Cat 292: Carousel

Chapter 292 Carousel

[Want to Be Human] Live Room:

“Hahahahaha, fight, fight! [Watching the drama and wishing for more chaos.jpg]”

“Oh my, is this the collapse of morality or the distortion of human nature? A cat raised by its original owner for a year actually turned around and threw itself into the arms of its new owner!”

“But, has anyone thought of this? Now all the players know that Qi Feng has a cat and brought it into the game. The little kitten simply can’t be hidden anymore.”

“Although it can’t be hidden, isn’t anyone considering whose lap it’s sitting on now? Su Qiuming is a top-level player, and he has a guild behind him. It doesn’t seem inappropriate for the kitten to follow him, hahaha.”

“That does make sense. The owners the cat found in the dungeon were all NPCs, and there were several of them. There’s no reason why it can’t keep cozying up to new owners after leaving the dungeon. Of course, the undercover mission it’s carrying out is also very important, but it’s hilarious seeing the kitten act like a playboy. What cat doesn’t have one or two owners? Besides, this particular cat has so many owners it’s impossible to keep count—would it even care about having one more?”

“Hahahaha, the look on its owner’s face is getting tighter and tighter—I suspect there’s a storm of thoughts raging inside.”

Rationally, Qi Feng understood why Yan Jiyun was staying in Su Qiuming’s team. The “Yan Jiyun” at his side was a fake, and the reason for not dealing with him now was simple: to avoid exposing Yan Jiyun’s real identity and prevent the other players from connecting the black cat to Yan Jiyun.

But reason was one thing, emotion another.

Caramel was Yan Jiyun, and Yan Jiyun was now sitting on another man’s lap. He couldn’t help but feel a little stifled.

Hence, to other players, Qi Feng’s current expression was that of a former owner angry at having his cat taken away, mixed with lingering resentment between him and Su Qiuming—the onlookers all wore the faces of gossipy spectators.

Qi Feng didn’t want to become the subject of gossip and was also mindful of Yan Jiyun’s current incognito status, so he continued to put on the act of “trying” to retrieve the cat.

At just this moment, Su Qiuming, seeing Caramel more content to stay with him, was in a good mood. “It seems he doesn’t want to leave with you.”

Since their last encounter in the Christmas dungeon, Qi Feng hadn’t seen or spoken to Su Qiuming. The sudden conversation was a bit jarring, but for Yan Jiyun’s cover, he had to go through with it.

He said, somewhat displeased, “Do you dare bring the cat into the dungeon?”

Su Qiuming chuckled softly, ready to butt heads. “Why wouldn’t I dare? My team has almost twice the numbers of yours. I have the strength and manpower to protect a cat—you don’t.”

Qi Feng’s expression darkened further. “Whether I do or not, Caramel is still my cat. Su Qiuming, you don’t need to appropriate what’s mine.”

Su Qiuming shook his head. “Caramel chose me, I didn’t snatch him away. Don’t mix up cause and effect. Brother Feng, I’m leaving with Caramel. I’ll get him safely out of the game. My team will be more useful than your ragtag bunch.”

Clenching his fists under Su Qiuming’s gaze, Qi Feng spat, “You—”

Every onlooker had the same thought written plainly in their eyes: fight, fight!

Alas, they waited in vain.

“Brother Feng, I’m just going to take Caramel now,” said Su Qiuming, walking away with the cat and his teammates without a backward glance, heading to choose a game event.

Qi Feng hesitated, then followed. His goal was to protect Caramel. If Su Qiuming discovered he was an undercover, he could get him out early.

Yan Jiyun could guess that Qi Feng’s incredulous expression was intentional. He knew well that Qi Feng was not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. In front of all these players, there’s no way he’d lose his temper so easily. This reaction alone was already beyond his usual composure—any more would be excessive.

Fortunately, Su Qiuming moved quickly. Yan Jiyun, still sprawled on his shoulder, flashed Qi Feng a wink that, to anyone else, was just the cat’s eyes bothering him.

Qi Feng nearly lost control of his carefully maintained expression.

Just then, Lan Mo turned to “Yan Jiyun” and asked, “Brother Yan, you usually care a lot about Caramel too. Why didn’t you even try to keep him from leaving?”

The “Yan Jiyun” had no idea their team even had a black cat!

He wasn’t stupid, though: from what he’d gathered, the cat was raised by Qi Feng, and “Yan Jiyun” and the black cat couldn’t possibly be close.

“I saw Brother Feng talking to him. It wouldn’t be proper to interrupt,” he replied.

Lan Mo wanted to say more, but Gu Wenzhu suddenly leaned on his shoulder. “Lan Mo, my leg hurts a bit. Could you help me?”

“Yan Jiyun” breathed a sigh of relief. He probably hadn’t been found out.

He hadn’t interacted with Yan Jiyun before, but that name was currently posted across all the leaderboards. He was in the top hundred of the points board, the fastest riser in the rankings, but most eye-catching was the NPC favorability list. Since his appearance, no other player’s name had shown up there. The key was, he hadn’t even been in the game for half a year yet.

Although he was an old player, this newcomer was so formidable that he dared not let his guard down. He had to play the part, speak little and do more, minimize his presence—nothing should go wrong.

At that moment, “Yan Jiyun” was completely unaware that his undercover identity had already been exposed to Qi Feng and the others, who simply hadn’t confronted him yet, using him for cover for the real Yan Jiyun.

Less than a minute after separating from Qi Feng, Su Qiuming’s team and Qi Feng’s found themselves together again.

The hotel’s first floor had become the entrance to the game events, the entire floor transformed into a gaming zone.

Qi Feng followed closely behind Su Qiuming, unable to let go of his cat—which, in truth, was just him wanting to support Yan Jiyun.

Su Qiuming’s teammate Yang Zai reminded him, “Brother Ming, Qi Feng’s team is following us.”

Su Qiuming replied, “Let them be. Entering the same event actually helps us. They have fewer people, and I know Qi Feng’s methods.”

Yan Jiyun’s claws, inadvertently, dug into Su Qiuming’s shoulder.

Su Qiuming’s pain tolerance was impressive; though he flinched, he did not mind the feline’s claws.

He grasped Caramel’s paw, hooked onto his clothes. “Qi Feng treats you well. He never clipped your claws.”

Yan Jiyun retracted his little paw. There was no way anyone would be allowed to cut his claws—whoever tried, he’d take them on.

Su Qiuming’s team had chosen their game event. Twenty players were sucked into the game simultaneously. The light was so dazzling that Yan Jiyun squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he reopened them, they had been swept into a massive scene.

The hotel was gone, leaving behind a single amusement park ride—the carousel.

Many players had arrived with them, including Qi Feng’s group, a few seconds behind.

The carousel brimmed with childish delight, perfectly matching the Children’s Day-themed event.

A little girl in a pink dress stood atop one of the wooden horses. Her laugh was as silvery as bells, but at this moment, no one found her beautiful or adorable—no one dreamed of taking this cute child home. In fact, they were left with the chilling impression that having kids was best avoided.

“Hee hee hee, welcome big brothers and sisters to my marvelous carousel! Next, let’s experience the innocent joy of childhood together!”

“But before we begin, let me explain the rules of our game to everyone.”

Her voice was truly as childish as could be.

Yan Jiyun looked at the carousel, which otherwise was no different from any ordinary one. With his tiny body, he couldn’t possibly sit steadily—the idea of hugging that pole with his claws seemed preposterous.

How was he supposed to sabotage Su Qiuming’s team like this?

The little girl began to announce the rules.

“There are a hundred seats here. Any player who can stay on for ten minutes will win. As long as you’re still alive by the end, you’ll get points~”

“Of course, something unexpected may happen during the game, so everyone should be careful~”

“Please pick the horse you want to ride. Oh, and horses of different colors have different abilities~”

Yan Jiyun’s fur nearly stood on end just hearing her drag out that last syllable.

Just sitting on this carousel felt like lying on a bed of needles—it was torture.

“Each player must ride alone. No sharing seats.”

Good grief—they were practically targeting him.

To avoid being discovered by Su Qiuming as a player, as Su Qiuming mounted his own horse, Yan Jiyun suddenly leapt from his arms, bounding from horse to horse!

Two voices shouted in unison by his ear:

“Caramel, come back!”

“Caramel, come back!”

Yan Jiyun crouched on the carousel’s center horse, feigning fright, anxiously glancing around. He managed a desperate mewl: “Meow~”

“Don’t be afraid, Caramel, I’ll come get you,” Qi Feng called, intentionally reproaching Su Qiuming, “You took my cat away and can’t even watch him.”

Su Qiuming hadn’t meant for this to happen. Feeling guilty—and acutely aware of the game’s imminent dangers—he didn’t argue, but started thinking how to coax Caramel over.

Qi Feng shoved past him, claiming a spot on one horse. Not to be outdone, Su Qiuming mounted another.

Su Qiuming defended himself, “How was I supposed to know he’d suddenly make a break for it?”

Qi Feng replied, “Didn’t you know cats get stressed easily in strange environments?”

Su Qiuming shot back, “I didn’t.”

Yan Jiyun, overhearing perfectly well, found their bickering rather amusing. He also picked up the other players’ banter as they mounted their own horses.

“Wow, they really sound like parents fighting over which extracurricular class to send their kid to. If this were real life, girls everywhere would be swooning over them.”

“To be honest, I always thought Qi Feng and Su Qiuming were a great ship—the stories behind their rivalry are probably a goldmine. But really, it’s the parents’ love story that fans would scream for.”

“You sound like a paparazzo with your shipping addiction.”

Yan Jiyun, catching every word: “……”

These two players really didn’t know when to stop!

Qi Feng and Su Qiuming—shippable? Parents’ love? The hell with your ‘parents’ love’!

When Yan Jiyun turned his head again, his eyes no longer held panic but a sudden sharpness, as though he might spring and snap someone’s neck in the next second.

Once the carousel began to spin, it would not stop.

The little girl urged the players to mount their horses.

Qi Feng wanted to switch horses to get closer to Yan Jiyun, but discovered that after sitting for five seconds, you couldn’t change rides!

Yan Jiyun, too, was trapped on the horse he now occupied.

Su Qiuming swore, “Damn, can’t switch anymore.”

Qi Feng could only call to Yan Jiyun, not far away, “Caramel, sit tight!”

All the players had found their seats on the carousel.

The little girl clapped her hands with glee. “The game has begun~”

Suddenly, Yan Jiyun heard a cracking sound from under him. In a blink, the head of his carousel horse was gone!