Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 51

However, since the black cat could switch between human and pet forms, mutated players likely could too. As for the extra cat ears and tail, they could be concealed with external objects, or simply justified as specially prepared cat accessories for live-streaming needs.

Lin Qiao felt somewhat reassured and asked the Doberman how to transform back into a human. The Doberman shook its head and laughed, “Not for now.”

After a player turns into a pet, their form is unstable, so they can’t control it and need to spend three to five hours adapting. For the next two weeks, if a player’s emotions fluctuate too much while in human form, they will revert to their animal form. Once the mutation is complete and the body is fully stabilized, the pet that the player has become will gain the function of “providing protection values.”

Lin Qiao meowed in relief, “Thank goodness I turned into a cat at night. I’ll be able to turn back into a human and continue live-streaming when I wake up tomorrow. What do I look like as a cat? I need to find a mirror.”

Lin Qiao stretched with his cat body, arched his back, and then awkwardly tried to get off the bed with his not-so-skilled paws. At the foot of his bed was a footstool, forming a step-like space with the bed and the floor. When Lin Qiao stretched his head over the edge of the bed, he realized the height was a bit challenging for a little cat. He clumsily tried to extend his hind legs first, like a human, but couldn’t reach the stool and hung in mid-air.

Lin Qiao heard the Doberman’s laughter, deep and pleasant, with a hint of indulgence. The black cat also came over to observe Lin Qiao, then was left speechless by Lin Qiao’s way of getting off the bed. Being in cat form, the black cat demonstrated the proper way to jump off the bed to Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao meowed pitifully, but he didn’t even tease the black cat for not being able to speak. The Doberman picked Lin Qiao up to comfort him: “It’s okay. Wherever you want to go, I’ll carry you.”

The black cat realized it had upset Lin Qiao and pulled its ears back. It leaped onto the Doberman’s shoulders in a few steps and stretched out its paw to reach Lin Qiao’s head. Lin Qiao wasn’t really angry and curled up in the Doberman’s arms to explain to the black cat, “I’m fine.”

The Doberman took the two cats to the walk-in closet and turned on the light so Lin Qiao could see more clearly. Lin Qiao poked his head out from the muscular arm and saw his full appearance: a cute little white cat. He had heard that white cats have less acute vision and sense of smell than other cats but are more affectionate. Hmm, quite adorable.

Lin Qiao extended his paw to show off his “paw blossoming,” which was pink and very satisfying. Anyway, from Lin Qiao’s human perspective, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with being a white cat.

Suddenly, the Doberman’s ears twitched. He turned off the light and brought Lin Qiao and the black cat back to the bed, making a gesture to be quiet: “Someone’s here.”

A few seconds later, there was a knock on Lin Qiao’s bedroom door: “Are you asleep, brother? I heard some noise here and the light in your room is still on. Is there any danger?”

“Are evil spirits harassing you, brother? Do you need my help?”

Lin Qiao didn’t dare to breathe heavily, fearing that Nelson would come in. The Doberman transformed back into pet form and barked, “Woof,” as a warning. Perhaps sensing that Lin Qiao would be fine with his pets, or not wanting to disturb his sleep, Nelson eventually decided to leave.

Listening to Nelson’s footsteps fading away, Lin Qiao finally relaxed in the room. He felt sleepy and curled up in the black cat’s arms. As a cat, Lin Qiao couldn’t distinguish between thinking and talking to himself, and he meowed softly without control.

The night grew darker, and Lin Qiao, in his cat form, started to purr softly. When Lin Qiao was completely asleep, his body began to change. He transformed back into a human, but with a pair of cat ears and a fluffy cat tail.

The black cat also transformed into a human, holding Lin Qiao in his arms and greedily inhaling Lin Qiao’s scent. The newly human black cat didn’t know how to express his joy and could only touch Lin Qiao’s eyelashes, nose tip, and lips with his fingers, unable to let go.

The Doberman also transformed into a human form and watched the black cat’s actions, asking, “You’re so domineering. Why don’t you attack me?”

The black cat quietly covered Lin Qiao’s cat ears, his golden pupils unusually bright. After thinking for a moment and organizing his words, he gave an answer: “Snakes, two. You and me, two.”

The Doberman, who understood, had a somewhat complicated expression. The simple big dog didn’t really want to understand the black cat’s thoughts, but strangely, he not only understood but also felt a bit excited.

Downstairs, Nelson poured himself some water and added ice cubes: “Turning into pets, tsk…”

Inside the church, which never rested day or night, human representatives and church members constantly monitored the movements of the players.

“Among the eliminated players, four are still clinging to life using points and items, but they won’t last long.”

The human representative said while bringing up the surveillance content: “According to the game rules, being eliminated means the protection value is reset to zero.”

“Players lose the protection of the Meow Meow Religion and the Woof Woof Religion. Whether they flatter or abuse, they can no longer gain any protection values.”

Eliminated players are equivalent to having a “protection value reset” buff, not that the protection value disappears after elimination and they can still accumulate it.

The human representative pinched his nose bridge, looking worried: “Unfortunately, these four people still can’t face reality. Their points and items are running out, and they definitely can’t hold on until the end of the month. There are still 19 days left until the Best Streamer Competition ends.”

“After realizing they can’t gain protection values, the four players have developed a vengeful mentality and started attacking the pets and humans they encounter.”

“The human side will send a special forces team and hopes the church can contribute a team as well. We must kill the unruly sacrifices.”

The eliminated players will eventually be devoured by evil spirits. In the dungeon world, the biggest headache for NPCs is that these players resist to the end, determined to take someone down with them, causing chaos and casualties in the NPC world.

In fact, after losing points and items, the sacrifices are no different from ordinary residents in this world.

But for now, their points and items are not yet exhausted, and their threat is quite high, so the church’s assistance is needed.

Eliminated players, without protection values and the ability to turn pets into humans, are useless to the church.

Similarly, players who die in this dungeon do not turn into evil spirits, so humans and evil spirits are not afraid of the sacrifices’ revenge.

The human representative continued: “Among the living players, some have already discovered they are being monitored, so they are trying to avoid the cameras, such as Yatagarasu and Nelson.”

Speaking of which, the human representative paused and brought up the live-stream rooms of Dao Zhang and Qiao Sauce.

“This year has seen a new type of live-streaming, which we have named gambling-style live-streaming.”

“After discussion, it has been decided to seal off the areas near the locations they are going to.”

The human representative’s mouse hovered over Lin Qiao’s live-stream screen for a long time, but ultimately said nothing.

The main concern was that Happy Sè Sè Paper扎Shop and several NPCs were also in the top fifty, with the paper扎shop hovering around the top ten. As long as it didn’t enter the top five, there wouldn’t be any danger. The human representative and the church members simply regarded Lin Qiao as someone who was willing to risk their life for money. This kind of situation had happened before. In a previous Best Streamer Competition, the paper扎shop had even made it into the top three in the final round when the passing line was announced.

In the end, it was still pushed down by the players. After all, these sacrifices would stop at nothing to get into the top five. Even if NPCs got in their way, they would be killed.

The Woof Woof Religion representative spoke up: “Lin Qiao has a high protection value. If he were a player, he would have mutated by now. So don’t worry about him having such a high ranking. He’ll be fine.”

The Meow Meow Religion representative also said: “After all, he is someone with two pets and such a gentle nature. His protection value doesn’t seem to be a problem.”

“If possible, in future Best Streamer Competitions, we could have long-term cooperation with him, just like Happy Sè Sè Paper扎Shop.”

The Woof Woof Religion representative agreed: “I agree with this suggestion. Qiao Sauce doesn’t have any other issues besides being a bit close to the players.”

Lin Qiao had no idea that he had been noticed by the human representative, the Meow Meow Religion, and the Woof Woof Religion. The good news was that these NPCs had not yet detected his abnormality. When Lin Qiao opened his eyes the next day, he had already transformed back into his human form. The cat ears and tail felt very real, but if one didn’t look closely, they might be mistaken for accessories.

Lin Qiao stretched and saw that on either side of him were his cat and dog, both back in their pet forms. The memories of the previous night came flooding back, and Lin Qiao felt embarrassed and ashamed. It turned out that his pets were humans, with self-awareness, rich emotions, and high intelligence.

Lin Qiao remembered the day he brought his pets home and bathed with them. It wasn’t that the cat and dog were afraid of water; they were shy. He wondered if the black cat and Doberman thought of him as a strange owner. The more he thought about it, the redder his face became, and eventually, he buried his face in the quilt out of embarrassment.

As Lin Qiao calmed down, his intelligence returned. After pondering for a moment, he took out his phone. He saw that at a certain time yesterday, his protection value had soared so much that he didn’t have time to consume it and turned into a cat at night.

Lin Qiao tried to recall what he was doing at that time. It seemed he had exposed Nelson’s identity and was held by him with a passionate confession. So the protection value increased because of the pets’ strong emotions. In other words, was it because the black cat and Doberman were jealous?

Lin Qiao was amazed and seemed to have found another way to accumulate protection values.

“Meow.” The black cat dug through the quilt to find Lin Qiao’s little face. Seeing that Lin Qiao was awake, it got up and jumped off the bed. The Doberman was already standing at the bathroom door, even urging Lin Qiao to get up and wash up.

Lin Qiao rubbed his eyes and obediently washed up. Then he rummaged through the cabinet, thinking of the ghosts’ demands during yesterday’s live-stream, and took out a white shirt, a vest sweater, and men’s mid-length shorts. Lin Qiao made a hole in the back of the shorts and stuck his tail out. He held up the top, wagged his tail, and then calmly put the top down, covering part of his buttocks. This way of dressing was a bit like a girl, but at least it could hide the abnormality on his buttocks.

Lin Qiao casually went downstairs. Nelson was preparing food for all the pets. On the table, Yatagarasu was half-squatting, staring at the breakfast. Hearing the noise, he looked back at Lin Qiao and was stunned.

Nelson slowly untied his apron. His eyes had a fleeting depth, but soon the depth turned into shyness: “Brother, why are you dressed like this?”

Lin Qiao feigned composure: “I promised the audience. Wearing cat ears and, um, wearing… wearing a school uniform.”

Nelson’s gaze was passionate and sincere: “Brother, you look really good like this.”

The loose-fitting vest sweater was wide and loose. The white shirt was buttoned up, with a dark tie. It looked youthful and innocent, making Lin Qiao’s face appear even younger. The mid-length shorts were also loose. If you grabbed Lin Qiao’s ankles and lifted him up, the shorts would slide up to his thighs. Your hand could easily slip in without any obstacles. There were white socks on his calves, tightening a circle of soft flesh, and the shoes were one size smaller than those of an average man.

Nelson curiously asked: “Is brother really older than me? I thought only girls would wear such socks.”

Saying this, Nelson squatted down to take a closer look. His behavior was indeed a bit inappropriate. Lin Qiao sat on the chair and tried to hide his legs: “No, it’s not a big deal. Just eat quickly.”

Nelson apologized: “Did I scare brother? I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

Yatagarasu watched for a while, then reached out and grabbed Lin Qiao’s tail: “It’s very realistic.”

Lin Qiao didn’t dare to move and calmly explained: “It’s a prop. It feels very real, right? It can also sense human emotions, which is why it moves around. Don’t be surprised.”

“Have you never seen this in the real world? Many… many accessory stores have them.”

Lin Qiao feigned calmness and picked up the milk, taking a few sips. Too nervous to notice the milk mustache, but Yatagarasu was too meticulous: “Is it a machine? But there are no electronic parts on your waist, and the thickness looks wrong.”

Lin Qiao didn’t want to fail at the first attempt. He looked serious and said: “Little snake, do you have a girlfriend?”

Yatagarasu didn’t know why the topic shifted to this: “No.”

Lin Qiao asked seriously: “Then you don’t have a boyfriend either, right?”

Yatagarasu nodded, and Lin Qiao’s face slowly turned red: “Then you definitely don’t know how… how men are with each other, right…”

“I know,” Yatagarasu looked innocent, but his words were unexpected: “I know.”

Lin Qiao forced back his embarrassment: “Anyway, mine is… it’s inserted.”

Yatagarasu’s eyes lit up with understanding. He looked at Lin Qiao with great admiration: “I see, the machine is inside.”

Lin Qiao couldn’t bring himself to look up and stuffed a fried egg into his mouth: “Mm-hmm, that’s right.”

Nelson couldn’t hold back his laughter. He asked: “So why does brother have this thing?”

Lin Qiao curled his toes and glared at Nelson: “I’m an adult. I don’t have a boyfriend. Is it strange to have some little toys?”

Nelson raised his hand in surrender: “Not strange. Take care of yourself, brother.”

Lin Qiao growled: “Eat!”

Nelson obediently started eating, but his eyes kept glancing at Lin Qiao’s cat ears, cat tail, and Lin Qiao’s buttocks.

After finishing their meal, they discussed the real matter. They first checked the location “458 Chaotian Road, Dawn Middle School” designated by the audience yesterday.

There was a lot of information about this place on the internet, and it was indeed a famous haunted spot. Nelson listed all the paranormal events, his expression growing more serious. He worriedly said: “Brother, this place is very dangerous.”

Yatagarasu spoke up: “Not only are the evil spirits dangerous, but there are probably other players lying in wait for us.”

Lin Qiao looked carefully at the list of paranormal events and found that there was more than one.

It was said that in the deep of the night, a senior classroom would emit indecent sounds from both men and women.

Before the school was abandoned, the security team had patrolled for a long time but never caught anyone.

There were also explosions in the laboratory building. Before it was abandoned, the laboratory building would be filled with flames, but it would be safe and sound during the day. In addition, there were the music classroom, the art studio, the sports field, and so on.

Lin Qiao felt a bit uneasy after reading. The black cat jumped onto the table and then nestled into Lin Qiao’s arms. Petting the cat, Lin Qiao felt a bit more at ease.

Lin Qiao said, “I’m going. If you’re scared, you don’t have to follow.”

Nelson immediately shook his head, with a sincere and somewhat humble attitude: “I don’t mean to stop you, brother. I will definitely follow you. I have a high affection value and I’m the first place. If there’s an attack, let them attack me first.”

Yatagarasu wasn’t as eloquent as Nelson, but he also said: “I’m second place. The evil spirits can attack me.”

“Also, my target is the players who are lying in wait for us. There will definitely be people from the Woof Woof Religion.”

Nelson looked at the pets: “Brother, are you really not bringing your pets? What if they stay at the villa and something dangerous happens?”

Lin Qiao hesitated for a moment. On one hand, he was worried that no one would take care of the pets if they stayed here, but his own black cat and Doberman were in human form and didn’t need to be taken care of.

On the other hand, he was afraid that other players would cause trouble, such as Izutsuro, who had been staring at him all the time. He didn’t know whether that guy would choose to follow them to the school or take advantage of the villa being empty to hide in.

Nelson suggested: “Brother, bring your pets. If you encounter danger at school, the pets can provide protection values.”

“I don’t mean that you should do anything to your pets. You have such a good relationship with your own cats and dogs. If they see you in danger, they will definitely be willing to contribute protection values.”

“If you really can’t make up your mind, let the pets decide for themselves.”

The black cat and Doberman would definitely follow. Even if Lin Qiao didn’t let them go, they would follow on their own.

Yatagarasu thought for a moment and made a fair comment: “With your situation of having both a cat and a dog, all the players who should know already know.”

This was indeed the truth. After asking for the opinions of the black cat and Doberman, Lin Qiao decided to bring the pets along.

The three of them prepared some supplies and food and then headed to the designated location. Lin Qiao didn’t forget to hide his ears and wore a baseball cap.

On the way, they could clearly feel that the NPCs’ attitudes towards the players had changed. They were not as welcoming and were secretly observing them.

When taking public transportation, they were also restricted. Whether it was the bus driver or the taxi driver, they wouldn’t let them on the vehicle.

“I’m sorry, but you’re all big celebrities. Your affection values are so high. If you take a ride with me, I might have to risk my life.”

“I have a wife and children to support at home. Please, don’t harm me, okay?”

At this moment, it seemed that even their superior looks were ineffective. Both Yatagarasu and Nelson had encountered rejection several times.

Finally, Lin Qiao spoke up: “How about we try using money power?”

So Lin Qiao took the group to buy a car. The car salesman initially didn’t want to agree, but Lin Qiao said softly: “How about double the price?”

The manager swallowed his words of refusal: “Okay.”

Then a new problem arose. Who would drive? All three of them could drive, but when the game placed them here, it only provided them with identification cards and mobile phones, but not driver’s licenses.

Yatagarasu spoke up: “I’ll do it. Why should we follow the law in this dungeon game?”

As the group was getting into the car, suddenly a man dressed in tattered clothes lunged towards them. He looked agitated and deranged.

Upon seeing Lin Qiao and the others, he seemed to see a savior, especially when he saw Nelson. As soon as he got close to Nelson, he hid Lin Qiao behind him, and Yatagarasu also impatiently blocked Lin Qiao’s side.

The deranged man looked at Nelson, then at the pets beside him, and his face changed dramatically: “I’m a player! I really am a player! I’m a player who has already been eliminated!”

“Don’t trust the pets around you; they’re monsters!”

“Save me, please save me! These beasts are going to kill me!”

“I don’t have any points left. I can’t hold on. Please save me. I know you’re the first place. You must have a way to save me! If you save me, I’ll tell you what I know!”

Yatagarasu kicked the man away directly: “An eliminated player?”

Yatagarasu stepped on the man’s chest: “Which faction are you from? Now there’s only affection value left. You must not have much to survive this long.”

The eliminated and deranged player finally realized something at this moment.

His enemies were not only the omnipresent evil spirits and NPCs, but also players like himself.

Yatagarasu pressed down with his foot: “I want you to answer me, but forget it. I’ll know which faction you’re from once I kill you.”

Lin Qiao then realized how gentle Yatagarasu’s attitude was in front of him and how harsh it was in front of other players.

The man on the ground, who was being stepped on, caught a glimpse of Lin Qiao. He saw Lin Qiao’s weakness and susceptibility to being bullied: “Save me, you save me, or it’s on you that I die.”

Yatagarasu was taken aback, took his foot off, and looked at Lin Qiao with some distress: “Ah, don’t be afraid.”

Nelson pulled Lin Qiao into his arms and covered Lin Qiao’s eyes: “Brother, get in the car. Don’t look at him.”

Yatagarasu kicked the fallen player again: “I’ll let you go for now. Get out of here.”

The man on the ground got up with a grimace, coughing as he fled.

Lin Qiao was nestled among the furry companions. While Yatagarasu was driving, he looked back and asked, “Are you scared?”

Lin Qiao shook his head: “No.”

Yatagarasu didn’t quite believe it. He didn’t sit in the seat but prepared to squat and drive.

Nelson hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh: “Get down, I’ll drive.”

Yatagarasu was reluctant at first, but after glancing at Lin Qiao in the rearview mirror, he obediently switched places with Nelson.

Yatagarasu got close to Lin Qiao, licked with his forked tongue, and frowned: “You really are scared.”