Cat 283: Winning a Tool

Chapter 283: Winning a Tool

Why?

Qi Feng looked at Yan Jiyun with anticipation.

When Yan Jiyun was answering the question, he thought about what gift Qi Feng might want to receive, and also how to keep the answer centered on the two of them—it could not be wrong. Sure enough, their answers matched perfectly, and they successfully left the game. However, his brief pause wasn’t intentional; rather, he was caught by a few negative thoughts. The best video game console.

He chose the most logical and simplest answer: “Because I figured the gift you’d probably want is a cat. Besides, I’m so broke all I have left is my own skin—no money to buy presents.”

The answer was so plain and honest that Qi Feng never would have guessed it.

Qi Feng replied with double meaning, “True enough. A cat is all I need; you’re very considerate.”

The “cat” referred specifically to Caramel, who was Yan Jiyun himself.

Yan Jiyun laughed softly. “Of course.”

The two exchanged a few words before they heard the little raccoon announce the MVP of this round in front of all the players.

Little Raccoon: “This stage had a special challenge format; there is no ranking. The NPC was amused by player Yan Jiyun, so the MVP for this round is Yan Jiyun.”

Other players: “……”

Well then, they’d tried every trick they knew—none could compare with a black cat.

A player asked Yan Jiyun, “Where’s the black cat?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “That’s my tool.”

A player spotted the critical detail, “How come you could bring in a tool? We didn’t get to bring anything.”

Qi Feng replied coolly, “If you win first place four rounds in a row, you can bring in a tool too.”

The other players felt a mix of emotions.

On one hand, they’d benefited from his presence; on the other, there was some envy regarding his mind and talents. At this point, no one thought Yan Jiyun was just a sidekick to Qi Feng—one strong and one weak simply wouldn’t have allowed them to win four first-place finishes in a row. Now with one more MVP, they realized he was even sharper than they were.

The reason he used a tool and didn’t transform was that as soon as the NPC laughed, they’d clear the stage. He hadn’t had time to transform back into human form in front of the others, which would have exposed his identity as a cat, so using a tool became necessary. At the last moment, he recalled the tool he’d mentioned before entering the game. By cross-referencing what he learned from NPC Si Weiran, he confirmed the other was truly a game NPC, not an audience member. The best video game console.

As a cat, his efforts at building favorability within the game had always met with success; using Liu was one of his strategies, partly as a test.

Now that he had successfully cleared the stage, he had also gained a key piece of information: why did all the NPCs have a natural fondness for cats?

It was too strange—why?

Was there a hidden clue here?

Yan Jiyun lowered his head and pinched his fingertips. Several possible answers flashed through his mind, and each inevitable arrow always pointed back to the same thing—himself. Did it somehow have to do with him, whether indirectly or directly?

But wasn’t he just a human whose soul had crossed into a cat’s body? What did this have to do with the game? What special connection did he have to the game?

The more he thought about it, the more disturbed he became. His heart already felt half-cold; for now, he dared not follow the line of thought to its terrifying conclusion—it was simply too unbelievable.

Qi Feng nudged him. “As MVPs, we can either skip ten stages or proceed to the next one.” He noticed Yan Jiyun was suddenly dazing off. “What’s wrong?”

Yan Jiyun shook his head, “Skip stages.”

Qi Feng: “All right.”

Their thoughts were as one.

With the bonus, their next stage would be the fortieth; twenty-two groups of players remained, forty-four people in all. Sixty stages still stood between them and the hundredth level. If they could keep skipping ahead, only six more rounds would remain. As for what came next, nobody could guess.

Little Raccoon prompted the screen to randomly select a new stage. As the level’s name slowly came into focus on the display, all players vanished from the platform.

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng felt their bodies falling. Qi Feng was still holding Yan Jiyun’s wrist, but the turbulence of the game space pulled them apart. The best video game console.

When Yan Jiyun landed hard on the floor, his wrist felt suddenly empty. He began to pay closer attention to the game’s details.

How had two hands, firmly joined, separated in an instant? He felt no forceful tug, no rough split; but this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

Before he could think further, several more players appeared beside him; counting up, there were twenty-two in total.

The game had split the players into two groups. What was the point?

They stood in a space about a hundred square meters wide. A large net separated the players ahead, and on the open floor rested several blue boxes.

Everyone exchanged nervous glances.

Suddenly, a voice brimming with malice boomed out: “Wow, congratulations on reaching the most fun ‘Find a Friend’ round! Didn’t everyone love the ‘Find a Friend’ song as children? Today, let’s revisit our childhood, shall we?”

The malicious voice continued, “There are twenty-two boxes on the open ground in front of you. Each box contains a word or a phrase; what’s inside varies. You and your teammates will each experience different things. It all depends on your choices from here on out.”

The players were confused. These were blind boxes—how were they supposed to know what word they’d end up with, or what would happen if they chose it?

The net suddenly disappeared; players were allowed to approach and pick a box.

One player dashed up, but it turned out everyone got one; there was no need to fight.

Yan Jiyun took a box from the edge. Like the others, he opened it and found a small piece of red card inside, with just two words written on it.

“Next, please use the keyword on the card to find your partner.”

With a rumble, the hundred-square-meter space dissolved into four doors, each labeled with keywords matching their cards.

The players had thought each would have a separate door, but there were only four in all.

Yan Jiyun stood before the door that matched his keyword. There, six others joined him, who had also drawn the same keyword.

The game was certainly designed with malice, but none of this mattered—the mood-setting was secondary; what really mattered was what would be demanded of them next.

Would this be a contest of speed, coordination with teammates, or something new altogether?

Some were glad to be teamed with Yan Jiyun, others worried about having to compete against him.

While other players hesitated, Yan Jiyun pushed open the door labeled “Forever” and stepped inside.

That was right: his keyword was “Forever.”

It was a narrow room, smaller than the one outside. One after another, five more players entered.

Could this “Find a Friend” on stage forty be of the same type as the “Find a Bride” game at stage ten? The best video game console.

But one was the tenth stage, one the fortieth—thirty rounds apart. While similar in type, they surely couldn’t be the same.

Find a friend—but how?

Some players whispered nervously.

“Not quizzes again, surely?”

“I don’t know. If it’s just quizzes, why split us into groups?”

“Whew. This game is just impossible to read.”

“Yan Jiyun, any ideas?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “No idea.” He truly didn’t know; all he saw was this space.

As soon as he’d spoken, a screen flickered to life in the room, displaying a single line:

[Win a Tool]

Win a tool? How? Did they have to compete somehow? How would they escape this room?

The malicious voice jumped out again.

“Let’s make it easy: you chose the ‘Forever’ theme, which means your partner is about to enter a challenge. If you fight hard and win tools to help your friend, they can escape. If you don’t, they could run into trouble and be stuck there forever. Of course, if anyone’s eliminated, you’ll also be with your partner in there—forever.”

So that was the meaning of “Forever.”

A player asked anxiously, “How do we win a tool?”

A sickly-sweet, malicious voice replied, “Very simple—just compete amongst yourselves.”

Even as the words faded, a regulation boxing ring appeared before them.

The voice trilled, “Players will face off in pairs. The winner can choose a tool. Defeat your opponent, and you get a chance at one of three tools.”

In that instant, the others no longer seemed quite so worried—other than Yan Jiyun, the remaining five players were all men, some fat, some thin, each with his own special skill.

Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected this challenge to resort to such blunt force; the past games hadn’t gotten bloody—was this the moment that would change?

He wondered how difficult Qi Feng’s stage would turn out to be. If a tool was needed there, it was likely even harder.

Yan Jiyun sighed.

The others, each confident in their own skills, interpreted his sigh as a lack of combat ability—here was their chance.

The malicious voice spurred them on again. “Players may freely choose their opponents.”

Immediately, one player shouted, “I choose Yan Jiyun!”

Yan Jiyun glanced at him, “……”

Did he look so weak? So easy to beat?

His challenger was the same player who had performed acrobatics in front of NPC Si Weiran, winning her praise at the time.

The voice called, “First match: Yan Jiyun versus Zhang Bufan.”

So decisive and quick.

But for Yan Jiyun, it made no difference whom he faced.

The others felt relieved it wasn’t Yan Jiyun’s own teammate they’d have to fight—against him, they’d have no further chance.

They figured Yan Jiyun was the brains, and Qi Feng the brawn of their duo; splitting them up was the right strategy.

[Be Human If You Can] livestream chat:

“Whoa whoa whoa, it’s been ages since we’ve seen Kitty brawl!”

“Hahahaha, same here! Can’t wait to see if his skills have improved.”

“If Cat-boy uses his claws this will be gold! His opponent has no clue what’s coming—please flash ‘Zhang Bufan has no idea what’s about to hit him’ across the screen!”

Zhang Bufan was aggressive, launching his attack the moment he stepped onto the stage, not waiting to see if Yan Jiyun was ready. Agile and clearly trained in multiple combat styles, his flashy moves, combined with martial arts, did make him look formidable—for a moment.

But he had no idea Yan Jiyun’s dynamic vision was six to eight times better than a human’s. No matter how fast Zhang Bufan moved, it was all slow-motion to Yan Jiyun. He’d had ongoing guidance from Qi Feng, and as a cat, with natural reflexes and fighting instinct, he was born for this. Zhang Bufan’s opening attack was easily sidestepped, and Yan Jiyun landed a solid blow right to his opponent’s jaw, sending Zhang Bufan crashing to the ground.

No one else saw how Yan Jiyun had struck; how could a single blow land so decisively?

On the stage, Zhang Bufan was dumbfounded. That move had never failed before—it was a guaranteed hit. How had Yan Jiyun dodged it?

Yan Jiyun remained calm, not the least bit tense, his gaze locked on Zhang Bufan like a hunter eyeing its prey—unforgiving, not fierce but enough to set one’s hair on end. Zhang Bufan felt himself pinned, prey before a predator.

Spitting to the side, Zhang Bufan came again, right fist raised—his moves now stripped of the frills. Yan Jiyun tracked his motion, seeing through the feint—though Zhang Bufan lifted his right hand, he meant to kick. Anticipating, Yan Jiyun stepped back; before the kick was even launched, he hooked Zhang Bufan and sent him stumbling, foot askew, sprawling on the mat.

Unbelievable. Turns out Yan Jiyun wasn’t weak at all—if anything, he was far stronger than anyone expected. They didn’t stand a chance.

Zhang Bufan, frustrated but desperate, kept attacking, each move sharper; only by defeating Yan Jiyun could he earn a tool—the key to survival. Yan Jiyun countered every strike. After a few minutes, as Zhang Bufan grew exhausted, Yan Jiyun kicked him square in the chest and knocked him clear off the stage.

Yan Jiyun exhaled—thankfully, he’d had a little food to replenish himself earlier. Zhang Bufan was a tough opponent; against someone else, he might have won.

The malicious voice echoed, “Congratulations, Yan Jiyun, for winning the match. You have earned the right to choose a tool. They are labeled numbers one, two, and three. Which do you pick?”

Jumping down from the ring, Yan Jiyun asked the system’s voice, “What kind of tools are one, two, and three?”

The voice replied sweetly, “It’s a random reward. Even I don’t know.”

Yan Jiyun realized he wouldn’t get more information, and answered, “I’ll pick number one.”

The voice chirped, “All right, tool number one has been delivered to your partner.”

Yan Jiyun asked, “Where do I go next?”

The voice purred, “To the resting lounge, of course~”

And just like that, Yan Jiyun was teleported away; when he opened his eyes, he was indeed seated on a sofa, facing a giant screen.

On the screen were two figures—one male, one female. The man was Qi Feng, whom Yan Jiyun knew well.

Seeing Qi Feng holding a woman’s hand on the screen, Yan Jiyun couldn’t help but dig his fingers into the sofa.

Why was Qi Feng holding a woman’s hand? That tool wasn’t meant for anyone else.

[Be Human If You Can] livestream chat:

“The master’s doomed.”

“The master’s doomed.”

“The master’s doomed.”