Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 355: Journey to Panlong Town (1)

Ling Ishikawa nodded solemnly and said, "That’s right, it seems that leaving Panlong Town now will be quite difficult. Despite its appearance of being connected to the outside world, there seems to be an invisible barrier separating Panlong Town from the rest of the world, trapping us here."

Liu Xing furrowed his brows, looking puzzled. "If that’s the case, how did we manage to enter Panlong Town in the first place?"

Ling Ishikawa sighed and replied, "There are two possibilities. The first possibility is that the person or mythical creature responsible for creating the barrier around Panlong Town is still here and intentionally brought us in. As for their motive, we can only speculate. The second possibility is that the separation of Panlong Town from the outside world is not complete, and there are still some connections, which allowed us to enter by chance last night."

"If it’s the first possibility, then we are in big trouble. Anyone who can create such a spatial barrier or mythical creature is incredibly powerful. I doubt that even all of us combined can defeat it. As for the second possibility, it means we still have a chance to leave Panlong Town, but it won’t be easy. The presence of the Black Flood Dragon, the transformations of the driver and the female guide, and your encounter with Zhang Jingxu last night all indicate that Panlong Town is a dangerous place. It might be easy to enter but difficult to leave."

Liu Xing thought for a moment and then said, "Wait, if Panlong Town has become an independent space, and there is no alternate dimension around it, then it means that our encounter with Zhang Jingxu and me last night might not have been a journey to a parallel world. It could be that we simply traveled through time, either to the past or the future of Panlong Town."

Considering the events of last night, Liu Xing could only think of two possibilities: time travel or space travel, and maybe even both simultaneously.

Therefore, if we rule out the possibility that Ling Ishikawa made a mistake in his assessment, we should focus on the time aspect.

Unfortunately, Zhang Jingxu’s "Investigation Judgment" is covert, so Liu Xing couldn’t be sure whether the 2000 calendar was definitive evidence of the time point or if it was used to confuse them.

Ling Ishikawa nodded and said somewhat apologetically, "You are right, Liu Xing. There is indeed the possibility you mentioned. However, I’m not entirely sure at the moment. My mentor, Serak, taught me some knowledge about space, but for information related to time, I might have to wait until my next visit to Hybrier to learn more."

Hearing this, Liu Xing became intrigued and asked, "Speaking of which, Ling Ishikawa, since Panlong Town is now an independent space, will you still be transported to Hybrier?"

Ling Ishikawa stroked his chin and replied, "I believe I will still be transported to Hybrier. The force that sends me there is incredibly powerful. However, even if I go to Hybrier, I’ll still end up back in Panlong Town. After all, we can’t leave Panlong Town without accumulating 100 ’Truth’ points, or else we’ll be considered failures."

Just then, Zhang Jingxu appeared at the door and said, "Ryuusei, Ling Ishikawa, it’s time for breakfast."

Liu Xing nodded and smiled, "Sure, we’ll be right there."

Once Zhang Jingxu left, Liu Xing whispered to Ling Ishikawa, "Ling Ishikawa, let’s not mention what we just discussed to the others for now. We don’t have enough evidence to confirm our speculations, and it might lead to unnecessary complications."

Ling Ishikawa nodded in agreement, understanding that they should be cautious about sharing their theories, especially since they had been constantly revising their hypotheses due to new information.

As Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa went downstairs, Liu Xing couldn’t help but glance at the calendar on the third floor. Apart from some paintings, he didn’t see the calendar from the year 2000.

On the first floor, Zhang Jingxu and the others were already seated, with six bowls of porridge on the table. Hu Cang had just returned with a bag of steamed buns and mantou.

Liu Xing noticed that the weather in Panlong Town had cleared up since the rain. People were moving about, and the shops across the street had reopened. Everything seemed normal, which sent shivers down Liu Xing’s spine.

No matter where you were, a damaged bridge would be big news, as it affected everyone’s transportation.

The four major life essentials: food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Yet, what Liu Xing saw was the villagers of Panlong Town, seemingly oblivious to the severely damaged bridge just meters away. They went about their business as if the bridge had not been damaged at all.

It was as if the bridge had never been damaged.

If it weren’t for Hu Cang’s arrival, Liu Xing would have considered going out to inspect the bridge’s condition.

"Hu Cang says these are the best buns and mantou in Panlong Town. He suggests we eat more, but there’s some bad news. Panlong Town is now completely cut off from the outside world. The bridge we crossed when we arrived has been damaged, one bridge was submerged due to flooding, and the other one was blocked by a landslide," Zhang Jingxu conveyed.

Liu Xing nodded in acknowledgment. It was as he had expected – Panlong Town had indeed become an isolated "island."

However, he wondered if the bridge blocked by the landslide could still be crossed with caution.

Before Liu Xing could speak, Zhang Jingxu continued, "I know what you’re thinking, Ryuusei. The bridge blocked by the landslide can be easily crossed with care. But if we cross it and want to return to Rongcheng, we’ll have to take a long detour. Moreover, the route would mostly consist of dirt roads, which would likely be muddy and difficult to traverse after yesterday’s heavy rain."

"So, without any means of transportation, it’s impractical for us to walk back to Rongcheng. Whether we try to hitchhike in the nearby town or go to the highway entrance where we arrived, it would take at least a day, and it’s risky. Therefore, Hu Cang suggests that we stay in Panlong Town for now and leave when it becomes accessible again. Li Dian and Wan Chongshan have already agreed."

Liu Xing shrugged and said, "Since Li Dian and Wan Chongshan agree, Ling Ishikawa and I have no objections. Staying in Panlong Town is safer in these circumstances."

Zhang Jingxu nodded and turned back to discuss the situation with Hu Cang and the others.

Language barriers can indeed be troublesome.

Liu Xing watched as Zhang Jingxu and the others enthusiastically conversed with Hu Cang, while he and Ling Ishikawa were left eating their meal, feeling a sense of helplessness and boredom.

So, Liu Xing decided to strike up a conversation with Ling Ishikawa. "Ling Ishikawa, how about we go and check out the broken bridge later?"

Ling Ishikawa understood Liu Xing’s intention and replied with a smile, "Sure, why not? If possible, we can even take a walk around Panlong Town. After all, there’s not much to do here without cellphone signals, and it wouldn’t be very entertaining. But we should bring Zhang Jingxu along since we’re not familiar with the place and can’t communicate in Chinese."

Liu Xing nodded in agreement. Although Hu Cang had provided some information about Panlong Town’s main buildings, they hadn’t confirmed their precise locations. Liu Xing believed that creating a map of Panlong Town would be helpful for their future actions.

Due to breakfast, everyone finished quickly, and it was only 8:30 AM.

"Ryuusei, Hu Cang has agreed to provide us with food and accommodation until we leave Panlong Town. However, during the daytime, Hu Cang’s clinic needs to remain open, so it’s best if we don’t stay on the first floor," Zhang Jingxu informed Liu Xing.

Liu Xing stood up and said with a smile, "No problem. Ling Ishikawa and I plan to explore Panlong Town a bit. Zhang Jingxu, do you have time to join us? We’re not familiar with the area, and language is a barrier."

Zhang Jingxu readily agreed. "Of course, I’ll check with Li Dian and Wan Chongshan about their plans first."

After a while, except for Li Dian, who stayed at the clinic to "assist" Hu Cang due to his background as a forensic scientist, everyone else had gathered on the broken bridge.

From Liu Xing’s estimation, the original length of the bridge should have been around ten meters, but now the remaining sections on both sides added up to only about three meters.

Seven meters had disappeared, creating a significant gap.

As for the Panlong River, it had risen considerably after the heavy rain yesterday. It was now just about two meters away from the bridge where Liu Xing and the others stood.

Moreover, the Panlong River’s current was unusually swift. According to Wan Chongshan, a geologist, the current speed had reached ten meters per second!

"Wan Chongshan mentioned that considering the terrain of Panlong River, the current speed is abnormal. Besides, not far from here, there’s a dam," Zhang Jingxu said, pointing to the left.

Following Zhang Jingxu’s direction, Liu Xing saw a small dam.

At the sight of the dam, Liu Xing couldn’t help but be sure that it would likely be destroyed for various reasons. After all, in the world of the Cthulhu RPG Game, structures like dams and bridges were usually destroyed in various ways, especially with a Black Flood Dragon lurking in the Panlong River.

Thinking about it, Liu Xing lowered his head to observe the river’s surface.

Due to the swift current, the riverbed’s sediments had been washed away. Consequently, the Panlong River appeared murky, making it impossible to see what was beneath the water’s surface.

"It looks like the bus we took here has been washed away," Liu Xing sighed as he observed the river.

Ling Ishikawa picked up a stone and casually threw it into the Panlong River, saying, "Maybe it hasn’t drifted too far. After all, the roads around Rongcheng are winding, causing the river’s course to have numerous twists and turns. The bus might still be stuck somewhere, and we could spot it later."

Liu Xing had no reply to that.

No one wanted to tempt fate by provoking whatever might be lurking beneath the surface of the Panlong River. So, after watching the water for a while, they continued walking along the riverbank, chatting as they went.

When they reached the bamboo forest, Liu Xing suddenly felt that the scenery around him had changed.

Turning around, he realized that the trees by the roadside had transformed into a dense bamboo forest. These bamboo stalks reached a height of over ten meters, densely packed and entangled. The gaps between the bamboo were so narrow that only a person with a normal body size could pass through sideways.

There was something strange about this bamboo forest, and Ling Ishikawa noticed it too. "This bamboo forest is quite extensive, but it feels odd, doesn’t it?"

Liu Xing nodded. The bamboo forest indeed had a strange and oppressive atmosphere, but he quickly identified the problem. The density of the bamboo was extraordinarily high, and in their competition for sunlight, the bamboo stalks had grown wildly. However, their excessive height caused them to lean and intertwine with adjacent bamboo, forming a dense, impenetrable cage. Even sunlight couldn’t penetrate, making the bamboo forest appear dark and oppressive.

At that moment, KP Snow Wind spoke up, "Alright, everyone, please perform an inspiration judgment."

Another inspiration judgment? Liu Xing, 36/70, succeeded.

It seemed that both good and bad inspiration judgments were working in their favor. Liu Xing was starting to believe that KP Snow Wind’s "cursed milk" was indeed living up to its name, as both bad judgments had been unanimously successful.

"Alright, everyone has passed the inspiration judgment this time. So, now you feel like something is watching you within the bamboo forest," KP Snow Wind said with a smile.

As soon as KP Snow Wind mentioned it, Liu Xing felt a pair of eyes locked onto him from the depths of the bamboo forest. It sent a chill down his spine, and his heart raced.

Fortunately, the sensation came and went quickly, and no mythical creature suddenly emerged from the bamboo forest. Therefore, there was no need for a sanity points check this time.

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