Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 256: Ling Ishikawa in the Alternate Dimension

It has to be said that the interior of the Flame Bar is incredibly luxurious. Liu Xing took a look at the price list and it seemed quite affordable, indicating that Flame Bar was determined to attract customers even at the cost of operating at a loss.

Although this strategy might lead to financial losses, Flame Bar was able to draw a substantial crowd, providing a wide array of intelligence to the Deep Sea Gospel Society.

Liu Xing noticed that there were a significant number of waitstaff at Flame Bar. There seemed to be a service member every few steps, each of them wearing what appeared to be earphones. However, Liu Xing suspected that these earphones were more like radios, likely used for better gathering information in the noisy bar environment.

However, Liu Xing was seated in a booth, which could be considered the "Private Room" section of the bar. In order to ensure the privacy of the customers' conversations, the service staff stood at the outer edges of the booth area, waiting for customers to call for their assistance. Liu Xing believed that Flame Bar's monitoring approach in the booth area might be somewhat unique and receive special attention, as the customers in the booth area were more likely to share some "big news" during their conversations.

Thinking about this, Liu Xing contacted KP Fangs and asked, "KP, I want to check if there are any listening devices in this booth. Is there any specific way to determine that?"

KP Fangs chuckled and replied, "Well, Liu Xing, you are very cautious, but I must tell you that your attempt will automatically fail because you lack the necessary expertise for this task. Moreover, I can assure you that there won't be any visible issues on the surface of the booth."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that there was indeed something suspicious about the booth area. However, as KP Fangs had pointed out, any monitoring devices in the booth area would not be visible on the surface. After patting the leather sofa beneath him, Liu Xing concluded that the listening devices were likely concealed inside the sofa.

With this in mind, Liu Xing exchanged a knowing glance with Honekawa Suneo and lightly patted the sofa. Honekawa Suneo understood and took out a small black six-sided die from his pocket, which had a red switch on top.

This was a piece of advanced technology that Honekawa Suneo had prepared specifically for this visit to the Flame Bar. It emitted a low-frequency interference signal within a certain range, without affecting people's communication. This interference would significantly disrupt any listening devices.

In addition, Honekawa Suneo was currently carrying a signal-blocking device for WeChat, a high-frequency player, and various other pieces of advanced technology. According to Honekawa Suneo's explanation, these were custom-made gadgets he had collected over time out of boredom. They hadn't been used before, but after joining the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect, Honekawa Suneo believed there might be an opportunity to make use of these gadgets, so he kept them with him.

However, Liu Xing couldn't help but wonder if, in this parallel world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, Doraemon had not gone to find Nobi Nobita but had followed Honekawa Suneo instead, which would explain the presence of so many unusual gadgets.

Upon reflection, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, Doraemon could indeed exist. After all, Yis People, Mi Ge, and future humans all had the ability to create Doraemon. Even Miguel, with his diverse set of tools implanted in his body, could cosplay as Doraemon with a change of appearance, given Miguel's capabilities, as explained by Ming Hanxing.

With this in mind, Liu Xing couldn't help but ask Honekawa Suneo, "Suneo, have you ever seen a blue-and-white, talking humanoid robotic cat?"

Honekawa Suneo looked puzzled and replied, "A humanoid robotic cat? I'm sorry, Master, but I've never seen anything like that. Is this humanoid robotic cat important? Should I send someone to look for it?"

Liu Xing felt a bit embarrassed and shook his head, saying, "It's alright; I just suddenly thought of it. I've seen this blue-and-white humanoid robotic cat in a dream before."

Liu Xing then realized, through Watanabe Ryusei's memories, that there was no mention of the manga series "Doraemon" in this parallel world. That explained why Honekawa Suneo and others could be given the same names as anime characters by their parents without any issues.

At this point, KP Fangs chimed in, "Liu Xing, you should know that in this parallel world, there is no 'Doraemon' or 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' and similar works. So, when talking to others, it's best not to mention these works or any references from them, as it could lead to complications."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised that even in this regard, there were restrictions. It seemed that playing with references needed to be done in moderation.

Just then, a server arrived with the drinks and a fruit platter that Liu Xing had ordered. They placed the items on the table and said with a smile, "Sir, here are your orders. We hope you enjoy your time at Flame Bar. If you need anything, please use the call button on the table, and a server will assist you."

The server then left the table. Liu Xing had ordered low-alcohol drinks since he was here to find Ling Ishikawa and also observe the Flame Bar's situation.

Liu Xing picked up a cocktail glass, looked around, and asked, "Suneo, considering Honda Tetsuya's financial situation, if he were to come to Flame Bar, where is he most likely to be now?"

Honekawa Suneo took a sip of his drink and analyzed seriously, "Based on what I know about Honda Tetsuya, if he is not facing any issues, his financial situation is a bit tight. Rent and living expenses in the Kyoto area are already high, and Honda Tetsuya mentioned that he sends money to his family every month because their financial situation isn't great. He has a younger brother and sister in high school. So, theoretically, Honda Tetsuya wouldn't be at a place like Flame Bar, even though the prices here are reasonable. Flame Bar is, after all, one of the best bars in the Kyoto area, and the expenses can add up. So, if this is still the same Honda Tetsuya we know."

Liu Xing nodded and took out his phone to check the layout of Flame Bar. However, he noticed that his phone's signal had dropped to just one bar.

Frowning, Liu Xing realized that although Flame Bar was located underground, the signal should still be reasonable. The fact that it was a bar operated by a cult made him consider conspiracy theories.

With this in mind, Liu Xing said to Honekawa Suneo, "Suneo, it seems that the signal here is not great. Make sure your phone is set up for text messages."

Honekawa Suneo's phone was a satellite phone, so its signal was much stronger than Liu Xing's.

Honekawa Suneo nodded and placed his phone with the text message settings ready beside him, ensuring that he could send messages at any time.

After a while, Gouda Gian and Junichi Oshima returned, shaking their heads in frustration. It seemed they hadn't found any information about Ling Ishikawa and Honda Tetsuya's whereabouts.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow and went into deep thought. Could he have been on the wrong track?

No, something was not right.

Liu Xing suddenly realized that Gouda Gian and Junichi Oshima had only checked the operational area of the Flame Bar, and they hadn't searched the areas labeled "No entry for outsiders." These restricted areas couldn't be examined easily.

Furrowing his brows, Liu Xing considered that if Ling Ishikawa were indeed in Flame Bar, there was a high chance Ling Ishikawa had been captured.

Fortunately, Ling Ishikawa didn't seem to be in immediate danger or detained in a place from which he couldn't return quickly. So, Liu Xing decided that he needed to rescue Ling Ishikawa as soon as possible. After all, he wasn't sure if Yin En had any new character cards left.

However, for now, Liu Xing knew he couldn't simply barge into the areas marked "No entry for outsiders" in Flame Bar. This place was an important stronghold of the Deep Sea Gospel Society, and Liu Xing and his companions were not to be underestimated.

Although there was currently no way to rescue Ling Ishikawa, Liu Xing wanted to confirm if he was indeed in Flame Bar. To do that, he thought of one personMiguel.

So, Liu Xing told Honekawa Suneo, "Suneo, go outside and pretend to make a phone call. Have Ming Hanxing inform Miguel to come over. Remember to meet Miguel at the entrance since he might not be able to enter with his mask."

Honekawa Suneo nodded and left with his phone.

Meanwhile, Liu Xing continued to drink with Gouda Gian and Junichi Oshima. The show had to go on, no matter what.

At that moment, Junichi Oshima suddenly remembered something and said, "Master, while Gian and I didn't find any trace of Ling Ishikawa and Honda Tetsuya, we noticed something strange. There are several unusual items on the bar counter, the most prominent being some Fishman figurines, which you mentioned, Deep Ones. Besides that, there are some portraits and such. I overheard a customer talking to the bartender, and the bartender mentioned that these items are giveaways that customers can receive after reaching a certain level of spending."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "I didn't expect them to play this card. I suppose this is how the Deep Sea Gospel Society recruits followers. Later, Junichi Oshima, inquire at that bar counter about how much spending is required to get those giveaways. It would be best if you can collect a set all at once for further analysis."

Junichi Oshima nodded and, holding his drink, headed towards the bar counter.

At the same time, Honekawa Suneo entered with Miguel.

Once Miguel was seated, he discreetly pointed to the fruit platter.

No words were needed; Miguel had already discovered the listening device. What surprised Liu Xing was that the listening device was hidden inside the fruit platter.

Liu Xing examined the fruit platter carefully and noticed that the base was significantly thicker than that of a regular fruit platter, and it was opaque black.

Even though Liu Xing now knew that there was a listening device hidden inside the fruit platter, he couldn't make a scene at Flame Bar. He couldn't reveal that Miguel had detected the device through his ability to track scents.

Of course, Liu Xing had no intention of causing trouble over the listening device at the moment. He didn't want to tip off Flame Bar prematurely.

So, Liu Xing asked Miguel, "Miguel, is there a way to completely eliminate a person's scent?"

Miguel extended three fingers and replied, "Master, there are three methods I know of. First, there's a special scent eliminator that can instantly mask all scents on a person's body. I have a bottle of it on me, which I use to escape pursuers. However, using this scent eliminator would also erase the surrounding scents. Given that only Ling Ishikawa's scent suddenly disappeared, this possibility can be ruled out."

"The second method involves magic. While I haven't witnessed someone performing magic myself, my database contains information about spells. One of them is a high-level Invisibility spell that can make the target invisible, devoid of physical collision volume, and simultaneously conceal all scents. However, casting this high-level Invisibility spell has strict requirements, including a specific environment and materials. It's clear that it couldn't be cast in this booth area, so this possibility can also be eliminated."

"Finally, the last method may sound unbelievable, but if we rule out other possibilities, this is the only one left. Ling Ishikawa might have been sent to an Alternate Dimension, departing from our current dimension. That's why his scent vanished suddenly. The only ways I know of to access an Alternate Dimension are through magic or guidance from certain mythical creatures."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surveyed the booth area, and found nothing unusual.

"Miguel, is there any way to track someone who has been sent to an Alternate Dimension?" Liu Xing inquired.

Miguel shook his head and replied, "Master, tracking someone in an Alternate Dimension is incredibly difficult. Without specific knowledge or guidance, it's nearly impossible to locate them. Alternate Dimensions operate under different rules and may not even follow the laws of scent tracking or traditional tracking methods."

Liu Xing sighed deeply, realizing that finding Ling Ishikawa had just become an even more daunting challenge.

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