Cat 82: The Wolf Player’s Assault

Chapter 82: The Wolf Player’s Assault

Yan Jiyun glanced at the time remaining for his mission—Jiang Meiying had already cost him plenty. He never imagined she would go so far as to attack him for such an unreasonable reason; no matter what injuries Jiang Meiying had suffered, he was not the one who should bear the burden. Resentment was the most dangerous emotion.

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 35 minutes 34 seconds]

It wasn’t enough just to save the injured wolf cub; he also had to bring it to Dr. Peng for treatment.

Oddly, even though Monkey Hill was close to the wolf enclosure, the wolf pack had heard nothing of the cub’s cries for help.

Was this simply how the game was programmed?

Still, although the game dictated the story, most of the time it adhered to logic.

Perhaps the head wolf simply didn’t know its cub had gotten out and so hadn’t come looking for it—thus, making this the player’s mission.

Yan Jiyun followed the pitiful howls through Monkey Hill. The rain was pounding, and even for him it was disorienting.

The downpour affected not just his hearing but his vision as well.

The wolf cub must have fallen into a cavern at the base of Monkey Hill.

Monkey Hill was high in the center, low around the edges; the artificial peaks were perfect for monkeys to climb, but not humans like him—Jiang Meizhi’s slip and fall had proved that well enough.

Yan Jiyun was certain the wolf cub and the monkeys’ screeching weren’t coming from the side where he and Jiang Meizhi had been running.

He skirted around to the other side, and there, the sound grew clearer—he could pinpoint where it came from.

The roar of rain made perception difficult; Yan Jiyun fought to overcome the onslaught of the harsh environment. He realized the mission’s difficulty had leveled up. In previous instances, and in earlier parts of this one, the scenario hadn’t required him to deal with adverse weather—this was new. The stakes had risen: a single misstep, and the player would die outright.

Trusting Jiang Meiying completely might have meant getting bitten by a poisonous snake.

Neglecting the weather, he could easily slip from Monkey Hill and fall to his death.

Yan Jiyun found a spot where he could climb down to the cave below.

The monkeys were no fools; they, too, knew to take shelter from the rain.

Most monkeys in the zoo would have been herded indoors by the keepers to avoid getting sick—a trouble in itself.

But with a task to do in the game, these monkeys hadn’t been driven inside. Instead, they surrounded the injured wolf cub, chattering away.

When Yan Jiyun climbed down the slick stones, he saw two curious monkeys pulling on the cub’s hind legs, while another tugged its front leg. The cub screamed in agony, tormented nearly to the point of being torn apart. The monkeys were vicious!

He couldn’t guess how the wolf cub had gotten there; he couldn’t see if it was bleeding, but it might have injured a leg or something else.

Climbing down himself proved difficult—it was a steep drop. If the cub had indeed fallen from above, it was likely suffering from a broken limb. Now, as two monkeys yanked at both its front and back legs, it was clearly in excruciating pain.

Monkey Hill was the monkeys’ territory. As soon as Yan Jiyun approached in his raincoat, several noticed him and clustered around, screaming, one even clutching at his raincoat. All their screeching—who knew what they wanted.

A rock came flying from the shadows; had Yan Jiyun been any slower, it would have struck his head.

He shouted at them, “Stop! Stop! Give me the cub!”

It was clear now—the monkeys held strong hostility toward the keepers.

Other animals in neighboring enclosures showed some alarm or wariness when faced with keepers, but nothing like this. The black panther would flee, the tiger would act aloof—unless Old Man Man used white powder and tools to control them, they rarely listened to orders.

Yet the monkeys showed outright hostility to all keepers; Yan Jiyun hadn’t even reached the cave before several began pelting him with rocks.

They shrieked viciously, flinging stone after stone.

“Chii-chii!”

“Chii-chii!”

“Chii-chii!”

Yan Jiyun ducked behind an artificial hill.

For once he was grateful for the heavy rain—the monkeys disliked getting drenched, so they didn’t pursue him. He managed to keep his face intact.

But now what? The monkeys seemed violent; approach and you’d be attacked, yet his task was to extract the wounded cub from their midst.

He needed a way to lure this fierce, ill-tempered troop away.

No teammates this time—each NPC he met was more bizarre than the last, all harboring their own motives for murder; no one could help him, so he could only rely on himself.

The absence of a mission-specific space meant he couldn’t transform into a cat. Becoming a cat wouldn’t work—even if he tried, the monkeys had numbers; he’d be just an ordinary kitten, not a tiger, and would never match them, likely to be torn apart by their sharp claws. Besides, he couldn’t possibly carry the wolf cub as a cat, and the rain would drench his fur like a sodden weight—utterly unbearable. Returning to feline form was out of the question.

The wolf cub looked to be under two months old, probably still nursing.

Yan Jiyun left Monkey Hill and climbed back up to where Jiang Meiying had fallen.

When she slipped, she’d crushed her snake—neither woman nor snake moved at all. She wasn’t bleeding, but when he checked her breathing, she was only unconscious, not dead—just like Uncle Man: NPCs defeated by players never died; they had various ways to exit the game.

Yan Jiyun used his stick to fling the dead snake far away—he loathed the creature, goosebumps rising at the sight.

He rummaged through Jiang Meiying’s pocket for her phone; it still had some battery. He sheltered under a rock, away from the rain, and opened the search bar.

Though the screen was half-cracked from her fall, the phone still worked. He opened the search engine app and typed: What are monkeys most afraid of?

There, now he knew.

The phone shut off, likely bricked by the fall.

Yan Jiyun guessed he’d just connected to the internet and tripped the system’s detection, causing it to power down.

But he already had his answer—too late to stop him!

He weighed the stick in his hand; turns out, it was the most useful tool.

He’d forgotten to bring it when he climbed down earlier—now he realized its true value.

Yan Jiyun knew climbing up and down drained his strength, but with the hope of completing the mission before him, he had nothing to fear—it beat dodging tigers or NPCs on the hunt for him.

No matter how many monkeys awaited, he had no choice but to force his way through.

Armed with his stick, Yan Jiyun climbed back to the far side of Monkey Hill. The cub’s cries were growing weaker.

These monkeys were truly unwelcoming.

Yan Jiyun found the red-white-blue bag he’d used earlier, put on every possible layer of protective gear, and readied himself to fend off the monkeys’ stones. He would need this bag!

He charged into Monkey Hill, well-equipped.

The monkeys’ main attack was throwing rocks; if they had another, it was leaping onto people to scratch. With the stick in hand, Yan Jiyun doubted they could reach him.

Among the monkey troop, hierarchy was strict: king monkey, second-in-command, lower ranks.

The one crouched at the very center must have been the king, the largest of them all—obviously the strongest.

Seeing Yan Jiyun return, the lower-ranking monkeys at the entrance let out alarm calls to warn their king.

Stick in hand, Yan Jiyun deliberately moved into the doorway, making eye contact with the monkeys at the entrance. He used his stick to nudge them aside—not striking hard, just gently pushing them. Only if they resisted fiercely would he be forced to use real force.

Apparently, the stick had some deterrent effect; the monkeys no longer approached, though they kept hurling rocks. Yan Jiyun used his protective sleeves to block a few volleys, and before long the barrage ceased—the monkeys must have run out of stones.

Yan Jiyun leveled his stick at the king perched on a stone outcrop: “Give me the cub.”

The king’s sharp claws clamped the cub’s neck; the little one had ceased howling, now only whimpering faintly, as if on the verge of death.

The king met Yan Jiyun’s gaze with challenge, tightening its grip.

The king even knew to use the cub as a bargaining chip—its intelligence was astonishing.

Seizing the right moment, Yan Jiyun struck the king’s long arm with his stick. With a yelp of pain, the king drew its arm back, and Yan Jiyun quickly shoved it off the rock, grabbing the nearly-dead cub into his arms.

The cave was not spacious—instantly he was surrounded. Holding the cub in one arm and wielding the stick in the other, Yan Jiyun lashed out with impressive force, driving the monkeys back with sweeping motions.

The monkeys, stunned, stared at him as if questioning whether their king, pushed from the rock by a human, had lost its place at the top.

Immediately, the second-in-command attacked the fallen king—keen to usurp the throne.

Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected that his actions would spark an internal struggle among the monkeys. But none of that mattered now. Time was running out, the rain grew heavier, and the cub in his arms was soaked. He shoved the cub into the red-white-blue bag, slung it over his back, and climbed up the slippery stones.

He wanted to head straight from Monkey Hill to the veterinary clinic, but it would take at least twenty minutes from here—not enough time.

He would have to retrace his steps, return to the entrance, and ride his electric scooter.

No time to lose.

Fifteen minutes had vanished in this struggle with the monkeys. The king was manageable, but the lower-ranking monkeys had been the real hurdle. The rain, the slippery stones, watching his footing—he could not risk following Jiang Meiying’s fate. NPCs could revive, but for him, death was final.

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 20 minutes 4 seconds]

No more worries; back to the wolf enclosure, grab the scooter, find the vet!

Without Jiang Meiying dragging him around, the route from the plain to the hill was not short, but the rain and her interference made it feel enormous. Now that he’d mapped the area in his mind, he could cut down his travel time.

Clutching the bag with the whimpering cub, he dashed forward—one more hill, and he’d see the main gate!

Suddenly, the pounding rain stopped. Yan Jiyun’s vision cleared; everything came into sharp focus.

Wait—he would rather it kept raining, coming down as hard as when Yiping asked her father for money!

What now—another mission?

Just as he thought the ordeal was over, the wolf parents appeared!

They stood ahead, baring their teeth, with a row of sleek, healthy-looking gray wolves arrayed behind, all standing at attention, brimming with power.

Yan Jiyun spotted one wolf on the edge whose expression didn’t quite fit—it had an awkward air. He understood at once; this was the player wolf, barely scraping by.

Or perhaps not; after all, mingling among the wolves for safety was more than Yan Jiyun could claim—he wasn’t even part of a “pack.”

What now?

The wolves blocked his way, suspicion in their eyes—did they think he was stealing their cub?

Yan Jiyun gestured for calm, unzipping the bag to let the cub’s head show.

The wolf cub was soaked; gray-white fur plastered to its body, it looked pitiful indeed.

“The little one’s hurt. I’m taking it to the doctor—don’t get worked up, all right?”

With a player in the mix, Yan Jiyun had to play the part of a zookeeper, never revealing his status as a player.

The cub whimpered faintly—without swift care, it wouldn’t survive.

Yan Jiyun knelt and gently placed the cub on the ground. Its tiny body was scored by the monkeys’ claws; one leg appeared broken, and it couldn’t stand. It looked up at the two lead wolves and whimpered—yet showed no fear. It met Yan Jiyun’s gaze, recognizing who had rescued it from the monkeys’ lair.

The cub tried to stand a couple of times and failed.

Yan Jiyun guessed it had injured a hind leg and a foreleg.

Once the lead wolves heard the cub’s call, they stopped baring their teeth at him.

With the rain gone, Yan Jiyun stripped off his raincoat, revealing his worker’s uniform, hoping the wolves would recognize its scent and let him pass.

He tried to pick up the cub again, gripping the stick tightly.

He attempted to soothe the wolves: “Once it’s healed, I’ll bring it back.”

The wolf cub, trusting Yan Jiyun, didn’t struggle at all—a smart little thing.

Yan Jiyun began edging away, planning to skirt the wolves and exit the enclosure.

He moved slowly, and the wolves shifted with him, eyes fixed on every move.

He kept his stick raised in case they lunged, but the cub’s calls seemed to calm them—they only watched, making no move to attack.

Still, the head wolf watched him most intently.

In this deathly stare, Yan Jiyun continued inching toward the gate.

While the wolves watched, he monitored the pack, ready for any sudden movements. Without the cover of rain, his hearing sharpened—if any wolf took a step, he’d know.

He was almost at the gate. As long as the cub didn’t cry out, the task would be complete.

Again, he glimpsed the light of mission completion.

Soon, so soon, he’d escape.

A hundred meters, eighty, sixty—

Suddenly, the player wolf hidden in the pack darted straight at him!

Startled, Yan Jiyun stumbled back with the cub.

Other lower-ranking wolves lunged as well—but thankfully, Yan Jiyun’s bite-proof sleeves and stick held them at bay.

He couldn’t swat them away like monkeys, but he managed to fend off the first assault.

As more wolves lunged, two powerful ones pinned them down, shielding Yan Jiyun and the cub.

Yan Jiyun marked the player wolf in his memory. Wolves might look alike, but this one’s face was sharper than the two alphas’, and his stare held something different—easy to remember.

The cub had the alpha’s features, with a darker back and a commanding presence.

The head wolf snarled low at the player wolf; instantly, the pack split into factions.

The head wolf led one side, the player another.

But for now, there was no real fight.

Yan Jiyun seized the opening and raced for the gate—this was the best chance. The head wolf’s trust was all he needed to get the cub care.

He realized, not every animal in the game was hostile to the keepers.

The wolf player watched the “keeper” carry away his target, fretful but helpless—the head wolf’s glare was relentless.

His own mission was simple: kill the cub.

With the cub dead, open war would break out, and he could rise and rule the pack.

With hardly any visitors, he thought a few dead wolves didn’t matter.

But then this meddling NPC keeper ruined everything, and now he faced the head wolf’s challenge.

Players could not attack NPCs—but they could attack the cub.

The wolf player grew uneasy—new to this form, could he defeat the head wolf?

Yan Jiyun finally slipped out of danger’s reach. He doubted a fight would break out—the player wolf couldn’t match the head wolf’s experience; he would surely have to give in.

But Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected the player wolf to try and snatch the cub from him. The look in the wolf player’s eyes had been cold and ruthless, clearly intent on killing both cub and caretaker.

That mattered less now—the cub was trembling in his arms. He didn’t know if it was from pain or cold.

He wasn’t a vet, but he could see how unwell the cub was—would it survive?

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 9 minutes 19 seconds]

Almost no time left—just 9 minutes!

He had to find his electric scooter!

Clutching the cub, he rushed out of the wolf enclosure, flung open the door, and hurried outside, thinking only of his scooter.

But the parking slot was empty—where was his scooter?

What little bastard had stolen it?

Yan Jiyun didn’t waste time lamenting the missing scooter; all he could do was look for another ride.

He searched around—nothing but empty parking spots.

Just as he considered running to the clinic on foot, his eyes fell on a ladies’ bicycle with a basket, parked at the corner.

Better than nothing!

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 8 minutes 0 seconds]

Without hesitating, he placed the cub in the basket, swung his long legs onto the bike, and set off!

Pushing himself to the limit, Yan Jiyun pedaled like mad, making an ordinary bicycle feel like a mountain bike, speeding toward the clinic.

The electric scooter had taken him five or six minutes; the bike would be slower—not for lack of strength, but because it was a women’s model and maxed out at a slower pace.

Worse, the path to Animal Care was uphill—not entirely flat, growing steeper by the meter.

Yan Jiyun felt his legs going numb, but the cub’s silence worried him even more.

He tried talking to the cub: “Let me give you a name. My name is Caramel—how about you be Pudding?”

Obvious where that name came from!

But his own was chosen by his “shovel officer.”

He wondered how his shovel officer was faring in this instance.

This was the officer’s first in-game mission since he’d entered the game—a new mindset. Once, he’d suspected his person to be an alien, privy to some global secret, and had even felt lucky to be adopted by such a being. But later, discovering that the “alien” was just an ordinary person with no special powers, he’d given up that notion. Afterward, he believed the shovel officer must work for some secret government agency. Now he knew: just a veteran player of perilous, suspenseful horror games.

Once, he never worried if the officer would make it back alive; now, after a year together, he truly cared.

Pedal, pedal, pedal!

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 4 minutes 0 seconds]

Halfway there by sheer willpower!

Almost arrived—four minutes left—just enough!

The cub had to hold on till they reached Animal Care.

“Pudding, hang in there. We’re almost there. Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!”

He feared the cub might go hypothermic from the rain.

There! Only 1.3 kilometers to go!

He could do it!

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 3 minutes 0 seconds]

He could do it!

Faster—just a little faster!

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 1 minute 0 seconds]

Almost there!

Just two hundred meters left!

Yan Jiyun’s legs were almost numb.

“We’re nearly there! Pudding, hold on—I’m holding on too!”

He cheered himself on.

But the effort was grueling—uphill all the way, not a flat stretch in sight.

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 30 seconds]

Skrrt!

At last, the bike stopped at the entrance to Animal Care. Yan Jiyun dismounted, gently scooped up the cub, and ran straight to Dr. Peng’s office.

He knocked on the door!

No answer. He twisted the handle—locked.

What was going on? Wasn’t he supposed to deliver the cub to Dr. Peng for treatment? Could the doctor be absent?

Surely not!

[“Rescue the injured wolf cub” mission countdown: 3 seconds]

2 seconds—

1 second—

Just as despair set in, the door finally opened.

The handle turned from within—a blood-spattered face appeared.

Dr. Peng wiped his cheek and asked, “Xiao Jiang, what is it?”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

Xiao Jiang wouldn’t dare ask for anything!