DSMC Chapter 94

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“Damn, I only just realized how hard this instance is. I thought the kitten would just crush it with the black panther, tiger, and lion.”

“Same here. Didn’t expect someone to scheme against the kitten. Guards! Drag them out and beat them to death for me!!”

“I personally think it was Dr. Peng. I can’t think of anyone else. That intern just now was very suspicious, and he’s interning under Dr. Peng.”

“Not necessarily Dr. Peng. I think exposing Dr. Zhou was just about getting promoted. After all, he’s been at the zoo for years. Wanting to move up is reasonable. But he had no need to eliminate Dr. Zhou completely.”

“My brain’s CPU has short-circuited. Even though Kitty Baby has only met a handful of NPCs, any of them could be the mastermind.”

“What’s so hard about it? It must be Vice Director He. Dr. Zhou is the Director’s man, and Dr. Peng is Vice Director He’s man.”

“Why didn’t Kitty Baby stick with Dr. Peng’s route? He already got promoted to supervisor. If he kept following Dr. Peng, wouldn’t he soon kick out his immediate superior? Dr. Zhou’s route has completely collapsed, right? He’s already locked up. What’s Kitty Baby supposed to do now?”

“Excuse me, big shot, what exactly was that big secret of the instance mentioned earlier?”

Yan Jiyun didn’t leave the treatment center immediately.

He was the person in charge of the gorilla zone. The gorilla’s death would inevitably be attributed to him as well.

He took a moment to check his character information. Most things hadn’t changed—only the position column had been altered. As expected, he had been demoted.

[Player: Yan Jiyun]

[Assigned Species: Black Panther]

[Animal Rank: Junior Popular Animal]

[Habitat: Leopard Zone]

[Role Played: Jiang You]

[Position: Zookeeper — A Team Supervisor (Suspended)]

[Employee Rank: Junior Manager (Suspended)]

[Number of Managed Staff: 10 (Suspended)]

The so-called punishment meant he had been suspended. Essentially, he was nothing now. If he rashly ran out, he might also be taken away for questioning.

The NPCs who took Dr. Zhou away hadn’t specified which regulatory department they were from. He guessed it wasn’t an external zoo authority. It would feel too fake.

He had felt it was odd that Dr. Peng hadn’t completely crushed Dr. Zhou. That didn’t fit the instance’s style. So this was where it had been waiting for him.

From the moment the “Treat the Gorilla Tata” mission began, the instance system had automatically determined Yan Jiyun to be on Dr. Zhou’s side. When Dr. Zhou fell, he was immediately sentenced as well.

However, Yan Jiyun wasn’t angry. The system’s rush to classify him into Dr. Zhou’s faction only proved there was something wrong here.

There were doubts surrounding the gorilla’s death.

All the animals whose blood had been drawn had issues.

Dr. Zhou’s experiments were highly problematic, so problematic that Dr. Peng wanted to seize his achievements.

Vice Director He and Dr. Peng were also suspicious. What did they want from Dr. Zhou? They fabricated the illusion that Dr. Zhou had killed the gorilla. The “regulatory department” was also suspicious. They arrived far too promptly.

These were the problems Yan Jiyun now faced.

Hiding in the treatment room, he suddenly heard Dr. Peng ask someone nearby, “Have you seen Jiang You?”

Those people said they hadn’t.

Dr. Peng ordered, “Bring him back. He was drawing blood from animals everywhere last night. I suspect the gorilla’s death isn’t unrelated to him.”

Yan Jiyun: “……”

Dr. Peng really knew how to shift the blame. Who had sent him to draw blood in the first place? The system’s malice was vividly displayed on him.

Dr. Peng added, “Also, anesthetize the black panther, South China tiger Orange, the male alpha wolf, the brown bear, and Caesar. Send them all to the adult animal examination area. We’re going to re-examine them.”

Yan Jiyun was certain the gorilla had been killed by Dr. Peng. Otherwise, why would he lock up all the animals that had their blood drawn last night? There had to be something going on.

He hoped the black panther and Orange would hide well and not get caught.

He didn’t dare go out and drive away now. The moment he started the car, Dr. Peng — the NPC who had turned hostile — would catch him immediately.

This was also the first floor. He had to leave first. He noticed the treatment room’s window.

He now needed to know where Dr. Zhou had been taken. Was the core of the experiment centered on those large animals? What specific experiments had been conducted on them?

The window in this treatment room was stiff, probably not opened in a long time. The hinges were rusted.

He pushed hard, and the window let out a creaking sound.

Footsteps outside immediately headed this way. Dr. Peng even started running. “Jiang You is inside. He hasn’t left. Go find him.”

Damn it! The window could only open about ten centimeters. Neither side would budge further. There were no other windows or doors to escape through.

Choosing between using an invisibility item and a Human FOrm Time Card, Yan Jiyun immediately chose the experience card.

Dr. Peng arrived quickly. By the time Yan Jiyun switched back to his cat form, Dr. Peng had already pushed open the treatment room door. He only saw a black wild cat leap out the window, its long tail swaying in the air.

Dr. Peng stopped in his tracks. “Forget it. Just a wild cat.”

Yan Jiyun landed lightly on all fours. Although he heard that Dr. Peng had no intention of chasing after him, he couldn’t be careless. What if it was just a smokescreen?

He quickly darted into the bushes. The zoo had a lot of plants. There was somewhere to hide everywhere.

The “regulatory department” vehicle hadn’t driven away. Yan Jiyun circled from behind the treatment center building back to the front, following the faint scent of blood from Dr. Zhou’s hands all the way to where the car was parked.

Keeping low, Yan Jiyun hid behind a wooden trash bin. Every instance he ended up forming some kind of bond with trash bins. It was really annoying.

He hesitated over whether to follow them. If he did, his experience card time would only keep decreasing.

Forget it. He will follow them.

He was now also a “wanted” person. Trying to gather information openly would be devil-level difficulty.

Dr. Zhou, sitting in the car, had a black hood over his head. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was a murderer.

Taking advantage of the front-seat passengers chatting with the person in the back watching Dr. Zhou, Yan Jiyun quietly jumped in through the open rear door and crouched beneath Dr. Zhou’s legs. Finding his legs positioned too far forward, he even nudged his calf with a paw.

‘Hey, move a little. If the car starts and I’m exposed, how am I supposed to save you?’

Dr. Zhou’s hands were tied and his head covered. He couldn’t see outside. He only felt two paws nudging his leg.

That strength, that sensation… it really felt like a cat.

Calmly, he thought, ‘Must be my imagination.’

In his memory, he had only seen one black stray cat in the zoo just last night. He had no idea where it came from.

Still, Dr. Zhou stretched his legs forward slightly, making as much room as possible for Yan Jiyun.

Once he had a comfortable position, Yan Jiyun settled smoothly in place. There was no better hiding spot than beneath Dr. Zhou’s legs.

The car started. With Dr. Zhou’s legs blocking him, Yan Jiyun wouldn’t fall out. Though the winding route made him a bit dizzy.

From his angle, he could see out another window. Sure enough, these people weren’t real “regulatory department.” They were circling within the zoo and hadn’t driven outside at all.

While they were driving in circles, the system issued a warning to Yan Jiyun.

[Warning! Player detected leaving assigned post during work hours!]

[Warning! Player detected leaving assigned post during work hours!]

[Warning! Player detected leaving assigned post during work hours!]

[Please return to your assigned post within three minutes, or corresponding punishment will be enforced.]

Yan Jiyun sighed helplessly. There was no way he could go back now. After the first punishment, would the second be far behind?

Of course not.

Three minutes later, he received his second penalty as expected.

[(Public Announcement) Player Yan Jiyun violated work-hour post regulations and will receive corresponding punishment.]

[(Public Announcement) 100 popularity points deducted from Player Yan Jiyun.]

Seeing the words “Public Announcement,” Yan Jiyun understood. This was meant as a warning to others.

Whatever. This was typical system behavior. It loved broadcasting negative and malicious information to incite panic among players and satisfy certain twisted viewers in the livestream.

He suspected popularity points existed just to be deducted. He was already at the bottom, and now they were deducting more. It’s really treating him like an outsider.

All he knew was that popularity affected the final score calculation. Bah! Deduct it if they wanted! He only cared about clearing the instance. With his current popularity, he could probably afford a few more deductions.

Since it was a punishment, it meant the system didn’t want players challenging the rules.

But rules were made to be broken! As long as his life wasn’t at risk, Yan Jiyun figured he could keep pushing his luck.

For now, he focused on Dr. Zhou and how Dr. Peng had framed him.

After circling for over ten minutes, the “regulatory department” finally stopped the car. They had returned near the treatment center.

Dr. Peng and the others weren’t brazen enough to drag Dr. Zhou out in front of tourists.

They escorted him into a restricted area where visitors weren’t allowed, somewhere Yan Jiyun hadn’t been before.

Dr. Zhou, still hooded, was pushed out of the car. Yan Jiyun jumped down at the same time, essentially hitching a ride.

His all-black fur made him easy to spot, but the “officers” paid no attention to a stray black cat that seemed to have wandered out of nowhere. They simply followed their scripted roles.

They led Dr. Zhou along a stone path. The surroundings were quiet except for insects and birds. Yan Jiyun hadn’t explored the entire zoo yesterday due to side quests and constant escapes, but he already had a rough mental map. These shaded paths were unfamiliar.

The stone path likely led to the medical area.

The treatment center was within that area, not too far away. Their detour had probably been meant to confuse Dr. Zhou’s sense of direction.

It was hard to say whose intelligence was lower. Dr. Zhou had lived in the zoo for years—he could probably identify the surroundings by scent even after a hundred laps.

Yan Jiyun followed quietly. Soon, a familiar building came into view.

They had returned to the laboratory.

Having Dr. Zhou publicly taken away was just for show. Dr. Peng’s true objective was the lab.

Had he gone so far as to frame Dr. Zhou for killing an animal because something important was hidden in the laboratory?

All along, Dr. Zhou had controlled the testing area. He must have guarded an extremely important secret, one related to experimenting on animals.

Yan Jiyun watched as they pushed Dr. Zhou into an inconspicuous elevator in the lab area. He crept forward and saw the button they pressed.

Basement Level 3.

He had assumed going downstairs meant just Basement Level 1. He hadn’t expected two more levels below. It seemed Dr. Peng had taken over all of Dr. Zhou’s access permissions.

Dr. Peng had hidden his intentions well. He must have been planning to seize Dr. Zhou’s position for a long time. Every step was meticulously prepared, smoothly locking Dr. Zhou away.

Yan Jiyun had to follow and uncover the truth. Otherwise, those deducted popularity points would be wasted!

Dr. Peng’s people were everywhere. He couldn’t revert to human form for now. Since he was already a cat, he might as well stay that way. His card still had time left. If necessary, he could later find a place to transform back and use items to locate Dr. Zhou.

The elevator required an employee card to access. He had one, but his status was suspended. The collar at his chest wouldn’t scan and denied access.

After circling around, Yan Jiyun found a side emergency stairwell. The door wasn’t locked but was easy to miss. He jumped up, pulled down the handle, and slipped inside.

Each level had an iron gate blocking it, but they weren’t fully sealed. It’s more like barred gates that he could easily squeeze through.

He remembered: Basement Level 3.

Perhaps because of the protective gates above, the inner door at the bottom wasn’t tightly closed, nor were there security guards watching.

When descending, he hadn’t noticed an entrance to Basement Level 2 at all. He went straight to Level 3. Where had the middle level’s door gone?

Basement Level 3 was a space Yan Jiyun had never anticipated.

After entering, it was extremely quiet. The corridor had no lights on. They’re likely motion-sensor lights. When someone passed through and made noise or touched a wall switch, the lights would automatically turn on, then shut off again after a minute or two.

The layout of this underground laboratory felt distinctly modern.

Yan Jiyun didn’t dare relax his guard.

The corridor was sparsely populated and very open. If he didn’t hide in time, he could be discovered at any moment.

They had clearly gone down to Basement Level 3. So why couldn’t he hear any movement from Dr. Zhou? At the very least, he should be making some noise.

Just as he was thinking that, Yan Jiyun heard Dr. Peng’s voice.

“Which room is Zhou Yiqun in?”

“Director Peng, we’ve locked him in Room 1.”

Where was Room 1?

Yan Jiyun glanced around. There was a blue sign on the wall: Rooms 1–4 to the left, Rooms 6–8 to the right. That meant he was standing at a crossroads. The corridor straight ahead should be Rooms 9–12, if there were that many rooms.

Dr. Peng was finally throwing his weight around, walking with an imposing air. This time he hadn’t brought a crowd. He was alone.

Yan Jiyun quietly followed behind him.

The layout of Basement Level 3 was simple, without twists and turns. Before long, Dr. Peng stopped. Someone opened the door for him. After telling the people outside to go take a break, he went in alone. Once the NPC who opened the door left, Yan Jiyun crept to the entrance to listen to the conversation between him and Dr. Zhou.

Dr. Peng spoke with the tone of a petty man savoring his triumph. “Junior brother, I used to envy you. The mentors all fought to have you as their student. There wasn’t a single person around who didn’t envy you. But I never understood… why did you come to this zoo? If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have been looked down on all this time. We graduated from the same school. Why is it that everyone pays attention to you, while I’m just an ordinary veterinarian? They call you Professor Zhou, but they call me Dr. Peng. How ironic. We even studied under the same advisor.”

Dr. Zhou silently looked at him.

Dr. Peng had plenty more to say. “Still, I’m glad. Turns out you were conducting illegal experiments. You should be grateful I didn’t expose them to the public. Otherwise, you’d be ruined. The former golden boy crashed to the ground with a bang. Must hurt, huh?”

Outside, Yan Jiyun couldn’t see Dr. Zhou’s expression. Earlier, when reviewing the records, he had learned that Dr. Zhou and Dr. Peng attended the same school. He hadn’t realized they were actually fellow disciples under the same mentor.

At that moment, Dr. Zhou said, “Oh? Should I thank you, then?”

Yan Jiyun hoped they’d say something useful. Otherwise, what was the point of all this extra drama?

Dr. Peng laughed. “No need. Someone as high and mighty as you wouldn’t thank anyone.”

Their relationship was now clear. Dr. Zhou’s presence had blocked Dr. Peng’s promotion and stolen his spotlight.

Dr. Zhou, a former prodigy. Yet, he had come to work at a zoo. Why?

Dr. Zhou, as expected, could infuriate people with a single sentence. “Good. As long as you know.”

Anger flashed across Dr. Peng’s face, and he immediately changed the subject. “Zhou Yiqun, tell me your experimental results. Say it, and I’ll let you out. I’ll have Vice Director He overlook what you’ve done. How about that?”

“So this is why you tied me up and brought me here?” Dr. Zhou replied. “If what I’m doing is illegal, why would you want the results? And what if I refuse?”

“Then you can stay in this underground cell where calling to heaven gets no answer and calling to earth gets no response. Every day you’ll get two steamed buns and a bowl of water. You won’t even be able to die.”

Dr. Zhou sneered. “Do as you like. What experiments I conduct have nothing to do with you. If you want academic achievements, earn them yourself.”

Suddenly, Dr. Peng grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t think I don’t know what kind of experiment you’re running.”

Dr. Zhou looked completely unbothered. “Since you already know, you can try it yourself.”

Dr. Peng said, “If the power on Basement Level 2 were completely shut off, your experiment would end, wouldn’t it?”

Yan Jiyun obtained a key piece of information: Dr. Zhou’s experiment was on Basement Level 2.

What kind of experiment was it?

Could it be related to the pile of research he’d seen earlier?

A study of swapping human and animal consciousness?

Dr. Peng dropped another bombshell. “Oh, right. I’ve already had Orange, Caesar, and the alpha wolf brought back. I’ve observed them for a year. Those animals are more humanlike than any others. They’re your experimental subjects, aren’t they?”

Yan Jiyun: ‘So they really are experimental subjects?’

Dr. Zhou fell silent. It seemed Dr. Peng had already grasped quite a bit of critical information about the experiment.

Dr. Peng regained the upper hand. “The gorilla is dead. That’s one less subject for you. What I’m curious about now is… are they humans turned into animals, or do they just have human consciousness inside their brains?”

Dr. Zhou said nothing.

Knowing he couldn’t pry anything out of him, Dr. Peng said, “If you won’t talk now, I hope you won’t regret it.”

Yan Jiyun was glad he had followed Dr. Zhou down here. Otherwise, he would never have known the experiment was this surreal.

However, judging from his own observations, the large animals Dr. Peng mentioned really were unnaturally intelligent.

Had Dr. Zhou’s experiment truly succeeded? And was Dr. Peng now eager to steal the results?

When Dr. Peng came out, Yan Jiyun immediately ran to the corner to hide.

He had already checked the door earlier. It wasn’t too difficult to unlock. He just needed a prop.

His transformation card was about to expire. Finally, his props could be put to use.

An invisibility cloak and a lock-picking tool.

His temporary teammate from before had inspired him to choose them. The difference was that Yan Jiyun had been willing to spend more points. The invisibility cloak he bought was the most expensive one, and the lock-picking tool was the most advanced.

The cloak could be used three times, with a 30-minute cooldown between uses. Expensive props had its advantages.

His teammate’s lock-picking prop had been the most basic kind. His, on the other hand, would automatically unlock any door once attached to the lock.

Dr. Peng had taken Orange and the others away. He wanted to save them.

After reverting from cat form back to human, and hearing no footsteps nearby, Yan Jiyun didn’t immediately use the invisibility cloak. It seemed the guards didn’t believe anyone could get past their layers of locked doors.

He knocked lightly, unlocked the door, and slipped inside. “Dr. Zhou, it’s me.”

“Xiao Jiang?”

“Yes. I’m here to get you out.”

He had just begun to speak when he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

Damn!

Did they have to come so fast?

Yan Jiyun quickly opened the door and said, “Someone’s coming! Dr. Zhou, let’s go!”

But Dr. Zhou remained calm. “Xiao Jiang, listen to me first. I’m guessing you heard what Peng Yu said just now. Right now, only you can help me. Remember what I’m about to say.”

“There’s a door on Basement Level 3 that leads to Basement Level 2. Peng Yu doesn’t know about it. Find Room 319. Inside, you’ll discover a staircase that leads down to Level 2. Our years of research are there. After nightfall, transfer everything out. Also, Orange and the others are actually the ones we’re trying to protect. We’re not experimenting on them. Please, you must protect them and get them safely out of the zoo.”

“If Peng Yu finds the laboratory, that’s when Orange and the others will truly be destroyed. I’m counting on you.”

After a brief period of silence, the system suddenly released a string of tasks.

[Player has triggered hidden Main Mission: The Unusual Animals.]

[Main Mission 1: Identify all the unusual animals. (Completed)]

[Main Mission 2: Discover their true identities. (In progress)]

[Main Mission 3: Rescue all the unusual animals. (In progress)]

The system had been holding back from giving him missions all this time. Was it dumping them all at once now?

As soon as the notifications ended, Dr. Zhou pushed him out the door. “Go ahead first. Follow what I said and head to Basement Level 2! I’ll find a way out and meet you there.”

The moment Yan Jiyun stepped out, he ran into two people. One of them an intern under Dr. Peng.

“Jiang You, don’t run!”

Yan Jiyun: “…”

He hadn’t even started running yet.

Sigh… Would he even make it out of this instance alive?