DSMC Chapter 174.2

The system couldn’t be viewed in the real world, so only after returning to the game did Yan Jiyun finally start checking the rewards the system had sent him three days ago.

While Lan Mo was frantically searching for information about their next instance, Yan Jiyun lay sprawled in the high-end hotel where they were staying and opened his Super Clear Reward Gift Pack.

Last time, he’d received some items that increased Intimacy. He had no idea what he’d get this time.

Yan Jiyun rubbed his paws together. ‘Bad luck, go away. Let me get lucky one more time!’

Lan Mo happened to look up and see Yan Jiyun rubbing his paws together. “Feng-ge, why is your cat rubbing its paw pads together? That’s so weird.”

Yan Jiyun pretended not to hear anything. Lan Mo really is something. If he doesn’t say anything, no one’s going to mistake him for a mute.

Qi Feng looked toward Yan Jiyun. Naturally, he took his cat’s side. “Don’t make such a big deal out of it. Maybe there’s something dirty stuck to his paw pads. He’s always been very clean.”

Lan Mo didn’t think much of it. After all, he had no experience raising cats.

While he curiously stared at Yan Jiyun, the Super Clear Reward Gift Pack opened.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the prop: Tuna ×2.]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the prop: Sardines ×2.]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the prop: Beef Patties ×2.]

[Congratulations! You have obtained 3 “Young Qu Wanqiao — 30 Minutes of Combat Assistance” cards.]

[Congratulations! You have obtained 3 “Adult Qu Wanqiao — 30 Minutes of Combat Assistance” cards.]

Combat Assistance Cards?

Didn’t that mean there would be fighting in other instances too?

He hadn’t noticed Teacher Qu having any combat abilities. He always looked so refined and scholarly. What could he even do?

But then again, the thought of being able to see the class monitor again made Yan Jiyun rather happy. “Young Qu Wanqiao” should be Yan Weilan, right? The Little Class Monitor was so cute, and he even knew how to embroider.

Yan Jiyun wasn’t entirely sure what abilities NPCs possessed, either. After all, this was the first time he’d obtained an NPC Usage Card.

He had no idea what kinds of rewards the other players who had come out of the same instance had received.

Lan Mo was especially talkative whenever he was with Qi Feng. He suddenly asked, “Feng-ge, did you see Yan Jiyun when you came out?”

Qi Feng: “No.”

Lan Mo: “We owe our escape this time to him. It’s a shame we didn’t manage to add him as a friend.”

Qi Feng seemed to be looking at his own system as well, and answered somewhat absentmindedly, “You have Qiu Xi as a friend. Yan Jiyun will team up with him to enter instances. It’ll be easy to find him. Just ask Qiu Xi.”

Lan Mo: “I did. Qiu Xi said he hasn’t seen Yan Jiyun either. That guy really is mysterious.”

Qi Feng nodded. “He is.”

Lan Mo suddenly seemed to catch onto an interesting piece of gossip. He stopped punching the air and said, “Oh, right, Feng-ge. When I came out of the instance that day, I saw the Points Leaderboard. Doesn’t Caramel count as a player too? Why doesn’t he have a ranking?”

Qi Feng walked over and sat down beside Yan Jiyun on the sofa, gently kneading his black head.

“Probably because he’s a different species. His results aren’t included. Caramel can’t even understand the missions. How are you supposed to make him complete them?”

Lan Mo’s already oversized head was now completely filled with questions. “But that doesn’t make sense. When I was with him at [Mingya High School], he even guided me to a hiding place. At the time, I thought he was an NPC. I never imagined he was your cat.”

Qi Feng lowered his head and asked his cat, who was licking the fur on his right front paw, “You’re that smart?”

Yan Jiyun pretended he couldn’t understand what they were talking about and continued seriously grooming himself.

He’d have to spit up a hairball after this. What a pain. ‘Sooner or later, I’m going to shut that chatterbox Lan Mo’s mouth!’

Lan Mo asked, “Feng-ge, are you listening to me?”

Qi Feng: “I am. You were praising Caramel for being smart.”

Lan Mo didn’t say anything more. He already knew Caramel was smart.

During the [Mermaid] instance, Caramel had known to lead him to Teacher Qu’s residence to find canned food. It was just a pity that Caramel hadn’t managed to eat a single can in the end.

Qi Feng said, “Maybe he has his own quests. The system just informs him in a different way.”

Lan Mo: “That’s true. Otherwise, he’d only be able to enter the game and act as a pet. Caramel must be something the system uses to mislead players. Maybe the system brought him in because it wanted him to become an NPC?”

Lan Mo had barely finished his speculation when someone knocked on the door — it was Shi Yan, and he had brought Qi Feng a letter.

Qi Feng asked, “From who?” 

Shi Yan said, “The top ten guilds are preparing to hold a conference. There’s an invitation inside, along with a letter from the president of the Cruiser Fleet addressed to you.”

Qi Feng took the letter but didn’t open it. He simply asked, “What do they want?”

Each member of their team was responsible for managing information from their own channels. Although their team wasn’t large, they had extensive connections, and their status in the Central Zone was rather special.

Shi Yan had already looked into it. “It’s probably a discussion regarding the system bugs that appeared after the Peak Competition. They’re probably hoping to get everyone to help search for bugs the next time they enter an instance.”

Lan Mo said, “They found us because they know our instance mutated, right?”

The term “instance mutation” wasn’t technically incorrect.

Shi Yan said, “Some of the other players who came out of the instance with us probably belong to their guilds. It’s normal for the information to have spread.”

Lan Mo said, “The top ten guilds all have their own agendas. There are neutral factions, radicals, conservatives, and people who just want to lie flat. How could they possibly reach an agreement? Can the Cruiser Fleet actually accomplish anything by joining forces with them?”

Shi Yan said, “The Cruiser Fleet really does seem determined to accomplish something big, though. They’ve already recruited quite a few players who are capable of farming NPC Favorability.”

Lan Mo swung his gloved fist toward Qi Feng excitedly. “Feng-ge, can we bring Yan Jiyun and the other two into our team? Don’t let outsiders profit from our own resources!”

Qi Feng said, “Contact Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu first. Ask them to come here and invite them to join us.”

Lan Mo said, “Got it. I’ll arrange it right away.”

Shi Yan had also witnessed Yan Jiyun’s abilities in the previous instance. His lips moved as though he wanted to say something.

Qi Feng lifted the black cat, whose bones seemed to have grown longer, onto his lap. He gently stroked the cat’s neck and noticed Shi Yan’s hesitation. “What do you want to say?” he asked.

Shi Yan said, “I’m worried the others might have objections to Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi.”

Qi Feng chuckled. “They won’t.”

Lan Mo said, “Exactly. If you don’t believe me, call Bing-jie and the others over and ask them yourself. Yan’er, you still don’t understand our teammates well enough.”

Shi Yan hadn’t joined their small team that long ago, but it hadn’t been a short time either. Perhaps because everyone on the team had such distinct personalities, and because Shi Yan himself was rather reserved, he didn’t interact much with the others outside of instances.

Yan Jiyun was being petted so comfortably that he was practically ready to roll over and expose his belly for a full-body massage.

Shi Yan said, “You’re right. I don’t know my teammates well enough.” He then looked at Qi Feng. “Feng-ge, I have another question about the previous instance.”

Qi Feng said, “Ask.”

Shi Yan said, “Why did you keep helping Yan Jiyun? If you hadn’t hinted at some of the clues to him, he wouldn’t have gotten first place in the end.”

Qi Feng didn’t seem to care. “It doesn’t matter who got first place. We were all on the same team at the time.”

Lan Mo nodded. “Exactly. Besides, Yan Jiyun helped us too. It’s perfectly normal for Feng-ge to share information with him. And our team has already attracted too much attention.”

Qi Feng said, “It’s half and half. Yan Jiyun was more suited to that instance than I was. His mind is very flexible, and the entire storyline revolved around Qu-laoshi as an NPC. I was more suited to helping him search for clues.”

“The most important point is also the system’s usual behavior. When a player triggers a storyline, the NPC will keep focusing on that player. Qu-laoshi had his eyes on him, so I acted as his support.”

Yan Jiyun was stunned. He hadn’t expected Qi Feng to have been coordinating with him throughout the previous instance, quietly acting as his support.

If I hadn’t been lying around here like a lazy cat today, would I have ever found out that Qi Feng had done all this?

No wonder he’d always felt that something was off.

It turned out that Qi Feng had been telling him all the information he’d obtained without holding anything back. And because he’d figured out the rules governing the instance’s NPCs, he’d done everything he could to assist Yan Jiyun.

Rather than jumping directly in front of him, which might have backfired if he’d done too much.

Yan Jiyun had almost started feeling smug about taking first place. He hadn’t realized that someone had been silently supporting him from behind, without ever saying a word about it.

Qi Feng happened to scratch beneath Yan Jiyun’s chin. Yan Jiyun gently bit his finger to show his gratitude.

Qi Feng thought he hadn’t scratched him properly. He looked at the bitten finger. “Did I scratch too hard?”

Yan Jiyun shifted into a more comfortable position on his lap.

There was still so much he had to learn. In an instance, he didn’t necessarily have to rush to the front. He couldn’t act recklessly. He still had to learn from Qi Feng.

Shi Yan said, “Still, the fact that he managed to trigger the storyline of such an important NPC makes him a once-in-a-thousand-years Newcomer King.”

Lan Mo said, “So why wouldn’t we recruit someone like that? There’s nothing wrong with his character, he’s capable, and he’s someone the Cruiser Fleet couldn’t even recruit despite offering a huge amount of money. I saw the recruitment notice they posted yesterday looking for Yan Jiyun. The number of points they’ve offered has already multiplied several times.”

Shi Yan asked, “So, did you find him?”

They hadn’t been able to find Yan Jiyun despite being in the same instance with him. There was even less chance that the Cruiser Fleet would find him.

Lan Mo happened to receive a reply from Qiu Xi. He sighed regretfully. “Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi have temporarily declined to join our team. They want to see what Yan Jiyun thinks first. But it’s not just me who can’t find him, even Qiu Xi and the others haven’t seen him. This guy is way too mysterious. Could he already have an organization behind him?”

The three of them didn’t know Yan Jiyun very well. There was no point in speculating too much about something they couldn’t confirm.

At the same time that the three of them were considering recruiting Yan Jiyun into their team, Yan Jiyun was also thinking about the same issue.

If Qi Feng really invited him, should he join or not?

Originally, he’d wanted to form his own team. But after this instance, he’d begun to waver. No matter how he looked at it, teaming up with Qi Feng was the best choice.

Their small team didn’t look down on Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi, either. Nothing like throwing teammates out as human shields had happened when they worked together, which proved another point: Qi Feng’s teammates had all been carefully selected.

Of course, his teammates weren’t limited to Lan Mo and Shi Yan. Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi each had their own shortcomings, and it probably wouldn’t be possible for them to immediately blend into the team.

He guessed Qi Feng’s teammates wouldn’t look down on Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi.

But if the two of them joined too hastily, wouldn’t they feel uncomfortable themselves?

They might not be able to keep up with the pace of the veteran players yet. They still needed to accumulate more experience first.

And there was another problem. After coming out this time, did Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi have enough points to enter Hard-level instances?

Unable to figure things out, Yan Jiyun decided not to think about it anymore.

After reading the letter from the president of the Cruiser Fleet, Qi Feng decided to attend the meeting in the Central Zone tomorrow.

When his teammates heard about it, they decided to escort Qi Feng there tomorrow.

Although they were only a small team, they were often targeted by the major guilds, and quite a few people disliked them. It was better to be careful.

Before Qi Feng’s teammates came to attend the meeting, Qi Feng took Yan Jiyun back to his personal space.

For the time being, he decided not to separate from Qi Feng. He also wanted to attend tomorrow and see exactly what kind of meeting this was.

He guessed that this so-called discussion conference might have been organized by the Cruiser Fleet in the hope that the major guilds would share resources with one another.

With Yan Jiyun’s current status as a newcomer, there was no way he could get into a guild. But with Qi Feng taking him along, that would be a different story.

Experience didn’t necessarily have to come from clearing instances. Learning from other people who had been through different instances was experience too.

The next morning, Qi Feng stuffed Yan Jiyun into a black backpack and took him out.

Lan Mo, Shi Yan, and several others accompanied Qi Feng to escort him.

There was also a woman on their team whom everyone called Bing-jie. She was traveling with Qi Feng as well.

Through a gap in the backpack, Yan Jiyun caught sight of this woman. She had a sharp, short haircut and a tall, slender figure. She looked spirited and capable, and her presence was strong. 

Although Bing-jie was puzzled by Qi Feng’s backpack, she chose not to ask today.

Their focus right now was the joint conference of the top ten guilds.

The Cruiser Fleet truly lived up to its reputation as the number one guild. They had chosen a magnificent hotel in the Central Zone as the venue for the conference.

Holding the meeting openly meant there was no need for secrecy or sneaking around.

That way, some guilds wouldn’t dare cause a scene in front of everyone. Maintaining their public image was still important.

Only people who could present an invitation were allowed to enter the hotel for the meeting.

Lan Mo and the others were stopped outside.

The Cruiser Fleet was the organizer of this joint conference, and the people checking everyone’s belongings at the entrance were also members of their guild.

As expected, they asked Qi Feng to open his bag for inspection.

Lan Mo knew there was a cat inside. If the other players found out about it, it would become huge news. He said unhappily, “Why are you searching Feng-ge’s bag? Do you even know who he is?”

The Cruiser Fleet player arrogantly lifted his chin. “We don’t care who you are. Everyone attending the meeting goes through the same procedure. You have to open your bag for inspection.”

Qi Feng stopped Lan Mo.

He didn’t want to get into a pointless conflict with the other party, but he wasn’t going to let them search his bag.

Lan Mo grew anxious. “Feng-ge, you—”

‘Are you going to let them search the bag?;

Yan Jiyun, crouched inside the backpack, had already prepared himself to pretend to be a stuffed toy.

But Qi Feng simply turned around and walked away. “If you want to search the bag, then we’ll leave.”

Qi Feng had barely turned around when someone called his name. “Qi Feng, you’re still the same as ever. Su Qiuming left you back then because he couldn’t stand your temper, didn’t he?”

Yan Jiyun peered out through the gap. There was a distinctly malicious edge to the person’s words.

Lan Mo was so angry that he immediately started cursing. “What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t compare that traitor Su Qiuming to Feng-ge.”

Yan Jiyun was a little curious, who is Su Qiuming?