Cat 153: Searching for Class Monitor

Chapter 153 Searching for the Class Monitor

[Be Human If You Want] Livestream Chat:

“The kitten is obsessed with holding the boss’s hand in this instance, it’s killing me. Is he trying to live out a dad fantasy?”

“But it’s so cute! I don’t even see this as a game anymore—feels more like a kids’ mystery TV show than an animation. I’m hooked.”

“Same here! It’s just like watching a children’s drama. I’ve stopped guessing who Teacher Qu is. With three identical little Teacher Qus, there’s no way to tell!”

“Who took the class monitor? Was it that creepy pervert hiding in the bushes earlier?”

“If a school really had that kind of pervert for a teacher, I’d go crazy.”

“Doesn’t have to be a teacher, could be some freak from outside.”

“What does this segment have to do with the main plot about kitten finding Teacher Qu? Either way, I hope he doesn’t run into that creepy guy.”

“The main quest isn’t about the pervert at all, it’s about kitten and the others finding the class monitor. Watch the plot carefully!”

Dragging Qi Feng by the wrist, Yan Jiyun ran in another direction. He recognized the scent of the class monitor’s body wash and simply followed the trail to where it drifted.

Qi Feng was curious—it almost seemed as if Yan Jiyun knew where to go without searching.

“You’re sure the Class 3 monitor was taken this way?” Qi Feng couldn’t see any clues.

“I’m sure. Don’t you smell the body wash in the air?” Yan Jiyun replied.

Qi Feng sniffed his own arm, “I do smell it, but it’s from me, not from outside.”

Sure, Yan Jiyun could easily detect Qi Feng’s own scent, but he could always distinguish individual people’s smells. Not that he could explain that to Qi Feng, though, so he simply tossed the question back.

“All right, I’ll be honest: it’s my intuition. I was afraid you’d think I wasn’t reliable, so I said it was the scent.”

“Then I’ll trust your intuition,” Qi Feng said. He knew some people truly had a sixth sense, and Yan Jiyun was no ordinary rookie—his hearing far surpassed normal people, and now it turned out he could rely on intuition too, which already exceeded what was humanly possible.

After entering the game, he’d come to realize how broad and strange the world could be—Qi Feng could accept anything as long as it didn’t hurt others.

Affirmation was always more heartening and confidence-building than suspicion.

Yan Jiyun liked how Qi Feng spoke—his spirits lifted and, in his good mood, his tongue grew even sharper: “Then let big brother take you flying, Qi Feng!”

Qi Feng, for once, shot back, “I’m older than you.”

Yan Jiyun: “But right now, we’re the same age.”

Qi Feng had no response, because it was true.

He switched the topic. “Let’s find the class monitor first.”

Being younger sometimes had its downsides; you didn’t just grow young, you became small.

Now that his focus had shifted, Qi Feng found his cat-related anxiety less overwhelming.

Yan Jiyun suddenly let go of Qi Feng’s hand, following the scent of body wash to a function building near the boys’ dormitory.

This primary school kept its dorms and teaching areas separate: stepping out of the main academic building led to the playground, and past that was the basketball court. Left of there was the boys’ dormitory, right was the girls’.

Behind the boys’ dorm, a path led north to the school’s north gate, with a row of staff housing buildings, and kids and seniors playing outside.

East of the dorms, toward the teaching area, was a large pond with many trees planted beside it. At night, it had a somewhat eerie look.

That person who had taken the class monitor must have used the cover of darkness, leading him behind the boys’ dorm, circling the pond, and heading toward the function building.

Why this route? What was the goal?

Yan Jiyun glanced at the lotusless pond and said, “There aren’t even any lights here—no wonder he took this way.”

Qi Feng: “Be careful.”

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng arrived behind the function building, the scent of body wash still strong. The class monitor had been brought upstairs.

They were supposed to be investigating the cause of the student poisonings—why were they also having to deal with a kidnapper? And this kidnapper seemed awfully familiar with the school’s layout.

What did he want with the class monitor?

The most logical—and chilling—thought was that he wanted to do terrible things to a child. The class monitor was indeed very cute and might draw the attention of that type of monster. The idea made Yan Jiyun shudder.

He pressed closer to Qi Feng as they walked side by side: “Doesn’t this function building seem unnaturally quiet to you?”

Qi Feng: “It’s normal. No school would have people hanging around here at night.” He glanced at Yan Jiyun, “Yan Weilán is really here?”

If he were in cat form, Yan Jiyun would have gone in already.

But it was too quiet, no trace of footsteps—he did not dare take Qi Feng in recklessly.

The two climbed up from the first to the second floor. The building had only four stories, and the scent still led upward.

On the third floor, the scent stopped.

The class monitor must be on the third floor, the location easy to pinpoint.

Qi Feng suddenly grabbed a moving Yan Jiyun: “Wait.”

Pressed tight to the wall, Yan Jiyun turned and asked, “Hm?”

Qi Feng: “Something doesn’t feel right. Maybe it’s too easy—could be a trap.”

Yan Jiyun relied on his nose, not gut feeling. But Qi Feng’s instincts were likely sharpened by years of gaming experience, and might be even sharper than Yan Jiyun’s sense of smell.

He pressed his ear to the wall: “Let’s wait here for a minute.” He couldn’t hear the heavy scraping of furniture. A kid of eight or nine would still be around fifty pounds.

Still, Qi Feng edged ahead, ears pressed against a classroom door.

Yan Jiyun went along behind him—no one inside.

They crept to the next room: also empty.

After moving to a third door, Yan Jiyun detected a faint sound. Qi Feng didn’t need a signal—he’d already started quietly turning the handle.

Yan Jiyun truly saw Qi Feng’s skill in that moment—this was the experience of a veteran, something to remember.

Qi Feng ducked behind a multi-function classroom desk.

Yan Jiyun could see the situation well: special desks bolted to the floor, computer equipment everywhere.

He followed Qi Feng’s lead.

Yan Jiyun poked him, head nearly touching his, whispering, “There’s a closed door over there.”

It was rare for Qi Feng to have someone so near—last time this happened, it had been an NPC pretending to be a ghost. That one he’d punched straight into the floor, never to reappear. This time, the atmosphere was different: all the heat and breath made his ears itch and flush, strange sensations.

Qi Feng shook it off, focusing on the instance. “I’ll check—stay here.”

Yan Jiyun grabbed the edge of his clean white T-shirt: “Let’s just go together.”

Qi Feng: “Don’t be scared. I’m sure it’s fine; come in after me.”

Yan Jiyun’s fear was not about danger, but uncertainty about who else might be inside.

But before he could argue, Qi Feng was already gone.

Yan Jiyun could only crouch and wait.

Qi Feng slowly pushed the door open, which wasn’t locked, just ajar.

Creak.

That noise would blow their cover for sure.

Once it was open, Yan Jiyun crept closer.

Qi Feng entered directly; by the time Yan Jiyun called after him, it was too late. He peered around, but Qi Feng was nowhere to be seen.

Low, he called, “Qi Feng, where are you?”

No answer.

Qi Feng had only been out of sight for a few seconds—had something happened?

Great—now he had to find two people, not one.

Yan Jiyun took a deep breath and entered the room.

Inside, there was nothing but a mostly empty storeroom with a few broken teaching tools.

No cameras—was there a hidden door here, another world beyond? Qi Feng had vanished without a sound—could the walls be soundproof, or was this another reality altogether?

Surely it wasn’t a supernatural world?

Yan Jiyun pounded on the wall: “Qi Feng? If you can hear me, kick the wall.”

Just said they should stick together, and now they were separated.

“Qi Feng? Where’d you go?”

Before Yan Jiyun could crack the secret of the room, a pair of adult hands reached out of the wall behind him—one arm wrapped around his waist, the other clamped over his mouth!

Yan Jiyun: “!!!”

Damn, damn, damn!!!

The attack frightened him senseless. He wasn’t unresponsive, but by the time he reacted, those hands had him firmly pinned. Whoever it was had come prepared.

No wonder Qi Feng had vanished so quietly!

Who? Just who was it?

Was it that same creep from outside the boys’ bath?

Yan Jiyun’s body was far too small to escape those hands!

He thrashed his head in vain: “Mmm! Mmm!” but the man’s strength was immense, totally ignoring his struggles.

Youth and a small frame meant the system severely limited what force they could muster.

Then, all at once, the man released him, tossing Yan Jiyun to the ground and quickly tying his hands.

If he had been a cat, Yan Jiyun would have hissed and spat.

Rolling over, he saw Qi Feng and Yan Weilán, both hands bound behind their backs.

Qi Feng: “How did you get in here?”

Yan Jiyun glanced at the masked man, then looked back. “I came to look for you after you vanished.”

The man wore an ugly plastic mask, and deliberately lowered his voice to threaten: “Stay quiet or I’ll stick a knife in you.”

Yan Jiyun shuffled close to Qi Feng and Yan Weilán, feigning fear but still baring his (metaphorical) claws: “Who are you? Let us out!”

The masked man ignored him completely and left through the revolving door.

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun had come in one after the other; by the time Qi Feng made it in, Yan Weilán hadn’t had time to speak, and then Yan Jiyun arrived.

Truthfully, Yan Jiyun didn’t need to worry about Qi Feng; in real danger, he could always use an item. But Yan Jiyun had panicked, thrown off by how misleadingly meek and childish everything seemed.

Only now did Yan Weilán ask, “How did you both get caught by the bad guy too?”

Yan Jiyun said, “We followed you in. Are you all right?”

Yan Weilán shook his head, “I’m all right. The masked bad guy just dumped me here and left. Thank you for coming to save me. But you don’t need to worry—after cleaning, my big brother will check our dorm. If he can’t find me, he’ll call the police.”

Hearing that, Yan Jiyun actually felt a bit safer—though, in a horror game, nobody ever got rescued when the police were called!

Neither he nor Qi Feng corrected him, just nodded perfunctorily: “Let’s hope so.”

Immediately after, with only a short delay, the system finally pinged them—apparently not expecting them to complete the new main quest so quickly.

[Congratulations on completing New Main Quest 1: “Find Yan Weilán.”]

[New Main Quest 2: Escape the Function Building.]

[Mission Details: Within 30 minutes, escort Yan Weilán out safely. Failure will result in a 48-hour reduction to your available task time.]

Forty-eight hours meant two full days. They’d already spent a day and a half here; subtract two more, and only about four days were left.

[“Escape the Function Building” — Countdown: 29:50]

Yan Jiyun said to Qi Feng, “Let’s escape.”

Qi Feng lifted his leg in front of Yan Jiyun.

Yan Jiyun blinked, “Is now really the time to show off your short legs?”

Qi Feng couldn’t help but laugh, “Pull the razor blade from my shoe.”

Yan Jiyun blushed—he’d been too short-sighted.

Qi Feng’s habit of always carrying tools paid off; it was useful in emergencies and saved precious items.

He twisted his body, maneuvering his bound hands to the side of Qi Feng’s shoe.

Yan Weilán watched, worried, “Be careful, Yan Jiyun. You pricked yourself with a needle earlier today.”

Yan Jiyun replied as he searched, “Don’t jinx it, class monitor.”

Immediately, Yan Weilán shut up, scared that more talk would lead Yan Jiyun to cut himself, just as docile as ever.

Qi Feng coached, “You’re almost there—careful, a little more to the right, feel for the paper. I wrapped the blade so you don’t cut yourself. Don’t use too much force or you’ll slice yourself for real.”

For an adult, this would have taken no time. But with these tiny hands, Yan Jiyun struggled to coordinate.

Being a little kid was exhausting.

At last, he got the blade and couldn’t help but grumble, “Why aren’t you wearing slippers after your shower?”

Qi Feng taught him a new rule: “We avoid bathing in instances unless absolutely necessary, in case of emergencies.”

Inwardly, Yan Jiyun admitted he’d learned something. No wonder Qi Feng always showered right after entering an instance—he took no chances. In comparison, showering inside an instance was playing with fire.

He finally got the blade. “Got it.”

Yan Weilán, watching, asked, “Now what? Should you cut Qi Feng’s ropes, and I keep watch?”

Qi Feng didn’t hesitate: “Cut mine last. Yan Jiyun, give me the blade so I can cut my own first.”

Yan Jiyun understood why—they couldn’t fully trust Yan Weilán, NPC as he was.

Acting doubtful, Yan Jiyun said, “Yeah, I might slip and cut you—remember, I stabbed myself with a needle earlier.”

Yan Weilán sighed in relief. “Good point.”

As they spoke, Qi Feng already had the ropes off in a flash.

Freed, he immediately untied Yan Jiyun, then worked on Yan Weilán.

Now they had to find a way out.

Qi Feng tried to push at the place where the masked man had entered, but it didn’t budge—maybe there were more hidden mechanisms.

“Nothing?” Yan Jiyun pressed his ear to the wall. “The soundproofing here is incredible; I can’t hear a thing outside.”

“It won’t move. We need to search for a mechanism.” Qi Feng wasted not a second, scouring the seventy-square-meter room.

Yan Weilán wanted to help, “Can I do anything?”

Yan Jiyun quickly assigned a task: “Help find the mechanism. If we don’t, we’re stuck, and if the masked man comes back, we’re screwed.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. Both he and Qi Feng were now eight or nine years old; facing a grown man meant serious trouble, not knowing what kind of NPC or how much strength he’d have—or whether he had accomplices.

Yan Weilán started fervently searching with them.

This windowless room had bookshelves, desks, a battered old sofa, and a few paintings on the walls. But the light was so dim and yellow, the paintings’ heavy oil scenes hard to make out except up close.

But they were too short to reach!

No chairs in sight.

Seeing Yan Weilán still seriously searching, Yan Jiyun whispered to Qi Feng, “Teacher Qu at Mingya High was an art teacher—his home is full of landscape paintings.”

Qi Feng mused, “You think the paintings could be clues about his different personalities?”

Yan Jiyun nodded, “Possibly. Last time, I touched a painting of the old teachers’ dorm and got dragged into a chase by Teacher Qu—but the Teacher Qu inside was a different persona.”

Qi Feng: “Maybe every painting here represents a different persona?”

Yan Jiyun: “Maybe.” Suddenly, he paused, tapping his chin. A spark of insight:

By rights, even through a door, he should have heard something when Qi Feng entered. Qi Feng must have been silenced as soon as the door opened, and to warn Yan Jiyun away, would have made noise. With his hearing, in such close quarters, he should have heard everything.

His eyes lit up. “I have a theory.”

Qi Feng liked to hear his partner’s logic—rookies always had fresh insights: “Let’s hear it.”

Yan Jiyun checked to see Yan Weilán still busily searching, then leaned in, shoulder to shoulder: “Is it possible we’re inside one of these paintings? Think about it: the school classrooms are spacious, and the first multifunction room we entered was large. This storeroom exists next door, but the combined space here is at least seventy square meters—a full classroom. Plus, this is Teacher Qu’s mental world, not the real one. He could freely alter the game design as he wishes.”

Qi Feng had thought along the same lines; once again, their thinking converged: “So we don’t need to worry if it’s supernatural or fantasy—we just need to find Teacher Qu and see things from his perspective.”

“Exactly. If we’re too rigid, assuming this is only a basic grade-school instance, we’ll never escape.” With his head clear, Yan Jiyun saw the main plot for what it was.

Who knew how many personalities Teacher Qu could unleash against them.

“Teacher Qu is the key to all our troubles.” Qi Feng kept pace perfectly. “So there’s just one way out for us.”

Both looked at Yan Weilán, still struggling to push the heavy sofa, having no sense of his own strength.

Yan Jiyun bounced onto the still-bouncy couch. “Give up—there’s no way your little arms and legs can move that thing.”

Yan Weilán, disappointed: “But aren’t we supposed to find a secret lever?”

Such an obedient little thing.

Yan Jiyun said, “Actually, we have a new plan—no need to search for devices anymore.”

He was almost certain Yan Weilán was one of Teacher Qu’s personas, perhaps the key to getting out. One more clue—why did the masked man need to wear a mask? In these instances, villains didn’t fear being recognized unless the NPC didn’t want players to identify his real identity.

Yan Weilán: “What plan? If we don’t find a way out, how do we leave?”

Curled up on the enormous sofa, Yan Jiyun said, “Close your eyes and silently wish: ‘Let us out of here.’”

Yan Weilán: “Huh? Will that really work?”

Yan Jiyun: “Just try. It won’t hurt, will it?”

Yan Weilán, full of exasperated trust, agreed: “All right.”

He folded his hands before his chest, and whispered: May we please be let out of this space.

Just as Yan Weilán started his wish, the [Be Human If You Want] livestream lit up with a new line of bullet text.

“Damn, isn’t this the level-five ‘pure innocence’ dungeon where no players ever survived? Why is this showing up here?”

“Bro, can you explain what you mean by ‘no one ever survived’?”