Sometimes things were just strange. Jiang Yan often wished Lin Xie would take the initiative to look for him, but right now he hoped Lin Xie wouldn’t come.
And just then, Jiang Yan’s phone lit up with Lin Xie’s call.
For the first time, Jiang Yan didn’t want to answer. But he still picked up.
Lin Xie asked, “Did you take Blake? Where is it?”
Jiang Yan was staring at the empty cage. He didn’t want to lie, so he said, “I lost it.”
Lin Xie: “Where?”
Jiang Yan: “In the production room.” Then he added, “The kitten can’t run far. There are cameras all around.”
Just as he said that, the little supervisor came running over to Jiang Yan. “Third Young Master, this surveillance was fine yesterday. I don’t know why it’s broken today.”
Lin Xie caught every word of the supervisor’s report.
Jiang Yan kicked the little supervisor. Couldn’t he see he was on the phone? He glared at the idiot. “Then pull more people to search the production room!”
Lin Xie: “I’ll come take a look.”
Jiang Yan: “Oh.” He wanted to say more, but swallowed it back.
Lin Xie hung up, and Jiang Yan clicked his tongue.
As expected, everything had two sides. That ugly cat really could capture Lin Xie’s attention.
The ugly cat, Yan Jiyun, was still wandering around in a warehouse kept at about 15°C. Since he couldn’t get out for now, he would have to wait until someone came in.
He had already checked the windows; nailed shut inside and out, not a hole big enough for him to squeeze through. Not even light could slip inside.
If Lin Xie realized his cat was missing, would he come looking? Hopefully Zhou Ying and the others could sneak a message to Lin Xie, let him know Jiang Yan had taken him.
Though relying on others was the most unreliable hope, all he could do now was pray. If he wasn’t too much of a failure as a cat, someone should come rescue him, right?
For now the priority was conserving energy. He didn’t know when he’d get out, but at least he wasn’t human, so he could still move around.
In low temperatures, human bodies needed to keep warm. But with his fur, and with plenty of cardboard boxes in the warehouse, he could just claw open the tape, burrow inside, and sleep to preserve strength.
No need to panic. Maybe someone would come open the door soon.
In the meantime, he could search the warehouse for the main formula of Red Field Poppy.
Last night, in Zhao Renfu’s study, he’d seen two formulas with different ratios. He didn’t know which was real, but from the conversation between the little supervisor and Jiang Yan, he recognized one item. It should be on the third row, fifth shelf.
The warehouse shelves were wider than those in the office. Yan Jiyun only had to crouch a bit to move freely, without much effort.
Most chemicals were sealed in cartons or dark bottles. The Red Field Poppy No. 1 formula mentioned by the supervisor was also in a dark bottle packed in a box. Their management really had loopholes. If they’d been more careful, they wouldn’t have stored it up high. Who’d imagine a cat climbing around the shelves?
On the box containing Red Field Poppy No. 1 was written: Handle powders with care during loading, unloading, or unpacking. Operate as close to the ground as possible to prevent airborne dust.
Yan Jiyun wouldn’t smash it now — the powder floating around wouldn’t be good for his nose. If he inhaled and blocked his breathing, that’d be a loss. Besides, he didn’t know what exactly this Formula No. 1 was. To prevent leaks, staff weren’t told the specific names, thwarting undercover investigations.
Zhao Renfu really was sly. He’d precisely predicted what an infiltrator would predict.
Aside from Formula No. 1, Yan Jiyun also found formulas numbered 0–20 on other shelves. He’d seen the formula list, but hadn’t memorized all the names, couldn’t match them, and didn’t know if these numbers were genuine.
He crouched on the top shelf, the most spacious one, and thought.
Earlier, in Yu Shang’s lab, he’d seen them inject liquids made from this stuff into test subjects. A certain dosage wouldn’t kill, just cause hallucinations.
If he exposed all these materials to the air, would it affect him? There were plenty of chemicals here.
Thinking it over, it was too risky to try. He was already at 60% instance progress. He couldn’t let himself die here.
Better to think about how to complete Main Mission (4): Destroy the Red Field Poppy production site. Destroy the production site?
Huh?
He didn’t need to painstakingly dismantle the Red Field Poppy workshop. He could just blow up the entire site!
As long as he handled it properly, he could survive too.
He had to plan carefully. There was still time. Hopefully Zhou Ying’s group would find their way here soon.
If Zhou Ying was smart, she should have passed a message to Lin Xie when Jiang Yan took him.
Yan Jiyun sprawled atop a carton on the highest shelf. Since no one was around, he shifted from lying flat to lying on his back.
At the moment, none of his ideas could be carried out. Might as well rest.
He opened the system backend and glanced at the barrage area he’d tossed into a corner.
“Kitten, you’re way too relaxed like that! Your teammates are this close to being exposed by Lin Xie!” [This comment revealed another streamer’s info. Hidden from player. User muted for 1 min.]
“Kitty, you’re lying just like a human. This Auntie wants to rub your little belly!”
“Want to bury my face in meowmeow’s soft belly!”
Damn, was the livestream camera really that detailed? Those comments sounded so perverted!
He shut off the barrage. Go rot in the corner!
Yan Jiyun immediately flipped back onto his stomach, guarding his privacy. Even if he was a cat, he still had a sense of shame!
He pretended not to see the barrage. Better stay away from those creepy auntie viewers.
The warehouse temperature was actually perfect for resting. He didn’t feel cold at all. Quite comfortable, in fact. His fur grew thicker in winter, then shed like crazy during season changes, fur everywhere, impossible to lick up. No, even vacuuming couldn’t keep up.
In the huge warehouse, only the hum of the air conditioning broke the silence. Outside, he heard no sound, so no one passed by. It’s probably noon now; the NPCs are either at lunch or still on duty.
Without thinking about the instance, Yan Jiyun inevitably thought of his owner. Had the man noticed his cat was missing? Was he looking for him?
He remembered his owner always rested for more than a week after exiting a dungeon. If he didn’t log in this week, wouldn’t he never find him?
If he did log in, would he know his main account had a sub-account?
Would the system notify him something like: Your player account has spawned a sub-account, occupied by a player named Yan Jiyun? If so, his identity would be exposed right away.
If it came to that, he’d have to confess his origins.
After running through all sorts of thoughts, he decided to just let it go. Better to focus on getting through this nightmare instance first. Who knew if he could even complete the main quest before time ran out?
[Time remaining until the instance ends: 32 hours 3 minutes 12 seconds]
The warehouse was silent. Yan Jiyun rested, conserving strength. Tonight would be the instance’s final night. By around 10 PM tomorrow, it would close. The coming hours would be tense, no more time to rest.
But there were plenty more nervous than him. Zhou Ying’s group was just as anxious. They had gained a brief cooperation with Lin Xie only thanks to the little black cat.
If Zhou Ying hadn’t reported to Lin Xie that Jiang Yan had taken the cat, he’d still be in the dark, thinking the kitten had just gone out to play.
If he hadn’t called Jiang Yan, he wouldn’t know Jiang Yan had lost the cat.
If Yan Jiyun hadn’t thought to share the quest with Zhou Ying and the others from the very beginning — hadn’t taken the initiative to cooperate with them — he really might have been locked in that warehouse until the instance ended.
Everything was linked, one step leading into another; miss a link, and nothing would work.
Now, Zhou Ying’s group of three had all put on white lab coats and followed Lin Xie toward the production site, searching for Yan Jiyun together.
On their own, Zhou Ying’s group could never have found the site. But now, with their new identities, walking openly beside Lin Xie, they could get there under his cover, all thanks to Yan Jiyun.
Cheng Li, a freshly graduated senior high schooler, had a sharp memory. She memorized every route they took, so they could later retrace their steps and search for any clues they hadn’t found.
They had discovered that almost all main missions’ clues were tied directly to key NPCs.
Lin Xie walked ahead, while the three pretending to be lab workers kept their eyes fixed forward.
They’d once made an agreement with Lin Xie about finding a good home for the cat, but they had no ties with Jiang Yan. They didn’t dare act rashly in front of him, lest their fragile disguises be torn apart. So they obediently trailed behind Lin Xie, playing the role of quiet little underlings.
As soon as they stepped into the production site, they received the prompt for Main Mission (3)!
The system’s task rules varied subtly between instances. In some, if one player completed a quest and the scene couldn’t be reset, no one else could attempt it. In others, even if someone had already completed it, as long as the mission trigger still existed, another player could touch it and receive the quest too.
This time, Zhou Ying’s group happened to fall within the range. They too triggered Main Mission (3): to locate the Red Field Poppy production site.
Following Lin Xie deeper in, they passed by the unassuming workshop. Just like that, they completed Main Mission (3), and immediately received the prompt for Main Mission (4).
Happiness had come too suddenly!
Indeed, no matter when, as long as they clung to the living mission key kitty, they could keep reaping in points.
Cheng Li, being the more cautious one, whispered to her companions while Lin Xie wasn’t paying attention: “We completed Main Mission (3) way too fast this time, and it immediately triggered (4). It feels strange, like the game’s digging another pit for us.”
Wen Nanxing said, “Get used to it. It’s not our first instance.”
Cheng Li muttered, “That’s what’s disgusting about this game. It feels like even when you finish, you haven’t really finished.”
Zhou Ying agreed. “Exactly. Unless it’s the final mission, none of the others ever feel clean.”
The quest release mechanism was indeed infuriating. Its real purpose was to stir fierce competition among players.
At the small supervisor’s office, Lin Xie found Jiang Yan. His face carried none of its usual mild smile.
He came at Jiang Yan with the kind of momentum that looked like he’d throw a punch straight into his face. “Jiang Yan, where did you lose Blake?”
Jiang Yan said, “I just stepped into the workshop for a bit. Left it in the cage outside.”
“A cage like that is easy for Blake to squeeze out even if it were twice his size.” Lin Xie frowned. He knew exactly how good the black cat was at slipping cages, but Jiang Yan didn’t. “And you didn’t know cats can’t handle pungent smells? You brought it to the production room?”
Being scolded lit Jiang Yan’s temper. “It’s just a cat. Aren’t you overreacting?”
Lin Xie: “I don’t have time to argue with you.” He turned to the three behind him. “Search the area for me. I’ll check the surveillance.”
Furious, Jiang Yan kicked over a white plastic barrel with a resounding crash. “It’s just a worthless cat!”
The small supervisor shrank his neck, not daring to speak as the young masters quarreled.
Jiang Yan glared at him. “If you hadn’t stopped me from bringing the cat inside, it wouldn’t have run off!”
The supervisor bent low, apologizing again and again, blaming his own negligence.
Zhou Ying and her companions exchanged glances. This is a perfect opportunity. The more Lin Xie and Jiang Yan clashed, the better it was for them. They could both search for the NPC black cat and work on their quest.
In the following time, Zhou Ying’s group explored every corner of the workshop they could reach. No sign of the cat. In the process, they discussed how to destroy the Red Field Poppy production site.
Their thinking was the same as Yan Jiyun’s initial idea: just take out the Red Field Poppy workshop itself. None of them considered destroying the entire production complex.
An hour later, Zhou Ying said, “Could the black cat have slipped into the Red Field Poppy workshop? Jiang Yan said the cage was left at the entrance. Maybe when they went in, it followed?”
Cheng Li frowned. “But didn’t the supervisor say he shut the door after they went in?”
Zhou Ying: “We’ve searched everywhere. Asked other NPCs, and none have seen the cat.”
Wen Nanxing: “I think it’s possible. Otherwise Lin Xie wouldn’t have checked all the surveillance and still found no trace.”
Zhou Ying: “Then we have to tell Lin Xie what we’ve realized.”
Wen Nanxing: “What if he already knows?”
Zhou Ying: “Not necessarily. There are so many workshops, it’s not easy to spot one black cat.”
At the corner, they encountered Lin Xie. Not far behind him trailed Jiang Yan, his expression thunderous, eyes sharp enough to devour someone.
The three shivered together. These two clearly couldn’t stand each other. Lin Xie probably wanted to strangle Jiang Yan, and Jiang Yan surely loathed Lin Xie.
Meanwhile, Yan Jiyun was dozing when a system notification jolted him.
[Player Yan Jiyun gained -5 Favorability with Jiang Yan]
[Player Yan Jiyun gained -5 Favorability with Jiang Yan]
[Player Yan Jiyun gained -5 Favorability with Jiang Yan]
Yan Jiyun: …
He blinked, baffled. But since it was Jiang Yan, it wasn’t surprising. The man’s moods swung like a pendulum. What a troublesome NPC.
Alright then. Back to business. Time to test if any boxes could be pushed. So many cartons sitting in front of him; if he didn’t mess with them, it would feel like his captivity was wasted.
Most raw materials didn’t seem dangerous. He clawed an opening, nudged one box off the shelf to the ground.
One, two, three… Pushing boxes was indeed fun.
Thanks to Zhou Ying’s reminder, Lin Xie finally realized the black cat might have followed Jiang Yan into the Red Field Poppy workshop.
When Lin Xie prepared to enter, the small supervisor nearly cried. This was a restricted zone!
Lin Xie asked, “Jiang Yan can go in but I can’t?”
The supervisor’s voice trembled. “You can, you can. But those three…”
Lin Xie: “If you can help me find the cat, I won’t take them in.”
The supervisor endured glare after glare from Jiang Yan. If he’d known this would happen, he might as well have let Jiang Yan take the cat in earlier.
Wiping sweat, the supervisor said, “Then, Second Young Master, we’ll just take a look. But nothing inside can be touched.”
Lin Xie: “You think I don’t know? It likes following people around. Take us through every workspace you’ve passed.”
The supervisor muttered inwardly. These young masters were impossible to manage. “Alright, follow me.”
If not for Jiang Yan and Lin Xie both being present, Zhou Ying’s group would have knocked the supervisor out cold.
But this way, they successfully slipped into the Red Field Poppy workshop. Finding the black cat came first, blowing the place up could wait. The cat was still their guide.
The supervisor led them all the way in, until finally, they stopped before the warehouse.
At that moment, the warehouse was in complete chaos. The boxes that had been stacked neatly on the shelves were all shoved onto the ground, some even torn open, exposing the contents inside.
The supervisor’s blood pressure spiked. If that little black cat wasn’t in here, he swore he’d chop off his own head and offer it up as a stool for the young masters to sit on!
“Second Young Master, Third Young Master, wh-what do we do now? These are all raw materials for the next batch of Red Field Poppies!”
Yan Jiyun had already heard people outside, so he deliberately hid, pretending to be frightened.
Before this, he had purposely knocked down only the crates labeled as non-hazardous, leaving them for Zhou Ying and the others to discover what the real ingredients for producing Red Field Poppy were. Maybe it would help them, maybe it wouldn’t.
Lin Xie froze on the spot. He hadn’t expected the little black cat to be capable of such destruction.
Jiang Yan, on the other hand, looked utterly indifferent. “It’s not like the raw materials can’t be bought again. Besides, the stuff on the ground is unimportant anyway. Stop whining.”
The supervisor hurriedly checked the labels on the boxes and finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
Lin Xie swept his gaze over the mess, stepping around the scattered cartons as he called toward the shelves, “Blake? Blake?”
Only when Lin Xie and Zhou Ying’s group reached the racks holding the Red Field Poppy formulas did Yan Jiyun finally “timidly” crawl out from the bottom shelf, pretending to be terrified. He mimicked a cat from a video he’d once watched, scampering straight toward Lin Xie.
Lin Xie cared more about the black cat than anything else. Seeing it still alive and lively, he relaxed, scooping up the dust-covered creature in one arm, commenting, “So dirty.”
Yan Jiyun sighed inwardly. If it weren’t for the act, would he have rolled in dust like this?
[Want to be Human] live stream channel:
“I’ve seen Lin Xie in other runs of this instance, but he was never like this. Ever since the black cat showed up, the whole story’s gone off-track. At this point, his men were supposed to barge in and get caught, then he’d cover for them and spar against Jiang Yan and the supervisor. Only after several rounds of tug-of-war would he manage to smuggle the formula samples and photos out.”
“Yeah, but now? That entire chain got derailed. The cat knocked the boxes over, the supervisor called in cleanup, and one of Lin Xie’s people is among them. This time, he won’t be exposed for his subordinate’s blunder. Does that mean… he won’t die anymore?”
“Not necessarily. The big showdown later is what really decides his life or death. I’ve never seen a player get an ending where Lin Xie survives. It’s not like the cat is a person. What’s it gonna do, stop his death?”
[The above comment contains spoiler and will be blocked from players]
Once Lin Xie had retrieved Yan Jiyun, he left immediately without lingering at the production site. The boxes scattered across the floor hadn’t caused any real damage; the supervisor just had people clean up the mess.
Zhou Ying’s trio had no choice but to leave with him. If they stayed, they’d only look suspicious. Better to return at night and complete Main Mission (4). They already had the route mapped.
Being carried away in Lin Xie’s arms, Yan Jiyun cast a discreet glance at the three. From the confident looks on their faces, he could tell they knew exactly what they’d be doing later.
He could come back too, once Lin Xie was asleep. No way was he letting them snatch the credit when he’d discovered the quest point. At the very least, he had to leech off their success.
Lin Xie was preparing to bathe the dirty cat.
From the start, Yan Jiyun’s owner had always washed him themselves: bathing, trimming nails, grooming his paw fur, applying oils to his paw pads.
Lin Xie seemed equally meticulous. As soon as they got back, he began running water for the bath.
If he were really a cat, maybe he wouldn’t care. It had taken him time to get used to his previous owner bathing him, but now another person? He wasn’t keen. There were only thirty hours left before he could leave this dungeon anyway, why not wait until he got home?
NPC or not, Lin Xie was still a human. How could one grown man let another grown man bathe him? Yan Jiyun still had his pride.
Hearing the sound of water running, he immediately started plotting his escape. If only he hadn’t pointlessly rolled in dust earlier!
He darted out to the balcony. The drop to the ground was too far, but the balcony next door was close, with a protruding bay window in between. The opposite balcony’s door was open, too.
Forget Lin Xie. Running came first.
Easily using the window ledge as a foothold, he leapt to the neighboring balcony.
He didn’t know whose place this was, but it would do for now. He could hide here, dry off, then go back.
But just as he slipped inside, a familiar shadow stepped out from within.
Yan Jiyun: “…” Looks familiar.
The footsteps were unmistakable.
Damn. It was Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan was an expert at catching black cats. His physical reflexes were sharp, his movements fast; the sight of the cat always triggered his urge to pin it down.
Yan Jiyun: “…”
What was with this pervy NPC, always chasing him down? Just let him run!
Jiang Yan clicked his tongue. “Tsk. Back again, only to sneak out? You really do know how to run.”
From the other balcony came Lin Xie’s voice: “Blake, it’s bath time.”
Jiang Yan fixed his gaze on him. “Don’t want a bath, huh?”
Yan Jiyun: Of course not!
He bolted between Jiang Yan’s legs, the man striding after him. Yan Jiyun sprang onto his desk—
Crash! Something toppled to the ground, shattering into a mess of glass.
[Found 1/2 of Jiang Yan’s secret.]
