Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Liu Xing didn’t want to mention Rundell’s situation just yet.

"Now we’re really in trouble. After all, these trees have grown significantly, so the animals on Zekiel Island must have grown as well," Liu Xing remarked.

Zhang Jingxu nodded in agreement, saying, "Exactly. Since Zekiel Island is a research base for the Ancient One, some data should have been calculated from the start. Therefore, the data of these trees and animals are matched. After all, the best way for those small animals to kill large beasts is through ambush."

It sounded quite scientific.

"In that case, we might soon encounter rabbits bigger than pigs. Just thinking about it feels exhilarating. But still, can we really defeat these creatures named animals but are essentially Monsters?" Ling Ishikawa said somewhat helplessly.

To be honest, Liu Xing’s thoughts were now similar to Ling Ishikawa’s. The animals on Zekiel Island could now be described as Monsters. If outsiders were to see, it wouldn’t be long before news spread on major social platforms about England conducting mysterious research on Zekiel Island, with animals growing several times their usual size.

Of course, it could also be blamed on the nuclear explosion, as nowadays, whenever animals mutate, some people always attribute it to nuclear explosions.

At this point, Miguel suddenly spoke up, "Actually, we don’t need to worry too much about the animals on Zekiel Island. Although we haven’t studied them yet, according to Sirius from the Ancient One, the animals on Zekiel Island exist to create a biological weapon. So, I think the Ancient Ones didn’t give these Monsters on Zekiel Island too high intelligence back then. After all, they had the example of Shoggoth’s rebellion."

Miguel’s words enlightened everyone because what he said was very accurate. The intelligence of the animals on Zekiel Island should not be high, or perhaps they have no intelligence at all, merely programmed to act according to a set pattern. This was certainly because of the lessons learned from Shoggoth’s rebellion. The Ancient Ones would definitely fear that these newly created biological weapons would rebel against their rule, just like Shoggoth. Moreover, comparing the strength of the animals on Zekiel Island to Shoggoth’s, it was evident that the Ancient Ones were genuinely intimidated by Shoggoth and dared not let the animals on Zekiel Island become stronger.

Of course, from here, it was also apparent that the Ancient Ones had high expectations for synthetic beasts—a type of multifunctional war weapon that could be mass-produced.

So, since it was a "mass-produced machine," there was no need to design high intelligence; they just needed to be able to fight.

Thinking of this, Liu Xing suddenly felt that the animals on Zekiel Island weren’t too difficult to deal with. Since they lacked intelligence, it was better to outsmart them.

The reason humans could surpass animals was because they learned to use their brains rather than relying solely on brute force.

"Miguel, you’re right. In fact, during our brief exploration yesterday, I carefully observed those animals. I found that their intelligence level is indeed not high. They rely entirely on instinct or follow the actions set by the Ancient Ones. Among them, I speculate there must be a rule—attack the nearest enemy. Because I once saw a goat chasing a wild boar. When it passed by a rabbit, the goat turned its head and attacked the rabbit," Buke said earnestly.

Zhang Wenbing nodded and said, "In that case, dealing with these animals on Zekiel Island is straightforward. We just need to set some traps. Mr. Buke, I believe you can provide some guidance on this."

Buke chuckled and said seriously, "Of course. Although I was a military doctor in the army, I also learned a lot about traps because our enemies couldn’t match us in terms of weapons and equipment. So, they had to rely on traps to cause us trouble."

With that said, Buke went to the storage room to find the materials he might need for traps.

"Alright, our first goal now is to hunt some small animals. After all, our food is running low. Then, naturally, we’ll search for beast retreat grass and then find the Ancient One’s research facility. Because with our current strength, we can’t push the stranded yacht back into the water, and we’ve lost contact with the outside world. So, if we want to leave alive, we have to find that Ancient One. I believe it should have a way to take us out," Zhang Wenbing sighed and said.

Liu Xing nodded and said, "Actually, we can now be sure that the research facility left by the Ancient Ones is near the Myriad Beast Mountain or even inside it. The reason is simple—Zekiel Island has become what it is now because of the lightning striking Myriad Beast Mountain."

"But it’s not easy to go to Myriad Beast Mountain. After all, it’s located in the center of Zekiel Island. We’ll have to cross at least two or three terrains. If we don’t have beast retreat grass, we’ll definitely encounter various animal attacks, and it may even escalate. So, our priority should still be to find the beast retreat grass," Zhang Wenbing lamented.

However, whenever Liu Xing thought of the Thick Fog mentioned by Rundell, he had a sense of foreboding.

It seemed obtaining the beast retreat grass wouldn’t be easy.

Liu Xing sighed and frowned, "But then again, since there have been huge changes on Zekiel Island, it might not be as easy as before to get the beast retreat grass. So..."

Liu Xing didn’t finish his sentence, giving Zhang Jingxu and the others time to think freely.

The living room fell silent all of a sudden.

After a while, Buke returned to the hall, carrying a large bag in his hand. "Um, what’s going on with you guys? Did some mysterious force silence you while I was away from the hall?"

Liu Xing shrugged and expressed his thoughts.

"I see. Indeed, there’s such a possibility. But I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for us. After all, before coming to Zekiel Island, I was prepared to face enemies like the Cult of the Cadaver. So now, we only need to deal with a group of mutated animals with developed limbs and simple minds. I don’t think there’s much to worry about," Buke said seriously.

Although, as a "player," Liu Xing didn’t agree with Buke’s words, as a "person," Liu Xing still had to show support.

So Liu Xing smiled and said, "Buke is right. We just need to deal with a group of mutated animals now. These mutated animals are nothing compared to the trouble caused by the Cult of the Cadaver. So, let’s not worry too much. As long as we’re careful, there shouldn’t be any accidents. After all, we have the intelligence advantage over those mutated animals."

Zhang Jingxu and the others nodded, and finally, the atmosphere became lively.

So, Liu Xing and the others, after finishing their meal, brought various usable equipment to the ground.

Of course, Miguel stayed in the underground camp due to

Upon reaching the surface, since there were only three usable old hunting rifles, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa took machetes to lead the way.

Originally, Liu Xing intended to take one of the old hunting rifles, but he didn’t expect Zhang Wenbing, also a veteran, though only serving two years in the military after entering university, to have good marksmanship.

As for the route of Liu Xing and the others’ operation this time, they proceeded along the coastline. Although previously they were concerned about sand rats lurking in the sand, now because the sand rats were too "bloated," the sand could no longer cover them.

Therefore, sand rats became the best prey in the eyes of Liu Xing and his team because they were easy to spot. Moreover, as long as they kept a good distance, these sand rats wouldn’t pose much threat to them.

Most importantly, according to Buke, sand rats tasted quite good, despite their unappealing appearance.

So, the group began searching for traces of sand rats on the beach.

Soon, Liu Xing and the others found a sand rat. Although this sand rat was still buried in the sand, the bulging sand dune was too obvious.

"Leave it to me. Let me show you how good I was as a marksman back in the day," Zhang Wenbing said confidently.

Liu Xing nodded, smiling, "No problem, Zhang Ge, you take the first shot, but Zhang Jingxu and Buke, remember to assist Zhang Ge with the rifles."

Zhang Wenbing snorted incredulously, then aimed the rifle and fired three seconds later.

Along with the sound of the bullet leaving the chamber, there was also the sound of dice rolling.

The bullet accurately hit the sand dune, and then a tail-less sand rat popped out from it.

"Um, I seem to have mistaken the head and tail of this sand rat..." Zhang Wenbing said somewhat awkwardly.

But at this point, Buke and Zhang Jingxu’s old hunting rifles also began to exert their power, and the sand rat was directly shot in the head.

Of course, one shot hit the sand next to the sand rat.

Zhang Jingxu scratched his head, laughing, "Professionals are indeed more skilled. Buke, you’re much more accurate than me."

Buke shrugged, saying, "No, no, Zhang Jingxu, you’re just not familiar with the old hunting rifle, and these rifles have been around for a while, so it’s normal for the sighting to be off."

After exchanging compliments, Liu Xing and the others approached the sand rat.

Just as Liu Xing and the others had speculated earlier, the sand rats, which were supposed to be the size of a palm, had now grown to be almost the size of a small watermelon.

But this was also a good thing because it meant more meat.

In this way, Liu Xing and his team killed six sand rats on this stretch of beach and then saw a patch of mist.

The mist on Zekiel Island looked similar to the mist created by the Deep Ones on the coastline of England before. It was like a white curtain hanging in the middle, making it impossible for Liu Xing and his team to see what was inside the mist.

"It seems that the beast retreat grass should be inside," Liu Xing said seriously.

Zhang Jingxu and the others nodded, but they also looked worried.

Although everyone knew that the beast retreat grass was inside this mist, they didn’t know what else was in this mist besides the beast retreat grass.

So, Liu Xing and his team didn’t know whether they should enter the mist to investigate.

"What should we do? Should we enter this mist? But I don’t think this mist exists solely to inform us about the presence of the beast retreat grass," Zhang Jingxu said worriedly.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Xing nodded and said, "We must go in because if we don’t have the beast retreat grass, we definitely won’t be able to approach Myriad Beast Mountain or enter the research facility left by the Ancient Ones. So even if there’s danger in this mist, we must go in and explore!"

"So, should we arrange for someone to go in and scout the path, or should we all go in together?" Ling Ishikawa spoke up.

Once again, everyone fell into silence...

Obviously, if there was danger in the mist, it would be extremely risky for one person to go in, but if everyone went in, there was a possibility of being wiped out.

After a while, Liu Xing made up his mind and said, "Let’s do this: I’ll go into the mist alone and take a look. If there’s any danger, I believe Sirius can help me resolve it."

Of course, in such a situation, Liu Xing didn’t expect Sirius to help him, so now Liu Xing’s greatest reliance was still his identity obtained from the Ancient One Fort underground in Fisher’s Village.

Now he could at least be considered a member of the Ancient Ones.

Seeing Liu Xing volunteering, the others didn’t say anything, so it was finally decided that Liu Xing would enter the mist alone.

However, for safety, Liu Xing was tied with a rope around his waist. It was agreed that if Liu Xing didn’t come out of the mist after ten minutes, Zhang Jingxu and the others would pull him out... if they could.

After making preparations, Liu Xing took the old hunting rifle from Zhang Jingxu and took a deep breath before stepping into the mist.

However, at this moment, Liu Xing didn’t know that as soon as he entered the mist, the rope tied around his waist was blocked outside the mist!

Inside the mist.

Liu Xing looked at the huge Ancient One statue in front of him, unable to say a word for a moment.

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