CHAPTER 576: HU LI’S ARRIVAL

Liu Xing was now certain that "he" had no acquaintances in Tokyo, especially since Honekawa Suneo had only purchased this house a little over a month ago. As a result, Liu Xing was worried that the unexpected knock on the door might be from the Deep Diving Society.

Liu Xing cautiously pressed against the door, peering through the peephole. To his surprise, no one was within its range of vision.

Furrowing his brow, Liu Xing signaled Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa while turning on the adjacent surveillance camera. Honekawa Suneo had specifically arranged for its installation to monitor the entrance.

The camera feed displayed an empty doorstep. Liu Xing’s brow remained knitted as he instinctively reached for the handgun hidden in the compartment beside him. He didn’t believe it was a prank.

Could it really be someone from the Deep Diving Society?

After pondering, Liu Xing decided it was unlikely. If they were from the Deep Diving Society, they would have already burst in, not engage in a silent standoff.

But if not them, then who could have knocked? It couldn’t have been a misheard sound, could it?

Or perhaps Thousand Face?

Just as Liu Xing’s thoughts raced, the knocking sounded again!

Staring at the surveillance screen, he still saw no one.

Recalling a memory from "Watanabe Ryuusei," Liu Xing remembered that Honekawa Suneo had mentioned a blind spot in the camera’s view. However, the blind spot was minimal, enough to hide only a toddler.

So, if the knocker was hiding in the blind spot, it might suggest an unsettling possibility: the knocker might not be human.

Liu Xing began searching his memory for small mythical creatures in the Cthulhu RPG Game.

Just then, the knocking sounded once more, and Liu Xing still saw nothing on the screen.

Simultaneously, Zhang Jingxu suddenly pulled out his mobile phone, his expression changing.

Although Zhang Jingxu didn’t speak, Liu Xing and Ling Ishikawa inferred that he had received a text from Lu Tianya, likely informing them that Lu Tianya was on her way home.

Considering the recent earthquake, Lu Tianya, Meng Mengzi, and the others would have likely ended their shopping trip to avoid crowded areas. Since Meng Mengzi and the others were boarding students, and it was nearing the closing time for Tokyo Comprehensive University’s dormitories, they would naturally head back to school, with Lu Tianya returning alone.

This posed a problem. If the knocker had malicious intentions, Lu Tianya would be in danger.

At that moment, the elevator’s arrival was heard.

Assuming nothing unexpected happened, Lu Tianya was most likely stepping out of the elevator.

Liu Xing quickly signaled Zhang Jingxu and Ling Ishikawa, preparing to open the door to greet Lu Tianya.

On the surveillance screen, Lu Tianya’s figure appeared.

It seemed they had no choice but to face the situation head-on.

However, as Liu Xing opened the door, they heard Lu Tianya’s voice, filled with laughter, "Sis Hu Li, why are you here?"

Hu Li?!

Standing outside the door was indeed Hu Li.

The trio stared at her, utterly bewildered, unsure of what to say.

A minute later, everyone was seated in the living room.

Regaining his composure, Liu Xing ventured a guess, "Hu Li, you transformed back into your true form and hid in the blind spot of the surveillance camera, right?"

Hu Li nodded, smiling. "That’s right. I wanted to surprise you guys. After noticing the camera, I transformed back and knocked on the door from its blind spot to see your reactions. Unfortunately, Lu Tianya returned at the wrong time."

Ling Ishikawa spoke up, "Hu Li, why did you suddenly come to Tokyo without telling us? We could have picked you up from the airport."

Hu Li chuckled and said earnestly, "Didn’t the Island Nation government ban entry and exit for a while? So, I had nothing to do and started researching the culture and customs of the Island Nation in Magic Capital. I planned to have Ling Ishikawa show me around when I discovered that Tokyo’s most famous industry is the red-light district. I was worried that Ling Ishikawa might give in to temptation and visit a gentlemen’s club. Hence, I decided to make a surprise inspection. If I found Ling Ishikawa at a club today, I was going to turn you back into a little girl."

Ling Ishikawa’s smile froze, while Zhang Jingxu and Liu Xing looked at him with sympathetic expressions.

Fortunately, Hu Li had come to Tokyo today. Otherwise, Ling Ishikawa’s life and livelihood would have undergone significant changes.

However, Hu Li’s unexpected arrival was a blessing for Liu Xing and the others. Her abilities were invaluable, especially during their operation on Friday night. Her specially crafted sedatives could prove crucial in unexpected situations. Moreover, in her true form, Hu Li could provide better surveillance.

Most importantly, Liu Xing saw an opportunity to have Hu Li "discover" Thousand Face. With her keen sense of smell, it should be easy for her to detect the stench of death on him.

"Hmm, I also have a mission here in Tokyo. Your master asked me to bring you something," Hu Li said, opening a nearby suitcase.

Zhang Jingxu’s brow rose as he smiled. "Oh, my master is back? I thought he’d take more time to complete his mission. But how do you know my master?"

Hu Li took out a small box and said, "When I returned to the China Dao Sect’s branch in Magic Capital a few days ago, I coincidentally met your master submitting his mission report. He seemed to have something to discuss with the Ancient One. He heard about your heroic deeds lately, foiling the Cult of the Cadaver’s plot in England, rescuing the Ancient One, and experiencing the Tokyo Skytree explosion. He was worried that you might engage in a battle with Thousand Face. So, after learning that I was coming to Tokyo to find you, he asked me to bring you this small box. He told me you’d know how to open it."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their curious gazes to the small box.

The box was about the size of an adult’s fist, a bright red color, resembling a jewelry box for rings. It had no lock or visible seam, suggesting it could only be opened with a special method.

Taking the box, Zhang Jingxu reached for a fruit knife on the coffee table.

Just as Liu Xing expected Zhang Jingxu to perform a blood-activation ritual, Zhang Jingxu pierced the center of the box with the tip of the knife.

Then, he sliced the box open directly.

Well, that was a straightforward approach.

Inside the box was a yellow talisman, similar to the inexpensive ones sold at small temples.

"Hearing from your master, this talisman is specifically designed to counter yin-yang techniques. As long as you wear it, most yin-yang techniques won’t affect you," Hu Li explained.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. The talisman was essentially an anti-magic amulet for yin-yang techniques. However, considering the current situation, it might not be useful against Thousand Face, who seemed to favor Kamafera’s magic spells for their convenience and efficiency. Besides, yin-yang techniques were also magic spells, and many human spells in the Cthulhu RPG Game were unreliable.

Zhang Jingxu nodded, passing the talisman to Lu Tianya. "You should keep this talisman, Lu Tianya. It won’t be much use to me since I have something similar."

Lu Tianya accepted the talisman without hesitation.

After that, everyone retired to their rooms for the night.

Of course, Liu Xing began bottling the Golden Honey Wine upon returning to his room. The vat contained five bottles, and he realized he had been inflicted with a debuff, temporarily lowering all his attribute values. The Golden Honey Wine’s potency was indeed strong; just the smell had affected him.

Liu Xing thought for a moment and carefully placed the five bottles in his wardrobe, wrapping them snugly with blankets. With the aftershocks unpredictable, he didn’t want the bottles to break.

After finishing these miscellaneous tasks, Liu Xing decided to go to bed.

The night passed uneventfully.

Since he had taken a nap the previous afternoon, Liu Xing woke up early the next day. He lay in bed, contemplating his life.

Of course, his thoughts still revolved around Wu Lei. Now that Zhang Jingxu’s master knew about Zhang Jingxu’s recent exploits, he would also know that Liu Xing was his companion. Liu Xing believed that if Zhang Jingxu’s master was indeed Wu Lei, he might have guessed Liu Xing’s true identity. However, unable to come to the Island Nation directly, Wu Lei might have sent something to Zhang Jingxu as a hint.

These were just Liu Xing’s speculations.

If his assumption was correct, Wu Lei might add him as a friend after leaving the module or arrange a meeting at the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall.

Next, Liu Xing pondered how to convince Hu Li to go to Shinjuku and use her sense of smell to locate Thousand Face. He considered luring Ling Ishikawa to Shinjuku first and then hinting to Hu Li that Ling Ishikawa had gone to a gentlemen’s club. Hu Li would surely come to Shinjuku to find Ling Ishikawa. However, Liu Xing found this plan rather unethical and decided against it to avoid potential trouble from Ling Ishikawa later.

After some idle thoughts, Liu Xing, with nothing else to do, grabbed his mobile phone to read the news. He wanted to study the current situation in Fukushima, as they might have to go there for a module in the future.

According to reputable news sources, many survivors had already fled Fukushima after the earthquake. They mentioned multiple unexplained explosions in their cities following the disaster, prompting them to abandon their homes and evacuate the area.

Crucially, some residents near the Fukushima nuclear power plant claimed to have heard muffled sounds coming from the plant after the earthquake, which frightened them into leaving, fearing a nuclear leak.

While these were only the residents’ personal accounts, a brave team dispatched by the authorities had reached the outskirts of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Equipped with Geiger counters, they confirmed that there was no nuclear leakage, and they were preparing to enter the plant for rescue operations.

Other rescue teams reported severe damage to Fukushima’s regions due to the earthquake, with many buildings suffering significant structural damage. As the survivors had mentioned, traces of large explosions were found at various locations, but the cause and nature of the explosives remained unknown.

What caught Liu Xing’s attention were posts on some forums by survivors who claimed to have seen swiftly moving shadows while fleeing Fukushima at night. These shadows didn’t resemble any known animals.

It seemed that mythical creatures in Fukushima were becoming active, posing a new headache for the Island Nation’s authorities. While they had ways to deal with secret cults, these mythical creatures were a much more challenging and costly problem to address.

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