Cat 280: The Tacit Understanding Challenge

Chapter 280: The Tacit Understanding Challenge

As the levels in the game increased, so too did the complexity of the gameplay.

The first three stages served as introductory rounds, the fifth ramped up in difficulty, and by the tenth, it had transformed into a full-fledged theater.

Yan Jiyun, like the other players, was swept into the stage, but upon entering, he realized Qi Feng was nowhere in sight. He couldn’t catch the other’s scent—Qi Feng was not by his side.

As always, Yan Jiyun’s first order of business upon entering a new level was to check the time limit.

This round, however, listed no duration. In previous levels, shorter time frames had signaled an increase in difficulty, so the absence of a time limit here was peculiar indeed. It also suggested, in a roundabout way, that the game had not officially begun.

All around him was darkness; something obstructed Yan Jiyun’s view. Was this another blindfolded ball game?

“Why is it pitch black again?”

“It seems like we can lift this.”

“Is this a head covering?”

A quick-witted female player exclaimed, “Why do I feel like I’m wearing a bridal gown?”

Yan Jiyun caught sight of what covered his head. Raising his hand, he swept off the veil and looked down at his clothes. He was dressed in a traditional, deep red, ancient-style gown. Clearly, this was a Chinese bridal dress for women.

What on earth?

As a man, there was truly no need for him to wear such a thing.

A slightly gloating voice sounded: “Now, let me announce the rules for this round. The details are listed at the top: the objective is to test the tacit understanding between paired players. There are thirty-nine players seated here in the role of ‘brides,’ and another thirty-nine on the other side as ‘grooms.’ Both bride and groom must answer questions at the same time. If their answers match, the groom may bypass an obstacle and draw closer to his bride; mismatched answers force the groom to clear an obstacle before proceeding, and if he fails, the team is eliminated. Once the groom reaches the bride’s area, he must find his ‘bride’ within the allotted time to clear the round. If he fails to do so, the team is eliminated.”

[Username: Want to Be Human] – Streaming Room:

“This is my kind of show! The game really knows how to hook an audience, hahaha! I shall dub this the ‘couples-only’ round.”

“I’m dying, the couples’ round—this is basically intended to break them up!”

“Isn’t this testing the tacit understanding between the cat cub and its owner? What if the owner and the cat cub can’t match their answers? Will the cat cub scratch its owner’s face?”

“Honestly, I think the real challenge isn’t answering the questions, but picking out your partner from among thirty-nine players. The cat cub surely knows its owner’s scent and could sniff him out, but can the owner do the same?”

“You make a good point, bro. Still, part of me wants to see the owner mess up, hahaha.”

“If he fails, there’s probably no way out of the game.”

“Come to think of it, the cat cub is pretty possessive. Last time, when the owner hugged that little white cat, he turned back into a cat and took the chance to thrash his owner. If they get this wrong, I bet the owner will be kneeling on thumbtacks at home.”

“It does sound tragic, but I can’t help grinning. It’s a different kind of blood sport!”

Yan Jiyun tore off the veil. He was seated in a transparent square about two square meters in size. Around him were thirty-eight other brides in red gowns. Regardless of gender, everyone had been cast in either the bride or groom role at random—leading to some comically burly, bearded men forced into bridal attire.

The rules were clear: paired players answered together, and correct answers might mean rewards for the players.

Most of the players were male. If one had bothered to observe their companions closely, it would be easy—they all had their hands exposed, not covered by their sleeves. Perhaps this was the game’s only hint; if the pair lacked understanding and matched few answers, the groom would end up far from his bride—beyond all help.

An excited female voice echoed through the vast hall: “Let the question round begin. First question—players have ten seconds to answer.”

Before Yan Jiyun were thirty-nine vermillion doors, each draped with symbolic red sashes—like a wedding ceremony.

Now it was just a matter of seeing which “bride’s” door would open first.

As soon as the announcement ended, a single-choice question appeared before Yan Jiyun.

[Of the following four toys, which do you like best?]

A: Transformers B: Puzzle C: Barbie Doll D: Stuffed Mouse

[Username: Want to Be Human] – Streaming Room:

“I know! DDDDD!”

“DDDDDD!”

“DDDDDD!”

[Username: Have You Seen My Cat?] – Streaming Room:

“There’s no way they know!”

“I think it’s B. The newcomer seems pretty smart.”

“But isn’t Brother Feng’s cat a human? Could it be D?”

“Definitely not D. Only real cats play with stuffed toys!”

Ten seconds elapsed. The questions before all the players disappeared and could no longer be answered.

The excited female voice rang out: “Grooms whose answers matched their brides may advance. Those who answered incorrectly must clear an obstacle within two minutes, or the team is eliminated. There are thirty correct teams; nine teams failed. Obstacle doors, open!”

A two-minute countdown began for the brides. This was the first question; no one had been eliminated yet, but those one hundred and twenty seconds felt torturously long, and nobody knew whether their teammate had answered correctly—even Yan Jiyun was nervous.

If Qi Feng got it wrong, he would need to clear the obstacle, too.

The host only reported the number of successful pairs, not which teams they were. The tension in the hall wound ever tighter.

One hundred and twenty seconds passed—seemingly brief, but everyone waited on tenterhooks, more anxious than if they’d had to clear the obstacle themselves.

The countdown ended at last.

The system’s female voice regretted: “Oh, what a pity—they all cleared the round. Let’s move on to the second question!”

Yan Jiyun let out a quiet sigh of relief. No one was eliminated yet; for now, he and Qi Feng were safe.

“Second question—begin.”

The second question flashed onto Yan Jiyun’s screen. This time, it wasn’t multiple choice, but fill in the blank—a clear step up in difficulty.

The question tested the level of understanding between the pair and, for this round, shifted its focus from the bride to the groom.

[What leisure activity is your partner most likely to engage in while resting? Players, you have ten seconds to answer.]

Yan Jiyun: “……”

This was a truly tough question.

He thought for three seconds, then, uncertain, entered a two-word answer.

System: “Are you sure about your answer? Once confirmed, it cannot be changed.”

Yan Jiyun: “Confirm.”

System: “Answer locked. No further changes permitted.”

[Username: Have You Seen My Cat?] – Streaming Room:

“I know this one—when Brother Feng’s idle in the game, he reads!”

“No, he goes fishing.”

“Neither is right, huh.”

“Damn, I got rash!”

“Damn, didn’t expect this from you, Brother Feng—you’ve been hiding things from us.”

Yan Jiyun’s answer: Walking the cat.

The host announced: “Time’s up. This round, 25 pairs had mismatched answers. Obstacle doors, open!”

For the consistent pairs, the grooms faced only a doorway. The mismatched pairs found obstacles behind their doors; only if they made it through could they proceed to the next stage.

Within two minutes, players began to be eliminated.

The enthusiastic female host announced, “Our first elimination! Team 23 is out!”

Each glass booth bore a number.

Yan Jiyun’s was 29—the same number he’d used in hide-and-seek, reappearing again.

The host: “Team 16, eliminated!”

Excitement continued to fill the room: “Team 10, eliminated!”

After the second question, three pairs had been eliminated; thirty-six pairs remained, and tension continued to mount.

Yan Jiyun glanced left and right at his neighbors in the adjacent booths: both men, dabbing sweat from their brows as though they’d just run a race.

Yan Jiyun unconsciously clenched his fists, hoping he and Qi Feng matched on their answers and could save their strength. If they got everything right, they’d effectively skip a round’s worth of exertion.

Question three arrived.

The enthusiastic host’s voice faded, replaced by a level, composed tone: “Third question, begin.”

[If you could receive an extra reward after the game, what would you choose?]

A: Become the world’s richest person B: Become a national leader C: Return to ordinary life D: Become a high-tech alien

Yan Jiyun’s gaze lingered on option D. Why would there be such a choice?

Could this be the game’s way of running a questionnaire? High-tech alien? Is this a clue to the game’s origins?

It matched the players’ speculation: if aliens truly created this game, then how could they break free? For such advanced civilizations, Earth must seem primitive.

But it was only conjecture, not an established fact.

The streaming rooms buzzed as audiences guessed whether Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng would make the same choice.

Question three concluded.

The host said flatly, “All thirty-six pairs matched answers. Proceed to question four.”

This question was basically a freebie. No matter what they wanted most, players from Earth stuck to reality—choosing C was safest.

Next came the fourth question.

[(Multiple choice) What are your partner’s two least favorite seasons?]

A: Spring B: Summer C: Autumn D: Winter

Yan Jiyun thought, If this questioned me, it’d be easy. But the game, in its slyness, asked about Qi Feng’s least favorite seasons—and it wanted two.

Was it difficult?

If he answered from his own perspective, there were two obvious seasons.

Yan Jiyun pressed his lips and answered, “A and C—spring and autumn.”

[Username: Want to Be Human] – Streaming Room:

“Why spring and autumn?”

“Come on, isn’t it obvious? Those are prime shedding seasons for the cat cubs!”

“Hahaha, look at that cat’s face! He must hate shedding too.”

The fourth question ended.

Because it was a multiple-choice question with a tricky angle, thirty-two teams got it wrong outright!

The host’s energetic voice rang again: “Thirty-two grooms, are you ready? Let’s see if your answers were right! Obstacle doors, open!”

Earlier, Yan Jiyun had heard nothing through the doors, but now he heard screams from behind the vermillion panels. A moment later, more glass booths stood empty.

Two minutes later, the host enthused, “Too bad—ten teams have been eliminated this round.”

Ten teams—twenty more players—gone, leaving just twenty-six.

“Next is the final and most crucial question of this round! Whether your groom succeeds in selecting his bride, whether you survive this round, and who will take first place—all depend on this! I can hardly wait! Question five—begin!”

[It’s your partner’s birthday. What gift would you most like to give them?]

An open-ended question—almost impossible to match.

Ten seconds began ticking down.

Meanwhile, behind his door, Qi Feng too was deep in thought. His prompt: “Your next birthday is approaching. What sort of present do you think your partner would buy for you?”

Three seconds passed… then another three…

[Username: Have You Seen My Cat?] – Streaming Room:

“Damn, how can anyone answer this? It’s impossible!”

“Ahhhhh, I’m so nervous!”

“They have to get this right! Brother Feng, your bride is beautiful and right in front of you!”

[Username: Want to Be Human] – Streaming Room:

“Ahhhh, neither cat cub nor Brother Feng have answered! Only four seconds left!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

At the very last second, Yan Jiyun gave his answer!

The excited voice returned: “And that concludes the questions for this round! Now let me count down—who will walk through these doors?”

“Five—four—three—two—one!”

In an atmosphere of tense expectation and despair, twenty-six doors slowly opened.

At that moment, the veil Yan Jiyun had tossed aside returned of its own accord.

He was once again sealed in the transparent glass booth, his voice unable to reach outside, nor could he hear anything from beyond the glass.

Yan Jiyun drew a deep breath, trying to stand—but a force pressed him firmly onto the glass chair, preventing him from moving.

He nervously tightened his fists.

Then the excited female host addressed the man standing outside the glass: “Player Qi Feng, do you confirm you have selected the bride behind this glass door?”

Qi Feng answered firmly, “Yes, I choose bride number 29.”

The host: “Then please open the door and lift the veil from bride number 29.”