DSMC Chapter 67

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“Hahaha, holy shit, that familiar opening! Classic horror-story intro. Kitty Baby looking at the screen like an old grandpa¹this is a meme, specifically of a grandpa in a train looking baffled at his smartphone is killing me.

“This game is such a dog. How can it increase the difficulty just for our Mimi! Everyone else gets a 2-star difficulty, but Mimi’s instantly turns into a 5-star hell mode. It’s too much… but I love it.”

“Didn’t expect to see the original instance plot in this lifetime. Kitty Baby only has an hour and a half. How the hell is he supposed to beat Liang Yu? Is he going to die on the spot?”

“The instance really made a bonus storyline just for him. That’s hilarious. Why don’t the other players get one?”

“I checked! Only Kitty Baby unlocked the bonus storyline. All the other live rooms are offline, the instance is already over for them.”

“This is absolutely targeted discrimination… and I’m enjoying every second of it.”

“Is it because Meowmeow accidentally maxed out both Liang Yu’s and Tang Shi’s favorability that he unlocked this?”

“Of course it is.”

“Honestly, I’m worried. In the bonus storyline, will Tang Shi and Liang Yu still recognize him? What if they accidentally hurt him? He’s basically turned into one of the characters inside the story now.”

Faced with this sudden bonus storyline, Yan Jiyun could only grit his teeth and endure it.

No matter what was happening outside, he needed to hide. He would turn back into a cat in 30 seconds.

The bonus content also didn’t start at the beginning; based on the voices upstairs, the plot had already progressed to a critical point.

Hearing the footsteps above him, he ran straight toward the kitchen. Fortunately, he knew the layout well enough not to get lost right away.

It seemed only he had triggered the bonus storyline. The other players were already ejected from the game, meaning he no longer had to worry about whether Gu Wenzhu survived, because this bonus storyline might kill him first.

He had no clue how this bonus mode was triggered. The system certainly didn’t explain.

During the instance, he could only infer the hidden stories behind NPCs from hints. He didn’t know whether other players paid attention, but he could roughly guess that Liang Yu and Tang Shi’s original plotline was completely different from the twenty-plus hours of chaos he had experienced.

In these thirty seconds, he quickly pieced together the outline of this extra chapter.

This story is connected to the Yunxiao Hotel plot.

Liang Yu and Tang Shi had returned to Qingyun Town with Chen Xiaoyu and the others. They stayed at Yunxiao Hotel first.

Liang Yu might have pretended to come with his college classmates to the castle, but in reality, this whole thing might have been orchestrated by him.

Yan Jiyun remembered: when Qiu Xi and Butler Cao were being chased, Liang Yu was the first to rush forward after seeing the old butler, kicking all the players aside, effectively saving Qiu Xi.

Seeing the elderly butler in the “previously” text confirmed it. This man must have told Liang Yu the truth of the past. But in the PvP version, the instance had drastically modified the NPC roles, removing the plot but keeping the character shells, making it impossible for players to connect the dots.

So why was there a bonus storyline?!

He clearly hadn’t maxed out their bond value, so how did the favorability reach 100? Maybe… bond value only affected NPC control difficulty, not favorability? So where did favorability even come from? Was there a hidden system?

Honestly, he didn’t need any of this. Couldn’t they just let him clock off early?

He sighed. Before he knew it, the 30 seconds were up.

Tang Shi and Chen Xiaoyu were still crouched in a room on the second floor, hiding from the “ghost” of Siyun Castle.

As for “ghosts”… Yan Jiyun was an expert.

There were no ghosts. Liang Yu must’ve fabricated them. He remembered how Liang Yu and Tang Shi scared young townsfolk by pretending to be ghosts.

Strangely, the system still hadn’t given him a task. He already knew the truth, so what was the point of a bonus storyline?

Chen Gang had already confessed everything. Was there really another mastermind behind it?

Were these college students somehow connected to the villagers who committed the crimes?

That made no sense. Scaring the criminals’ children wouldn’t reveal anything.

So what did the instance want from him?

Maybe the task wasn’t to uncover the truth at all.

He needed to think outside the box.

He had turned back into a cat and checked his Human Form Time Card. In total, he had 15 minutes of human form. He had burned through almost all his cards in this instance. He had started with over a hundred minutes. Whatever was left might not be enough for the bonus storyline.

The instance was called [Hide and Seek]. Did the bonus storyline have something to do with the actual game? 

Maybe the original plot wasn’t what he thought.

This castle wasn’t haunted. The “ghost” was entirely man-made. What did Liang Yu want from these classmates? Information? Or was he just messing with them?

Way too many unknowns.

Since the favorability was with Liang Yu and Tang Shi, this bonus storyline must center on the two of them.

At this point, the two were likely opposing each other. If he wanted to clear the story, he’d have to rebuild trust between them. At least in the PvP mode, they had worked well together. They could get along if they simply communicated.

But with only an hour and a half left, how was he supposed to rebuild trust between two suspicious men?

He opened his inventory. The shop was gone, but the prop inventory remained open. The three unused high level props inside had changed labels to “Bonus Props.”

Meaning they would have a role.

As expected, this instance never stopped finding new, creative ways to screw him over.

Logically, bonus chapters in novels often had disclaimers like “non-canon,” meaning events could diverge. Like an IF route. So the bonus plot might differ from everything he had previously uncovered.

His brain was starting to overheat.

And he suddenly remembered — he still didn’t know Tang Shi’s true motive. He knew Tang Shi hated the Chen family, but not the details on why. 

Time was short. He couldn’t search slowly. He headed straight for Tang Shi’s location.

He needed Tang Shi and Liang Yu to meet, only together could they deal with the Chen family.

Right now, the priority was separating Tang Shi from Chen Xiaoyu so Tang Shi could move freely.

Given Tang Shi’s intelligence, he would surely know the “ghosts” were man-made. He just didn’t know who made them.

Yan Jiyun needed to speedrun this plot. No more slow detective work.

He shoved open the room door.

He would’ve liked to turn the power back on, but using another Human Form Time Card would cost 5 minutes of precious time. Plus, he needed mobility.

But humans only believe what they see. If he turned human and told Tang Shi the truth, Tang Shi would think he was insane. In this story, Tang Shi didn’t even fully trust Liang Yu.

So better to let him witness things with his own eyes. Get the two to communicate and uncover the truth together!

His sudden entry startled both Tang Shi and Chen Xiaoyu.

He had worried Tang Shi might act like a lovesick fool again. But seeing the two of them separated by a metaphorical galaxy relieved him.

Apparently Tang Shi’s “affection” had been pure acting. At least in this mode.

Yan Jiyun made sure Tang Shi saw him, then pawed at his sleeve on purpose.

Tang Shi stared in surprise. “Oreo? What are you doing here?”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

Huh, Tang Shi remembers him!

Tang Shi was a little excited as he pulled Yan Jiyun into his arms: “I couldn’t find you anywhere at the inn yesterday! Turns out you were brought here.”

Great, Yan Jiyun now understood how he got entangled with this add-on storyline. The full-world scenario plot from the earlier round was gone, but coming out as a cat didn’t feel strange at all. Tang Shi still retained his memories of him as Oreo.

Since Tang Shi recognized him, did that mean Liang Yu would know him too?

But this version of Tang Shi didn’t seem to have fought with Chen Xiaoyu, and their relationship looked quite harmonious. It was likely that Miss Chen’s true nature hadn’t been “exposed” yet.

Yan Jiyun stayed quietly in Tang Shi’s arms for a moment, then struggled and jumped to the floor, running toward where Liang Yu might be.

Tang Shi immediately chased after him. Being so smart, of course he’d choose to chase the black cat!

Chen Xiaoyu called out nervously, “Tang Shi, where are you going? Don’t go, I’m scared!”

Tang Shi said urgently, “Stay here and don’t move. I’ll be right back, I can’t let Oreo run around here. Someone might catch him.”

Yan Jiyun already knew his act well. It was so convincing. If he hadn’t met the real Tang Shi, he would’ve believed it!

He had already figured out where Liang Yu was. Regardless of how Tang Shi pretended, the priority was taking him to find Liang Yu.

There was a children’s room on the third floor with a costume used for the “doll.” Liang Yu’s props for pretending to be a ghost should be stored there.

Tang Shi chased Yan Jiyun all the way up to the third floor.

Yan Jiyun even deliberately knocked over a vase so Tang Shi could locate him easily in the dark, guiding him into the toy room.

He sat at the doorway of the toy room, paws on the doorknob, waiting for Tang Shi.

Tang Shi asked him, “Why did you bring me here?”

Yan Jiyun even jumped once, making himself look anxious. Of course it was intentional; he wanted Tang Shi to discover Liang Yu’s true identity as soon as possible!

‘He’s changing clothes. If you’re any later, you might see him in costume.’

Tang Shi didn’t disappoint. He cautiously pushed the door open.

Yan Jiyun’s plan succeeded. He dashed straight to Liang Yu, who was crouched behind a doll costume, his emerald eyes glowing as he stared at him.

Liang Yu, who had just hurriedly changed out of the costume and was drenched in sweat: “…”

Why did Tang Shi’s cat come looking for him?

“Liang Yu?” Tang Shi was surprised. He didn’t understand why Oreo had brought him to Chen Xiaoyu’s boyfriend, and was shocked to see him here.

Yan Jiyun crouched beside them, waiting for the two of them to have a proper conversation.

Liang Yu’s ghost act had nearly been exposed. Thankfully, the circuit breaker had been pulled. Otherwise Tang Shi would’ve seen him panting.

“What are you doing here?” Liang Yu’s voice was stiff.

Hidden by the darkness, Tang Shi couldn’t be bothered to put on facial expressions. “Oreo ran off, so I came to find him. Didn’t expect him to come into this toy room.”

Liang Yu: “You remember pretty clearly. You even know this is the toy room.”

Tang Shi looked at the toy train tracks on the floor. “I’ve been here before.”

Liang Yu probed, “You used to play here?”

Tang Shi: “Yes. I should’ve been only four or five at the time?”

He blew off the dust on a toy train. A memory flashed through his mind. “It looks exactly the same.”

Yan Jiyun noticed that this toy train had previously been in his inventory. After Tang Shi picked it up, the “Toy Train” disappeared from his inventory.

[The “Toy Train” prop has triggered Tang Shi’s memory.]

Yan Jiyun: “…”

So the instance worked like this too?

Props could even be shared between storylines. Quite a clever setup!

Tang Shi realized he had said too much in front of Liang Yu and felt awkward. “Forget it, it’s not important.”

A scream echoed through the castle. It was Chen Xiaoyu’s.

Tang Shi and Liang Yu stood still, their expressions unchanged. Then, realizing this didn’t match their current personas, both quickly resumed acting.

Tang Shi, extremely half-heartedly: “Ah, Chen Xiaoyu is afraid of ghosts. There shouldn’t be ghosts in this castle, right?”

Liang Yu: “Probably not.”

Tang Shi: “You should go check on Chen Xiaoyu.”

Liang Yu: “Aren’t you the one concerned about her?”

Tang Shi blurted, “She’s not my girlfriend. Why would I care?”

Liang Yu heard that and chuckled. “She’s not my girlfriend either, but aren’t you secretly in love with her?”

Tang Shi held the toy train. “She’s not your girlfriend? She’s been telling everyone you’re her boyfriend.”

Liang Yu frowned. It must’ve been a misunderstanding.

Yan Jiyun wasn’t interested in listening to this cheap romantic drama. As a cat, he didn’t care about NPC love routes. They shouldn’t waste time on this.

He jumped up and pawed at Tang Shi’s leg, then walked toward the door. He seemed to have figured out how to solve the incident.

The “props” were the key pieces. Two were left.

After that awkward moment — one denying being Chen Xiaoyu’s boyfriend, the other not actually caring about her — both Tang Shi and Liang Yu decided it was better to part ways before their thoughts were exposed again.

“Then I’ll go check things out with Oreo.” Tang Shi made an excuse and followed Yan Jiyun out.

Yan Jiyun wouldn’t allow him to act alone. Seeing Liang Yu still motionless, he ran back and patted his leg. ‘Come along! What are you spacing out for!’

Liang Yu: “It seems like it wants me to go too.”

Tang Shi: “…Then let’s go?”

Once they agreed, Yan Jiyun led the way toward the piano room on the fourth floor.

Both Liang Yu and Tang Shi paused at the door, then entered one after the other.

Moonlight shrouded the entire castle. The piano was placed facing the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and the piano and sheet music were clearly visible.

Yan Jiyun hopped onto the piano bench, sitting like a loaf, then turned and stared at them intensely, an obvious hint to come play. Playing the piano might trigger one of Tang Shi’s memories again.

Tang Shi still had quite a bit of memory of this piano. But it was Liang Yu who sat down at the bench.

Liang Yu blew the dust off the piano lid, lifted it, and flipped the sheet music to the page he remembered.

Yan Jiyun checked his prop inventory.

[The “Piano” prop has triggered a shared memory between Tang Shi and Liang Yu.]

Before Tang Shi even asked what he was doing, Liang Yu had already started playing the piano on his own.

His long fingers landed on the black-and-white keys, flowing smoothly as he pressed them. A gentle, elegant piano melody poured out, paired with the bright moonlight, beautiful and romantic.

Yan Jiyun thought, ‘This sounds way better than me pressing the keys one by one. This is what a real piece sounds like!’

But… why did the two of them share a memory? Did they know each other as children?

As Tang Shi listened, childhood images surfaced in his mind. He remembered that on the day his parents brought him here, an older boy had also played this exact piece for him.

Why was Liang Yu so familiar with it?

Tang Shi wasn’t stupid. His mind worked fast, and he suddenly understood!

Liang Yu wasn’t just a rich kid from the city. Had he lived here when he was young? What was he doing in the toy room earlier?

He had also seen the doll costume behind Liang Yu.

Why would someone who didn’t believe in the castle’s “ghost” be in the toy room?

Tang Shi tested him, “Liang Yu, what’s your connection to Siyun Castle?”

Liang Yu’s fingers paused. He slammed the piano lid down forcefully. “What do you think?”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

Why not just say it outright? That didn’t match Liang Yu’s character.

Tang Shi didn’t press. Instead, he deliberately said, “I can’t guess.”

Liang Yu pressed his lips together. “Of course you can’t.”

Tang Shi suddenly smiled, releasing an exhale. “But when I was little, I heard a boy my age play that exact piece for me. Didn’t expect you to know it too.”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

So dramatic with the heavy breathing.

Liang Yu asked awkwardly, “Qingyun Town used to be Qingyun Village, but you weren’t born there.”

Tang Shi: “Yeah, I was adopted before I turned four or five. Obviously no one in Qingyun Village would play piano for me. So how did you know I was adopted?”

Liang Yu: “…”

Now Tang Shi really didn’t press. Liang Yu had no good way to answer.

Time ticked away. One hour left. On to the next location. Only one prop remained.

Also on the fourth floor, Yan Jiyun jumped down from the piano bench and onto Tang Shi’s foot. These two still hadn’t opened up to each other. They needed a place to talk things out properly. The bonus storyline had been cooperative so far. No way it would stop allowing conversation now.

Both Tang Shi and Liang Yu had touched on each other’s secrets. They fell silent. The moment Yan Jiyun moved, they immediately followed.

Each weighed whether to fully reveal themselves to the other.

Yan Jiyun led them to the room where Liang Yu’s uncle had lived.

It was Liang Yu who pushed the door open, but Yan Jiyun darted in first, with Tang Shi right behind him.

Just as Tang Shi was about to speak, several classmates screamed outside.

“Help, this is terrifying! Why is there piano music in the middle of the night?!”

“I—I don’t know, but this castle is way too creepy.”

“But the sound stopped…”

“Did you hear a door opening upstairs on the fourth floor?”

“Don—don’t say that, it’s so late…”

Both Liang Yu and Tang Shi could hear everything, but they pretended to be deaf. Liang Yu even closed the door to block out the noise.

Tang Shi turned on his phone’s flashlight and shone it at Liang Yu’s face. “Liang Yu, the ghost was you, wasn’t it?”

Liang Yu shielded his eyes, stepping aside to avoid the beam. He admitted openly, “It was me.”

Tang Shi: “Tsk, I knew it.”

At that moment, Yan Jiyun jumped onto the desk. Liang Yu naturally walked over and casually rubbed Oreo’s chin. He then remembered that Oreo didn’t like his back touched. Had he been swatted before?

[The “Unfinished Jade Seal” prop has triggered Liang Yu’s memory.]

Liang Yu gestured for Tang Shi to shine the flashlight over. Tang Shi did.

He pointed at the jade seal in his hand. “My uncle passed away last month. He was my only family in this world. He carved this himself when he lived here.”

Tang Shi understood everything. “What happened at the castle back then?”

Now that he knew Tang Shi’s identity, Liang Yu could also guess who he was.

Both lowered their guard.

Holding the jade seal, Liang Yu said, “On an ordinary night, the villagers of Qingyun Village gathered to kill and rob. They murdered my parents, stole all our family wealth, and emptied the treasury. Smart as they were, they didn’t touch anything on the surface.”

Tang Shi urgently asked, “Then how did you and your uncle survive?”

Liang Yu answered calmly, “That day, my uncle, the butler, and I were playing hide and seek upstairs. We happened to be hiding. That’s how we survived.” He sneered, “Those people took the money and left, forgetting to finish the job. And you? Why did you appear in Qingyun Village? Because of your parents?”

Tang Shi handed him his phone. “Do you know what the Revival Stone is?”

Liang Yu nodded. “Yes. My parents said it was custom-made for me.”

Tang Shi pointed at a grainy photo on the screen. “The Revival Stone was crafted by my parents for you. On the day the castle incident happened, we were bringing the gift here. But halfway there, we were ambushed. My parents were killed by the villagers, and I lost my memory from the shock. Later, they found our family shop and looted everything.”

Liang Yu hadn’t expected the Chen family to be involved in such a thing. “When did you recover your memory?”

Tang Shi: “On school-anniversary day. When you played that piece on stage.”

No more words were necessary.

Liang Yu extended his hand toward Tang Shi. “Shall we cooperate, Xiao Shi-ge?” 

Tang Shi clasped it. “Of course. Qingyun Town… it never should have existed.”

Yan Jiyun was moved. He stood up on the desk and stretched out his paw. Finally, they were working together!

Suddenly, Liang Yu released Tang Shi’s hand, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a collar, putting it around Yan Jiyun’s neck.

Tang Shi asked, “What’s this?”

Liang Yu thought for a moment, memory slightly fuzzy. “I think I picked it up at the inn this morning. It suits Oreo.”

Yan Jiyun stared at his recovered tag now back on his neck: “…”

So Liang Yu had been hiding his number tag all along!!

[Congratulations, Player Yan Jiyun has completed the bonus storyline early and unlocked the side story “Extra – A New Revenge Plan.”]

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  this is a meme, specifically of a grandpa in a train looking baffled at his smartphone