Cat 192: Dealing with a Fake Qi Feng

Chapter 192 Dealing with a Fake Qi Feng

When it came to the question of how he’d entered the game, if Yan Jiyun didn’t answer, he’d risk arousing suspicion. He settled on a reasonable explanation Qi Feng couldn’t verify.

Yan Jiyun casually pointed at the two black cats. “I came in following the cat. Originally, it was with me in another instance. I happened to be holding it, hiding in a corner gathering information, when its body suddenly started glowing. In the blink of an eye, we were here.”

Qi Feng’s face was unreadable; Yan Jiyun had no idea how much he believed.

In fact, Qi Feng was also weighing Yan Jiyun. Caramel had always managed to accompany him out of the instances, and after the experience of clearing the last one together, it was clear that Caramel had been well cared for—a kind-hearted person, and one who had just cooperated seamlessly with him.

Qi Feng decided to tell Yan Jiyun that Caramel was a player. He was recognizing this new owner.

“Actually, Caramel is also a player. I brought him in. He entered this instance because he must have received the signal that I was close to dying in the game.”

Yan Jiyun didn’t ask about “Caramel” being a player; he knew his own situation better than anyone, and probing further might only expose himself.

He looked Qi Feng up and down. “Are you all right? What situation were you in when you sent the distress signal to Caramel?”

Qi Feng shook his head. “It wasn’t really me sending it. More accurately, the system detected it. It judged I was close to death, not that I thought I was.”

Yan Jiyun clicked his tongue. “That’s even possible? In what cases does the system send out that notification? What were you doing at the time?”

Conversely, if the sub-account ran into trouble, would the system also send a distress signal to the main account, like this time?

Or could players only progress from lower-tier instances to high-level ones, but not the other way around? Still, since they could already enter the top-level arena, it was no longer a concern.

Yan Jiyun had another question. Since the system could pull him into Qi Feng’s instance, maybe they could unlock cooperative functions?

He began plotting ways to increase their bond value.

At the moment, in Qi Feng’s eyes, he was just Caramel’s new owner. Besides, they didn’t know the exact ways to build tacit understanding. One thing was clear: as long as they acted together, cleared challenges together, their bond value should increase.

After joining up, they exchanged their experiences since entering.

Yan Jiyun told Qi Feng about encountering the fake Qi Feng. “So, just how many duplicates of you are there? What are the instance’s rules for copying?”

Qi Feng had already figured out the rules regarding replicants. “From my observations these past few days, at first, a new replicant appeared every other day. Back then, we’d just been pulled into the instance and didn’t know what was going on, so quite a few people got duped. It took several tests before we realized there were replicants around. A lot of people died because of them.”

Yan Jiyun was puzzled, “What about the original players in the instance?”

Qi Feng gave him the hard truth. “Fifty came in; only ten are left. The rest were killed—or, to be precise, replaced—by replicants.”

So it was true. Once you reached the advanced arena, the game no longer notified players about everything, not even about player deaths. The unknowns in the replicant instance made the atmosphere even more chilling.

“Replicants are the biggest obstacle to leaving the instance,” Yan Jiyun affirmed, but he needed more information. “By the way, I knew from outside that you were forcibly brought into the game. Do you have a main quest?”

Qi Feng nodded. “Yes. On Christmas Eve, I’m supposed to find the Christmas present given by Santa Claus.”

Yan Jiyun shared his situation. “I came in after Caramel, so I have no main quest. What exactly does the ‘Christmas present’ mean?”

Qi Feng wasn’t aware what the sub-account’s background looked like. He simply told the truth, keeping their information transparent to build trust.

But considering this instance didn’t even have a protagonist, there couldn’t be a real Christmas—where would he even find a gift from Santa Claus?

He recalled that the notifications had mentioned monsters, but up till now, none had appeared. When did they show up? He hadn’t seen any since entering, but he couldn’t ask outright, or it would be hard to explain and only add to Qi Feng’s worries.

Qi Feng anticipated Yan Jiyun’s next question and gave a concise account of entering the instance, focusing on what was essential—time was precious, and the rest could be omitted.

“At first, I didn’t get it either. Later, after joining up and sharing information, everyone understood better. When we first arrived, we encountered all kinds of Christmas-themed monsters, like mutated Santas and reindeer.”

Yan Jiyun said, “I didn’t see a single one when I came in—not even a corpse.”

Qi Feng explained, “That’s just the start. Once the monsters were defeated, their bodies dissolved into water, and then the replicants appeared.”

Yan Jiyun: “So from the beginning, there were NPCs around?”

Qi Feng: “Yes, but as the mutated monsters appeared, all the NPCs fled. Now this vast shopping mall is utterly deserted. Right after that, the replicants turned up. We had to search for Christmas presents while battling replicants. Their appearance followed this law: only one appears on the first day. On the second day, if the first replicant hasn’t been eliminated, it duplicates itself again. The original also spawns a replicant. So every player would face one or two replicants on the second day.”

Yan Jiyun: “So the mall got more crowded, and it must have become harder to distinguish friends from foes.”

Qi Feng: “Exactly. At first, we players had set up secret signals, but those soon became useless. Because replicants not only copy our memories, they also share what former replicants knew. A newly spawned replicant will inherit the memories of those that disappeared.” He looked at the black cat with the white collar. “This one is a replicated Caramel—it was duplicated after me and this one came out.”

Yan Jiyun was surprised he’d picked out ‘Xiao Bai’ so quickly. Still, if you know the rules, it’s easy to apply them.

He asked Qi Feng, hoping to hear it directly from him. “What about this one?”

Qi Feng shook his head with a sigh. “None of them are the real Caramel.”

Yan Jiyun felt a surge of delight—rescuing Qi Feng hadn’t been in vain. He fought the urge to smile. “How can you tell?”

There was a hint of pride as Qi Feng said, “You might not believe this, but my Caramel is more like a person. These ones don’t have that trait.”

His cat’s eyes were lively, seemingly able to understand human speech, while these two only displayed typical feline behaviors.

After close observation, he’d noticed his Caramel would usually lie still when people talked, occasionally raising its eyelids, as if it actually understood.

These two black cats weren’t that close to him, which proved the real Caramel had entered the game, but these two weren’t him. Copies were clever, yes, but only within animal limits. His Caramel was unique, and as its owner, he could tell the difference.

Yan Jiyun said, “They’re not Caramel. In fact, besides these two, there are another two somewhere—I just don’t know where they’ve run off to.”

Qi Feng’s eyes cleared. “So that’s why you asked about the replicant appearance rate.”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Right. I’ve noticed Caramel’s replication rules are a bit different from humans. The first Caramel copy appeared ten minutes after entering, and now an hour in, we have four. There are four Caramels now.”

Qi Feng hadn’t realized earlier that the little black cats weren’t the original Caramel, but found out after interacting with them. Copies might be smart, but compared to the real thing, the gap was too wide. The fakes were clever only up to the animal’s limits, while Caramel behaved in its own eccentric ways. As the owner, it was impossible for him not to notice.

“The rules for copying Caramel are a bit unusual. Maybe it’s because it’s not human, or maybe because it’s the one who brought me out of the game. The game categorized it as part of the player camp, so in the second replication round, first two copies were made, then this one replicated one more, totaling three copies of Caramel.”

Yan Jiyun put a red collar from his pocket around Xiao Hei’s neck. Xiao Hei didn’t like it much and struggled a little. Its personality was actually more like Yan Jiyun—Qi Feng hadn’t noticed this, but it made sense now.

He suddenly sat straighter. “So that means the other two are also on the player’s side now? At the next replication, won’t the number of cats double?”

Would he get beaten up by them then? How could he handle that?

Qi Feng said, “Don’t worry. Caramel will be fine.”

Yan Jiyun thought, how could it be fine? With so many cats, how could he keep up with beating them all?

He glanced at Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei. These two didn’t look very capable in a fight. He’d have to find Xiao Lu and Xiao Huang, the bruisers. Though they always lost to him, they were far tougher in a fight than the other two.

On the topic of “cats,” Qi Feng felt he and Yan Jiyun had ample compatibility. His trust in Yan Jiyun increased again—after all, cat lovers did tend to have softer hearts.

The cat issue could be handled; Yan Jiyun could deal with it himself. What mattered now was solving the replicant problem.

Yan Jiyun said, “I can take care of things with Caramel.”

Qi Feng didn’t like how that sounded. That was, after all, his cat, but now this new owner was so confident he could do what Qi Feng should have done. Perhaps he wasn’t qualified as an owner after all—no wonder Caramel was always running away; he just didn’t understand his cat well enough.

Yan Jiyun didn’t realize Qi Feng was feeling a sense of competitive inferiority as a cat owner. In the end, he could handle his own affairs—he just couldn’t say so to Qi Feng.

He’d thought of a way to deal with the replicants; his eyes brightened. “By the way, Feng-ge, have other players entered the City of Sin?”

Qi Feng shook his head. “Apart from me and a copy of Su Qiuming, no one else should have entered.”

Yan Jiyun sat up straighter. “Su Qiuming? So the one who entered with you wasn’t Su Qiuming himself, but his replicant?”

Qi Feng shook his head. “No. The replicant lured me into the game and then killed me.”

Yan Jiyun said, “Looks like this replicant has done this before. The fake Chu Mo earlier had my memories, and I was pulled into the game too.”

Qi Feng said, “Either Chu Mo figured out the City of Sin before us, or the replicants subconsciously know how to set up traps. I tend to believe the latter.”

If the replicants were programmed to know in advance, that was part of their design—and they could use this against them.

Yan Jiyun: “Have you considered that if we pull all the replicants into this game instance, it might make them easier to eliminate?”

Qi Feng: “I’ve thought the same.” He hadn’t gotten around to it before Yan Jiyun also entered.

After escaping, he’d wanted to seek out his replicant, but needed a partner first. When he went back to the arcade to study “City of Sin,” he’d unexpectedly spotted Yan Jiyun’s face, which startled him into helping him escape the game.

Yan Jiyun: “So should we be drawing the replicants out now?”

Qi Feng said, “No rush. My situation is much trickier than yours. When I entered, there was still an outstanding copy of me. At this rate, there should be three fake versions of me out there now.”

Yan Jiyun: “That’s easily fixed. They all know me—I’ll bring them to the arcade.”

Qi Feng: “It’s not that simple. They’re half of me.”

Yan Jiyun glanced over at Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei. “I’ll take one of them with me. One thing you can be sure of—I won’t mistake them for you. Also, right now, all the replicated Caramels can be trusted.”

He’d just hugged Qi Feng and carried his scent, and the other two would also recognize by smell that Qi Feng had his protection. Plus, in their memories, he was their owner.

No matter how Qi Feng felt about it, it showed that Yan Jiyun took good care of Caramel and trusted him greatly.

Now his concern was for Yan Jiyun. “But this is going to be risky for you.”

Qi Feng pulled a submachine gun from his inventory and handed it to Yan Jiyun. “From the City of Sin. Take it.”

Yan Jiyun was suddenly reminded, “Wait, didn’t the game say you’d get a reward for clearing it? How come I haven’t received anything?”

Qi Feng: “Check your inventory. I didn’t get a prompt, either. I just found it myself.”

Yan Jiyun checked his own inventory and found a new item: “Got it!”

It was a sniper rifle—the one he’d carried out of the game, not the submachine gun he’d been holding.

He pulled out the sniper rifle and handed it to Qi Feng without hesitation. “Then here, take my sniper rifle. Looks like you only get the gun you have slung over your back, not the one you’re holding.”

Qi Feng: “Right, I was holding the submachine gun and had the sniper as backup. When I came out, I got the submachine gun.”

Yan Jiyun now checked the magazine with practiced ease. “But we’re short on ammo. We’ll have to go back into the game.”

Qi Feng: “No rush. With your sniper rifle, I can take care of my replicants, then deal with yours.”

Yan Jiyun’s heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t good—he realized that, in this whole game, everyone else had replicants except him. He had only replicated cats.

He nodded along, following Qi Feng’s logic. “Agreed. Your replicants are stronger than mine. We’ll take care of them first. Mine are good at hiding, so we might not find them right away. Best case, the other players handle them for us. After all, I’m a newbie player—weak and inexperienced. My replicants probably won’t last long.”

He was laying the groundwork, so if his so-called replicant never showed up, his story would hold. He was beginning to suspect the broken game had dragged him in on purpose.

Noticing the dark circles under Qi Feng’s eyes, he said, “Why don’t you rest for a bit? There’s no urgent hurry. We’ll keep an eye out.”

If anything happened, he’d notice immediately, allowing Qi Feng to get some real sleep.

He’d barely seen Qi Feng rest during the game. The body couldn’t withstand such prolonged stress.

Qi Feng: “All right, thanks.”

They had to seize every chance for rest.

Qi Feng found a plush toy on the carpet to use as a pillow, and closed his eyes almost instantly. Compared to rotating shifts with his old teammates, he was surprisingly able to relax and drift off quickly beside Yan Jiyun. It was a curious thing—that was what struck Qi Feng as he fell asleep.

Yan Jiyun closed his eyes as well, faking sleep. He hadn’t had much rest in the previous instance either, and had been on edge since arriving here. Fortunately, he had a knack for entering a half-resting state while maintaining awareness of his surroundings.

An hour and a half later, the quiet of the mall was broken by running footsteps.

Apparently, Qi Feng was deeply asleep; even this much noise didn’t wake him.

Yan Jiyun crouched and slipped out from inside the Christmas tree. He put on a Santa hat, hiding among the stuffed toys for a clear view below.

Sure enough, what he’d predicted had come to pass.

One player was brandishing a cleaver at someone who looked just like himself. “Get lost, get far away!”

The man facing him held up a pot lid. “Why don’t you get lost! I need to get home to my wife and kid!”

The knife-wielding player was clearly unhinged, “Bullshit, you’re the fake!”

Just then, Yan Jiyun noticed a man standing in the corner, posture alert and wary. From his footfalls, Yan Jiyun pinpointed his location.

It was none other than a fake Qi Feng, though which number, he couldn’t say for now.

What made Yan Jiyun frown, though, was that he was holding Xiao Lu in his arms.

Yan Jiyun turned to wake Qi Feng, but as he moved, he sensed a warm presence nearby.

After a one-and-a-half-hour nap, Qi Feng looked totally refreshed—no sign of fatigue—already setting up Yan Jiyun’s sniper rifle.

Yan Jiyun spoke quickly, “Your replicant has appeared. I’ll go deal with him.”

Qi Feng nodded, “Be careful. Try to draw him out—don’t get close. Leave the rest to me.”

“I know.” Yan Jiyun’s demeanor turned serious. Taking Xiao Hei with him, he carefully slipped out another way at the back of the Christmas tree and went down unseen to the third floor by the service elevator.

Getting close to the fake Qi Feng’s location, he set Xiao Hei down and let him run off, then pretended to give chase.

Playing the fool, he called out, “Caramel, come back! Don’t run!”

The fake Qi Feng, crouching at the corner with Xiao Lu in his arms, curled his lips into a faint smile, peering out.

He tossed aside the black cat he’d been restraining, then leaned out from behind, reaching out as if to grab Yan Jiyun by the throat. “Yan Jiyun, why are you—”

As his words fell, so did the sound of Qi Feng pulling the trigger—the bullet punched through his temple.

The fake Qi Feng crashed to the floor. Yan Jiyun stood over him at close range, staring into a face identical to Qi Feng’s. His own heart nearly stopped.

Damn, that was terrifying.