Cat 187: Replicant

Chapter 187: Replicant

“Damn, I really want to rush in and drag cat cub back—he doesn’t know anything, this damn game is driving me mad.”

“Exactly, so frustrating! If anything happens to cat cub, I won’t ever be able to watch his streams again!”

“But honestly, we just saw another cat cub—was that a mirror image or a copy-paste cat cub? What’s the goal of this instance anyway?”

“Feels like it’s both. Could the ability to turn into a human be copied too? Can the copied cat cub change forms?”

“Probably not. Cat cub needs points to transform, so if the copy can’t spend points, it’s easy to tell them apart.”

“Wait, let me ask: is cat cub in this instance because his owner is here too? I saw that the level-5 streamer seems to be reaching his limit—it looks like he can’t hold on much longer! Did cat cub come in to save his owner? Even though it’s a life-or-death moment, the main-pet ship is so satisfying!”

Yan Jiyun certainly knew chasing after a cat identical to himself was dangerous, but if he didn’t, he’d never know what was going on. Qi Yunchu’s unharmed appearance was already suspicious, and on top of that, there was a black cat that looked just like him. Ever since he arrived, he’d seen severed limbs everywhere—could even top-tier players be fighting nonstop the whole time? Only if they had no other choice.

To run into a black cat identical to himself at the very start—could it be that every player would face a copy of themselves on entry? If a team entered and someone’s place was taken by a double, wouldn’t the whole party fall apart from the outset?

Would this cat clone inherit his thoughts, abilities, and items?

He was anxious to find Qi Feng too, but searching in ignorance could get him killed before he even found him. He needed to understand the basics first; otherwise, he might die without knowing how, let alone rescue anyone.

He hoped Qi Feng could hold out a bit longer!

He’d never expected to see his own clone one day, but was grateful he’d entered as a cat—being human would have made things much trickier.

First, catch the fake black cat; then he could see if it inherited any of his abilities, or if it was just a cat.

The mall floor was tiled or wood, making the sound of a cat’s paws clear and easy to follow. Yan Jiyun chased after it effortlessly.

He watched it dart into the Lego store, slip under a table—the fake black cat inheriting his instinct to hide in corners perfectly. That was always his first response too.

Had he been human, it might have been harder to search. But little black cat must have forgotten that, as a copy, it was only a fragment. Was it trying to kill the original?

Yan Jiyun didn’t follow it under the table. Instead, he slammed into the piles of Lego outside, sending them crashing down with a loud clatter, making the space beneath the table completely open, exposing the cat totally. Being a black-cat player in an instance isn’t easy—you need brains as well as agility.

Little black cat tried to dash off, but Yan Jiyun, faster, leapt and tackled the clone, landing right on its identical fur.

The copy weighed the same as Yan Jiyun and was agile too; as he lunged, it spun to swipe with a paw. Yan Jiyun, using his own black claws and a powerful kick, didn’t hold back—beating the black face unreservedly.

The two cats rolled around in a heap of Lego bricks; in slow motion, Yan Jiyun could be seen keeping the copy pinned and thrashing it at every turn.

The fake had no human intelligence, just cat instinct. Agile, but less skilled than Yan Jiyun—before it even had time to observe and train itself, he’d pinned it down.

A pile of Lego bricks, and a scattering of shed black fur!

With the upper hand, Yan Jiyun pressed the copy into retreat. The clone glared, baring its teeth, tail drooping against the floor and its back arched.

Yan Jiyun fixed it calmly with emerald eyes. The little black cat, cowed and baring its fangs, growled lowly, but was too intimidated to attack.

The faux cat edged backward—it wanted to run, but under Yan Jiyun’s unblinking stare, couldn’t budge. He was ready to pounce at any moment.

The clone was already showing the signs of Yan Jiyun’s assault.

Knowing it couldn’t win, the cat’s instinct was to flee—which was, in fact, Yan Jiyun’s own rule. Still, if he let it go now, would he be able to find it again?

Just as the black cat prepared to bolt, Yan Jiyun pounced a second time. Before it could react, he transformed into human form, pinning the clone with all his weight.

He grabbed a complimentary eco-friendly bag from the display shelf and stuffed the little black cat inside.

The cat thrashed inside the bag, but under Yan Jiyun’s control, it couldn’t move.

He rummaged in the front desk for scissors and cut five holes in the bag—four for its limbs, one for its head—so the clone couldn’t run, and he could neatly trim all its claws.

Yes, he clipped the fake black cat’s claws with one pair of scissors.

On the third floor, along with the terrified cries of players gone mad, was the shrill yowl of a black cat!

“Wannabe Human” Livestream Room:

“Hahahahaha, damn, all that worry for nothing. Only a cat really knows how to deal with a cat. Who’d have thought cat cub would give his clone a manicure? Genius! That’s a surefire way to tell which is the original.”

“Holy crap, so intense! Cat cub’s POV is wild—the fighting was chaotic yet controlled. Awesome!”

“Aaaaah, watching two black cats fight, I can’t tell which one is cat cub and which is the clone.”

“At first I was worried cat cub would be at a disadvantage, but this! Trimming claws, bagging him up—only cat cub would do his own clone like this. He’s ruthless even to himself.”

“But doesn’t this also prove cat cub doesn’t fear his copy at all? Other players show terror when facing their duplicates. When the copy has the upper hand, their panic only grows.”

“If the copy did beat the player, could it take their place and leave the game?”

“No way—if NPCs could leave, the game would be overrun. This is still an instance; at most, all the players die.”

“So cat cub won’t be finding any cat servants to feed him in this copy?”

“Good point—but why would cat cub need a servant? He’s got a master.”

“He’s about to die; time for a new one, right?”

“Aaaah, I want to be cat cub’s servant! Is there an NPC sign-up event? Count me in!”

Yan Jiyun wasn’t chasing the black cat from feline curiosity, but because he needed to uncover what trouble Qi Feng was in.

So far, the best clue he’d found was that the game increased copy difficulty by duplicating players.

The purpose of the replicate was to destroy trust between friends, while the copies themselves could quietly assassinate their originals, ghost-like and unpredictable. If Yan Jiyun hadn’t come in cat form, he wouldn’t have solved this so quickly.

A big question now—does the game copy just one of each, or as many as it wants?

One copy alone couldn’t account for all the dismembered bodies and piles of corpses in the mall; these were probably mostly copies. So players had to kill monsters and their own copies to escape? Some “sweet” Christmas.

The subdued little black cat now drooped in the bag, stripped of its claws, its earlier ferocity gone.

Yan Jiyun had never had his claws trimmed by Qi Feng, nor did he scratch people for no reason, but he knew well where his biggest advantage lay—likely the copy cat didn’t expect a mid-fight transformation and confiscation of its greatest weapon.

He had no intention of taming this stray clone.

There were still sounds of hand-to-hand combat on the third floor. Yan Jiyun advanced, glancing at the sign overhead—he was about to enter zone B.

Between the buildings, a suspended walkway was the scene of fierce fighting.

Blood stained the floor, railings, columns—some blackened, some fresh and dripping.

On tiptoe, Yan Jiyun hopped to a clean spot, the bag dangling from his hand.

This was slaughter on a massive scale.

He knelt beside a corpse, lifting the coat to check the victim’s face.

A mask of terror, but no facial injuries—easily identifiable.

Squeezing the bagged cat tighter, Yan Jiyun whispered, “How scary.”

He remembered this face. Before Qi Feng entered the game, this face flashed before him—wasn’t it Xu Xian, the one who tricked Qi Feng?

Was this the real Xu Xian, or a copy?

The death was swift—throat slit. Probably a copy, not the real Xu Xian.

And the Qi Yunchu he’d met earlier might have been a copy too. He remembered he was sick, and couldn’t imagine anyone sick running that fast—seemed unlikely to be the real one.

Time was short, and he needed to find Qi Feng—no agreed-upon signals between them. He couldn’t just track him by scent, could he? There was so much blood everywhere he’d be overwhelmed.

With no main quest of his own, he had to skip guesswork and focus on avoiding booby traps and finding Qi Feng.

He headed for the third floor of block B. On a chair outside a Thai restaurant, he saw another utterly dead Xu Xian.

Clearly, one player could have more than one copy.

Was there a pattern to how replicants spawned?

It had been twenty minutes since entry, and no second black cat had appeared. Was there some special timing mechanism?

From what he’d seen, the copies inherited the original’s abilities: the stronger the player, the stronger the copy. The more there were, the more outmatched the player became. No wonder Qi Feng had trouble—if several equally strong copies went after him, even he couldn’t prevail, and at the very least would be pinned down.

But where did the sanity pollution come from? Was it fear of the copies, or some unknown entity that created them? Wasn’t this a system function? Shouldn’t be possible for it to get this horrific.

Yan Jiyun couldn’t untangle it; he couldn’t afford to lecture from a safe position, either, given his special constitution and short time in the game. He didn’t even know what the main quest was; pointless to overthink it.

All he heard were distant sounds, but following them led to deserted halls. Very strange.

It seemed the further he went, the more complicated things became.

The black cat still hung by his side. No second one appeared.

He set the bag down, letting the copy’s feet touch ground—like walking a cat on a leash. It tried to bolt, but the eco-bag in his hand controlled its movement. Whatever it tried, it couldn’t break free.

It had been searching for a way out, probably newly formed, and wouldn’t have memories of having all four limbs bagged. This memory hadn’t transferred.

Still, Yan Jiyun could only guess.

Now, he realized he’d collaborated too little with Qi Feng, and now, even rescuing him was blind going. He couldn’t rely on the system alone in the future—not enough goodwill was warning enough. Sooner or later, teamwork would matter, and better practice in the instances was needed.

Lost in thought, he was startled by a sudden scream from the center of building B, followed by a heavy thud.

He’d heard the sound of someone falling from a height before; it prickled his scalp again.

He dashed to the central railing, just in time to see a familiar figure vanish on the right.

The black cat clone squirmed furiously—it wanted to chase after that figure.

This act gave Yan Jiyun a flash of insight.

He glanced at his human transformation card—only a few seconds left—then let the black cat go.

The copy chased the fleeing figure. In an empty corner, Yan Jiyun transformed back into a cat and followed silently.

That figure looked very much like Qi Feng, but he knew it wasn’t—Qi Feng never hunched while running.

It had to be Qi Feng’s copy.

If the black cat clone chased the Qi Feng replicant, did they share a bond? Would it seek out the real Qi Feng, too?

He observed closely.

The person just pushed from the railing had to be a player—the count dropped by one, leaving twenty-nine.

There had been only the Qi Feng copy nearby. In other words, the replica had pushed the player.

If the victim survived and was found by teammates, Qi Feng would surely be accused.

So that’s where the terror came from—not knowing who was real, or if you’d be betrayed at any moment. Everyone living in fear.

Who’d sent those cards to Xu Xian and the others? Su Qiuming, or her copy?

Yan Jiyun followed the black cat, which in turn stalked the Qi Feng replica. For the first time, he felt hope of finding Qi Feng—no need to shout in the broadcast station.

From the pet notification panel, he could see Qi Feng had obtained an important item and was being hunted by other players. Duplicates and other players—danger everywhere. Even the wording suggested it was a hair-raising ordeal.

Qi Feng had entered “Sweet Christmas” three and a half days earlier, tasked with completing the mission, whereas Yan Jiyun’s time was down to less than a day—no needed quest, effectively making him an extra in the instance.

No tasks, just rescue—could he take more creative action, then?

He needed a plan.

The clone continued following the Qi Feng duplicate, who boldly took the escalator down as if luring someone out.

No, he was going to check if the player who fell from the third to first floor was dead.

The duplicate felt for the victim’s breath, confirmed death, and then moved on—proof he wasn’t the real Qi Feng, since real players could see updates via the system panel, no manual check needed.

Abruptly, the Qi Feng copy looked back, spotting the black cat, but, for some reason, the cat didn’t leap into his arms like the real one would have with Qi Feng. Instead, it stood by the elevator, observing.

It snuck a glance at where Yan Jiyun was hiding behind the advertisement board.

The duplicate called out, “Jiaotang?”

Yan Jiyun: “……”

Goddammit. If he hadn’t grabbed the clone beforehand, he’d have gone up to greet Qi Feng upon hearing that name.

That’s the pitfall of this instance.

The copy had Qi Feng’s memories.

Although the replica called the cat “Jiaotang,” the clone didn’t respond—when the replica stepped closer, it even retreated.

Yan Jiyun crouched silently behind the ad board, mentally urging the cat to follow.

After some indecision, the bagged cat stubbornly tagged along after the Qi Feng copy.

Yan Jiyun didn’t dare let down his guard. Qi Feng was sensitive to his presence; if the copy found out the black cat wasn’t the true Jiaotang, it might kill it outright.

Though the clone didn’t threaten him now, it was still useful—he couldn’t let it die just yet, so he stayed hidden from the duplicate.

The Qi Feng copy hoisted up the unwilling cat and headed in the other direction.

Yan Jiyun trailed quietly behind.

The duplicate entered the staff lounge, opening one of the rest rooms. Inside, Yan Jiyun heard a familiar voice.

“Qi Feng, how is it out there?” It was Qi Yunchu. “Did you find Su Qiuming?”

False Qi Feng answered, “No.”

After a pause, Qi Yunchu said, “Is that the cat you’re carrying?”

The imposter, mimicking Qi Feng’s cold tone, said, “Yes. Her name is Jiaotang. She got lost after we came in—I just found her.”

The real Jiaotang, eavesdropping at the door: “……”

Whenever the real Qi Feng spoke of him, it was always with pride, never in such a cold way.

Qi Yunchu breathed out. “She looks so lively—can I pet her?”

Hadn’t Qi Yunchu noticed this Qi Feng was fake?

From his breathing, he was likely injured, or unwell.

Qi Feng passed the black cat over. “Go ahead.”

Yan Jiyun sneered inwardly. The real Qi Feng would never let anyone touch his cat so casually.

Qi Yunchu said, “She’s so healing.” He coughed softly.

Fake Qi Feng replied, “Let me help you sit.”

Qi Yunchu, “Thank you.”

Clearly, the duplicate had gained Qi Yunchu’s trust. What would he do next? Did he know where the real Qi Feng was?

As Yan Jiyun wondered, the system popped up a notification.

[Your sanity pollution has decreased by 1 point.]