Cat 109: Who Are You?

Chapter 109: Who Are You?

The three of them twisted and darted with agile movements, barely managing to dodge the terrifying mass of whipping tentacles. Had they been a step slower, they’d have been skewered through—if not turned into a string of kebabs, destined to become the monster’s next meal.

Chu Mo, driven to the edge of madness by the relentless pursuit, called out, “How can there be so many of these things? What kind of monster is this?”

Yan Jiyun, still relatively composed, focused all his attention on evading the tentacles surging up from the ground.

As the number of tentacles multiplied, the earth itself began to shake violently once more.

No wonder this land was barren, with not even a single tree surviving—the whole place was the domain of a colossal monster. Nothing else could hope to live here.

Yan Jiyun said, “Guns aren’t much use now.” Unless they could get their hands on a massive bomb to blow the creature to pieces.

But bombs weren’t immediately available; players had to buy materials in the game’s shop and craft them on their own.

The system, as always, seemed to have a twisted logic—never letting anyone take the easy way out. There were guns, but no bombs for sale, and the more powerful the weapon, the rarer it became.

Qi Feng was forced into a roll by the lashing tentacles, almost getting skewered. Even then, his mind remained clear: “Think of something else.”

Driven by pure survival instinct, Yan Jiyun continued to send mental commands to the shop system, even as he leapt up into a tree.

In the next instant, a bottle of alcohol and a strip of flammable cloth appeared in his hands.

If regular firearms wouldn’t work, he’d have to improvise.

He bit off the cork from the bottle, twisted the strip of cloth into a length, and jammed it into the neck. Then, without hesitation, he redeemed a lighter and set the cloth smoldering.

The fabric burned quickly, and Yan Jiyun hurled the bottle at the tentacles thrashing in the center of the clearing. The burning alcohol inside would heat up until the glass shattered.

He wasn’t sure at first if this would work, or if it would just end up as a feeble alcohol lamp.

Fortunately, the expected result came through.

The molotov cocktail exploded, burning and damaging some of the tentacles as they broke through the earth.

Qi Feng, unable to find a suitable tree, still dodged tentacles on the ground, while Chu Mo, spotting a nearby tree, jumped up, imitating Yan Jiyun: “That did nothing at all!”

Yan Jiyun’s tree was suddenly sandwiched by two tentacles, which began pounding against both sides as if trying to dislodge him. Climbing higher, he replied, “Just wait—you’ll see. Treat it as an experiment, though I can’t guarantee it’ll work. We really don’t have another method right now, unless someone conjures up a bomb and blows this thing up in the next few minutes.”

Even as he spoke, the spilled alcohol began to seep through the ground’s fallen leaves, flames kindling and rapidly spreading.

The fire grew larger.

No more tentacles rose from that burning patch; those that tried were seared and hastily retreated underground.

Chu Mo, even more excited than the one who’d started the blaze, cried, “It’s afraid of fire!”

He immediately redeemed several more bottles and hurled them at the ground.

Yan Jiyun did the same, knowing that alcohol could be purchased in bulk from the shop. He called to Chu Mo, “Don’t just throw it on the ground—aim for the tentacles themselves! There’s oil on their surface—it’ll burn!”

He’d touched that slimy, slick secretion before; it must contain some oil, which would burn hot. If they could scald it, perhaps the monster would be forced to retreat.

And if they could destroy it altogether, so much the better.

The oil on the tentacle’s hide began to catch, first just a single tendril or two—with little reaction from the monster, who simply withdrew the burning appendage underground. But now, every tentacle that lashed out at them burst into flame. The creature thrashed wildly, shaking the ground until Yan Jiyun nearly fell from his perch.

The dead leaves on the forest floor erupted in flames as well, and the tentacles flailed as though thrown into a massive grill. Still, the three saw no sign of the monster’s main body.

Now free from pursuing tentacles, Qi Feng rushed toward Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo: “You two, get down—quickly. We have to get out of here.” Spotting how high up Yan Jiyun had climbed, he added, “Don’t go any higher. The trees here are all sitting right over its lair. If it stops pretending, it could rip the whole thing out.”

No sooner had he spoken than both Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo, midway down, felt the tree begin to sway.

So much for an ally with a jinxed tongue.

Yan Jiyun scrambled down at once. With just two meters to go, the tree was wrenched from the earth by an enormous force as the ground itself was torn apart.

Chu Mo, still excited, wanted to see the monster’s true form: “The tentacle beast is coming out!”

The creature’s head loomed, as large as a mountain, its shape strikingly octopus-like—perhaps an evolved, land-dwelling octopus monster.

The fire continued to rage, their plan clearly having succeeded in luring the creature out.

The ground upheaved as the few remaining trees toppled over.

Its tentacles continued to whip after the three.

Chu Mo remarked regretfully, “Does it have nothing but tentacles? I can’t even see its head.”

Yan Jiyun, running and glancing back, saw what indeed looked like a moving hill lumbering towards them: “Isn’t that it? It really does look like a mountain.”

Qi Feng asked, “Do you still have alcohol? If not, I’ll buy more.”

The burning foliage now, too, crept toward the “hill,” which in turn began moving in their direction.

Yan Jiyun stumbled slightly as the ground heaved beneath him, but quickly regained his balance.

The three of them kept dodging, weaving through chaos; a single misstep would mean a swift end—seized by the tentacles and gone.

Yan Jiyun managed a quick reply: “I’ve still got alcohol left. I can keep throwing—it’s a little bit effective.”

The fire blazed higher, the turmoil escalating.

Qi Feng observed, “It’s not enough. It’s overturning earth to put out the flames. Once the fire dies down, it’ll come back after us.”

Chu Mo suggested loudly, “Then let’s burn down the whole Demon Forest!”

Yan Jiyun couldn’t help retorting, “Setting the forest on fire gets you a life sentence.”

Qi Feng, nearly undone by his companion’s comment, nearly lost his own drive.

Chu Mo complained, “It’s just a game, and there are monsters here.”

Yan Jiyun laughed, “I know, it was just something to say. I started the fire anyway.”

It was strange for them to even bother debating morality now—entering the game, everyone’s ethics seemed to change; behaving too normally almost aroused suspicion.

Qi Feng remarked suddenly, “Strictly speaking, burning the forest is wrong, but there’s nothing wrong with burning this monster—plus, if this forest is full of monsters, wiping them out with one fire isn’t a bad thing.”

Yan Jiyun glanced ahead: “Doubt we can burn it all. The monster fights the flames itself, and that thing never caught fire to begin with.” Clearly, the ‘hill’ was too damp to burn easily.

It was a frustrating setback—the monster could douse its own fire, rendering all their efforts futile.

Chu Mo sighed, “Looks like we really have to burn it all, roast this thing into squid jerky.”

Qi Feng, less emotional, stated the facts: “It’s not necessarily useless—its tentacles are still burning. There’s a chance.”

Yan Jiyun redeemed a can of gasoline from the shop: “There’s oil on its tentacles. Let’s use that tactic again—but this time, bigger flames.”

At the same time, Qi Feng produced his own can.

Chu Mo was quick to react, redeeming one as well.

With the monster torn between attacking and putting out the flames, its speed fell—for once, the three found an opportunity.

Qi Feng emptied the gasoline onto fallen branches and dead leaves. Now deep in the forest, they were surrounded by plenty of kindling.

The monster’s body was already ablaze here and there. When gasoline was poured around, flames shot skyward.

For the first time, the monster let out a screech—a harsh, grating cry, almost like a raven’s.

Apparently, it was working.

The screeching continued. In the burning forest, the air was thick with the stench of burning oil and smoke.

Yan Jiyun, his sensitivity to smells nearly a curse, pinched his nose, saying, “We have to get out of here now. The whole forest might catch.”

Chu Mo: “Then let’s go!”

Qi Feng nodded: “Go.”

With death at their heels, there was no hesitation.

The creature’s shrieks echoed behind them, tentacles whipping wildly—but now the flames along their length were too fierce to snuff out.

The fire, growing, crept closer to its main body.

The monster writhed in pain and rage but kept after the three gnats that had driven it to this pass.

While its body moved slowly, the tentacles reached far and fast. Even burnt, it pursued them relentlessly.

It shrieked, again and again!

Yan Jiyun’s acute hearing made the noise sharper still, to the point where his head ached. Unconsciously, he picked up his pace.

Chu Mo and Qi Feng lagged behind, unable to match him.

Everyone was running for their lives, too breathless even to speak. By the time Chu Mo and Qi Feng recovered, Yan Jiyun had already vanished from their sight.

Chu Mo turned and asked, “Where did he go?”

Qi Feng replied, “He sprinted off ahead—ran like the wind.”

Both still had to dodge the tentacles behind. Though hardly slow themselves, Yan Jiyun’s sudden burst left them stunned.

A strange competitiveness overtook Chu Mo—the former escape-artist couldn’t believe he’d lost to a new teammate. No, he had to pick up speed, too.

When Qi Feng noticed Chu Mo accelerating, he increased his own pace as well.

【Gou Yi Gou】 Livestream:

“This is too much! They’re supposed to be fleeing, but it looks like a triathlon!”

“Haha, I’ve never seen Gouzi run this hard. He could have hidden and waited, but now he’s forced to fight. So not his style.”

“Come on Gouzi, catch up with the cat! Wait, where’d the cat go?”

“I strongly suspect Gouzi lost to the cat.”

【Want to Be Human】 Livestream:

“Wow, the kitty’s really fast this time! How long until he makes it out of this forest? There are so many monsters!”

“The tentacle beast’s noise is unbearable even here. The cat must be suffering—no wonder he took off like that.”

“This time, the cat ran into two veteran players. Maybe he can finally take it easy?”

“You wish! The cat never spends much time in human form in these dungeons—he prefers to run solo, and switches between human and cat. With teammates this sharp, how would he ever hide his shapeshifting?”

“Good point. Better wait for him to act as a black cat NPC rather than hope to see him carried by those two. He’s not the type to coast, anyway.”

“I think you’ve all watched the kitten’s streams too long and forgotten how harsh this game is. He’s running for his life, too! Still, the senior player is truly something—first to grab the pegasus, and every time he enters a dungeon, the viewer count goes through the roof. The cat’s fans are just a fraction.”

Though Yan Jiyun was sprinting at full speed, he kept to the direction of Angel City.

He couldn’t keep up such a pace for long. Soon enough he slowed, allowing Chu Mo and Qi Feng to catch up.

The forest fire raged higher; the tentacle beast became more fragrant in its roasting agony, and its pursuit slowed. No more tentacles crawled up from the earth behind them.

They’d covered a considerable distance before they realized they’d reached the edge of the forest.

The blaze burned on. The tentacle beast was being roasted alive, its flailing limbs bringing down whole trees, the fire spreading outward from the monster’s lair as its center.

They heard not just its shrieks, but those of other creatures as well. Perhaps they’d ignited the true Demon Forest at last.

Before long, the evolving octopus monster’s cries dwindled to silence.

Yan Jiyun could smell the charred, fragrant aroma of grilled tentacle beast from afar—he was hungry.

The landing forest for players had wild bears, snakes, birds, and other animals. But as they emerged, the woods turned ominously quiet. No cries, no beasts—this was the real Demon Forest. Perhaps the “Demon Forest Exit” meant the opposite: only by passing through could they reach Angel City.

Chu Mo saw sunlight filter through the trees. “Did we just… run out of there?” He’d thought the ordeal would last longer.

Yan Jiyun thought, Finally, no more running. His legs were nearly numb.

From their vantage point, they could see the city ahead—its grand architecture reminiscent of the Middle Ages.

If it were just sightseeing, they’d take photos. But as players, neither beauty nor grandeur could summon any tourist-like feeling.

Yan Jiyun estimated the distance—with his time-limited experience card, he didn’t have long to spare.

In the “Crazy Zoo” dungeon, he’d earned 200,000 points; his livestream traded for 600,000, totaling 800,000.

Before entering the climax tournament, he’d used a three-hour experience card for 180,000, brought 10,000 points into the dungeon, left 30,000 out, and converted the remaining 580,000 into experience cards for the final battle. During the player-versus-player point rush, the three-hour card just got him onto the bike, and after entering the true Demon Forest, he bought another three hours, leaving him 6.6 hours.

And that was in under a day. With no time limit on the tournament, 6.6 hours was a pittance in the face of “no time limit.”

Yan Jiyun glanced at Qi Feng, who was standing stoically by his side. “Let’s go—into the city.”

Qi Feng nodded. “Mm.” He didn’t speak much, other than warnings or strategic discussions when monsters were about—nothing like how he was around Yan Jiyun’s cat form, when he could be chatty. The contrast was almost two different people.

Chu Mo, already ahead, looked back: “You two coming? Let’s get in before nightfall.”

Yan Jiyun wanted to say something to Qi Feng, but after a long internal struggle, he simply followed after Chu Mo.

The forest fire forced out many other players; they spotted several gasping for breath.

From the Demon Forest to Angel City, it was a half-hour to forty-minute walk.

Yan Jiyun checked the player count.

【Online Players: 399/500】

Nearly a hundred were lost in the Demon Forest; among the top hundred, the number might be even higher.

The system now notified them of time remaining to enter Angel City.

【System: Please be mindful of entry time. Sunset is in 30 minutes. Those not inside by then will have to spend the night outside.】

Everyone hurried, pushing their pace.

Suddenly, a pegasus, bandaged over body and wings, galloped out of the woods, heading straight for Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng.

Stopping beside Qi Feng, it rubbed affectionately against him.

Yan Jiyun: “…Did that thing just snuggle up to his Cat Dad in front of me?”

Wait—the pegasus wasn’t devoured by the tentacle monster?

Hopeless in the sky with the black hawks, and evasive on land—yet here it was?

While they fought the tentacle beast, the pegasus vanished, only now emerging—strange indeed.

Yan Jiyun asked Qi Feng, “You’re letting it into the city with you?”

Qi Feng replied, “It’s transportation. Might as well take it.”

Yan Jiyun glanced at the pegasus pressed close to Qi Feng, feeling a sharp twinge of jealousy. That was his Cat Dad. The ragged steed should’ve been roasted and eaten.

Turning away, he caught up with Chu Mo.

Chu Mo, too, took note of the pegasus, grumbling, “We rescued that horse, but it doesn’t give me so much as a second glance.”

Yan Jiyun agreed, “Exactly. We should just roast it.”

Chu Mo clapped his hands together with a laugh, “Right! If we run out of points and supplies, we can roast it for food.”

Yan Jiyun liked that idea. “I could go for that—though I hope my points don’t run out.”

Despite finding several point boxes earlier, they’d burned through nearly all their supplies fighting the tentacle beast, with less than 15,000 left.

Given the usual game structure, the Demon Forest was just an appetizer for the players; Angel City would be the main course, and afterward, some sort of dessert. The difficulty would only rise from here.

The journey to Angel City was smooth. Every survivor clustered at the entry gate.

With a wounded pegasus beside them, Yan Jiyun’s group drew plenty of glances.

At the city gates, armored guards in medieval garb stood watch.

But this was no true dungeon—NPCs here merely enriched the city’s character, not the plot.

A guard with a blue stamp called out, “Everyone—extend your right forearm!”

Players queued up, and each had a unique mark pressed onto their right forearm—a symbol, each different, resembling the twelve zodiac animals.

Players speculated what the symbols meant. Every mechanic in this game had significance, and perhaps the zodiac was key to clearing Angel City.

Chu Mo asked directly, “What’s the use of this?”

The guard replied, “You are outsiders. The mark lasts for only twenty-four hours.”

Yan Jiyun continued, “Does that mean we can only stay for twenty-four hours?”

The guard’s face stiffened into a half-smile. “You’ll understand once you’re inside.”

Yan Jiyun realized that was all he’d get from the stern-faced guard.

But even a single answer was enough.

They would have just twenty-four hours to find a way out of Angel City.

The rest would have to wait until they were inside.

After the first gate came a second, requiring no stamp—but asking for 100 points entry fee.

A modest sum by player standards; even the cheapest steamed bun was 20 points, so it was nothing steep.

Beyond the gates, Angel City was a scene of prosperity and vibrancy—not the decay they’d expected.

At this moment, the system chimed in.

【The gates of Angel City will close in one minute. Those not inside, please hurry.】

A minute passed.

【Congratulations to all players who made it to Angel City. You may now rest and enjoy yourselves.】

【Attention, all players: Your time in Angel City cannot exceed twenty-four hours. Stay beyond that, and you will remain here—forever.】

【The item shop is now closed.】

All players: …

The abrupt closure of the shop was a shock—none had time to purchase anything.

Yan Jiyun immediately checked if his experience card was locked out.

He breathed a sigh of relief—it was not forbidden.

The system issued another bulletin.

【Player points may be used to buy anything in Angel City. Points are tradable.】

The word “exchange” was audibly emphasized.

【Points leaderboard is now public.】

A moment later, all players saw a ranking list appear on their interface.

First: Qi Feng

Second: Pan Xing

Third: Yang Xiao Zhi

Fourth: Chu Mo

…

Thirty-first: Yan Jiyun

Yan Jiyun: …

A very safe rank.

This points list was different from the popularity list in the last dungeon; the previous one was chosen by NPCs, but this one was based on the player points and point boxes collected on arrival.

Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected Qi Feng to have so many points, sitting securely at the top.

His Cat Dad was a walking target—first place in Destiny was never a comfortable position.

Most players had crossed in at the last possible moment, now clustered under the gates listening to the system’s announcements.

Suddenly, an unfriendly shout rang out: “Qi Feng! Want to make a bet? Loser hands over all their points!”

Yan Jiyun followed the sound. Wasn’t that Fu Guangming from the New Power guild?

He’d healed from his injuries in only two days?

Qi Feng raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who are you?”

Yan Jiyun shot Qi Feng an admiring glance—so smooth, truly deserving of the title “Cat Dad.”

Fu Guangming gritted his teeth, eyes blazing with quiet fury: “…”