Cat 142: Teacher Qu’s Paintings

Chapter 142: Teacher Qu’s Paintings

The thunder rumbled on and on, and Yan Jiyun hid behind Teacher Qu.

There had also been a “Teacher Qu’s Fury” quest in Copy A, but that anger was fundamentally different from this. This was the difference between a level-2 and a level-4 difficulty: the same quest name, but a world of difference in challenge.

When the thunder finally ceased, a torrential rain began to pour.

Rain meant their progress in searching for clues would be hindered.

Crack!

Suddenly, all the school’s lights went out, and a chorus of shouts arose from the teaching building ahead.

With gloomy weather and a blackout, even classes couldn’t continue.

Having adjusted to the thunder, Yan Jiyun looked over at Teacher Qu’s face. It was still as dark as ever, perfectly matching the mood outdoors.

He wondered whether the girl on the recorder had any connection to Teacher Qu.

There were several problems to be solved.

Who was the girl in the recording? Where was she now? Was she alive or dead?

Who were those three male students—which classes were they from, what was their relationship, and what had they done?

When exactly had Yang Pingping recorded the audio?

From what was known, the incident had occurred inside the music building.

Might this be the reason the music building had since been abandoned?

Copy B’s music building likely had similar rumors, but seeing it closed, he’d subconsciously ignored that detail.

As Yan Jiyun pondered, Teacher Qu picked up the frightened cat and gently stroked his back.

Yan Jiyun could sense a faint stiffness in his fingers; from the moment he’d listened to the recorder, Teacher Qu had been this way.

Yan Jiyun had hoped Teacher Qu would explain things, but clearly the system had no intention of letting him clear the quest so easily—Teacher Qu hadn’t said a word.

Just as a hint began to emerge in the relationship between Han Ruibai’s group, new figures had been introduced, and Yan Jiyun felt as though his fur was falling out by handfuls.

Teacher Qu suddenly remarked, “Guoba, your fur is shedding pretty badly. Every time I touch you, I get a handful.”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

Was he really shedding that much?

More than the thunder outside, he was now worried about his own fur!

With the rain pouring down, Yan Jiyun didn’t want to get his paws or coat wet, so he curled up in Teacher Qu’s office until class ended.

The class representative brought the assigned cat drawings to the office, and he and Teacher Qu looked though them, one after another.

Yan Jiyun seemed to see himself in every picture—no wonder, as they were paintings by NPCs. They were truly remarkable, and he wanted to keep every one.

Class ended, and the rain stopped.

Yan Jiyun despised the muddy puddles outside, certain his paws would be covered in filth if he walked out now.

Teacher Qu stayed in the office grading the student assignments.

He didn’t seem in any particular hurry; in Copy A, he’d always been coming and going unpredictably.

Time ticked by, and Yan Jiyun simply avoided looking at the countdown timer—if he did, he’d only get anxious.

Now, how should he find his next point of entry?

Having completed Main Quest 1 meant he had already located the shared wish of Han Ruibai and the others—the recorder was the crucial key to this.

They were all hoping the girl would not return for revenge.

After reviewing the final drawing, Teacher Qu carefully gathered up all the pictures, satisfied.

He put on his jacket, scooped up Yan Jiyun, and tucked the six-month-old cat into his arms, the long tail hanging out from his oversized coat.

Yan Jiyun realized it was now lunchtime; after running around all morning, his stomach was growling.

Teacher Qu brought Yan Jiyun to the teachers’ canteen. As they passed by students, everyone greeted him, but their attention was fixed on the black head and long tail poking out from his coat.

Ban Mo and the others, who had just been trapped in the teaching building, also ran into Teacher Qu at the canteen entrance.

Ban Mo said quietly to Shi Yan, “So that black cat really has an owner.”

Shi Yan was looking at Teacher Qu. “I don’t think I’ve seen that teacher before. He has a very different presence.”

He Yuanle observed, “He’s the best-looking teacher of them all. Usually, that means he must be an important NPC.”

Ban Mo agreed. “Of course. That black cat took us to Yang Pingping by the lake, and then to watch Cheng Su fall from the building—anything with a pet is always significant, so the owner must be even more important.”

Yan Jiyun silently gave them a thumbs-up. It looked like he’d found a way to guide Ban Mo’s group to the quest. If they saw him as a guiding NPC, he’d stick with Teacher Qu. The only problem was how to tell them about the recorder.

Shi Yan suddenly asked, “By the way, where’s Yan Jiyun? Weren’t we supposed to share information at lunchtime here in the canteen? Can we rely on him?”

Not knowing Yan Jiyun well or having interacted with him, Shi Yan naturally doubted his sudden appearance.

He Yuanle came to Yan Jiyun’s defense. “Of course he’s reliable—he saved my life. He’s a good guy, probably just held up by something.”

Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected He Yuanle to think so well of him, and was warmed—sometimes small kindnesses did pay off.

Shi Yan said no more. After all, it was Yan Jiyun who had shared Main Quest 1 with them, and now that it was complete, the copy had advanced.

They hadn’t been assigned as teammates, and now that they were in a difficult instance, the game rarely sent global announcements to players, making it harder to shortcut.

Would Main Quest 1 be attributed to Yan Jiyun?

As long as they’d triggered the quest and found the related clues, the game would grant them points in the final tallies—though not as much as the main actor.

One of the seven days had passed, leaving six.

And they’d only just finished quest one; this copy was obviously not easy. Of course, for advanced players like them, this level of difficulty was normal and not unbearable.

Teacher Qu took Yan Jiyun to eat separately from Ban Mo’s group. With a black cat in his arms, he drew even more attention than usual.

He’d always seemed aloof, but today, Teacher Qu was gentle and approachable.

Yan Jiyun’s lunch included both fish and chicken, all rinsed in clear water by Teacher Qu.

Following an NPC meant eating well—for now, he’d keep it up.

After a brief lunchtime, Ban Mo’s trio went off to look for clues, still focusing on the key NPCs tied to Main Quest 1.

Yan Jiyun concentrated on Quest 2; he needed a way to share it with the other three. Ideally, Ban Mo’s group could trigger Quest 2 on their own, saving him some of his experience cards.

So far, he’d used relatively little card time in this copy, but he couldn’t let his guard down. With six days to go and not enough cards, he’d need to stay in his cat form as much as possible.

When Teacher Qu left the canteen with Yan Jiyun, they quickly disappeared, and Ban Mo’s group split up as well. Ban Mo, being nimble, decided to follow the black cat and its master.

Yan Jiyun realized that as far as Ban Mo was concerned, his status as an NPC was already solid.

Teacher Qu walked lightly, intimately familiar with the campus. He could have shaken Ban Mo off easily at any moment, but Yan Jiyun made sure to meow whenever Ban Mo nearly lost them, helping him keep up.

After circling near the student dorms, Teacher Qu returned to the old teachers’ dormitory near the north gate—a different place from the apartment Yan Jiyun had seen in Copy B.

Ban Mo watched them enter, then climbed a nearby tree to keep watch.

Inside, Teacher Qu set Yan Jiyun down and left him to explore.

Compared to Copy A, where Teacher Qu lived in a new apartment, this was an old, moldy first-floor dorm, with peeling walls and rusted iron bars over the windows. It felt damp and claustrophobic.

Teacher Qu had painted many pictures; the most recent depicted the backs of a group of teenagers.

Was the girl mentioned in the recorder related to him—a younger sister, perhaps?

If so, why wasn’t he seeking vengeance but only investigating? That was strange.

Yan Jiyun doubted the recorder’s girl was Teacher Qu’s sibling.

He began searching through Teacher Qu’s paintings for any possible clue.

However, most of the works were landscapes or buildings, with few portraits.

But something about these scenes was familiar.

Wasn’t this the teaching building? The colors and floors matched exactly.

Moving the next painting, he uncovered the science block, and beneath that, the music building.

But the music building here wasn’t the shabby version from Copy B, but the bright, vibrant one from Copy A.

Could it be that Teacher Qu from Copy B had visited Copy A and painted this after returning? Yet since the painting was on the bottom, it wasn’t recent.

Yan Jiyun jumped away from the pile of paintings, just as Teacher Qu stood up from his easel.

The gloomy air of the old dorm was heavier after the midday rain; the humidity was stifling.

Yan Jiyun felt distinctly ill at ease—was there something wrong with his body?

He looked out the barred window—the sky had darkened again, sultry and oppressive.

Teacher Qu approached, his face ghostly pale in the dim room.

Yan Jiyun’s mental alarm went off: Run!

【Player has triggered the hidden quest: Do Not Touch Teacher Qu’s Paintings.】

【Quest Details: Welcome to Teacher Qu’s private domain. You’ve seen his most treasured paintings, but he dislikes anyone touching them. Evade Teacher Qu’s pursuit for five minutes to gain his trust.】

【‘Do Not Touch Teacher Qu’s Paintings’ quest countdown: 4:58.】

Damn, he hadn’t even come here on purpose—how had he triggered Teacher Qu’s secret base quest!

This room was tiny—was there even space to run?

Suddenly, the very structure of the old dorm seemed to expand, and Teacher Qu’s door swung wide.

He saw Teacher Qu striding toward him.

Yan Jiyun bolted for the door!

What else could he do but run?

He’d thought daylight in Copy B meant no environmental hazards, but it turned out he’d been living with a timed bomb all along.

Damn it—he’d been cut off from Ban Mo outside and had to handle this alone.

【Be Human】 Live Stream Chat:

“Wow, the kitten’s in full sprint mode again? It’s so hard to gain Teacher Qu’s trust in Copy B—none of the NPCs who’ve interacted with him before can trigger death quests, so why does this one need to clear Teacher Qu’s psychological hurdles first?”

“Because it’s a level 4 instance! Gaining favor from NPCs isn’t as simple as acting cute and purring. The higher the difficulty, the more challenging the NPCs are to win over. Think about it—if it’s two stars at level two, then it’s only right that it’s way up at four in a hard copy. It’s normal, but I do feel sorry for the kitten—haha!”

“Yeah, that’s rough. [schadenfreude.jpg]”

“But why are all the kitten’s hidden quests in both instances related to Teacher Qu? I thought his role here wasn’t that major?”

“Any NPC with a hidden quest is either a main character or a major villain. So, is Teacher Qu the protagonist or the antagonist?”

“Are you saying Teacher Qu is the mastermind behind Yang Pingping and Cheng Su’s deaths?”

“Ah, I need a pro to tell me—is Teacher Qu really the villain? Can the kitten die in his hidden quest?”

Villains in these copies always have high combat stats.

The audience knew, and so did Yan Jiyun.

All he could do now was run and hide.

Teacher Qu’s entire demeanor changed—the former gentleness vanished without a trace.

Never mind what goodwill the quest would bring; at the moment, Teacher Qu seemed to have no affection for him whatsoever. Was all his previous favor for nothing?

Oh, right—somewhere along the way, the system had stopped showing him NPC favor levels.

Probably to prevent him from min-maxing by exploiting NPC relationships for points. The targeting was obvious.

It seemed his trust with Teacher Qu was pretty low, or else why would such a killing-quest trigger?

Yan Jiyun dashed up to the second floor.

Teacher Qu was following. His eyes had completely changed—cold, unfeeling, and dangerously unfamiliar.

The system had surely spun up a separate instance solely for this hidden quest.

Somehow, Teacher Qu now had a cigarette in his hand as he pursued Yan Jiyun: “Little cat, you dirtied my paintings.”

He didn’t call Yan Jiyun “Guoba”—clear evidence that this was Teacher Qu reset to his factory settings, without him in his memory.

Troublesome, to say the least!

The old dormitory had only four floors, with just one room per floor—almost nowhere to hide.

The resident of the second floor had cleaned the landing meticulously, but despite the tidiness, eerie drafts whistled through. Yan Jiyun raced past, up to the third floor.

Teacher Qu followed at a steady, relentless pace. Yan Jiyun’s heart pounded—this Teacher Qu was someone else entirely.

This was his first time in-game meeting three distinct versions of a single NPC. Clearly, going for NPC favor was riskier than standard quests. No wonder other players avoided it—difficult and time-consuming.

On the third floor, cardboard boxes were stacked by the door, but they were too easy to search—a poor hiding spot.

He continued up to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor landing was messier, with boxes and a makeshift coal stove for boiling water; though unused at the moment, it was empty and clean.

Not only were some doors closed, but some windows were open, the wind keening through.

He heard no voices—this instance of the “hidden quest” had transformed the dorm into an uninhabited block. What might lurk inside the empty apartments, he dared not guess—with no backup, he lacked the courage to check.

He hovered at the stairwell, scanning for somewhere to hide.

【Be Human】 Live Stream Chat:

“Where do you think the kitten will hide?”

“Teacher Qu is sharp—he’ll find anywhere.”

“Not necessarily. Cats are expert hiders, and with their black coloring, it’ll be doubly hard. I wonder, is this quest a test for the cat or the NPC?”

“You know, coming at it from the cat’s perspective, it’s really more about challenging the NPC—hahaha! Who’d have thought a horror copy would let the player stump an NPC?”

“I bet Teacher Qu has no idea where the kitten’s gone—cat’s too sneaky!”

“I just want to shout—kitten, you’re amazing! Teacher Qu will never find you!”

After surveying the area, Yan Jiyun stuffed himself into the coal stove.

If he kept quiet, he’d never be found.

The stove was in a relatively secluded, low spot; the skies were gloomy—unless someone looked very closely, he would seem invisible.

On casual glance, the stove looked empty—just an optical illusion.

Had his body been any larger, even by two months, he’d have never managed to squeeze inside.

【‘Do Not Touch Teacher Qu’s Paintings’ quest countdown: 3:48.】

He just had to hold out.

Yan Jiyun held his breath. Unlike with human players, he now faced an NPC whose parameters could be altered at will.

Teacher Qu climbed from the first to second floor, where all the doors and windows were shut and the corridor offered no hiding places, so he soon moved to the third floor.

He paused to search the boxes in the third-floor corridor, then pressed on up to the fourth.

The entire search took barely two and a half minutes.

【‘Do Not Touch Teacher Qu’s Paintings’ quest countdown: 2:30.】

He’d need to stay hidden for the duration.

As he prayed in silence, Teacher Qu’s footsteps reached the fourth floor.

Teacher Qu first checked the leftmost room with an open window.

He pushed the window open easily, climbed through, and emerged after a little while.

Then he continued, methodically searching every room with a door or window ajar.

His pace slowed; perhaps he no longer felt so urgent about finding the cat.

However, Yan Jiyun could sense the pressure mounting—Teacher Qu was getting closer.

Teacher Qu entered the last room with an open door; all the furniture was simple, without any complex sofas or anything to hide behind—even a cat would be easily spotted.

When he emerged, his expression darkened—no sign of the cat.

【‘Teacher Qu’s Paintings’ quest countdown: 30 seconds.】

Yan Jiyun’s heart pounded; Teacher Qu was only a meter away—he could see his long legs from under the stove.

Unable to find him, Teacher Qu seemed slightly doubtful.

As Yan Jiyun silently counted down the moments left, Teacher Qu’s feet turned toward the corner with the coal stove!

Yan Jiyun flexed his claws, knowing he had no way out.

Teacher Qu approached slowly, each step matching the pounding of Yan Jiyun’s heart.

【‘Do Not Touch Teacher Qu’s Paintings’ quest countdown: 10 seconds.】

Only one step remained between them.

The top of the stove was where a kettle would rest, but Yan Jiyun was concealed deep in the vent below.

Had the vent not been so wide, the hiding place would never have worked.

Teacher Qu stopped in front of the stove.

He removed the rusted kettle from the top, finding nothing underneath.

Yan Jiyun knew Teacher Qu was meticulous about details—he’d surely check the vent.

Sure enough, Teacher Qu tugged at his pant leg and crouched down, peering into the vent.

Yan Jiyun closed his eyes immediately—if he couldn’t see Teacher Qu, then surely Teacher Qu couldn’t see him!

【‘Do Not Touch Teacher Qu’s Paintings’ quest countdown: 3 seconds.】

Teacher Qu took a look, saw nothing amiss, rose, and turned to leave—but then seemed to sense something wrong.

Two seconds—

One second—

He suddenly crouched again, reaching into the vent. Yan Jiyun’s eyes snapped open—

【Congratulations! You have completed the hidden quest ‘Do Not Touch Teacher Qu’s Paintings.’ Teacher Qu’s trust in you has increased.】

With the quest over, Yan Jiyun found himself back in the first-floor room—right atop the painting of the dormitory.

Filthy system—didn’t even tell him how much trust had been gained.

Teacher Qu picked up the painting, which now bore four inky paw prints, and scooped up the black cat.

He said, “Guoba, don’t step on my paintings, understand?”

Yan Jiyun was still afraid of the hand that had reached for him moments ago. He gave a dazed nod, and realizing he was in Teacher Qu’s arms, struggled to jump down. But Teacher Qu, not wanting him to trample the paintings further, delayed.

Nevertheless, Yan Jiyun squirmed loose and leaped to the floor.

He bolted out the door, heading for the music building, and Teacher Qu, without hesitation, chased after him.

From behind came his shout: “Guoba, don’t run off!”

At that moment, Ban Mo—who’d been stationed outside—saw the little black cat hurtling ahead, its master in pursuit, and joined the chase.

Before long, the black cat dashed up to an old building and glanced back at the teacher chasing behind.

The iron gate stood open, and both cat and teacher rushed inside. Ban Mo, sensing a quest would be triggered, followed them in.