Cat 193: Thank You For Your Trust

Chapter 193 Thank You For Your Trust

[Be a Human] Livestream Room:

“Holy crap, if the little cat was in feline form right now, I bet his fur would be standing on end. That’s his owner’s face! Just glancing at it is pretty terrifying.”

“Cat cub’s owner is even scarier. He took out his own replicant quickly and cleanly—a true one-shot, one-kill.”

“The replicants keep multiplying. How are they going to handle this? Can any top-tier instance experts tell us how players used to deal with the replicants? All the top arena players come from advanced arenas; they’re all quick-witted. The more replicants, the worse it gets for them, right?”

“That’s right, but there are ways to deal with replicants. Looks to me like the cat cub and his owner have already figured it out.”

“Lure the replicants into the arcade game for a kill?”

“I remember Sweet Christmas is a man-eating instance. Top arenas rarely open, not even fifty sessions a day. A lot of players are reluctant to try—too hard, and you die fast. Still, high risk comes with high reward. Those who dare enter the top tier are all heroes.”

“It’s the last day now. The second wave of players pulled in is nearly wiped out. Is there any way out?”

“I’ve been following the cat cub’s perspective for this instance, but missed the early parts. Any experts here to recap the plot?”

“There’s not much story here. It’s all about fighting monsters and replicants. If a player gets too scared to keep their wits, they’re as good as dead. Only those who remain rational make it to the end.”

Qi Feng truly didn’t hesitate, not even for a moment. Compared to that player waving the knife around earlier, Yan Jiyun thought Qi Feng’s mental fortitude was even stronger. That he could strike so decisively at the replicant proved he was thinking clearly and acting rationally.

Yan Jiyun picked up one of the black cats and backed away from the fake Qi Feng.

He looked around; aside from the fight between that unhinged player and his replicant, there was no one else.

Qi Feng had no way to tell which was the real one, so he hadn’t killed either. Soon after, the two disappeared from sight.

Not that Yan Jiyun was being heartless—he simply didn’t know these players and couldn’t tell which was the replicant. Acting rashly would only make things more complicated for himself.

Yan Jiyun retreated with the black cat, then put it down. Gritting his teeth, he reappeared in the corridor, dragging the fake Qi Feng behind a store counter and covering his face with some clothes.

He wanted to keep luring the other fake Qi Fengs out—there were still two left.

It was dangerous for them all. Besides Qi Feng, who knew how many strong players had replicants out there? Even if Qi Feng had arrived first, he couldn’t know the current state of affairs— the situation changed constantly.

The only thing that hadn’t changed was the number of player deaths.

They’d heard screams from that earlier player, but the overall count remained the same.

It was possible both had been replicants.

Too many variables—far too difficult.

Both Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng thought it best to deal with their respective replicants first and then find trustworthy players to cooperate with and wipe out the rest.

That was just their plan for now—it all depended on how well they worked together.

Yan Jiyun made sure there were no further fake Qi Fengs nearby. Still, he couldn’t be sure where the others might be hiding—it wouldn’t do to wait passively. They had to strike first.

He pointed out a tech store on the fourth floor to Qi Feng.

Shopping malls were great—they had everything.

When you calmed down, it became clear the mall provided plenty of useful items, not just weapons.

Yan Jiyun noticed the electronics section on the fourth floor: a mobile phone shop, a drone shop, and, easily overlooked, walkie-talkies.

But the game was onto them—every phone and drone in shop displays was just a dummy.

However, a neighboring store held walkie-talkies, and their batteries, miraculously, worked.

He shoved as many as he could in a bag, set two to the same channel, and, after confirming the coast was clear, returned to his and Qi Feng’s hideout.

Qi Feng was still prone, gun in hand, watching the mall’s perimeter. He looked up. “Back already?”

Yan Jiyun handed him a preset walkie-talkie. “Got you a present.”

“Walkie-talkies?” A flash of surprise crossed Qi Feng’s eyes. They’d been so busy running from monsters and replicants, trying to outwit and outfight, they’d forgotten to look for the basics.

“Yep. We’ll need a code word, though. Once another replicant appears, we’ll scrap it for safety.” Yan Jiyun had to be thorough—the replicants would inherit Qi Feng’s memories, so any password had to be changed. His own replicants were all cats, so he didn’t have that problem, but he couldn’t be too careful on Qi Feng’s behalf.

“So what’s the code word?” Since Yan Jiyun’s plan, Qi Feng ceded the decision.

Yan Jiyun thought, then said, “Macapaca?”

Qi Feng remembered seeing that while scrolling short videos. He said very seriously, “So when I call you, it’s Macapaca. When you call me, same.”

Yan Jiyun couldn’t help but laugh—watching Qi Feng keep a straight face while saying “Macapaca” was hilarious. He nodded hard, holding back laughter. “Mm, mm.”

Somehow, shouting “Macapaca” like this felt oddly embarrassing.

He handed all the walkie-talkies he’d found to Qi Feng. Since he might be running out again—and might turn back into a cat—it was simpler for Qi Feng to hang onto them.

It was time to relocate. No sign of Qi Feng’s replicant here.

Building D was a good distance from A, B, and C.

They planned as they walked.

Yan Jiyun said, “I finished off the Chu Mo and Wen Ye replicants in City of Sin. If they don’t have any replicants left, we should be able to cooperate with them.”

Qi Feng: “If we meet them, we can give them one of the walkie-talkies.”

Yan Jiyun: “No problem. I’ve seen them before—I shouldn’t mistake them.”

Chu Mo had worked well with them in the peak tournament. For now, he was an ally they could trust.

Qi Feng: “How do we tell?”

Yan Jiyun pointed at the black cat with him. “They smell like these guys. As long as they’re with me, it’s fine.”

Qi Feng was half-convinced. He’d never thought of using Caramel’s copies for reconnaissance. Once again, he was reminded what an unqualified “shoveler” he was—a cat needed its owner’s trust to work together, after all.

Yan Jiyun walked faster, putting a hundred meters between himself and Qi Feng, testing the walkie-talkies.

Yan Jiyun: “Macapaca, can you hear me?”

Qi Feng: “Macapaca, I hear you.”

Yan Jiyun: “Macapaca, hahaha. This is hilarious.”

Qi Feng: “Someone’s coming.”

Yan Jiyun stopped laughing. “Copy that.” He’d already heard the footsteps, though they weren’t terribly close; he could still joke around with Qi Feng.

They were now in Building C, right between C and D in a ground-floor cosmetics supermarket. Yan Jiyun took the lead, Qi Feng followed.

Earlier, to reach Qi Feng, Yan Jiyun had used the overhead walkway on the second floor. This time, they were on the first floor. The first was even more brutal than the second.

Blood streaks dragged along the floor, a heavy smell of blood, not just human but some unknown monsters’ too. Yan Jiyun curiously glanced at a two-meter-tall monster in the corner—its head missing, severed by who-knew-who. Impressive stuff.

He crouched in the last row of shelves, keeping low to stay hidden.

Three sets of footsteps, two heavy and one light, drew near. They were on the first floor; not ideal for sniping, so Qi Feng pulled out his phone—ready to strike if needed.

There were three people.

They were clearly on edge: two men and one woman, one of them apparently injured. Yan Jiyun hadn’t smelled it, but he’d heard the suppressed hiss of pain, and a teammate soothing the wounded party.

The uninjured man said, “Yinzi, just hang on a bit. I remember these shops should have some clean cotton. We can do a quick patch-up.”

A weak female voice responded, “Okay.”

The silent man was already rummaging through the shelves, searching for medical supplies.

Yan Jiyun guessed they were out of medicine.

The game was a trap. Offensive items you could reuse on cooldown, but healing and defensive supplies were consumable—once gone, they were gone.

Seeing his own inventory packed with healing balms and stomach medicine, Yan Jiyun felt much more at ease.

As for mostly useless defensive gear and weapons, he’d brought fewer this time—medicines now took up two-thirds of his inventory slots.

The cosmetics supermarket wasn’t large, just L-shaped. The exit toward Building C was directly ahead. Seemed the three had passed Qi Feng without noticing. But Yan Jiyun’s position wasn’t great—just two shelves of bottles shielding him, not much cover. If the searching man sped up, he’d be discovered.

The silent man worked fast, clearly in a rush.

Yan Jiyun saw him at last—a buzz-cut man in black athletic gear, drawing nearer. Just as Yan Jiyun thought he’d be exposed, the man’s hands suddenly stilled.

Buzz-cut turned to the woman and the player supporting her. “No cotton or alcohol wipes on the shelves.”

Yan Jiyun could see, from the side, the impatience written on the man’s face. His earlier frantic searching was probably just for show. Was this a replicant?

He clearly saw a big pack of alcohol wipes right by the man’s left hand—individually wrapped, sterile, perfect for dealing with wounds, and a pile of untouched cotton face towels right beside.

Either he was tired of being dragged down by his teammate, or he was a replicant who had no intention of helping.

Yan Jiyun quickly sized it up. Still, he didn’t know any top arena players and didn’t want trouble—he was ready to slip away.

The man made a show of checking more shelves, again insisting he found nothing. The other male player didn’t buy it and came over himself.

Yan Jiyun pressed against the back of the shelf—one more step and they’d be face-to-face.

One of these three had to be a replicant.

He planned to dash out just as the player came near.

A pity—he couldn’t transform into a cat to hide, and there wasn’t much space. He was still spotted.

This newcomer was tall and lean, with unnaturally fair skin exaggerated by supermarket lighting, and heavy dark circles—he looked like something out of a ghost story, eyes sharp and mismatched in size.

From the woman’s cry, Yan Jiyun learned his name—Yang-ge.

Yang-ge was blunt. “Player or replicant?”

Yan Jiyun adopted a pitiful look, “Please don’t kill me, big bro, I’m a player—not a replicant, I swear!”

Whether Yang-ge asked or not hardly mattered—he didn’t look convinced.

The man in athletic wear strode over, certain. “Anyone still wandering around at this time can’t be a player—he’s a replicant!”

Yan Jiyun stood up and grinned at him. “Dude, you saw the disinfectant wipes but didn’t pass them to your teammate. That makes you sound more like a replicant.” He pointed out the wipes. “See, there are plenty right there.”

Yang-ge’s suspicion shifted instantly toward the buzz-cut man.

Following Yan Jiyun’s gaze, he saw the wipes and plenty of other substitutes.

Yang-ge grabbed a nearby eyebrow razor, pointing it at the buzz-cut man. “You’re a replicant!”

Buzz-cut didn’t bother hiding. He shoved over the shelf and bolted, while Yan Jiyun—who’d been preparing to slip away—barely dodged clear.

Yang-ge didn’t chase. He eyed Yan Jiyun warily.

Yan Jiyun followed the replicant’s route, two black cats slipping from the shadows behind him.

Yang-ge startled at the sight of the cats.

Though injured, the woman’s wits were sharp. “Where did those black cats come from?”

Yang-ge replied, “No idea. First time I’ve seen someone play a game with cats.”

The woman managed a weak eye-roll. “That proves he’s a player, not a replicant—no replicant would waste time chasing cats.”

Yang-ge quickly patched up her arm, both glancing in the direction Yan Jiyun had gone.

“But it’s still strange—why is he the only one with cats?”

Meanwhile, hidden behind the curtain, Qi Feng tightened his grip on his dagger. He wondered the same thing—how had none of his Caramel copies warmed to him? Was raising Caramel just a fluke all along?

As Qi Feng’s doubts as an owner resurfaced, Yan Jiyun rushed into Building C.

Compared to Building D, Building C was noticeably livelier.

He heard running and desperate gasps for air.

Just as he was looking for a hiding spot, a black cloth flew at him. He reacted quickly, sliding aside before it could hit.

“Kid, you just ruined my plan!”

Yan Jiyun saw his assailant—it was buzz-cut, the athletic-wear man.

“So? If you just kept your act together, no one would’ve suspected you. You need to work on your performance.” He feigned regret, “See, I’ve already won the real one’s trust.”

“You’re a replicant too?” There was some doubt in the man’s eyes—he couldn’t tell if Yan Jiyun was serious.

After all, no one had tried that strategy yet—replicants always insisted they were the original, while the originals frantically tried to weed out the fakes. No one had ever admitted to being a replicant outright, let alone done so believably.

“Of course! How else do you think I survived, brother? A true replicant must act, so convincingly no one suspects the truth. Believe me, I’m sharing hard-won experience here.” Yan Jiyun spoke with utter seriousness.

“But regardless of what you are, you have to die. Only the last surviving replicant gets the reward.” The man swept his right leg at Yan Jiyun, a slender chain swinging from his hand toward Yan Jiyun’s head. Grinning smugly, he was sure of his win.

But his smile froze before it could widen—Yan Jiyun unhesitatingly fired, the shot shattering his brow. “That’s why you have to die. Thanks for the tip.”

So replicants had a reason for being so desperate to attack players—and each other.

As long as they survived to the end, the system would reward them?

Why did an NPC need rewards?

Could they be more than the usual system-generated NPCs?

A fresh question stirred—were the NPCs in his game really just data, or something more?

Looking at the dead replicant at his feet, Yan Jiyun’s mind churned chaotically.

[Your mental corruption has decreased by 5 points.]

[Current mental corruption: 92]

He took a slow, deep breath, catching the sound of someone approaching and quickly ducked into hiding.

At that moment, the walkie-talkie crackled with Qi Feng’s calm voice: “Macapaca—did you handle the replicant?”

Hearing Qi Feng’s voice calmed him.

Yan Jiyun let out a sigh of relief. “Taken care of. He said if a replicant survives to the end, they get a reward from the game. Macapaca.”

Qi Feng replied, “Got it. By the way, your act as a replicant was pretty convincing.”

Yan Jiyun’s lips curled in a faint smile. “Thanks for the compliment.”

Thank you for your trust.

[Your mental corruption has recovered by 3 points.]

[Current mental corruption: 95]