Chapter Summaries

Unemployed Liu Xing clicked a suspicious ad promising 100,000 yuan and discovered that it had installed a Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG platform. He recognized the game hall as a chance to finally play the role-playing game he had long wanted to try.

• After failing to find work, Liu Xing considered returning to his father's clinics but decided that doing so would be too humiliating.
• Liu Xing clicked a huge game advertisement while logging into QQ, and his computer briefly went black before returning with a new game icon.
• Liu Xing checked that his files were safe and recognized the icon as Cthulhu's head.
• Liu Xing identified the program as the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG Game Hall and realized it offered a dedicated platform for a game he had never managed to play.

Liu Xing discovered a dedicated Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG platform and joined his first session after its game currency exchange gave him 100,000 Renminbi. The game began as he entered a novice room, with the voice warning him to return alive.

• Liu Xing registered for the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG Game Hall and chose the ID Old Chinese Doctor.
• Liu Xing opened his novice gift pack and received 10 Points, which he exchanged for 100,000 Renminbi credited to his bank card.
• Liu Xing started the game and found five difficulty areas, with only the Ghoul Area unlocked.
• The platform automatically placed Liu Xing in a four-player Novice Room, where the other three Players were already ready.
• Liu Xing clicked Ready, and the game began with a warning to prepare and return alive.

Liu Xing arrived in the Cthulhu Mythos Game Hall’s Novice Room and learned its rules before receiving a simple haunted-house mission. He and three strangers had one hour to keep a candle from being extinguished, while Liu Xing suspected one of them might be tasked with blowing it out.

• Liu Xing appeared in an enclosed room with three strangers as the Game Hall explained its rules and warned that failed players could lose their Character Cards or be erased.
• Liu Xing realized he was trapped in a Main God-like space and resolved to perform well so he could obtain a strong First Character Card.
• The Game Hall assigned Liu Xing and the others a one-hour mission in a sealed Centennial Old House: protect the candle on the table from being extinguished.
• Liu Xing suspected one of the other players might be a fanatic whose mission was to blow out the candle, then examined the middle-aged man, red-haired young man, and schoolgirl seated around the table.

Liu Xing and the other Players began exploring the old house by sharing what they knew about the family massacre there ten years earlier. As Liu Xing pursued the newly activated Side Quest and searched his belongings for clues, he found an Elder Sign talisman in his wallet.

• Liu Xing introduced himself as Old Chinese Doctor, while Shan He, Wu Gen Cao, and Bai Wan gave their names and backgrounds.
• Wu Gen Cao recounted witnessing the aftermath of a family of three being murdered in the old house, and Bai Wan explained that strange details and hauntings had prompted her to organize the expedition.
• A Side Quest activated, asking the Players to uncover the story behind the massacre, and Shan He showed Liu Xing three supposed crime scene photos.
• Wu Gen Cao confirmed the photos were real, while Liu Xing reasoned that the candle restricted the Mythical Creatures and that completing the Side Quest could improve his evaluation.
• Liu Xing searched his phone and wallet, found a message from his girlfriend about a protective talisman, and discovered that it bore the Elder Sign.

Liu Xing pieced together the clues in the secret room and realized Shan He, Wu Gen Cao, and Bai Wan were ghosts connected to the Family Annihilation case. After explaining his deductions, Liu Xing was told he had passed the Novice Room mission.

• Liu Xing examined the secret room, found a Household Register in the cabinet, and noticed the desk calendar showed November 2000.
• Liu Xing accused Shan He, Wu Gen Cao, and Bai Wan of being ghosts, and their reactions confirmed his suspicion.
• Liu Xing explained how their behavior, clothing, photos, and the Side Quest had led him to suspect their identities.
• Liu Xing deduced that the Family Annihilation victims were all male and that the case had occurred in 2010, based on the calendar and Shan He's smartphone.
• Shan He applauded Liu Xing's reasoning and told him he had passed.

After completing the Novice Mission with an A-level Evaluation, Liu Xing received points, an Old Seal Amulet, and a restricted extra Character Card. Back in his room, he reviewed his character’s stats and skill-point rules, while learning he would need to enter another game within fifty days to avoid being erased.

• Shan He congratulated Liu Xing on completing the mission and awarded him 50 points, an Old Seal Amulet, and an extra Character Card for his A-level Evaluation.
• Shan He warned Liu Xing that the extra Character Card could revive him only before a game ended, and said the previous twenty-one A-level newcomers had all been erased after losing their cards.
• Shan He told Liu Xing that the Game Hall charged one point per day and advised him to save 100 points for a Qingming Festival gift pack.
• Liu Xing returned to his room, closed the completion notice, and exited the Novice Room.
• Liu Xing examined his Character Card, reviewed his attributes and available skill points, and learned that his Doctor profession required him to spend at least 30 points on Credit Rating.

Liu Xing explored his rewards and joined the top-ranked An Family Ghoul Branch Guild, hoping to find allies for future games. The Guild welcomed him and advised him to coordinate with other newcomers before starting his next game.

• Liu Xing exchanged one Point for the Elder Sign Amulet and kept it in his wallet for protection.
• Liu Xing accepted that the Game Hall was real, slept, and found its mobile app on his phone the next morning.
• Liu Xing tested the mobile app and discovered it let him start games anywhere while providing full battery, signal, and Super WiFi.
• Liu Xing received an invitation from the An Family Ghoul Branch and joined it through the Guild Interface.
• Tumor welcomed Liu Xing and suggested he announce when he wanted to start his second game so other newcomers could cooperate with him.

Liu Xing visited Wu Lei’s tabletop game store and asked him to help allocate the skill points on his first Cthulhu Mythos RPG Character Card. Wu Lei guided him through the choices, leaving Liu Xing with a card focused on medicine, investigation, persuasion, and the unusual skill Jump.

• Liu Xing found no useful advice in his game group and went to visit his friend and former roommate Wu Lei at his tabletop game store.
• Liu Xing told Wu Lei that he had failed to find hospital work but had secured a well-paid online part-time job.
• Liu Xing showed Wu Lei his Character Card and asked him to help allocate its Skill Points.
• Wu Lei helped Liu Xing assign Professional Skill Points to Credit Rating, First Aid, Medicine, Psychology, and Psychoanalysis.
• Liu Xing spent his Interest Skill Points on Persuasion, Investigation, and Jump.

Liu Xing finished building his Character Card, then spent Points on a Newbie Gift Pack and drew useful green tea and the mysterious Cthulhu's Candy. He chose a date for his first game, ten days later, when twelve combat-type guild members would also be starting a session.

• Wu Lei advised Liu Xing that his low HP and damage made him vulnerable, while his Doctor role and Psychoanalysis made him a valuable support Player.
• Liu Xing returned home, completed his Character Card's skill allocation, and browsed the Game Hall store for equipment and gift packs.
• Liu Xing bought the Newbie Gift Pack for 20 Points after reasoning that his Luck score of 80 gave him good odds.
• Liu Xing drew green tea that could restore Sanity Value and Cthulhu's Candy, which was worth 999 Points and promised unexpected results.
• Liu Xing put the candy away, checked the Guild Interface announcements, and chose to begin his next game in ten days alongside twelve combat-type guild members.

Liu Xing prepared for his next Cthulhu Mythos RPG session, spent ten days settling his affairs, and joined a group of eighteen guild members who agreed to start early. He entered the Ghoul Area and began the five-player scenario “Castle Lord” as a doctor traveling to the town of Eins.

• Liu Xing told Tumor he planned to start his next game early, while concealing that he had already bought the Newbie Gift Pack.
• Tumor added Liu Xing to the guild announcement and advised him that early-starting Players had better survival rates and should use a code phrase to identify one another.
• Over the next ten days, Liu Xing deposited fifty thousand yuan for his family and spent the rest fulfilling personal wishes.
• Liu Xing joined the eighteen-player discussion group, where the Players agreed on a birthday, blood type, and zodiac sign as their identity code.
• The Players chose to begin immediately, and Liu Xing entered the Ghoul Area, where he was assigned to the five-player scenario “Castle Lord.”

Liu Xing teamed up with Chen Ling, a fellow Player posing as a taxi driver, and they traveled to Ains Town together. After the taxi’s tires burst and they went to a tavern for information, three newcomers arrived and triggered the start of the official scenario.

• Liu Xing suspected the taxi driver was a Player and used a coded conversation to confirm it was Chen Ling, a fellow club member whose Character Card made him a retired soldier.
• Liu Xing and Chen Ling agreed to stick together, though Chen Ling’s chatter and reckless gesturing nearly caused a crash.
• Chen Ling drove Liu Xing to Ains Town, where Liu Xing paid the agreed fare and collected his suitcase containing several important items.
• All four of Chen Ling’s taxi tires burst, so he accompanied Liu Xing into town to look for a repair shop.
• Liu Xing and Chen Ling entered the Small Tavern to gather information, where two men and a woman arrived and the voice announced that the official scenario had begun.

Liu Xing learned the rules of the Cthulhu Mythos game and arranged for his car to be repaired so he and Chen Ling could leave Ains Town. He discovered that three other Players had arrived with their own Imported Plot, though their bickering made them seem like unreliable teammates.

• KP004 explained the Main Quest, skill checks, Hidden Rolls, and Secret Room Space before starting the game.
• Liu Xing paid the tavern owner to arrange breakfast and have Old John repair and refuel Chen Ling's car when he returned.
• The tavern owner told Liu Xing that Old John had gone to Manchester and would not be back until three or four in the afternoon.
• Liu Xing and Chen Ling overheard Bai He Cheng explain that he had met Wang Qi and Wang Si Yi while traveling in England.
• Wang Qi and Wang Si Yi had come to Ains Town after taking a wrong turn and running low on gas, while Bai He Cheng argued with Wang Qi over the role's plot.

Liu Xing met Chen Ling, Bai He Cheng, Wang Qi, and Wang Si Yi at the tavern and learned about their abilities and personalities. After receiving Elder Sign passes to the castle, the group set out under Wang Si Yi’s guidance.

• Liu Xing struck up a conversation with Bai He Cheng and the others, and Bai He Cheng repeatedly mocked Wang Qi and complained about the town’s lack of card and Alipay payments.
• Liu Xing paid the tavern owner to fill the others’ car with fuel, then learned that Wang Qi was a wrestler, Bai He Cheng had taught himself to fight, Wang Si Yi was a journalist, and Chen Ling was a former soldier.
• The tavern owner gave the group five passes bearing the Elder Sign and invited them to visit the castle and possibly stay there.
• The group finished breakfast and headed for the castle, following Wang Si Yi, who used his Navigation Skill to find the way.

Liu Xing and the others reached Ains Castle, where Bai He Cheng’s failed attempt to pick the gate lock triggered an alarm. Old Wayne came out, accepted their passes, and led the group into the castle.

• Wang Si Yi successfully used Navigation and identified the route as the closest and safest way between the castle and town.
• Bai He Cheng shoved Liu Xing aside and tried to pick the gate lock, but his failed roll set off the castle alarm.
• Wang Qi tried to confront Bai He Cheng, and Chen Ling intervened to keep the two apart.
• Old Wayne emerged, and Liu Xing apologized and showed him the group’s castle passes.
• Old Wayne accepted the passes and escorted Liu Xing and the others to the castle’s main building.

Liu Xing and the others assessed Old Wayne and discussed how to investigate the castle, while Liu Xing considered jumping to the second floor to search the family rooms and study. The Castle Lord left for town until evening, giving them a better chance to explore.

• Liu Xing passed a Psychology check and concluded that Old Wayne was telling the truth and did not know the Castle Lord's identity.
• During Escape Room Time, the group discussed exploring the first floor before attempting to reach the second floor, and Liu Xing proposed using Jump, Climbing, and Luck checks to get over the railing.
• Liu Xing decided to look for a suitable chance to try the jump while the group gathered information on the first floor.
• Old Wayne told the group that the Castle Lord was going to town and would dine with them that evening, leaving the castle easier to investigate.

Liu Xing considered using the Castle Lord’s apparent financial troubles to persuade him, then learned that the castle had a history of demons, a buried Evil God Statue, and a vanished group of soldiers. The group was left with new clues about the castle’s supernatural past.

• Liu Xing examined the neglected Back Garden and failed a hidden Inspiration Check, so he noticed nothing unusual.
• Liu Xing learned from KP004 that hidden rolls and their results were known only to the player who made them.
• Wang Si Yi succeeded at a Library Use check and found a book describing the castle’s history and its ownership by the Raphael Family.
• Wang Si Yi told the others that Raphael I defeated a demon beneath the castle after workers died or disappeared during construction.
• Wang Si Yi recounted how a Castle Lord destroyed and buried a Secret Society’s Evil God Statue in the garden about three hundred years earlier.
• Wang Si Yi explained that a hundred England soldiers vanished from the castle after sheltering there during a storm a century ago.

Liu Xing and the others pieced together the castle’s history and suspected its owner was a low-SAN wizard serving a Great Old One. After lunch, Bai He Cheng earned Willpower for eating Stargazy Pie and made a hidden SAN check.

• Liu Xing concluded that the castle’s owners had passed down Cthulhu Mythos research and that the owner had likely sacrificed a group of England soldiers a hundred years earlier.
• Liu Xing told the others he had triggered an Inspiration Check near the Back Garden, and Chen Ling and Wang Qi stopped Bai He Cheng from looking toward it.
• Old Wayne invited the group to lunch, and Liu Xing’s Psychology Checks revealed that Old Wayne was hiding something about the Back Garden and reacted warily to the word “vampire.”
• Liu Xing and the others ate bread and mashed potatoes while Bai He Cheng finished his Stargazy Pie.
• KP004 awarded Bai He Cheng one Willpower point and called for a hidden SAN Value 0/1 Check, which Bai He Cheng passed.

Liu Xing and the others explored the first floor of the castle after lunch, and Liu Xing’s lucky lockpicking opened a suspicious locked room without setting off its alarm. Everyone failed to find anything inside, so they abandoned the search and continued exploring the hall, where Liu Xing prepared to attempt a Jump check.

• Liu Xing and the others refused to eat the Stargazy Pie, while Bai He Cheng said he had enjoyed it and gained Willpower from finishing his portion.
• Old Wayne warned the group not to enter the family bedrooms on the second floor, and Chen Ling promised to keep Bai He Cheng from wandering there.
• After confirming Old Wayne had left the Main Building, Chen Ling led the group to investigate the iron-doored Locked Room on the first floor.
• Liu Xing scored a Critical Success on his Lockpicking Check, opened the door, and avoided triggering its broken alarm mechanism.
• Liu Xing and the others all failed their Investigation Checks and left the dusty room without discovering anything.
• The group searched the hall without finding anything, and Liu Xing went to a place where he could attempt a Jump check.

Liu Xing climbed to the second floor and entered the study after finding the Castle Lord’s room secured by a fingerprint lock. There, he discovered an ancient parchment that seemed to be an important item, though its unsettling aura hinted at danger.

• Liu Xing failed his first attempt to climb to the second floor, but Chen Ling and Wang Qi caught him safely.
• Liu Xing tried again with a bonus to his Climbing skill and successfully reached the second floor.
• Liu Xing found the Castle Lord’s room protected by a fingerprint lock and turned to the study instead.
• Liu Xing entered the study, where its lights switched on and revealed shelves of ancient books and a roll of parchment.
• Liu Xing succeeded on an Investigation roll and learned that the parchment looked extremely ancient and made him feel uncomfortable.

Liu Xing took an ominous parchment from the Castle Lord’s study, endured its supernatural effects, and left with it after making an uneasy deal with KP004. He then went to investigate the Castle Lord’s Daughter’s room.

• Liu Xing decided the parchment might weaken the likely mage BOSS and picked it up despite fearing its effects.
• KP004 said the parchment temporarily reduced Liu Xing’s attributes and forced him to make a SAN Value Check; Liu Xing succeeded and lost two SAN Value.
• KP004 awarded Liu Xing two points of Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge, then let him make a Psychoanalysis check that restored two SAN Value.
• Liu Xing accepted KP004’s explanation that the chill had been an illusion, kept his Mythos Knowledge gain secret, and pocketed the parchment.
• Liu Xing searched the rest of the study, restored its door, and went to the Castle Lord’s Daughter’s room.