Cat 287: The Hundredth Level

Chapter 287: The Hundredth Level

Qi Feng couldn’t make sense of what was going on for a moment. He didn’t understand what kind of secret code Yan Jiyun was using, and a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes.

He glanced around—once again, the two of them were the first to clear the level. Just what had Yan Jiyun experienced in the last scenario?

“What was your storyline just now?” Qi Feng asked, completely puzzled. It hadn’t even been half an hour. How had things changed so abruptly?

Yan Jiyun looked at the two little raccoon mascots in front of him, their big eyes spinning round and round. He had every reason to suspect they were the system’s surveillance, so he temporarily set aside his questions.

Feigning anger, he huffed, “I’ll settle accounts with you later.”

No wonder Qi Feng didn’t seem upset when he brought up breaking off with Su Qiuming. At the moment of their falling out, there was something far more important for him to deal with than such entanglements.

Qi Feng realized that Yan Jiyun must have encountered something he couldn’t discuss here, and after a second’s thought, decided to play along.

“Huh? What did I do?”

“You petted another cat.” Yan Jiyun snorted with a hint of laughter.

“Where would I find another cat here? Don’t worry, I would never pet another cat.” Qi Feng raised his hand as if swearing an oath. With the air of a husband accused of infidelity, he tried every means to prove his innocence—not feeling wronged in the least, even looking rather pleased with the act.

“What scenario did you just go through?” Yan Jiyun had entered the screening room to watch the instance; he had no idea what Qi Feng himself had experienced, only that in the end, Qi Feng used a tool to chop away the giant vines and escape.

Qi Feng recounted to him what had happened on his side. Out of the twenty-two players paired together, they were thrown into a massive maze at the start. Normally, they could have gotten out by simply finding the exit, but the game had set up obstacle after obstacle along the way: man-eating plants, suddenly appearing NPCs, and even ghosts that tried to merge with and possess the players. The Ultimate Video Game Console.

To get past these hurdles, players needed both strong abilities and tools provided by their teammates on the other side.

Qi Feng had managed fairly well, picking up some offensive tools himself, but the most crucial moment came when he received a new tool sent over by Yan Jiyun—a key that helped him quickly clear the level.

He casually recounted this fortieth level to Yan Jiyun. As there was still a little time before the instance ended, he turned the tables and asked what Yan Jiyun had encountered.

“How’d you get scratched on your face?” Qi Feng’s sharp eyesight immediately picked up the oddity about Yan Jiyun.

“Oh, nothing. Our stage was pretty simple—whoever won on the boxing ring got the tool. Fortunately, you’d trained me before; that’s how I managed to beat my opponent so quickly. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have cleared the level so fast.”

“That’s really all you went through?” Qi Feng asked, puzzled.

“Of course not. After I got the tool, I entered a small room with a huge screen showing you running hand-in-hand with a young lady, just like you were eloping lovers.” Yan Jiyun gazed at Qi Feng with a half-smile.

He already knew that scene was fake—a deliberate ploy to lure him into touching the screen. But having said this much, he decided to let the conversation run its course.

“That never happened. The game must’ve deliberately edited the footage to make me look bad, switching perspectives to make you think I was betraying you. The game loves these little tricks.” Qi Feng hastened to explain. How could he randomly hold another woman’s hand and elope? In truth, he’d prefer to run away with Yan Jiyun, but the “cat” stood between them. Liking his own cat this much, he sometimes wondered if it wasn’t a little immoral.

When the level ended, six players were eliminated—three teams gone. Only nineteen teams were left, thirty-eight players in all.

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng once again took first place, continuing their unbroken streak and earning new perks: they could carry more items and skip twenty levels, propelling them straight to the sixtieth stage.

Through the next sequence of game levels, the two leveraged their extraordinary teamwork and skill, clearing level after level and soon skipping ahead to reach the eightieth; the hundredth checkpoint now loomed before them.

At this point, only ten teams remained. The endurance challenges on levels sixty and eighty had cost them dearly—success required both strength and flawless cooperation as they navigated hazardous climbing tasks.

Yan Jiyun’s climbing ability was unquestionable, and Qi Feng had never neglected his physical training. Their progress owed nothing to luck, but to true skill.

Everyone who reached the hundredth level was utterly exhausted.

Ten teams remained—twenty players, each face marked with resistance to the game.

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun could feel the ache starting in their limbs, especially Yan Jiyun, whose physical stamina was only average. By now, he was genuinely tired.

Clearing the hundredth stage would grant them access to the next round.

Panting, Yan Jiyun sat beside Qi Feng, having just climbed up the staircase from the base of the mountain as if he’d been in a parkour race. He didn’t want to waste a single bit of energy now, determined to conserve every scrap he had.

Nearly all twenty players collapsed on the floor.

The raccoon mascots seemed to take pleasure in their worn-out state and, true to their heartless nature, immediately launched the hundredth level.

Little Raccoon: “All players, proceed at once to the one hundredth level.”

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng were similarly swept in, but this time, they weren’t given the chance to use their first-place privileges.

Indeed, the remaining players had no desire to slog through each round, and so, whether by intent or unspoken agreement, had ceded the first-place position to Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng. This subtle form of “cheating” was beyond the system’s control—a classic case of exploiting the rules, and something the system likely hadn’t anticipated: that supposedly competitive players would simply let the top spot go to others.

Not that the remaining players had any real choice. Had they been as skilled as Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng, they’d have been in first place themselves. After five instances, it was clear they couldn’t outcompete them—a case of “if you can’t win, just let them carry you” when spots for progression weren’t in dispute.

Twenty players surged into the hundredth room.

Yan Jiyun clung close to Qi Feng, and with a blink, they found themselves in the new level. The fact they hadn’t been separated suggested a joint task awaited them.

The other players were already discussing the scenario.

“The hundredth level must be harder than the rest, right?”

“But usually we get a break between levels. Why not this time?”

“I’ve been in the game more than two years and still can’t figure out the rules. At this point, I just go with the flow.” The Ultimate Video Game Console.

This was the dialogue between the optimists and the ones who’d long since resigned themselves to fate.

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng remained quietly in place, sizing up their environment.

Yan Jiyun’s head was resting against Qi Feng’s shoulder, completely unaware of just how clingy he’d become.

“I have a feeling we won’t be running or jumping this time,” Yan Jiyun said, eyeing the food spread out on the table.

“But this could be a honey trap. Don’t eat anything recklessly,” Qi Feng replied, his gaze sharp as he scanned the surroundings.

Other players were already getting to their feet, taking stock of their new environment.

System: “Congratulations on reaching the hundredth level! This round is simple: please find the name of this level within thirty minutes. While here, you may rest and eat. Anyone who fails to find the level’s name in thirty minutes will be eliminated. The first player to discover the name will receive a grand prize for the next round, and all who succeed in the first ten minutes will receive generous rewards. Players may communicate with the two NPCs, Alisa and David, who will provide information—though they may lie or tell the truth. The game begins now—make good use of your time!”

The hundredth stage seemed simple, but wasn’t.

On the surface, the task was straightforward: find the level’s name, with the aid of NPCs.

The challenge was actually how to find it—and how to penetrate the NPCs’ defenses.

At this point, weary and hungry players began eating to fortify themselves.

The food and drinks seemed fine, with no adverse effects, confirming the system’s hint that it was safe to rest and eat here.

After catching his breath, Yan Jiyun joined Qi Feng at a pair of chairs to rest; the comfortable sofa was already occupied, so the two settled for the less plush seats.

The space was elegantly decorated, with soft color schemes on walls, floors, and curtains—a popular “creamy” aesthetic.

Despite housing twenty players, the three-hundred-square-meter flat didn’t feel crowded.

It resembled the layout of a large family home.

The living room served as an activity hub, connecting with the kitchen and balcony. Off the balcony was a staff room.

Other spaces appeared to be bedrooms and a study.

This was clearly a household’s residence.

Yan Jiyun had deduced as much at a glance—its design was obvious.

But just whose house was this? That was the question—and likely the answer they were meant to find.

The two NPCs stood apart: one on the balcony, the other in the dining room, showing no sign of interaction.

Qi Feng filled a plate with cooked meat, vegetables, fruit, and two glasses of water, then dragged Yan Jiyun along as they wandered, eating as they looked around—no different from the other players, everyone hoping for that first-prize grand reward.

While most players immediately made for the closed-off bedrooms to search, Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng headed for the kitchen.

The kitchen was near the balcony, and from its window Yan Jiyun could clearly see out onto the balcony.

NPC David was standing there—not a besuited, staid butler-type at all, but rather striking in his own way: saggy, battered T-shirt, ripped jeans, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, spiked bright red hair, every strand on end—a real troublemaker, looking at everyone with pure impatience.

A player approached and tried striking up a conversation, only to be met with a single word: “Scram!”

Standing in the kitchen, Yan Jiyun couldn’t help but laugh out loud, his face lit with genuine admiration. “He’s got real character. And he’s actually quite handsome.”

Qi Feng, having just pulled a packet of expired instant noodles from the upper cupboard, raised an eyebrow. “Handsome, him?”

Yan Jiyun nodded quite earnestly.