DSMC Chapter 44.2

Time passed quickly during freedom. After dozing for fifteen minutes, Yan Jiyun finally received a “passive play” warning.

[Warning: Player No. 29 detected for passive gameplay. Player’s position will be exposed in 10 seconds for 3 seconds.]

The punishment came bundled with the warning, directly exposing the player’s in-game location. Harsh.

Yan Jiyun immediately leapt off the chair. He definitely didn’t want Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu to see his position. As for the enemy, it didn’t matter. No. 4 was still trapped in the basement, unable to move.

Time to resume prop hunting.

Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu had now reached the last bedroom on the second floor and would soon move to the third.

He didn’t plan to waste another Human Form Time Card. Once they came near, he’d just hide. He turned and headed to the fourth floor instead.

Among the items Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu found, most were common props. High-level ones were fewer than last round.

Maybe it was the setting. Last time, it was a street, each shop representing a different life. But this time, the faux-castle villa felt like it had belonged to one family; if there had been many residents, there’d be more to find. Judging by the limited number of searchable spots, the place had probably only two main occupants.

The fourth floor held a music room, a sunroom, and a large dance studio. The dance studio’s walls were all mirrors, with a ceiling-mounted aerial yoga hammock — it was likely where the lady of the house practiced. The adjacent piano room probably belonged to her as well.

But the dance room was nearly empty. It was hard to imagine someone dancing here alone for hours. She must have been obsessed with it.

Yan Jiyun saw his reflection from every angle in the mirrored walls. Black was indeed the coolest color.

He wasn’t the narcissistic type. After circling the dance studio once, he left.

The piano room was also spacious, but with more furnishings compared to the dance studio.

The piano lid was open, and a sheet of music rested on the stand.

Though the room looked long unused, the piano itself was spotless. It was probably a prop. However, when he touched it with his paw, it didn’t enter his temporary inventory. Maybe he’d touched it wrong?

He jumped onto the piano and tapped the sheet music, but still no response. So it wasn’t the sheet either.

Then what was the trigger?

There was a piano, a score, a bench — all that was missing was the player.

Yan Jiyun jumped down to the piano bench, propped himself up on his hind legs, and stood upright.

He tried pressing the keys with his paws, following the notes on the sheet. His paws were nothing like human fingers, so he could only strike one note at a time.

The piano room was filled with clumsy ding-dong sounds…

[Want to be Human] livestream channel:

“Mom, I just saw a cat playing piano on stream! It’s weird, but so cute!”

“My darling is so smart~ he realized within seconds that he had to play to get the piano item. I’ve seen tons of players touch it and leave without trying to play. I’m convinced Cat Cub just found the secret to earning high-level props!!”

“Even cats play piano now. Amazing!” 

“Wilder than him turning into a human?”

“Turning human can be done with a system item.”

“He’s obviously human, it’s just that he’s playing in cat form. But who cares, it’s adorable!”

Yan Jiyun clumsily finished pressing the keys of an entire tune, finding it rather fun. His poop-scooping human also had a piano at home, but he’d never heard him play before. Since the man could play now, it probably wasn’t just for decoration, right? He’d have to make him play a couple of pieces next time.

[Team F Player No. 29 has collected the High-Level Prop “Piano”.] 

Player No. 4, down in the damp basement, pressed a hand to his chest. Why did high-level  and common props keep landing in Team F’s pockets like they were free handouts? How on earth were they finding them so easily?

Now he regretted it. Why hadn’t he tried getting along with them, maybe fishing for some useful info!

At this moment, Player No. 4 bore a grudge against the Team A players. Never again would he trust that bunch of trash.

Yan Jiyun thought he heard Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu climbing up to the fourth floor, probably coming to find him.

He was someone who would hide his identity even from teammates, so he chose to leave the piano room at once.

There were several other rooms on the fourth floor he could enter freely. He slipped into a smaller room than the earlier dance studio, sunroom, or piano room.

The style here was clearly different from the others. Being at the far edge, it felt more like an attic. Someone must’ve lived here once, but compared to the other clean and tidy rooms, this one was a complete mess. The bedding was filthy, the window sealed shut, and there were dark specks of blood on the floor. The place felt gloomier than the rest — so oppressive it made one uncomfortable to look at.

However, aside from the mess, the room contained an easel. The paintings in the art studio on the second floor were all proper and restrained, but the ones here brimmed with imagination, something like Van Gogh’s style. Maybe the person who lived here was a painter?

From the personal items and clothing, Yan Jiyun could tell the occupant was an adult male. But why had they locked him up? Was he mentally ill?

He hopped onto the windowsill where a small gap remained. The glass had been polished smooth at the corner, and he could see the garden outside clearly. Back when people still lived in the castle, the garden must’ve symbolized the beautiful world beyond. Now, though, it was gray and withered, only piles of dry branches and dead leaves remained.

Was there any prop connected to this man who longed for freedom yet was locked away?

What he must’ve needed most was freedom. What item symbolized freedom?

Yan Jiyun leapt onto the wooden desk. On it sat a pen holder containing a carving knife, some pencils, and a square piece of jade.

There was a carving knife, but no trace of blood, meaning the man hadn’t tried to injure himself. So why was he imprisoned here?

Yan Jiyun crouched on a relatively clean spot, thinking, ‘What was most important to this man?’

The carving knife?

What had he been carving?

He nudged the rectangular jade piece. At the bottom, half-finished words were carved — only the character “Yuwen¹宇文; 宇 = world, universe; 文 = literature, written language” could be made out.

What is Yuwen?

Was that the man’s name?

[Team F Player No. 29 has collected the High-Level Prop “Unfinished Jade Seal.”]

Yan Jiyun noticed the adjective before the item name. It was unlike the other high-level props, as though hinting at a hidden storyline. But wasn’t this supposed to be just a game-like instance?

Maybe he was overthinking it. Anyway, he probably wouldn’t find out the uses of these high-level props this round.

Meanwhile, in the piano room, Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu found no sign of Yan Jiyun. Neither could have imagined that he’d been deliberately avoiding them.

Gu Wenzhu said, “He’s started collecting props.”

Qiu Xi got a little excited, gesturing to show that Yan Jiyun was really good at it.

Gu Wenzhu replied, “That’s not all he’s good at. I think he’s really well-rounded. If we make it out of this instance, Qiu Xi… no matter what, you have to add him as a friend.”

Qiu Xi nodded: you too.

Gu Wenzhu just smiled faintly, saying nothing.

He didn’t even know how many more rounds he could last. Whether he added friends or not didn’t matter. Being alone was fine. It didn’t matter.

Qiu Xi didn’t know what Gu Wenzhu was thinking, but his sensitivity told him the man seemed a little down. He patted Gu Wenzhu’s shoulder, making an encouraging gesture.

Let’s survive together.

Gu Wenzhu fell silent, his gaze caught by those bright eyes. He nodded.

It had been a long time since anyone encouraged him.

The man’s emotions came and went quickly. They returned to focusing on the task of finding items.

The trio continued searching through the fake castle until only 5 minutes remained. Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu began to grow nervous.

After another sweep, they discovered that the last Team A player was in the basement, and the basement door was locked. That must’ve been Yan Jiyun’s doing.

But with only a few minutes left in the game, why hadn’t he gone in to capture the man yet?

[Game time remaining: 3 minutes—]

Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu found a key casually tossed in a corner, clearly left there by Yan Jiyun. They were about to go down to the basement and grab the target.

Just then, Yan Jiyun — who had been hiding somewhere unknown — appeared behind them.

Gu Wenzhu didn’t ask why he’d been missing the whole time; he must’ve had his reasons.

He simply reminded him, “Less than three minutes.”

Yan Jiyun motioned toward the door. “There’s a staircase below. You two stay up here. I’ll go down myself.”

Qiu Xi pointed at himself: You need help?

Yan Jiyun: “No need. It’s down to the seconds now.”

Player 4 from Team B heard the sound of the door opening. Overjoyed, he jumped up!

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel! He already understood his fate this round — the other side had deliberately trapped him here. This was a psychological battle more terrifying than any torture. The man was definitely a master of mind games! From now on, if he ever saw No. 29 again, he’d stay far, far away! Never joining the same instance!

As Yan Jiyun walked toward him through the dim light, No. 4 eagerly stretched out a hand. “Quick, tag me!”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

Anyone seeing this would think he was part of the rescue team.

[Congratulations! Team F’s Seeker has won the game of “Hide and Seek.” Reward: 1000 points.]

Both groups were instantly transported back to the central stage area, where the NPC director and others stood unmoved.

Team B’s five members were physically unharmed, but their spirits were in shambles. Their leader had been locked up for almost an hour, and the others had spent that whole hour in solitary confinement!

Just as others were about to ask them about what happened, the NPC director began announcing the results.

Team B vs. Team F — Team F wins again!

Other groups had suffered casualties, more than in the first round. After the previous game, there had been 27 players left on stage; now there were only 20!

Yan Jiyun noticed that the couple from Team A were gone.

The “production team” announced the results of this round:

• Team A vs. Team E — Team E wins;
• Team B vs. Team F — Team F wins;
• Team C vs. Team D — Team C wins.

Group status updates:

• Team A: 4 players, 2 eliminated by items.
• Team B: 5 players, none eliminated.
• Team C: 5 players, none eliminated.
• Team D: 2 players, 2 eliminated by items.
• Team E: 3 players, 1 eliminated by item.
• Team F: 3 players, none eliminated.

The next phase differed from before. This time, the discussion period was only three minutes before the drawing began.

The NPC director, clearly pressed for time, gave no room for sentiment or mourning and immediately moved on to announce the next game’s setting.

“We’ve now completed two rounds. All of you stars have performed wonderfully. Next up is our final ‘celebrity versus celebrity’ match! The scene difficulty will be slightly higher this time. Now, hiding groups, please send one member forward to draw your stage!”

Before the players were forced into the scene, the NPC director added, “After the third round ends, all players will skip returning to the central stage and head directly to our next game location. Wish you all an enjoyable game!”

None of the players showed much surprise at the mention of increased difficulty — they assumed it was just standard game progression.

[Want to be Human] livestream channel: 

“Huh? Why did the director suddenly change the rules? I remember in the first three rounds, the main focus was on prop collection. There wasn’t any mention of increased difficulty!”

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  宇文; 宇 = world, universe; 文 = literature, written language