Cat 278: Catching the Ball

Chapter 278 Catching the Ball

To avoid any misinformation, Yan Jiyun immediately used the experience card.

His hand was still on Qi Feng’s shoulder as he whispered, “I want to choose to skip the level. How about you?”

Qi Feng replied, “My choice is the same as yours.”

The sooner they skipped ahead, the sooner they could uncover the truth.

The little raccoon confirmed with them, “Would both players like to skip directly to the next level?”

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun answered in unison, “Yes.”

The little raccoon continued, “Since you have chosen to skip levels, the game will move directly from the third to the fifth round. The next level’s content will be randomly selected by the system.”

Not long after their selection, the other players also reached the end of the stage before time was up.

In the second round, forty-three teams made it through, now leaving eighty-six players.

As soon as the last team finished, the little raccoon announced the next round’s information.

Little Raccoon: “The first-place team used their privilege this round to skip ahead. The game will go directly to the fifth round. The first three rounds were player practice stages. Since we’re proceeding directly to round five, the rules for the fifth stage will now be announced. Beginning in round five, if a player fails any sub-stage, there will be no chance for revival. Failure means instant elimination.” The Best Video Gamer

Well, the difficulty was ramping up steeply. Even if they advanced in sequence through the third round, the challenge would have been just as brutal.

Although skipping increased the difficulty, it also conserved their stamina.

After a one-minute break for everyone, the fifth round began.

Some players had just caught their breath and couldn’t help but complain, “Why aren’t we getting any rest time?”

The little raccoon prompted, “For every ten completed rounds, there will be a fifteen-minute rest bonus.”

“The fifth round is about to begin. All players, please prepare.”

There was no delay; the game started abruptly. Yet this fifth round was nothing like the previous two.

The prior levels truly were practice rounds. As soon as the fifth stage began, everything before the players went pitch-black.

“What’s going on?”

“How do we play this?”

“How are we supposed to play in total darkness?”

Qi Feng immediately grabbed Yan Jiyun’s wrist. “Don’t go too far from me.”

Their vision was completely gone—nothing could be seen. Clearly, the game’s difficulty had leveled up.

Yan Jiyun’s eyesight was usually good enough to see faces in the dark. He whispered in Qi Feng’s ear, “I can see. I won’t go far.”

Jumping straight from practice to a truly difficult stage, the new round would last ten minutes.

After a few seconds, a sweet female voice came from above: “Welcome, players, to the blindfolded ball-hitting round! I’m sure you all played this as kids. In three seconds, everyone will be blindfolded. As long as each team can hit ten balls successfully, you will pass to the next round.”

The moment the announcement ended, every player found their eyes covered.

Yan Jiyun immediately noticed he was really blind now. That loss cost him his advantage—his extraordinary vision in darkness. The game had directly taken away one of his talents.

Could it be the game overheard him talking to Qi Feng and added blindfolds as a result?

Yan Jiyun decided not to speak again. The system could monitor his words and might change what is trivial to others into a rule that specifically targeted him.

Qi Feng noticed Yan Jiyun’s sudden quietness. “What’s wrong?”

Yan Jiyun reminded him, “I talked too much just now; now with this blindfold on, I can’t see anymore.”

Qi Feng understood his true meaning: “Don’t worry, I know Caramel.”

Caramel was Yan Jiyun himself. Even if Yan Jiyun didn’t say anything, Qi Feng knew his abilities well.

Yan Jiyun understood and squeezed Qi Feng’s hand in return. “Mm.”

In the brief window he could see, he had surveyed the field: all eighty-six players were facing forward.

Someone asked, “What are we supposed to use to hit the balls—our hands?”

The system immediately prompted: “The bats are on the ground; each player can search for their own. The balls are moving as well; you must also find them yourselves.”

Many players were unhappy with these rules.

“The bats are on the floor and the balls are moving? What if we hit each other?”

The female system voice did not reply.

“We can’t see a thing, and the balls don’t make any noise. How are we supposed to hit them?”

“This is totally a trap. Are we just supposed to club each other blindly?” The Best Video Gamer

“Damn it, the blindfold is stuck—I can’t get it off!”

With these comments, any sense of relaxation from previous stages vanished. Everyone was now searching for a bat on the ground.

The bat was not only used for hitting balls, but also for self-defense.

The atmosphere was tense; though teammates were nearby, no one was unafraid of being struck by a swinging bat.

The darkness doubled everyone’s inner fear, exactly as the game intended.

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng gripped each other tightly. Someone picked up a bat, and the scrape of wood against floor was just audible enough—Yan Jiyun heard it and led Qi Feng in another direction.

Qi Feng’s physical abilities were strong, but without sight, he was just as limited as anyone.

When someone close by accidentally kicked a bat, Yan Jiyun led Qi Feng toward that spot.

His ears were sharp, letting him dodge other cautious, shuffling players.

They kept their voices hushed: “Use your foot to check for a bat.”

Qi Feng squeezed his hand in reply; best to minimize speech, as everyone listened for sounds in the gloom.

A few lucky players had already picked up a bat.

With their toes, Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng swept half a circle across the ground in their area, both hitting something.

Qi Feng grabbed a baseball bat, while Yan Jiyun felt only a twig.

Qi Feng asked, “Got one?”

Yan Jiyun said, “…It’s a twig, ready to snap any time.” His luck was truly something else.

Qi Feng, holding Yan Jiyun’s hand and the bat, said, “One bat is enough. Let’s find the ball.”

The twig in Yan Jiyun’s grasp kept shedding brittle chips—useless except maybe to poke at others as a warning.

They had to find a ball—one that moved. Would it roll on its own, or be pushed, or perhaps be suspended and swayed by wind, waiting to be struck?

In the darkness, not only did they need a bat and to locate these moving balls, they also had to avoid other players—and more importantly, their flailing bats. After all, some players would attack on purpose.

When someone began swinging a bat, Yan Jiyun noted the sound and tugged Qi Feng away.

To avoid losing contact, Qi Feng suggested tying their coat hems together. Yan Jiyun thought it was a great idea and quickly knotted them.

Less than a minute in, the large plaza echoed with cries of pain as players were struck by others wielding bats.

Those who hit someone called out, “Sorry, sorry! Just aiming for a ball!”

Players without weapons tried to keep calm, avoiding conflict. But those with bats hit back: “Screw you! It wasn’t intentional!”

“Damn it! I haven’t hit anybody—who’s hitting me? And now someone’s run into me!”

Chaos reigned. Based on the sounds, Yan Jiyun led them away from the crowd.

Of course, they wanted to hit ten balls and get out quickly.

Qi Feng had self-awareness; Yan Jiyun was far from ordinary, his hearing many times sharper than Qi Feng’s. This time, he would simply follow Yan Jiyun’s lead and act as support.

“How should we move?” Qi Feng asked—blind to both the players and system timer, as the blindfold blocked both.

“I’ve noticed—none of the other players with bats have hit a single ball.” Yan Jiyun shared what he’d overheard.

Qi Feng thought for two seconds, “Then the balls must be either on the floor or above our heads.”

Yan Jiyun, “That sounds right.”

Qi Feng, “Now that you bring it up, maybe the problem isn’t the players, but the balls. The game told us the balls would move; maybe they’re not just suspended somewhere.” The Best Video Gamer

Yan Jiyun, “If they move, what, do they fly?”

Qi Feng, “We need to find out how big the balls are. If they’re small, maybe there really are balls running around the field. The game hasn’t told us their exact position.”

Yan Jiyun, “You’re definitely right—it’s rolling balls, running wild. There’s one more possibility: maybe the balls are intelligent. Earlier, when a player asked who ran into him, maybe it was a ball, trying to incite infighting.”

Violence, blood, anger, cruelty—that was what this game was all about. Compared to this round, the previous two were truly childish.

Qi Feng, “The balls even provoke people—just like some kind of creature. Want to catch one and have some fun?”

Yan Jiyun’s lips curled in sudden excitement. “Of course, absolutely.”

Catching little balls—one of his favorite games.

But the question now was how to catch one.

Using his hearing, Yan Jiyun could avoid players—and also distinguish the sound of a rolling ball.

Qi Feng tugged the knot on their coats tight. “Can you find a ball?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “I need to listen for its movement. There probably aren’t many in motion right now.”

Other players still hadn’t worked things out—the field remained chaotic.

Suddenly, a rolling sound rustled around the players, then everything quieted again.

That two-second sound was all Yan Jiyun needed to judge where the nearest ball was. He took the bat from Qi Feng and swung it quickly at the ground.

Screech.

System voice: “Congratulations, Yan Jiyun’s team, you’ve hit one ball.”

Instead of a thud, the sound on impact was a shrill squeak.

“I got one. It makes a squeaky sound.”

“Can I hit another?”

Qi Feng, gripping Yan Jiyun’s coat hem like a blind man, held the brittle branch in one hand while Yan Jiyun clutched the bat, ready for more.

Earlier, the cacophony of nearly a hundred panicked players had clouded his hearing. Now, he could clearly pick out the faint bounce and roll of balls among the noise.

One ball was sneaking up on him. He swung down hard—squeak!

Only, this time, instead of batting it away, he pressed downward, then quickly leaned to pin it with his foot. The thing was actually soft.

Qi Feng, always in sync, stayed just behind him, being careful not to get in the way.

Yan Jiyun bent down, picked the ball up in his hand—it was about the size of a volleyball. The captured ball squirmed wildly, as if shocked any player would catch instead of hit it.

“The ball is moving. It’s trying to escape.” Yan Jiyun turned and stuffed it into Qi Feng’s hands. “You give it the third degree—see what you can get out of it.”

Qi Feng gripped the ball tightly—it squirmed, but no matter how it twisted, it couldn’t break free.

He’d honed this grip training his cat, who used to writhe the same way when dodging baths. Compared to that, handling one little ball was easy.

What counted as a third degree?

Qi Feng kneaded the ball, saying, “Squeezing these is actually a great stress reliever.”

Yan Jiyun started laughing. “I’m off to catch another.”

Qi Feng now wasn’t just a toolman—he had his own task. Time was short, and he needed to see if this ball could talk.

Squeezing the misshapen ball, he threatened, “Speak up, or I’ll stomp you flat.”

No reply from the ball, but Yan Jiyun heard squeaking. “Keep going. Squeeze harder.”

Qi Feng complied. “Feels like it’s about to pop.”

Yan Jiyun swung the bat towards his right. “It squeaked thrice this time—stop that and use words.”

Another ball was batted out.

System voice: “Congratulations, Yan Jiyun’s team, you’ve hit a second ball.”

The automated prompts stood out starkly in the growing quiet. He’d managed to hit two in less than a minute.

In fact, it was actually three; one more was still in their grip.

Qi Feng tried something new, slowly trying to pull the ball apart—it stretched long—

Ball: “Ouch! Damn it! Let go! I finally got myself an NPC experience ticket, just here to act. I’m not here to be tortured, sob sob sob!”

Qi Feng answered remorselessly, “Just a stress ball, not torture. Tell me, where are you from? And what’s this NPC experience ticket?” The Best Video Gamer

The ball fell silent.

Yan Jiyun connected with another ball; the system continued its announcements.

But the scene was growing ever quieter, only making Qi Feng’s interrogation stand out more.

Yan Jiyun said, “Keep pressing; I’ll make some noise.”

Qi Feng: “Alright.”

Suddenly, Yan Jiyun shouted, “So many balls—they’re even jumping! Quick, hit them!”

Other clueless players finally sprang into action.

“Where? The balls jump?”

“So that’s what’s been running into me—it’s the balls!”

“Ah! I hit one!”

Yan Jiyun kept riling them up: “Hurry, before they all bounce away!”

To keep the system distracted, he worked hard at hitting balls himself.

System: “Congratulations, team XXX, for hitting a ball.”

System: “Congratulations, Yan Jiyun’s team, for hitting another ball.”

In the midst of the racket, Qi Feng kept squeezing and finally got something. The ball’s composure was paper-thin.

Ball: “Damn, if I’d known I would have turned pain settings to zero! Please stop pinching, I’ll tell you everything!”

Qi Feng: “No nonsense. Where are you all from? How did you become NPCs?”

Ball: “We’re from ***. We’re just spectators of the ‘Destiny’ game. Sometimes the game holds a lottery for viewers to experience life as an NPC inside; I applied and got in.”

Qi Feng: “Do you know where the game company is?”

Ball: “No—I—I don’t know.”

Qi Feng: “How does this game end?”

Ball: “I really don’t know—”

Suddenly, Qi Feng’s hand was empty; the ball had vanished.

Yan Jiyun, hearing the silence, turned to ask, “The ball got recycled?”

Qi Feng guessed, “Yeah, probably because it stopped moving—marked as abnormal and taken back by the system.”

Yan Jiyun said, “Hang on; I’ll catch another one for you to play with!” And with that, he dove back into the ball-hunting business!