Under Yan Jiyun’s frantic scratching at the door as a reminder, Zhou Ying and Cheng Li quickly left Lin Xie’s office.
After the Midnight Meal event ended, apart from the customers who were taken away, the rest were arranged to the first-floor customer lounge. The actual NPC customers rested directly in the guestrooms, while the players found that nighttime “rest” was the best time to explore every corner of the restaurant. At any given moment, a plotline could unfold, and if they missed it, they would miss a lot of information.
After the two girls and one cat came out of Lin Xie’s office, Cheng Li said to Zhou Ying:
“Ying-jie, the black cat followed us out. Should we send it back?”
Didn’t it say it was waiting for its owner to return? But it didn’t look like that at all—more like it wanted to go out and have fun on its own.
Zhou Ying, a former cat slave, had her previous inferences refuted. “Maybe the black cat is actually an important NPC. It might be guiding us, since it belongs to Lin Xie.”
Cheng Li thought that also made sense. After all, finding the weapon that killed the restaurant manager was thanks to the cat, even if another player ended up reaping the benefit.
The two now faced a dilemma. Someone was coming from ahead, while turning right from Lin Xie’s office led to a solid wall. Even the windows welded shut so tightly they couldn’t be moved, much less used to escape.
After Yan Jiyun had unilaterally decided to team up with the two girls for the mission, he had been paying attention to the surroundings. Since the window was out, there had to be another way. There were plenty of closed doors on the second floor, and those rooms were worth investigating. As long as they avoided the people approaching, they should be fine.
He listened carefully at the door marked “Room 6.” No one was inside. Yan Jiyun scratched hard at the door, then turned his head and signaled Zhou Ying to open it.
Zhou Ying: “…Is it telling me to unlock the door?”
Cheng Li: “I think so? Maybe there’s something inside?”
The door was locked, but for Zhou Ying, that was nothing, especially since they didn’t have much time to think.
She used her lockpicking tools to open it. The sounds in the hallway were drawing closer.
As soon as the door opened, Yan Jiyun bolted inside first. Zhou Ying and Cheng Li followed closely and quickly shut the door, not even having time to look around.
Whether in darkness or daylight, Yan Jiyun’s vision was always sharp. But the moment he ran inside, a massive skull loomed directly in front of him. Terrified, his whole body arched like a drawn bow, springing into the air, every strand of fur about to explode.
Why on earth would someone put a giant skull here? Are they sick in the head? Scaring a cat to death!
Landing safely, he darted to Zhou Ying and Cheng Li’s side, hoping to gain courage from the presence of others.
His embarrassing reaction went unnoticed by Zhou Ying and Cheng Li, whose eyes hadn’t yet adjusted to the dark. His feline dignity was preserved. The livestream audience, however, had already flooded the chat with comments.
[Want To Be Human] livestream channel:
“Oh man, I forgot the rooms here are all weird. Didn’t switch POV in time, and that skull nearly made me faint on the spot.”
“Hahaha, the kitty leapt straight up in fright. I’m dying XD! Stingy as I am, I’ll tip the poor scared kitty.”
“This game is cruel. Why does the kitty have to suffer all this? But it’s so fun to watch~”
“Whenever I watched players enter this room, it never seemed scary. But ever since I’ve been watching the cat’s POV, the fear factor skyrocketed. Not only do I feel sorry for it, I’m scared too!”
“I used to be timid, but after hanging out in Meowmeow’s livestream, I’ve gotten braver. First-person POV really trains your nerves, hahaha!”
To avoid being discovered by NPCs, Zhou Ying and Cheng Li took out their flashlights. And when they turned around, there it was: the enormous skull right in front of them.
The two quickly covered their mouths to keep from screaming.
They leaned against each other, calming themselves down.
Zhou Ying: “My god, this skull is huge. More than double the size of a normal human skull.”
Cheng Li: “Maybe it’s custom-made, not a real skull.”
Zhou Ying: “What if this instance actually has unknown creatures?”
Cheng Li: “Jie, don’t scare me like that.”
Zhou Ying: “Let’s just check what’s in this room.”
They discovered the room had no windows.
Afraid of being startled again, Yan Jiyun didn’t dare wander. He stayed within a meter of Zhou Ying and Cheng Li, never straying too far. After circling the room with them, he realized this had nothing to do with the sounds he’d heard outside.
The room had no restaurant-related furnishings. It wasn’t a private dining room, nor an employee lounge.
The giant skull leaned against the wall. In the center stood a long square table, with no chairs on either side. Very odd.
What was this room for?
Cheng Li suddenly suggested, “Why don’t we turn on the lights? There are no windows here, so even if there’s light, it won’t shine outside.”
Zhou Ying: “Good idea.” She went to flip the switch.
When the lights came on, Yan Jiyun’s figure was revealed. Zhou Ying and Cheng Li saw the black cat at a careful distance from them, but by now, they already regarded it as an NPC and didn’t pay much attention. They continued examining the room’s fixtures, hoping to find something.
They knocked on the ceiling, floor, walls and found nothing special.
While the two worked, Yan Jiyun squatted on the table and licked his fur, just to avoid arousing suspicion about his fake “NPC” identity.
Outside, footsteps passed Room 6. A bit further down was Lin Xie’s office. These people walked around the second floor openly, indicating they had a purpose, and that the restaurant management allowed their presence. Who were they?
Yan Jiyun pricked his ears to their conversation.
“Why hold a meeting tonight of all nights? Something special?”
“The restaurant manager died.”
“How?”
“Shot. The company suspects foul play, so they called us together.”
“Internal conflict’s been bad lately.”
“Shh. Walls have ears.”
Yan Jiyun smirked. Right on the mark. Walls did have ears.
The voices suddenly ceased. Then came a soft door closing sound, so faint he wouldn’t have noticed without his sharp hearing. They must have gone into a room. Judging by the distance and volume, it should be Room 7 across the hall.
The company behind “Midnight Diner” gathering its people at this hour. What were these attendees’ roles?
Yan Jiyun hadn’t forgotten: one of the players’ missions was to find the murderer of the restaurant manager. Was this meeting about identifying Manager Wang’s killer, or did it have another purpose?
It didn’t seem like they went into Lin Xie’s office.
He wondered if the numbered rooms each had different functions.
So far, he had counted eight such rooms.
The first time he came, he’d overheard a conversation. That hadn’t been customers at all, as he had guessed. He just hadn’t investigated further back then. Now it was clear: only internal staff of the restaurant could use the second-floor rooms.
But if every room was the same size as this one, wouldn’t that be too cramped for meetings? Maybe the numbered doors were just a front.
Perched motionless on the table, mid-grooming, Yan Jiyun froze as if spellbound, lost deep in thought.
[Want to Be Human] livestream channel:
“It’s so cute ahhh!”
“Brave kitty, clearing stages live, let’s go!”
“Turns out the best thing isn’t the cat squatting to lick its fur, but squatting, licking, and then entering a sage-like state. Kitty, what are you thinking?”
“Obviously regretting going into the room for nothing. There’s no dried fish snacks.”
“That tiny pink tongue against its black fur, lick by lick… I’m dying of cuteness! Help, I can’t handle it, I need oxygen!”
Footsteps again came and went in the hallway, one after another, all fading away near Lin Xie’s office.
Since they were in Room 6, those people must have entered Room 7 or 8.
A murder had happened inside the restaurant. If this were to leak, the restaurant’s reputation would take a direct hit and its popularity would definitely plummet. That was why Lin Xie initially refused to let customers leave. The goal was to keep word of the incident from spreading outside.
Cheng Li noticed Yan Jiyun crouching perfectly still and asked Zhou Ying:
“Why isn’t the cat moving? Completely frozen.”
Zhou Ying replied:
“Maybe it heard something.”
Cheng Li pressed her ear to the door, listening to the noises outside.
Yan Jiyun’s odd behavior had successfully drawn their attention. He wanted them to follow his line of thinking, to investigate further.
He actually wanted to guide them to explore behind the mirror door, but there weren’t many hiding places on that side, and patrols came regularly. For now, it wasn’t safe. they couldn’t guarantee not being caught.
Cheng Li whispered, “Ying-jie, there are people walking by outside, but then it goes quiet again. Hard to catch clearly.”
Zhou Ying leaned forward to listen too. “Hmm, sounds like something faint though.”
Cheng Li suggested, “This room doesn’t seem to have anything useful. Should we check another one?”
Zhou Ying shook her head. “I don’t think the black cat would lead us into just any random room. Let’s search more carefully here. If we barge into another room and someone’s inside, we could run into serious danger.”
Both of them preferred the cautious approach, neither reckless nor impulsive. Yan Jiyun thought to himself that he had chosen the right people.
With his purpose achieved, he leapt down from the table and began sniffing around the room.
Like Zhou Ying, he was convinced these rooms couldn’t just be for show. Each one had to serve a purpose.
Yan Jiyun padded along the base of the wall, surveying inch by inch like a territorial patrol. Zhou Ying and Cheng Li hadn’t found anything themselves, so they simply watched the little black cat “playing.”
Then, they saw him step onto a loose wooden plank. One side tilted downward. Both women were delighted. The black cat really was a helpful NPC! Who would’ve thought this instance was so kind as to send them a guide?
Cheng Li’s excitement showed all over her face. “Looks like this black cat is our lucky charm!”
Beneath the plank was a hidden compartment with a switch inside. Yan Jiyun pressed it.
With a click, the floor beneath the table slid open to the sides, revealing an entrance just big enough for a person to crawl through.
Zhou Ying and Cheng Li lay down to peer into the opening.
There was light inside, a staircase leading downward, and no sound of people.
Before they even finished discussing how to proceed, the black cat had already slipped into the entrance.
It wasn’t that Yan Jiyun was too impatient. When the entrance opened, he had heard a faint voice, one he recognized. It sounded like Wen Nanxing.
So far, Wen Nanxing was the only one who had actually eaten the Midnight Meal. Yan Jiyun needed to get information from him, or at the very least, find out what exactly he had eaten.
The cat’s steps were light, noiseless in the dim stairwell. Zhou Ying and Cheng Li almost thought he had disappeared, but once they came down they saw those bright green eyes staring back at them, as if scolding them for being too slow.
Their hearing wasn’t as sharp as Yan Jiyun’s. At the bottom of the stairs was a long corridor splitting left and right. Normally it would be a forced-choice puzzle for players, but with Yan Jiyun, he already knew which way to go, though he would still need their help.
Zhou Ying and Cheng Li, now fully convinced the black cat was a guide NPC, followed without hesitation.
They had no idea what this place was. Judging by the descent, it should be the basement level. The passage was about two meters wide, with a lamp mounted on the wall at intervals.
The sounds came from the right. The trio slowed their steps, edging closer to the source.
The nearer they came, the brighter the lamps grew, not dimmer, but brighter.
The corridor stretched on and on, with no clear end.
What kind of restaurant had such bizarre architecture?
Yan Jiyun stopped in front of an inconspicuous door. The voice was coming from inside.
Zhou Ying tried the handle and found it was locked. But her hands were quick; after tugging once, she already had it open.
Inside, leaning crookedly against the wall and clutching a wound on his right arm, was Wen Nanxing. His expression wasn’t right at all.
Yan Jiyun had been drawn here by his groans. Zhou Ying and Cheng Li once again felt that this black cat was the most reliable NPC of all.
They crouched before Wen Nanxing, waving a hand before his unfocused eyes.
Zhou Ying: “What’s with him? He looks like he’s drugged.”
Cheng Li: “Didn’t he win his way through a deadly game? Shouldn’t he be enjoying gourmet food right now?”
The two exchanged glances, obviously neither had an answer.
Yan Jiyun, however, knew Wen Nanxing had escaped from the VIP area before, and was probably captured again and locked here. Judging by the situation, Wen Nanxing’s mental state should have been normal before. But whatever the restaurant had done to him now definitely didn’t look like he had eaten willingly.
Zhou Ying suggested, “He looks dazed. Maybe if I slap him hard he’ll wake up?”
Cheng Li eyed the handsome idol’s face. “Worth a try?”
Zhou Ying raised her hand and delivered a sharp left-right combo, slapping him hard several times.
Yan Jiyun flinched at the sound, his own face stinging in sympathy. That woman was vicious! Poor guy. He must never get on Zhou Ying’s bad side.
The room had a water tap. When the slaps didn’t work, Cheng Li scooped up water in her hands and splashed it onto Wen Nanxing’s face.
The slaps hadn’t woken him, but the cold water made him stir.
Cheng Li brightened. “Water works, Ying-jie!”
Zhou Ying mercilessly said, “Then keep splashing him.” She joined in, dousing him repeatedly.
Yan Jiyun watched silently from the corner as the poor man was subjected to this “inhumane” revival method, wisely keeping his distance so as not to be implicated.
At last, after four or five rounds of splashing, Wen Nanxing finally regained some clarity. He opened his eyes, dazed, clutching his burning cheeks. He remembered being injected with something and blacking out. But why did his face sting so badly? What the hell?
Then he saw Zhou Ying and Cheng Li.
“Where is this? Who are you?”
Zhou Ying, always straightforward, told him, “I’m Zhou Ying, this is Cheng Li. We’re players. We came down from Room 6 on the second floor. I don’t know exactly where we are, so I’ll just call it the basement. We only found you because that NPC black cat led us here.” She pointed at Yan Jiyun crouched in the corner.
Wen Nanxing wiped the water off his face and neck. His hairstyle was wrecked, his face worse for wear.
He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then said, “Thank you for saving me.” He pulled out a healing item, restoring his stamina and focus.
Only then did Zhou Ying get to the point, “What happened after the waiter took you away?”
Yan Jiyun perked up his ears to listen. The missionions Zhou Ying asked were exactly the ones he wanted answers to. Looks like he hadn’t chosen the wrong teammates.
Wen Nanxing understood the importance of cooperation, and he saw no need to hide things from these two.
“I was blindfolded and taken up to the second floor. I remember that after going upstairs, we turned left and walked for less than ten meters. Then, after a turn, he opened a door and led me inside, and there were stairs. He supported me as we went down, about twenty-five steps, which should be roughly one floor. After that we turned right, then walked straight all the way. Finally, I was brought to a place called the VIP Area, where they removed my blindfold.”
Listening to his description, Yan Jiyun realized that the staircase at the beginning was the same one Lin Xie had brought him down. Only, they had turned left, while Wen Nanxing had been taken right.
Zhou Ying: “Was it really just eating something?”
At that, Wen Nanxing’s expression shifted, and with a bitter look he said, “At first, I also thought it wasn’t about eating at all, but that they wanted me to do something else. But they really did bring me a set meal.”
Zhou Ying was startled. “So it really was food?”
Wen Nanxing nodded. “It was food, but when the cover was lifted, it wasn’t normal food at all. There was only a golden ball, about the size of a baby’s fist. The waiter stood by, watching me eat.”
Cheng Li: “Did you eat it?”
Wen Nanxing shook his head. “Of course not. I had no idea what it was made of, I wouldn’t dare eat it. When they weren’t paying attention, I tried to hide the ball in my clothes and pretend I had eaten it. But every VIP room in the VIP Area has surveillance cameras. All the customers placed there are being watched. When they saw I hadn’t eaten it, they told me the rules. In short, after fighting with their waiter, I escaped from the VIP room. I kept hiding and running until I was caught by someone called General Manager Jiang. I don’t know what they injected me with, but I passed out. Before you woke me up, I was having a dream of really getting rich overnight.”
Cheng Li muttered quietly, “Isn’t being a star already overnight riches?”
Wen Nanxing replied seriously, “Three hundred million and thirty trillion are still very different. Wait, hold on, you know me? You’re my fan?” His idol persona immediately surfaced, and he ran both hands through his hair.
Cheng Li: “Oh, I’m not. My eight-year-old cousin is your fan. We high schoolers don’t have time to chase idols.”
Wen Nanxing looked a little disappointed: “…”
Zhou Ying pulled the topic back. “I remember you chose the dish called Overnight Riches. And then you had a dream about getting rich overnight.”
Wen Nanxing: “Yes. Could it be that these set meals actually let people dream wild dreams? That ball must have been forced into me somehow.”
He scratched at his throat, feeling nauseated. Who knew what kind of thing he had swallowed.
Yan Jiyun thought to himself, ‘At least he didn’t die, just had a dream.’
That was about all Wen Nanxing could tell. He had been too busy escaping to investigate further.
The three formed a temporary team. After discussing, they decided to leave the basement where Wen Nanxing had been locked.
When Wen Nanxing saw the black cat again, he felt it must be his lucky star. On their way out he even tried to hug it, but the cat refused any intimacy, following them at a measured distance. It wasn’t an NPC, so there was no favorability system. What was there to hug?
Wen Nanxing: “…” Fine. He just wasn’t liked by the little black cat.
There was almost no patrol on the B1 floor. Their plan was to first see if they could find any clues here, and if not, return to the second floor.
Wen Nanxing suddenly asked, “Since you two came down from the stairs inside a second-floor room, could it be that each room has its own staircase, each leading somewhere different?”
His reminder made Zhou Ying and Cheng Li pause. Both felt he was right. They had rushed in earlier, rescued someone, and nearly overlooked this detail.
Zhou Ying said, “But we’ve been walking in this direction for a while and haven’t seen any other staircases down here.”
Yan Jiyun silently nodded. That was true.
There were eight rooms in total on the second floor. How many of them had hidden stairways was still unknown.
After rescuing Wen Nanxing in B1, the three decided to return upstairs. Seven rooms remained, and they could explore them one by one. Surely they’d uncover some secret.
Yan Jiyun was tacitly treated as an NPC, and Zhou Ying brought him along back upstairs.
Three people and one cat returned. After some observation, they chose to start with Room 8.
Zhou Ying picked the lock of Room 8’s door.
Yan Jiyun remembered that people had entered both Room 7 and Room 8 for a meeting, but he wasn’t sure which. At this point, it wasn’t good for him to intervene too suddenly.
In the game, keeping his disguise intact was vital. Players might let their guard down in front of a cat, but not necessarily in front of another human. He couldn’t act too human-like.
If he did, he would eventually be exposed. Sometimes the system would even announce things publicly in front of other players. He was truly afraid of being revealed. Best to keep his cover sealed tight, so no one would suspect a thing.
The door to Room 8 opened with a click.
They stepped in. The lights inside were bright. Unlike Room 6, which had been stimulating the moment they entered. This looked more like a lounge, with a sofa and tea service. Clearly, someone had been here recently.
Zhou Ying touched the teacup. “The tea is still hot. That means someone was just here.”
She sought the others’ opinions. “Well? Do we start looking for an entrance?”
Wen Nanxing was a reckless person. “Of course. If someone was drinking tea here, it means this place has mission clues.”
This time, they didn’t need to search. In the room, there was already a door half-open, leading who-knows-where.
When they opened it, it was pitch dark inside, so dark that no light penetrated. As soon as Wen Nanxing stepped through with his flashlight, there was a scream—“Ah!”—and he vanished.
Yan Jiyun: “…” Good grief. Wen Nanxing was really reckless. They had just saved him, and now he was gone again. All that effort wasted.
Zhou Ying and Cheng Li hesitated, debating whether to follow, when suddenly someone pressed down on the handle of Room 8’s main door. The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Frightened, the two of them mustered their courage and rushed inside.
Once inside, Zhou Ying noticed the black cat still outside. She quickly beckoned Yan Jiyun in.
Yan Jiyun sprang on his four legs and darted inside!
Zhou Ying shut the door, cutting off the sounds outside. The narrow passageway inside was pitch-black, with eerie wailing noises echoing faintly. It was terrifying.
Hearing the cries, Yan Jiyun’s limbs began to weaken. So scary!
