DSMC Chapter 15

New arc! It’s quite different from the 1st one in theming, I hope you like it!

!spoiler alert! Besides the usual “threats of animal abuse” towards our MC, there’s also other possibly triggering topics in this arc. I’ll be putting them in a dropdown because it is very spoilery. Just a general note, the 2nd instance isn’t as traumatic as the 1st one in my opinion (bc there’s no blatant child abuse)

[dropdown title=”CW”]Drugs, human experimentation (mild though). [/dropdown]

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Arc 2: Midnight Diner

Yan Jiyun opened his eyes to see the same alley where he had logged off, and a lyric suddenly came to mind: ‘Back to where it all began.’

It seems that in this game, wherever he logs out is exactly where he’ll be logged back in. It doesn’t send him straight into his personal space.

He wasn’t sure if this “log in where you logged out” rule had any loopholes. If it worked like large-scale online games, and he had a conflict with another player, would they be able to camp at his logout point and spawn camp? If so, wouldn’t that mean certain death for him?

A young man’s voice suddenly rang out: “To maintain player numbers, fighting and killing between players is prohibited in the Central Zone.”

The voice continued, “Additionally, since you did not manually select an instance, the system has randomly matched one for you. You will enter the instance preparation area in 3 seconds.”

Yan Jiyun had spent the last few days recuperating, but hadn’t managed to find an opportunity to touch the nameplate on his pooper scooper. As expected from a veteran gamer, he lost every round of wits against Qi Feng. Qi Feng’s reaction speeds were on par, and now Yan Jiyun deeply understood how terrifying that parental ‘I’m doing this for your own good’ could be. It is seemingly well-intentioned, but actually hindering his survival!

Why not secretly leave a message for Qi Feng?

Because their relationship wasn’t yet at the point where he could admit he used to be human. It was far too hard to explain, and no one would believe him. It would sound like some bizarre kind of phone scam.

As a human, he had to navigate complicated interpersonal relationships; as a cat, he still had to navigate the complicated relationship with his owner.

Yan Jiyun had barely lingered 3 seconds at his logout point before he was pulled into a relatively spacious area that could accommodate multiple people.

This was the instance preparation area.

Although he hadn’t manually chosen this instance, the game didn’t throw him in right away. It gave him some time to prepare.

Well, at most, it was mental preparation.

[Midnight Diner (Challenging Mode). Instance starts once ten players have joined.]

[Player count full. Instance locked.]

[All players will enter the instance in three minutes.]

Another challenging mode instance. Just like his first one, it required ten players.

He didn’t know whether the difficulty of newcomer instances was tied to the number of players.

Yan Jiyun stared speechlessly at the bold “Challenging Mode” characters. His luck was truly cursed. Two random matches, both challenging modes. The game really wasn’t giving this newcomer any breaks.

Before he could think further, his cat avatar entered the instance waiting area.

The young male system voice spoke again: “Please proceed to the store to purchase the props you will carry into this instance. You may bring six props. All players will enter the instance in 3 minutes. You have 2 minutes and 40 seconds remaining to make your selection.”

Yan Jiyun hadn’t even known he could choose props before entering. Last time he’d been too exhausted and had simply logged off. Now he scrambled in a panic to choose.

At least he learned that the preparation area gave 3 minutes to buy props, so he wouldn’t be tossed straight into a cage and given away as a pet like last time.

Randomly matched into the “Midnight Diner” instance, he had no idea what it involved or what props would be useful.

The shop’s props came in a dizzying variety, and he had no time to study them. Going by the instance’s name, it probably had something to do with food? There was also a movie called Midnight Diner, wasn’t there? He’d never seen it, but had heard it was a heartwarming story.

Time ticked away second by second. Based on his points, Yan Jiyun chose around six items that seemed like they might be useful in the instance.

Yan Jiyun: “Can I buy Human Form Time Cards with points after entering the instance?”

System: “No. But you can buy it in advance.”

Gritting his teeth, he spent nearly all the points he’d just earned in the past few days on Human Form Time Cards. 

When his preparations were done, his points balance hit zero. Every bit left after buying props went toward human time. He felt like a shopaholic on Double Eleven[mfn]Nov 11th. Apparently, it started in 2009 when the CEO of Tmall, Zhang Yao, created a gala-style online shopping festival with huge discounts to attract customers. It went amazingly, so from then on, the “festival” sticks.[/mfn] day, mentally and spiritually drained. Poverty truly was the original sin.

Three minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Before Yan Jiyun could lament how fast points disappeared, the system announced the end of the preparation phase.

[Five… four… three… two… one… Loading instance…]

[The game is about to begin. Life and death are your own responsibility. We wish you an enjoyable game!]

In the next instant, his body went weightless again, and for a brief moment, he lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, he first heard the soulless mechanical voice announcing the instance information and objectives:

[Instance Name: Midnight Diner]  

[Instance Duration: 72 hours]  

[Difficulty: Challenging] 

[Main Mission: Discover the reason behind the viral popularity of the restaurant “Midnight Diner”.]  

[Surviving Players Number: 10/10]

[System has detected you are a streamer. Your livestream will be automatically opened, and will close when you die or the instance ends.]

Yan Jiyun had no particular feelings about the livestream viewers. Why they enjoyed watching these game streams, or where they came from — he didn’t know. But if he got out of this instance alive, he was going to write down every unanswered question and solve them one by one. He couldn’t just keep stumbling blindly into instances. He had underestimated the situation again, and once more felt the system’s malice toward players.

The [Livestream Channel] viewers were as enthusiastic and eerie as ever.

“Ahhh, darling baby, I’ve been waiting forever! Finally, the stream is live!”

“I’m afraid our kitty has no idea he’s going into an instance again. It slipped in at the last second for newbies.”

“Go, kitty, go! Never mind anything else! First, here’s a tip!”

“Here we go. I want to see how the cat streamer clears this one.”

“Huh? Why do I hear a man’s voice? The cat’s perspective looks off.”

“Midnight Diner instance? Perfect!” 

Yan Jiyun also realized something was wrong with his vision. He had just skimmed over the instance’s information when his body suddenly lifted into the air, followed by the sound of an unfamiliar man speaking.

“Does my expression look like this little black cat’s? Am I cooler, or is the little black cat cooler?”

“I’m guessing it’s the driver’s cat, or maybe it accidentally hopped on.”

“I think I’m quite compassionate. The little black cat just woke up, and it looks a little confused. Do you think it’s planning to make a run for it?”

“How could such a cute kitty run away? I’m cute too, you know. Cats and dogs have loved me since I was a kid.”

“Let’s give it a name, shall we?”

As the man rambled on, Yan Jiyun listened while glancing sideways to size up his surroundings.

He was certain now, he had entered the instance. The man holding him was likely a player. He didn’t particularly like being held.

They were currently sitting in a moving cargo truck. The air smelled faintly of the cheap leather of the seats, overlaid with the stale smoke from the driver’s cigarettes.

The driver up front wasn’t paying any attention to the man in the back or who he was talking to. He didn’t seem to care at all.

Just then, Yan Jiyun heard the player holding him start to come up with a name.

“Its eyes are a beautiful green. How about calling it Coal Ball[mfn]煤球 “méiqiú”; it’s a direct translation.[/mfn]?”

“Coal Ball, from now on, I’m your owner. Three days from now, I’ll find you a nice home. Now, let’s say hi to our audience.”

Yan Jiyun: “…” Screw your ‘Coal Ball.’ Your whole family is Coal Balls! He rolled his eyes so hard in his heart that it was practically audible.

[Want to be Human] livestream channel:

“I see, I see, this guy must be Meowmeow’s first tool player in this instance.” 

“I’m dying here. The player doesn’t even know the ‘cat’ he’s holding is also a player. I love watching these face-slap moments. Hahaha! Please give us more tool-men!”

“Let’s call him Lao Si[mfn]老四；Old Fourth[/mfn] for now. The last instance had three; he’s the fourth. I’ll keep count for the cat.”

“Poor tool-man has no idea what’s coming. I can already picture the tragic future of him being bossed around by the cat.”

“I like this instance. It must be one of the three hardest among the newcomer instances.”

Yan Jiyun glanced at the scrolling comments: “…”

One of the three hardest newcomer instances? What kind of luck was this? Was it because his fur was black enough?

Yan Jiyun remained perfectly calm, showing no trace of unease in the unfamiliar environment.

Not knowing where the driver was taking them, Yan Jiyun leapt off the player’s lap and settled onto the adjacent seat. The young man, who had been about to pinch the little black cat’s paw, caught only air.

Now that he had put some distance between them, Yan Jiyun could see him more clearly. The man was young, and quite good-looking. In Yan Jiyun’s rating system, he’s a solid 5/10. His styling was meticulous; every permed and dyed strand of hair was set in place with gel. Clearly, his appearance wouldn’t be allowed to fall apart even in the middle of instance exploration. A pair of sunglasses hung from the wide collar of his oversized T-shirt. It was flashy, almost gaudy.

The young player’s name was Wen Nanxing. He had already cleared four newcomer instances, and this was his fifth. Once he cleared this one, he’d have access to a wider range of instances and break through the newcomer stage. Normally, a newcomer’s fifth instance wasn’t easy.

He was a popular idol before this whole [Destiny] game, and he understood the art of gaining fans. Though he had been inexplicably pulled into this game, livestreaming his runs was just another kind of debut. He had adapted to it fairly quickly.

Of the previous four instances he’d cleared, three had been Introductory and one Challenging. For the fifth, he had to pick a Challenging difficulty — newbies needed to complete two Challenging instances out of five to unlock the next tier. He’d chosen “Midnight Diner.”

He lifted his chin. “Coal Ball, am I handsome?”

Yan Jiyun thought Wen Nanxing was decent-looking. But compared to himself, the gap was enormous. In a beauty contest between men, he was certain he’d win without question.

So he decisively swiped a paw across his own face, ignoring the popular idol completely.

Wen Nanxing: “…” Was he really that unpopular with this black cat?

Still confident, Wen Nanxing kept chatting with his livestream audience while Yan Jiyun shifted position, resting his paws on the windowsill to watch outside.

It was pitch-dark all the way, the streetlights revealed little.

Ten minutes later, the truck stopped in front of a shop with two red lanterns hanging at the entrance. The surrounding area looked ominous.

Yan Jiyun was the first to jump down. Wen Nanxing followed right after, thinking this black cat was far too calm. It must be an NPC designed for the instance.

The driver, a scar-faced man with a cheap cigarette dangling from his lips, walked to the back of the truck to unlock it.

At that moment, the shop’s unmarked door slid open, and two burly men in blue work uniforms came toward them.

The moment Yan Jiyun stepped down, the mouthwatering aroma of grilled fish hit his nose. When the men weren’t looking, he darted around to the side and slipped inside, leaving only a flicker of black shadow behind.

Wen Nanxing wanted to follow, but the moment he stepped forward with his right foot, the driver called out to him.

“Young man, come help move the goods. You still want today’s wages, don’t you?”

Wen Nanxing: “…”

Damn it. Why couldn’t he be the freely-moving NPC black cat?!