Cat 277: Level Skipping

Chapter 277 Level Skipping

[Have You Seen My Cat?] Live stream:

“I finally understand the true meaning of ‘spoiled and willful.’ Our cat overlord has perfectly demonstrated how to use that phrase. But strangely, I don’t feel the slightest bit of jealousy—hahaha, I’m happy for them.”

“Am I the only one who’s noticed that Brother Feng only shows a smile in front of this cat master? He never used to smile before, but since the start of this championship, he’s smiled several times already. Brother Feng should smile more—don’t let the cruelty of the game wear you down!” The Best Video Gamer

“What a moving bond between pet and owner!”

“Hey, why do I feel like Brother Feng’s status is sinking lower and lower?”

“It isn’t just your imagination. That’s the difference between a master and a servant. When you raise a cat, you choose whether you want to be the owner or the servant. Clearly, our Brother Feng isn’t towering over the cat as a master—he’s a bona fide poop-scooper.”

“Hahahahahaha, it’s so funny, but I could cry—Brother Feng has a cat and I don’t!”

Yan Jiyun was just teasing Qi Feng harmlessly. He watched as a player emerged from the bubbling cream soup, and realized that as long as you found the right way out, it wasn’t much of an issue; sooner or later, Qi Feng would have to jump in. He also noticed that only the bubbling part of the cream soup was thin enough for players to move freely in it, while the rest was just sticky and thick—if a player stepped there, their legs would be stuck and couldn’t move.

Qi Feng shot him a helpless look. “I’ll go scout the way first.” He knew Yan Jiyun didn’t like liquids—sticky stuff was no good for his fur.

Yan Jiyun simply didn’t want to have to clean his fur. Even with the costume card, nothing was visible, but all the negative effects still applied to his main form. If he could, he would avoid any task involving liquids.

Fortunately, this level was pretty easy to pass.

The thick, milky-white cream soup wasn’t hot. After the soup bubbled up again in the pool, Qi Feng walked back, ending his first round of scouting. He decided to bring his cat over before moving forward.

In front of other players, Yan Jiyun could never transform into his cat form—his true form was a personal skill he kept hidden from everyone except Qi Feng.

The cream soup pool wasn’t deep, only reaching Qi Feng’s knees. Turning his back to Yan Jiyun, he said, “Hop on.”

Without any hesitation, Yan Jiyun placed his hands on Qi Feng’s shoulders and jumped onto his back. Qi Feng supported his legs in turn.

Stage 2-1 wasn’t difficult, but their actions attracted the attention of the other players.

Among the ninety-some remaining contestants, quite a few at the rear saw the front-runner of the first major stage carrying a teammate across the cream soup pool.

The second-place players, Gao Kan and Zheng Xian, were dumbfounded.

Qi Feng carried Yan Jiyun across the pool. Zheng Xian gave him a thumbs-up. “Some people are just born lucky.”

They instinctively assumed Yan Jiyun was using his looks to trade favors with Qi Feng. After all, from start to finish, this young man was either being carried or leaning against the cold, expressionless man. He was probably one of those rumored players who relied on others to get through the levels. Not everyone dragged into the “Destiny” game was a prodigy—there were those like Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu, who had shortcomings, and there were those who depended on others, who’d rather trade their bodies than actual effort. It was a shameful approach, yet here it was perfectly legitimate, though such players were often despised by others. Still, sometimes those with skill would accept them.

Reluctant to touch liquids, Yan Jiyun now drew several scornful and disdainful glances.

But Yan Jiyun couldn’t care less about their looks—this was a secret between him and Qi Feng, and no one else would understand. In fact, it worked out better this way; the others wouldn’t see them as a threat and would lower their guard.

Though the game told everyone there were a hundred levels, there might be ways to skip some, though they hadn’t triggered them yet.

After crossing the cream soup, another dairy-themed challenge lay ahead—a giant cream cake. For ten seconds, it remained solid, then reverted to a true, soft cream cake. It was safe to eat, but the player might sink right in: at best, they’d end up stuffed; at worst, cream would block their nose and mouth, risking suffocation.

The cake had three layers, each 1.5 meters high, for a total of about 4.5 meters. It didn’t sound high, but climbing from one end to the other in just ten seconds required a burst of speed. Of course, if you weren’t afraid of getting stuck, you could still brute-force your way through.

For most players, attire didn’t matter, but Yan Jiyun was different. The sight of all that sticky mess made him reconsider; his face was full of resistance.

The rest of the players began scrambling to climb—those making it across were few.

Both of them studied the others’ passage techniques. Qi Feng said, “We have to coordinate. I’ll go up first, then pull you. We can cross this giant cake within ten seconds.”

Yan Jiyun looked as if he’d just bitten into a pound of bitter melon. “From now on, anyone who offers me cake is getting cursed out.”

Qi Feng pressed his hand on Yan Jiyun’s head. “Once it turns solid, I’ll charge up first. Stick close behind me.”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Okay!”

They silently counted the seconds it took for the cake to solidify.

Qi Feng counted under his breath: “Three, two, one!”

He shot up to the first tier at lightning speed, Yan Jiyun close behind. Together, they climbed to the second tier. Qi Feng found Yan Jiyun could keep pace, so he pressed on, swinging himself onto the third layer.

Just as he turned to pull Yan Jiyun up, Yan Jiyun leaped for the third layer—only to have someone suddenly grab his ankle from below.

Yan Jiyun didn’t panic. The instant another player touched him, he kicked out. Before the other’s grip could tighten, he was already pulled up by Qi Feng.

The cake was about to start softening; Qi Feng dared not release Yan Jiyun, afraid someone would grab his leg again. No matter how careful you were, some fool was bound to cause trouble.

“You go first.” He was keeping time in his head.

Yan Jiyun didn’t hesitate, jumping down lightly. This height was nothing for him; he quickly hopped layer by layer off the giant cake.

Behind them, several players had just reached the top. Some were determined to make their streams more exciting for extra tips, resorting to any stunt that would draw viewer interest.

Sure enough, one player, spotting Qi Feng with his back turned, tried to kick him off the cake!

Yan Jiyun, side-stepping as he descended, saw it all peripherally and immediately shouted a warning: “Twelve o’clock, behind you!”

Qi Feng dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the sneak attack!

Foiled, the troublemaker clicked his tongue in annoyance. “What a shame.”

Qi Feng shot him a look. While the cake was still firm, he jumped down—Yan Jiyun was waiting below.

This mischief-maker had already sized up their pairing as one strong, one weak, and he and his teammate weren’t worried. Time in the stage was limited, but causing a little chaos made for hotter livestreams.

The troublemaker was nimble, too. After Qi Feng jumped down, he gave a crooked smile and leapt after.

But just as he landed on the last layer, a sudden pain shot through his abdomen. In the next instant, he was kicked into the creamy depths of the softening cake!

The “weakling,” Yan Jiyun, was the one who’d lashed out, eyeing him coldly. “You dare lay a finger on my partner?”

The player, now buried in the melted cake, couldn’t even muster a retort—he was wedged in too deep to extract himself.

Yan Jiyun left him to work his way back through the stage and quickly turned, grabbing Qi Feng and heading for the next challenge.

Qi Feng cleared his throat, feeling a surge of satisfaction. Maybe this was what special affection felt like?

Each major stage had six sub-levels, each with three tasks, so there was only one dairy-themed challenge left. With Yan Jiyun’s kick, they’d made their point—no need to waste further time.

This was the first time Qi Feng truly experienced the power of his cat; Yan Jiyun could sense a sneak attack without even looking back. It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head—the bond Qi Feng felt grew even stronger.

Only one cream challenge remained. The third mini-level looked even tastier—no, it seemed a bit harder.

Ahead stood rows of glossy, jiggly, cream-colored puddings. Players who tried to cross them immediately slipped and fell off the soft, slick surfaces, returning to the start and having to repeat the taxing climb over and over.

Yan Jiyun breathed a sigh of relief. This time, it was just springy, slippery pudding, not liquid or sticky cake, so he could handle it.

Qi Feng, a veteran, had no trouble identifying the key to this round.

He whispered into Yan Jiyun’s ear, “Jiyun, you need to focus on speed, and always step exactly at the center of each pudding. If you hit the edge, you’ll topple sideways.”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Got it.”

Qi Feng asked, “Should I show you how it’s done?”

Ever since he’d learned Yan Jiyun was actually his Caramel, Qi Feng couldn’t help but watch over him constantly.

Yan Jiyun, never one to fear a speed challenge, shook his head. “No, save your strength. I can handle it myself, trust me.”

Since entering this round, Qi Feng’s every move had been painstakingly considerate. No doubt, it was because of his “Caramel” identity. In reality, it was unnecessary—they were partners, not co-dependent, and his overprotectiveness wasn’t needed. It would take time for Qi Feng to shift from “caretaking” to a real sense of “cooperation.”

All around them, players were getting stuck on the cream puddings—none had managed to clear them yet. With nearly a hundred competitors, everyone was a stranger to each other.

Yan Jiyun stepped back a few paces, picked up speed, and charged forward, playing to his strength at sprinting. He jumped onto the first pudding, then the second, then the third—

Once he found his rhythm, his speed surged. There were fifty slippery cream puddings in all; Yan Jiyun landed on the final one before coming to a steady halt.

He finally let out the breath he’d been holding!

With this, he’d successfully cleared the first mini-level.

He waved at Qi Feng, who was a distance behind. But in moments, Qi Feng had jumped across as well.

This stage wasn’t overly challenging. As they landed, several others made it across too.

They’d completed Stage 2.1, though they’d used up two minutes—there were still tougher sub-levels ahead with little time to spare.

Watching their remaining time tick down, Yan Jiyun grew more serious. “Ten minutes left. Five mini-levels still to go.”

Qi Feng said, “Let’s divide our time wisely. We aim to reach first place before the fourth mini-level, then you can switch to Caramel again—we’ll blitz straight through the next rounds.”

For the mini-levels, as long as the two of them coordinated—hand in hand—Qi Feng could carry “Caramel” across. That would save time and energy, and their first-place finish would net them new clues.

Next up: the biscuit stage.

The first task was to leap across platforms built from biscuit gears. At least biscuits weren’t liquid—Yan Jiyun had no resistance.

They quickly breezed through Stage 2.2.

Meanwhile, two other teams arrived at nearly the same time—worthy opponents.

The third stage was about to begin. Without securing the third round’s choice privilege, they might miss vital information.

As they pondered, Stage 2.3 began.

These two teams weren’t to be underestimated; as soon as the new challenge opened, both rushed ahead, clearly familiar with the game’s rhythm. The Best Video Gamer

The third challenge involved fruit.

There were no rolling fruits to jump over, nor juice spraying everywhere. Instead, a horde of fruit-people with arms and legs surged forward—each much larger than the players. Anyone hit would be bounced back to the entrance of the stage.

There were so many fruit-men that it was hard to squeeze through. Yan Jiyun glanced at the players fighting to get past, and whispered to Qi Feng, “My costume card will wear off right about now—I’ll turn back into Caramel and help you scout ahead.”

Qi Feng nodded. “Okay.”

In the next second, a black cat appeared at his feet. With a flash, Yan Jiyun darted to the left, Qi Feng close behind.

Yan Jiyun darted wherever the gap between fruit men was widest, successfully clearing a path for Qi Feng.

In under ten seconds, both had slipped through the stampede. Yan Jiyun then dived into Qi Feng’s open jacket, wrapping himself around his neck as they dashed for stages 2.4 to 2.6, which required teamwork.

For them, pair tasks were even easier than solo ones.

In under a minute, they cleared the second major stage and won the right to the next level, unlocking new gameplay.

The little raccoon’s youthful voice sounded a bit lower, as if its spirit had dipped, but it still had to offer forced congratulations to the two players.

Little Raccoon: “Congratulations to you both for again taking first place in Stage Two. You have the right to choose the next level, as well as to skip a stage or add a special tool to the next challenge.”

Yan Jiyun’s hopes rose at last when he saw the level-skipping option, eager to tell Qi Feng, “Hurry, pick skip stage!” But all that came out was, “Meow!”

Damn, he forgot to turn back into a human.