Cat 265: Building Collapse

Chapter 265 Building Collapse

The time within the instance suddenly shortened; now, barely over three hours remained. All of Jiangnan Town had been swallowed by a sea of flames. The only way out was on foot, but they still didn’t know how Ouyang Pei planned to lead them to safety, or how long it would take.

Even underground, they could hear the crackle and pop of burning buildings above, the sound of collapsing beams—all of them made from paper, yet burning just like ordinary houses.

Yan Jiyun’s mind was sharp and clear. This instance wasn’t one of those intensely frightening ones—rather, it was a mildly suspenseful mystery. Still, if they couldn’t figure out how to escape before time ran out, the result would be death all the same.

As ever, the rules of the instance needed to be discovered and triggered by the players themselves.

He’d realized something: the rules of this new instance were dictated by the players’ progress through the storyline.

Right now, they had no choice but to rely on Ouyang Pei to lead them out. At least it was obvious that she felt deep guilt toward Cheng Xueying and was willing to take them away from Jiangnan Town. But Yan Jiyun’s main concern wasn’t that—instead, it was that his experience card was about to expire.

[Humanoid Experience Card remaining time: 17 minutes 09 seconds]

Seeing Yan Jiyun lagging behind, Ninth Master gave him a tug.

Yan Jiyun was a bit worn out from running earlier, so being pulled along saved him some energy and gave his mind space to consider more information.

He found it a little strange that Ninth Master—despite being skilled—was captured together with Ouyang Pei, whose combat ability wasn’t especially high. How had the three of them ended up caught by her?

With doubts in his heart, he asked directly, “Ninth Master, how did the three of you end up caught by Ouyang Pei?”

Ninth Master laughed. “Once we got into the mechanism, we split up. The other two passed out immediately, and I let her catch me on purpose. I needed her to lead me in order to find out her intentions. Just as I was about to untie myself, you showed up.”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Looks like I barged in on your heroics.”

Ninth Master grinned. “Not quite what I imagined—I wanted to be the hero, but thinking about it now, being a beauty isn’t bad either. At least it means you care about me.”

Yan Jiyun blurted out, “If I didn’t care about you, who would I care about?”

After all, in the real world, Qi Feng was his benefactor—naturally, he had to look out for him!

Ninth Master felt his heart warm, the smile at the corner of his lips growing even wider. This guy was still so straightforward—never hesitant to express his feelings, which suited him perfectly.

“Let’s hurry and catch up with the others.”

Suddenly, Yan Jiyun remembered something—he’d almost forgotten Qiu Xi!

“Wait, I have another companion. Qiu Xi hasn’t come down yet. I need to go back and carry him out.”

He’d also need another person to help carry Qiu Xi, as his experience card would only last twenty more minutes.

With only half his body remaining, Qiu Xi wasn’t all that heavy; He Yuanle or Gu Wenzhu could both manage.

Yan Jiyun called ahead, “Gu Wenzhu, I’m going back for Qiu Xi. You go on first.”

Ninth Master said, “I’ll go back with you.”

With the whole town ablaze, the tension had been so high that he’d nearly forgotten his own teammate.

Hearing his voice behind her, Gu Wenzhu’s face blanched in chagrin. “I almost forgot about Qiu Xi! I’ll come with you!”

Yan Jiyun called out, “No need, I’m fast on my feet. I’ll be back soon—just mark the way out for me.”

Gu Wenzhu replied, “Be careful, both of you.”

Indeed, returning as a whole group would be troublesome and decisions would need extra deliberation. Still, his injury would only slow them down. Since Qiu Xi couldn’t move freely, pairing him with He Yuanle made sense—they could look after each other.

Yan Jiyun wasted no time. He had memorized the entire city map. Once out of the tunnel, he and Ninth Master quickly found a car belonging to the Cheng family and sped toward Qiu Xi’s hiding place.

Ninth Master took the driver’s seat willingly. “This time, let me be your driver. Trust me—I’ll get you all out of this town.”

Yan Jiyun replied, “What do you mean ‘you all’? We’re leaving together. At first, I thought it odd—the cars have no exhaust. Only now do I understand: they’re made of paper, too.”

Ninth Master mused, “So when the town’s all burned up, what will be left?”

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “I’ve read some occult books—this place feels like a grand illusion. We’re all just trapped within it.”

Ninth Master asked, “Ouyang Pei is part of this illusion, too. Can she really find the way out?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Whether she can or not, she’s at least an option—better than us wandering blindly.”

So far, at least, she seemed reliable.

Even if something unexpected happened, Gu Wenzhu was perfectly capable of making her own judgments. She and He Yuanle were both experienced with high-level instances. If an NPC deceived them, it would likely be revealed in their words or actions.

The car raced ahead at full speed. The streets were littered with fallen signboards from buildings burned in the fire; if examined closely, each sign was paper disguised as brass or iron. Yet even mere paper could be hazardous for their car.

Ninth Master drove fast, but to dodge the falling paper boards, the car weaved like a snake, swaying left and right. In the passenger seat, Yan Jiyun felt his insides churn with every jerk.

Bang!

A sign from a Chinese medicine shop crashed onto the hood, gouging a deep dent.

Yan Jiyun could feel waves of heat from the surrounding flames. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Worse still, the road ahead was blocked by a burning beam newly fallen from a house.

Ninth Master quickly reversed. “Hold on! I’ll take another route!”

Yan Jiyun said, “Back up to the last intersection—we can get around from there! That area shouldn’t have burned yet!”

Ninth Master remained unflustered, his hands steady on the wheel. “Just what I was thinking. No wonder I fancy you—you’re sharp.”

Yan Jiyun, seeing him so calm, couldn’t stay anxious himself. The man did have a way of steadying him—and even now, he had the mood to joke. “I’ve always been clever.”

The hood had caved in, and now as they reversed again—who knew what else they hit—by the time they reached the corner, the car would probably be scrap.

Finally, they found an entrance to another road. Without hesitation, Ninth Master floored the gas. That street was still untouched by fire, though the alley was a little tight. Some NPCs still went about their ordinary lives there. Ninth Master kept honking, signaling them to move aside.

From what they’d read in the pamphlets and gathered about the instance, any NPC who died lost their soul; if a player died, the same fate awaited.

Ninth Master, even at such a critical moment, didn’t consider running anyone down—Yan Jiyun was impressed anew; character was revealed in such small moments.

Honestly, he and Qi Feng had always just been cat and owner; Yan Jiyun didn’t truly know Qi Feng. Had it not been for this perilous game, he might never have had the chance to know him deeply.

From initial mistrust, his faith in him had only grown. He knew this well.

Crunch!

The car got stuck in the narrow alley.

Yan Jiyun stuck his head out. “What happened?”

Ninth Master replied, “The alley’s getting narrower.”

“So now we have to run?”

“Yeah, it’s not far—five minutes on foot.”

Wasting no time, Yan Jiyun flung open the door. The alley was so narrow that both of them had to squeeze out sideways. Ninth Master, being broader, required a bit of a shove to get out.

Once free, Ninth Master stealthily kicked the car in frustration—he’d only just crafted a flawless image of himself, and nearly getting trapped made him look ridiculous. Damn that broken-down car.

Yan Jiyun: …Ninth Master, how childish.

But Ninth Master really was more familiar with Jiangnan’s streets than Yan Jiyun. His childish moment lasted two seconds before he snapped back to his cool, commanding persona and led Yan Jiyun in a mad dash.

The entire town was wreathed in thick smoke. Yan Jiyun coughed after a few breaths, forced to slow down and cover his nose. Ninth Master grabbed his hand again.

“Almost there,” Ninth Master reassured him. “Once we arrive, find a towel and wet it—you’ll breathe easier that way.”

“Mhm.” Yan Jiyun didn’t dare say much, fearing each word would bring in more soot to choke on.

They circled out of the alley to the main street, ran for a while, and finally reached Qiu Xi’s hiding place.

The fire hadn’t reached this part yet, but all of Jiangnan’s sky was a pall of smoke—it would only be a matter of time.

Qiu Xi had dragged himself by his hands from chair to doorway. Seeing his rescuers, tears filled his eyes.

“Brother Yun, Boss Qi, you finally came for me!”

In this instance, Ninth Master’s surname was Qiu—almost identical in sound to Qi. He didn’t bother correcting whether Qiu Xi had gotten his name right in his haste.

Yan Jiyun replied, “Yes, we’re here to get you out!”

One glance at his experience card showed time running short. He crouched before Qiu Xi. “I’ll carry you—get on.”

He’d barely squatted down when Ninth Master pulled him aside. “Let me.” He knew Yan Jiyun was fit, but he wasn’t lacking, either. “You find towels, wet them, cover your nose and mouth.”

Yan Jiyun obeyed, quickly searching the house for towels and water. A small amount would suffice for their needs.

He wet every towel and rag he could find—three in all, enough for each of them.

They wasted no more time, ready to find a car and get back.

They still had over three hours—enough to escape the instance.

“I’ll find a car!” Yan Jiyun, face covered, sprinted outside.

He checked all the cars parked on the street; every door was locked. He picked up a stone and aimed for the window, but to his frustration, the rock bounced off—the paper-versus-paper logic meant the stone was softer than the “glass.” Useless!

He tried smashing it with his elbow, only to bruise himself—it still wouldn’t break. Damn, he really was a paper man in this scenario.

“These windows won’t break.” Yan Jiyun shot the row of paper cars a venomous glare.

Ninth Master watched him futilely bashing the pane, concern for his elbow plain to see. “Let’s just go on foot—the fire hasn’t reached here, there’s still time.”

Yan Jiyun looked toward the Ouyang residence. “When we left, it was already burning. We can’t go back that way—we need another plan.”

Ninth Master said, “Let’s find the car we just took.”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Let’s go.”

They didn’t waste a single moment, hurrying back the way they’d come.

The flames had spread fast. Only a short time ago, the buildings here were untouched. Whether it was the dry air or rising sparks, one house was already ablaze, and fire now licked at the nearby alleys.

They dared not cut through the buildings, fearing entrapment. Instead, they stuck to the street, dodging whatever fell from above.

At last, they spotted their car. If they could just reverse, they’d be fine.

With Qiu Xi on Ninth Master’s back, Yan Jiyun let the other two squeeze in first. Once Qiu Xi was inside, Ninth Master could move the car and let Yan Jiyun get in as planned.

But a simple plan rarely survives reality.

As Ninth Master pushed Qiu Xi into the car and climbed in after, starting to reverse, the rooftop of the adjacent building abruptly collapsed towards Yan Jiyun. He heard the thunderous crack above and reacted instinctively, leaping back several steps—

Boom!

The roof crashed down!

Ninth Master, having just put the car in reverse, screeched to a halt. He and Qiu Xi stared in horror as debris fell. “Yan Jiyun!” he cried.

Qiu Xi was stunned.