Cat 319: Practice

Chapter 319 Practice

It wasn’t just Yan Jiyun’s streaming room that was bustling with activity—Qi Feng’s was just as lively.

[Have You Seen My Cat] Live Room:

“I can’t take it anymore, I used to look down on Little Kitty, but now I’m utterly captivated—totally obsessed. I just love watching Feng-ge and his adorable bride Little Kitty run dungeons together. So excited, can’t wait.”

“Strange, why didn’t Qi Feng team up with his usual squadmates this time? Where’s my Lan Momo? What about Liang-jie? Still, Little Kitty is super cute, too.”

“Lan Mo and Liang-jie are in other instances. I just checked a few streams; they’re all in different runs now. They’ve always gone in together—why split up this time? What are they up to?”

“Not only did Feng-ge’s teammates separate from him, even Little Kitty’s squad didn’t go into the dungeon together this time. Are they breaking into smaller parts to form a larger whole? Is this some new gaming strategy?”

“Mama, all the streamers I follow are online at once. I’m so busy—whose stream should I camp in?”

“If I recall right, some of the streamers I follow are offline even though it’s their usual broadcast time. Did something go wrong with the game?”

“The game’s been buggy a lot lately. Can’t the devs change servers or fix these bugs? It really affects our viewing experience.”

Qi Feng wasn’t one for Yan Jiyun’s brand of mischief; he decided to maintain his chilly aloofness until he logged off.

Once the lighthearted banter ended, the two finally focused on the dungeon.

Because this dungeon was at top-level difficulty, the one controlling it was likely a highly conscious and formidable NPC. Their task was to find and provoke him into awakening.

They landed on a rainy street at night, surrounded by grimy old apartment blocks. Disorderly power lines drooped overhead—raise your umbrella any higher and you’d hit them.

Standing under an eave, holding Yan Jiyun in his arms, Qi Feng planned ahead. “What if the target is stubborn and refuses to wake?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Then we’ll just have to fight until he does.”

Qi Feng asked, “Are these all your kin?”

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “No. You know those players who vanished in-game? Their consciousness disappeared, but their bodies are still alive. Guess where they are now?”

Qi Feng understood instantly—the ones they were rescuing weren’t just themselves, but many other trapped Earthlings.

“The strongest-willed become dungeon bosses; those weaker in will become NPCs. Generations of NPC offspring, endlessly multiplying—the game takes material as it finds it, recycling humanity to the limit.”

“Exactly.” Yan Jiyun nodded. “That’s why we must find this particular person.”

The instance supervised by Teacher Qu and others had already collapsed. Now, they worked alongside players to take apart the remaining dungeons.

Even before entering, they were clear on who the dungeon’s protagonist was—find him, awaken his consciousness, free him of the game’s shackles.

This dungeon was top-tier in difficulty because its protagonist had once been an exceptionally strong-willed NPC.

He was a planet master from another world, dragged here by higher powers. Their resistance was fiercer, so they’d been watched even more stringently—mental shackles were even tighter.

Qi Feng remarked, “Looks like we’re about to gain another powerful ally.”

Yan Jiyun said, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Qi Feng replied, “I believe my Caramel is more than up to the task.”

Yan Jiyun said, “Not everyone is fond of little kittens.”

Qi Feng answered, “No need for the kitten to act as bait.”

Suddenly, the drizzling rain stopped, leaving the gloomy street nearly deserted.

Yan Jiyun idly tugged at Qi Feng’s hair. “Rainy nights really are perfect for crime.”

This was a scenario about matching wits with criminals. The dungeon’s protagonist: a high school boy, seventeen or eighteen years old.

Qi Feng picked up the thread. “Rain can wash away all evidence, but the boy we’re looking for isn’t a criminal yet. He’ll be hard to spot at night.”

Yan Jiyun said, “If he becomes a criminal, the dungeon takes a dark turn—he becomes a demon, the instance fails. If we can pull him back from the abyss, he could become normal, maybe even an angel.”

Qi Feng analyzed, “The story must be related to his own experiences. Do you know much about him?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Not really, but I feel an odd kinship with him.”

Qi Feng instantly regretted asking, his tone shooting up. “Kinship? Odd fate?”

Yan Jiyun explained, “Just a figure of speech—we have similar backgrounds. We’re both from—” He swallowed the last words, remembering the stream was live.

Qi Feng, a little sour, said, “Well, as it happens, we have similar experiences, too. We’re both players, have broken through dungeons together, and I’m still your master, little cat!”

Ever since his consciousness was fully collected, Yan Jiyun kept his weight to about ten pounds, just the right size to perch on Qi Feng’s head.

He chuckled twice. “Feng-ge, do you smell something odd?”

Qi Feng asked, “What smell?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Jealousy.”

[Want To Be Human] Live Room:

“Damn, this couple is showing off their love even in a dungeon!”

“Are they together now?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Of course they are—Master’s even getting jealous!”

“Hold up, there’s something suspicious about the way Little Kitty and Master are chatting. Did they already know who the protagonist of this dungeon was?”

“Isn’t that normal? Must’ve heard from players who cleared this instance.”

“But nobody’s ever cleared this dungeon, right? Top difficult instances: first is ‘Prison Break,’ then there’s ‘City of Night’—how did they know the protagonist of ‘City of Night’?”

“I’ve felt something off about this run since Little Kitty entered. Normally, a run starts with the player spawning somewhere random—not curled up in Master’s arms. It’s like he already knew where Master would be. Am I imagining things?”

“It’s not your imagination. This dungeon seems like child’s play for them.”

Which, in truth, it was. Qi Feng strolled down the rainy street, Little Kitty in tow. He conjured an umbrella from thin air to shield them both.

For the first time, Qi Feng used his mental power in a dungeon—no gestures required, just a thought brought it into reality.

Their progress, however, was not entirely unhindered.

Besides the rain, they ran into a biker gang—five or six motorcycles circling around, each rider armed with a steel rod. They were teenagers to young adults, hair dyed in every color.

They were in the middle of a crime.

A few of them even whistled at the pair.

A youth in a red helmet threatened, “Hand over your most valuable possession, or I’ll smash your cat!”

Yan Jiyun shrank closer into Qi Feng’s neck and whispered, “Wow, I’m so scared.”

Qi Feng played along, his voice trembling. “Don’t be afraid, Caramel. I won’t let them touch a hair on you.”

A few of the bikers: “……”

Did they just hear extra voices?

The one in a black helmet barked, “Cut the ventriloquism act. Playing two roles at once—think you’re some kind of movie star? Hand over your cash, now!”

Qi Feng suddenly grew recalcitrant. “And what if I don’t?”

“Old man, stop wasting our fucking time!” snapped the youth in the red helmet. “Hand it over, don’t make this harder!”

Yan Jiyun stoked the fire. “He’s calling you old. Aren’t you six years older than me?”

Qi Feng was honestly a little annoyed now. What was with the personal insults?

It was true there was an age gap between himself and Yan Jiyun, but hearing it phrased that way was oddly irritating.

He didn’t feel like wasting more time. With a thought, a steel pipe roughly a meter and a half long materialized in his hand.

The motorcycles circling around them jerked to a stop.

Qi Feng said, “Then let this old man show you brats some manners tonight.”

Yan Jiyun chimed in support. “Hurry, let him see you’re still sharp as ever!”

Qi Feng replied, “Enough out of you.” Any more and next thing he’d be fit for the grave.

Yan Jiyun burst out laughing, spooking the teen bikers.

What if they’d really run into ghosts on this creepy night?

Some started to waver.

Yet, being NPCs, their task was to commit crime—the drive to rob won out.

The motorcycles came to life again.

Qi Feng mainly wanted to use this as practice. The steel pipe he conjured wasn’t really needed; instead, he wrapped the bikes in a net of thought.

The bikers twisted their throttles, but the motorcycles wouldn’t budge an inch.

“A-are we haunted?!”

Yan Jiyun said, “If you haven’t wronged the world, you needn’t fear ghosts at your door at midnight.”

Qi Feng kept experimenting, starting to dissolve the wheels from each bike bit by bit, testing his finesse.

The bikers found they couldn’t move a muscle, nor could they speak.

“Your leg! Your leg is disappearing!”

“Ahhh! My legs—what’s happening?!”

“My bike is vanishing too!”

Seconds later, the whole biker gang faded away before their very eyes, dissolving into starlight, just like Tang Qing on that other day—gone in a blink.

Yan Jiyun nuzzled Qi Feng’s cheek. “That took a bit long—you could stand to be more precise.”

Qi Feng responded, “Alright, I’ll refine it further.”

[Have You Seen My Cat] Live Room:

“Is this Feng-ge’s new move? NPC Vanishing Trick? What item is he using?”

“I don’t think it’s an item—I saw Little Kitty coaching him just now.”

“Little Kitty’s new to the game. How is he teaching Feng-ge? Getting a bit too spoiled, aren’t we?”

“Whatever it is, this skill or item is amazing!”

“Feng-ge is just so cool! I want to marry him! Where can I get his private contact?”

“Give up. Feng-ge only has eyes for his kitten, and that kitten can turn human. No chance for you.”

Regardless of the excitement in the streaming chat, Qi Feng and his kitten didn’t slow their stride.

Night was the peak time for crime—perfect for Qi Feng’s practice.

Other players arriving synchronized to the same instance occasionally ran into Qi Feng and his cat, watching the expert stroll by untouched; whenever an NPC tried something, he’d erase them from existence.

A player asked, “If those people are gone, how do we finish our quests?”

Qi Feng answered, “Go ahead if you want, but if not, help me find someone.”

Only players with some skill dared enter top-tier dungeons. There was some initial resistance to Qi Feng’s dominance, but once they saw him in action, they worried he’d erase them next. Instead of challenging him, they chose to team up—the best path to a win-win ending.

Everyone started searching.

Male, high school age, about seventeen or eighteen.

Yan Jiyun was using his consciousness to search as well, but with the other players’ help, they could save their strength.

He sniffed the air. “I smell barbecue—two hundred meters ahead. Let’s eat first!”

Qi Feng, caught in the rush of successful practice: “……”

Still, a boyfriend’s word is law.