Cat 91: Drugged

by Cristae

Chapter 91: Drugged

Dr. Zhou was kicked under the table by Yan Jiyun, his back slamming into a chair. He likely hadn’t expected to be interrupted so abruptly.

Rubbing his waist, he climbed to his feet, the smile on his face fading bit by bit. “Jiang You, isn’t it? We just saw each other recently.”

Dr. Peng, clutching his shoulder, hurried to stand behind Yan Jiyun, still gripping the elephant blood sample that Yan Jiyun had left there earlier. “Xiao Jiang, hurry and take the sample and get out of here. Zhou Yiqun wants to destroy it!”

Supporting Dr. Peng as they edged backward, Yan Jiyun asked in a low voice, “Why does Dr. Zhou want to destroy the sample?”

While retreating, Dr. Peng answered urgently, “He’s been conducting experiments on the animals in the zoo. When I arrived, I found him destroying evidence. He nearly strangled me. We have to go.”

“What evidence?” Yan Jiyun pressed.

“No time to explain,” Dr. Peng mumbled. “It happens that his people are on shift tonight. Let’s move, quickly.”

Sure enough, Yan Jiyun noticed Dr. Zhou giving chase, though he wasn’t carrying any tools.

Only Dr. Peng did the talking; Dr. Zhou offered no rebuttal. Was he truly a villain?

Yan Jiyun harbored some doubts, unwilling to judge either doctor too hastily.

As Yan Jiyun pondered the situation, Dr. Peng said, “Xiao Jiang, hand over the blood sample to me. I must take this evidence to the police.”

Yan Jiyun: “…” An NPC calling the police? In a horror game, police almost never appear. The game simply doesn’t allow the police to intervene.

Dr. Zhou charged out, several students at his heels—two of whom Yan Jiyun recognized from earlier when he’d delivered the elephant blood sample.

Dr. Zhou and Dr. Peng told two entirely different stories.

One of the students said, “Dr. Peng, what we’re doing has nothing to do with you. Please stop interfering.”

Dr. Peng clenched the elephant blood sample. “Why would I go to such trouble to draw blood from aggressive animals? Their injuries aren’t just my concern—they’re a matter of life and death for these creatures.”

The student replied, “Do you even believe what you’re saying?”

Dr. Peng seemed unwilling to argue further. “Xiao Jiang, let’s go.”

Next, Dr. Zhou and his students surrounded them, their attention fixed on the blood samples in Yan Jiyun and Dr. Peng’s hands.

Dr. Zhou said, “Leave the samples, and I won’t hold this against you.”

Yan Jiyun had worked hard to obtain the blood samples; there were still five minutes before he could deliver them to the lab.

He asked Dr. Peng, “Where else is there a lab?”

Dr. Peng replied, “There’s one by the administration office.”

“Then let’s go there,” Yan Jiyun said.

Dr. Peng was quick to agree. “Alright, let’s hurry. Let’s not waste time with them.”

Nevertheless, Yan Jiyun was cautious, keeping the blood sample instead of handing it over. Carrying the medical kit, he dashed out of the infirmary.

The animals disliked the smell of disinfectant emanating from the medical area and refused to enter, all waiting outside—including the elephant controlled by the black panther.

Yan Jiyun and Dr. Peng burst out, and he called to the South China tigers, “Chengzi! Baiyun!”

The big white tiger and Chengzi growled at Dr. Zhou and his group. People inside, animals out—the two sides locked in a standoff.

The old lab building Dr. Peng had mentioned was just behind them, some three to five hundred meters away. The elephant ran fast; it took the two men barely a minute to arrive.

Dr. Peng, excited to be riding on the elephant’s back for the first time, walked ahead to lead the way. The big white tiger, seeing the task timer counting down, felt anxious.

Wasn’t the goal to help the keeper obtain the sample? Why take it out again after reaching the lab? Impossible to understand.

Dr. Peng was giddy—he’d never thought he’d ride an elephant in his lifetime. “Xiao Jiang, thank you so much. You’re my best friend now.”

The fake keeper, Yan Jiyun, smiled faintly. “You’re my friend, too.” He had no intention of befriending Dr. Peng. This NPC felt different from Liang Yu and Tang Shi in the previous instance. Deep down, he simply didn’t trust Dr. Peng, nor could he get close to him.

The old laboratory was on the first floor. Dr. Peng led the way inside, and the animals, still repulsed by the scent of disinfectant, refused to follow; not a one came inside.

Their formidable bodyguards lingered outside, an intimidating presence.

Meng Changsheng wanted to follow the keeper inside, but as he was about to squeeze through the doorway, his mission prompt chimed.

[Congratulations! You have completed the task of escorting the blood samples with the keeper. Rewards will be distributed after the instance ends.]

Meng Changsheng’s personal task was to assist Yan Jiyun, and so his objective was met.

Yan Jiyun watched as Dr. Peng carefully sorted the blood samples and placed them into the refrigerated unit.

Ignoring his injured shoulder, Dr. Peng busied himself with the lab’s instruments.

Yan Jiyun checked Dr. Peng’s neck; there were no marks from Dr. Zhou, indicating Dr. Peng hadn’t been hurt during their earlier face-off.

Dr. Peng said nervously, “I’ll run the analysis first—to see what’s really in these samples.”

Yan Jiyun said nothing. His own task was complete, but he didn’t intend to leave yet.

He’d always followed Dr. Peng’s quests. Now there was a new one from Dr. Zhou. They probably weren’t in competition. After all, Dr. Zhou’s team could obtain samples themselves—so why seize the ones in their hands?

Yan Jiyun set aside his doubts for now.

It was already late at night, but Dr. Peng remained energetic, analyzing the blood’s components.

Yan Jiyun grew bored, stifling yawns, and caught glimpses of Dr. Peng’s mounting excitement.

Yes, excitement.

Yan Jiyun was sure he wasn’t mistaken—Dr. Peng’s eyes shone with it.

Had he gotten results so quickly?

Dr. Peng leapt up. “I’ve figured it out! I know how they made the animals so aggressive!”

“And then?” Yan Jiyun asked.

“I’m going to print the results. The blood test data is highly unusual, just as I suspected.”

Yan Jiyun asked, “What is Dr. Zhou’s goal?”

“I don’t know, but I know how to solve the problem now,” Dr. Peng said.

“How?”

Dr. Peng searched on his phone. “It’s a type of plant. The flowers bloom only at night, and under normal conditions, they’re harmless. But when combined with a certain drug, whether human or animal, anyone who ingests it and remains in an environment with this plant will grow increasingly violent over time. Dr. Zhou’s group wants to destroy the whole zoo—and these innocent creatures along with it.”

“So we need to check the animals’ food and root out these plants?” Yan Jiyun asked.

“Of course.”

The data sheet was quickly generated. Producing a phone from who-knows-where, Dr. Peng snapped photos of it, preparing to send them out.

Ding ding ding.

The phone displayed: Message failed to send.

“What’s going on?” Dr. Peng said. “The zoo’s network has always been good. Why can’t I send this?”

“Someone’s using a signal jammer,” Yan Jiyun replied.

Dr. Peng handed the phone to him. “Try sending from here. I’ll go stash the samples.”

At that moment, light flooded outside and a heavy thud sounded as the big white tiger burst open the lab door.

Sensing danger, Yan Jiyun heard many footsteps approaching. He alerted Dr. Peng, “Run, there are too many people coming.”

“But what about these samples?” Dr. Peng fretted.

“Aren’t the results out already? Just send them. Isn’t that enough?”

Dr. Peng clapped his hands. “Yes!”

“I’ll find a spot to send the data. You go hide. I’ll deal with the leftover samples—even if I have to destroy them.”

“Alright!” Dr. Peng agreed.

Panther, Chengzi, and the others had gone silent, evidence that Dr. Zhou’s team wielded far greater means—most likely tranquilizer guns.

With a thud, the big white tiger player collapsed!

Dr. Peng scooped up untested blood samples and pushed open a window. “Xiao Jiang, let’s go out this way!”

Despite claiming he’d hide the samples, the NPC was fleeing faster than anyone.

Yan Jiyun knew the big white tiger had been hit with a tranquilizer gun. With his own survival at risk, he couldn’t help it—he had to save himself. The tiger would probably be all right.

He stuffed Dr. Peng’s phone and the remaining vials into his pockets and followed Dr. Peng.

They leapt out the back window into the night. Dr. Zhou’s forces circled the old building, so Yan Jiyun led Dr. Peng toward the quietest area.

He’d hoped to spend the night here in peace, but fate had other plans—his mission had come knocking again.

[Side quest triggered: Dr. Zhou’s Pursuit!]

[Task details: Assist Dr. Peng in evading Dr. Zhou’s pursuit. Do not let him be caught before he finds a place to send the information!]

Upon seeing this quest, Yan Jiyun wanted to scream. Barely half an hour of respite, and now another desperate chase.

The footsteps behind him grew closer.

Yan Jiyun realized that two fleeing together would certainly get them both caught—too obvious a target. The odds were against them: not only outnumbered, but also pursued by wolfhounds.

He’d run all over the zoo completing tasks today, but hadn’t seen a single dog. He now smelled the sharp musk of wolves—not wolfdogs, but actual wolves!

A wolf’s sense of smell is no inferior to a dog’s, and their fighting prowess is greater.

Abruptly, Yan Jiyun grabbed Dr. Peng. “Give me your lab coat. We’ll split up. I’ll lead them away.”

Dr. Peng was surprised by his sacrificial spirit. “How can I let you do that?”

Yan Jiyun offered a logical explanation: “They brought wolves. If we’re to mislead them, it’s best to confuse their sense of smell. They probably already have something of yours for the wolves to track.”

Moved, Dr. Peng replied, “All right, I’ll take the phone and look for network. Xiao Jiang, you’re a good person!”

Without hesitation, he stripped off his lab coat, shoved it into Yan Jiyun’s arms, retrieved his phone, and slipped into the woods.

Truly an NPC—faster than anyone.

Hardly the behavior of a protagonist. Yan Jiyun suspected Dr. Peng might just be a quest NPC after all.

Wasting no time, Yan Jiyun donned the lab coat and sprinted off—opposite Dr. Peng’s direction.

The coat carried Dr. Peng’s scent, and since they’d grappled earlier, also bore Dr. Zhou’s tobacco. These two smells combined would lure the wolves under Dr. Zhou’s control—the perfect distraction.

Darting through the forest, Yan Jiyun’s familiarity with the map paid off—he knew where he could and couldn’t go.

Absolutely avoid the lotus pond: that’s snake territory.

He’d wondered how the animals escaped their cages at night; now he realized Dr. Zhou’s group must have done it. The method no longer mattered—they were simply experimenting on animals.

But why experiment on animals? This was still unclear.

Wolves could outrun any human, but they stuck close to Dr. Zhou’s group and so moved slower. This bought Yan Jiyun enough time to lead them toward Tiger Mountain. He knew the tiger and panther areas best, and the strong scent of tigers might even keep the wolves out, leaving Dr. Zhou’s team to search alone.

Yan Jiyun gritted his teeth and plunged into Tiger Mountain. With his current speed, he’d be caught if he lingered. He ran two kilometers away from Dr. Peng’s direction before tossing the coat—a distance just within the wolves’ olfactory range. By the time they reached this spot, Dr. Peng should be much farther away.

Ssssss—

Some odd noise.

Yan Jiyun heard a machine spraying mist, similar to a garden hose watering the grass.

High-tech for a zoo. But what was it spraying?

Covering his nose, he sidestepped the vapor. There must be something in that mist; just inhaling a trace made him feel unwell. He held his breath.

He saw a squirrel caught by the spray collapse instantly.

Understood—this was used to knock out aggressive animals.

If he encountered this vapor, he too might lose consciousness. Clearly, Dr. Zhou’s group had gone all-out to catch Dr. Peng.

Why hadn’t they stopped Dr. Peng from drawing blood earlier, but only started chasing him now? Odd.

Perhaps until now, they hadn’t believed someone like Dr. Peng could obtain blood samples from large animals. Only those samples could corroborate their actions, so now they panicked.

He had no idea where Dr. Peng intended to send the data.

No time to worry—run first!

The footsteps behind him drew nearer.

Apparently, the spray wasn’t water but a drugged mist—Yan Jiyun used his sleeve to cover his nose, knowing it contained sedatives.

He had to leave the area at once!

Now he realized he’d chosen the wrong direction—he ought not have come to the tiger zone. The bigger the animals, the stronger the sedative concentration!

Who even installed these here?

Dr. Zhou must have powerful backing. A mere vet couldn’t authorize such equipment.

Tiger Mountain was huge, the sedatives strong—wherever Yan Jiyun ran, he heard the sizzle of spray; even the trees above were rigged.

He hadn’t noticed it in daylight—the setup was too well concealed.

He decided to head for the panther enclosure. He hadn’t checked on Chengzi and the others. What if the black panther had been tranquilized as well? What to do?

The route linking Tiger Mountain and the panther enclosure had a fence—farther down was the only break in the boundary. He couldn’t take the direct path.

The sounds outside grew louder, faster—wolves were surely the most frightening of all.

A wave of dizziness washed over him—he must have inhaled some of the sedative.

Dr. Zhou was thoroughly cunning: making the drug airborne, so any breath would draw it into the lungs. Yan Jiyun’s legs trembled now.

If he kept running, the dizziness would only worsen.

Damn this NPC—so deviously clever, devising a tool to control the animals.

Yet, Yan Jiyun still fought to escape, seeking any path free of vapor.

A quiet, nimble step sounded nearby. Out of the darkness, two large eyes appeared—it was the black panther!

It was safe!

Without a word, Yan Jiyun ran toward the panther. “Thank goodness you’re all right!”

He buried the samples he’d brought in a hidden place, trusting the wolves wouldn’t sniff them out while focused on him. He even rubbed against the panther, masking his own scent with its.

The panther watched his methods, bewildered. “……”

Yan Jiyun’s dizziness worsened. He covered the dirt and said to the panther, “Let’s find a place to hide!”

Just before losing consciousness, he used the twenty-minute experience card.

The next instant, his eyelids grew unbearably heavy. He passed out.

The panther picked up the small child who’d suddenly fallen asleep before it and carried him away from Tiger Mountain.

It, too, disliked the hiss of the vapor system; whenever it heard it, it fell asleep and later awoke tied up by humans.

Its cub mustn’t be taken.

Footsteps drew closer and closer. By the time the wolf player led the doctors to the spot, Yan Jiyun was long gone—only a lab coat remained, hanging from a low branch.

Dr. Zhou snagged it. “Tch. Let them get away.”

He handed the coat to a gray wolf. “Sniff it out. Keep searching.”

The gray wolf sniffed the garment and continued seeking, finally coming upon a lab coat belonging to Dr. Peng.

While the wolves and Dr. Zhou’s group chased after Dr. Peng, Yan Jiyun regained consciousness in short order. In his brief blackout, he’d seen the panther; using the twenty-minute experience card to have it carry him away. The card’s effects hadn’t yet expired upon waking.

He’d kept a tight grip on his nose, so he hadn’t inhaled much. The minimal dose meant a quick recovery.

Animals lacked such awareness; inhaling the mist naturally caused a deeper, longer unconsciousness.

Yan Jiyun estimated he’d been out for less than ten minutes.

He sized up his surroundings, the air thick with panther scent. He guessed he was in the panther’s domain—a ten-square-meter room, not a cave as before, but more like actual human quarters.

Climbing off a musty bed, he felt a fleeting unsteadiness, but his mind cleared quickly.

A few minutes more exposure, and he might have needed real time to recover.

He understood why the panther had brought him here—it must have learned from past experience that only human living spaces were free of these sedative sprayers.

The panther’s black coat and rebellious nature made it harder to capture. Dr. Peng had mentioned how rarely it was seen. Clearly, the panther had learned to avoid the sprayers, which it knew to be dangerous.

The powder Uncle Man had used previously likely came from the same source.

The sedative was controllable: when animal uprisings grew dangerous, the staff would use these jets to tranquilize the animals and then return them to their exhibits before morning.

Piecing it all together, Yan Jiyun surmised Dr. Zhou’s procedure:

Plant the species “A” Dr. Peng had mentioned in the zoo’s various habitats;
Dose the animals’ food and water with experimental drugs;
After sufficient buildup in their systems, the plants’ scent at night reacts with the internal drugs. The animals inhale the aroma and grow violent;
The animals rampage all night; if the experimenters get the data they want, they turn on the sedative sprayers, quieting the animals before dawn and sending them back to their zones. Thus, an experimental cycle is complete.

In sum, every animal in the zoo was an experimental subject for Dr. Zhou.

Now Yan Jiyun also realized the purpose behind the rows of rooms in the basement—they must house large amounts of experimental supplies.

Dr. Zhou was merely a technician. Clearly, higher powers were at work.

Who was Dr. Peng reporting to?

The two must belong to different factions.

Of all the NPCs he’d encountered, there was the director and the deputy director. His own supervisor had directly assigned him to Dr. Peng, and then there’d been the deputy director’s daughter’s abduction. He guessed Dr. Peng was from the deputy director’s camp.

Since Dr. Peng had little contact with the panther—who’d been brought here by the director himself—and since Dr. Zhou always oversaw the panther, it was likely Dr. Zhou was from the director’s camp.

So, in this instance, neither faction was the true villain; this was a struggle between factions.

Put simply, it was a workplace competition: whoever won would control the zoo.

But Yan Jiyun’s conclusions were provisional—he still needed to confirm them.

He checked his quest progress.

Protect Dr. Peng—In Progress.

Divert Dr. Zhou—In Progress.

Dr. Peng was still on the run; the quest was ongoing.

As Yan Jiyun analyzed the situation, he heard a rustling sound nearby.

A myna landed on the windowsill, squawking, “Here, here! Damn parrot won’t stop chasing me!”

Yan Jiyun saw its raised tail and smacked it with a paw.

The myna: “……”

A beat later, it let out a miserable screech.