Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Before Meng Mengzi could finish, Zhang Wenbing shook his head and said, "No, no, no. I’m not here to take over the China Society. Although I’m already a graduate student at the Tokyo Comprehensive University, I only come to the school two or three times a month. I still have to work at the company most of the time. So, Chairman, please bear with me and don’t kick me out of the China Society."

Meng Mengzi nodded and said with a smile, "Well, our China Society has a tradition. The chairman is usually the oldest member because our society doesn’t have many members. After all, not many Chinese students like us choose the Tokyo Comprehensive University. The situation there can be described as neither high nor low. Students with good grades will definitely choose famous universities like Tokyo University or Waseda University. As for students with poorer grades, they generally won’t choose Island Nation. They usually go to countries like Australia or the United States to study at some less renowned universities. After all, just by the names of those universities, they sound much more prestigious than Tokyo Comprehensive University."

Liu Xing nodded, but in his mind, he was thinking about something. He realized that in the real world, he hadn’t actually heard of the name "Tokyo Comprehensive University." Honestly, the name itself sounded quite like that of a less reputable university. After all, whether famous universities were domestic or foreign, they generally wouldn’t include the suffix "comprehensive."

If Liu Xing didn’t have the memories of "Watanabe Ryuusei" right now, his first impression of Tokyo Comprehensive University would be like Shin Orient University in Island Nation...

"Does that mean our China Society doesn’t even have a senior student?" Lu Tianya asked.

Meng Mengzi shook her head and said with a smile, "Lu Tianya, maybe you aren’t familiar with the situation at Island Nation University? It’s different from universities in our country. The final year doesn’t involve internships; students go directly into employment activities and there are hardly any arranged courses. If students find a job, they can leave the school directly. Of course, students can choose to stay at the university for other activities. Therefore, seniors are generally assumed to have left the clubs. Although we do have three senior members in the China Society, as far as I know, they have all found jobs in Tokyo and are unlikely to come back to participate in society activities. After all, being a corporate slave in Island Nation is not easy..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Because many companies in Island Nation are known as "corporations," many employees refer to themselves as corporate slaves, which, as the name suggests, are essentially beasts of burden for the company.

"Speaking of corporate slaves, I’ve truly experienced it these past few days. The branch my company established in Tokyo has only been open for a few days, so the work pressure isn’t that high. Therefore, the employees who came from China generally work from nine to five. It’s okay to leave non-urgent work until the next day. However, the Island Nation employees are different. They start work at eight in the morning and often stay until nine at night. It truly lives up to the name of being a corporate slave," Zhang Wenbing said with some sighing.

At this point, Zhang Shiwu shrugged and said with a laugh, "They’re forced into it. The reason why the corporate slave culture exists in Island Nation is due to the peculiar corporate system, isn’t it?"

Meng Mengzi nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, many companies in Island Nation, in order to ensure the loyalty of their employees, directly sign what’s known as a lifelong contract, or in other words, a contract that binds the person to the company. This results in annual salary increases for employees, and if a company wants to dismiss an employee through regular means, they have to pay a large sum of money. This leads to a situation where if an employee changes jobs under normal circumstances, their salary will plummet to an intern’s level, and then they have to start accumulating seniority all over again. Companies will also try to force employees to resign in order to pay them less. This ultimately leads to the appearance of corporate slaves, who work overtime desperately to avoid being fired by the company."

"And there’s also the prevalent male chauvinism in Island Nation. Because Island Nation still follows a traditional gender role where men are the main breadwinners and women are expected to stay at home, the economic pressure falls heavily on the men. Thus, those employees can only obediently be corporate slaves. After all, being fired by a company in Island Nation is a very shameful thing and can be seen as a lack of ability... To be honest, this mindset is quite peculiar," Zhang Wenbing said, rubbing his chin.

Listening to Zhang Wenbing and the others discussing the corporate slave culture, Liu Xing, whowas nearby, didn’t know what to say anymore. The conversation had veered quite far from its original topic...

At that moment, Ming Hanxing sent a text to Liu Xing, informing him that the meeting was over.

So, Liu Xing and the others bid temporary farewell to Zhang Shiwu and Meng Mengzi and left the activity room of the China Society.

After reuniting with Ming Hanxing, they found a random café near the Tokyo Comprehensive University and sat down in a private room to chat.

Naturally, Liu Xing and the others first discussed the Strange Tales Club and Tanaka Fuji.

"Based on the information we have now, it’s highly probable that this Strange Tales Club is a branch established by the Deep Diving Society within the Tokyo Comprehensive University. Tanaka Fuji’s and the Strange Tales Club’s abnormal behavior confirms this point. We just need to investigate whether Oyamaya’s father’s conglomerate is related to the Deep Diving Society, and then we can confirm if Tanaka Fuji and his group are part of the Deep Diving Society," Liu Xing said earnestly.

Zhang Wenbing nodded and said, "Let me take care of that. After all, our China Dao Sect’s intelligence network in Island Nation is quite comprehensive. Deep Diving Society has already attracted the attention of our China Dao Sect. The reason my company set up a branch in Tokyo was to provide a base for our intelligence operatives to gather information related to the Deep Diving Society. So, I believe within three days, we can confirm if Tanaka Fuji and his group are part of the Deep Diving Society."

As an important peripheral member of the China Dao Sect, Zhang Wenbing had the ability to obtain some less critical information from the China Dao Sect.

"However, if the Strange Tales Club is indeed a branch of the Deep Diving Society within the Tokyo Comprehensive University, then the current situation with the Mysterious Stories Club will be quite interesting. After all, since the Strange Tales Club has merged with the Urban Legends Club, which they had been at odds with last semester, I believe there will be quite a commotion as they try to determine who holds sway in the Mysterious Stories Club," Zhang Jingxu said with keen interest.

Ling Ishikawa rubbed his chin and said, "If that’s the case, those people from the Urban Legends Club might be in trouble. Last semester, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Tanaka Fuji and his group made various concessions to the Urban Legends Club. Now that the two sides have merged, Tanaka Fuji and his group will undoubtedly try to find a way to get the members of the Urban Legends Club out of the Mysterious Stories Club. The recent car accident involving the guidance teacher from the Mysterious Stories Club was probably orchestrated by the Deep Diving Society."

Liu Xing nodded and said, "We need to find a way to keep an eye on the Mysterious Stories Club. If possible, I’ll also arrange for someone to keep an eye on Oyamaya and Tanaka Fuji. So, Teacher Ming, if you have the time, please investigate Tanaka Fuji’s situation. I believe there’s still plenty to uncover about Tanaka Fuji."

"No problem. I actually heard about Tanaka Fuji today. Many of the professors at Tokyo Comprehensive University are unhappy with him, saying that he’s always spacey. So, unless something unexpected happens, I should be able to gather some good information from the other professors," Ming Hanxing said with a smile.

At that moment, Ling Ishikawa’s phone suddenly rang.

Looking at the screen, he furrowed his brow, seeming hesitant about whether to answer the call.

Seeing this, Liu Xing leaned over to take a look and saw the name "Hu Li" on the screen.

When Liu Xing and the others were on Zekiel Island, Hu Li, who had originally stayed in Manchester, suddenly received a message and went directly back to China. However, before leaving, Hu Li entrusted Lu Tianya with a message for Ling Ishikawa: "I will come back."It seems that Hu Li has finished her business in China.

In the end, Ling Ishikawa decided to answer the call. "Hello, Hu Li, what’s up?"

Although Ling Ishikawa didn’t put the call on speaker, Liu Xing sitting beside him could still hear Hu Li at the other end of the line. "Ling Ishikawa, I’ve arrived at the airport. You’re in Island Nation now, right? I’ll take a direct flight to Tokyo after I arrive."

Since Liu Xing and his group had established contact with the China Dao Sect, Hu Li had obtained proper identification with the help of the China Dao Sect, enabling her to fly to Island Nation legally, unlike before when she had to take a mythical creature-exclusive smuggling cruise.

Knowing that there was no escaping Hu Li’s tracking, Ling Ishikawa straightforwardly said, "We’re in Tokyo now. Once you arrive in Tokyo, just take a taxi to the Tokyo Comprehensive University. Give me a call when you arrive."

"Okay, see you tonight then," Hu Li said, ending the call with a smile.

After Ling Ishikawa hung up, Liu Xing patted his shoulder. "Ling Ishikawa, Hu Li is a good girl. You should just go along with her."

Sitting opposite, Zhang Jingxu also smiled and said, "That’s right. Although Hu Li is a fox spirit, she’s beautiful, and I think she has a good personality... Of course, if you don’t treat Hu Li well, you might end up being called her ’sister.’"

Facing the teasing from Liu Xing and Zhang Jingxu, Ling Ishikawa sighed helplessly. "To be honest, I’ve already accepted it, and I think Hu Li is great. After all, Hu Li is much prettier than those female celebrities, and she has a good personality. But I still have some reservations in my heart, so let’s see how things go."

Seeing Ling Ishikawa’s distressed expression, Liu Xing decided to change the subject. "By the way, Zhang Wenbing, what happened after you took Chrisiano back to China?"

Zhang Wenbing shrugged and said, "After we arrived in China, Chrisiano went to a meeting with the senior members of the China Dao Sect. Then I heard that Chrisiano organized an expedition team to explore the Himalayas. He had heard about an ancient ruin near the Himalayas, although it wasn’t related to the Ancient One. That’s why Chrisiano first went to Zekiel Island for the expedition."

Himalayas? Liu Xing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. In the context of the Cthulhu mythos, the Himalayas had indeed become a place full of mystery and the unknown. Many adventure modules involved the Himalayas, and most of those related to the Himalayas would feature ruins associated with mythical creatures. Moreover, if he remembered correctly, the Himalayas were home to or sealed several Great Old Ones.

So, Liu Xing felt that it wouldn’t be long before he and his group received news of Chrisiano being trapped in the Himalayas. When that happened, they might have to set out to rescue Chrisiano again.

To be honest, if given the choice, Liu Xing would definitely refuse to go and rescue Chrisiano. After all, even in the real world, the Himalayas had claimed the lives of many experienced mountaineers due to its harsh natural environment. For non-professionals like him and his group, going to the Himalayas, a place where mythical creatures roamed, to rescue someone would be suicidal.

So, Liu Xing began to pray for Chrisiano, hoping that his expedition in the Himalayas would go smoothly.

"Speaking of which, Chrisiano brought back a lot of useful information for the China Dao Sect this time, most of which are related to the technology of the Ancient One. So, the China Dao Sect is fully supporting Chrisiano’s expedition to the Himalayas. I heard that more than ten members of the China Dao Sect have joined Chrisiano’s expedition team, including some experts, so Chrisiano’s adventure should be fine," Zhang Jingxu added, setting up another expectation for Chrisiano.

Just then, Liu Xing received a text from Honekawa Suneo – they had successfully placed an undercover agent in the Mysterious Stories Club.

After leaving the China Society, Liu Xing had sent a text to Honekawa Suneo, asking him to arrange for someone to infiltrate the Mysterious Stories Club. To be on the safe side, the undercover agent wasn’t a follower of the Worshipers of the Yellow Sect; rather, it was an ordinary new student at the Tokyo Comprehensive University. Honekawa Suneo was tasked with having the undercover agent gather regular updates on the Mysterious Stories Club.

No credit, but no mistakes.

That was the only requirement Liu Xing had for the undercover agent.

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