Cat 87: Temporary Bodyguard

Chapter 87 Temporary Bodyguard

[Want to Be Human] Live Room:

“Ahhh, so cool! The little cat’s brilliant moves are endless! Ahhh, if I couldn’t watch the cat’s livestream one day, I’d be so sad. Kitty, you must live a long and healthy life.”

“That scene of the kitty jumping onto the lotus leaf could really be used as this year’s best escape sequence in ‘Destiny.’”

“Honestly, all I can do is shout ‘awesome!’ The cat isn’t just all kinds of talented, but incredibly smart too. I love him!”

“Isn’t the real highlight that he still has the sample in his mouth? That could totally win best of the year! Too bad there’s no such award in this game, otherwise the kitty would be the hands-down winner.”

“I think so too! He can be both cool and sweet. Every time I follow his first-person view, it feels like riding a haunted roller coaster—thrilling, exciting, and a fully immersive experience. Sometimes, even though I know he’ll be fine, I can’t help but worry anyway. Either way, I love this livestream, I’m planning to stay here for a long time.”

“I’ve already bought a villa in this livestream, thank you very much!”

“I’ve decided to climb the fan leaderboard in the kitty’s livestream! Okay, scrolling, done, wow, the big spenders are fierce, when did you all rack up so much? Can I get my name up there so the kitty can notice me?”

“The kitty has never even thanked the top donor; that’s how cool he is. If you tip other streamers, they thank you a hundred times. Here, it’s truly like raising a cat—he completely ignores us, not even a single thank you. I sometimes wonder if he’s ever seen us at all! But even if he never notices me, I still want to support him.”

“Me too. I know he won’t pay attention, but I can’t help myself and keep tipping him. Ugh, sometimes I think I’m too much.”

“You’re not alone. The cat is too aloof, but aloof in a way that treats everyone the same. Honestly, I quite like his coldness—maybe this is the fairest, most impartial livestream out there.”

Yan Jiyun’s sprint, smooth as flowing water, landed him squarely on the open space across the way. Thankfully, he was fast; one of the lotus leaves in the middle was especially soft and nearly sent him plunging into the water. But, in the end, it was a narrow escape and he made it to shore.

Xixi circled twice above his head and, for once, did not call him a bad cat.

Yan Jiyun and Xixi continued on; the medical room was still at some distance, though not too far—fifteen minutes should be enough to get there.

His mad dash had burned through much of his energy; his body was heating up and he couldn’t continue to sprint. He had to slow down and recover for a bit.

Perhaps because Yan Jiyun had turned back into a cat and Xixi couldn’t find someone to talk to, the bird also didn’t show off its language skills.

A cat and a bird ventured into a grove of artificial plants.

Scattered fireflies dotted the summer night. Xixi landed on a tree ahead, playfully batting at fireflies with his wing, clearly enjoying himself.

Yan Jiyun, having lived in the city, had rarely seen fireflies—which mostly dwell in forests and mountains. That the zoo had them at all spoke well of its thriving ecosystem and biodiversity.

The fireflies didn’t just dance around Xixi, but around Yan Jiyun as well. As he walked, he would leap up, swiping his paw at the flickering lights.

If it had been any ordinary cat, the little bugs would’ve been played to death long ago. But Yan Jiyun wasn’t like that—he merely made a show of batting his paw, finding it all great fun.

If he weren’t pressed for time by the mission, he could have happily stayed and played with the fireflies all night—they were truly beautiful.

He leapt up to chase the fireflies a few more times, but eventually, reluctantly, continued on with Xixi.

[Want to Be Human] Live Room:

“He’s honestly too adorable!”

“A moment ago, it was a tense, heart-pounding scene, and now it’s romantic as can be. If it were another player, everyone would call it an act, but somehow the kitty just makes the transition seamless. It’s not jarring at all—in fact, it’s explosively cute! As a guy, I’m now filled with pink bubbles inside!”

“Same! When the kitty’s arc is over, I want to go camping somewhere with fireflies too—it’s all just too beautiful and romantic.”

“I said it, the kitty is beyond compare in any scenario, absolutely irreplaceable.”

“Am I the only one who noticed the top donor going wild again? Not that I stopped tipping, either. Raising a cat in the cloud is even more expensive than raising one in real life.”

“It really is expensive, but I honestly don’t mind. I’m so happy! Watching the kitty’s streams has brought back all the hair I lost last year from depression.”

“The kitty can treat depression too?”

“I didn’t have depression, but I could never get excited for work or anything. Ever since I started watching the kitty’s stream, I’ve felt more energetic. Just today, HR notified me I got a raise—first in two years!”

“I didn’t regrow any hair or get a raise, but I’ve always wanted to lose weight and could never muster the determination. Since watching the kitty’s stream, I run when he runs. In one month, I’ve lost thirty pounds! His first-person perspective is truly the best!”

Yan Jiyun, busy with his mission, was oblivious to the flood of positive-minded comments in the live chat.

He had no idea he was spreading good vibes to countless viewers from who knows where. If he did, he’d definitely tell them to donate even more—after all, if he got enough points, he could swap back into a human body that much sooner.

Break over, mission on.

The medical room zone was located in the center of the zoo, close to several large animal exhibits. Even in the current chaos, the small beasts wouldn’t dare approach the giant animal zones.

This was the part Yan Jiyun needed to worry about least. He carried a black panther’s scent, so if he ran into a leopard, he shouldn’t be in any real danger. As for the tiger zone, there was still a little anxiety—if he ran into an out-of-control tiger with its mind gone, that could be deadly.

Just as he was thinking about it, a thunderous tiger’s roar echoed.

Yan Jiyun’s ears flattened back.

What was happening in the tiger zone?

He wanted to go see, but considering his current size and the time left, it would be foolish to get involved.

What if a tiger decided to eat Xixi? He definitely didn’t want to end up in such a dilemma—it was best to run while he could.

Yan Jiyun tried to skirt around the tiger mountain area, but found the roaring coming closer and closer.

A white figure burst out from the woods, nearly startling Xixi into fainting. The bird hid in the branches, afraid to move.

Yan Jiyun, too, quietly climbed the tree. A tiger’s sense of smell was just as keen as his own—one could pick up the scent of friend or stranger from a distance.

Now what?

Who knew which tiger was making that noise—was it just being wild, or truly enraged?

Suddenly, Xixi squawked, “Help—”

Yan Jiyun immediately pressed a paw to Xixi’s beak, unsheathing his claws in warning: “Call out again and I’ll scratch your mouth.”

Xixi: “…”

Just then, a tiger whose fur shone even in the darkness appeared right in front of Yan Jiyun.

Just from that bold way of running and that striking pelt, Yan Jiyun instantly knew with his paw pads who this was—the Bengal White Tiger player.

Why was he running this way?

Yan Jiyun and Xixi crouched quietly in the tree.

Then came another set of pounding footsteps; a string of wild boars was trailing behind the Bengal White Tiger.

Truly, this dim-witted Bengal White Tiger player—what on earth had he done to get a whole herd of wild boars chasing him?

Discovering it was just the White Tiger, Yan Jiyun relaxed—by all appearances, the other hadn’t adjusted to its new form, or it would have already noticed the cat in the tree.

Once the white tiger and the herd of wild boars ran on past, Yan Jiyun let go of Xixi’s beak.

With agile grace, he leapt down from the sycamore and glanced up at Xixi, signaling him to move on. He sincerely hoped there’d be no more trouble ahead.

Xixi quickly caught up, no longer distracted by fireflies—its long beak wasn’t much help catching them, but it would probably be great at opening sunflower seeds.

Away from the tiger zone, Yan Jiyun was a step closer to his destination.

[“Dr. Peng’s Request” quest countdown: 12 minutes 30 seconds]

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 30 seconds]

Just then, Yan Jiyun saw the familiar building near the medical room. He didn’t have time to renew his experience card, so he ducked into a bush, waiting until the coast was clear to change back into human form.

Then he could dash straight for the medical room.

Having planned his timing, Yan Jiyun now heard the tiger’s roar again.

Hadn’t the Bengal White Tiger player gone off already?

Its footsteps were coming nearer and nearer!

Was it coming straight for him?

Why did this white tiger player seem so blundering and not quite bright?

Besides its footsteps, there were other sounds. This time it didn’t sound like wild boars—not clear what it had riled up now.

The thumping from the ground was heavy—it must be some large animal.

This Bengal White Tiger was truly a headache.

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 15 seconds]

The Bengal White Tiger player stopped within range of Yan Jiyun’s hiding place. If he turned human now, the tiger would see him appear out of nowhere and guess at once he’d changed from animal to human. Of course, that was assuming the other was smart enough.

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 10 seconds]

The large animals chasing the Bengal White Tiger suddenly stopped, as if something else had caught their attention, and changed direction.

The Bengal White Tiger flopped down on the grass right in front of Yan Jiyun, panting for breath. As it quieted, it noticed a pair of bright green eyes peering at it from the bushes.

Bengal White Tiger: “……”

Yan Jiyun: “……”

Once again, Yan Jiyun marveled at the tiger’s nerves. If he were an enemy lying in wait here, the tiger’s throat would already be torn out.

The Bengal White Tiger, with its already large head, flinched back in surprise, its thick neck quivering.

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 05 seconds]

Yan Jiyun didn’t hesitate. He renewed his human form card for five more minutes.

[“Dr. Peng’s Request” quest countdown: 11 minutes 00 seconds]

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 5 minutes 00 seconds]

Yan Jiyun wasn’t concerned what would happen to the Bengal White Tiger player; he simply took up the sample and raced past, unafraid.

Meanwhile, the Bengal White Tiger player never knew his identity had long since been exposed by the little black cat. He was only puzzled—why wasn’t the kitten at all afraid of a tiger that close by?

Aren’t tigers supposed to be intimidating?

Yan Jiyun, having wrapped the sample, kept clear of the silly white tiger as much as possible. Better not to risk entanglement with such a slow-witted player.

Xixi, seeing the cat much like Yan Jiyun, resumed its mouthy ways: “Bad cat! Bad cat! Dummy!”

Did it realize it was liable to get beaten up for talking like that?

Sure enough, the Bengal White Tiger caught up from behind, glancing at the black cat and the macaw beside it—a strange duo.

Neither the cat nor the bird seemed at all afraid of such a huge tiger. Tigers were mighty and awe-inspiring—so why did they show no fear?

No, surely they must be afraid, otherwise why would they be running?

But… where did the little black cat and the macaw disappear to?

The Bengal White Tiger wasn’t used to its body yet; its super-sensitive hearing made it hard to sift useful noises, its sharp nose constantly made it want to cover its snout.

Still, it managed to catch up to the macaw, whose dazzling feathers glowed in the darkness of the woods.

So the Bengal White Tiger trailed Yan Jiyun at a not-too-close, not-too-far distance.

Yan Jiyun guessed this was because of Xixi—or maybe the player “Baiyun” had picked up feline skills. Either way, he was sorely tempted to beat some sense into the Bengal White Tiger for interfering with his mission.

But whatever. “Baiyun” probably had no other tasks and was simply tagging along for lack of anything better. No one would expect a player to turn back into a cat and take action in the zoo.

The Bengal White Tiger certainly had no idea a cat and a bird could get along, let alone work together. In his world, such a pairing was unheard of.

Sure enough, Yan Jiyun’s hunch was correct: the Bengal White Tiger player had no missions lined up. After work, he’d tried to find the day’s animal keeper, but ended up just causing trouble—getting chased by wild boars, attracting more unwanted attention after poking a large animal’s cub. He just wanted to do a quest!

Apart from being ranked number one in popularity, he had no missions whatsoever, so he might as well tag along with the odd, but intriguing pair of cat and macaw.

Yan Jiyun kept his head down, pressing on. The time allotted for the mission was just tight enough to push the limits of what a player could accomplish. Perhaps having a white tiger “bodyguard” behind him kept other small animals away, and the light of victory grew ever stronger ahead.

Soon he could no longer stay in the trees—there were only modern buildings, food stalls, zoo souvenir shops, games for children, and various eateries.

The zoo was vast; touring on foot took a whole morning or afternoon, while the sightseeing bus could complete the route in one or two hours. Therefore, it was normal for the zoo to provide plenty of restaurants and shops.

At this hour everything was closed, with only the streetlights lining either side of the path still burning.

Compared to the shadowy bamboo and woods, this was much more modern and well-lit.

Yan Jiyun remembered that when he’d ridden the shuttle from Tiger Mountain to the medical room with Uncle Man, it had seemed much closer than it was now on foot. Even though he could see the building ahead, it felt like he was never getting any closer.

Finally, in the visitors’ rest area, he saw the sign showing the distance to the medical room:

1.5 kilometers left!

He couldn’t sprint any further—he would die of thirst and exhaustion. He decided to look for water.

As a pampered house cat, he could only drink bottled water. If none was available, a soft drink would do, but no tap water. First, who knew if the tap water had anything in it, and second, his delicate stomach might land him in the medical ward immediately—a result not altogether without logic, considering he was already on the way to the infirmary.

Better not risk it, though—no need to test the limits of his fragile gut.

There was a convenience store in this little street, plus vending machines and drink coolers in the eateries.

The convenience store shutters were down, the restaurants’ glass doors locked, so only the outdoor vending machine remained.

Yan Jiyun stared at the vending machine’s drinks and water. As much as he wanted the sodas and snacks, he finally focused on the bottled water.

So thirsty.

There was no instruction on the vending machine about how to buy anything.

Just then, the Bengal White Tiger player saw a cat sitting at the vending machine, staring intently inside. It was a startling sight.

The macaw shouted, “Water, water!”

So that’s what they wanted—water.

But animals this clever were rare. Could the parrot be a player?

Based on the game rules, everyone should have been turned into one of the zoo’s exhibit animals. But the black cat wasn’t in an exhibit, so maybe the parrot was the player?

Seeing the macaw following the black cat with something in its beak—was it doing a bodyguard/escort mission?

The Bengal White Tiger’s eyes shone: he’d found his quest after all—the black cat must be an NPC critical to the mission!

No matter what, he was determined to get involved. And as a big tiger, he could easily out-muscle a macaw, right?

The Bengal White Tiger was overjoyed: Fate itself was helping him!

With a fearless charge, he bounded toward the cat and the parrot.

Yan Jiyun was unafraid of the Bengal White Tiger; Xixi felt the cat was big but not threatening.

With a swipe of his giant paw, the Bengal White Tiger hit the vending machine button. With a thump, a bottle of water dropped out; then, opening the bottle with his teeth, he let the water spill out temptingly.

Yan Jiyun: “…”

What was he up to?

Was he trying to curry favor with him?

He had clearly overestimated the Bengal White Tiger’s intelligence.

If it were any other player, he’d never have touched the water. But given the tiger’s record of pratfalls—falling over while practicing walking and jumping through hoops—Yan Jiyun reluctantly pressed the bottle and began to lap the water, Xixi joining in for a drink.

After the cat and bird had their fill, the Bengal White Tiger, unwilling to waste, finished up the rest himself.

Lifting the sample off the ground once more, Yan Jiyun raced toward the veterinary hospital. The Bengal White Tiger now joined his team; their journey went from stealthy to conspicuously marching down the road.

Because the big tiger had fetched him water, Yan Jiyun allowed him to tag along—for now. With a tiger escort, they also had protection; any small animals looking to ambush them could only watch from afar, not daring to approach.

However, by drawing attention, their strange trio might get spotted by other players in hiding.

The Bengal White Tiger hadn’t realized Yan Jiyun was a player, but others might. He figured Xixi was probably the player; after all, his mouth never stopped running.

Yan Jiyun now had a ready-made disguise—Xixi could pretend to be the player, given how quickly he picked up phrases. It might come in handy. But those plans could wait; now, he had to get the sample to the lab—time was running out.

[“Dr. Peng’s Request” quest countdown: 7 minutes 00 seconds]

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 1 minute 00 seconds]

The Bengal White Tiger was still close by. Yan Jiyun couldn’t reach the lab in one minute and find a place to change, so he renewed his experience card for five more minutes.

Running one more minute—they were almost there!

[“Dr. Peng’s Request” quest countdown: 6 minutes 00 seconds]

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 5 minutes 00 seconds]

The Bengal White Tiger had no idea where the little black cat was headed, but he was intent on protecting him, assuming whatever was in his mouth must be important—perhaps vital to an NPC’s quest.

In that case, the little black cat must be a very smart animal in this dungeon.

Only seven or eight hundred meters to go!

Yan Jiyun spotted the brilliantly lit incandescent lamp over the medical room entrance, even at a distance.

At last, he could stop running himself hoarse.

But new problems awaited.

He needed to deliver the sample to the lab in human form, yet with the Bengal White Tiger there, he couldn’t change in plain sight. He would have to either find a way to separate them or otherwise distract the tiger and transform himself out of view.

“Roar!”

The big white tiger scattered a herd of antelopes blocking the road. In the animal kingdom, those antelopes were tiger prey, but the Bengal White Tiger wasn’t a real tiger. He felt no urge to pounce on any of them, despite all the tempting meat.

With the tiger as their vanguard, Yan Jiyun’s path lay clear—though, even without the tiger, the antelopes wouldn’t have kept him long. He could have gone around, but this was a major time saver.

With green lights all the way, he reached the animal medical room entrance.

[“Dr. Peng’s Request” quest countdown: 3 minutes 22 seconds]

[Humanoid Experience Card time remaining: 2 minutes 22 seconds]

Three minutes left—would that be enough? He still didn’t even know which room was the lab.

No matter—charge first and sort it out later!

But before he could reach the door, he saw several fierce animals pacing outside: a black gorilla, a brown bear, and on the bear’s shoulder, a mynah bird.

Yan Jiyun heard the mynah speaking fluent Mandarin, albeit with a regional accent: “Damn—here comes a tiger! Why is there a tiger at the medical room? Can we take it?”

The gorilla thumped its chest gently, indicating it couldn’t.

Yan Jiyun and Xixi didn’t barge in. The ever-fearless Bengal White Tiger, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate—charging right up to the three animals as if he could barrel his way through anything!

But when he noticed his companions missing, he was dumbfounded: “……”

Where did the little black cat and the parrot go?

Xixi, spotting the unwelcome gorilla, didn’t fly forward at all. Acting on self-preservation, he immediately hid in a tree.

Yan Jiyun ducked beneath a nearby statue. From there, he could slip into the bike and scooter shed and follow the wall around to the sideroom entrance of the medical clinic.

He hunched low and crept forward, silently saying in his heart: White Tiger bro, thanks for your hard work!