DSMC Chapter 38.2

Qi Feng had no idea that his cat had already chosen the next instance, and even bought the key intel for it.

After confirming the instance Caramel would enter, Qi Feng went out once more.

At that point, there was only one day left before Yan Jiyun’s next instance.

Qi Feng met Lan Mo at a quiet little tavern. Beside Lan Mo sat a young man in work clothes. He had gentle features, with eyes carrying a hint of a smile. When the two approached, he stood politely to greet them.

Lan Mo said, “Feng-ge, this is Qiu Xi. He’s just cleared two Beginner instances and one Challenging one. He’s a junior of mine from the real world. He ran into me in the newcomer area a few days ago. But… he is mute.” 

Qi Feng folded his hands on the table, giving off quiet pressure. “How did you get into the game?”

The young man signed a few gestures, then realized they couldn’t understand. He pulled out a pen and notepad, writing down what he’d been doing before entering the game.

You can tell a lot from handwriting.

Though his face looked delicate, his handwriting was bold and unrestrained, full of spirit.

Qiu Xi wrote: [I’m an orphan. Just graduated from college. I was job-hunting when I suddenly got pulled into the game half a month ago.]

From his shy demeanor, Qi Feng could tell that as a mute, Qiu Xi must have faced plenty of hardships. That quiet resilience was exactly the sort of aura the game’s player-selection system liked.

Since points in this game could be exchanged for cash, a newly graduated mute orphan might indeed be desperate for money.

Qi Feng asked a few more questions, studying Qiu Xi’s expression. The young man didn’t avoid eye contact, didn’t fidget. He just looked nervous, like someone being interviewed.

Lan Mo noticed his tension and said, “Ge, let’s not be so serious. Qiu Xi, how about juice? What do you want to drink?”

Qiu Xi shook his head, politely declining. Lan Mo ordered for all three anyway.

Qi Feng continued, “Don’t be nervous. You’re entering your next instance tomorrow afternoon, right?”

Qiu Xi nodded.

Qi Feng said, “I have a friend. Someone… special. I might need you to look after them in the instance. Lan Mo told me you picked this one next, right?”

Qiu Xi nodded again.

Qi Feng said, “Then that’s perfect. I picked the same instance for my friend. But there are a lot of unknown factors. I just want to make sure you can bring them out safely.”

Lan Mo couldn’t help wondering: ‘Could it be that Feng-ge’s new girlfriend got dragged into the game too? The man had looked so tense these past few days, even sporting dark circles.’

Qiu Xi wrote on his notepad: [I may not be very capable, but I’ll do my best.]

Qi Feng asked, “How’s your physical fitness?”

Qiu Xi froze for a moment before writing: [I got first place in the 3000 m race back in high school, and second place in the 5000 m in college.]

Qi Feng: “Do you usually do part-time work?”

Qiu Xi wrote: [Delivery, errands, mascot work. I’ve done them all.]

Qi Feng: “Those are all tough jobs.”

Qiu Xi shook his head, smiling as he wrote: [Not tough. It’s fine. I can earn money.]

Qi Feng asked, “Do you have any questions for me?”

Qiu Xi thought for a second, then smiled and shook his head.

Qi Feng considered for a moment. “I might need to meet with a few more people. If I decide to work with you, how can I contact you?”

Lan Mo said, “I’ve already added him as a friend. We can reach him through me.” He knew Qi Feng valued his privacy and didn’t press him to add contacts himself. Lan Mo didn’t mind; he was the social type anyway.

Every player in the game had their own secrets, more or less. Some kept in touch after logging off, while others drew a firm line between the game and real life. Qi Feng was definitely the latter.

After Qiu Xi left, Lan Mo said, “That young man’s not bad. He’s sharp, hardworking.”

Qi Feng just nodded expressionlessly. “Any others?”

Lan Mo checked the time. “Two more lined up.”

Qi Feng and Lan Mo then went on to “interview” the other two players.

The second player was overly confident in his own skills. He thought that since Qi Feng needed someone to protect a person, the offered payment was too low. He named a new price, which was double Qi Feng’s offer. In the end, Qi Feng thanked him with a cold face, though the man didn’t seem to understand that it meant rejection, and went on bragging about his past instance records.

The third player was skilled. He’s a martial arts champion who’d won multiple national awards, with perfect physical stats and no apparent character flaws. But he was too sociable, the kind who’d talk to everyone once inside an instance. Qi Feng worried he’d draw too much attention and accidentally expose Caramel’s existence.

Qi Feng tapped his fingertip on Qiu Xi’s name. “It’s him.”

Lan Mo went to call Qiu Xi back.

When Qiu Xi saw Qi Feng again, he smiled even more shyly and bowed at once. Lan Mo thought, If he could speak, the next words out of his mouth would probably be “Hello, boss” or “What do you need me to do, boss?”

Qi Feng took out a thick stack of papers from his personal space. “The player I need you to protect is very important, and their identity is extremely confidential. We’ll have to establish clear terms first. Please provide your real-world ID and relevant information. Once you successfully bring them through the instance, I’ll reward you with triple the agreed points. If you’d prefer real-world cash or something else, I’ll transfer it to you personally. But if you reveal their identity afterward, you can imagine the consequences yourself. Here are the terms — please sign.”

Even Lan Mo was stunned. Qi Feng had tripled the original reward!

Who exactly is he trying to protect? A government-sent VIP?

It wasn’t that Lan Mo felt sorry for Qi Feng’s lost points. He was just amazed. Qi Feng, who’d never cared about anything, was going this far for someone. Triple points… that was equivalent to winning first place in an entire Easy-level instance.

Qiu Xi pulled out his pen and paper again: [Can I take half in points, half in cash?]

Qi Feng: “Sure. Leave me your real-world account. I’ll send it to you later.”

Qiu Xi: [How do I contact you?]

Qi Feng: “It’s written in the agreement.”

Though young and seemingly pure, Qiu Xi was cautious, probably from being burned before.

Still, Qi Feng wasn’t the kind of person to take advantage. Everything was spelled out in black and white, clear and professional. Reading it, Qiu Xi felt the man was truly serious. The contract boiled down to two clauses:

He must protect the target at all costs.

He must keep the target’s identity secret.

After they both signed, Lan Mo took his leave. Since the target was someone Qi Feng was so determined to protect, he automatically stepped back.

It was now three in the afternoon.

Instances could be entered early, but never late.

Qi Feng brought Qiu Xi to an empty room in the tavern, then stepped next door into his personal space.

At that moment, Yan Jiyun was preparing his instance gear. If his gathered intel was correct, what he’d prepared this time should be enough, unlike the last instance, where things went so badly he’d nearly failed to clear it.

He checked which inventory slot his props were in so he could quickly purchase them once inside.

Just as he was about to leave Qi Feng’s space using his mind, Qi Feng suddenly came back.

Yan Jiyun: What perfect timing.

Qi Feng crouched down in front of him. “Caramel, I found someone to go with you this time. He can keep your identity secret, but you need to stay sharp in the instance. If there’s danger, hide. I don’t know if the instance I picked suits you, but it shouldn’t have a minimum point-requirement to exit. Just staying alive matters more than anything. Remember what I said — you must come out of that instance alive. If that person turns out unreliable, hide yourself. If he’s trustworthy, stick close. Whatever you do, don’t let other players see you, got it?”

“The person I found is mute. He can’t talk. I don’t fully trust him, but it’s the best I could do.”

His hand brushed under Yan Jiyun’s chin, scratching lightly. Yan Jiyun thought contentedly, ‘Getting petted by my human before the instance… it’s kind of touching, actually.’

Still, he wasn’t planning to enter the instance his human picked. Surprise, surprise, he get to choose his own instance!

Qi Feng placed him into a large backpack he’d bought from the shop. Yan Jiyun cooperated, curling up inside. Not that it mattered, he could unzip it and leave anytime he wanted.

Qi Feng carried the backpack out of his personal space and entered the next room, where Qiu Xi was still memorizing the list of props his Boss had told him to bring — which shop tabs they were in, which ones to prioritize. Truly, the man had done his homework; he’d even gathered key instance info in advance. The only problem was that new players couldn’t pre-purchase. They had only three minutes inside to buy their props.

He’d been expecting to meet an important person he’d have to protect… but Boss Qi came in carrying a giant backpack.

Qi Feng told him, “This is who you’ll be protecting.”

Qiu Xi moved as if to take it, but Qi Feng didn’t hand it over yet.

Inside the backpack, Yan Jiyun heard everything loud and clear. So he really did find me a mute bodyguard.

Qiu Xi wrote: [Who is it?]

Qi Feng unzipped the bag. “Mm. You can take them into the instance now.”

Inside crouched a black cat with bright green eyes, so dark that you wouldn’t notice it was there unless you looked closely.

Qi Feng zipped the bag back up. “Remember, keep this a secret.”

Qiu Xi nodded rapidly. If he didn’t, this bigshot might just kill him!

As the instance entry time approached, Qi Feng finally, and reluctantly, handed the backpack over.

Qi Feng reminded him once more, “When the instance starts, you may spawn in different places. Make sure you find it, protect it, and bring it out safely.”

Qiu Xi accepted the weighty backpack and nodded firmly, feeling heavy as if it carried gold.

Using his main account, Qi Feng invited Qiu Xi to form a team with his pet’s sub-account, making Qiu Xi the team leader. That way, both could enter the same instance simultaneously.

Yan Jiyun leapt out of the backpack. While Qi Feng was still lingering in farewell, he took the initiative and hit his interface command to enter the instance.

Except… he couldn’t select an instance.

He asked the system, “Why can’t I choose my instance?”

A young male voice replied, “Your sub-account has been temporarily taken over by the main account. The main account has already chosen an instance for you. No further action is needed.”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

Trash game! No one told him the main account could do that!

The next second, while Qi Feng was still looking reluctant to part, the system pulled him in… and Yan Jiyun was transported straight into the instance’s prep zone.

A large text flashed before his eyes: “Welcome to the instance preparation zone.”

[Hide and Seek (Challenging Mode) will start once there are 30 players or more.] 

[Player count is full. Instance locked.]

[All players will enter the instance in three minutes.]

…Wait. Wasn’t this supposed to be an Introductory-level instance? Why was it another Challenging one?!

It’s better to be a stray than having such a cat-harming human!!