Cat 89: Dr. Peng’s Request (2)

Chapter 89 Dr. Peng’s Request (2)

Yan Jiyun replied, “Thank you, but I still have to make my rounds. There’s not enough time—Dr. Peng is waiting for me. I’ll join you for tea another time when I’m free.”

He firmly believed that Dr. Zhou’s attempt to tempt a cat wasn’t for fun but was aimed at neutering him. Vets thought entirely from their own professional standpoint; he could not take another step toward Dr. Zhou.

Dr. Zhou was not like the NPCs from previous instances—his identity and expertise meant Yan Jiyun would never trust him.

He wasn’t about to get snipped and turned into a eunuch just for entering a game instance. He’d rather die than let that happen!

When Dr. Zhou heard him mention Dr. Peng, he immediately lost interest in inviting Yan to his office.

“Dr. Peng, huh?” Zhou said, suddenly uninterested. “He’s on duty outside tonight as well, isn’t he? Hope nothing’s wrong.”

Yan Jiyun tried to read his expression to determine whether Zhou wished Peng well or otherwise, but the man was inscrutable—this NPC really was strange.

Since he couldn’t tell, Yan asked directly, “Do you hope something happens to him, or hope nothing does?”

Zhou chuckled. “That’s an interesting question. The new keeper, Jiang You, right? I’ll remember your name. Next time there’s a problem with one of your assigned animals, you can come to me.”

Yan Jiyun smiled. “Sure.”

The restroom was no place for small talk.

They left, one after the other.

Yan Jiyun couldn’t turn back into a cat now. For one, his experience card time was very limited; two, Dr. Zhou surfaced unpredictably and could easily catch him. Not knowing if Zhou had a hidden identity, Yan daren’t risk being caught; it was better to proceed steadily, one clue at a time.

He needed to head back into the park to find Dr. Peng. He hoped the black panther was protecting Dr. Peng well.

The quest tracker remained unchanged, suggesting Dr. Peng was still alive.

He couldn’t linger at the animal medical facility—finding Dr. Peng was tonight’s top priority.

He could ask Dr. Peng about Dr. Zhou later; he knew where Zhou’s office was, so there was no rush.

When Yan Jiyun left the medical wing, he saw the big white tiger lingering hopefully near the entrance.

The brown bear, gorilla, and talkative mynah had all disappeared; the tiger hadn’t fought them after all.

Were Dr. Zhou and the others hiding inside for fear of the animals outside?

Yan pretended to be wary, standing at a distance. “Baiyun, what are you doing here?” he called to the white tiger.

He neither saw nor heard Xixi. Xixi had probably flown off, not realizing it should have waited for Yan to emerge.

The Bengal white tiger player (Meng Changsheng, known as Baiyun in the game, keeper’s alias Jiang You) was actually human. If he had barged into the medical center with the black cat, he might have been detained, so he wandered outside—having waited for the cat, only for the keeper to arrive.

What was going on? Why was a keeper here? Wasn’t this supposed to be animal activity time?

Meng Changsheng, alias Baiyun, had seen Jiang You’s work badge.

He’d wanted to go in after the black cat but, with the parrot gone and no escort task triggered, began to suspect the parrot (player?) had finished their job and left him to face the gorilla, bear, and mynah trio alone.

Players were so two-faced, taking advantage of his pure heart!

Now, seeing keeper Jiang You, he actually found the NPC more comforting than the players.

Meng Changsheng walked up to Yan Jiyun without hesitation, lowering his head to appear unthreatening.

But Jiang You seemed totally unmoved by his attempt to charm him.

Did the keeper not like big white cats? Was he not cute enough? Not handsome enough? Was the keeper blind? So many tourists would love to touch a tiger—and here he was, right before him!

Did he really not want to pet his head? The white tiger really was gentle and adorable!

Yan Jiyun looked at the eager Bengal tiger with silent exasperation. Was he trying to curry favor with his temporary keeper?

He knew the tiger was a player. Before, when he was on task, he hadn’t dared touch the tiger’s head. Now that there was no quest, he was even less interested in physical contact, since the tiger was still a human at heart.

All the players were in animal forms, but their essential natures hadn’t changed. Yan Jiyun himself was originally a cat who, upon using the experience card, had acquired a human form—but his physical traits remained feline. In short, in-game transformation was a kind of elaborate illusion.

Players encountering such transformation for the first time would never realize this. If they acted like real animals and ate raw meat, they could suffer digestive disasters upon leaving the instance unless they got prompt medical treatment or a cleanse.

If you turned into a carnivore and ate raw meat, your guts might not survive. Transform into a grazer and you might not even be able to use the bathroom.

Thinking about it, being a cat wasn’t so bad after all.

Now that Yan Jiyun was a keeper, it was oddly moving to see a player working so hard to please him.

“Come on, tonight I’m on duty—be my bodyguard, why don’t you?”

The white tiger wasn’t a black panther, so Yan didn’t mention looking for Dr. Peng to him.

Who knew if the tiger would play dumb and pull a fast one? A little extra caution never hurt.

Being on duty, Yan Jiyun had run quite a way, so he found an unlocked bicycle in the storage area. Electric mopeds always ran out of charge, but a regular bike could be rested whenever he got tired—perfectly manageable.

Who knew where Xixi had flown off to, not a peep to be heard.

Before he knew it, two hours had passed. Eight hours left on his shift.

Yan decided to head straight for the elephant area to look for Dr. Peng, hoping the panther had finished the assigned task.

He did consider returning to the woods for his backpack but, remembering the two huge snakes in the lotus pond pavilion, he shuddered and opted for a detour toward the elephants instead.

The elephant and bird zones weren’t far, both near the west gate and past the tiger area—but via another route, passing the hippo, tropical fish, wildebeest, giraffe, and zebra exhibits.

He had no idea how Dr. Peng had made it from the aviary to the elephant zone so quickly to get that blood sample. Either the man had amazing legs, or he’d ridden a vehicle or animal—but given his aversion to animals, he’d probably found an e-bike, only to have it die on him and end up being chased by elephants.

Just thinking about it made Yan Jiyun feel Dr. Peng’s life was as “thrilling” as his own.

So off they went: keeper and tiger, out of the medical building. The white tiger padded along beside him. When they met animals on the loose, a couple of low growls kept them at bay—smaller animals tended to be timid.

With the white tiger player as his continued escort, Yan’s trip to the elephant zone went far more smoothly than the earlier courier quest.

He cycled leisurely for over an hour, sometimes getting off to push the bike and enjoy the fireflies in the woods.

Arriving at a grassy clearing, he wasn’t eager to seek Dr. Peng right away. He set down the bike and stretched out, counting the stars.

The white tiger scratched at its ear with a thick paw. This NPC really took things leisurely.

Gazing at the blinking stars, Yan thought again of his own “owner” outside the game. How was he doing?

Then he thought of Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi—they’d be entering their first beginner-level instance soon.

He hoped both would have smooth journeys and not end up with such a tough scenario as his own.

With nothing happening to Dr. Peng yet, Yan was bored. He even found a stick to help train the white tiger player, who really had none of a feline’s natural grace—a complete disgrace to humans. As someone who’d been a feline for over a year, Yan simply couldn’t stand it.

“Baiyun, you may be a bit slow, but as we say, ‘the slow bird flies first.’ Don’t be worse than Orange and the others. Let me give you some lessons: you really need to practice running and jumping.”

Meng Changsheng: “…”

He was human, not a tiger!

Precisely because he was a player, not a real tiger, Yan insisted on giving him basic training—he’d be too embarrassed to claim this animal otherwise.

When Baiyun remained dazed, Yan added, “If you don’t learn a few decent tricks, all the videos tourists take of you will be tragic blackmail material—what else do you expect?”

Meng Changsheng: “…” The keeper made sense. Tourists came just to see his proud, upright form!

Fine, he’d practice. He was determined to remain the most popular tomorrow!

Yan found a pink ball a tourist had left behind and tossed it across the grass.

“Baiyun, fetch the ball—run!”

Resolved to do his best as a tiger, Meng Changsheng chased after the pink ball without thinking, retrieved it, and brought it back to the keeper.

“Well done, well done. Again.”

The ball was thrown farther this time, but Meng Changsheng was already developing good skills. When he brought it back again, the keeper had fashioned a hoop from a branch and tied it to a palm.

Yan said, “Come practice your weak spot. You messed up the jump-through earlier, remember?”

Meng Changsheng: “…”

Finally, Yan could rest his hands. Pointing at the hoop, he said, “Do it fifteen or twenty times and you’ll be fine, Baiyun. Good luck.”

Did he have the option to pretend he didn’t understand the keeper?

But, thinking further—if he mastered the pounce, jump, and fighting skills, he’d benefit in the long run. Just now, fetching the ball, he’d really felt what it was like to be a tiger. It seemed he could act in a “king of beasts” show soon.

His brief confidence and pride, however, were quickly dashed—he missed every jump on the first try!

Why was it so different from what he’d imagined? Other tigers managed effortlessly.

Right, he needed better control.

Yan Jiyun trained the player for nearly half an hour and became increasingly certain that the man wasn’t a natural. Watching the tiger pounce and faceplant in the grass over and over, Yan realized being a feline truly required some innate talent as well as patience and determination.

While Meng Changsheng struggled to train his balance, Yan Jiyun nearly drifted off lying on the grass.

Suddenly, a system voice alert rang out.

[Dr. Peng is under attack by animals. Please assist him immediately, or the consequences will be severe.]

Yan Jiyun: “…” Couldn’t he ever get a break?

He had no idea where Dr. Peng was or exactly where the attack was taking place.

During the earlier sample delivery, Dr. Peng had likely already left the elephant zone. That was why Yan stayed in this area to rest—going after him might have been pointless if the man wasn’t even here.

That NPC loved causing trouble—who knew what new mess he’d gotten into now.

Yan got up calmly from the grass, brushed himself off, and called out to the tiger, “Baiyun, patrol time.”

Having gotten the hang of it, Meng Changsheng felt he was improving and followed Yan quickly. He’d heard stories of tiger abuse in zoos, so maintaining a good relationship with the keeper was critical.

The zoo was vast. Yan Jiyun didn’t know Dr. Peng’s exact location and had to rely on earlier clues.

He hopped back on the bike—the rest spot wasn’t far from the elephant area.

All along the way, the giraffes stayed quietly in their zone, everything peaceful. Perhaps the riot had passed and the animals were now calm.

Yan guessed maybe this afternoon’s food had been tampered with to cause everything to flare up at the same time—a difficult feat.

Who was behind this chaos?

Riding along unhurriedly in search of Dr. Peng, Yan found the elephant enclosure but not the man.

He told Baiyun, “Listen for anything especially noisy—I think I heard someone calling for help.”

Intent on helping the keeper, Meng Changsheng focused—and indeed, he heard calls for help.

He let out a roar and led Yan toward another corner of the elephant area.

He’d spent all day adapting to life as a tiger and was finally getting used to the enhanced hearing.

A keeper’s patrol seemed indistinguishable from being an animal security guard—wherever trouble was, that’s where to go. With this talent, why not use it?

Word was, currying favor with NPCs was trendy—if he could max out their affinity, who knew what bonus he’d get? Might as well show off his skills.

Following the white tiger’s lead, Yan cycled out of the elephant area. The fact that he hadn’t heard the noise himself meant Dr. Peng must be at least a kilometer away.

The tiger’s direction proved correct; within five minutes, Yan heard the frantic commotion—noisy, with all sorts of animal cries mixed in.

He couldn’t begin to guess what hornet’s nest Dr. Peng had stirred up; only a true protagonist could cause this much chaos. If he was wrong, he’d eat his system!

Yan and the white tiger quickly spotted Dr. Peng, desperately trying to save himself.

“Ahhh! Xiao Jiang, come save me!”

“I’m about to be bitten to death by this zebra!”

“Ow, ow, ow, let go! Not so hard!”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

Of course there were no horses in the zoo. Dr. Peng was currently being bitten on the right shoulder by a zebra—it was a pitiful and absurd sight.

How did Dr. Peng manage to get a zebra to clamp its jaws on his shoulder and refuse to let go? It was oddly impressive.

Zebras are known for unpredictable tempers—timid yet liable to latch on and not let go when frightened. Now, under some unknown influence, they were especially volatile.

Dr. Peng really had a death wish—his shoulder was streaming blood.

Yan Jiyun scanned the crowd of smaller animals. The black panther was nowhere in sight—had it not followed Dr. Peng?

A single vicious kick from a zebra could kill, so Yan didn’t charge in recklessly.

He turned to the white tiger: “Baiyun, chase the zebra off.”

Meng Changsheng: “…” Why him? He wasn’t the keeper, and he feared zebra kicks too.

But then he realized he was, after all, a tiger. Surely scaring a zebra would be no problem.

Using his newly-practiced pouncing technique, the white tiger leapt at the zebra. The animal backed off, but refused to let go, dragging Dr. Peng several meters across the ground!

Yan Jiyun couldn’t believe it. Even terrified by the tiger, the zebra held tight. He asked, “Dr. Peng, where’s your kit?”

Blood streamed down Peng’s shoulder. Pale-faced, he replied tremulously, “It’s under the big tree—there with the monkeys. The new monkey king just stole it from me.”

A new monkey king? Monkeys again? Their presence was everywhere—impossible to be rid of.

Yan recalled rescuing the pup at Monkey Mountain and beating up the old king. How had they changed rulers so quickly?

The old king had a black tuft on his brow, but this one looked normal, and was now on a big rock waving a roll of gauze like a scepter. Frankly, it looked dumb—and not a player, since anyone would know that waving white cloth meant surrender.

“Wait here. I’ll get the kit! You have a tranquilizer dart in there, right?”

Peng nodded frantically, “Yes! Yes!”

“Hang on. Don’t provoke the zebra—I’ll get the kit back.”

Peng nodded, too pained to speak.

Yan found a stick and called the tiger to follow. “Baiyun, scare the baby monkeys—I’ll handle their king.”

Meng Changsheng: “…” The keeper ordered him so naturally, but why wasn’t his favorability score moving? The system hadn’t said a thing! Guess he just needed to work harder.

He charged in!

The white tiger barreled into the monkey crowd, but as the saying goes, it’s the flunkies who are more trouble than the boss. The monkeys were undaunted, leaping onto the tiger’s body, scratching and biting—he was nearly scared to death, shaking them off again and again.

Yan Jiyun, wielding his stick, marched straight toward the monkey king.

The king was still showing off, but as soon as Yan raised his weapon, it squealed, jumped off the rock, and tried to face Yan head-on—brandishing a stone!

This king had guts, but not brains.

Charging at Yan, it forgot the long strip of gauze in its paw, tripped over it before reaching him, spun across the ground, and landed right at Yan Jiyun’s feet.

Holding back laughter, Yan pinned the king with his stick—effortless.

The new king’s reign had ended as quickly as it began, pinned by the keeper, screeching and writhing in fury.

Holding the king down, Yan called to the monkeys mobbing the white tiger: “Stop that if you ever want bananas again!”

The monkeys all looked at one another and slipped off the tiger.

Rattling them was easy; the king, though, kept baring its teeth at Yan. He remembered it from before—it’d hurled stones with extra force. A vicious monkey like that needed a lesson.

He tied it up with the gauze. The king, frenzied and aggressive, struggled furiously, nearly scratching Yan’s face, but ultimately he succeeded in restraining it.

He dragged the thirty or forty-pound monkey and the medkit back to Dr. Peng, with the white tiger standing watch to keep other animals at bay.

Nearby were more zebras and a pair of giraffes, both in obviously abnormal states.

Dr. Peng had lost much blood; he looked ready to faint.

Yan echoed a classic TV line: “Hold on, Dr. Peng—quick, where’s the tranquilizer?”

Peng weakly replied, “Very bottom layer. I put it there thinking I wouldn’t need it…”

Yan fished through the kit, grumbling inwardly: With your “popular” constitution, how could you think you wouldn’t need it?

The zebra still glared at him, wanting to retreat but blocked by the tiger.

Following Dr. Peng’s directions, Yan extracted the dart. “Alright, what now? Where do I inject?”

“I’d love to stick it in my own shoulder—the pain is crazy.”

“Then tell me: where do I jab the zebra?”

“Neck. You have to be quick.”

Even as he spoke, Yan drove the needle into the zebra’s neck.

The zebra, agitated, had been moving its legs constantly—hence, Dr. Peng’s bleeding. Yan injected quickly; the zebra toppled moments later. Its jaws were still clamped on Peng’s shoulder, so Yan had to pry them apart to free him.

“Xiao Jiang, grab the hydrogen peroxide from the box for me,” Peng said.

Yan handed it over, stunned as Dr. Peng ruthlessly doused his wound, finishing off half the bottle in one go.

He could only stare. That, he thought, is the definition of a tough man.

He wondered if his own owner would be as fierce if it were him hurt—the thought made him wince.

Of course, if it ever came to that, he’d have to do the same—survival first.

Dr. Peng, face pale and lip color drained, barely gasped, “Wrap it with gauze and that’ll do.”

Yan did a quick bandaging job: “Forgive my lack of skill, but this should hold. I’ll get you back to the medical center for proper cleaning—zebra bites must be infested with bacteria, and you know better than I do what happens if you don’t treat it fast.”

Dr. Peng was barely conscious, only a faint glimmer in his eyes, “No, first draw this monkey king’s blood, then take me to the clinic.”

Yan followed instructions, at first hesitating, until the king tried to bite him. Then he had the tiger pin it down and managed to find a vein for the needle.

The new monkey king, who had ruled for only a few hours: “……”

A vial of the violent king’s blood put away, Dr. Peng swayed, nearly passing out, using his last strength to grab Yan’s hand:

“Xiao Jiang, you have to get blood from the black panther, South China tiger, Caesar, and the rest of the large animals.”

“Xiao Jiang—it’s all up to you—”

[Player has triggered side quest: Dr. Peng’s Request (2).]

[Quest details: Before 5 a.m., obtain blood samples from the black panther, South China tiger, lion, wolf king, gorilla, brown bear, and other large animals, and deliver them to the lab. Good luck!]

Yan Jiyun: “……”

Damn it. Had he known, he would never have saved this troublesome Dr. Peng!