Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 73

“Alright,” the leader of the Miaomiao Sect readily amended his words: “Perhaps it might actually deceive some… innocent children.”

“If the representative of the Wangwang Sect believes that the white cat is Lin Qiao, we can make an exchange.” The leader of the Miaomiao Sect extended his finger, pointing first at the paper effigy in Nelson’s arms, then at the white cat.

“But you’ll have to wait until the wedding is over. My foolish son has only this one wish, and as a father, it’s natural to fulfill it.”

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect leaned down and approached Lin Qiao, who had transformed into a white cat, and said earnestly, “What do you think, little sweetheart?”

“Meow.” Lin Qiao pushed the other’s face away with his paw, his meow tinged with a hint of guilt.

The representative of the Wangwang Sect was not satisfied and, regardless of whether the players were present, said: “However, you should know that Lin Qiao… in short, he is of great significance to our world and to us pets. Shouldn’t we resist the Horror Game?”

“Do you really want to be controlled by the game forever, to live in a world where everything is dictated by rules and there is no future?”

“Look at the masks of those evil spirits. The Horror Game treats us like actors on a stage, watching our performances every year, using lives and killings to satisfy its twisted amusement, with no respect whatsoever!”

The representative of the Wangwang Sect simply couldn’t understand why everyone couldn’t unite and work together to resist the disaster. Yes, it was true that the various forces in this world had their own hidden agendas, but when it came to matters of great importance, they should know what needed to be done.

Lin Qiao, who had turned into a white cat, suddenly realized something.

The fleeting thought that had crossed his mind became clear. He saw Nelson with a smile playing on his lips, seemingly delighted with the scene before him. Doberman 08 frowned, and even the Perfumer was tapping her fingers on the table.

Lin Qiao, now a white cat, became nervous and involuntarily called out to the system he hadn’t contacted for a long time: “System brother, why do they all look like they know I’m an intruder? Have I been exposed? Will I be erased?”

The system seemed to be absent and took a full three minutes to respond: [You haven’t been completely exposed, and you won’t be erased.]

The reason for entering the game scenario early this time was due to the urgency of the situation and because the system had other purposes—namely, “Doberman and the black cat.”

If Lin Qiao had been placed in the game at the normal time when players initiated it, the pets around him would definitely not be Doberman and the black cat.

Doberman had already taken on a human form, and a pet church with human forms would not distribute such pets to players. Players could only be assigned pets that had not yet obtained human forms for assimilation.

After all, only 200 players participate in the Best Streamer Competition each year, which means that only 200 animals can take on human forms annually. Each player represents an opportunity and a life-or-death situation. It’s dangerous, but the opportunity is precious.

The black cat, due to its past experiences, would not approach any player.

In fact, the encounter between the black cat and Lin Qiao was predicted by the system.

It was simple: the system just needed to provide help when Lin Qiao was looking for rental information and then filter out the places where the black cat was spotted and give them to Lin Qiao.

Of course, the system would not reveal this.

Lin Qiao would naturally guess the truth after the entire game scenario ended. He would probably also understand why the system had exchanged so much money for him at the beginning, even adding, “That’s what you deserve.”

Faced with Lin Qiao’s question, the system needed to provide an explanation to avoid making Lin Qiao, who was a smart little guy, sad if he guessed the truth. From Lin Qiao’s attitude towards Nelson, the system saw its own fate.

Thus, Lin Qiao found that his system’s tone remained cold, but the synthesized electric current sound seemed to be deliberately lowered by one notch, becoming particularly deep. If one listened carefully, they could detect other emotions in it.

[If it weren’t for Nelson, we would have hidden very well and wouldn’t have been discovered even by the end of the game.]

It sounded a bit like tattling, uncertain, and worth listening to further.

[I helped you perfect the information of this world, which is why the representative of the Wangwang Sect is so persistent with you.]

[You can shift the blame to the props, but they will only let you go if they are sure it’s really due to the props.]

In short, the NPCs wanted to study this “strange” guy Lin Qiao and figure out how he managed to enter the game early and perfectly blend in, with both his past and the memories of those around him existing. Was he a savior of this world or just a new trick by the Horror Game? In any case, they needed to understand before they could feel at ease.

Lin Qiao, the little cat, lowered his head thoughtfully. He felt uneasy as he pawed at the ground and then heard Nelson speak: “Representative of the Wangwang Sect, I think you’ve misunderstood.”

“The Lin Qiao you know is different from the one we know. Let me guess.”

“You think he’s an NPC with the ability to turn pets into humans, and you want to use him to achieve human transformation freely.”

“But in our eyes, Lin Qiao is just a player who used a rare prop to arrive at the game early. Even if he has the ability to turn pets into humans, it’s nothing special.”

Dao Zhang, who was holding the leader of the Miaomiao Sect, shifted uncomfortably and added, “That’s right. If he’s a player, why are you so panicked? With such a high protection value, he would have been assimilated long ago and would definitely stay in the game.”

“If he’s an NPC, you don’t need to rush either. After the Best Streamer Competition ends, you can do whatever you want with him. Do you really need to hold on to him this month and offend us players?”

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect restrained the restless Dao Zhang and then propped his chin up with a smile, “The young lady from the Wangwang Sect, did you hear that? These players see things more clearly than you do.”

“The human representative and your higher-ups stopped you from continuing the investigation and taking action against Lin Qiao because of these issues.”

The representative of the Wangwang Sect frowned. She had said before that she didn’t care about Lin Qiao’s true identity. She just wanted to solve the mystery around him as soon as possible and find the answer. What if Lin Qiao really was a player and had a way to leave the game after a month?

Seeing the representative of the Wangwang Sect wavering, Lin Qiao breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, as long as the game ended, he could escape from here and safely return to reality.

The Perfumer, who had been observing from the side, suddenly spoke: “All your talk is just speculation.”

“Isn’t Lin Qiao himself right there in Nelson’s arms? If it’s the white cat, he should have been assimilated and could turn into a human, right?”

“If he’s human, he can speak for himself. Let him say who he is, and the problem will be solved.”

“But it seems that everyone except the representative of the Wangwang Sect wants to wait until the game ends.”

“Don’t forget, we players have a prop similar to a get-out-of-jail-free card. The few of you here are all seasoned veteran players, so it’s not surprising that you have such life-saving props.”

“If used on Lin Qiao, even if he turns into this white kitten, he won’t stay here forever but will leave the game.”

This remark made the representative of the Wangwang Sect firm again. She adjusted her hat and said, “So, we have about ten days left to figure out what happened to Lin Qiao.”

“Mr. Lin Qiao, wouldn’t you like to reveal your identity first to make the upcoming research less difficult and give us a direction to investigate?”

“If it can be easier, we don’t want to resort to violence against you. I promise to minimize any interference with your body. If you’re an NPC, we’ll need your cooperation moving forward, so we’ll ensure that we remain friendly and approachable.”

“If you’re a player, as you know, we’re very friendly towards assimilated players and will integrate them into the church.”

The representative of the Wangwang Sect was speaking to the paper effigy in Nelson’s arms. The effigy smiled sweetly at the representative of the Wangwang Sect but was pressed back into Nelson’s embrace.

The white kitten Lin Qiao felt a bit awkward seeing Nelson treat his effigy like that. He himself felt quite helpless. Just as the situation seemed to be under control, the Perfumer suddenly interjected, and he didn’t know what the other party’s intentions were.

The system took the initiative to say: [The only surviving player in the game will receive an additional reward.]

No wonder, then. No wonder Nelson set up schemes against the others. No wonder players were used to killing each other. No wonder the Perfumer deliberately stabbed in the back at the crucial moment.

However… none of this really mattered. Lin Qiao stood up, and the little white ball meowed. He couldn’t turn into a human, but he wanted to say something. Remembering the item he had placed in Doberman 08’s arms, the little white ball meowed several times at the leader of the Miaomiao Sect, expressing his intentions.

Lin Qiao did not reveal his identity but spoke in a very “curious” manner. The little kitten’s voice was gender-neutral: “Your Majesty, may I share my thoughts?”

The leader of the Miaomiao Sect raised his finger to tap Lin Qiao on the head, but before he could touch him, the black cat’s paw pressed it down. The leader of the Miaomiao Sect laughed and said, “Of course, let’s see what our… young lady has to say.”

The little white cat, hearing this, shyly hid its head in its paws and, after a few hums, spoke up: “I’m curious, very curious.”

“The representative of the Wangwang Sect is so noble, saying that we should resist the game, not be oppressed by it, and save the world.”

“But… but without the Horror Game, we would just be cats and dogs, never able to take on human forms or think about so many problems.”

“So compared to humans and evil spirits, we should actually be more focused on maintaining the game’s dominance.”

“Don’t forget that without the game, we would always be just cats and dogs.”

Ignoring the players’ confusion at not understanding the “meows,” the little white cat continued: “Unless neither cats nor dogs want to become humans, but I don’t think that’s what you mean. You don’t seem unwilling to become human; you just think there are too few opportunities to do so.”

“What kind of deal is this, an unfair one with demons? If demons forced you, you could complain, but it seems you’re willing to be forced by them.”

“It’s just that you’re complaining that the demons aren’t giving you enough.”

Lin Qiao’s words from the little white cat were too shocking. This was the first time the pets on the scene had heard such a statement—actually speaking in favor of the Horror Game.