Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Yin En hung up the phone and went to find that teacher, Honda. Meanwhile, Liu Xing, who was bored, continued searching for useful information online. This time, Liu Xing focused on Morimoto Academy.

As Juri Sonoda had mentioned, there had been numerous unexpected incidents at Morimoto Academy. However, every time, Morimoto Academy managed to distance itself from the accidents, and so it continued to flourish.

In addition to this, Liu Xing discovered that the suicide rate among Morimoto Academy students seemed relatively high. It appeared that two or three students chose to end their lives each year, and the location of these tragic events was always the abandoned teaching building on Morimoto Academy's premises.

However, suicide had become somewhat normalized in the Island Nation over the years due to its densely populated cities and high personal stress levels. Despite its economic prosperity, the Island Nation had consistently high suicide rates, even evolving into a kind of "culture." Some websites in the Island Nation even provided information on how to commit suicide or invited others to assist in one's demise.

Influenced by the adults, the younger generation in the Island Nation was now also experiencing an increase in suicide rates. Academic struggles and relationship difficulties were among the reasons driving them to such extreme actions. Consequently, the suicides of Morimoto Academy students had not garnered much attention.

What made Liu Xing curious, though, was that these students chose to end their lives specifically in the abandoned old teaching building of Morimoto Academy. This led Liu Xing to suspect that these so-called "suicides" might actually be some form of small-scale sacrificial rituals.

"It seems that Morimoto Academy is truly a cult organization. Besides conducting large-scale rituals, they also engage in occasional small-scale sacrifices. However, considering the difficulty level of this module, the high-ranking members within the school are likely all members of this cult. Players taking on the roles of students, teachers, or other staff members in this academy have no say here, and their numbers are scarce," Liu Xing pondered, stroking his chin.

Just then, Yin En sent another text message, accompanied by a design drawing of the Yueshihao cruise ship.

In this design drawing, Liu Xing noticed several areas marked with red circles, indicating possible locations for Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin to conduct their rituals.

Firstly, there was the engine room of the Yueshihao cruise ship. This was one of the most secluded areas on the ship, and accessing it required at least a captain's key because there were over ten iron gates blocking the way. If Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin chose to conduct their ritual here, it would be challenging for Liu Xing and his team to reach the engine room and intervene.

Yin En's second red circle encompassed the control room, which was located on the topmost deck of the Yueshihao cruise ship. Only crew members could access this area, and it was equipped with fingerprint recognition security. Additionally, according to available information, the operator of the Yueshihao cruise ship had plans to expand the control room's size to accommodate over a hundred people. Considering that the usual crew size was only a dozen or so, this raised suspicions about the control room.

Next, Yin En circled the stern deck of the Yueshihao ship. The deck was large, and because the Yueshihao ship also carried cargo, only from the highest point of the ship, which was the control room, could one get a clear view of the stern deck's situation. Observing from other locations would be akin to trying to see through a keyhole, making it an extremely concealed location, perfect for the kind of ritual Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin might need to perform.

Finally, Yin En circled the Yueshihao cruise ship's restaurant. As a luxury cruise ship, it naturally had a spacious restaurant that could accommodate all passengers dining together. Moreover, considering the possibility of hosting dances, the restaurant had a massive dance floor in the middle.

Liu Xing looked at the four potential locations marked by Yin En and fell into deep thought.

Of course, Liu Xing had also studied the Yueshihao cruise ship's design drawing and ultimately listed these four areas as the most likely places for the ritual. It could be reasonably assumed that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin intended to use the Morimoto Academy students as sacrifices, with each class in Island Nation high schools typically consisting of around thirty students.

Therefore, to hold such a large-scale ritual, they would need a suitable space. Among the Yueshihao cruise ship's areas, these four locations were the only ones that met the criteria.

However, Liu Xing now believed that Honda, the teacher, would probably have some reason to take the students to a particular location for the ritual. First on the list for exclusion was the engine room, as there was no logical reason for a teacher to bring students there, especially early in the morning.

Next, Liu Xing felt that the stern deck of the Yueshihao cruise ship could also be ruled out. It didn't make sense for a teacher to bring students there so early in the morning just to enjoy the sunrise over the sea. Though, it was a possibility worth considering.

That left the control room of the Yueshihao cruise ship. Liu Xing thought the possibility of the ritual taking place there was relatively high, as it would be an attractive place for ordinary people, especially young students. It offered a unique experience.

As for the Yueshihao cruise ship's restaurant, it did seem like a good place to conduct the ritual, under the pretense of having breakfast with the students. However, the problem was that during that time, other tourists would also head to the restaurant for their meals. Liu Xing didn't believe that Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin had the audacity to carry out the ritual openly in front of other guests.

In summary, Liu Xing believed that while all four locations had potential for conducting the ritual, each had its advantages and disadvantages. This was to be expected, given that this module provided a significant advantage to the fanatical cult side. Without some restrictions in place, ordinary players on the other side would have no chance to win and could just sleep through the game, waiting for it to end.

Therefore, Liu Xing decided to await good news from Juri Sonoda. Assuming nothing unexpected happened, Juri Sonoda should be able to obtain information from the Morimoto Academy students regarding their upcoming plans, helping to narrow down the location further.

However, Liu Xing couldn't help but feel that he hadn't contributed much so far. Besides identifying Bai Hecheng and Mo Jin, he had been mostly on the sidelines. Just as he was contemplating whether to go out and gather more information, Juri Sonoda returned.

"Hehe, as expected, when I step in, I get twice the results. Those students probably spilled everything," Juri Sonoda said with a cheerful smile.

Liu Xing nodded in agreement and asked curiously, "Please tell me more."

Juri Sonoda began, "This time, Morimoto Academy allowed only one class of students to go on a graduation trip to the Cosmic Country, and they decided it by drawing lots with their homeroom teacher, Honda. It seems like Honda managed to manipulate the process to get selected for the draw. All thirty students from their class are on this trip, along with their homeroom teacher Honda and an education director named Yamamoto."

"What's worth noting is this education director, Yamamoto. According to the students, he's as strict as any school director and holds a particularly low opinion of Honda due to his background. Furthermore, Yamamoto's son also works at Morimoto Academy and seems to have a crush on Fujiwara, one of the teachers. Yamamoto constantly pursues Fujiwara, which adds to his disdain for Honda. However, because of Honda's personality, they haven't had any major conflicts."

"In this graduation trip, the art teacher, Fujiwara, was originally supposed to accompany them. However, Yamamoto took her place at the last minute, and Fujiwara was assigned to work with Yamamoto's son. So, Honda has been quite upset lately. I think Honda might be feeling the pressure, which could make him more likely to accept Fujiwara's proposal to assist Bai Hecheng and the others in their sacrificial ritual. After all, if things continue like this, his beloved Fujiwara might lose interest in him."

Listening to this, Liu Xing nodded and said with a smile, "That's quite likely. Fujiwara and Yamamoto should both be fervent followers of the same secret cult, so their actions may be a good cop, bad cop routine. Fujiwara is responsible for seducing Honda, while Yamamoto puts pressure on him. In the end, they might coerce Honda into joining their cause. However, the worst-case scenario is that Honda becomes their scapegoat. If all the students in the class meet with accidents, it won't bode well for him. He'll either choose suicide or be forced into it."

Juri Sonoda agreed, "Exactly. Based on the current situation, Honda seems like a poor guy driven by love and manipulated into a dangerous situation. However, he might not be fully aware of it yet. According to what the students said, Honda seems determined to go through with their plans."

"Honda has already informed the students that they can visit the Yueshihao cruise ship's control room at around 5:00 pm today. After dinner, they can go to the stern deck of the Yueshihao cruise ship to watch the sunset over the sea, followed by a dance party in the restaurant."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by the well-planned itinerary set up by Honda. He had chosen the three locations that Liu Xing and Yin En considered the most likely places for the ritual.

With that in mind, Liu Xing handed his phone to Juri Sonoda. "Juri, this is the design drawing of the Yueshihao. The four areas I've marked are the ones Yin En and I think could be used for the ritual."

He then explained his thoughts to Juri Sonoda, leaving out his speculation about a time limit because they couldn't reveal the game's mechanics.

"Ah, I see. The control room is the most likely place to hold the ritual, as it's likely filled with Bai Hecheng's people. Once they close the door, those students will be trapped. In that case, we won't have much time to stop them from completing the ritual. The other two places are public areas, and they probably won't dare to act there since there will be other people around," Juri Sonoda mused, rubbing her chin.

Liu Xing could only nod in agreement. "So, we need to find a way to raise the students' vigilance, and it's best if we can involve others. After all, there's strength in numbers."

Juri Sonoda, seeming to grasp the idea, nodded and said, "Liu Xing, are you suggesting we have them livestream it?"

Liu Xing's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands. "Exactly! That's it. If those students can livestream the event, Bai Hecheng and the others should hesitate to proceed."

Juri Sonoda nodded and began editing a message on her phone. "Luckily, I've added those students as friends. I'll have them do a live video call with me when they visit those locations. If Bai Hecheng and the others dare to perform the ritual, we can mobilize the cruise ship's passengers using the live stream. We can report them to the authorities, and even if the current Cosmic Country president is under the cult's influence, she won't dare to openly support Bai Hecheng and the others."

Liu Xing chuckled, but then he suddenly remembered something and addressed Juri Sonoda seriously. "By the way, Juri, I just thought of something. Bai Hecheng and the others are targeting a powerful Deep One for their ritual. This Deep One likely has the ability to capsize the Yueshihao cruise ship. So, I suspect that these students are just a distraction, and Bai Hecheng's ultimate goal is to sacrifice all of us passengers to that Deep One. We need to be prepared for the worst."

Liu Xing had this thought because he believed that Bai Hecheng and the others' mission couldn't be as simple as sacrificing these students. It must involve something more significant, akin to the sinking of the Sewol ferry in the real world, where most of the casualties occurred during the subsequent capsizing.