Cat 170: Choosing the True Core Self
by CristaeChapter 170: Choosing the True Core Self
[Want To Be Human] Livestream:
“Is this really a supernatural instance? Why is it Su Xiran’s assistant Xiao Tang pretending to be a ghost?”
“How come it doesn’t even feel like a supernatural instance anymore? If the game can do special effects, the crew should be full of special effects people too, right? When did the kitten catch on? Is Xiao Tang the culprit who killed Su Xiran?” Best Video Game Machine
“I know it’s hindsight, but I was already suspicious of Xiao Tang when she talked about Su Xiran disappearing after using the restroom. Her behavior was weird, and she cried a bit too theatrically.”
“But I’m more curious about the kitten saying he knows who Teacher Qu is. So who is it? Director Jiang or Producer Ci? Both have distinct personalities. Either could be Teacher Qu’s core self.”
“Huh? Am I the only one who thinks Qu Wanchao is the true self? Isn’t it obvious from the names? Qu Wanchao is Teacher Qu, right?”
“Forget who Teacher Qu is—I just want to see the kitten unlock the truth of Mingya High 2.0 as soon as possible. Xiao Tang must be a crucial lead; once the kitten found the archives, she appeared, clearly to destroy evidence, but the kitten beat her to it.”
Xiao Tang really was faking it. She planned to retrieve Su Xiran’s school records, but saw people approaching and swiped a ghost costume from the crew to scare them, since the school already had that ghost story.
Shi Yan thought she was a real ghost—especially after the room suddenly turned cold—not realizing she’d just turned on the air conditioner.
Shi Yan put away his clearly useless peachwood sword. “Why did you do this?”
Who would have thought it was just a crew member, not a real ghost?
Wait, with Su Xiran already dead, why hadn’t Xiao Tang left?
Yan Jiyun kept the flashlight on Xiao Tang’s eyes, the makeup on her face disturbingly garish.
Xiao Tang squinted against the beam. “Can you take the flashlight away? My eyes are burning.”
“If you answer a few questions. Don’t even think about running—my buddy here can pin you in a second.”
Xiao Tang shielded her eyes, resigned. “I’ve got nothing to hide if I’ve been caught. Ask away.”
“Did you kill Su Xiran? What grudge did you have?” Yan Jiyun asked bluntly.
She immediately denied it. “I didn’t kill her, but it’s true we had a grudge. I came here to destroy her record on someone else’s orders, but you two beat me to it.”
“Why did your instigator want Su Xiran dead? You were the one who lured her up to the rooftop, right?”
Xiao Tang nodded. “Yes, but I only did it on someone’s instruction.”
“What was your grudge?”
Xiao Tang’s face fell. “My family’s poor. She always found excuses to dock my pay. My mom relies on my wages for her treatment, and last month Su Xiran withheld my pay because she claimed I made her sick by bringing her the wrong food. She wouldn’t release my salary, so my mom couldn’t get medicine in time and passed away half a month ago.”
Yan Jiyun saw she wasn’t lying. “And then someone found you?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He told me to come here and destroy Su Xiran’s file. But you got here before I could.”
“The ghost stuff—that was part of their plan, too?”
She nodded quickly. “Right, exactly. He texted step-by-step instructions; if anyone saw me, I was to dress up and scare them.”
Yan Jiyun had heard a humming, thinking it was just the ringing in his ears, but it turned out to be the air conditioner. The difference between this chill and what he’d sensed from real ghosts in the classroom was significant—a mechanical chill, not a supernatural one.
So there were two kinds of troublemakers in the instance?
One was real ghosts; the other, humans playing ghost.
Things were growing more complicated.
At least they could root out the fake ghost first.
Shi Yan asked, “How were you two communicating?”
Xiao Tang produced her phone to show a series of texts from an unknown number. “He always told me what to do. I never thought he’d actually hurt Su Xiran—I just wanted to scare her, not kill her!”
She looked desperate to defend herself, but Yan Jiyun felt no sympathy for NPCs who did bad things.
“You did wrong, and that’s on you. Did you ever see the person pulling the strings?”
She shook her head. “Never. But he must be someone from the crew—I heard his voice once, it’s—ah!”
Before she finished, a sharp dart shot through her throat, killing her right in front of Yan Jiyun.
The flashlight in Yan Jiyun’s hand didn’t cast a powerful beam, but it illuminated the horror of her death all too clearly.
Damn, that was sudden—damn, that was terrifying.
Shi Yan charged toward where the dart had come from—someone outside the window had blown a poison dart at Xiao Tang, killing her instantly. It was a cover-up; the killer was desperate to protect his secret.
What truth was being hidden? How far would the killer go?
Shi Yan, quick on his feet, leapt out the window in pursuit, but lost the suspect among the trees. The attacker knew the campus well and vanished in moments.
Silence returned to the archives. Yan Jiyun slumped against the wall, catching his breath.
The medicine Qu Wanchao gave him had worked, his shoulder barely hurt anymore—but his head was spinning, lethargy coming on hard.
What to do?
No—he couldn’t collapse in the library.
He pinched his own arm to jolt himself awake and hurried downstairs. Before he could leave, his time as a human expired; he reverted to a cat, head swimming, eyes glazed, barely able to keep them open.
He caught the scent of medicine on himself, his left arm still marked where the ghost scratched him. If he went back like this, Qi Feng was bound to notice.
He retreated to a deep cabinet in the farthest corner of the library, curling up for shelter.
Dawn was near, work on set would stop; it didn’t matter if he made it back or not—none of the Mingya crew was actually there to make a movie; they’d all come with other motives.
His thoughts slurred; he needed rest—tomorrow would have to deal with tomorrow’s problems.
Within seconds, he was sound asleep in the cabinet.
Shi Yan, having chased the masked man to the music building, lost him anyway. The suspect clearly knew the campus well and escaped easily.
Director Jiang called an end to filming for the night: rest during the day, pick up in the afternoon.
Qi Feng and Gu Wenzhu left the music building together.
Qi Feng noticed Shi Yan had returned alone. “Where’s Yan Jiyun?”
They’d gone off together—why come back solo? Had something happened?
Shi Yan recounted what happened: finding Xiao Tang, her killing, the man in black.
Gu Wenzhu, who’d been keeping an eye on the NPCs, frowned. “Several people left the set just now, but I didn’t see anybody leaving after you two did.”
Shi Yan: “Maybe the culprit came from the B crew?”
Qi Feng: “No. Someone left—the producer Ci Shen, and Director Jiang stepped out just now, too.”
Gu Wenzhu checked and, indeed, the producer was missing from the filming site.
Shi Yan: “Both Yan Jiyun and I suspect there’s an issue with Director Jiang.”
Qi Feng had not been on Shi Yan’s bus, so he didn’t know about the earlier argument; Shi Yan gave a brief rundown of Yan Jiyun’s deductions.
Gu Wenzhu connected the dots. “Could Director Jiang have been—” Possessed by a ghost?
Qi Feng’s eyes focused past Shi Yan. “It’s possible. His behavior’s inconsistent.”
Shi Yan: “What are you looking at?”
Qi Feng stated the obvious. “Yan Jiyun still isn’t back.”
Shi Yan wasn’t worried. “There won’t be a problem. Xiao Tang’s dead now—no threat to him. No other players are searching the library at the moment.”
Gu Wenzhu looked uneasy. “I’ll look in the library.”
Qi Feng stopped him: “I’ll go. You two stay here and keep an eye on the others.”
But as Qi Feng left the music building, he ran directly into Director Jiang, who was carrying a familiar-looking bag. He signaled Shi Yan and Gu Wenzhu to tail Jiang while he searched for Yan Jiyun, still concerned over his teammate’s injuries.
If Qi Feng’s sense of smell was as good as Yan Jiyun’s, he could have tracked the scent of ointment to the right place.
Shi Yan and Gu Wenzhu lingered in the music building, pretending to search for clues but actually tailing Jiang to monitor his movements.
With Yan Jiyun gone, their previous script-driven approach was at a standstill.
Meanwhile, Director Jiang summoned the studio assistant: “Where’s my tent? I want to rest.”
The assistant led him to a cozy tent in a music classroom, set up for him to stay for the next three nights.
He slipped the bag into the tent and asked, “Whose tent is this next door?”
“Director, that’s Producer Ci’s. He said you’d both need to discuss work late, so I arranged for you two to be neighbors.”
Director Jiang nodded, dismissed the assistant, and climbed into the tent, opening the bag he’d brought in.
He peered into a black, fluffy mass. “Tsk, this little black cat sure is sleeping soundly.”
[Want To Be Human] Livestream:
“Shit, kitten, wake up! There’s a psycho NPC here!”
“Did he faint? What’s Director Jiang want to do? Does he know the kitten’s secret, that he can switch between cat and human forms?”
“Wait, how did Director Jiang even know the kitten was hiding in the library?”
“Director Jiang is kind of terrifying!”
“I just heard in a level-5 pro’s channel that there’s a scary truth: Director Jiang may be possessed! Ahh, goosebumps! If he’s a ghost, what kind is he—Teacher Qu’s core self or an alter?”
“I’ve watched horror streams for years and never felt so creeped out—an NPC from a supernatural instance carrying a player back to his lair. Now I’ve got chills for the kitten! This is a ghost! Help! Kitten, wake up!”
“So this ghost—is it Teacher Qu?”
Exhausted from the medicine, Yan Jiyun slept deeply. He vaguely heard noise outside but couldn’t move, succumbing instead to heavy fatigue.
He’d slept terribly for days; this month really called for more sleep.
Sleep, just sleep.
Shi Yan and Gu Wenzhu kept vigil at the entrance.
Gu Wenzhu looked thoughtful. Shi Yan thought Yan Jiyun’s teammates seemed reliable.
Shi Yan: “Do you see anything?”
Gu Wenzhu: “Just wondered why Director Jiang came back with a bag at this hour.”
Shi Yan didn’t know about earlier cat-in-a-bag incidents. “Looks like something’s inside.”
Gu Wenzhu: “I remember Qi Feng used a luxury bag for a cat at the teaching building. Could this be a cat?”
Only upon reaching this instance did Shi Yan learn his team had a black cat, same as they’d seen at Mingya High.
He ventured, “No way. Where would he find a cat?”
Gu Wenzhu muttered, “But how would Director Jiang know where the cat was? He and Qi Feng spend almost all their time here—except when he leaves to rest.”
Shi Yan: “Maybe we’re just guessing.”
Gu Wenzhu didn’t elaborate, remembering how a black cat had appeared in Hide and Seek, and after joining this instance, hearing from Qiu Xi that the black cat might be the same one she’d seen with Qi Feng, who was in fact his owner.
‘Qi Feng’s cat is pretty impressive—always favored by NPCs.’
Was there really a cat in that bag?
Director Jiang had already opened the bag, lifting the soundly sleeping cat out and placing him in his sleeping bag.
He gazed at the black cat, the smile on his face widening, and poked the cat’s head with a finger.
“So this is what it feels like to have a cat.”
“I really ought to have kept one quietly before now.”
“This black cat is mine; no one can take it. It’ll stay and keep me company, so I’ll never be lonely again.”
“Will it be hungry when it wakes up? Should I prepare something?”
“Raw or cooked meat? Kibble or canned food? Am I now officially a litter box cleaner?”
Director Jiang muttered to himself, absently watching the cat sleep—energetic, not planning to rest at all.
The cat was a bit too black, he mused, but it would do. He could keep it company for a decade or so, though really, that wasn’t long enough.
Yan Jiyun slept on and on, his senses dulling. Only illness could drive him to sleep so deeply, and it was a deathlike slumber.
He woke thinking he’d only slept five or six hours, but checking the system clock realized more than ten had passed. Best Video Game Machine
He sprang awake—where was he?
The mat beneath him was soft, but not a bed—and the roof was rounded.
A tent?
He didn’t sense anyone familiar nearby. Qi Feng hadn’t brought him here.
The last he remembered, he’d chosen a cabinet in the library before exhaustion took over; someone must have moved him while he slept. Not a player—they’d have no way of finding his hiding spot—so that left only…
The thought wouldn’t even form; his fur nearly stood on end.
He made himself calm down. This was Teacher Qu’s mind. It was entirely possible for Teacher Qu to always know where he was—perfectly normal. Not scary at all. Not scary at all!
Except it was terrifying!
As soon as Director Jiang entered, Yan Jiyun bolted out, hiding behind the door’s shadow. To go out the main way would mean running headlong into him—and he wasn’t about to let himself be taken in hand.
Director Jiang headed straight for the tent, a bag of medicine in hand. Lifting the flap, he found the cat gone.
Just as Yan Jiyun had suspected.
But what shocked him wasn’t Director Jiang being possessed, but rather how this person found him at all; he’d been hidden deep in the cabinet, surely impossible to find. Unless… something else followed him.
Suddenly, Director Jiang turned to where Yan Jiyun hid, a smile breaking over his face. “Kitty, why are you hiding behind the door?”
Goosebumps rose on Yan Jiyun’s skin. He told himself, This is Teacher Qu’s mind world; it’s normal for Teacher Qu to know always where you are. Not a ghost, not a ghost!
But it was so damn terrifying!
He tore out of the music room as Director Jiang approached. Not running would be true idiocy.
He was already being watched. And the other seemed to have seen through his disguise.
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!
Teacher Qu was possessing Director Jiang.
Director Jiang chased him but lost him at the door—by then, the kitten had vanished.
Yan Jiyun, familiar with the music building, ducked quickly into the trees, heart still pounding in his chest.
He’d found Teacher Qu, but which one—the main self or an alter? How could he be sure?
He watched, hidden from under a tree aligned with the music classroom and the tent, observing as Director Jiang reentered the tent for a nap.
If he wanted to draw out Teacher Qu’s core self, he had to stick to Director Jiang.
Other NPCs were resting; Director Jiang emerged from the building, avoiding the idling NPCs along the campus lanes. Where was he going?
Yan Jiyun shadowed him from nearly fifty meters back—it was important to remain the hunter, not the hunted.
Director Jiang had given him food and had shown no clear malice, so perhaps this was not a hostile personality.
Fine. Let Qi Feng and the others pursue the real truth about Mingya High’s jumpers. He’d observe Teacher Qu’s possible personas.
With Teacher Qu attached to Director Jiang, Teacher Qu in this instance had gone from human to ghost, controlling the ghosts all along.
“Su Xiran’s Death” was unlocked. Since Director Jiang was still functional, he might not have been the mastermind—maybe the mastermind was one of the female supporting characters, with whom Yan Jiyun had little contact.
He kept fifty meters between himself and Director Jiang, all the way to Mirror Lake.
At the lakeside, Director Jiang stood gazing over the water. Yan Jiyun soon heard a new set of slow, deliberate footsteps approaching.
Who now?
Why did two from the same crew need secret meetings like this?
The footfalls were very soft—only a cat might be able to hear them.
Yan Jiyun hid behind a mound, not daring to get closer.
Soon, the other arrived: Qu Wanchao.
By Shi Yan’s account, Director Jiang disliked Qu Wanchao. So why meet now?
But Director and Teacher Qu were distinct; Qu Wanchao, Ghost Two, and Director Jiang must all be splinters of Teacher Qu, only serving different roles.
Qu Wanchao spoke up at once: “Director, I’ve taken care of everything you asked.”
Yan Jiyun: “…”
Damn! What was this? Was Qu Wanchao another splinter under Teacher Qu?
[Congratulations, player, for triggering Main Mission 7: Find all of Teacher Qu’s personalities, and identify the true core self.]
[Task Details: How many personalities does Teacher Qu have? Only by finding them all and awakening the real one can you escape this game.] Best Video Game Machine
[Confirm: Are Director Jiang and Qu Wanchao both personalities of Teacher Qu, or is one the true core self? Answer carefully: a wrong guess will deduct game time.]
Yan Jiyun: “…”
Good lord, is this where collecting the seven Dragon Balls lets you summon Shenron?