Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 263: Preparations

Ten minutes later, Liu Xing spotted Juri Sonoda walking out of the airport carrying a small bag, her other hand holding a phone as she looked at something intently.

Liu Xing got out of the car, asking Ming Hanxing to wait for a moment.

Although Liu Xing knew how to drive, Watanabe Ryusei lacked this skill. If he attempted to drive forcefully, KP Fangs would surely subject him to a basic driving check, and a failed check would result in a direct Plot Encounter. Therefore, Liu Xing didn't dare to risk the consequences of a Plot Encounter and could only have Ming Hanxing, who possessed driving skills, drive him to the airport.

However, Liu Xing couldn't help but wonder if he would receive a rapid progress buff if he were to learn how to drive now, considering he already knew how.

When Liu Xing approached Juri Sonoda, she finally snapped out of her reverie and said with some surprise, "Wow, Ryusei-kun, how did you know I'd be in Kyoto now? Did you wait for a long time?"

Liu Xing smiled and shook his head before responding, "Actually, I just arrived at the airport a moment ago. At noon, I heard you mention that you had already bought a ticket and would arrive in Kyoto tonight. So, I checked the flight schedule and found out that you would be on this flight, as the next flight from China to Kyoto won't arrive until tomorrow morning."

Juri Sonoda placed her phone back in her bag and chuckled, "I was actually thinking about calling you to pick me up, considering how few taxis are available at this hour. Besides, I'm in a bit of a hurry this time, and I didn't bring any money with me. I have to say that Island Nation can be quite troublesome in terms of payment, unlike China, where you can just use your phone for everything."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. China was indeed at the forefront of convenient mobile payments. Even in a small county town, you could use your phone for transactions. Currently, Island Nation still heavily relied on physical currency or various credit cards, especially compared to some European and American countries.

Island Nation's credit card system, however, had its own peculiarities. In Liu Xing's wallet, he had over a dozen different credit cards, each with specific functions or discounts, some meant for dining expenses, and others for transportation costs.

Overall, Liu Xing felt that China was much more convenient in this regard, as a mobile phone could easily handle all payment needs.

"That's good. Let's get in the car then. If you don't mind, Juri-chan, you can stay at my place. After the Yueshihao incident, I discussed it with Nobita and the others, and we believe that the Deep Sea Gospel Society will continue to target us. So, to avoid being picked off one by one, Nobita and the others are currently staying at my place. We have some empty rooms, and of course, you can choose to stay in the same room as Shizuka if you prefer."

To persuade Juri Sonoda to stay at his home, Liu Xing had deliberately arranged for Minamoto Shizuka to convince her  younger sister to temporarily return home. This way, Liu Xing could use the reason of "staying with Minamoto Shizuka" to persuade Juri Sonoda.

However, Liu Xing's primary concern was Juri Sonoda's safety. She was now an NPC inserted into this module, and her actions would influence the course of the story. After all, Juri Sonoda was a close friend of Higashi Meizi. If Higashi Meizi recognized Juri Sonoda, she might join the player's side, disrupting the module's original "balance."

Therefore, Liu Xing was certain that KP Fangs would target Juri Sonoda intentionally, perhaps sending the Shadow Clan to cause trouble for her. Since the Shadow Clan had recently expanded into the Kyoto area, if they knew Juri Sonoda's whereabouts, they would surely send someone after her. Liu Xing didn't want anything to happen to Juri Sonoda.

Fortunately, Cthulhu RPG Game was a game that valued "realism" and logical storytelling. It wouldn't trigger an immediate "alert" the moment Juri Sonoda arrived. The Shadow Clan wouldn't instantly discover her presence in Island Nation and send dozens of people to hunt her down. So, Liu Xing had come to the airport to pick her up and hoped to keep her whereabouts as discreet as possible, or at least delay any exposure.

Juri Sonoda, aware of her precarious situation, nodded and said, "Yes, this is good. I had hoped to stay with you all anyway, as you should know that I came on the Yueshihao cruise to escape trouble abroad. So, my return to Kyoto is still quite risky."

While saying this, Juri Sonoda glanced around.

Liu Xing nodded and escorted Juri Sonoda into the car. He then said, "Indeed, it's better to be cautious for now. But honestly, Juri-chan, you don't have to take such risks. Even if the Red-Clothed Female Ghost in the Old Teaching Building is Higashi Meizi, she's already a ghost now. Perhaps she won't even recognize you, and she has shown some aggression. If you get hurt, it won't be good."

Initially, Liu Xing had wanted to suggest that Juri Sonoda go back and take care of "Liu Xing." However, upon reflection, he realized he didn't have a valid reason to make that request.

Juri Sonoda shook her head firmly and said, "No, no, no. Since I'm here now, there's no way I'm going back just like that. Besides, Higashi Meizi was my good friend back then, and I didn't get a chance to see her one last time. Now that I have the opportunity to meet her again, I won't miss it, even if she has become a ghost. I believe she'll still remember me!"

Seeing this, Liu Xing decided not to say anything more. After all, his words wouldn't change anything. Instead, he asked a question he was genuinely concerned about, "Alright then, Juri-chan, rest assured that as long as nothing unexpected happens, you'll be safe. After all, I have some resources here in Kyoto. But speaking of which, how are Liu Xing and Yin En doing now?"

To be honest, it felt awkward for Liu Xing to call himself "big brother."

"Thank you for your concern," Juri Sonoda replied with a smile. "Liu Xing and Yin En are in stable condition. Although they haven't shown any signs of waking up yet, their vital signs are very good. They're currently receiving treatment at the best hospital in the Imperial Capital of China. The doctors say that it's only a matter of time before they wake up."

Hearing Juri Sonoda's reassuring words, Liu Xing finally felt at ease.

With that, Liu Xing provided Juri Sonoda with the information he knew while Ming Hanxing drove them back home.

Of course, the information Liu Xing provided to Juri Sonoda had been carefully filtered.

After listening to Liu Xing's account, Juri Sonoda nodded and said, "It seems the Red-Clothed Female Ghost is indeed Higashi Meizi. I never expected that Higashi Meizi's family members were also killed by the Deep Sea Gospel Society."

Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "To eradicate the root cause, the Deep Sea Gospel Society's actions were somewhat anticipated. Unfortunately, Higashi Meizi's parents didn't foresee this. If they had insisted a bit more, they might have had a chance to expose the dark side of Morimoto Academy. So many lives wouldn't have been lost now..."

As a close friend of Higashi Meizi, Juri Sonoda stood by Higashi Meizi's parents. "Ryusei-kun, you're being a bit too idealistic. Higashi Meizi's family had modest means, and her parents had responsibilities to take care of. They couldn't afford to confront the Deep Sea Gospel Society head-on. Even if they did, the Deep Sea Gospel Society held the upper hand. They could easily send a couple of devotees as assassins."

Liu Xing nodded, sighing once more.

Liu Xing couldn't believe how well Juri Sonoda understood the Deep Sea Gospel Society, but it didn't change the situation.

Back at home, Liu Xing introduced Ming Hanxing to Juri Sonoda. In Liu Xing's words, Ming Hanxing was an "honest person" who, upon learning the truth about the Yueshihao incident, didn't want to follow in Honda Tetsuya's footsteps and decided to join Liu Xing and the others.

As Juri Sonoda entered the room, KP Fangs intervened once again, saying, "Hehe, now that Juri Sonoda is back in Island Nation, it's time for you, Liu Xing, to make a luck check to determine if Juri Sonoda was spotted by the Shadow Clan when she got off the plane today. By the way, from now on, every time Juri Sonoda goes out, she'll need to make a luck check as well."

MMP.

Liu Xing hadn't expected KP Fangs to be even more tricky than he had imagined. To have Juri Sonoda make a luck check every time she went out, and to be spotted by the Shadow Clan right awayit was clear that if the Shadow Clan found Juri Sonoda, they would most likely come after her within half a day.

This situation was troublesome.

However, for now, Liu Xing had no choice but to accept the reality.

Liu Xing, 51/70, succeeded.

Thank goodness.

Liu Xing was relieved that "Watanabe Ryusei's" luck score was relatively high. As long as Juri Sonoda didn't go out too often before leaving Kyoto, she should remain undiscovered by the Shadow Clan...hopefully.

On the other hand, Minamoto Shizuka had already taken Juri Sonoda aside to have a private conversation, while Liu Xing gathered the others to discuss what they should do after the school reopened the next day.

"Leader, I've arranged everything. As soon as you give the order, we can organize another strike, and I've already found a suitable spokesperson who will propose replacing the security guards company to the school's higher-ups and suggest an open bidding process," NobitaNobi said with a smile.

HonekawaSuneo added, "I've also contacted several reporters from different TV stations. They'll put pressure on the school through public opinion. I believe FujiwaraHiroshi will choose to replace the security company if he still has a functioning brain."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "That's good. Tomorrow, we'll assess the situation first and then decide when to initiate the strike. But regardless, Suneo, your team of reporters can start working now. Process the existing information and make sure they report it."

HonekawaSuneo understood and nodded.

Ming Hanxing then took out his phone and said to Liu Xing, "Leader, I just received a message from Miguel. Alice has dispatched over ten subordinates today, and currently, only one group has returned to report to Alice. They provided information about the new Deputy Police Chief, OkoHayato's father. In short, Deep Sea Gospel Society cannot target OkoHayato's father at the moment. While OkoHayato's father doesn't have any powerful backing, other forces are closely watching the Deep Sea Gospel Society. If they were to harm OkoHayato's father, they might face retaliation from those other forces."

"So, Alice plans to go after OkoHayato instead, to use him as leverage and force OkoHayato's father to surrender. Alice has already assigned someone to track OkoHayato, with the intention of finding compromising information to use as a threat. Interestingly, the person Alice sent to tail OkoHayato is actually working for the Police Chief, and they've already shared the information with the Police Chief. Now, the Police Chief plans to be more direct and intends to stage a scenario for OkoHayato, making it look like he 'died in the line of duty.'"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, it seems there are some serious internal issues within the Deep Sea Gospel Society. They've planted a mole among their own colleagues, and they're making different decisions. It looks like the Police Chief is trying to shift blame onto Alice. Our chances of turning Alice to our side have increased by ten percent again. Teacher Ming, please tell Miguel that we hope he can find an opportunity to make Alice aware of the mole in her midst."

Ming Hanxing nodded and said with a smile, "Leader, no problem. When Miguel met the mole who went to see the Police Chief, he took several high-resolution, untraceable photos."

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