Cat 96: Who is the Black Panther?

Chapter 96: Who Is the Black Panther?

[“Want to Be Human”] Live Stream:

“I can’t make sense of this instance anymore. Where did Little Cat put his paw? Why have we never seen this before?”

“Of course, we haven’t seen it—no player has ever gotten a promotion and raise, then continued on to live a life of suspension in the workplace. While the other players are still acting cute to win over the viewers, he’s already moved way ahead.”

“To be honest, even though I know what the final secret is, it was only because a previous player triggered a certain quest. I’ve never seen anyone unravel it so meticulously like Little Cat. I’m actually looking forward to the process of discovering this big secret.”

“I think I’ve already guessed the secret of this instance. Surely human souls have entered animal bodies, and they’ve been reborn as animals.”

“That’s impossible. If their souls really were reborn, why don’t the animals act more human?”

“Hold on, the duration of this instance is five days, right? Based on past experience, reaching this point usually means the instance is about to end, doesn’t it?”

“Sis! That’s the key! Is Little Cat going to wrap up the instance in less than three days? Both of the last two instances ended early for him.”

“So likely! Damn, I’d better watch Little Cat a bit longer—otherwise, I won’t see him for another ten days!”

“Geez, you’re so sure of yourselves. Even primary-stage instances aren’t easy. How could anyone finish in just three days? You’re just saying that to hype him up.”

“Bro, you must be new here. You really have no idea how powerful Little Cat is!”

Yan Jiyun was troubled by his naturally curly hair, but with so many researchers and staff around, no one should notice him—his glasses and mask provided enough cover.

He’d considered shutting off the power like Dr. Peng threatened Dr. Zhou, but there were still patients here. If he cut the electricity and the ventilators failed, it would indirectly sabotage his own mission. So he dismissed that option almost as soon as he thought of it.

By a little after four in the afternoon, fatigue was etched on everyone’s faces.

Just then, Yan Jiyun heard someone calling for a meeting—the person demanding it was the same old professor who had fainted earlier.

Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?

Most of the NPCs surged in one direction. He followed in the corridor, unnoticed as he went with the flow.

When only a scattering of NPCs remained in the hall, Yan Jiyun slipped away unnoticed and found the old professor’s office.

He’d meant to find Dr. Zhou’s office, but couldn’t. The old professor seemed to wield the most authority here, so he chose the professor’s office instead.

The office was even larger than he’d imagined, a giant file cabinet standing behind the desk.

On the desk lay a freshly compiled patient record.

Yan Jiyun saw the file marked “Patient 09.” Providence, it seemed, had just handed it to him.

Who was Patient 09? Which experimental animal matched up with them?

He quickly skimmed the thick document—much more detailed than the pile of failure cases.

The failed cases showed they’d attempted experiments across several species, proving the results didn’t depend on the animals themselves.

But now, this was a successful case!

Under Patient 09’s file was a stack of photographs of a brown bear.

They’d documented the difference in the bear’s gaze before and after the experiment, as well as observations on its behavior.

This was a before-and-after record of a successful experiment.

[Player has found the Patient 09 file. Confirm if they possess a special patient identity?]

Yan Jiyun thought, “Wouldn’t I know if I found it or not?”

What would happen if he guessed wrong?

Was this multiple-choice question without a wrong answer? Why else would the system keep prompting him again and again? Clearly, it was lying in wait with a pitfall.

Yan Jiyun chose to confirm.

[Player has successfully found a special patient identity. (1/?)]

[Mission tip: Player may only make two mistakes; finding too many or too few will not complete the task.]

[Do you wish to confirm completion of “Main Quest 3”?]

Yan Jiyun selected “No.”

Tricky system. When he was drawing blood samples, it even confirmed the number of animals, but now it had omitted the prompt on purpose.

Are entry-level instance tasks always this devious? Even the number of special-identity patients needed to be guessed?

How was he supposed to know how many there were in total?

The game only ever gets more challenging and less fair—it would never give players an easy break!

One thing was clear: only by finding both the patient and their corresponding animal was the identity confirmation complete.

However the game might be set up, he had no choice but to keep searching for documents.

Nothing else on the professor’s desk was relevant.

Yan Jiyun used the lock-picking tool to open the lock behind the professor’s desk.

The high-level lock-pick could only be used ten times, and now just eight uses remained.

The file cabinet popped open at his touch. Sure enough, inside there were more case files, neatly sorted into folders—but only three.

Yan Jiyun quickly flipped through the folders, not letting any slip by.

It was a family of three—the wolf king, his wife, and their young son.

Evidently, the family had suffered an accident at sea and, for some reason, all three had remained in comas. Their relatives had them sent here.

Yan Jiyun saw photos after the accident; all three were severely burned. Even if they regained consciousness, their lives would be changed forever—perhaps taking on another form and living more freely would be a kindness.

For a moment, Yan Jiyun wasn’t sure whether the experiment was a blessing or a curse.

[Player has found the files of Patients 30, 31, and 32. Confirm these three possess special patient identities?]

Yan Jiyun: Yes.

[Player has successfully found special patient identities. (4/?)]

[Do you wish to confirm completion of “Main Quest 3”?]

Yan Jiyun: No.

Two more files remained—one for the brown bear, a middle-aged man tormented by cancer who chose this path to keep on living; another for an elephant, who, like the others, wished to escape the hardships of the world and sought refuge here.

In sum, Yan Jiyun had uncovered six special patient identities.

He was certain there were more than six; black panther, Orange, and Xixi—their files weren’t here.

Were the experiments divided into groups?

Of course—there was Dr. Zhou, formerly the director of the medical wing, who must know this experiment best.

He surely had more files on other patients.

But where was his office?

Yan Jiyun restored the professor’s office to how he found it and quickly slipped out.

Why hadn’t Dr. Zhou joined him in taking the elevator up to B2? Did he suspect there was an inside man working with Dr. Peng? Otherwise, how had Dr. Peng precisely identified the animals he needed samples from?

If there was a mole, Dr. Peng should have known about the lab entrance. Then again, perhaps the informant was cautious and withheld some of the details.

Which was Dr. Zhou’s office?

He couldn’t ask the outside NPCs—the experiment was too secretive for that. If a staff member didn’t know Dr. Zhou’s office, anyone could spot the impostor; he’d be exposed at once.

Of course, the veterinarian office wasn’t relevant—he’d already searched there and found nothing of value.

Left with no choice, he resorted to the old method: search room by room.

Not this one. Not that one. That door seemed promising, but a female researcher emerged—just another ordinary office.

After a lap around the office corridor, Yan Jiyun finally saw an unusual number: Room 219.

The layouts for B3 and B2 were identical—yet only Dr. Zhou had mentioned any room with a 9. Nine seemed to be Dr. Zhou’s number.

Without hesitation, Yan Jiyun picked the lock and entered Room 219.

Dr. Zhou was still being held on B3 and hadn’t come up. He could escape at any time, but Yan Jiyun still hadn’t figured out why he chose to remain downstairs. Was there some special last scene with Dr. Peng?

Probably not. If there were, it would be over by now. More likely, Dr. Zhou was waiting for something—or perhaps he was hiding something in B3.

NPCs were cunning: after he found the corresponding files, he’d need to go and “save them.” The bodies were on B2; Dr. Zhou knew Yan Jiyun would descend again, so he wasn’t worried.

Sure enough, Dr. Zhou’s cabinet held several crucial documents.

It appeared he was responsible for different patients than the professor.

Here, Yan Jiyun found files for Orange, Kaiser, and Xixi.

Orange was a well-known CEO, poisoned by a rival and left with neurological damage. A friend had sent him to the experimental center.

Kaiser was a wealthy heir, thrill-seeking on the world’s highest mountain in winter until he crashed and suffered brain damage, ending up here.

And Xixi—initially overlooked by Yan Jiyun, but Xixi’s intelligence had eventually drawn his attention.

Once a prodigy in e-sports, Xixi had collapsed from overwork and heart failure, never regaining consciousness, and was transferred here by chance. From prodigy to parrot—it was no wonder Xixi picked up swearing with such ease; how else did you survive in the gaming world?

[Player has successfully found special patient identities. (7/?)]

[Do you wish to confirm completion of “Main Quest 3”?]

Once again, Yan Jiyun chose “No.”

He noticed, whether in the professor’s or Dr. Zhou’s office, there was no record of the black panther. Who had hidden his file?

Of all the animals he encountered, only the black panther maintained such mental clarity—and disliked his keepers most.

Yan Jiyun searched Dr. Zhou’s office again. On the desk were eleven ongoing files, all recent admissions.

By eliminating the already identified and failed cases, he concluded there was no Patient 01 file.

Patient 01 must be the black panther—but where was the file?

Was he Dr. Zhou’s patient or the professor’s?

Yan Jiyun searched the office from top to bottom without finding any clues.

There were seven confirmed special patients, but one was missing—the black panther, Patient 01.

He left Dr. Zhou’s office and headed straight for Patient 01’s room.

He’d seen the other seven in their wards, even the wolf cub’s human counterpart—a child of around twelve or thirteen, badly burned, but likely a very cute child before the accident.

He confirmed all seven rooms, yet there was no Room 01, and without finding the black panther, he’d fail the mission.

Was Patient 01 not on B2?

Was Dr. Zhou staying on B3 because of Patient 01?

Dr. Zhou hadn’t fully trusted him—that’s why he’d revealed the way up to B2: to protect Patient 01, the black panther.

But what was the relationship between Dr. Zhou and the black panther?

Yan Jiyun ended his exploration of B2, though it hadn’t been a waste—at least now he understood the experiment’s true nature.

The aim of the instance wasn’t to decipher the science behind the experiments, but to uncover the connection between humans and animals.

Still, he was curious about the underlying principle. What if he needed it someday? If, in the end, the game didn’t let him exchange his body back, could he snatch another for himself?

That way he’d steal another’s body—literally coming back from the dead.

The thought made his hair stand on end. Even the idea made goosebumps rise on his skin. Living in someone else’s body just felt wrong. It wasn’t immortality he wanted—just a body of his own, not at anyone else’s expense.

As he exited Dr. Zhou’s office, the professor’s meeting ended; everyone wore dour expressions.

But Yan Jiyun was already on his way back to B3 to find Dr. Zhou.

Just then, the old professor called out, “Young man, I don’t think I’ve seen you before?”

Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected the professor to recognize him when the others hadn’t.

He decided to bluff. “I’m Dr. Zhou’s newly hired assistant. Professor, perhaps you haven’t seen me often.”

The old professor shook his head, adamant. “Dr. Zhou would never hire someone casually. You’re not one of our researchers.”

Yan Jiyun hesitated. “You can ask Dr. Zhou to confirm.”

The old professor took off his reading glasses. “No need.” Then he shouted, “Someone has infiltrated the lab and is trying to steal our results! Everyone, hold him!”

So the professor was the problem all along!

Yan Jiyun had suspected a mole, but never imagined it was the old professor—the fainting act was so convincing just now.

At the same moment, a flood of footsteps echoed on B2 as people entered from another corridor—led by the triumphant Dr. Peng.

By then, Yan Jiyun had already slipped into another hallway, easily evading pursuit to reach the stairway down to B3.

The old professor’s meeting had never been about the lockdown—it was just a way to gather everyone in one place to keep them from escaping.

Dr. Peng’s shoes clicked briskly on the gleaming tiles, his swagger arresting.

The young researchers were stunned. “Professor Fang, what’s the meaning of this? This is Dr. Zhou’s life’s work!”

Professor Fang replied, “Zhou Yiqun has no intention of making our discovery public. But this didn’t come from him alone. Our visions always differed, so I found myself a new partner.”

Dr. Peng, now at the height of his high spirits, spoke loudly, his voice echoing, “Professor Fang, I’ve long admired you. At last, we’ll work together.”

The professor brushed aside the protests of his students and advanced to shake Dr. Peng’s hand. “Indeed.”

Neither mentioned Dr. Zhou—Dr. Peng was already eager to tour the labs.

“Professor Fang,” he said, “From now on, you can do whatever you like.”

“That’s great,” said the professor.

“Director He has prepared a banquet in your honor. She says whenever you’re ready, you can release your research findings to the world.”

This delighted the professor. Dr. Peng, of course, only wanted credit. There was no reason for the professor to be unhappy; the most groundbreaking scientific achievement would be his.

After a round of pleasantries, Dr. Peng finally got to the point.

“By the way, Professor Fang, I’ve locked up all the conscious entities as you instructed.”

“Good. Zhou Yiqun’s efforts have come to nothing now.”

“My mentor always preferred to keep a low profile,” Dr. Peng said.

The professor’s face darkened. “Did you catch the black panther?”

Dr. Peng shook his head. “The panther’s too wily—escaped me. But the others are all contained.”

“That won’t do. You must catch the panther. He’s the most lucid consciousness among them—he’s our crowning achievement, the centerpiece of our findings. Once we have him, we can announce this to the world.”

“I’ll double patrols and search the entire zoo.”

Yan Jiyun listened a while longer, until pursuers drew near. By then, he was slipping down the stairwell to B3.

At this point, all patients except for Patient 01, the black panther, had fallen into the hands of Dr. Peng and the old professor.

Dr. Zhou was on his own—how could he possibly stand against them?

But since they were hunting the black panther, just as he was, they’d soon find themselves in competition.

Dr. Peng had locked Dr. Zhou on B3 on purpose—where crying for help would yield nothing.

With nearly everyone on B2, Yan Jiyun darted down to where Dr. Zhou was being held—no one was there.

Clearly, Dr. Zhou hadn’t resigned himself to captivity; Yan Jiyun picked up a familiar scent and immediately covered his nose.

Bang, bang, bang.

He heard the hiss of spray and the thud of bodies hitting the ground.

Dr. Zhou’s methods.

Luckily, Yan Jiyun had put on a mask just in time—he didn’t lose consciousness.

On B3, only his own footsteps echoed.

Dr. Zhou’s voice called out, “Come out, Jiang You.”

So Dr. Zhou had a backup plan.

Yan Jiyun stepped out of the room—the fans were already humming.

“Dr. Zhou, if you had a solution ready, why did you lure me upstairs?”

Dr. Zhou, wearing a gas mask and holding another which he tossed Yan Jiyun’s way, replied, “If you didn’t move, how would they start to panic?”

Of course. The NPC was as cunning as could be.

Yan Jiyun donned the mask. Right now, Dr. Zhou was the only one he could trust—and he felt confident he was on the right track.

“They’re all upstairs,” Yan Jiyun said, “preparing to move Orange and the others out. They’ll announce the results any moment.”

Dr. Zhou shook his head. “No, they won’t. They lack the final experiment reports and, more importantly, they don’t have the key product. The crucial final data isn’t in their hands.”

“Because of Patient 01?”

“You’re smarter than I thought. Come with me.”

Dr. Zhou led Yan Jiyun through a maze of turns, stopping at an unremarkable room—directly beneath his own on B2.

He hadn’t checked for a secret compartment before; as it turned out, Patient 01 was right below Dr. Zhou’s office.

Here, the equipment was more numerous and advanced than anything upstairs.

On the bed lay a man with thick black hair, strikingly handsome, well-built—almost one point nine meters tall. Although unconscious, he looked peaceful, as if asleep rather than ill.

All the patients whose consciousness transfer succeeded seemed physically fine.

Yan Jiyun studied him up close. “So this is the black panther. He radiates the same powerful energy.” He noted a resemblance to Dr. Zhou. “You look a bit alike.”

Staring at the man on the bed, Dr. Zhou murmured, “That’s my brother. He’s the black panther now.”

As he’d suspected—siblings.

After a moment, when Dr. Zhou still hadn’t explained, Yan Jiyun asked, “Why did he end up like this? You must have a personal reason for starting this experiment. He was Patient 01—your first subject, wasn’t he?”

Dr. Zhou adjusted his brother’s blanket. “Yes. He was a special forces officer. His head was injured by an explosion on a mission, and he never woke up again. But I knew he was alive—his consciousness was still vibrant. I didn’t want him to live forever in darkness. I wanted to give him light, freedom—to let him run again. He was ambitious. His life shouldn’t be confined to a hospital bed.”

Yan Jiyun didn’t agree: “Did you ever consider—maybe your brother didn’t want to be an animal?”

Many think animals have carefree lives, free from worries—but did anyone ever think that they have worries, too?

If anyone had the right to speak about this, it was Yan Jiyun. He didn’t want to be an animal. He wanted to be human again.

Dr. Zhou said: “He wouldn’t mind. When we were little, he used to say he wanted a panther’s speed.”

“Maybe what he really wanted was to be as fast as a fighter jet. The panther was just a metaphor. And animals don’t live long.”

“Then I’ll keep giving him new bodies.”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

[Player has successfully found special patient identities. (8/?)]

[Do you wish to confirm completion of “Main Quest 3”?]

Yan Jiyun decisively chose “Yes.”

[Congratulations, player, on completing Main Quest 3: ‘Uncover Their True Identities.’ Rewards will be delivered at the end of the instance.]

Phew. He’d invested a lot of effort into this mission—finally, it was over.

Dr. Zhou leaned over the man on the bed. “Brother, I’ll get you out of here soon.”

At that moment, Yan Jiyun heard banging from a cage.

He looked toward the noise just as Dr. Zhou tried to stop him, but Yan Jiyun had already pulled off the black cloth covering a massive cage.

Inside was the black panther he knew so well. It was anxiously pacing, agitated.

Yan Jiyun looked at Dr. Zhou in confusion. “When was the black panther brought here?”