DSMC Chapter 46.2

If it came down to it and he couldn’t get out, he’d reveal himself, or maybe just stall until the round ended. As far as they knew, unless a player used a prop, they wouldn’t be eliminated; losing only meant getting no points, but they could still play in the next rounds.

Even Team A had already lost twice and was still in the game, which meant the early stages were relatively forgiving.

That meant under no circumstances could he be discovered by an NPC, as being found meant elimination.

The gentleman NPC didn’t go to sleep. Instead, by the faint light, he started reading a book he’d brought with him.

Yan Jiyun wasn’t sure what time of day it was in this scene.

Two minutes later, the mattress creaked again. The NPC got up and called the front desk, asking if they could bring him dinner.

So it was evening after all.

As the NPC finished the call, the sky outside the window shifted from pale gray to complete darkness.

After hanging up, the shabby hotel somehow managed to deliver food faster than a five-star one.

The gentleman NPC set down his book and went to answer the knock at the door. The instant he turned his back, Yan Jiyun leapt lightly onto the desk. His paw brushed the pocket watch. Instantly, it transformed into a prop and appeared in his temporary inventory. In one smooth motion, just as the NPC opened the door, he dashed out between the man’s feet!

[Team F Player No. 29 has collected the high-level prop “Pocket Watch.”]

The waiter was pushing a meal cart. Without touching the NPC, Yan Jiyun slipped under the cart and scurried away toward the stairs.

He was fast and silent; the NPC didn’t even notice the black cat dart past his feet.

The waiter did see it. But being sensible and believing it was better not to stir up trouble in this run-down hotel, he merely widened his eyes slightly and said nothing. A customer complaint would only cause problems.

Yan Jiyun vanished from the waiter’s sight almost instantly, heading straight down to the first floor.

The second and third floors’ doors were all closed; the first floor housed the restaurant, kitchen, and lounge, where a few NPCs were drinking and chatting.

He didn’t encounter anyone on his way down and quickly found a hiding spot.

The hotel lobby wasn’t like modern ones with polished marble floors; instead, the tiles were small, dark-green squares.

The lighting was dim. Yan Jiyun deliberately hid in a blind spot, somewhere invisible from a human’s perspective. He’d already studied the lobby’s layout earlier, memorizing which places were safe to hide and which weren’t.

Meanwhile, Team C’s players were getting anxious. How had No. 29 found a prop so quickly?

They had more people, yet he was faster. Did he have some special method for locating high-level props?

Team C started to regret not going to ask Team A or B about Team F earlier. But since Team F hadn’t tried to gather information on them either before the round began, they’d dismissed it, assuming both sides were evenly matched, or that they themselves were stronger. After all, they were known as the “disabled team.”

But this proved they were too careless. Could a three-person team that had beaten Team B really be weak?

At that moment, they deeply realized the negative consequences of arrogance — not only had they lost a teammate, but the opposing side had even gotten hold of a key prop first. Fortunately, the eliminated player wasn’t from their guild; the trio from their guild was still intact.

The Team C leader let out a whistle, the signal for gathering the team. They needed an emergency meeting.

Yan Jiyun located the Team C leader’s position.

Actually, each player had a number tag stuck to their right arm, which couldn’t be removed easily. Some players had tried to tear it off, but no matter how hard they pulled, it wouldn’t budge.

When Yan Jiyun was in human form, his number tag was firmly attached to his right arm as well. The tag changed with his body. When he returned to cat form, it became a small numbered tag hanging around his neck.

That was precisely why Yan Jiyun couldn’t show himself in front of Qiu Xi and Gu Wenzhu. If they saw the number tag around his neck, Qiu Xi would immediately realize he was a player and connect him with Player 29, meaning his identity as a player would be exposed.

At this moment, the hotel was quiet except for the low murmurs of a few NPCs. The elusive waiters were nowhere to be seen.

Yan Jiyun quietly followed the sound of the Team C leader’s voice. The four of them hadn’t chosen to meet in a room but in the men’s restroom on the first floor.

The Team C leader hid in one stall; the others each occupied one as well. Yan Jiyun was the third to arrive, faster than the other two.

Luckily, the hotel restroom was reasonably clean. Yan Jiyun slipped into a small maintenance closet beside the restroom with the door slightly ajar. He didn’t even need to go inside to hear their conversation clearly.

No. 1: “You all saw the message that No. 29 got a high-level prop, right?”

No. 6: “Yeah, saw it.”

No. 1: “I was covering the first floor, and didn’t see any rooms related to the pocket watch. What about your floors?”

No. 6 shook his head. “Nope. Could it be on the third floor? That’s No. 12’s area.”

No. 12 was the one just eliminated after being mistaken for a pervert, the first player to be out this round.

No. 26 and No. 19 both said there was no sign of the pocket watch on the second floor.

No. 1: “Then that means the third floor likely has the prop, and it’s probably tied to an NPC. How many NPCs have you found so far?”

No. 26 and No. 19: “None on the second floor.”

No. 6: “Only one on the fourth, seems like a young man. Oh, and I saw a waiter when I came down.”

No. 1: “Okay. On the first floor, there’s an old couple staying. The second floor is empty. On the third floor, we saw one woman. The fourth floor has a young man plus a waiter. And in the lobby, two people drinking at the bar. The game introduces new NPCs every 10 minutes, but we don’t know the exact number, and there were already ten in the first round. There will be four more waves. The more NPCs there are, the harder it gets for us. I suspect all the props are tied to them. Since we’re one person short now, we’ll need to redistribute our tasks.”

No. 26 was reassigned to the third floor to search for props and Hiders; No. 19 kept the second floor; No. 1 stayed on the first, and No. 6 remained on the fourth.

Yan Jiyun agreed with No. 1’s assessment. The more NPCs, the worse it was for them. It would make hiding harder, and the system would even penalize players for being too passive.

This round had different opponents and a harder setting. He couldn’t rely on the same hiding strategy as before. However, he could use the Team C players to his advantage. They were busy looking for both props and the Hiders. As for Team F, they’d surely be searching too, but everyone had already agreed that the Team F players were ridiculously good at hiding, to the point that they had no leads at all.

After listening to the mini-meeting, Yan Jiyun now knew their priorities and assignments. Once the four split up, it’d be easier for him to act. He could pick one to tail.

Who to follow?

No. 1 had leadership skills and guarded the first floor with the old couple. But he was cautious, so best not.

No. 6 was still assigned to the fourth floor, where the NPC was a young man. Totally an unknown situation.

No. 26 was moved to the third floor.

No. 19 stayed on the second floor, which had no NPCs.

Then he’d pick No. 6, that one seemed less cautious than the rest. From his tone and volume, Yan Jiyun could tell his emotions were easily stirred. Unlike the calm, steady demeanor of the others.

This round made finding props harder. But eliminating opponents could be done in more flexible ways.

After their meeting, the four split up again, moving carefully to avoid drawing attention. They didn’t look like guests and avoided the hotel’s residents, dodging the staff whenever possible.

Once they were all in position, Yan Jiyun tailed No. 6 up to the fourth floor. Every minute mattered now. No. 6 wouldn’t just hide somewhere waiting for Team F players to show, he decided to take initiative and approach the newly arrived young man on the fourth floor.

Yan Jiyun hid at the turn of the stairs, using the perfect cover of a trash bin. From there, he could see No. 6’s movements, watch for anyone approaching, and rely on his sharp hearing. Still, to be safe, he kept multiple layers of precaution.

No. 6 wore a gray utility uniform, pretending to be a maintenance worker.

He knocked on the door of Room 403.

The hotel’s soundproofing wasn’t great. Yan Jiyun could hear the NPC’s impatient voice.

“Who is it?”

Definitely a young man. The door was yanked open.

No. 6 smiled politely. “Good evening, sir. Sorry to disturb you. I’m the maintenance staff here to check the toilet in your room. May I take two minutes to inspect it?”

The young man, though annoyed, let his guard down at the professional smile. After all, no one could be rude to someone that polite. No. 6 slipped smoothly into the room.

As expected. If it had been an older man, he’d have been suspicious right away.

Yan Jiyun swiftly followed. The door wasn’t closed completely; both of them were facing away.

The floor was carpeted, so his steps made no sound. He took the chance to slip under the bed.

No. 6 was efficient. Whatever he did in the bathroom made the toilet start leaking.

He deliberately said, “Sir, it seems blocked. I’ll need to unclog it. Could I ask you to wait outside for a moment? It might be a little smelly.”

The young man, though irritable, restrained himself. “Just hurry up. I just checked in, and I’m not changing rooms. You’d better fix it fast or I’ll complain.”

Complain?

An idea flashed in Yan Jiyun’s mind.

The young man, cigarette in hand, stepped out to the balcony and shut the glass door, puffing into the night air, looking every bit like someone freshly heartbroken.

Ah… a heartbroken NPC.

Yan Jiyun scanned the room quickly for anything that didn’t belong. Then he noticed a jar of folded paper stars on the bedside table, the lid left open.

His eyes gleamed. He jumped onto the nightstand and swiped his paw, scattering the stars across the floor. Then he pushed a large handful toward the bathroom door until the stars littered the entire floor.

Meanwhile, No. 6 finished “fixing” the toilet and stepped out.

He started rifling through the heartbroken young man’s belongings — fast, ruthless, efficient, clearly trained. But he found nothing and was about to leave empty-handed when the young man came back inside.

He froze when he saw the scattered paper stars.

Those were his treasures.

The young man’s face twisted in fury, eyes brimming with tears. “What are you doing? Why did you throw my stars everywhere? Are you laughing at me too?”

He stepped forward and landed a solid punch on No. 6.

[Team C Player No.6 has been eliminated from this round.]

Under the bed, Yan Jiyun covered his face with his paws. That punch sounded painful.

Heartbroken people were no joke.