Cat 197: No Way!

Chapter 197: No Way!

The fake Qi Feng died right before Qi Feng’s eyes.

Qi Feng glanced at the timer—everyone around him was just as tense. Only thirty seconds remained. How were they supposed to leave the game now?

With just thirty seconds left, the exit door had already been destroyed by an overexcited Teacher Qu.

If not for Little Blackie’s sudden leap, the fake Qi Feng might have succeeded in his sneak attack. That brief instant granted Qi Feng enough time to react and survive, while Little Blackie only ended up on the ground, none the worse for wear. Even with his claws trimmed, he could still lash out effectively at the fake Qi Feng.

Shaking off the blood on his fur in discomfort, Little Blackie strode over and looked up at Qi Feng.

Qi Feng asked him, “Do you know the way out?”

With a low howl, Little Blackie dashed toward the bungalow. Qi Feng waved the others to follow.

Yinzi and Brother Yang had just taken down a replicant; Su Qiuming and Xu Xian had dispatched another two jointly. Qi Feng had killed the fake Qi Feng; now only one remained.

Thump—the last replicant fell, finished off by one of Teacher Qu’s avatars.

Qi Yunchu hurried over. The other three still remembered being fooled by the fake Qi Yunchu and hesitated to trust this one.

Qi Feng had no time to explain. “He’s the real Qi Yunchu. If we don’t get out before time runs out, we’ll be trapped here forever!”

Qi Yunchu erased their doubts in a single line: “Qi Feng’s kitten rubbed against my leg.”

There was no time for further discussion.

Everyone followed Qi Feng, thirty seconds just enough to reach the entrance of the main base’s bungalow.

Inside and out, the rest had been cleared out by the rampaging Teacher Qu and his companions, Chu Mo and Wen Ye, who even found time to loot a heap of equipment. Most outrageous of all, Chu Mo carried bullets, Wen Ye lugged every kind of ammunition, and Teacher Qu slung guns over every inch of his body, all the while complaining about how hideous it looked.

Guided by Little Blackie, they entered the bungalow from the back.

Everyone filed in.

Teacher Qu #3 grumbled, “It’s all the same bungalow—why insist on slipping in from the back?”

Teacher Qu #5 answered, “If you want to stay here, go ahead—take the front door.”

Teacher Qu #1 kicked them in. “Don’t delay the team.”

They might talk a lot, but no one slowed down the exit. As the final second ticked by, all of them left the game, reappearing out of thin air in the center of the arcade.

Except for Qi Feng, it was everyone’s first time in “City of Sin,” and they were momentarily dazed on exit, but quickly regained their senses.

The other Teacher Qu avatars emerged still bearing Qi Feng’s appearance, but each with distinct personalities. The players now had no trouble telling them apart.

The moment Qi Feng exited, he rushed to the arcade cabinet—Yan Jiyun was nowhere to be seen.

Where had he gone?

In the last thirty seconds, even as Yan Jiyun controlled the “protagonist” to the bungalow, he’d vanished. Was he hiding his identity, knowing they’d return soon?

Qi Feng looked around the cabinet area and spotted the sniper rifle wedged between machines and shooting station. He hadn’t even taken his gun—had something unexpected happened?

He checked the system—a new wave of replicants had spawned.

Qi Feng guessed Yan Jiyun had encountered a replicant and been forced to leave.

Picking up the sniper rifle hidden on the floor, then a weapon looted from the game, Qi Feng fired at the main console of the arcade machine. Sparks crackled as circuitry shorted.

Qi Yunchu asked, “Why destroy it?”

Qi Feng replied, “The replicants have our memories. They know how to get into the game and collect items. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

Standing at the back, Su Qiuming didn’t hesitate—he picked up a chair and smashed it into the game screen. Whether or not it helped, he swung anyway.

Teacher Qu #1, though clueless, was no player but followed the crowd’s example, rallying all his duplicates: “Let’s trash the arcade.”

They had strength in numbers and laid waste to the place with abandon, like hooligans on parade.

Before long, every NPC in the arcade had fled, leaving it just as deserted as the rest of the mall.

Teacher Qu #6 suddenly dashed up to Qi Feng: “Where’s the cat?”

Qi Feng realized it too—where had Little Blackie gone after leaving the game?

Before he could think further, commotion rose outside—not human, but feline yowls.

Qi Feng called out, “Everyone, check your equipment. We’re about to face another wave of replicants.”

Even as he spoke, he ran out of the arcade, the Teacher Qus close behind, all drawn by the caterwauling.

The others, seeing this, naturally followed, thinking something major had occurred.

Once outside, they saw a crowd of black cats yowling in the central lobby on the first floor.

Little Blackie, who’d run out of the game, stood at the bottom as well. The cats were evenly arranged—five to the left, five to the right—each group led by a cat in front.

It was the one in the center who howled, arching its back and howling unceasingly at the cat across from it.

Counting carefully, Qi Feng found there were actually ten black cats!

By the logic of replicant creation, ten cats implied there were five before duplication. From Yan Jiyun, he knew there were four besides Caramel, so now a total of ten—his Caramel was among them.

He could tell which one it was—the one sitting calmly, staring at the screeching cat without moving. That was his Caramel.

At last—he’d found Caramel!

Qi Feng’s heart surged; he nearly dashed from the fourth floor to meet his cat but managed to rein in his emotions and not disrupt the scene.

The reason every replicant cat willingly obeyed him wasn’t simply that he was the black cats’ master, but because he was Caramel’s owner—only those subdued beneath Caramel’s paw would show him reverence.

Everyone who had just left “City of Sin” crowded with Qi Feng at the balcony, watching the black cats fight.

Such a scene probably didn’t exist in any top-tier arena—perhaps not even in the mid-tier ones.

Who’d expect there’d be such a relaxed moment?

【Want To Be Human】 Live stream:

“Aaaaah, I only want to scream! After entering this instance, the showdown I’ve been dying to see is finally here!”

“So many cats—ten cats! Can I get one? Why not host a stream giveaway? Trash game, so uncreative!”

“I just want to see how our kitten deals with these five new rivals.”

“So fierce! The cats are all too feral, so unstable… every single one’s in need of discipline. I’m a vet—bring them to my clinic and I’ll set them straight.”

“Forget all that, kitten charge! Tame the five new underlings!”

If not for popcorn and sodas, the players above would’ve been sitting comfortably as if at a movie, chatting idly as they relaxed into the scene.

It was Su Qiuming who first broke the silence, standing beside Qi Feng: “Which one is yours?”

Surely no one here was unaware Qi Feng kept a black cat—and even brought it into the dungeon.

He’d never seen Qi Feng look so anxious—not about people, but a mere cat, proof of how much it meant to him.

Qi Feng recognized Caramel at a glance, unreservedly boasting about his own cat before all the others.

A trace of pride in his tone, he declared, “The silent one. But when it wins, they’ll all be mine.”

Teacher Qu #1: “Don’t be so greedy. None are yours—I’m their real owner.”

Chu Mo propped his chin thoughtfully, then nudged Wen Ye: “Should I switch from dogs to cats? Cats seem more useful.”

Wen Ye: “Take your dog home first. Then we’ll discuss cats.”

Chu Mo shrugged. “All right, all right.”

Xu Xian: “What’s so interesting about cats fighting? Why not just chase off the other five? Wouldn’t that guarantee Feng-ge’s cat wins?”

Brother Yang: “That won’t work. Cat fights are battles for territory—winner takes all.”

Yinzi fretted, “Why have I never been liked by cats or dogs?”

Qi Yunchu: “Could be your line of work—you might carry a smell cats avoid.”

Yinzi: “Yeah, I’m a mortician. I work with the dead all the time.”

In that instant, every male player saluted her in admiration.

Chu Mo: “Impressive. I always found that job scary.”

Qi Yunchu: “A heroine among women.”

Brother Yang: “I had no idea.”

Su Qiuming: “Not bad—no need for pointless socializing. It’s a good job.”

Yinzi: “You all really think so?”

Qi Feng: “Mm.”

Yinzi: “Let’s add each other after this. Friends get a discount.”

Everyone: “……”

For most, the catfight was a moment to unwind—but Yan Jiyun stood at the ready, focused solely on the yowling replicant in front of him, who had screeched for almost a minute yet made no move.

This batch of black cats seemed fiercer than Yellow or Green before—louder, more aggressive.

He didn’t let his guard down; the lead one cursed up a storm for so long it gave him a headache.

Yan Jiyun had no idea what to expect of these new copies. All the shouted abuse was for dramatic effect. He himself didn’t like to vocalize during fights, making his side look weaker.

“Yow—yow—yow!”

The leader kept up its tirade.

Yan Jiyun’s patience wore thin. Curse if you want, but act already! Couldn’t it fight?

He studied the new one—its back arched high, ready to pounce at any moment.

Keeping still would only waste time.

Facing five cats of equal size wasn’t the same as a player facing five identical clones. He had a slight edge—the four others behind him made it five versus five. No real advantage either way.

“Yow—yow—yow!”

The chatterbox kept cursing, more offensively with every line. If this went on, Yan Jiyun would refuse to acknowledge it as his copy. He was no chatterbox.

Fixing his emerald gaze on the mouthy cat, Yan Jiyun made no move, waiting until its guard was down and a slip revealed itself.

Sure enough, the copy relaxed—eyes blinking, its yowling weakened.

In a flash, Yan Jiyun launched himself, delivering a paw-strike to the chatterbox’s face, pinning it to the floor.

The talkative cat, truly his own copy, recovered fast, counterattacking at once. But all that ranting had left it at a disadvantage. Yan Jiyun knew his own fighting styles; at every move, he anticipated its next and easily blocked them all.

The cats moved at a blinding speed—a blur to ordinary eyes—but the long hours spent gaming had honed the players’ dynamic vision, letting them follow like fans watching a world-class soccer match.

Yan Jiyun dealt blow after blow to the copy’s face until it could barely raise its head, tufts of fur scattered everywhere, stunned into sluggishness.

Its mewls changed tone: “Yow~”

Hearing its plea, Yan Jiyun finally lifted his paw, allowing it to get up.

At that moment, Yellow, Green, and Little Blackie immediately pounced on the other four cats, while White hesitated, standing dumbly by, unsure whether to pitch in.

Yan Jiyun internally rolled his eyes—how had he ended up with such a timid copy? It made no sense.

He had no choice but to handle White’s work himself, lunging at the sluggishly reacting last black cat.

With experience, he fought more calmly than ever; whatever the opponent’s moves, as long as he read their timing, the copies were no match for him.

In no time, the slow cat was subdued and yielded. Yellow and Green, inheriting eighty percent of Yan Jiyun’s fighting strength, finished off their matchups swiftly. The five-on-five brawl wrapped up fast.

The five new replicants didn’t even get a chance to grow villainous—subjugation came too quickly.

In a high-pressure instance like this, a few cats were scarcely a challenge for Yan Jiyun.

The fight over, the new pledges fell under his banner. Whether they trailed him after would be their choice.

Unexpectedly, Yellow and Green lingered, clearly waiting for something.

Yan Jiyun understood.

After the last fight, he’d taken them for canned food—did they expect the same?

So it hadn’t been his fighting prowess that won them over, but the lure of tasty tuna.

Yet now he was under the eyes of all the players—they all knew he was Qi Feng’s cat. Returning to human form would instantly mean one cat fewer, drawing suspicion for sure.

He wasn’t one for risky plays. Besides, it was time to assert his dominance to the underlings.

He didn’t need to run upstairs; Qi Feng came down right after the battle.

Qi Feng worried his cat might fall behind, but one look at the outcome reassured him—Caramel was perfectly fine. So, he came straight down.

His arrival was followed by everyone else, including all the Teacher Qus—each with Qi Feng’s face. The effect, when they met Yan Jiyun head-on, was dramatic.

There were so many Qi Fengs, he almost lost count.

Yan Jiyun ran up to the real Qi Feng, then led him toward Building C.

The Teacher Qus watched their original follow the black cat leader, saw the other black cats follow suit, and naturally trailed behind.

The other players, clueless but remembering the black cat had led them out of “City of Sin,” assumed there was an important clue and grabbed their gear, hurrying after.

The entire crowd of cats and players converged at Yan Jiyun’s previously discovered canned food shop.

Yan Jiyun leapt onto the counter, waiting for Qi Feng to open a can for him. After a fight, hunger was only natural—no wonder Yellow and Green watched him eagerly. He was the only one who could open cans.

Besides cat food, there were cat treats, catnip, feather toys—all sorts of feline delicacies and toys, all unearthed by the Teacher Qus.

When Su Qiuming and the others arrived, they were greeted by the surreal sight of multiple Qi Fengs busily opening cans and feeding cats.

Nine black cats, kneeling in a row for a canned feast—it was quite a spectacle.

If not for the system display reminding them they were still in an instance, one might have believed they’d stumbled into a black-cat café.

Yan Jiyun serenely lapped at his tuna, even relishing the broth to rehydrate—eating two meals in four hours was his long-standing dream come true.

Suddenly curious, Su Qiuming asked, “How did they know about the cans? There were already empty ones by the door.”

Qi Feng replied simply, “Someone found this place before and fed them.”

Chu Mo recalled the mysterious deadeye: “The one who sniped Qi Yunchu?”

Qi Yunchu had been watching the cats but looked up when mentioned. “My replicant was taken out?”

Chu Mo: “Awesome, right?” He looked around. “Is that guy with us?”

Wen Ye said, “He left his sniper rifle behind.”

Chu Mo: “Then he must have run into his own replicant.”

Qi Yunchu: “Who? Qi Feng, did your teammate enter the game?”

Xu Xian: “But none of your team’s a sniper, right, Feng-ge?”

Yan Jiyun: … No wonder they were all guild leaders. If this kept up, he’d be exposed.

He looked up at Qi Feng’s calm face, who seemed unbothered, never once considering to answer who the “sniper” was. It felt like having someone watching out for him.

When Caramel finished eating, Qi Feng bent down and murmured softly, “Caramel, take me to your new owner. He must be in trouble.”

Yan Jiyun: … No way!