Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 498: Unfavorable Start

Liu Xing and the others had only taken a few steps when they began to appreciate the unique ecological environment of Zekiel Island—a group of rabbits were chasing a young bear cub, while a mouse was dragging a cat’s corpse in its mouth...

"The ecological environment of Zekiel Island is quite intriguing. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a snake swallowing an elephant," remarked Ling Ishikawa with some admiration.

However, Zhang Jingxu shrugged and remarked, "Unfortunately, Ling Ishikawa, you won’t see that scene because snakes aren’t mammals, so there shouldn’t be any snakes on Zekiel Island."

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Nevertheless, Ling Ishikawa had a good attitude and quickly shifted gears, continuing to comment, "But then again, why are all the animals on Zekiel Island mammals? And why do they all have to be male? I think this is racial and gender discrimination!"

Facing Ling Ishikawa’s mischief, Liu Xing was momentarily speechless.

However, Zhang Wenbing earnestly replied, "It’s quite understandable. Mammals are evidently superior in intelligence compared to other types of animals, and male mammals generally have higher combat effectiveness and aggression than females. So, Zekiel Island has turned into a colosseum of sorts, requiring only a group of male mammals to suffice."

"So, we’ve all become part of this Zekiel Island colosseum now..." Buke suddenly remarked, lowering his voice.

The others frowned, but had to admit that since their arrival on Zekiel Island, they had become part of the colosseum. Fortunately, they could still leave Zekiel Island.

If these ancient ruins were indeed the work of the Ancient Ones, then their purpose must have been for warfare, dealing with creatures like the Deep Ones or Shoggoths...

Wait.

Liu Xing suddenly remembered something. According to the Cthulhu Mythos, the Ancient Ones might be the creators of all original life on Earth. So the ancient ruins on Zekiel Island might also be used to create various creatures. However, since the Ancient Ones have retreated entirely to the depths of the sea, Zekiel Island on the surface must have been abandoned by them, leading to its current state of constant "reincarnation."

Thinking this over, Liu Xing felt it necessary to enter the Soul Casket to have a good chat with the Ancient One Sirius.

At this moment, Liu Xing and his group emerged from the forest onto a barren plain.

Indeed, next to the forest was a barren plain.

"As expected, according to the official statement from England, Zekiel Island has all kinds of terrain. Besides the common forests and plains, there are deserts, wastelands, and even mountains. However, the animals living in each area are not fixed. Therefore, the English authorities believe that in each cycle, these animals seem to be randomly distributed in different locations on Zekiel Island, as if studying the results of various animals living in different terrains. However, on a side note, as long as it’s not in the forest, you can see the highest point of Zekiel Island—Myriad Beast Mountain—in other places."

Liu Xing and the others followed Zhang Wenbing’s gaze and saw a bald hill—Myriad Beast Mountain.

In Liu Xing’s eyes, rather than calling Myriad Beast Mountain a mountain, it was more like a very high mound. It appeared to be about twenty to thirty meters high, and upon closer inspection, there wasn’t a single tree or stone on Myriad Beast Mountain.

However, Liu Xing could still see many moving black dots on Myriad Beast Mountain. It seemed that this was where animals were hunting and being hunted.

Liu Xing scratched his chin, feeling increasingly convinced that his earlier idea was correct—that the ancient ruins on Zekiel Island existed to cultivate biodiversity by experimenting with animals in different locations.

However, at that moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the sky.

"Boom!"

Liu Xing frowned and looked up to see a vast thunderstorm cloud heading towards Zekiel Island.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Liu Xing knew that a thunderstorm was imminent, and they would likely have to bid farewell to the yacht.

"Damn, the weather at sea changes so quickly. Judging by the size of these clouds, it probably won’t stop raining for at least half a day, so we better head back," Buke suggested.

Liu Xing nodded because exploring Zekiel Island in such a thunderstorm was practically inviting death.

Thus, Liu Xing and his group’s first exploration of Zekiel Island ended with an unfavorable start, and they could only retreat.

However, before Liu Xing and his group could return to the underground camp, they heard another thunderous roar, and this time, the thunder was much closer.

Initially, Liu Xing and his group didn’t take it seriously, simply hastening their pace without looking back, intending to reach the underground camp before the rain started.

But after that thunderous roar, the thunder behind Liu Xing and his group seemed to be looped like a video, continuously echoing.

This was clearly abnormal.

Unable to resist, Liu Xing glanced back, only to be stunned by what he saw!

Because at this moment, on the highest point of Zekiel Island—Myriad Beast Mountain—countless thunderous serpents were swirling, and the entire Myriad Beast Mountain was completely shrouded in lightning.

Liu Xing knew that Myriad Beast Mountain was likely about to undergo a "transformation"!

But this was not the time to stand and watch, so Liu Xing decided to continue running.

When Liu Xing and his group returned to the underground camp, it was pouring rain!

"Phew, we’re lucky we came back quickly, or we would’ve been drenched. But on another note, did you all see Myriad Beast Mountain just now?" Zhang Jingxu asked.

Liu Xing nodded, furrowing his brow as he said, "Of course, I saw it. Such a spectacle is rare even in Hollywood blockbusters. But most importantly, Myriad Beast Mountain is indeed extraordinary. After all, it wouldn’t attract so much lightning if it were just an ordinary mountain. So, it’s highly likely that the ancient ruins are inside Myriad Beast Mountain."

At this moment, Miguel suddenly expressed confusion, "Wait a moment. I suddenly sense a strange fluctuation emanating from the direction of Myriad Beast Mountain. I can’t specify the nature of this fluctuation, but it’s definitely not our usual electromagnetic waves... This fluctuation has spread throughout Zekiel Island, but it shouldn’t affect your bodies. However, it seems to be affecting some of my mechanical components... If my suspicion is correct, my mechanical parts seem to be aging rapidly!"

Seeing Miguel’s concern, Liu Xing furrowed his brow and asked seriously, "Miguel, are you sure your mechanical parts are aging? What kind of impact would that have on you? Should we take you back to the yacht?"

The others nodded nervously, agreeing with Liu Xing’s suggestion.

After all, Miguel was the strongest combatant among them, and as a semi-mechanical being, rapid aging of his components could lead to various issues, even rendering him useless!

Moreover, Miguel was created by the Migo. Although his mechanical parts were made from Earth materials, they also contained advanced technology from the Migo. So, if the fluctuations from Myriad Beast Mountain could cause aging in Miguel’s components, it indicated that the "technological content" of Myriad Beast Mountain was significant, possibly surpassing the black technology components in Miguel.

All signs indicated that the ancient ruins on Zekiel Island were definitely left behind by a highly advanced mythical creature race.

Suddenly, Miguel collapsed like a puppet with cut strings, falling to the ground, with wisps of smoke emanating from his body...

"What the hell?! Is Miguel done for?" Ling Ishikawa exclaimed in shock.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and quickly checked Miguel’s condition. He found Miguel’s body overheated, feeling the heat even before touching him.

Seeing this, Liu Xing could only shake his head helplessly and said, "Miguel’s body is overheating now, and there may be automatic counterattack mechanisms installed inside him. So, it’s better not to touch him casually. Let Miguel rest here for a while. If he hasn’t recovered by the time we leave Zekiel Island, we’ll take him back to Manchester and find a technician to deal with it."

Liu Xing sighed. Although he believed Miguel should be fine for now—after all, KP Chopsticks hadn’t notified him of Miguel’s failure yet, and there was no sound of dice rolling before Miguel collapsed—he couldn’t shake off the feeling that this was a Plot Encounter, which, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t be fatal.

With Miguel suddenly encountering trouble, the mood among the group became somewhat downcast. After all, they had only just landed on Zekiel Island a few hours ago, and already, they had lost one of their key members. This made Liu Xing and his group worry about their upcoming journey on Zekiel Island.

Therefore, Liu Xing thought it was time for their first Private Room session. Everyone needed to discuss their plans thoroughly.

So, Liu Xing casually found a reason and suggested that everyone return to their rooms.

Of course, after the only NPC capable of moving entered the room, Liu Xing and the others gathered together.

Once everyone was inside Liu Xing’s room, he contacted KP Chopsticks to start the Private Room session.

Ling Ishikawa looked surprised and glanced at Zhang Wenbing, saying, "Zhang Wenbing, I never thought you were a player, not an NPC. It’s my first time hearing that players can act as NPCs in modules they’re not participating in."

Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu nodded, agreeing with Ling Ishikawa’s statement.

Zhang Wenbing scratched his head in puzzlement and said, "I don’t know the answer to that question either. I made a strange Judgment in the previous module, but KP didn’t tell me the specifics of that Judgment. They only said the result was neither good nor bad for me. So, when I extracted memories upon entering this module, I was surprised. I never expected to be treated as an NPC and rescued by you all."

Liu Xing rubbed his chin, suddenly feeling that there were more and more bugs in the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall. First, his character card was hacked by Yi’s People, and now Zhang Wenbing was mistaken for an NPC. This made Liu Xing suspect if the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall had been hacked. Of course, that was impossible because the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall was an existence beyond human hackers’ reach.

So, could it be that the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall was planning some big news?

Just as Liu Xing began to speculate, Zhang Jingxu spoke up, "Alright, the Private Room time is too short. Let’s get back to the main topic. With this thunderstorm coming, I suspect our yacht will be washed away by the waves. Also, judging from how Myriad Beast Mountain’s fluctuation stalled Miguel, it’s highly likely that the special signal transmitters are also defunct now. So, I’m seriously considering preparing for survival on a deserted island."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that this might indeed be the case.

"It seems that we must find the Ancient One and members of the Chinese Daoist sects within these nine days because the way to leave Zekiel Island is likely in their hands. However, although the fluctuation doesn’t affect us humans, it might cause mutations in the island’s natives. So, it will be much harder for us to find the Retribution Grass," Zhang Wenbing said seriously.

Liu Xing nodded and said, "Let’s do this: after the Private Room time ends, I’ll go to the Soul Casket to find Ancient One Sirius. I believe it should know the secrets of Zekiel Island, which should be helpful for us in this module."

Ling Ishikawa thought for a moment and suddenly smiled, "Wait a moment, how could I forget about my trump card? I’ll try to control my baby to find the Retribution Grass later. Although my baby has become a bit dumb under Baruka’s modifications."

Ling Ishikawa referred to the Shoggoth given to him by Baruka...

Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn’t help but joke, "Ling Ishikawa, couldn’t you have chosen a better name for that Shoggoth? Why call it ’baby’? Are you a naming genius?"

Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, looking at Ling Ishikawa with disdain. "Exactly, and most likely, that Shoggoth could be older than your ancestors. Do you really want to call it ’baby’?"

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