Cat 196: An Illusion?

Chapter 196: An Illusion?

Yan Jiyun had no idea what method Qi Feng used to bring Chu Mo, the others, and more than twenty replicants into the game.

Three minutes—a perfect span for a single round.

Yan Jiyun used the game’s perspective to search for Qi Feng’s location.

Chu Mo, Wen Ye, Su Qiuming, and Xu Xian’s positions were easy to identify. Even Yin Zi and Brother Yang had entered as well—was this Yin Zi faking it? She’d been injured yet still managed to enter the game. That meant she was either a remarkably tenacious woman, or she was a replicant seizing the chance to slip in and kill players.

Yan Jiyun pressed the start button. A new game began.

He held the sensory gun steadily as his character charged forward. Every shot was purposeful and true, striking directly at the NPCs that blocked Qi Feng’s progress or search.

Though he was the protagonist in the game, his life was hardly unlimited. This round, the game had leveled up. His memory surely wasn’t failing—last time, when saving Qi Feng, he’d had three lives to spare, but now, only a single bar of health remained in the upper left corner!

The system, having discovered their tactics for farming equipment through the “City of Sin” game, had even restricted the health bars of outside teammates. It was infuriating, yet there was nothing they could do for the moment.

All the games here were under the control of the instance system. Who would have thought even the top-level arenas’ instances would cheat.

For now, he had to focus on working with Qi Feng to eliminate those twenty replicants.

Events advanced faster than expected. They were now facing the twenty replicants directly—no need to search for them one by one.

The false Qi Feng seemed eager to get rid of Qi Feng quickly. The longer things dragged on, the more the odds tipped against him. The number of players he could deceive would only decrease. He was among the earliest batch of replicants—only the newest would receive Qi Feng’s latest memories. There was competition even among replicants.

Yan Jiyun took out another NPC trying to approach Qi Feng.

Many familiar faces filled “City of Sin” now. He could only help Qi Feng by eliminating the resident NPCs; the replicants had to be handled by Qi Feng himself.

There were now two Qi Fengs in the game, one genuine, one fake.

Yan Jiyun could spot the real Qi Feng in an instant, thanks to the fact that he’d brought along Little Blackie while running. The little creature now poked its pitch-black head out from Qi Feng’s jacket, looking so at home that Yan Jiyun felt a stab of envy—such an exhilarating scene, and it was Little Blackie experiencing it from the best possible vantage point, which should rightfully have belonged to him.

After clearing away the NPCs threatening Qi Feng, Yan Jiyun allowed him to maneuver freely. In the scant ten-odd seconds of this protection, Qi Feng deftly dispatched several replicants who hadn’t realized they’d been pulled into the game. Only fifteen remained.

Su Qiuming and the others reacted quickly. After picking up equipment, they switched into attack mode. Each was a battle-hardened player, handling replicants with ease. But the replicants were, after all, avatars of those same seasoned players, providing substantial resistance. And besides, Qi Feng’s team numbered only seven, facing twenty foes.

With time, the replicants’ numbers gradually dwindled.

Yan Jiyun continued clearing obstacles for Qi Feng. Not only did Qi Feng and his group need to eliminate the replicants within three minutes, but they also had to exit the game.

Once three minutes passed, the replicants would reappear, rendering “City of Sin” useless. More than half the replicants already knew they could farm equipment here; Yan Jiyun couldn’t allow them access and had to destroy the game. The pressure on Qi Feng in these three minutes was immense—he had to take out the replicants, gather equipment, escape the game, and then destroy it.

This was their only opportunity to get equipment from “City of Sin.”

Yan Jiyun guessed Qi Feng had already considered this problem.

【Time remaining in game: 2 minutes 30 seconds】

Yan Jiyun took out another NPC standing in Qi Feng’s way.

Although the character’s health was down to a single bar, the instance system had yet to modify the plot of “City of Sin”—the first two levels were identical.

He continued clearing obstacles for Qi Feng, who was busy gathering gear and eliminating replicants.

The teammates who’d entered the game were performing reliably, even Yin Zi and Brother Yang, who weren’t trusted, did well. The two of them together took out one enemy.

Ding—ding—ding. A bullet, fired by one of the replicants, struck the wrecked car in front of Qi Feng. The shot was meant for him.

Su Qiuming was only five meters away, concealed in a trench behind a sandbag.

From the side, he noted the person relentlessly blocking Qi Feng’s advance, “Qi Feng, your real opponent is yourself.”

For once, Qi Feng spoke even as he needed to maintain full focus: “He’s not me, only a counterfeit.”

Every person was unique—no matter how many copies were made, a replica could never be the genuine article.

Luck turned, if only slightly. Chu Mo, having just acquired a new handgun, got distracted long enough to whisper to Wen Ye,

Chu Mo: “Don’t people say Qi Feng and Su Qiuming don’t get along? They seem fine now—no signs of mortal enemies meeting, and Su Qiuming hasn’t tried to compete with Qi Feng for the lead.”

Wen Ye: “Don’t let down your guard. More NPCs coming.”

Chu Mo: “Have you noticed that guy in the green t-shirt helping us clear the NPCs? His marksmanship is godly.”

Wen Ye: “He’s here to help Qi Feng. Any help you get is incidental.”

Chu Mo: “That obvious to you?”

Wen Ye: “I’m not blind. Black dog, six o’clock.”

They swapped places—Wen Ye took out the NPC at twelve, Chu Mo the one at six. Their teamwork was, at present, the best on the field.

As Yan Jiyun rotated his perspective, he saw their brilliant coordination—too bad he could only hear the gunfire in the game, none of their conversation. That’s why, once grown, he’d stopped playing arcade games and opted for immersive online play instead.

What were Qi Feng and Su Qiuming talking about?

Separated by a game console—or perhaps, a different kind of game space—there was no way to hear them.

Seven players versus twenty equally formidable replicants was a punishing struggle.

They were still stalled at the first level; there was little time left for Qi Feng and the others to escape.

Yan Jiyun feverishly cleared the NPCs around them, but his effect outside remained limited. All he could do was fret.

How could he help Qi Feng, who was being targeted by the fake Qi Feng?

Suddenly, he remembered the item he’d picked up in the previous instance—he still had Teacher Qu!

But Teacher Qu had always appeared in the game as a rather frail figure—how could he help Qi Feng in “City of Sin”?

Would he shield him from harm, or help attack others?

It didn’t matter. Time was short. Teacher Qu could assist for thirty minutes, while they only needed three to get through this instance. With things so dire, there was no sense in holding back. Who knew if Teacher Qu could be used in other instances at all?

【Would you like to use the “Adult Teacher Qu: 30-Minute Combat Assistance” item on the game NPC Qi Feng in ‘City of Sin’?】

Yan Jiyun chose: “Yes.”

【‘Adult Teacher Qu: 30-Minute Combat Assistance’ has been activated. Teacher Qu will assist Qi Feng for thirty minutes.】

Yan Jiyun waited to see Teacher Qu in action.

And Teacher Qu did, indeed, work.

Suddenly, there were seven more Qi Fengs by Qi Feng’s side.

Yan Jiyun bit his lip—a moment’s distraction nearly saw him shot by a game NPC.

Damn! He’d forgotten Teacher Qu was a master of split personality. Bring him into this game, and it was like returning him to his home ground; how could he not create several extra characters? Yan Jiyun just hoped his use of the card hadn’t made things harder for Qi Feng.

At this point, the real Qi Feng in-game also froze for a moment when he saw a cluster of identical look-alikes suddenly appear. A glance at the game notifications told him Yan Jiyun had used an item card across the distance for him. He smiled lightly—this was the perfect remedy.

Using a split-personality item against replicants—this was as apt a response as possible.

Both the fake Qi Feng and Qi Feng’s teammates were momentarily shocked. Were it not for their clear positions on the map, they’d be thoroughly confused now.

No, they were already thoroughly confused. Which one was really Qi Feng?

The seven newly created Qi Fengs deliberately swapped positions with the original. One went so far as to ask the real Qi Feng for the Little Blackie in his arms.

Qi Feng realized that Little Blackie was the way the fake Qi Feng identified him, so he handed the creature to one of the look-alikes, who then passed it around until it finally landed in the arms of one version of Qi Feng.

The others: “…”

How did Qi Feng have such an item card?

Countering magic with magic—marvelous.

Hidden in the shadows, the fake Qi Feng was nearly grinding his teeth to dust. Replicants never had all the original’s memories; he knew nothing about this card. Before, he’d been smug about being so advanced a copy—now, seven more versions just as powerful as the original had appeared!

Regardless, the sudden appearance of seven extra Qi Fengs—even if mere illusion—successfully cowed the replicants for a time.

Qi Feng distributed the equipment he’d acquired to the “Qi Fengs.”

Teacher Qu #1: “Tsk… This gun really doesn’t suit me.”

Teacher Qu #2: “Then you can ditch the weapon and shield us.”

Teacher Qu #3 already shoved Teacher Qu #4 in front of himself: “Come, let’s charge the enemy.”

Teacher Qu #4 swatted #3 away: “I have hands and feet of my own; stay away from me.”

Teacher Qu #5 clutched a grenade: “I honestly prefer a sewing needle.”

Teacher Qu #6 held Little Blackie with satisfaction, while #7 snorted coldly at Qi Feng and fell silent.

Qi Feng: “…”

If he hadn’t known in advance these clones were the Teacher Qu from the previous instance, he’d wonder if he really did possess this many multifaceted personalities.

These were absolutely Teacher Qu splits, not his own clones.

With the Qu teachers’ help, Qi Feng’s progress was much smoother.

On the fake Qi Feng’s side, everyone fought their own battles—no unity. If he wanted to take out the real Qi Feng now, he would spend all his bullets just searching for the true one among the eight—it was almost impossible.

The other replicants saw it too; they drew back, and a wave of relief swept through the players’ ranks.

Now, with seven more Qi Fengs, the numbers were near even. Spirits soared.

Only Qi Feng knew these were all illusions; they weren’t truly his replicants.

A minute had passed; everyone had stormed through level one, the threatening NPCs around them felled by the heroic “protagonist.”

Players unfamiliar with “City of Sin” didn’t know the heroic “protagonist” was unkillable. He didn’t go out of his way to protect the “protagonist,” either, to avoid exposing Yan Jiyun’s outside intervention.

Last time, the “protagonist’s” movement was bold and reckless; this time, he cowered and dodged. Qi Feng guessed Yan Jiyun’s side might be facing trouble—nothing but a single health bar left. If the “protagonist” died, they’d be reset to the beginning.

Qi Feng told Qu Teacher #3 and #4 by his side, “You two, quietly protect that man.”

Teacher Qu #3: “He seems like an ordinary young man—not one of us.”

Perhaps others who’d just entered didn’t know he was the “protagonist,” but Qi Feng said, “He’s the most important one here. Only if he survives can we leave.”

The players, knowing they were in a game, had no mind left to protect the “protagonist” now.

This task fell on the multiple Qi Fengs—while Teacher Qu’s mission was to protect the item holder, Yan Jiyun. No conflict there.

From outside, Yan Jiyun saw two Qi Fengs appear beside him and immediately understood. He caught the signal.

There wasn’t much rest—level two began almost at once.

Now, the battle was in a crowded street.

Replicants entered the second scene in succession, while Qi Feng and his group found cover.

The “protagonist” forged ahead as bravely as ever. He could not attack the replicants, but who was to say the replicants wouldn’t attack him?

However, he and the replicants probably could not harm each other; ever since he entered the game, not a single replicant had attacked him.

Yan Jiyun continued controlling the character, charging toward level two.

Qi Feng crouched in the spot where Yan Jiyun had previously stayed, wielding a sniper rifle. With several Qi Fengs covering for him, he was now everywhere at once. The fake Qi Feng’s view was utterly disrupted; everyone he saw looked like Qi Feng. Now, the one being driven crazy was the fake.

“Damn it! How does Qi Feng have a clone item?” He distinctly remembered never getting one in the game.

“Any ideas?” The closest to him was Qi Yunchu. “We can’t touch them at all right now.”

“Take out those pesky clones—pick them off one by one. They’re in the way,” thought the fake Qi Feng. “You handle the others.”

“All right, you handle Qi Feng, I’ll assign the rest,” said Qi Yunchu.

“Speed it up. Those people aren’t dead yet.” The fake Qi Feng gave the order.

“I know what to do,” Qi Yunchu replied, ducking back.

The fake Qi Feng assumed he was going to coordinate with the other replicants, so he didn’t interfere, keeping his attention on unmasking the real Qi Feng.

Damn it all, which one was Qi Feng?

At that moment, Qi Feng, with his sniper rifle, caught sight of Qi Yunchu, but did not attack. Instead, he saw Qi Yunchu flash him a hand signal, an old gesture they’d used years ago in instances. The replicants’ memories likely didn’t go back two or three years.

In that instant, Qi Feng understood.

A second later, a replicant not far from Qi Yunchu poked his head out from behind cover. With no fear of being watched, Qi Feng fired without hesitation.

Perfect—one down.

Again.

Qi Yunchu nimbly mingled among the replicants, and after a few seconds Qi Feng cleanly dispatched another three.

Su Qiuming, Chu Mo, and the others also began sweeping the field, using the current confusion over Qi Feng’s identity, and the advantage of early props, to wipe out the majority of the replicants.

Only six remained, one of whom was the fake Qi Feng.

By now, nearly two minutes had passed.

Yan Jiyun stopped recharging his own trial card. In another minute, a copycat cat would appear, and he needed to summon all his cats back to deal with the newly emerging black cat. What happened to the other players’ replicants was their business—but his duplications needed firm discipline, so they’d know who ruled this zone, lest they cause chaos.

Level two was complete!

Five replicants remained; the player side’s numbers were unchanged, though some were wounded.

Level three began.

This time, their target wasn’t just the main base of “City of Sin,” but destroying all replicants—a tall order.

With under a minute left, there was no time for conservatism. They had to charge!

He knew where the cars were. He directed Teacher Qu #1 to drive. Though Teacher Qu #1 grumbled about the unsuitability of various weapons, when it came to fighting for vehicles against replicants, he was ferocious—a knife to the gut meant nothing; he simply reached out and snapped a replicant’s neck.

Chu Mo, hoping for a ride, caught this scene unawares: “That’s savage.”

Wen Ye: “Not Qi Feng’s style.”

Chu Mo: “Then who?”

Wen Ye: “Probably a replicant.”

Chu Mo: “Doesn’t feel like it—must be an item person.”

Either way, they had no time to chat.

Teacher Qu #1 gave a hard kick, sending the replicant flying: “Heads up, folks, I’m going in!”

Chu Mo and Wen Ye slid into the backseat.

Teacher Qu #1 floored the gas, barreling straight toward the base.

The front was still a bullet-riddled field. Once inside, he rammed down the door of the bungalow from which Yan Jiyun had exited earlier.

From outside, Yan Jiyun gaped: “…”

This lunatic Teacher Qu!

With the door smashed, how would Qi Feng and the others get out?

Yan Jiyun checked the screen: forty-five seconds remained, and the running team was still out of reach.

Teacher Qu #1 threw the car into reverse, exiting the bungalow. Chu Mo and Wen Ye took the opportunity to mow down NPCs out the back windows—the submachine guns roaring in their hands was actually rather thrilling.

Yan Jiyun kept clearing NPCs to assist Qi Feng’s advance.

Thanks to the coordination of Qi Yunchu and Qi Feng, only the fake Qi Feng remained in the replicant’s camp!

Qi Yunchu prepared to finalize his undercover mission, but realized the fake Qi Feng had disappeared.

Yet fake though he was, he was still a Qi Feng replicant. After a rapid analysis, he identified the real Qi Feng’s location.

He found him.

At that moment, Qi Feng was hiding behind an iron barrel. Approaching silently, the fake Qi Feng raised an empty gun stock to strike at Qi Feng’s skull.

Yan Jiyun, controlling the “protagonist,” aimed his gun at the fake Qi Feng.

But the bullet passed through harmlessly; the fake Qi Feng was unscathed.

Just then, a black shadow leapt from the ground, pouncing at the fake’s face—razor claws raking across his eyes!

The fake Qi Feng, no master of pain tolerance, flung the black cat from his face: “Forgot about you, you little animal!”

He redirected the gun stock toward the fallen Little Blackie—

In a blur, Qi Feng spun and, at point-blank range, blew off the fake’s head in a shower of blood, coating both himself and Little Blackie.

On the other side of the screen, Yan Jiyun broke out in a cold sweat, a sudden ache pounding his head.

In that moment, he’d felt as if he were Little Blackie himself, the illusion of lashing out with claws lingering in his mind.

Everything had happened so fast—could it be he was just so tense that it was all an illusion?