After departing from EinsCastle, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was telling that Gary, when angered, reached for his gun rather than resort to magic, suggesting that even as a Wizard, his abilities were likely mediocre at best—he probably couldn't perform advanced spells like teleportation.
But on second thought, that made sense. This was, after all, merely a novice-level Cthulhu RPG Game. How could an overly powerful Wizard possibly appear here?
With this in mind, Liu Xing felt more at ease. Unless something unexpected occurred, he could consider this Cthulhu RPG Game completed without a scratch.
Under Wang Siyi's skilled navigation, Chen Ling didn't even need to pass a driving test. The van caught a favorable wind, gradually leaving EinsCastle—and the small town of Eins—far behind.
The successful escape from EinsTown put everyone in high spirits, and they began to chat amiably, especially about Isabella. Wang Qi and others were filled with curiosity and fondness for her, as Isabella was such an endearing little girl.
Prior to this, in EinsCastle, only Liu Xing had interacted with Isabella. While they were waiting for the gate to open, and with the looming concern that Gary might suddenly make an appearance, everyone was on high alert, leaving no opportunity to converse more with Isabella.
Wang Siyi, cradling Isabella, couldn't help but stroke her head and asked, "Miss Isabella, are you truly willing to leave EinsCastle with us? Won't Mr. Gary worry about you?"
"No, he won't," Isabella replied, shaking her head with conviction. "He's too busy with his own affairs to worry about me."
Household affairs are the most difficult to judge for an outsider.
Liu Xing decided to skirt around this slightly awkward topic and voiced his own question to Isabella, "Miss Isabella, do you know where Mr. Gary went just now? We made such a noise opening the door, why didn't he come out to check?"
As Liu Xing mentioned, the loud noise from the door opening would have been heard by Gary unless he was deaf. Yet more than ten minutes had passed without any sign of him, which was undeniably odd.
Isabella pondered for a moment before responding to Liu Xing, "Mr. Liu Xing, unless I'm mistaken, I believe Gary must have gone to the basement. Apart from the study room and his bedroom, he spends most of his time there, tinkering with who-knows-what. Occasionally, I hear a shrill roar from the basement—an eerie sound that seems both human and animalistic."
Liu Xing's eyebrows rose as he continued, "Miss Isabella, is this basement you speak of behind the locked door on the first floor?"
"Yes," Isabella nodded, "That's the entrance to the basement. Only Gary has the key to that lock, which he always keeps in his room. He forbids anyone from entering that private room. I remember, several years ago, a group of travelers like yourselves became curious and tried to enter. They triggered an alarm while attempting to pick the lock, and Gary expelled them from the Castle. On their way back to EinsTown from the Castle, it's said they were attacked by a pack of wolves. They all perished in the wilderness, their bodies found mangled and incomplete."
Isabella's words left everyone exchanging glances in dismay, haunted by the afterthought of danger. The fate of those travelers expelled from the Castle, as described by Isabella, was undoubtedly the doomed outcome had Liu Xing and his party failed in their mission.
However, what concerned Liu Xing more was what exactly lay within the basement. According to Isabella's description, it was very likely guarded by a mythological creature. Had Liu Xing and the others been successful in their reconnaissance, they would have faced this mythological being head-on.
This realization made Liu Xing feel fortunate. After all, as the saying goes, even the weakest mythological creatures have attributes that can reach the pinnacle of human strength, with combat abilities on par with boxing champions or martial arts masters. Against ordinary humans like themselves, unarmed and unprepared, such a creature would find it all too easy.
This was indeed a testament to the adage in the Cthulhu RPG Game: the more you know, the closer death approaches. It was fortunate that Liu Xing and his party had failed in their collective investigation; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable, with the best-case scenario likely leaving behind a corpse...
Nevertheless, Liu Xing was deeply puzzled. Even if in the basement, Gary should have been able to hear any commotion—so why had Gary not left the basement to pursue Liu Xing and his companions? As Liu Xing pondered this question, Bai Hecheng, tied to the roof of the car, tapped on the window. This was the prearranged signal between Liu Xing and Bai Hecheng: if anything unexpected happened to Bai Hecheng on the roof, he would knock vigorously on the window.
Liu Xing hurriedly opened the window, and Bai Hecheng poked his head inside, speaking up: "When I heard Wang Qi activating the electronic door opener, I thought to exit first and meet up with you, Liu Xing. But since my vision hadn't fully recovered, I accidentally stumbled and came upon a locked room with its door ajar. Curiosity got the better of me, and I peered inside to discover an open entrance to a basement, from which a foul stench and strange noises emanated. So, I closed that entrance and relocked the room's door before heading to the living room to wait for you."
Bai Hecheng's explanation finally made it clear why Gary had not come after them. By a stroke of serendipity, Bai Hecheng had trapped Gary in the basement. Isabella had mentioned that only Gary had the key to the room, and now with Gary confined within, it would be exceedingly difficult for Old Wayne to rescue him, given his condition. Even if Old Wayne knew of Gary's location, breaking down the door would be no small feat. During this time, Liu Xing and his group had made their escape from EinsCastle without harm.
Liu Xing had to admit, despite Bai Hecheng's usual antics, he proved to be crucial in a critical moment. If there were to be an MVP player for this Cthulhu RPG Game session, Bai Hecheng would be the undisputed choice.
Just as Liu Xing was about to praise Bai Hecheng, KP004 suddenly announced, "Congratulations on completing the main quest of this Cthulhu RPG Game. In five seconds, you will lose control of your characters and enter the ending sequence. After the ending sequence finishes, you will proceed to the game settlement and return to the real world."
As soon as KP004 finished speaking, Liu Xing felt a powerful centrifugal force rip his soul from his body. Unhindered, he passed through the roof of the car and floated in mid-air!