Xue Ba, highly intelligent, capitalized on his high credit status, knowing he could use it to forcefully persuade NPCs. After all, credit represented not just the assets and living standards of a character card, but also, indirectly, their social status.
However, due to the "rationality" and "realism" of the Cthulhu RPG Game, Xue Ba couldn't act unreasonably. He couldn't just refuse to go to Earth Dragon Village. Liu Xing felt that before the story integration, Xue Ba had already requested County Chief Yuan to involve him in the earthquake relief at Earth Dragon Village. Thus, Xue Ba had to find another way to extricate himself.
For Xue Ba, encountering Mo Jin, a delinquent teammate, was a stroke of luck. He quickly devised a plan. While preparing to board the vehicle, he intentionally provoked Mo Jin, then created a conflict to complain to County Chief Yuan. Finally, he took advantage of the situation to declare he would no longer go to Earth Dragon Village and left abruptly, giving no chance to County Chief Yuan, or rather the game master, to respond or remedy. This seamless maneuver earned Liu Xing's secret admiration.
Xue Ba's successful withdrawal left Liu Xing and others exchanging glances. Liu Xing could see a hint of envy in their eyes. It seemed everyone understood the difficulty of the second promotion game and was contemplating how to withdraw. Like Liu Xing, however, they found no suitable opportunity to do so.
Mo Jin, meanwhile, had a bold idea. His gaze towards County Chief Yuan turned sinister.
Without saying much, Liu Xing knew Mo Jin planned to assault County Chief Yuan, then get arrested and taken to the police station, thus achieving his withdrawal. But Mo Jin still lacked a reason to justify assaulting a government official.
County Chief Yuan, a seasoned politician, understood Mo Jin's menacing look and silently turned to leave.
Mo Jin sighed in regret, saying, "Ah, I didn't expect Xue Ba, the pretty boy, to be so uninteresting. A couple of jokes and he runs off. I bet he never planned to go to Earth Dragon Village for the earthquake relief, using me as an excuse. His political awareness is just too low."
Liu Xing chuckled, deciding not to get entangled with Mo Jin, and said, "Alright, let's not delay any further. Let's head straight to Earth Dragon Village."
Wang Wei nodded in agreement, checking his phone, "Liu Xing is right. It's already three o'clock in the afternoon. It will take at least three hours to drive from here to Earth Dragon Village. Due to the earthquake, the roads might be affected, so we should prepare for an extra hour. We might not reach Earth Dragon Village until around seven o'clock. And I just called Earth Dragon Village; their signal is down, so prepare yourselves mentally. We might not get a hot meal until around nine o'clock."
"Oh my god, no signal in Earth Dragon Village means I can't play on my phone tonight. I haven't even completed my daily tasks in Futago today," Tang Tai spoke in an exaggerated tone.
Shi Ying shrugged, laughing, "Hehe, I was more foresighted. I've already completed my daily tasks in BL Route and even used up all the fuel."
Liu Xing's mouth twitched at Tang Tai and Shi Ying's added drama.
Eventually, Liu Xing's group boarded the van. Liu Xing took the passenger seat, while Tang Tai and the others sat together.
As the van smoothly progressed, Liu Xing closed his eyes to rest. He figured the plot trigger would undoubtedly be in Earth Dragon Village, making this four-hour journey rather dull, especially without his phone.
Amid the debate between Tang Tai and Shi Ying over Futago and BL Route, Liu Xing gradually fell asleep...
After an unknown time, Liu Xing, in his sleep, smelled a foul, pungent odor and instantly woke up... or rather, he didn't wake up! Opening his eyes, Liu Xing found himself back in the mirror world, sitting on an altar inside the Crane Temple. The source of the foul smell was the gaping maw of a Formless Offspring before him.
"Damn it!" Liu Xing couldn't help but curse, thinking of a classic movie line, "The gaping maw of the Formless Offspring was only 0.01 centimeters from me, and I knew in the next second, I would become Mamie Senpai."
But like being trapped in sleep paralysis, Liu Xing on the altar felt utterly immobile, like a sacrifice for the Formless Offspring.
A million Shoggoths seemed to pass through Liu Xing's heart, leaving him at a loss for words.
Just as the Formless Offspring was about to swallow him, Liu Xing suddenly felt someone shaking him. He finally truly woke up
to see Wang Wei beside him, looking worried.
Liu Xing rubbed his temples and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The terrifying nightmare had left him drenched in sweat.
"Liu Xing, are you okay? You're sweating profusely and pale. Did you have a nightmare? Do you need me to give you some psychological counseling?" Shi Ying, a part-time psychologist, was the first to show concern.
Of course, Shi Ying had an ulterior motive. He thought Liu Xing's disheveled state was due to losing SAN in his dream and wanted to use psychoanalysis to restore his SAN.
Liu Xing understood Shi Ying's intention and forced a smile, saying, "I'm fine, I just had a very strange dream about some things I've experienced before. I'm okay now, thanks for your concern, Shi Ying."
Hearing Liu Xing's response, Shi Ying and the others grew solemn, understanding that Liu Xing's "past experiences" referred to his previous encounters in the Cthulhu RPG Game.