Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chris pondered for a moment before speaking, "Although I anticipated that Mr. Liu Xing would ask this question, I didn’t expect him to do so quite so soon... Nevertheless, since you’ve brought it up, Mr. Liu Xing, I’ll be frank with you. While I believe you wouldn’t collude with Bai Hecheng and Wang Qi, given that you rescued Isabella, the higher-ups remain wary of you due to your prior interactions with Wang Qi and Bai Hecheng."

Yis People nodded and sighed, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Chris, for your straightforward response. I will demonstrate my position through actions. However, I have another question for you, Mr. Chris. Were the two bodies found in EinsCastle indeed those of Gary and the old steward?"

Chris furrowed his brow and shook his head, "If we’re to speak plainly, I can confirm that the bodies were those of Gary and the old steward. However, I noticed a peculiar circumstance at the scene. The old steward appeared to have struggled intensely before his death, whereas Gary seemed motionless, offering no resistance. This struck me as quite remarkable because even if one chooses not to resist, reflexes typically kick in when under attack. Therefore, I surmised that Gary had already died before the assault. However, upon examination of Gary’s body, no signs of poisoning or similar conditions were found."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xing could now be certain that the current Wang Qi had indeed been possessed by Gary.

Yis People shared the same belief.

"In that case, I believe the current Wang Qi is highly likely to be Gary. From the current situation, we can deduce that Gary was a member of the Cult of the Cadaver. When resurrecting corpses, the Cult of the Cadaver doesn’t merely revive them but rather facilitates a rebirth of the body and soul together. However, the resurrected soul is then controlled by the Cult of the Cadaver. Hence, Gary likely used some form of magic spell to hide his soul within Wang Qi’s body. Then, he seized Wang Qi’s body while he was injured and unconscious," Yis People earnestly stated.

At this point, Alice chimed in, "Indeed, my master once mentioned that the Cult of the Cadaver’s proficiency in soul matters is considerable. They’ve even created pure spirit ghosts. Therefore, I believe Gary could have indeed possessed Wang Qi’s body."

Chris nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin, "There is indeed such a possibility. Previously, we found it strange that Wang Qi abruptly joined the Cult of the Cadaver, unlike Bai Hecheng, who underwent a process. Additionally, during interactions with Chinese officials, it was noted that Wang Qi, upon awakening, no longer recognized his family and friends, displaying odd behavior. It seems Wang Qi has indeed been possessed by Gary."

"However, shifting the focus, Mr. Chris, what are your current thoughts on Isabella?" Yis People suddenly posed a sharp question.

Chris furrowed his brow, understanding Yis People’s implication, "Although Isabella is Gary’s sister, she is still young and has been under Gary’s captivity. I believe Isabella couldn’t possibly be affiliated with the Cult of the Cadaver."

Yis People shook his head, stating seriously, "There is a saying in China, ’a person’s upbringing shapes their views.’ Growing up in such a family background, Isabella must have witnessed Gary and the Cult of the Cadaver’s actions. Hence, we need to suspect that Isabella is aware of the Cult of the Cadaver’s existence, and perhaps..."

Yis People left his sentence unfinished, merely gazing quietly at Chris.

Chris sighed helplessly, shaking his head, "I understand that Isabella may have some connection to the Cult of the Cadaver. However, in the past year, I haven’t noticed anything unusual about Isabella. She lives and studies like an ordinary young girl. Therefore, I believe Isabella is likely unaware of Gary’s actions."

Yis People shrugged, ceasing to press Chris further, as he knew continuing to do so would yield no results.

At this point, Alice stepped in to mediate, "Speaking of which, Mr. Chris, I have a question as well. Regarding that Rayna, are there truly no other leads?"

Chris nodded, affirming, "Indeed, the police have limited information about Rayna. Rayna holds a high position within the Cult of the Cadaver, serving as the leader in the Manchester area. Over the past decade or so, Rayna has remained in Manchester without participating in any activities. It’s likely that Rayna is deceased by now. Despite the scarce information about Rayna, our undercover agents within the Cult of the Cadaver have gathered some gossip."

"Firstly, Rayna is a typical English person, somewhat proud and believing in white supremacy, with a strong disdain for black people, considering them inferior and fit only to be slaves. However, Rayna holds a favorable view of Chinese people because, before joining the Cult of the Cadaver, she nearly died from flu but was saved by a Chinese doctor. This might explain why Rayna is willing to collaborate with Bai Hecheng and Wang Qi."

"Secondly, concerning Rayna’s personal interests, our undercover operative responsible for transporting goods within the Cult of the Cadaver mentioned that many untranslated foreign literary books were among the shipments sent to Manchester, all neatly packaged, presumably intended for Rayna. Additionally, during a previous operation, our Manchester police intercepted a batch of smuggled artifacts, including many ancient books from various Asian countries, with Rayna listed as the recipient."

"Lastly, a tidbit about Rayna is that her left leg may be disabled, possibly due to a past accident. However, the reliability of this gossip is low, as the undercover source who relayed this information only glimpsed Rayna from afar, observing her walking with a limp and a cane. Hence, I suggest disregarding this tidbit to prevent it from biasing your perceptions."

Liu Xing nodded, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Given the current situation, although Gary had possessed Wang Qi’s character card, Gary shouldn’t be able to transform into a "player" like Yis People. Therefore, the current Wang Qi should still be an NPC. Logically, Rayna should be the last player from the enemy camp in this module. However, based on the gossip Chris mentioned, Rayna seemed more like an NPC. After all, if Rayna were a player, she wouldn’t have been able to stay in Manchester for over a decade. Typically, players participate in modules five to six times within a year in the parallel world, totaling over fifty modules in the past decade.

Of course, it’s also possible that Rayna has more than one character card. So, Rayna might have participated in a dozen or even twenty modules over these past ten years. However, typically, as a senior fanatic believer, Rayna’s modules would have been significant events. But Chris didn’t mention this.

Could it be that Rayna hasn’t been using this character card much?

At this moment, Chris’s mobile phone rang.

"The time for the birthday banquet has arrived. Let’s all head to the backyard," Chris announced.

So, Liu Xing and the others nodded and followed Chris to the backyard, which had already been set up. Dozens of middle-aged men and women, dressed in formal attire, were gathered in small groups, chatting.

The arrival of Liu Xing’s group caught their attention.

Given Chris’s position as the head of the Manchester police department, aside from his relatives, those who would come to celebrate Isabella’s birthday would be high-level officials and successful entrepreneurs from Manchester. Hence, these people were acquainted with each other, while Liu Xing’s group were all strangers.

Moreover, among Liu Xing’s group, only Alice and Ryuzaki were white.

Under the scrutiny of these people, Liu Xing felt uncomfortable all over.

Fortunately, at this moment, the protagonist of today’s birthday banquet, Isabella, made her entrance.

"Wow."

As Isabella stood on the makeshift stage, exclamations of admiration rose from the audience below because Isabella was simply stunning.

And Liu Xing hadn’t forgotten, Isabella’s APP value was a perfect 100!

"Isabella is too beautiful, isn’t she?!" Ling Ishikawa couldn’t help but exclaim.

Ryuzaki nodded, saying, "No wonder Chris believes Isabella isn’t part of the Cult of the Cadaver. How could such a beautiful angel be a bad person? It’s a pity though. If Isabella were a few years older, I could call Chris my father-in-law."

Upon hearing Ryuzaki’s words, Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, beginning to anticipate Ryuzaki’s reaction when he learned Isabella’s true age.

At this moment, Alice, who was the first to regain her composure, suggested, "Let’s find a corner with fewer people and continue discussing the information we just received."

Arriving at a less crowded corner, Zhang Jingxu remarked, "Isabella is too beautiful. She’s almost unreal."

Zhang Jingxu’s implication was clear and directed at Yis People.

However, Yis People didn’t take the bait. Instead, he continued, "I feel the same way. The first time I saw Isabella in EinsCastle, she seemed like a celestial being to me. And when Isabella asked me to take her away from EinsCastle, I agreed without hesitation."

Upon hearing Yis People’s response, Liu Xing realized that Yis People only inherited the memories of the "Liu Xing" character card.

That was a relief.

Liu Xing stroked his chin, looking at Isabella and asked, "So, what are we going to do here next? Are we just going to eat and leave?"

Alice nodded, smiling, "Of course. Mr. Ryuusei, do you have any acquaintances here? Well, let’s get back on track. Based on the information Chris mentioned earlier, we shouldn’t expect to find Rayna directly. Similarly, we probably won’t have the opportunity to catch Shi Zixuan either. Wang Qi and Ace haven’t shown up yet. So, I think our best bet for now is to try to find Bai Hecheng. After all, Bai Hecheng is quite active at the moment."

"Right. In the past two encounters with Bai Hecheng, they were both within the known operating range of the Cult of the Cadaver. So, we have three places to try to find Bai Hecheng. Firstly, EinsCastle, which has now become the headquarters of the Cult of the Cadaver in Manchester. We shouldn’t risk it. Then there’s the QuarryBank Textile Factory. But according to the information provided by Chen Fuping, the QuarryBank Textile Factory should only be a small outpost and transit point for the Cult of the Cadaver. The likelihood of Bai Hecheng appearing there isn’t high. Finally, there’s the North Corner Area. I suspect the Cult of the Cadaver has set up a temporary outpost there specifically for their operations within the city," Ling Ishikawa said seriously.

Yis People thought for a moment and said, "I believe the North Corner Area is the most likely. From the current movements of the Cult of the Cadaver, their ultimate goal seems to be within the city. So, they must have arranged a certain number of believers within the city. And the North Corner seems like a good place..."

Before Yis People could finish, a female voice suddenly interrupted, "That’s right, the Cult of the Cadaver does have an outpost in the North Corner."

Isabella!

Liu Xing turned around to see Isabella standing behind him.

At this moment, the others in the backyard stood still, silent.

Liu Xing frowned and asked, "Isabella, are you really a member of the Cult of the Cadaver?! What have you done for them?"

Isabella shrugged, smiling, "I haven’t done anything. They were just captivated by my beauty. And by the way, I’m not a member of the Cult of the Cadaver."

Isabella finished speaking and looked at Liu Xing with interest.

Liu Xing’s intuition told him that Isabella probably had figured out his true identity.

At this moment, just as Yis People was about to speak, Isabella interjected, "I know what you want to say, Liu Xing. I heard everything you said to Chris in the study room just now. So, let me tell you now, Gary did join the Cult of the Cadaver, and he was the head of the Cult of the Cadaver in Manchester. Rayna was Gary’s deputy. However, because Gary and I have had our differences since we were kids, after Gary joined the Cult of the Cadaver, he sealed me in EinsCastle. So, like you, I really dislike the Cult of the Cadaver."

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