Chapter 972: Ancient OneSirius |
Li Hanxing's telescope also functioned as a periscope. With a simple twist of a key part, it could transform, allowing Li Hanxing to observe Bai Liang's house from the wall without being seen.
After a moment, Li Hanxing lowered the telescope and said, "From the outside, Bai Liang's house and our courtyard have a similar structure. There's nothing unusual about them. However, I must say Bai Liang is a very clean person. The entire courtyard looks spotless, as if it has just undergone a thorough cleaning."
"That's interesting, but the main point is whether Bai Liang's house has any security measures in place. If we plan to sneak in, how high is our success rate?" Liu Xing asked.
Li Hanxing shook his head and replied seriously, "Based on the current situation, Bai Liang's house doesn't have the usual security measures installed. Although I'm not particularly artistic, I can tell that Bai Liang has carefully designed his courtyard. For example, he has replaced some bricks and tiles in certain areas to give it an antique feel. I don't think Bai Liang would let modern security devices ruin the overall style of his home. Of course, I can't be sure if there are any special security systems inside Bai Liang's house."
"Then let's wait until tomorrow when Bai Liang goes to work and sneak into his house to take a look. Are the public cameras in the neighborhood manageable?" Liu Xing inquired.
Liu Xing remembered that after entering the neighborhood, they could see about twenty or thirty cameras immediately.
Sun Huiwen nodded and smiled, "Of course, no problem. Although these surveillance cameras are the most secure and reliable ones humans can currently make, they're still too fragile compared to Yis People's high-tech. I can guarantee that when we take action tomorrow, these cameras won't capture anything. However, we still need to be cautious. I suspect Bai Liang probably has obsessive-compulsive tendencies, so if there's even a slight mistake during our operation, he might notice us."
Sun Huiwen's words reminded Liu Xing of a manga he had read before—"Death Note". In it, the protagonist Yagami Light wasn't obsessive-compulsive, but he could still detect subtle changes in his room and realize a "thief" had entered.
So, it's very likely that Bai Liang has also mastered this skill.
Liu Xing thought for a moment and shook his head, "Let's go back to the city first. It's not time to meet Bai Liang yet. We don't want him to become suspicious when he sees us."
Thus, Liu Xing and his companions arrived at Mai Yuqiang's fish shop.
Mai Yuqiang's fish shop was interesting. Unlike other fish shops, it had two large decorative fish tanks—one for freshwater plants and one for marine life.
"Mai Yuqiang, you handled this well." Liu Xing perked up. "Actually, I used to like freshwater plant tanks too, but unfortunately, I had too many things to do and wasn't home eleven months a year. So, I had to give up this hobby."
A freshwater plant tank, simply put, is a fish tank that includes water plants, stones, and landscaping.
Liu Xing's fondness for freshwater plant tanks stemmed from having a roommate in college who had a small freshwater plant tank in their dormitory.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to like freshwater plant tanks too, Liu Xing." Mai Yuqiang said with some surprise. "The setup process for freshwater plant tanks is quite troublesome, and maintaining them is time-consuming and labor-intensive. If I didn't have a lot of free time, I wouldn't have the energy to care for this tank. But the reason I keep this freshwater plant tank is actually for another purpose."
Mai Yuqiang walked into the freshwater plant tank and rhythmically knocked three times.
A bright green crab emerged from under a rock.
"This crab, along with the pigeons from the Pigeon King, are our Morio Town Protection Association's two major animal secret weapons. Simply put, this crab is a descendant of an ancient civilization. However, this ancient civilization angered entities they shouldn't have, turning them into these ghost-like forms. Except for a few exceptionally talented members who retained consciousness, others could only transform into crabs with special abilities." Mai Yuqiang picked up a small bottle from a nearby table and took out a tiny white pill.
When Mai Yuqiang tossed the white pill into the fish tank, the crab darted towards it like an arrow, quickly devouring the pill that was even larger than itself.
Then, the crab stretched its limbs and lost consciousness, sinking to the bottom of the water.
At that moment, the surface of the fish tank transformed into a screen, displaying footage of the fish points and the situation behind Mai Yuqiang's fish shop. The perspective was a bird's-eye view, filtering out the rooftops of buildings.
"The crab's ability is quite interesting. They can monitor everything within a certain range using sound waves or other chaotic waves. After consuming the small white pill, they can replay everything they've monitored within a day," Mai Yuqiang explained with a smile.
After listening to Mai Yuqiang's explanation, Liu Xing and the others were amazed.
Clearly, using this small crab to monitor Bai Liang's house was an excellent choice.
At this moment, Mai Yuqiang realized what Liu Xing and his friends were thinking and shook his head, "Don't count on this crab to monitor Bai Liang. These crabs are even more fragile than you think. If there's even a little less water, more dust falls into the water, or the surface is too turbulent, the crab will die instantly. This crab has survived by stepping over thirty-six of its own kind's corpses, so if you want to use this crab to monitor Bai Liang's house, you need to prepare to care for it for at least half a year."
Upon hearing Mai Yuqiang's words, Liu Xing and his friends automatically translated this as, "To keep this crab alive, you must pass a Judgment with possibly only a 1% success rate, and after a failed Judgment, you need to wait several days before attempting the next one."
Should they take the gamble?
To put it bluntly, most players at the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall are gamblers, especially when it comes to Judgments that don't pose significant risks to themselves. No one would refuse to take a gamble... some might even place ten or twenty bets...
Unfortunately, before Liu Xing and his friends could speak, Mai Yuqiang saw through their thoughts, "Don't forget what I just told you. Among the descendants of this ancient civilization, there are some special beings. Although they still look like small crabs, their intelligence and strength are not inferior to ours. Moreover, they have certain feelings for their completely degenerated brethren. So persuading them to place a freshwater plant tank in that upscale neighborhood isn't easy because our Morio Town Protection Association has already used up this year's quota."
Hearing Mai Yuqiang's explanation, Liu Xing and the other two could only look at the small crab with envy.
What a pity.
Liu Xing and his two friends sat and chatted with Mai Yuqiang in the fish shop all afternoon. During this time, Dio also came by once, taught Mai Yuqiang what he had promised, and even took a few Pacific saury from Mai Yuqiang's shop to compensate for the loss.
"By the way, Mai Yuqiang, is there any special story behind the marine tank?"
Liu Xing said while eating the squid skewers Mai Yuqiang had just grilled, looking at the marine tank.
Mai Yuqiang shook his head, showing a nostalgic expression, "It's just a regular marine tank, but it holds sentimental value for me because it records the past of me and a few friends. Unfortunately, I don't know where those friends are now... I don't even know if they're alive or dead."
While speaking, Mai Yuqiang looked at Li Hanxing and said, "To be honest, Li Hanxing looks quite similar to one of my friends, but there's still a difference in physique."
"Am I taller and more imposing?" Li Hanxing quickly retorted.
Mai Yuqiang smiled silently.
Liu Xing shook his head, thinking Mai Yuqiang was a bit overly confident. How could Mai Yuqiang's tough friends be weaker than Li Hanxing?
After closing the fish shop, Liu Xing and his friends followed Mai Yuqiang out to have dinner. After all, cooking was impossible for them; only takeout could sustain their lives.
Gotta admit, the Chinese restaurants in Morio Town were truly authentic.
After eating their fill, Mai Yuqiang took Liu Xing and his friends to stroll around Morio Town's central garden to digest... but Mai Yuqiang's main purpose was to take them to Bao's art studio.
Although Mai Yuqiang still didn't believe Bao was a killer sent by Swollen Woman, it was now clear that Bao had become a ticking time bomb. Therefore, Mai Yuqiang felt it necessary to introduce Liu Xing and his friends to Bao to prevent them from being suddenly torn apart by a passing Bao one day.
It was currently Bao's art studio business hours, so the studio was filled with many children.
Seeing this, Liu Xing worriedly said, "Mai Yuqiang, aren't you really concerned that Bao might suddenly go berserk during class and harm these children?"
Sun Huiwen echoed, "Yes, if Bao were a killer sent by Swollen Woman, it would be manageable since he wouldn't accidentally harm ordinary people. But if Bao is, as you said, a pitiful person, then these children are in danger."
Mai Yuqiang sighed, looking a bit distressed, "You're right, but I really have no way to solve this problem. If I directly tell Bao that his situation is bad and ask him to leave Morio Town or confine him somewhere here, I think Bao might collapse on the spot. On the other hand, if we let it slide, Bao would become a ticking time bomb as you mentioned... So all I can do now is come here every day at this time to sit and watch. If Bao shows any abnormalities, I'll stop him immediately. Of course, I believe there are others around monitoring him as well."
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, Liu Xing and his friends could see inside the studio—Bao was writing on the blackboard, likely teaching some theoretical knowledge to the children.
As Dio had mentioned before, Bao looked similar in build to Mai Yuqiang. Even through his clothes, you could see the tendons and muscles on his body.
To put it without exaggeration, Liu Xing felt Bao's close-combat attack must be at least 3d6+6... In simple terms, he could punch someone into oblivion... any part of the body.
However, at this moment, Bao looked gentle, chatting happily with the children.
This reminded Liu Xing of a saying—"A heart of a fierce tiger, smelling the roses gently."
Of course, this phrase might not be entirely appropriate here.
Just then, Bao suddenly turned his head towards Liu Xing and his friends.
"Don't worry, this floor-to-ceiling window is actually a one-way mirror. People outside can see in, but not vice versa. It's designed for parents to easily check on their children's study status without the children feeling uncomfortable being watched by too many people."
Li Hanxing nodded in agreement, "I felt the same way when I was studying. Especially when writing essays, if someone was staring at me, I wouldn't know what to write, and my mind would be in chaos... Liu Xing, what's wrong?"
At this moment, Liu Xing was furrowing his brows, staring intently at Bao.
Meanwhile, Bao continued teaching the children but took out a Rubik's Cube and placed it on a table, seemingly wanting the children to draw it.
Interestingly, one face of the Rubik's Cube was pink and directly faced the floor-to-ceiling window.
Seeing this, Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Alright, we can be sure now that Bao isn't one of Swollen Woman's subordinates, and he probably won't pose any threat to the children... because I know him."
Mai Yuqiang and the other two looked at Liu Xing in surprise. They didn't expect Liu Xing to know Bao.
Liu Xing nodded and led Mai Yuqiang and the others into the studio, and Bao came out of the classroom.
"Long time no see, my best friend," Bao opened his arms to Liu Xing.
Liu Xing quickly waved his hand and smiled, "Forget it, I'm afraid you'd squeeze me to death with your strength. But I really didn't expect to meet you here, Sirius."
Yes, Bao was indeed Ancient OneSirius.
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Chapter 973: It's Ithaqua Again