Cat 204: Troubled and Hesitant

Chapter 204: Troubled and Hesitant

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“I’m dying laughing! The kitten is way too blunt. How could he be so direct? Doesn’t he care about his master’s dignity at all? Hahahahaha!”

“Same here! So this is what the scenario is like. There’s actually a glass dome on the outside. Does that mean the players have to defeat the giant to leave the game? Our kitty is amazing; he’s spotted a flaw in such a short time that no one else did.”

“It’s really the difference between species. The kitten can see well in the dark. Other players could glare until their eyes bleed and still notice nothing. Having a cat makes everything so much more effective.”

“To be honest, I’m really enjoying this scenario. As long as there’s a cat, I don’t care what the main quest is.”

“The kitty joined late. Can he still get a reward? There’s barely a bit over ten hours left.”

Since no one before them had discovered that the scenario was inside a glass dome, nobody knew how big it was, or whether thirteen hours would be enough to escape.

But now that the giant had surfaced, things would be easier from here on.

Whether there was enough time didn’t matter yet; first, they had to find a way out of the glass dome. But searching inch by inch wasn’t feasible.

They really could feel the dome with their hands.

Yan Jiyun nudged the little Jiuxiu that was curled at his feet aside and touched the transparent dome. Judging by sight alone, nothing could be discerned. Even with light, there was no reflection.

As he ran his hand over the transparent dome wall, he said, “There’s absolutely no seam in this glass dome.”

Qi Feng said, “Don’t be so anxious. We’ve only been at it for fifteen minutes.”

Yan Jiyun looked at his dirty hand. “But I’ve been feeling it for fifteen minutes already.”

Qi Feng, now acclimated to the darkness, could make out his own hand. “Yeah, I don’t think we’ll get anything just by feeling. We should try a new method. This is too slow.”

Yan Jiyun stared at the glass dome. “Mm, true.”

Qi Feng continued, “I bet that, even if there’s a flaw, it won’t be near the giant.”

Yan Jiyun caught the hint. “You’re right. If something was right in front of me and it broke, it would be obvious.”

Qi Feng picked up the thread. “Exactly. In the giant’s line of sight, there probably won’t be any flaws.”

Yan Jiyun said, “So we should figure out which part of the glass dome is out of the giant’s view. That’ll narrow our search.”

Qi Feng nodded. “We’re standing on what should be a curved part now. I suspect we’re also within the giant’s field of vision. We just spent fifteen minutes walking. At ninety steps a minute, with each step a meter, that’s about 1.35 kilometers from where we started. That was right in front of the giant’s eye; assuming human vision, the overlap of both eyes covers 124 degrees, and a single comfortable angle is about 60 degrees. His eyes should work the same way. Factoring in the height at which he looks at the dome, the part he can see should be—”

Yan Jiyun calculated in his mind. “Got it!”

They couldn’t figure out the exact distance, but they had a rough idea.

Qi Feng said, “The giant is tall, his field of vision is wide, but if most of his attention is at the center of the mall, then we should reach the blind spot soon.”

Yan Jiyun added, “So we’re almost at his blind spot, and only in the blind spot could there be a flaw.”

With their target and direction confirmed, they immediately set their plan into motion.

Yang Ge gazed at the two with admiration, slapping his forehead. “Why didn’t we see that?”

Yinzi commented, “That’s just because you’re slow.”

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng didn’t know these two players well. Yan Jiyun took the initiative, “Were you two dragged into the game as well?”

Yang Ge replied, “No, we joined at the very beginning, but only survived by luck.”

Yan Jiyun pressed, “What about the partners who brought you in?”

They couldn’t have made it to a top-level scenario without teammates; many high-level instances required teams, and two people wouldn’t have been able to survive alone.

Yang Ge sighed, while Yinzi finished the story: “They might have died, or maybe some survived. But even if a few made it, there can’t be many. You know, we were tricked all the way by that replicant before—after that, we’ve learned to trust no one.”

Yan Jiyun asked, “And you don’t suspect us?”

Yang Ge replied, “The two of you are nothing like the players we’ve met before. It’s obvious you’re players. Yinzi and I are grateful—if we get out of this scenario together, you can always count on us for help in the future, any time you need.”

Yan Jiyun thought he should take that with a grain of salt; no player could really be on call, given the game’s constant dangers.

Yinzi noticed Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun didn’t reply. “Don’t doubt us—our little guild might be small, but we stand by our word. We’re likeminded, that’s why we started this guild together.”

Yan Jiyun guessed, “Let me see… your guild’s not called the Righteous Guild, is it?”

Yang Ge said, “Impressive, you guessed right.”

Yan Jiyun replied, “I only saw the name on the bounty board. I just took a shot in the dark.”

Qi Feng, though not joining their banter, was listening, and added, “Your guild’s name is quite memorable.”

Yan Jiyun smacked Qi Feng on the shoulder. “Exactly! That’s why it stuck with me—it’s hard to forget.”

Yang Ge said, “It’s actually pretty ordinary.”

The lighthearted moment didn’t last long. Small talk was just a way to size others up. Yan Jiyun wasn’t just chatting idly; when trouble came, he could quickly make arrangements based on what he’d learned. He liked being prepared for the unexpected.

Qi Feng suddenly called out, “Wait, don’t move. Did you hear something strange?”

Yan Jiyun’s hearing was always sharp—he’d heard it before; the nearer they walked, the louder it became, like the beating of drums. Qi Feng’s early warning saved him the trouble of showing off, and the fewer people who knew, the less danger there’d be.

Yinzi said, “I hear it too. Like someone’s drumming.”

Dong dong dong.

Dong dong dong.

Dong dong dong.

The closer they got, the louder it was.

Other than the drumbeat, it was deathly quiet, pitch-black. Not a trace of light from the distant mall seeped through.

Qi Feng said, “It could just be wind.”

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “I don’t think so. Let’s keep going.”

Qi Feng turned, pausing for a moment on Yan Jiyun before instructing the others, “Let’s go, but keep alert.”

This time, after his transformation, Yan Jiyun wore a loose, all-white sports outfit that stood out strikingly in the dark— a sharp contrast to the black cats nowhere to be found.

At last, the four reached the place closest to the drum sound.

Except for Yan Jiyun, the others had become accustomed to the darkness and could make out the ground.

Now Yan Jiyun relied on his forte: locating by sound.

The drumming didn’t seem to come from in front of them; it felt as if it rose from below.

He stopped Qi Feng, who was stepping forward briskly. “Wait. I think the sound is coming from here.”

Yan Jiyun lay down, pressing his head to the ground. “Sound’s louder if you listen close to the floor—try it.”

Yang Ge joined him, while Yinzi, nursing her injured arm, stayed as still as possible.

Yang Ge said, “You’re right. Could something be down there?”

Yan Jiyun thought for a moment, asking, “Have you ever been to the mall’s basement—like the parking garage?”

Yinzi replied, “Yang Ge and I have been down. The replicants never go to the basement, so we hid there for a few days. But a crazed player chased us the entire time, and a replicant eventually led us back upstairs.”

Yan Jiyun asked, “What was it like downstairs? Did you ever hear drumming?”

Yinzi shook her head. “No, never.”

According to their theory, if their scenario was inside a giant glass Christmas mall, and if—like a toy—it needed to be illuminated for display, there’d have to be a switch. And a switch or any other mechanism needs to be stored somewhere, without ruining the glass sphere’s aesthetics; there would have to be a base, and that’s where they were standing.

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng exchanged glances, instantly understanding. In unison, they said, “We can get out from below.”

What if the glass globe was just a cheap toy?

Qi Feng stomped on the ground. “It’s hollow.”

He peeled back the turf, and beneath lay wooden planks. The drum sound probably came from a problem below.

Nearby, Yan Jiyun spotted a piece of sodden, rotten wood. He kicked it hard—it broke a little, but none of them had a light, and the hole he’d made was only about twenty centimeters wide—not even enough for a head.

Yang Ge said, “I’m strong, let me.”

He stomped hard where Yan Jiyun had kicked. His force opened up a wider hole—though the rotten part gave easily, the solid wood wouldn’t budge.

Qi Feng pulled a hammer from his ankle. “Let me break it up. This will be faster.”

Yan Jiyun was long used to the fact that Qi Feng carried tools everywhere. No wonder some spots on him always felt oddly rigid—turned out, he was loaded with lifesaving gear. Yan Jiyun had tried to learn, but every time he turned back into a cat, he just became someone’s delivery boy.

Qi Feng quickly knocked open a hole big enough for an adult. There was light from below.

He said, “Liu Yang and I will go down and check it out. You two wait up here.”

Yan Jiyun agreed, reminding him, “Contact Qi Yunchu and the others first, tell them the situation.”

Qi Feng had barely picked up his walkie-talkie when Qi Yunchu’s voice came through. “How’s your side? We found a hole just now—someone’s already fallen in and started scouting.”

Yan Jiyun figured the one who fell must’ve gotten the worst of it.

Qi Feng replied, “Same here—we’re about to head down as well.”

After exchanging updates, they started moving. Time was tight—they had to hurry.

Liu Yang was quick and bold, diving in first. Qi Feng followed right after, but before jumping, he told Yan Jiyun, “Keep your voice down. I’ll signal you when it’s safe; then bring Caramel down with you.”

Yan Jiyun agreed. “Don’t worry about me. If we don’t hear from you in five minutes, we’ll come down to look for you.”

Qi Feng: “Alright.”

They struck their agreement—after all their ordeal, they couldn’t get separated now.

After reminding Yan Jiyun, Qi Feng slipped into the hole.

Up above, only Yan Jiyun and Yinzi were left, facing each other.

Yinzi, injured, insisted on standing, for some reason—stubbornness, perhaps.

Yan Jiyun asked, “Don’t you want to sit for a break? You’re hurt—you must be tired.”

He remembered Yinzi’s arm had bled a good deal.

Yinzi replied, “I’m fine. We’re heading down in five anyway. Standing a bit is nothing.”

Yan Jiyun remarked, “But you haven’t even complained. You’re really tough. Surviving in the game must not have been easy.”

Yinzi looked slightly embarrassed. “Thanks. It’s not as impressive as it sounds—it was all just grit.”

Yan Jiyun continued chatting.

He asked with curiosity, “How did your Righteous Guild get started?”

Yinzi replied, “Just a bunch of likeminded people. Honestly, we’re not top-tier—just old players.”

Yan Jiyun: “Do you want to leave the game?”

Yinzi: “Either way. Back to reality or in here—it’s all the same.”

Yan Jiyun: “Do you know why Qi Feng and Qi Yunchu used to be at odds? You’re veterans, you must know. I heard they fell out over some girl in an instance. Tsk, tsk.”

Yinzi, distracted, clutching her arm, muttered, “Oh, that… I’ve heard something about it, but not much. Didn’t expect to meet them in the game.”

Yan Jiyun took an unobtrusive step back with a smile. “Do replicants feel pain too?”

[Want to Be Human] Live Stream Room:

“Damn, I just came from Yinzi’s stream—the real Yinzi isn’t even here, she’s still squatting in the mall! Kitty needs to be careful!”

“Don’t worry, the cat’s already spotted the replicant!”

“So, is the ‘Yang Ge’ with Qi Feng a replicant or a real player?”

“I’m going to check Yang Ge’s stream! No, I need to check all his teammates’ feeds!”

At this point, Yinzi looked up, realizing she’d fallen into Yan Jiyun’s conversational trap. She caught herself just in time to remember it was Qi Feng and Su Qiuming who had a falling out, not Qi Yunchu.

Her pallor gave way to a sly smile. “Hahaha. When did you realize?”

Yan Jiyun asked calmly, “Take a guess. But do replicants really feel pain when they’re hurt?”

He truly was curious.

Yinzi kept her composure and didn’t attack immediately. “Oh? Why do you ask?”

Yan Jiyun drew the pistol Qi Feng had given him and aimed it at Yinzi’s brow, shaking his head with regret. “I’m just curious. I really respect women, but since you’re a replicant, and also a woman… it leaves me troubled, torn—”

Yinzi smiled sinisterly, ready to make her move, but Yan Jiyun was faster. He pulled the trigger, quick and ruthless.

Bang—

With a cool expression, he finished, “I really do feel sorry for hurting women.”

At that moment, Qi Feng leapt out of the tunnel and just caught Yan Jiyun’s last words.