Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

"This fragrance, is it the scent of roses? But there seems to be something strange mixed in with it," Alice remarked.

Liu Xing put on the rubber gloves the officer had handed him earlier and picked up the censer. "Have any of you felt a decrease in your reaction speed and cognitive ability upon entering this room?" he asked.

Standing beside Liu Xing, Ling Ishikawa nodded earnestly. "Yes, I felt a kind of indescribable discomfort upon entering this room. If Ryuusei hadn’t mentioned it, I would have thought it was just me feeling unwell."

"Mr. Ryuusei, are you suggesting Hypnotic Incense?!" Alice exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Xing nodded, opening the censer and confirming, "Yes, it’s Hypnotic Incense. But to be precise, it’s a low-grade version made by the Cult of the Cadaver themselves. Miss Alice, you should also know that genuine Hypnotic Incense is very rare. Therefore, many secret cults produce various low-grade versions of it. The main difference between the low-grade and genuine Hypnotic Incense, besides the significant difference in effectiveness, is that the low-grade version cannot achieve being colorless and odorless. Hence, it has a peculiar smell, just as you mentioned."

Liu Xing was so sure because the Hypnotic Incense Ryuusei held was also a low-grade version, and it happened to be sourced from the same "vendor" as the one used in the censer.

As Liu Xing just mentioned, because genuine Hypnotic Incense is expensive and produced in limited quantities each year, many secret cults have tried to research its formula. Of course, these secret cults could never replicate the genuine version, so they produced many low-grade versions of Hypnotic Incense. For instance, the one Bai Hecheng used in Yueshihao was a low-grade version, capable of inducing rapid hypnosis and emitting a large amount of black smoke.

The low-grade version of Hypnotic Incense in Ryuusei’s possession was more manipulative, making those influenced by it more susceptible to various forms of suggestion. However, this version had a faint strange smell, allowing people to distinguish it clearly after a single sniff.

What frustrated Liu Xing the most was that both the low-grade and genuine versions of Hypnotic Incense were named the same—Hypnotic Incense—without any prefixes like other items.

So, Liu Xing was now certain that Alexander was influenced by this low-grade version of Hypnotic Incense and ultimately chose to shoot himself after receiving psychological suggestions from someone.

As for that someone, Liu Xing believed it was most likely someone from the Cult of the Cadaver.

"This is difficult. Although we know Alexander was hypnotized into committing suicide, we can’t produce any solid evidence to prove it. Even if we could extract some hallucinogenic substances from the ashes in this censer, for ordinary people, it would only suggest that Alexander may have experienced drug-induced hallucinations and then chose to shoot himself," Zhang Jingxu shook his head.

At this moment, Chris walked over and exchanged some words with Alice.

Diligent interpreter Ling Ishikawa whispered to Liu Xing, "Alice has informed Chris about all the clues we found today at the North Point and Quarry Bank Textile Factory, including our analysis of Alexander’s cause of death. Chris just mentioned after a preliminary investigation that Alexander received a phone call before shooting himself. The call lasted only five seconds, after which Alexander hung up and chose to shoot himself. So, it proves our speculation was correct. Alexander was likely implanted with a psychological suggestion early on and then, under the influence of this low-grade version of Hypnotic Incense, received a call from someone triggering the key words of the suggestion, ultimately forcing Alexander to kill himself."

Liu Xing nodded, saying, "Did Chris mention whether the police can trace the phone number?... Never mind, it seems unlikely. After all, the other party has prepared so much to kill Alexander; they wouldn’t forget to use a phone card with untraceable information."

According to the usual plot, the antagonist wouldn’t be foolish enough to use their personal phone to call Alexander.

But this time, Liu Xing guessed wrong.

Ling Ishikawa shook her head, somewhat puzzled. "No, Ryuusei, you’re mistaken this time. The police technicians have already identified the phone number that called Alexander just now. It belongs to someone named Ace, who is one of England’s wanted criminals. Ace used to be the leader of a small secret cult and held a Ritual Ceremony in Portsmouth a year ago, during which twenty followers sacrificed each other by slitting their throats. Because of the gruesome scene, a timid new follower reported Ace, making him a wanted criminal. However, after that Ritual Ceremony, Ace disappeared."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, stroking his chin. "So, Ace must have joined the Cult of the Cadaver after that Ritual Ceremony and received protection from them, enabling him to remain hidden. But why would the Cult of the Cadaver bring Ace out now? Could it be they want to divert the attention of the police?"

Alice, having finished her discussion with Chris, turned back and said, "Not necessarily. I’ve heard of this Ace from my teacher. According to my teacher’s investigation, the Ritual Ceremony he held was likely to open the gateway to the Dreamrealm and sacrifice his followers to some mythical creature. Because there was a door to the Dreamrealm where Ace held the Ritual Ceremony, I think Ace entered the Dreamrealm to hide after the ceremony."

"If we’re talking about the Dreamrealm, it might be related to Ghouls as well. After all, some theories suggest that Ghouls are creatures from the Dreamrealm, which is why they appear and disappear mysteriously. So, Ace could have joined the Cult of the Cadaver, and if he did, his position within the Cult of the Cadaver should be quite high," Zhang Jingxu analyzed.

Liu Xing nodded seriously. "Based on the current situation, the likelihood of Ace joining the Cult of the Cadaver is very high. But what’s strange is why Ace would come forward at this moment. Logically, he had no reason to reveal himself."

Yis People pondered for a moment before speaking. "Could it be that Chris said Alexander is cautious by nature, so Alexander wouldn’t answer unknown calls? Therefore, the Cult of the Cadaver had to find someone familiar to Alexander to make the call. Ace happens to know Alexander, so it all makes sense."

Yis People’s speculation indeed made sense.

But now wasn’t the time for such discussions. Liu Xing and the others hadn’t forgotten their purpose for coming here.

So, Liu Xing and the others dispersed once again to investigate Alexander’s home, but they found nothing useful.

After all, the Cult of the Cadaver induced Alexander to commit suicide remotely, leaving no useful clues behind.

Thus, Chris sent Liu Xing and the others back.

Of course, Yis People discussed with Chris and successfully obtained a new safe location from him.

Back in the car, Yis People mentioned the address of the new safe location.

Upon hearing the address of the safe location, Zhang Jingxu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and said, "The address of this safe location seems to be identical to the one on that piece of paper." Zhang Jingxu referred to the note found in the water ghost’s wallet in Panlong Town.

"Do you guys know the address of this safe location?" Yis People curiously asked.

Zhang Jingxu nodded, briefly explaining the matter of the water ghost’s note to Yis People.

Yis People raised an eyebrow and said, "Chris told me that this safe location belongs to the Manchester police and is specifically used as a meeting point for undercover operations. Only high-ranking officials of the Manchester police and their undercover agents know about it. So, the water ghost you encountered should be an undercover agent of the Manchester police. After all, in recent years, apart from Tom, no other high-ranking official of the Manchester police has died."

The water ghost is an undercover agent of the Manchester police?

Liu Xing now imagined how the undercover agent became the water ghost—Gralki’s followers were preaching in Manchester. When the Manchester police found out, they sent an undercover agent into Gralki’s church for investigation. But before this undercover agent could convey any useful information, Gralki turned him into a water ghost and sent him to Panlong Town.

But that didn’t matter anymore.

"By the way, don’t you think this Ace seems like a player?" Ling Ishikawa spoke up.

Zhang Jingxu nodded, saying seriously, "I think Ace should also be a player. After all, enemies in the dark and us in the light, revealing information about the enemy’s players through modules is a form of balance. But judging from the current situation, there are already at least two fanatical believers in the enemy camp. That’s not good for us."

Players whose profession is a fanatical believer can do whatever they want when their sanity points are low.

And now it’s certain that Bai Hecheng’s sanity points have long been low, and Ace, who has conducted sacrificial rituals, probably has similar sanity points to Bai Hecheng.

So, if Bai Hecheng cooperates with Ace, they would truly be capable of anything, making their team very passive.

Thinking about this, Liu Xing sighed and said, "Well, when we return and meet with Lu Tianya and the others, we’ll pack up and head to the safe location. Then, we’ll tell Lu Tianya and the others not to contact Shi Zixuan anymore. It’s best to have Lu Tianya and the others stay in the safe location to avoid being attacked by the enemy."

Because in the other cases of foreign tourists disappearing in Manchester, they were all kidnapped by the Cult of the Cadaver, so there’s no need for further investigation. Therefore, Liu Xing’s team can wrap up now.

But because Alice and Ryuzaki haven’t found a place to stay in Manchester yet, and the safe location Chris provided is large enough, Alice and Ryuzaki decided to stay with Liu Xing’s team during this time.

Back at the hotel, Lu Tianya and her companions had already returned due to a phone call.

After explaining to Lu Tianya’s group, everyone packed up and went to Chris’s provided safe location.

Not long after they set off, Liu Xing and the others noticed someone was tracking them.

But this was within Liu Xing and the others’ expectations, considering that Shi Zixuan had already approached Lu Tianya’s group, so it’s natural for the enemy players to arrange for someone to track them.

Of course, since they anticipated being tracked, Liu Xing and the others were prepared. They directly placed the flashing police lights they had prepared earlier on the roof of the car and stepped on the accelerator to speed up, running red lights.

Soon, Liu Xing and his team shook off the trailing vehicles behind them because those tracking vehicles didn’t dare to run red lights like Liu Xing’s team did. After all, after several cases of foreign tourists disappearing in Manchester, traffic police began to patrol at various intersections in the city.

After losing the tracking vehicles, Liu Xing’s team found a subway entrance to park at. After informing Chris to send someone to pick up the car, Liu Xing’s team took the subway to the safe location.

Chris’s provided safe location was indeed well-hidden, located in the busiest area of Manchester—right next to Albert Square in a high-end apartment building.

Moreover, the design of this safe location was very peculiar. On the surface, it was a one-bedroom apartment on the first floor of this building, but once you opened the closet in the bedroom, you would discover an elevator leading to the basement, where the real safe location was.

Liu Xing’s team didn’t use the key provided by Chris but tried the key from the water ghost’s wallet. As expected... it didn’t open. After all, with an undercover agent disappearing with the key, the Manchester police would at least change the locks of the safe location.

So, Liu Xing’s team simply opened the door the traditional way. When Ling Ishikawa and Zhang Jingxu, the first two to enter the room, suddenly froze in place, blocking the others outside the door.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and peered through the gap to see a familiar person sitting on the sofa in the living room, cracking sunflower seeds.

And this familiar person was Hu Li!

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