her to know Magic Spells. But come to think of it, if she didn’t have these abilities, she wouldn’t have dared to come to Panlong Town to find her brother. By the way, do you have any news about her brother now?"

Liu Xing shook his head and said, "So far, we haven’t found any trace or information related to Ling Ishikawa. It’s like he’s disappeared off the face of the earth. But we won’t give up because he’s our comrade."

Hu Li chuckled and said, "In that case, I’ll also keep an eye out for Ling Ishikawa’s whereabouts. Once he returns to Panlong Town, I should be able to sense his presence. However, if he does come back, he should be looking for you all first, so my role might not be that significant."

"No, no, Miss Hu Li, your willingness to help is greatly appreciated," Liu Xing said with a smile.

After Ling Ishikawa had chosen several sets of androgynous clothing, Liu Xing brought her back to the clinic. He didn’t want Ling Ishikawa to engage in too much conversation with Hu Li, as it might reveal their plan.

Back at Hu Cang’s clinic, amid cheers and laughter, Ling Ishikawa changed into a set of women’s clothing. Liu Xing couldn’t help but think that Ling Ishikawa looked really good after the transformation.

"Alright, let’s get back to the main topic. We’ll have to go trouble that Troll in another hour, so does anyone have any suggestions to make?" Ling Ishikawa said helplessly.

Liu Xing shrugged and said, "There’s not much to say now. Everyone is well aware of the current situation, and there’s no need to change the previous plan. So, let’s just assign our respective roles in more detail."

Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, saying, "I agree with Ryuusei’s idea. After all, we’re just the reserve team for dealing with the Troll. We just need to guard the entrance to the clinic’s basement. If the Troll escapes, we’ll use fishing nets to trap it and shoot it a couple of times, and then we’ll wait for Hu Li to arrive."

Li Dian and Wan Chongshan also nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Liu Xing continued, "Okay, since everyone doesn’t have any additional suggestions now, let’s go ahead and allocate our respective missions. First, there’s no need to say much about Ling Ishikawa’s mission. He’ll be responsible for casting Magic Spells."

Ling Ishikawa nodded and said seriously, "No problem. If the Troll escapes from the basement, I’ll use the thunder and lightning technique on it to paralyze it and buy us some time. So, please leave a gap for me, so I don’t accidentally harm any of you."

Liu Xing thought about the clinic’s hallway and said, "That should be fine. The hallway in Panlong Town clinic is quite spacious. It can probably accommodate four people walking side by side, so we can leave the middle open for Ling Ishikawa to cast his spells."

Zhang Jingxu thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That sounds like a good plan. Ling Ishikawa, you’ll stand in the middle, and the four of us will form two pairs on either side of the hallway. The ones responsible for throwing fishing nets will be in front, and those with bird guns will be in the back. When the Troll comes out, the ones in front will immediately crouch after throwing the nets, and the ones in the back will start shooting at the Troll. Finally, Ling Ishikawa, you can follow up with the thunder and lightning technique."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Zhang Jingxu’s plan sounded very practical and feasible.

At that moment, KP Snow Wind suddenly spoke up, "Alright, now I’d like each player to choose a representative for a lucky Judgment. But before that, let me remind you all that this lucky Judgment is extremely important."

The group exchanged puzzled looks. They hadn’t expected KP Snow Wind to show up at this moment and request a crucial lucky Judgment. Could this Judgment be related to their upcoming encounter with the Troll?

"I’ll do it. My luck is pretty high," volunteered Wan Chongshan confidently.

Since Wan Chongshan volunteered confidently, Liu Xing and the others decided to let him conduct this lucky Judgment.

Wan Chongshan, 13/90, Extremely Difficult Success.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by Wan Chongshan’s remarkably high luck score, which had reached 90. No wonder Wan Chongshan was so self-assured.

"Oh, it seems that your luck is quite good, Wan Chongshan, because this lucky Judgment is categorized as ’extremely difficult success,’ you’ve earned more assistance from Hu Cang," KP Snow Wind said with a smile.

As KP Snow Wind finished speaking, Hu Cang laboriously dragged a bag out from the kitchen. Seeing Hu Cang’s struggle, Liu Xing realized that the contents of this bag were heavier than expected.

Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu hurriedly got up to receive the bag from Hu Cang. When they lifted it, Liu Xing noticed that the bag was heavier than he had imagined, probably around 100 pounds.

"What is inside this bag, Mr. Hu Cang? Why is it so heavy?" Liu Xing couldn’t help but ask.

Hu Cang chuckled, scratching the back of his head, and said, "I’m not exactly sure what’s inside, but I know it should be very useful for you all."

Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu placed the bag on the table and opened it. Inside, they found four small black spheres. These black spheres were smaller than Liu Xing’s childhood marbles.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that these black spheres were likely items. He picked up one of the spheres to check its information.

Black Sphere: A high-density unidentified metal that emits no sound.

With this information, Liu Xing understood that these four black spheres were Wan Chongshan’s rewards for passing the extremely difficult lucky Judgment, which was referred to as "Hu Cang’s assistance."

Liu Xing saw great potential in these black spheres. While a fishing net alone would only trap the Troll for a few seconds, these four black spheres, when attached to the corners of the net, would make it significantly more difficult for the Troll to escape. Plus, they emitted no sound, enhancing their stealth.

What intrigued Liu Xing even more was that the information did not specify that these black spheres were limited to use within this module. So, perhaps they could be taken out of the module.

Liu Xing had some ideas in mind.

Hu Cang then said, "These four black spheres are considered our family’s heirlooms. My grandfather found them when he was farming because of their high density and soundlessness upon impact. He regarded them as treasures and kept them at home. I believe attaching these four black spheres to the fishing net’s corners will trap the Troll for a longer time. They won’t emit any sound, so there’s no need to worry about alerting it."

Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "I see. Thank you very much, Mr. Hu Cang."

Liu Xing and the others proceeded to tie the four black spheres to the corners of the fishing net with ropes.

During this process, Li Dian made a daring suggestion to replace the steel balls in the bird guns with these black spheres. However, Liu Xing and the others promptly rejected the idea. After all, a bird gun’s firing mechanism did not provide enough force to propel a 20-pound black sphere, and they were not a group of strength-focused individuals.

Li Dian, undeterred, came up with another idea: to modify one of the black spheres into a Ryuusei Hammer. Since the Troll wouldn’t know the black sphere’s capabilities, it might not intentionally dodge an attack from the Ryuusei Hammer. However, this plan faced several practical issues, primarily the weight of the black sphere, as the Ryuusei Hammer required a user with significant strength. Additionally, they lacked the appropriate materials for creating the Ryuusei Hammer, which couldn’t be constructed with just a piece of ordinary string.

Li Dian’s ideas ended up falling through.

Once they finished their preparations, they finalized the selection of the bird gun users. While Liu Xing believed that hitting the Troll should not be an issue in the cramped space, luck still played a significant role. Shotguns, both in reality and in various games, had an unpredictable spread, so they decided to let Wan Chongshan and Zhang Jingxu handle the bird guns, while Liu Xing and Li Dian would carry wooden boards to defend against potential Troll attacks.

After getting ready, Liu Xing and his team bid farewell to Hu Cang and headed to Hu Li’s clothing store.

At that moment, Hu Li was already prepared for battle, sitting in the clothing store while inspecting a dagger.

Seeing the dagger in Hu Li’s hand, Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain in his chest. After all, he had been "killed" by that dagger once before.

"It looks like you’re all ready," Hu Li said with a smile.

Liu Xing nodded and asked, "Yes, we are fully prepared on our end. Should we consider taking action earlier, Miss Hu Li?"

Hu Li shook her head and said earnestly, "No need to rush. Impatience won’t do us any good. You should know that even monsters need rest, and as a nocturnal creature, the Troll will start resting after daybreak. That’s also why the Troll chose to live in the basement. So, please be patient for another half an hour. Zhong Rensan will be coming here shortly, and we’ll hold a final pre-battle briefing."

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