DSMC Chapter 55.2

The black cat was him. Qiu Xi was looking for him.

Yan Jiyun wondered whether he should tell him he had entered this dungeon.

“I haven’t noticed one,” he said, pretending not to understand. “Focus on clearing the game. Don’t get distracted by a stray cat.”

Qiu Xi scratched his head: Okay.

A cat in the game wouldn’t be his boss’s cat anyway. If only his boss’s cat weren’t black, then he could tell them apart by color. Black cats were common in this instance, so distinguishing them was hard.

Yan Jiyun didn’t say more. He listened until everything outside was quiet, then slipped away.

He couldn’t stay with Qiu Xi. Qiu Xi knew what kind of NPC he exchanged for.

Since Qi Feng had told Qiu Xi that the black cat was a player, if Qiu Xi ever saw Yan Jiyun together with Tang Shi and Liang Yu, he would definitely suspect something. He absolutely couldn’t let Qiu Xi discover that the black cat in the game was the same one he brought in.

Returning to the next room, Yan Jiyun immediately turned back into a cat. Then he slipped out to find Tang Shi and Liang Yu.

The screaming downstairs had stopped. Only the rumbling of motorcycles echoed outside, growing weaker and weaker until disappearing altogether. Qiu Xi had lost his chance to leave the castle.

His NPCs had been too hardworking. Yan Jiyun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They scared the players so badly they even stole his teammate’s escape vehicles!

Tang Shi and Liang Yu had successfully frightened all those youths. If Tang Shi retrieved the backpack, that meant he had to check whether his number tag was still inside.

Following the sound of their footsteps, Yan Jiyun quickly located the two on the first floor. Tang Shi was indeed holding a gray backpack, the same one he always used to carry Yan Jiyun.

But just as Yan Jiyun walked up, he heard Tang Shi sigh in frustration. “Oreo’s number tag isn’t here.”

Yan Jiyun: …

His heart sank halfway down his body.

If it wasn’t in the bag… where was it? Had those youths thrown it away?

Yan Jiyun felt utterly drained. The number tag was missing. His life or death was now uncertain.

Liang Yu asked, “What does it look like? Is it pretty?”

When he met Oreo earlier, the tag had already been removed and stored in the backpack.

Tang Shi nodded. “It’s a little golden square tag with a number at the bottom. There’s a little raccoon on the back. Very recognizable. Oreo looked very dignified wearing it, especially since it’s shiny and eye-catching. I don’t know if it’s gold-plated. Maybe my classmates took it?”

Liang Yu said, “That’s possible.”

Tang Shi immediately felt a bit depressed. He had just scared them too badly. They ran off without leaving a single one behind, so now there was no one to ask.

Liang Yu added, “They probably won’t leave town for now. My guess is they’ve gone to sing or drink somewhere.”

Tang Shi said, “That makes sense. I remember running into them at the KTV before.” (karaoke place)

Yan Jiyun walked to Tang Shi’s feet and slapped his thigh with a paw to remind him he was back.

‘—What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go get my number tag!’

Since Tang Shi and Liang Yu had protected the castle from being damaged, there was no reason for them to stay. They took Yan Jiyun with them and left.

Riding back was much faster; going downhill was easier than going up, no pressure at all.

Yan Jiyun was still the coolest, most dazzling cat at the front of the bike, majestic and imposing!

The KTV wasn’t on Xiaoyun Street but near the Yunxiao Hotel. 

They sped through Xiaoyun Street toward the main hotel area. After circling around the street, they really did find a few familiar-looking motorcycles.

Of course they couldn’t blatantly walk into a KTV with a cat, but since Tang Shi had retrieved his backpack, he placed Yan Jiyun inside before entering.

Qingyun Town’s KTV followed the style of the 1920s. Or more accurately, it was a karaoke hall.

The young people were all gathered inside the karaoke hall. There were no private rooms; anyone who wanted to sing had to book a song in advance, and when it was their turn, they went up to the center stage. And every song cost money to select.

The lights inside were colorful. Someone had chosen a rock song, and the entire hall was shaking with noise. The NPC singing was howling so loudly it made Yan Jiyun’s scalp tingle. He almost got sent straight to heaven the moment he walked in.

Liang Yu got a booth and ordered some food. Yan Jiyun was placed on the booth’s sofa; he could unzip the bag himself, poke out his black head in the dim lighting. If one didn’t look carefully, they wouldn’t notice a black cat there.

Knowing his number tag might be with these people instantly lifted his mood. Good thing this group wasn’t within the pool of NPCs players could exchange for.

These “Killer Matt”–style youths had just been terrified senseless by the “ghost,” but after venting inside the karaoke hall for a while, they completely forgot what had happened.

Tang Shi and Liang Yu discussed how to retrieve the number tag later. They couldn’t ask directly. That would basically be calling them thieves. They could only discreetly check their belongings.

Liang Yu said, “I’ll go select a song. Later, you go up and sing to draw their attention. If your classmates recognize you, they’ll probably come talk to you.”

Tang Shi refused, “I can’t sing.”

Yan Jiyun: ‘I want “Good Luck Comes¹I’ll link the song below”! My favorite!’

Suddenly a song title popped into Liang Yu’s head. “You can sing ‘Good Luck Comes,’ right?”

Yan Jiyun: ‘Pick that one!’

Tang Shi took a step back. “A duet wouldn’t be impossible.”

Liang Yu was completely fearless. “Then let’s pick that one. I’ll go up with you and sing a few lines.”

Before he even finished, he rushed to the counter to choose the song. It was so fast that Yan Jiyun suspected he was the one who wanted to sing “Good Luck Comes.”

The karaoke hall still had a lot of people at this time. Yan Jiyun didn’t see any players wearing number tags. Maybe they were hidden in the crowd, and he didn’t notice them yet.

He checked the system time. Two hours were nearly up, and the forced PK was about to start.

Whatever he thought about, the system immediately delivered.

[Players, the “Number Tag Match²previously, I TL’d it as “tag-snatch match”, but I think this one is less punny and more… threatening sounding as a result” will begin in three minutes. Game rules will now be announced.]

[Rule 1: The “Number Tag Match” will randomly draw players from the groups. To ensure fairness, the battle uses one-on-one duels.]

[Rule 2: The “Number Tag Battle” lasts three minutes. Players may use High Level Prop NPCs, but cannot use already-exchanged NPCs. Players without NPCs must fight themselves. Winners gain points; losers lose group points accordingly.]

[Rule 3: If a player is eliminated three times in the “Number Tag Match,” they are directly out. Teammates may revive eliminated players using resurrection props.]

[Rule 4: The number of players drawn each round varies.]

[The first round matchup list will be announced shortly. Selected players, please prepare.]

The “Number Tag Match” was basically forced PK. Players were getting along too peacefully, which wasn’t good for game progression, and it went against [Destiny]’s thrilling and bloody intentions. A confrontation game needed blood and tears.

Yan Jiyun thought the rules might as well not exist. They weren’t much different anyway. Forced PK still meant people would die.

The new rules also added a very unfair clause: forced PK wasn’t a Team Battle,it was a solo battle, and players couldn’t use their exchanged NPCs.

This meant that if a group didn’t have many high level props, they wouldn’t have enough NPCs to help. If a player lost three forced PKs, they were facing elimination.

And from current information, resurrection props were extremely rare. Players had to search the entire map for Revival Stones, and even then might not find them. Getting revived was very unlikely.

While Yan Jiyun was crouched in the backpack thinking, the giant KTV screen lit up with the intro of “Good Luck Comes.”

Liang Yu grabbed Tang Shi and dragged him to the stage, though Tang Shi didn’t forget to pick up Yan Jiyun.

Yan Jiyun didn’t know whether he would get pulled into the “Number Tag Match.” If he entered as a cat, wouldn’t the opponent instantly discover he was a player?

He jumped out of the bag immediately and slipped into the crowd.

Tang Shi wanted to look for the cat. “Oreo ran off again.”

But Liang Yu held him back. “Don’t worry. Oreo probably just wanted some air. He’ll definitely come back. Maybe he’s marking territory for all we know.”

Tang Shi remembered how Oreo had indeed returned when they were at the castle, so he didn’t go searching.

Three minutes was short. Yan Jiyun could only run into the men’s restroom. If he got drawn into the battle, he’d use his five-minute Human Form Time Card immediately.

The battle was limited to three minutes. He didn’t even know how victory was determined. What if neither side won within three minutes? Was it a tie?

He still needed to return to human form, and his fake number tag was still in the condemned building. He couldn’t retrieve it now.

It wasn’t that he wanted to get picked. It was just that his two teammates really weren’t suited for physical combat. At least he could go in and test the waters.

The matchup list appeared on the system screen, and his number really was on it.

[“Number Tag Match” Matchups]

[Team A No. 28 VS Team C No. 12]

[Team A No. 05 VS Team D No. 13]

[Team B No. 05 VS Team E No. 03]

[Team B No. 27 VS Team F No. 16]

……

[Team E No. 22 VS Team F No. 29]

Without hesitation, Yan Jiyun switched to the Human Form Time Card, so fast it made his heart ache.

The game was cruel. From 25 players online, 12 got thrown into forced PK.

Besides him, his teammate Qiu Xi was also drawn into the battle.

[“Number Tag Match” scene entry countdown: 3 seconds]

2 seconds—

1 second—

Good Luck Comes (好运来)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPdF8J5sIt4&pp=ygUO5aW96L-Q5p2lIHNvbmc%3D

• 1
  I’ll link the song below
• 2
  previously, I TL’d it as “tag-snatch match”, but I think this one is less punny and more… threatening sounding as a result