Cat 202: A Cat for Everyone

Chapter 202: A Cat for Everyone

[“Want to Be Human” Livestream Chat:]

“Ship them! I want my ship!”

“Ship what, exactly?”

“Ehh? The kitten turned human and is still pouncing on his owner!”

“That scene with the kitten just now was so cool! No wonder I stan this cat streamer—he always comes through.”

Qi Feng felt his chest jolt from Yan Jiyun’s collision.

Only after the force of the explosion faded did Yan Jiyun climb off Qi Feng’s chest. He was long used to curling up in Qi Feng’s arms, but now that he was human, his weight was nothing like a cat’s.

He lifted his head from Qi Feng’s chest, eyes full of concern. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Qi Feng certainly wouldn’t be injured by a mere bump. “I’m fine.”

The elk herd had finally been dealt with.

Sitting on the floor, Yan Jiyun gazed at the exploded skeletal remains, letting out a sigh of relief. Their efforts hadn’t been for nothing.

He remembered Su Qiuming getting gored in the leg and turned to look at him sitting not far away, calling out, “Hey, you alright?”

Su Qiuming glanced at his leg, hesitated, then managed a polite smile. “It’s nothing serious.”

Yan Jiyun, seeing he looked fine, climbed up from beside Qi Feng, delighted. “Qi Feng, it’s done.”

Qi Feng replied, “Let’s move on to the next step.”

Yan Jiyun shared his discovery. “Do you know what’s outside this mall?”

Qi Feng said, “The monsters all come from outside. What are you thinking?”

Yan Jiyun hopped to his front, gesturing animatedly. “Well, while I was upstairs just now, I saw a pair of huge eyes outside. You probably haven’t.”

Su Qiuming was close enough to hear. “Huge eyes? Where?”

Yan Jiyun could tell he’d just contributed and was hurt, so answered patiently, “Right outside the mall, in the dark. I keep feeling there’s a barrier between us and those eyes, as if we’re being watched.”

Qi Feng agreed, “I’ve always had that feeling too.”

Su Qiuming joined their conversation. “I thought it was the mastermind behind the replicants, but what you’re describing…we’ve never seen those eyes before.”

After meeting Su Qiuming, Yan Jiyun didn’t think he harbored any ill intent. Now that they were teammates, sharing information was only right.

Qi Feng nodded. “A pair of watching eyes. Sounds like this place is just a tiny world—like we’re birds in a cage.”

Yan Jiyun said, “There are giants outside. Doesn’t that make us Lilliputians?” Then a key question struck him, “How many days does this instance last?”

Qi Feng turned to Su Qiuming. “How many days for this run?”

Su Qiuming said, “Fifteen days.”

Yan Jiyun was startled. His intermediate instance had only lasted eight days. The last advanced one was a bug and not comparable. But this top-level instance was real, and it actually lasted half a month.

He muttered, “That’s pretty long.”

Su Qiuming explained, “Top instances are pretty random. Some lucky ones only last three days. The length doesn’t indicate difficulty—in fact, shorter ones can be harder. Also, top instances have a feature others don’t: we could end up with solo instances.”

Yan Jiyun remarked, “It really is random.”

Su Qiuming said, “Once you enter the top-level stage, you realize the real game is just beginning.”

Yan Jiyun sighed, “Tough crowd.”

He was still brooding about turning human—he could become human in-game, but once back in the real world he was still a cat. So far, the system hadn’t told him how to gain his own body. Humans have limited lifespans; he couldn’t loop in the game forever.

Seated, Su Qiuming bent his uninjured knee, then looked at Qi Feng. “You must have known all this already, right?”

Qi Feng said, “It doesn’t really matter.” He could have learned everything from a familiar guild leader. Collecting top-level information wasn’t hard; that’s why he’d mostly avoided it—the uncertainties were too many.

He stood up and looked at the ground floor, where just a few headless elk stumbled around like flies.

He told Su Qiuming, “Let’s deal with the present issues. Everything else can wait until we make it out.”

Su Qiuming chuckled, “Alright, give me a hand?” He’d been knocked against a cardboard pile by the blast and couldn’t stand with his injured thigh.

Qi Feng didn’t move, but Yan Jiyun hurried over to help Su Qiuming to his feet. He was growing ever more curious about the rift between these two. He desperately wanted to hear the story from the source!

Yan Jiyun’s bright, undisguised curiosity didn’t escape Su Qiuming. “You’ve heard the rumors about us, haven’t you?”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Are you going to tell me?”

Su Qiuming accepted his hand, then said, “No.”

Disappointed, Yan Jiyun let go. Until he knew the truth, he was firmly on Team Qi Feng.

[“Who’s Seen My Cat” Livestream Chat:]

“Waaah, how did it come to this? Is there any hope the two can reconcile? Their old partnership made us weep again and again, then broke up without warning…CP fans like us were devastated, I cried for a month.”

“But this love triangle is spicy, too. The newbie cooperates really well with Brother Feng, and even his cat likes the newbie! If pets like you, you can’t be all bad—it’s a sign you’re worth befriending.”

“Tsk, did you all forget how Su Qiuming abandoned Brother Feng? I refuse to support their reunion! He’s a betrayer!”

“Aaaah, but Brother Ming is great too, and so is the newbie. He and Brother Feng just click! They’re always hugging—ever since last instance! What do I do?”

“Has anyone wondered how the newbie entered the game? The second wave of players all came with little cards, except him and Brother Feng’s cat. I’m dying to know the real way in.”

“Didn’t he enter by accident, following Brother Feng’s cat?”

“Ha, the truth is always known to a few—but we’re not telling.”

With the mutant elk dispatched, everyone regrouped to plan the next phase. Right now, they’d lost one teammate.

Yan Jiyun glanced at the game timer: thirteen hours left.

Qi Feng stated their next objective bluntly. “I want to investigate the giant eye watching us.”

He believed Yan Jiyun.

Xu Xian spoke up, “None of us actually saw such an eye. We’re just going by his word—there’s no evidence.”

Yan Jiyun couldn’t stand being doubted and shot back, “Why don’t you ask the game for a walkthrough next?”

Chu Mo burst out laughing. “I believe there really is an eye outside.”

Xu Xian looked around in frustration. “You all believe this?”

Even Su Qiuming could hardly be bothered to reply. “Xu Xian, better if you don’t talk.”

Xu Xian glared at Yan Jiyun, apparently resentful that he got so much attention and trust. He may have felt that place by Qi Feng’s side rightly belonged to Brother Ming.

Most ignored Xu Xian, not taking his objections seriously.

As they worked out the next move, Yin Zi and Yang Ge arrived with Little Hei Hei and two more replicant cats, drawn by the earlier commotion.

Yang Ge seemed to have mastered restoring his sanity level by petting cats—he cuddled the two kittens in his arms as if they were the world’s most precious children.

Yet, as soon as the three cats saw Yan Jiyun, they flocked loyally to his side.

Yan Jiyun immediately moved closer to Qi Feng, unwilling to reveal his identity.

The three cats didn’t dare climb onto the boss, but circled him and Qi Feng.

Amid the smoke and debris, the atmosphere suddenly turned unexpectedly tender.

Qi Feng intercepted the more determined Little Hei Hei and held him in his arms, then looked up at Yin Zi and Yang Ge. “Did you discover something?”

Yang Ge replied, “We just realized that spending time with these black kittens restores sanity points.”

Petting cats can restore sanity?

Yan Jiyun had never thought of that. His sanity improved thanks to Qi Feng’s trust, not the replicant cats.

Qi Yunchu asked, “We can really get sanity back?”

Chu Mo propped his chin on his hand. “I cuddled a cat just now—why didn’t I recover? Is it no use for me?”

Wen Ye pointed out the reason. “You kept playing with its paws and annoyed it. How could it help your sanity?”

Chu Mo’s eyes lit up. “Is that so? Is there a special petting technique?” He looked at the two crouched beside Yan Jiyun—a timid Baibai and the squeaky Xiao Liu. “Come on, let me have one.”

Yan Jiyun decisively handed over Xiao Liu, who immediately started yowling again, as noisy as ever. “Here, take him.”

Qi Feng’s lips moved slightly. Although these were all copies of his cat, to the naked eye they were all black cats—each one resembling Jiao Tang.

He’d never seen Jiao Tang act so freely in anyone else’s arms. The real and the copies were different—this was just Xiao Liu the copy.

Su Qiuming said, “Still, there aren’t enough to go around—just three.” Glancing around, he caught something odd and asked Qi Feng, “Where’s your cat, the original? Haven’t seen him around.”

Whenever it came to his cat, Qi Feng would always answer seriously, no matter who asked. “He’s used to his freedom—doesn’t like restraints. Has a mind of his own.”

Su Qiuming said, “I remember all these replica cats treat him as the boss. Those black cats that leaped onto the elks’ backs are clustered over here. Isn’t he with them, too?”

Qi Feng pointed to Xiao Jiu licking his own fur a short distance away, collarless. “Isn’t that him?”

Yan Jiyun quickly shifted his consciousness to Xiao Jiu, using the cat’s body to walk over to Qi Feng.

He dodged everyone else and leapt into Qi Feng’s arms, shoving Little Hei Hei aside. Little Hei Hei looked confused for a moment, then was scooped up by Qi Yunchu.

Everyone needed to restore their sanity points. The lower their score, the more likely they would hear strange noises, drawing their minds away.

Yan Jiyun only dared to act so boldly because all the replicant cats were black!

Yin Zi counted heads, “One, two, three…we’re missing one.”

Qi Feng glanced at Jiao Tang in his arms. “One of your little followers is missing?”

Yan Jiyun meowed to confirm he was indeed short one little brother. Qi Feng stroked his head, guessing he was seeking comfort.

After squatting in Qi Feng’s arms for a while, Yan Jiyun continued his policy of keeping “Jiao Tang” aloof, jumping down again. Soon, Xiao Huang and Xiao Lu came running, and in no time everyone had a cat of their own, becoming impromptu cat-petters.

Wen Ye, skilled at petting, was the first to report results. “It works. I gained one point.”

Chu Mo asked, “How’d you learn to pet cats?”

Wen Ye replied, “I practiced on your dog.”

Chu Mo: “…” Ah, right, he often left his dog at Wen Ye’s place. The technique for petting dogs and cats must be the same.

The second report came from Qi Yunchu, who genuinely enjoyed the process, visibly relaxing. “I gained one point, too.”

A third, unexpected voice: Su Qiuming. “Me as well.”

Xu Xian complained, “Why not me?”

Qi Feng shot him a look. “Put the cat down. It’s already angry.”

The kitten in Xu Xian’s arms was hissing, tail drooping pitifully.

Xu Xian: “…”

Those who succeeded at regaining sanity while holding a cat included Qi Yunchu, Chu Mo, Wen Ye, Su Qiuming, Yin Zi, and Yang Ge—six people, each sitting cross-legged with a cat, looking for all the world like members of some strange cult.

The moodier cats never approached them, but curled up beside Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng.

Qi Yunchu asked, “Qi Feng, don’t you need one?”

Qi Feng replied, “I don’t.”

Since Yang Ge had mentioned petting cats, Qi Feng had found his sanity had shot up after the explosion, now resting at ninety-seven—just as it had been at the start of the instance.

After having Xiao Jiu, Xiao Huang, and Xiao Lu settle together, Yan Jiyun withdrew his consciousness, then hugged Bai Bai, idly stroking her back, pretending to recover his own sanity.

Qi Feng didn’t need meditation. He went to a broken vending machine next door, brought back drinks and water for everyone, and set a bottle of water before Yan Jiyun in particular.

He asked, “How much did you recover?”

Yan Jiyun glanced at him. Qi Feng knew he couldn’t drink beverages, which put him in a cheerful mood. “One point.” He truly had recovered a point, but it had nothing to do with Bai Bai—most likely it was because of their master-pet bond, meaning his mood directly affected his san-value.

Only he himself knew the truth: it wasn’t the replicant cats restoring their sanity. Rather, petting cats simply helped them unwind. It wasn’t some wuxia game logic where meditation restored health.

Each player had a different baseline tension; some recovered five or ten points, others only three.

After twenty minutes of rest and a little energy boost, they gathered their weapons and prepared to investigate the giant eye outside the mall.

The group once again assembled at the mall entrance.

This time, with Yin Zi and Yang Ge included, their group had nine people—standing here again, fear was greatly diminished.

After all, now everyone in the group hugged a black cat “boosting” their sanity.

Yan Jiyun now understood the true nature of this instance: psychological control.

Since the instance used fear to control the players’ state of mind, he could also use the replicas to counteract it.