NOVEL WEB Chapter 5: The Truth
The Elder Sign is a peculiar existence within the Cthulhu Mythos. To put it simply, the Elder Sign has a mysterious power over most mythological creatures. In the eyes of these beings, the Elder Sign is akin to something vile, similar to the byproducts of human sustenance. However, for most of these mythological beings, especially the Eldritch Gods, they don't differentiate between good and evil towards humans, just as humans treat ants – swatting them away without much thought. Thus, many Eldritch Gods typically won't harm humans possessing the Elder Sign, fearing to dirty their hands.
Because of this, the Elder Sign is known as one of the three sacred artifacts within the Cthulhu RPG Game. In many cases, it can save one's life. However, some mythological creatures don't mind getting their hands dirty, so don't always expect the Elder Sign to be effective against them.
Furthermore, the Elder Sign can be combined with another of the three sacred artifacts in the Cthulhu RPG Game to form a powerful combo. But for now, let's keep it a secret until Liu Xing acquires the other artifact.
"This amulet seems to be a valuable item," Liu Xing commented, taking out the amulet with the Elder Sign and placing it in his suit pocket, ready for use.
In the Cthulhu RPG Game, possessing the Elder Sign significantly increases one's chances of survival. Liu Xing then checked his messages but didn't find any further useful information, so he pocketed his phone.
Although he had the Elder Sign, Liu Xing hadn't found much information relevant to the Side Quest, making him sigh in frustration. Still, with time on his hands, he began to inspect the secret room he was in.
The room was about twenty square meters, with a table at the center where four people sat. Behind Bai Wan, there was a poster of a beautiful warrior, stained with dark red blood spots. It reminded Liu Xing of the last photo he saw on Shan He's phone, leading him to deduce this room was one of the crime scenes from a past massacre.
Additionally, behind Wu Gen Cao, there was a small cabinet with a weathered calendar on top.
Liu Xing had a bold guess in his mind. He felt he was getting closer to the truth. Just two more pieces of evidence, and he'd complete the Beginner's Room challenge.
With this thought, he started to act. "What do you think is inside that cabinet? Should we open it and check?" Liu Xing asked the group."There's probably nothing inside," Wu Gen Cao replied skeptically, eyeing Liu Xing.
Seeing the skepticism, Liu Xing grinned, "How will we know unless we look?"
As Liu Xing approached the cabinet, he felt all eyes on him. "Why are you all staring at me? Come, let's see what's inside," he said with a chuckle. The others remained silent, reinforcing Liu Xing's suspicions.
Upon opening the cabinet, Liu Xing found a single item - a household registration booklet.
Liu Xing smirked internally; this booklet was precisely what he was looking for.
This Beginner's Room task is really straightforward.
"Old Chinese Doctor, bring that booklet over, let's take a look together," Wu Gen Cao suddenly said. "I'm familiar with this family. I can verify its authenticity."
"Oh?" Liu Xing chuckled, examining the calendar carefully. "Perhaps I won't need your help."
The calendar displayed the date: November 2000.
Now, Liu Xing saw all the clues aligning, and the truth was nearly in his grasp.
"This Side Quest is really easy. It's making me a bit too confident," he laughed, returning to his seat.
Liu Xing placed the booklet on the table, clasped his hands, and said with a smile, "Guess I don't need to open this booklet now, do I?"
At Liu Xing's words, Shan He and Wu Gen Cao's expressions shifted, while Bai Wan kept his head lowered.
Liu Xing, confident in his deductions, decided it was time to end this game.
"I'm not pointing fingers, but none of you here are living humans, are you?" Liu Xing pushed up his non-existent glasses, stating confidently.
Infuriated, Shan He slammed the table, "Who are you calling non-human? Dare to say that again!"
Wu Gen Cao also stood up, glaring menacingly at Liu Xing.
Unfazed, Liu Xing laughed, "Seems I was right. You three are the ghosts, aren't you?"
Turning to Bai Wan, he added with a hint of regret, "Such a shame that the cute ones always turn out to be boys."
Bai Wan, who had been silent and looking down, finally raised his head, his pale face staring intently at Liu Xing. Shan He and Wu Gen Cao looked equally shocked.
"It seems I was right," Liu Xing said, picking up the household register. "This must be your family register. Here you go."
At this point, Wu Gen Cao could only laugh resignedly, settled back down, took the register and asked with a calm tone, "How did you figure all of this out?"
Liu Xing straightened up, smiling, "From the very beginning, something felt off."
"After the game started, I observed all of you. I noticed that none of you seemed bothered by my observation. A regular person would show some reaction when being observed so openly by a stranger, but you all didn't."
"Then, there was the peculiar attire you wore, especially Shan He. Even indoors, he's still wearing that cap." Liu Xing pointed to Shan He's baseball hat. "When you showed me those photos, I wondered about the significance of such attire. It struck me, perhaps you wore them to hide the scars from when you died. Shan He, the second photo must be of you, isn't it?"
Shan He, hearing this, helplessly shook his head, "So, I gave us away?"
"No, I only had my suspicions then," Liu Xing continued. "I became truly suspicious when Bai Wan triggered the Side Quest."
Liu Xing stood up, stretching, "Usually, in any game, quests are assigned by NPCs to players. But when Bai Wan uttered just one sentence and it triggered a Side Quest, it felt off. So, I started to question Bai Wan's identity."
At that point, Bai Wan looked up, revealing what Liu Xing had thought to be a red necklace, but in reality, it was a scar with meticulous stitches.
"And then, when Wu Gen Cao told me about the family massacre from ten years ago, I realized all of you had clues related to that tragedy, and I didn't. At first, I thought maybe I missed something. That's when I found an Amulet and a mobile phone on me," Liu Xing said, placing the phone on the table.
"It's a Nokia 5230. I don't know its exact release date, but I used one in high school around 2010. I initially thought my character was some down-and-out office worker still using this old-fashioned phone," Liu Xing remarked, fiddling with the phone.
"I was about to put away the phone when I noticed it didn't display an exact date. There was no specific time mentioned in the messages either. When this caught my attention, I realized that the timeline could be crucial."
Liu Xing set the phone down, addressing Shan He, "I remembered your smartphone when you showed me those photos. I hadn't given it much thought, but when I pondered over the timeline, I wondered: what year is it now?"
Shan He smiled at Liu Xing without a word.
"That's when I was almost sure – all three of you had issues!" Liu Xing confidently stated. "But I still had two questions: the exact year we were in and Bai Wan's gender."
Liu Xing looked at Bai Wan with a trace of disappointment, "Initially, the clues you gave suggested the family consisted of two males and one female. However, I remembered Wu Gen Cao mentioning that the killer was the classmate of the youngest son. Logically, there should be an older son too. So, the person in the third photo, who I assumed to be a girl, is actually a boy."
Wu Gen Cao shook his head and sighed, "That seems to be my mistake."
Liu Xing got up again, walking to a cabinet.
"When I saw this calendar, I realized I could confirm my suspicions." He waved the desk calendar at the trio.
"It's dated 2000. So, the massacre happened ten years prior, making this 2010. Shan He's smartphone is obviously not from this era."
Cthulhu RPG Game values realism, and there are strict rules about items from each era. Shan He's smartphone shouldn't exist in 2010 unless Shan He is part of some grand hacking race.
"So, my first question was satisfactorily answered," Liu Xing, glancing at the household register in Wu Gen Cao's hands, continued, "Your reactions when I got the register told me all I needed to know about the second."
Shan He clapped, "Impressive deduction. You've passed, Old Chinese Doctor."