Cat 320: Who is the Protagonist?

Chapter 320 Who Is the Protagonist?

When Yan Jiyun still considered himself just a cat, he acted according to the feline consciousness he’d set for himself. Now, fully in control of his body and mind, things like gastritis no longer concerned him.

It wasn’t simple gluttony that moved him; he merely figured any place capable of emitting such enticing aromas must be special. They’d already been in the game for half an hour without catching so much as a glimpse of the protagonist. Clearly, this lead wouldn’t take a conventional approach.

He had thought they’d find their collaborator quickly, but this person was hiding quite well—a real challenge. If it were too easy, he would have doubted the protagonist’s competency anyway.

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng moved toward the light.

It wasn’t time yet for Yan Jiyun to act; he still maintained his cat form.

The closer they drew, the stronger the scent of barbecue and the livelier the crowd.

“Oh, it’s a night market street,” Yan Jiyun sniffed, nearly drooling.

Most times, night market food smells better than it tastes. Only the truly good vendors are worth stopping for.

Qi Feng, well aware of Yan Jiyun’s picky palate, said, “Pick the most crowded stall; that usually means the food is decent.”

The first stalls at the market entrance sold fruits and snacks. Deeper in, they spotted a stand with a long queue—the aroma Yan Jiyun had caught originated here.

It was indeed a barbecue stall, but the line was enormous. Two sweating young men in high school uniforms tended the grills outside, flipping skewers.

What surprised them was just how young the two were—they looked about seventeen or eighteen, handsome high school boys. A number of young women were filming or photographing them with their phones. This stall was an internet-famous hotspot.

Yet the surprise was tinged with vexation. “Didn’t expect twins,” Yan Jiyun muttered.

“And grilling skewers, no less,” Qi Feng added.

Yan Jiyun suggested, “Let’s go meet them. One of them should be the protagonist we’re seeking.”

Qi Feng replied, “That won’t be a problem for you. In the teacher Qu instance, we also determined the real Qu teacher.”

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “It’s different. Teacher Qu left clues, and I subconsciously understood his character. But with this protagonist, we have nothing to go on—no sense of who he is, or what he’s like.”

Qi Feng agreed. This instance’s master was indeed not quite the same as Qu.

He offered a suggestion Yan Jiyun found very satisfactory: “Why don’t we eat first and observe more closely? This is, after all, a crime scenario. When we spot a crucial detail, it’ll reveal itself.”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Agreed, let’s do that.”

To be safe, they didn’t use mental powers to control the twins, though they did subtly swap queue numbers with other NPCs to move up in line.

Soon enough, the server called their number, and Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng got their table.

The server glanced at Qi Feng. “Sir, will your cat stay put?”

Qi Feng pretended to pull out a cat leash from his pocket. “Don’t worry, I have a leash; he won’t bother any customers.”

He hung a tag reading “Caramel” around Yan Jiyun’s neck, thoughtfully engraving his phone number as well.

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “Are we really using this?”

Qi Feng answered thoughtfully, “Essential for any cat.”

Yan Jiyun flicked his whiskers. “Ridiculous.”

Together, they perused the menu.

Each twin specialized in different skewers: one prepared fish, chicken, and vegetables; the other handled beef and lamb. A middle-aged woman took orders, while a middle-aged man worked the wok and hot dishes in back.

Yan Jiyun, unreserved, ordered every type of meat; Qi Feng stuck to drinks and vegetables. Even knowing they were only consciousness, and eating wouldn’t harm them, Qi Feng still subconsciously sought to keep “Caramel’s” diet balanced and healthy.

The food arrived quickly. Though not “real,” it tasted no different from actual barbecue.

Qi Feng deftly slid the meat from the skewers into a disposable bowl for Yan Jiyun, who devoured it with delight.

Soon, a number of the girls who’d been recording the twins turned their cameras to Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun.

“Ladies, look, there’s a cat here—it’s so well-behaved! It’s even eating barbecue!”

“As a cat lover, I think this owner’s nerves are steel—who lets a cat eat heavy, oily, salty food?”

“Even though it’s a black cat, it’s adorable. If this is a mukbang account, I’d follow forever.”

[Want To Be Human] Live Room:

“I don’t need them to tell me. I’m hopelessly addicted to this stream—and he’s the streamer, by the way!”

“Didn’t Cat Cub get taken to the vet by an NPC last time for eating barbecue? Why would the owner bring him here again?”

“Maybe they brought stomach medicine this time?”

“He looks like he’s enjoying it so much. I’ve already ordered delivery. It’s supposed to be a horror game, but this is turning into cute-pet mukbang.”

“The owner is too doting—he absolutely spoils Cat Cub, never lets him suffer even a bit. Last time he even took an arrow for him. If Cat Cub doesn’t reciprocate, I’d be surprised.”

Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng finished all their skewers. By the end, Yan Jiyun’s belly was round.

They ate slowly, using the time to observe the high schoolers.

As they ate, Qi Feng used his mind to identify the twins’ schoolbags, learning their names and schools.

The boys’ personalities couldn’t have been more different, nor could their grades.

One was cold, barely acknowledging customers; the other smiled at everyone, always friendly, hospitality itself.

One was a poor student at the bottom of his class; the other, a top-ranked scholar.

Qi Feng wiped Yan Jiyun’s face with a paper napkin; only then did Yan Jiyun speak up. “Their personalities are worlds apart.”

The instance centered on crime: but who was the criminal, and what was done to the protagonist?

“But their family seems intact,” Qi Feng mused. “Their home life doesn’t seem so bad, and everyone works hard.”

Yan Jiyun suggested, “Maybe it’s just surface appearance?”

“Could be,” Qi Feng agreed. “Let’s wait and see how things look after closing time.”

Other NPCs could be manipulated or scattered with a thought, but the protagonist was different—a fully intact consciousness, as strong as their own, not easily controlled. Their goal wasn’t to suppress, but to awaken them.

They needed to decide on the best way to identify the protagonist.

Finally, the barbecue stand closed.

The parents stayed behind to finish up, while the twins, backpacks on, walked home.

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun trailed them at a distance.

Exhausted, the brothers didn’t speak a word the whole walk.

They turned into an old alleyway, the houses here the direct opposite of modern towers—decidedly shabby.

Both Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng recognized the place.

“Isn’t this where we first entered the dungeon?” Yan Jiyun whispered.

Qi Feng said, “Judging by their business’s earnings, they shouldn’t have to live somewhere like this. Never expected it.”

Yan Jiyun mused, “Maybe there’s some hardship we don’t know.”

As they spoke, the boys entered the dilapidated building. Soon, the angry curses of a middle-aged man rang out—vile, foul-mouthed. The sound of shattering glass followed.

Surprisingly, it was the previously silent brother arguing back.

Yan Jiyun said, “We were wrong—the barbecue stand isn’t theirs. The twins just work there.”

Qi Feng agreed. “Maybe they’re underage, and only the barbecue owner would hire them. Their faces made the place go viral, after all.”

After the beer bottle shattered, a heavy quiet fell.

They prepared to stake out the area for further investigation.

Suddenly, Yan Jiyun sensed something wrong. “Isn’t it too quiet?”

Qi Feng realized it, too. “Something’s happened.”

“In crime films or dramas, this is when something bad goes down,” Yan Jiyun said, leaping from Qi Feng’s shoulder and dashing upstairs.

He hadn’t even approached when the thick scent of blood hit him.

Qi Feng followed. “What do you think?”

Yan Jiyun replied, “Their piece-of-shit dad probably got his head split open. Smells bloody.”

Qi Feng asked, “Do we intervene or not?”

Yan Jiyun answered, “Call the police. That’s the rules of the dungeon. If we barge in, we’ll risk spooking the protagonist. Saving a life is saving this youth’s future, too,” he concluded, puffing out his chest, “I truly am righteous.”

Qi Feng conjured a cellphone and, pretending to be a neighbor annoyed by noise, dialed 110 and 120.

Soon, both police and ambulance arrived.

Paramedics carried the bleeding man down on a stretcher, bandaging his head. The twin brothers both boarded the ambulance; a police car followed.

Qi Feng conjured a motorcycle and, with Yan Jiyun, followed after the cars.

Yan Jiyun sprawled on his chest, his black fur whipped up by the night wind. He shouted forward, “Go faster—this is thrilling!”

Qi Feng, thinking it was all a game, stepped on the gas. “It certainly is.”

Before long, their bike had outstripped the ambulance and police, forcing them to pull over and wait.

Yan Jiyun: “……”

At the hospital, doctors did their best to save the middle-aged man, but he died after an hour.

Detectives began questioning the twins.

At this point, the star-student brother fell silent, while the struggling student brother kept muttering, “I did it. It was me. My brother had nothing to do with it.”

With no clear statement, the police temporarily took them both to the station.

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun followed again.

“If we hadn’t called the police, the whole story might have gone differently,” Yan Jiyun noted.

“They might have tried to bury the body,” Qi Feng surmised.

“Right—and the secret might never have come out. The two of them would carry a murder on their conscience forever.”

Qi Feng asked, “Can you tell who actually did it?”

Yan Jiyun jumped back into Qi Feng’s arms, saying, “Of course I can. He’s definitely the protagonist. Come on—let’s go meet him!”

The honors student was named Zhao Xin; the underachiever, Zhao Miao.

Qi Feng, cat in hand, approached the twins, who sat slumped on a bench.