DSMC Chapter 17

Some customers echoed the wealthy lady’s opinion, and they all began chattering about the topic of the black cat, yet not a single person moved to drive it away. The players mixed among them simply treated the black cat as a guide NPC; there was no way they would harm it. As for some of the customers, they were only joining in for the fun. If it didn’t concern them, they stayed out of it.

“Yeah, why is there a cat in the restaurant? And a black cat at that?”

“I think it’s this black cat that brought bad luck, otherwise how could someone have died?”

“What an ill omen. It was supposed to be such a happy night, and then this happened.”

“Was Manager Wang murdered? Hasn’t anyone called the police yet?”

The wealthy lady turned to a waiter beside her. “Can someone get rid of that cat? Black cat’s eyes are always so unnerving.”

While they were all chattering about the bad luck brought by black cats, Yan Jiyun had already reacted swiftly, dashing toward Wen Nanxing, darting past his feet into the line of tables and chairs behind him, and then slipping into the shadows, disappearing from sight in moments.

Only NPCs would be surprised by the appearance of a black cat; players had no particular thoughts about it. It’s just a cat, it wouldn’t hinder their search for clues.

This wealthy lady, dressed head to toe in designer brands, suddenly turned on the restaurant staff. “Why would there be a black cat in the restaurant? What if there’s cat hair in our food? Do you know how many bacteria there are in a single strand of cat hair!”

Generally speaking, except for cat cafés, a high-class restaurant would never keep pets inside.

The waiter said, “The black cat must have wandered in on its own. Ms. Zhou, please don’t worry, we’ll have it removed immediately.”

The woman rubbed her arms in distaste. “I’m allergic to cats. Get rid of that black cat right away.”

It’s a living creature… So what does “get rid of it” even mean?

Listening to this woman, Yan Jiyun felt deeply uncomfortable. She’s allergic to cats? Well, he’s allergic to NPCs!

The waiter glanced at their freshly deceased manager. “Ms. Zhou, we will get the black cat out of the restaurant, don’t worry. But right now the murder case takes priority, please be patient.”

Ms. Zhou replied coldly, “What does your manager’s death have to do with me?”

The justice-minded players’ DNA almost started vibrating. At a time like this, someone could still be so indifferent to another’s death? No moral compass whatsoever. Even if she disliked it, it would be better not to say such things out loud right now. Complain to a waiter privately a few minutes later if you must.

But this wasn’t their real world, it was a deadly game they’re in. What was being revealed here was the extreme side of human nature. There was no point preaching morality to an NPC.

Ms. Zhou, still covering her nose, looked ready to continue her tirade. Just then, a man in a casual checkered suit walked down from the second floor. He appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, very young. His attire was even more refined than Wen Nanxing’s, whom Yan Jiyun had met earlier. Not a single wrinkle marred his suit, his leather shoes shone, and his demeanor was calm and steady, without a hint of frivolity.

This was the restaurant owner, Lin Xie.

Lin Xie smiled warmly, without lowering himself, speaking to the matter at hand, “Ms. Zhou, I’ll arrange for someone to catch that troublesome black cat right away. Please take a moment to rest.”

Seeing that the man was composed, good-looking, and had a pleasant voice, Ms. Zhou’s mood improved somewhat. “Boss Lin, then hurry and have someone catch it. It’s running around the restaurant, do you know how much fur that’s shedding?”

Crouched in a dark corner, Yan Jiyun cursed inwardly: ‘I’m cleaner from head to toe than your mouth is.’

“Alright,” Boss Lin replied, turning to a few nearby waiters. “Go drive that stray cat outside.”

Two waiters were dispatched to chase Yan Jiyun.

With someone in charge, the waiters sprang into action, searching every nook and cranny of the restaurant for the stray cat.

Yan Jiyun muttered a few words of Chinese “quintessential” words in his mind. Could they not start him off with such exhausting cat-chasing missions right at the beginning of the instance? This woman must have been specially placed here by the game to target him!

Fortunately, he often practiced hiding and escape techniques at home with his pooper scooper. He was skilled at using his fur color and the shadows cast by light to conceal himself. Whenever a waiter came close, he would flatten himself and slip along a pre-planned route into the next patch of shadow out of sight.

The waiters, being NPCs, seemed to have a built-in scanning function and quickly spotted Yan Jiyun. But spotting was one thing, catching him was another. Seeing two waiters wasn’t enough, Boss Lin sent two more.

Of course Yan Jiyun wasn’t leaving. Who knew what might happen once he left the restaurant? All the players were here, which meant this viral restaurant was clearly the exploration area for this instance.

With four waiters in pursuit, Yan Jiyun had no choice but to start a new round of parkour.

He wasn’t stupid. Since he’d been spotted, he might as well charge straight into the crowd. He made a point of darting toward the feet of whichever guest was dressed the fanciest, making the waiters spin in circles after him. The restaurant grew lively again. Guests alternated between wanting to know about the victim and trying to dodge the black cat.

“Ah!” Another lady screamed. Her beautiful white chiffon dress had just been brushed by the passing black cat, now dotted with black fur. She shrieked, “Boss! Can your waiters even do their job? They can’t even catch a cat! So useless!”

Boss Lin’s warm smile didn’t falter. “No need to panic, miss. Stray cats are naturally skittish.”

Classified now as a stray cat, Yan Jiyun had no time to listen to them talk. He had nearly been pinned down by a waiter but slipped away nimbly, landing steadily on a dining table. The waiter barely managed to keep from toppling into a table full of grilled skewers.

“If we surround it, it won’t get away.”

“Over here! It’s jumped over here!”

Yan Jiyun thought, ‘You’re underestimating my jumping skills.’

Before the waiters could close in, he had already leapt to another table.

The noise from the cat chase was considerable, and the food on any table Yan Jiyun had touched was now essentially inedible. Boss Lin’s smile was beginning to fade.

Chased to the area near the cashier, and seeing he was running out of places to hide and might have to make contact with the corpse, Yan Jiyun decisively darted to the other side of the body, stepping on and knocking over a gold ingot-shaped candy dish to the floor.

The candy dish shattered into several pieces.

At the same time, everyone nearby fell silent — because from inside the fallen golden ingot dish rolled out an exquisitely crafted handgun!

[Congratulations, player Yan Jiyun, for finding the murder weapon that killed Manager Wang. Reward: 200 points.]

Other players: “…”

Was the clue reward going to be dropped so casually like this?

Just then, a young male waiter picked up the gun from the floor. Every player in the restaurant fixed their gaze on this waiter.

What kind of luck was that? Finding a murder weapon kicked out by a cat?

The waiter’s nametag read “He Xiaobi,” and the players immediately assumed he was Yan Jiyun.

They had thought the black cat’s leaping about wouldn’t affect the game much, but now many players realized that the cat could actually help them find clues, and their attitudes shifted.

The quickest to react was Wen Nanxing. He had just used the black cat for a brief live-streaming gimmick, which did draw in viewers. But as a player, he couldn’t just spend the whole time petting a cat on stream. He hadn’t been particularly interested in the cat, so while the NPCs were chasing it, he had quietly observed his surroundings to investigate. Now, though, he had changed his mind. The black cat was useful. Very useful.

In “Midnight Diner,” players could share clues with each other or explore alone. There were no forced safe teams, and the freedom was high.

Wen Nanxing saw the potential. What if the cat could help him find clues?

He hopped down from the high stool and walked toward Boss Lin.

Yan Jiyun had ruined several tables’ worth of food and smashed the candy dish, but in the end he couldn’t escape Boss Lin’s human-wave tactics. He was finally caught by a young waitress with a surprisingly strong grip. No matter how he twisted, he couldn’t break free.

Wen Nanxing said to Boss Lin, “Boss Lin, this black cat came in with me. Maybe it was just hungry and looking for food. I think it’s quite beautiful. Why don’t you let me adopt it?”

Boss Lin said, “But this is my restaurant, and it has ruined the guests’ meals. I need to punish it.”

Yan Jiyun trembled inwardly/ Was Boss Lin another pervert like Doctor Chi?

Wen Nanxing said, “But now there’s been a murder in your store. I doubt anyone’s in the mood to eat anymore. It’s just a cat. If you don’t chase it, the food on the tables won’t be ruined.”

Boss Lin extended his finger toward Yan Jiyun’s head, but the fingertip merely circled once over his head before returning to his pocket.

He glanced at Wen Nanxing. “Since this gentleman has compassion, I won’t object. However, please keep a close eye on this little black cat.” He instructed the other servers, “I recall there’s a cage in the kitchen. Temporarily put it inside. Watch over this little black cat carefully for this gentleman, and by the way, cook it a fish. Our restaurant may lack other things, but seafood is in ample supply.”

Wen Nanxing knew Boss Lin didn’t want the cat running around, so he was unwilling to hand it over directly. But as long as he knew where the black cat was, he could quietly let it out later.

Yan Jiyun was stuffed into a cage that had clearly held something else before. Inside were tufts of dark-red fur, and the smell of blood was heavy.

At this moment, the system should have chimed in: [Player Yan Jiyun has been locked in a cage for the third time. Side mission triggered.]

The cage’s wire mesh wasn’t too fine. Yan Jiyun tested it by prying left and right with his paws. He figured he could probably squeeze out. But for now, he decided to just observe the situation.

Rather than constantly avoiding NPCs, staying here after his identity had been exposed might be better. At least no one was chasing him, and he could catch his breath.

Given the cage’s filthiness, he didn’t dare lie down. Instead, he picked a slightly cleaner corner to crouch in.

Before long, he was actually served a plain, water-boiled fish with no seasoning at all.

He didn’t much feel like eating, but he couldn’t resist the instinctive craving for fish. Since he still had to continue clearing the instance, filling his belly was the wise choice.

He sniffed the fish. It had no drugs in it, so it was safe to eat.

Just as he tore off a chunk of meat, the system prompt suddenly rang in his ears:

[Player Yan Jiyun has triggered a side mission: You have eaten the crucian carp given by Lin Xie. Before the instance ends, find the secret Lin Xie is hiding. Completing the mission will reward you with 500 points.]

Yan Jiyun suddenly felt that swallowing this bite of fish was awkward. How could eating a fish trigger a mission?

Still, this was fine. The system had pointed him toward a direction for exploring the instance. Lin Xie was the restaurant’s owner, so he must have many secrets. Perhaps even the key to uncovering why the restaurant was so popular.

Just then, a commotion broke out among the customers in the rest area.

“Why won’t you let us leave? What right do you have to keep us here?”

“Exactly! We didn’t kill anyone, so why can’t we go?”

“It’s the middle of the night! If we can’t leave, where are we supposed to stay? I have to work tomorrow!”

Boss Lin remained warm and gentle as he reassured them. “Once the police arrive and verify everyone’s identity, you’ll naturally be free to go.”

Someone protested, “That’s your restaurant employee. It has nothing to do with us. If anyone has to stay, it should be your staff!”

Boss Lin stood near the entrance, blocking a man and a woman who were trying to leave. “Mr. Feng, Ms. Xiao, we’ve arranged new seats for everyone to rest in. Tonight’s meal will be free for all of you, but no one may leave.”

The man and woman insisted on going, but Boss Lin and the servers blocked them, leading to a confrontation. The players either searched quietly or watched from the sidelines, choosing not to speak or act lightly. The instance had a three-day time limit, and it had only just begun. They opted to keep observing.

Yan Jiyun, now full and rested, had no intention of sitting and waiting for fate.

He turned his head, slipped his upper body through the cage wires, then twisted left and right, pushing his bone-shrinking technique to the limit. He had always exercised with his human caretaker at home, so he had no excess fat. He was sleeker and fitter than an overweight pet cat, and much more healthy. It took him less than ten seconds to squeeze completely free of the cage.

[Livestream channel]

“???”

“Holy crap, first-person close-up of bone-shrinking technique in action!”

“How did it squeeze through such a tiny gap? Unbelievable! My eyes are opened, my mind is blown!”

“As expected of the Mimi I chose, it’s a true liquid creature. If it were another player, they’d probably wait in the cage to be punished. But this cat? Escaping is as easy as eating or drinking.”

“Lao Si is useless, he didn’t even come out to protect the Emperor!”

“Honestly, this cat is better at escaping than half the players in survival instances. Now I kind of want to see it in an actual escape instance.”

Yan Jiyun had escaped the cage. Nothing could stop a cat’s yearning for freedom!

Earlier, he had spotted a staircase at the corner that led to the second floor. He remembered Boss Lin coming down from there. Taking advantage of the noisy chaos downstairs, Yan Jiyun slipped upstairs at a quick pace, not noticing the sign nearby that read “Customers Prohibited Beyond This Point.”

Following behind him was Boss Lin, drenched from being splashed with water by Ms. Xiao.