Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 36: The Ending Screen and Rewards

Suspended mid-air, Liu Xing glanced around but didn't see Bai Hecheng or the others—it seemed everyone's ending was experienced in solitude.

To Liu Xing, it was like watching a movie sped up tenfold; he watched as the van hurried into the city of Manchester, only to be stopped by traffic police. After all, there was a person tied to the roof of the van, which clearly spelled trouble.

At this point, KP004 took on the role of a narrator, "Upon arriving in Manchester, Liu Xing and his group were stopped by the traffic police for questioning. Liu Xing recounted the events that transpired in EinsCastle, including how Gary had threatened him with a handgun. It was during this interrogation that Isabella suddenly revealed to the police that Gary was in fact a serial killer who preyed on foreign tourists visiting the Castle. His modus operandi was to murder the tourists while they slept and then feed their bodies to the beasts he kept in the basement."

"The police believed Isabella's accusations and took Liu Xing, the group, and Isabella to the police station. The Chief of Police, Chris, gave the matter his immediate attention. Over the past decade, Manchester had seen over a hundred cases of missing foreign tourists that had remained unsolved. So, Chief Chris quickly mobilized a police force to search EinsCastle, where they discovered the dismembered corpses of Gary and Old Wayne in a locked room, along with the opened entrance to a basement. The coroner's assessment concluded that both had been attacked and killed by a beast, which had since vanished without a trace."

"In the end, the police found a massive pile of human bones in the basement, alongside copious amounts of human blood and formalin-soaked human organs, and an indistinct magic circle. The police finally determined that Gary was the mastermind behind the disappearance of the hundreds of foreign tourists over the past decade, and his motive was to use their blood and organs in vile magical rituals."

"However, there was a peculiar discovery: in the northeast corner of the basement was a small room resembling a bedroom, showing signs of human activity, but in extreme disrepair, likely untouched for over a decade. Scattered about were copious amounts of hair, clearly not human, leading the police to suspect this was where Gary kept the beast."

As KP004 narrated, Liu Xing witnessed all that was described, especially the corpses of Gary and Old Wayne. Even as a medical student accustomed to cadavers, the sight was enough to make Liu Xing feel queasy; their deaths were too gruesome, the bodies left in a state of violent disarray...

And in the basement of the Castle, the mountainous pile of human skeletons was staggering; Liu Xing estimated that they could form at least a thousand skeletons, clearly including the mysterious army that had vanished a century ago.

On an adjacent rack, hundreds of jars of various sizes contained human organs preserved in formalin. Liu Xing noticed some of the organs were incomplete, as if gnawed on by beasts, leading him to surmise that this so-called beast could very well be a Ghoul.

In the Cthulhu Mythos, Ghouls are not what one might find in other novels and games. Ghouls here possess human intelligence, exhibiting a high degree of sociability and organization. In their youth, they can have star-level appearances, allowing them to live, reproduce, and seek food within human society. However, once they reach a certain age, the appearance of an average Ghoul deteriorates rapidly, aging and turning hideously ugly—a sight so disturbing that it could erode one's sanity (SAN). At that point, they tend to withdraw from the human world and return to their secluded settlements, often located beneath graveyards.

Presently, Liu Xing had never anticipated that Gary could actually tame a Ghoul to serve him. However, in the end, Gary was killed by the very Ghoul he controlled. Old Wayne, after great effort in uncovering the entrance to the basement, met the same fate at the hands of the Ghoul.

Isabella, having sold EinsCastle, used the proceeds to compensate the victims' families. By chance, Chief Chris and his wife, who were childless, decided to adopt Isabella. Liu Xing and the others, being semi-victims themselves and having rescued Isabella, assisted the police in solving hundreds of missing persons cases. As a result, they earned the friendship of the Manchester Police Department and the gratitude of Chief Chris. Subsequently, Liu Xing and his companions prepared to return to China.

As Liu Xing's vision blurred, he found himself in the airport's waiting lounge, "himself" bidding farewell to Isabella and Chief Chris.

Liu Xing, observing his own interactions with others from a detached perspective, felt there was something peculiar about it.

While Liu Xing watched "himself" and "Wang Qi" among others heading to the boarding gate, Isabella suddenly turned around, looked at Liu Xing, and with a smile said, "Thank you, you fool."

Before Liu Xing could grasp the situation, everything around him vanished as if erased by a giant eraser.

Suddenly, a man in a Plague Bird Mask and black attire appeared before Liu Xing. "Hello, Liu Xing. Congratulations on successfully completing the Cthulhu RPG Game and achieving the Hidden Ending. With a team contribution rate of 42%, you have become the MVP of this Cthulhu RPG Game. Thus, I am personally here to conduct your reward settlement."

Liu Xing recognized from the voice that this person was KP004.

"Now, let's proceed with the basic reward settlement of this Cthulhu RPG Game. First and foremost are the points. You will receive 120 points, of which 60 are the basic completion points, 30 are the MVP reward points, and the last 30 are for accomplishing the Hidden Ending."

"Next is the network reward associated with your character card. You have obtained the personal contact details of Isabella and Chris (the Chief of the Manchester Police and Isabella's current foster father). When using this character card, after a successful Luck Check, you may contact Isabella or Chris for assistance. The success rate of such help will be determined by the favorability between you and them. Currently, Isabella's favorability towards you is at 20, while Chris's is at 50."

"Lastly, your skill growth within this Cthulhu RPG Game. Your psychology skill has increased by 1 point. Now, please roll a 1d20 dice to determine the growth of your Lockpicking Skill." As soon as KP004 finished speaking, a twenty-sided die appeared in Liu Xing's hand.

Without overthinking, Liu Xing tossed the die—a 10.