Cat 201: Dealing with the Herd of Elk

Chapter 201: Dealing with the Herd of Elk

At any other time, Yan Jiyun would have thought it pretentious—even suspiciously motivated—for him to say something like that.

But now, as he spoke with frankness, it instead seemed a mark of genuine character.

Even Qi Feng found himself caught off guard, all the unrest in his heart condensed into two simple words: “Thank you.”

Chu Mo, never one to miss a chance for mischief, chimed in, “I think I heard two people calling for Brother Feng.”

Wen Ye reminded Chu Mo, “Watch out for the monsters.”

Indeed, there were two of them, and the first to speak was Su Qiuming.

Qi Feng nodded to Su Qiuming, the heat lingering on his face slowly fading away.

Su Qiuming may have called out to Qi Feng sincerely, while Yan Jiyun did so out of instinct; he understood what Qi Feng intended and only wished to help avert unnecessary losses.

It was, after all, just a word of concern.

Yet that instant reaction spoke volumes about Qi Feng’s good reputation and popularity. If Lan Mo were here, he’d surely have cheered.

Yan Jiyun turned and shared his earlier discovery of the replicants with Qi Feng, though he put it differently: “I hear many replicants moving; they should be nearby.”

Qi Feng knew Yan Jiyun’s hearing was keener than most. “Yes, we still need to deal with the replicants.” By now, his expression had regained its calm—the flush of emotion seemed never to have appeared.

In moments of life and death, he had little energy for overthinking; Yan Jiyun had only directly voiced what he himself was feeling then.

“Right,” Yan Jiyun replied. He’d realized the path of consciousness transfer between players and replicants was blocked now. At present, only he could shift his awareness smoothly into a replicant cat. Qi Feng’s and the others’ replicants were far from stupid; they would never just wait for their original selves’ consciousness to overwrite them—they would resist. It was a complicated process. What’s more, time to practice was a luxury they didn’t have; the situation was evolving too quickly.

The mutant elk had no fixed target; they ran wild in all directions.

Both glass doors on either side of the mall had been smashed open, the wind from the first floor now gusting up to the second. Every building’s ground floor was exposed to the elements; players and replicants alike were driven to the stories above.

Some of the elk had already charged up to the second floor. Lacking any real sense of direction, they barreled forward blindly, running into whomever they happened to encounter.

Soon enough, the group found themselves retreating to the third floor.

To use bullets and explosives on the mutant elk would be a waste. They chose to attack only those close by; the elk were more than capable of tumbling down the stairs on their own and shattering to pieces upon hitting the ground floor.

Yan Jiyun leaped onto a steel beam and kicked a mutant elk back to the ground floor as it charged over from another building. The resulting crash was the sound of elk bones scattering—a clean takedown.

He turned to Qi Feng, who had fought alongside him up to the third floor. “Any way to finish them all at once?”

Qi Feng answered, “There is, but someone needs to draw the herd.”

Yan Jiyun said, “I’ll do it.”

Chu Mo offered, “I’ll go with you. Two people can back each other up.”

After all, they’d once teamed up in the finals.

Yan Jiyun agreed, “Alright. How do we draw them? Any new ideas?”

Chu Mo’s willingness to pitch in hinted at a new discovery. “They lose their sense of direction in the light. If we get them into the dark, we might be able to herd them together and blast them all at once. If we can find kerosene, so much the better—it’ll save our ammunition.”

It was a viable plan.

Qi Feng looked to Yan Jiyun. “That’s true. Are you confident, Jiyun?”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Of course. The simplest way is to find the lead elk; it’ll bring the rest along. Where do we do this?”

Before the words were fully spoken, Su Qiuming used the butt of his gun to push an elk down to the first floor. “Count me in for the lure team. Three people should be just right.”

Yan Jiyun thought, the more the merrier. “Fine by me.”

Chu Mo said, “Let’s go, then.”

Qi Feng’s gaze lingered on Yan Jiyun; he wasn’t worried about Chu Mo or Su Qiuming, but Yan Jiyun always made him anxious. “Take care, then.”

Yan Jiyun clapped him on the back. “Relax. We’ll get it done. The rest is in your hands.”

“Alright, the walkie-talkie.” Qi Feng tossed it to him.

In fact, Qi Feng was starting to get used to Yan Jiyun’s casual touches. As far as he could tell, Yan Jiyun didn’t do this with anyone else—even when bumped, he never minded.

Chu Mo examined the walkie-talkie. “You actually got your hands on these?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Of course. Very useful—but only two work. The rest are props.”

Chu Mo muttered, “That’s far too few.”

Yan Jiyun admitted, “It is a bit.”

Su Qiuming ignored their banter, focusing on the task of finding the lead elk. “First we need to spot the leader, otherwise we can’t bring the herd here.”

Chu Mo answered, “That’s right.” Then, glancing at Yan Jiyun, “You know where the elk are, don’t you?”

Yan Jiyun certainly did. After their elk-riding adventure, Xiao Huang and Xiao Lu—his cats—had stopped at a certain spot. They knew where the elk were, and now his sight was through their eyes.

He sought the others’ opinions. “Do you trust my instincts? I can lead; I sense the head elk’s in this direction.”

Chu Mo agreed, “Let’s move.”

In matters of life and death, sometimes instinct is a lifesaver.

Su Qiuming nodded as well. “Let’s go.”

Yan Jiyun led them down to the second floor, heading towards Building B. Xiao Huang and Xiao Lu were still some distance ahead, but the group moved quickly and in silence throughout.

A few minutes later, Yan Jiyun brought them to Building E—somewhere they hadn’t been before.

He paused at the entrance. “Anyone familiar with E? I haven’t scouted it yet.”

Su Qiuming volunteered, “I can take the lead.”

Yan Jiyun pressed his ear to the ground deliberately. “We need to go a bit further; I can hear cats meowing ahead.”

“Meowing?” repeated Su Qiuming.

Chu Mo explained for Yan Jiyun, “He hears better than us.”

“I see,” said Su Qiuming.

Yan Jiyun looked at Su Qiuming. “Six o’clock direction.”

“Right, let’s go,” Su Qiuming said. The six o’clock direction was straight ahead—easy to find.

Just as they neared the lead elk, two figures appeared ahead. It was unclear whether they were players or replicants.

The fear in their eyes was evident. At the sight of the trio, they fled at once—no questions or checks necessary to know their sanity had reached dangerous levels.

None of the three pursued further. For now, they needed to deal with the mutant elk first; at the current rate, the herd would shatter every pane of glass in the building, leaving them exposed and making concealment impossible.

The giants outside could wipe out the players at any time.

A stray thought entered Yan Jiyun’s mind. If the giants were watching everything in here, then what did that make them?

He set the suspicion aside for now. He’d find a chance to ask later if anyone else knew about the ever-watchful eye outside.

Steering around the rampaging elk along the way, they did, in fact, find the lead elk in Building E.

Chu Mo’s sharp eyes were first to spot it. “There it is.”

Yan Jiyun saw it too—the lead elk had a larger frame than the others, the deerskin stretched tight over its skeleton. These elk had skin but no flesh, and their glowing green eyes were as unsettling as ever. Though after a while, the effect dulled.

Su Qiuming volunteered, “I’ll lead it out. We can take turns.”

Both Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo voiced no objection. The first to go would definitely face the most danger.

There wasn’t much strategy to it—just run and draw the elk toward Building A.

Yan Jiyun noticed a few of his cats, Xiao Huang and Xiao Lu, watching from upstairs.

The kittens were all safe—no issues there.

Su Qiuming, swift and nimble, leaped onto a few café tables and sprang straight before the head elk.

The animal was insensitive to light. Su Qiuming yanked a tablecloth from the café and used it to lure the leader toward their previous path—this time on the first floor, not the second.

He’d volunteered to go first out of confidence—and familiarity with Building E’s layout.

As the herd, led by its chief, surged toward A, Yan Jiyun’s replicant followers trailed after them. Yet even in this busy moment, Yan Jiyun found time for a passing thought.

Su Qiuming worked without delay or fuss, and was easy to coordinate with—how did he and Qi Feng ever fall out? The curiosity gnawed at him, just as the ending of a suspense novel refused to let him sleep.

The elk were fast; running in front, Su Qiuming risked being gored, but his monster-luring skills were solid—probably honed through plenty of similar tasks in previous scenarios. For now, he stayed just ahead of the antlers, keeping the elk under control.

Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo silently tailed behind, feeling more like hindrance than help, and realizing they were in more danger of being trampled by the stampeding elk from behind than the lure at the front.

At that relative, the lead runner had it better.

Bullets were scarce. Seeing the issue, Chu Mo called to Yan Jiyun, “Let’s head to the second floor!”

Yan Jiyun nodded. Su Qiuming could manage the lure on his own; their roles had dwindled.

They dashed upstairs. A few of Yan Jiyun’s cats appeared beside him and then darted ahead.

Chu Mo remarked, “You’re close with Qi Feng—his cats’ avatars are really fond of you.”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Does it matter?”

Chu Mo teased, “Can’t I gossip a bit?”

Yan Jiyun was truly puzzled. “Gossip about what?”

Chu Mo hesitated, lips moving as if to speak, then let it drop. “Oh, nothing.”

They didn’t lose any time, making their way from E to D, then cutting through C and B.

Su Qiuming led out front, with the other two on the second floor, ready to cover him from any mutant elk that got too close. No accidents occurred; everything ran smoothly.

For once, a plan of Yan Jiyun’s was unfolding without a hitch. Su Qiuming was talented—plain and simple—and luck was with them.

Su Qiuming led the mutant elk into Building A. The lead elk never stopped chasing him—not giving an inch, as though glued to him.

Qi Yunchu shouted, “Su Qiuming, get upstairs!”

Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo needed to resupply. Ammunition was running out.

Su Qiuming glanced at Qi Feng, who stood guard with his gun—but didn’t shoot. Just then, the head elk’s antlers struck Su Qiuming in the thigh.

Xu Xian yelled, “Brother Ming!”

Yan Jiyun and Chu Mo were right by the stairwell. Together, they slid down the escalator, and Yan Jiyun, from the side, lashed out with a kick, knocking the elk’s head away just as it charged at Su Qiuming. Its razor-sharp antlers skimmed past, the moment heart-stopping.

Chu Mo hurried to pull the fallen Su Qiuming to his feet, catching him before the others could run him down.

Su Qiuming, clutching his bleeding thigh, got up with Chu Mo’s support.

Meanwhile, Yan Jiyun mounted the elk, gripping its antlers to keep from being thrown off.

Qi Feng, still upstairs, kept his gun trained on the beast.

Yan Jiyun, one hand on the elk’s antler, the other holding the walkie-talkie, called out, “Wait until I’m off its back, then shoot it in the head!”

Right after he spoke, the mutant elk bucked, sending the walkie-talkie flying from his grasp.

Qi Feng heard and needed no reply.

Yan Jiyun rose to stand atop the elk. He remembered how Qi Feng had used the advertising sign’s rope to swing to the second floor.

With the lead elk following him, he ran and it chased—if he paused, it jabbed its antlers. He didn’t need to run now; instead, he wrenched the antlers, steering its charge. He spotted the rope Qi Feng had once used.

Seizing the moment, Yan Jiyun leapt for the rope, seized it, and began to climb with all his speed.

At that instant, Qi Feng fired—his bullet exploding the lead elk’s skull.

He then tossed aside the gun, reaching down to the climbing Yan Jiyun: “Hurry up!”

Trusting, Yan Jiyun took his offered hand, feeling a strong grip clasp him tightly.

At that moment, the others hurled their explosives at the elk herd below.

A thunderous explosion followed—obliterating the herd.

Yan Jiyun, just hauled up by Qi Feng, was thrown against his chest by the force of the blast.