Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 214: The Underground Casino

There was a saying that Liu Xing had long forgotten who said it, but it went like this: "The sewer is the conscience of a city." Therefore, Liu Xing couldn't help but admire the conscience of Ziwu City, as the exit of this sewer was about five meters in width and height. However, it was securely welded shut with steel bars, leaving only a small door.

But this small door didn't look easy to deal with. The lock was the type with an iron chain as thick as a baby's arm and a padlock. Liu Xing suspected that breaking it through brute force would require an electric saw.

"What should we do?" Liu Xing posed the question to Yin En, considering that Yin En was the one who had initiated tonight's operation. Liu Xing believed that Yin En must have come prepared.

However, Yin En also wore a frustrated expression and shook his head. He shook the pliers in his hand and said, "Sawada Yinyin is really unreliable. She only told me that there was a lock on the sewer entrance. I thought it was a small lock, but I never expected it to be this massive iron chain. It seems there's no way to open it."

Liu Xing glanced at the pliers in Yin En's hand. At most, they could cut through ordinary locks, but they were useless in this situation.

"So, what should we do? Should we just go back the way we came?" Liu Xing asked.

Yin En shook his head, walked to the sewer's exit, and began listening to the sounds inside.

Before KP Li Shunchan even made an appearance, Yin En had finished listening and said to Liu Xing, "As expected, the Dark Willow Gang's underground operation is truly underground. I just heard the voices of many people, but they were very quiet, indicating that the Dark Willow Gang's underground operation should be some distance from this exit and populated by many people."

"A casino?" Liu Xing gave the answer.

Yin En nodded and smiled, "Exactly, it's a casino, and it seems to be quite sizable."

Liu Xing stroked his chin, surveyed the surroundings, and spotted a convenience store still illuminated. "Come to think of it, if it's a casino operated by the Dark Willow Gang, then the class should be quite high. Those coming to gamble should have status and reputation, so they wouldn't enter through the sewer. The entrance should be above ground."

Following Liu Xing's gaze, Yin En also saw the convenience store but expressed some doubt. "That doesn't make sense. After all, as you mentioned, those coming here to gamble should have status and reputation, so they would likely arrive by car. This area is mostly an old city, so I think the entrance to the underground casino should be near a parking lot."

Liu Xing shook his head and said, "Clever as a fox. Since there's an entrance and exit for the underground casino in the sewer, there must be other entrances and exits besides the parking lot. After all, it's easy to guess the entrance and exit of the parking lot. If the police come for enforcement, they'll definitely enter the casino from the parking lot. At that time, they'll need other entrances to evacuate the gamblers. One sewer won't be enough, and some of the high-status gamblers won't be willing to go through a stinky sewer."

As Liu Xing spoke, he walked towards the convenience store.

Yin En silently nodded and followed Liu Xing.

Upon reaching the convenience store's entrance, Yin En signaled to put the pliers back in the car, as having them in hand looked suspicious. It wouldn't be good if the convenience store owner mistook them for robbers.

So, Liu Xing entered the convenience store alone.

The convenience store was small, only about twenty square meters. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man in his thirties with stubble, drinking liquor and eating snacks while watching a variety show on TV.

"Hey, shopkeeper, you're a fan of AKB48 too, huh?" Liu Xing glanced at the TV and immediately struck up a conversation with the shopkeeper.

It happened that Liu Xing was also a fan of AKB48, though he didn't have much interest in their songs, just their variety shows and the cute girls.

After all, AKB48 was a large idol group with hundreds of members, and there was a variety of cute girls with different personas. So, you could always find a girl you liked and fall into the fandom.

Having found common ground, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Oh, didn't expect to meet a fellow fan here. By the way, which member do you support?"

Not knowing which member the shopkeeper supported, Liu Xing shamelessly replied, "Well, I'm more of an all-encompassing fan. After all, all the girls in AKB48 work very hard."

As Liu Xing spoke, he observed the layout of the convenience store and noticed that it had no rear exit; the walls were all blocked by shelves.

However, Liu Xing also noticed a difference in one of the shelves behind the shopkeeper. It had wheels installed.

Liu Xing pondered.

The shopkeeper chuckled and, with a meaningful tone, said to Liu Xing, "Young man, hard work doesn't always guarantee rewards. Anyway, what brings you here? Is there something you want to buy?"

Liu Xing chuckled and decided to test his theory. He smiled at the shopkeeper and said, "I've come here late at night, so you probably know what I'm looking for, right?"

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, sounding cautious. "From the way you're talking, you must be from out of town, right?"

Seeing the shopkeeper looking around as if avoiding a direct answer, Liu Xing realized that his theory was correct. This convenience store was indeed one of the entrances to the Dark Willow Gang's underground casino, and the entrance was behind that movable shelf.

Liu Xing thought for a moment.

The shopkeeper laughed off Liu Xing's direct approach but continued to play dumb. "Young man, what are you talking about? This is a legitimate convenience store. How could it be some Dark Willow Gang underground casino?"

Seeing the shopkeeper act like he hadn't seen a thing, Liu Xing suddenly remembered Watanabe Jiang's phone call from that night. He came up with a plan and said, "Ah, you probably know about the news, right? There was a fugitive caught in Ziwu City Hospital. Actually, that fugitive is my friend, Watanabe Jiang. He used to be in the underworld, and it was him who brought me to Ziwu City. We had plans to come here and gamble, but he got caught. So, I came here alone. By the way, Watanabe Jiang also got in touch with one of your Dark Willow Gang friends, Old Black. Do you know him?"

The shopkeeper furrowed his brow and said seriously, "Then tell me, what was Watanabe Jiang's expertise?"

Liu Xing, hearing the shopkeeper's words, understood that the shopkeeper was indeed Old Black, as Watanabe Jiang had mentioned. So, he smiled and replied, "There's no need to say, Watanabe Jiang's specialty is disguise, and if I'm not mistaken, you must be Old Black."

Old Black raised an eyebrow, nodded, and admitted, "You're right, I'm Old Black. I didn't expect the fugitive caught today to be that Watanabe Jiang."

Seeing this situation, Liu Xing took advantage of the opportunity and asked, "So, can I go in and play a few rounds at the casino now?"

Old Black shook his head and said with regret, "I'd love to let you in, but I'm just a low-level doorkeeper. The rule from above is that you can only enter this underground casino with our Dark Willow Gang's invitation letter. As you might already know, this underground casino is high-class, and it's not open to the general public."

Liu Xing frowned, realizing that he had no chance of entering this underground casino because Old Black, as an NPC, probably needed Watanabe Jiang to trigger the plot. Unfortunately, Watanabe Jiang was no longer available.

Seeing Liu Xing's disappointment, Old Black offered some consolation, "Well, if you really want to gamble, I can give you the address of another casino. It's relatively easy to get in there. Just mention my alias, and they'll let you in. While it may not be as upscale, it's quite popular and has a variety of games."

Liu Xing nodded, remembering the address Old Black provided, and then left the convenience store.

Outside the convenience store, Liu Xing saw Yin En, who had been eavesdropping by the corner. He signaled Yin En to get in the car, as there was currently no valuable information to be gathered in this sewer area.

In the car, Liu Xing expressed his frustration, saying, "It turns out that this convenience store is indeed one of the entrances to the Dark Willow Gang's underground casino, and the shopkeeper is a friend of Watanabe Jiang. But Watanabe Jiang has already entered it. It's a case of bad timing. If Watanabe Jiang were here, he could have convinced the shopkeeper to let us in."

Yin En, thoughtful, rubbed his chin and said, "I think Sawada Yinyin might be able to get an invitation to the underground casino. Tomorrow, when I go to the villa area, I'll ask Sawada Yinyin. But, on the other hand, should we visit the casino recommended by the shopkeeper? There might be some clues there."

Liu Xing took out the small note that Old Black had written for him and said, "I don't think there will be any useful information there because that casino is not owned by the Dark Willow Gang. It's operated by another gang in Ziwu City. The shopkeeper is probably just getting a share. Besides, that casino is located in the northeast corner of Ziwu City, and it would take us at least three hours to get there. By the time we arrive, it'll be past midnight. After searching for information, it might be three or four in the morning. Don't forget, Yin En, we still have work to do tomorrow."

Yin En agreed, "You're right. Let's head back and rest. By the way, Liu Xing, tomorrow when I go to the spa, I plan to assess the terrain. I've realized that the terrain around 404 Hospital isn't suitable for assassinating Hisanobu Ito. It's too crowded, and I've checked the security measures around the tall buildings nearby. I won't be able to sneak onto the rooftop unnoticed. If I assassinate him there, successful or not, I'll become a wanted criminal. Even the Sawada Family won't be able to protect me. So, I've decided to change the location of Hisanobu Ito's assassination to the spa."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement, not expecting his impromptu idea to become such a focal point. "Indeed, 404 Hospital isn't suitable for assassinating Hisanobu Ito. It's too close to the Ziwu City Police Department, and Hisanobu Ito is an important figure in Ziwu City. If he were assassinated, the police response would be swift. Black and white forces would unite to search and block the area. Yin En, your chances of escaping would be slim. Moreover, the time you plan for the assassination, during Ziwu City's busiest hours, would make it even harder for you to leave the city center."

Yin En nodded and took out his phone, showing a map of the area around the spa. "I've examined the terrain around the spa, and it's built on a hill. So, I can snipe Hisanobu Ito from the hilltop. The vegetation cover is high, which is suitable for me to escape after assassinating him."

Liu Xing and Yin En continued discussing their plans as they returned to Chen Wenbin's house.

"Yin En, Liu Xing, you've come back at just the right time," Gu Jun greeted them as they entered the living room.

"I've just made a significant discovery. That undeveloped area over there is actually a forbidden zone of the Kingdom of Tindalos. It's highly likely to be the last place King Tindalos appeared before disappearing. So, I suspect there might be a relic of the Kingdom of Tindalos inside, possibly an artifact that can be used to communicate with King Tindalos," Gu Jun said with excitement.

Chen Wenbin added, "That's right. According to Kuroba Naoki's notes, King Tindalos once told his subordinates that if anything urgent came up, they should use an item called 'Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission' to contact him. King Tindalos carried another 'Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission' with him. It's clear that this is some kind of communication device. So, we suspect that inside this relic, there might be the 'Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission' left behind by King Tindalos. After all, King Tindalos was concerned about Mian Gu Lu, so he must have wanted to communicate with us."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement, finding their theory plausible.

"That's indeed possible, but after King Tindalos sent us a text message that day, he never contacted us again. This suggests that even King Tindalos couldn't continue sending us messages. Therefore, he might have left a communication device for us in this relic. King Tindalos would have chosen the safest place, which is why he chose the undeveloped area. So, it's up to Yin En now. Hopefully, you can convince Sawada Yinyin's father to grant us access to the undeveloped area," Yasaka Mashiro said with a smile.

As for Yin En, he could only sigh and say, "Alright, I'll do my best."

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