DSMC Chapter 35.1

[Want to be Human] livestream was flooded with barrage after barrage of shocked comments.

“Ahhhh!”

“Ahhhh! Holy shit holy shit holy shit!”

“Fuck! What the actual fuck!”

“Baby!!!”

“I-I-I-I can’t even speak!”

“THE CAT JUST TURNED INTO A HUMAN ON STREAM! Cat turned human! This is even more shocking than Lin Xie not dying! What the hell is going on, can someone please explain? Is this the legendary cat demon?”

“I-I-I need to calm down, let me drink some water and come back, my hands are shaking too hard to type…”

“Was it some kind of transformation item card in the game? But why was the cat so intelligent to begin with? What kind of environment did he even grow up in?! Ahhhh I’m going crazy!”

“Did anyone notice? He’s wearing the exact same outfit as Jiang Yan! He looks like a little Jiang Yan! Fucking adorable! So cute! So damn cute!”

Before this, Yan Jiyun had thought about transforming into a human to help Lin Xie fight Lao Fang. But after weighing it carefully, he knew his combat stats were way too far below Lao Fang’s. If he suddenly jumped in, he might not help at all — he might even mess up Lin Xie’s rhythm and become a burden.

Now with only thirty minutes left before the dungeon ended, he couldn’t afford that gamble.

Still, even if he couldn’t fight alongside Lin Xie, he could keep watching closely, ready to transform the instant things went wrong.

So, the moment Lao Fang was about to shove Lin Xie over the edge, he didn’t hesitate. He immediately activated the Human Form Time Card, sprinted to the railing, and seized Lin Xie in a desperate grip!

Whatever the final mission really required, he didn’t want Lin Xie to die.

Yan Jiyun’s teeth clenched tight. An adult man’s body wasn’t light. He had one hand braced on the railing, his legs wedged against the base. “Climb—up—now!”

Lin Xie had been seconds from collapsing. Jiang Yan was still entangled with Lao Fang, too far to reach him. Just when he thought he really would fall to his death — his eyes already closing — he felt a pair of hands seize his wrist, yanking his heart back from the brink.

He didn’t have time to see who it was. He just saw the hands were pale.

Using force, he hooked his good arm over the railing, gritting his teeth as he swung his right leg up. Half his body scraped onto safety.

Yan Jiyun, seeing his sheer will to live, grabbed his leg and dragged him further up.

Meanwhile Jiang Yan kicked Lao Fang hard into a pile of steel frames. A falling beam speared into Lao Fang’s shoulder blade, pinning him down. Then, he collapsed unconscious.

Only then did Jiang Yan rush over. Together with Yan Jiyun, he hauled Lin Xie’s half-hanging body fully over the railing.

They had pulled Lin Xie back from death.

Exhaustion hit like a wave. He collapsed against the wall, too drained to lift a finger. His right sleeve was soaked dark red from blood.

Jiang Yan was shaken. He crouched close, eyes fixed on Lin Xie. He wasn’t unscathed himself: the blond brute he’d fought had pummeled him brutally, leaving his cheek swollen, lip split, arms bruised and scraped. He looked disheveled, but alive.

Once he was sure Lin Xie wasn’t dying, Jiang Yan tore a strip from his shirt and bandaged his comrade’s bleeding arm.

Yan Jiyun had no medical skills, so he simply moved aside to give them space.

Lin Xie endured it all in silence. Even when Jiang Yan’s tug on the bandage made him wince, he never uttered a sound, not even a furrow of his brow. His composure and pain tolerance were formidable.

Instead, his gaze lingered on Yan Jiyun, puzzled. But he still said, “Thank you for saving me.”

Yan Jiyun, quiet for a long moment, forced out the words, still clumsy in speech: “You’re… welcome. I should do it.”

Only then did Jiang Yan properly look at him. “Why are you wearing the exact same clothes as me?”

Yan Jiyun had no idea what outfit the Human Form Time Card had given him. The last time, on the beach, he’d appeared in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. This time, the system had gotten lazy and copied Jiang Yan’s entire look — shirt, pants, boots and all. He had no explanation.

Suspicion flared in Jiang Yan’s eyes. “Who are you?”

Yan Jiyun remembered the role the system had assigned him at the start. He said, “I’m the delivery guy for the kitchen. I snuck up here for fresh air and suddenly saw you fighting. It scared me, so I hid.”

Lin Xie did recall seeing people coming and going from the kitchens, but he said nothing. They really hadn’t had the time to notice earlier.

Still, Jiang Yan eyed his spotless clothes, a stark contrast to his own filthy, torn outfit.

“You’re not some freak, are you? Stealing my clothes to wear?” Jiang Yan’s usual wardrobe consisted of identical black T-shirts, plenty of camo pants, and combat boots of the same style.

Yan Jiyun couldn’t be bothered to defend himself. Instead, he walked over to the corner and dragged out the crate Lin Xie had hidden behind the water tank.

Jiang Yan muttered low to Lin Xie, “Looks like this curly-haired kid came prepared.”

But Lin Xie shook his head. “Don’t know. I don’t feel any malice from him. He just risked his life to save me. He looks young.”

Yan Jiyun’s sharp ears caught every word. What the hell? Was Jiang Yan really gossiping behind his back?

He hefted the crate. It weighed around fifteen jin.

He thought obtaining the Red Field Poppy would clear the dungeon. But strangely, the system gave no completion prompt.

So… getting the Red Field Poppy wasn’t the final step?

[Want to be Human] livestream channel:

“AHHH the cat just turned into a human! Is this a bug? He’s so handsome, with natural curls, and he can talk! No wonder he was so smart, it turns out he was human all along! I’m losing my mind! Baby, mama loves you!”

“Same here, my hands are still shaking as I type! But wait, usually when other players get the Red Field Poppy crate, the dungeon ends right away. Why didn’t it end for our cat baby?”

“Holy shit, cat turned human! Lin Xie didn’t get killed by Lao Fang, and Jiang Yan is actually working with him?! What the hell is this instance? Did the whole plot change??”

“Calm down, calm down, my poor heart. Just looking at kitty baby’s pretty little face, I can’t even type properly. He’s so cute! And so handsome! Obviously a black cat, but his skin is so pale— wait no, I wasn’t talking about his looks, I meant the story! Where was I? Ahhh, I’m rambling! Could this be a hidden storyline? Usually the endings we’ve seen all have Lin Xie die and Jiang Yan walk away with the Red Field Poppy. But this time, they teamed up and took down Lao Fang! It’s completely derailed! Which means the final mission difficulty just went up. Kitty baby picking up the Red Field Poppy doesn’t count as clearing it. That’s why the instance isn’t over.”

“I remember discussions. Some people said the first four main missions are always the same, but the fifth changes depending on which characters and locations are triggered. Some players get easier tasks, some harder. But the hardest has always been getting the Red Field Poppy. And no matter what, it always ends up in Jiang Yan’s hands. No one’s ever beaten him, so he’s considered the instance’s final boss. Now I’m just confused!”

“Or maybe this is the path to unlocking a new ending.”

“First time I’ve seen a dungeon’s final mission upgrade.”

[The above comments contain spoilers and all will be blocked from players]

Yan Jiyun couldn’t understand why his Main Mission (5) showed no reaction at all. Was he doing something wrong?

Lin Xie was alive, the Red Field Poppy had been secured. So where was the problem?

Yan Jiyun opened the box and looked inside. The Red Field Poppy hadn’t been switched out; Jiang Yan could be ruled out.

Jiang Yan’s gaze turned sharp. “So you were after the Red Field Poppy all along.”

The barrage of viewers tensed up, yet the tension thrilled them too. Was the kitten about to face the Boss? Could he win?

Yan Jiyun glanced at the timer.

[Time until the instance ends: 23 minutes, 34 seconds]

[Human Form Time Card remaining: 22 minutes, 34 seconds]

The card would expire a full minute before the game ended. He couldn’t let other players discover that he was a cat turned human. He had to finish the game one minute early!

But he still had no clue what to do.

Just as he was fretting, a voice rang out from the rooftop entrance.

“Lin Xie, bring the Red Field Poppy, or I’ll kill him.”

Jiang Yan helped the barely-recovered Lin Xie up to look at the newcomer, and the atmosphere shifted sharply.

It was Zhao Renfu, holding a gun to the head of the undercover agent he had captured earlier.

What struck Yan Jiyun as odd was how easily this undercover had been caught.

He Xiaobi had been executed with a single shot when he was captured. Yet this one was still alive? During the smoke, he could have fled, so why let Zhao Renfu catch him again?

Zhou Ying and the others should have been chasing Zhao Renfu. Had they lost?

Lin Xie’s face darkened at the sight of the captured agent. “What do you want?”

Zhao Renfu said, “I raised all of you, and now you’ve betrayed me. But if you hand me the Red Field Poppy, I’ll let it go. You can walk away.”

His goal was the drugs, but now it was in Yan Jiyun’s hands.

Zhao Renfu must have seen him saving Lin Xie earlier, and assumed the three of them were allies.

Lin Xie would certainly want to save the agent. Jiang Yan stayed silent, but Yan Jiyun couldn’t stop thinking. The agent’s behavior didn’t add up.

How could he warn Lin Xie that the undercover might have already turned traitor?

Hopefully, Lin Xie would keep his usual composure.

Suddenly Zhao Renfu shoved the agent forward, raising his gun at Yan Jiyun, who still held the box. “You. Bring it here, or I’ll shoot your leg.”

Yan Jiyun knew Zhao Renfu would fire without hesitation. He walked forward.

Jiang Yan glared at him. “Hey, you, stop. Give me the box. I’ll deliver it.”

Zhao Renfu sneered. “Jiang Yan, you’re as sly as your mother was. Let the kid bring it, or I’ll blow this man’s head off.” He jabbed his gun at the agent.

Jiang Yan clenched his fists, eyes blazing with fury. “Don’t mention my mother. You’re not worthy.”

Zhao Renfu’s tone was merciless. “I don’t have time to waste. Hurry.”

Jiang Yan gritted out, “You killed my mother. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Zhao Renfu grinned viciously. “Because she was an undercover too. She was unlucky and caught stealing from me. Who else was I supposed to deal with?”

Seizing the moment, Yan Jiyun quietly activated his armor item. A protective membrane covered his body, though it didn’t stretch or warp his clothing. No one else noticed, perhaps because he was using the Human Form Time Card.

As long as it could shield him, that was enough!

Carrying the box, he walked toward Zhao Renfu. Jiang Yan tried to follow.

“Stay back!” Zhao Renfu barked. “One more step, and I’ll shoot him.”