Bai Fuling had played every imaginable racing game before.
Extreme Speed Racing.
Street Rampage.
Legendary Racers.
And even various Crash Simulator games.
Well, except for the last one, all that experience could be applied here.
At first, controlling everything felt somewhat unfamiliar.
But relying on the same stubborn perseverance he had developed from fishing in Stardew Valley, Bai Fuling forcefully mastered the controls.
You absolutely could not lose the mini games inside an RPG!
Liao Zhiqiu was squeezed inside the wobbling trash can.
Even in the face of such an utterly absurd situation, his expression remained remarkably calm.
His heavily shadowed eyes drifted backward briefly before he asked,
“Why is that vehicle chasing you?”
Bai Fuling was busy gripping the rope and steering the gray wolf’s direction of travel.
When he saw the dialogue box pop up on the screen, his first instinct was to answer:
“It’s not chasing me. It’s chasing you.”
That would naturally trigger the next story conversation and allow him to gather more quest information.
But just before speaking, he suddenly remembered the character profile he had unlocked for Liao Zhiqiu earlier.
Unable to resist, he decided to test one more thing before advancing the quest.
The relationship between Liao Zhiqiu’s Favorability and animal like behavior.
With that thought in mind, Bai Fuling paused to think for half a second before typing into the dialogue box:
“Maybe because… I bit one of his pet sparrows?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he saw a small pink Favorability number pop up above the dark eyed pixel NPC’s head.
Bai Fuling: …
Wait.
It really increased Favorability just like that?!
Although he had already suspected as much, witnessing it happen with his own eyes was still astonishing.
At this point, Bai Fuling felt he had finally figured it out.
In front of Liao Zhiqiu, the closer one’s appearance, behavior and mannerisms resembled a small animal, the easier it was to earn Favorability.
Come to think of it, Liao Zhiqiu seemed to have trouble distinguishing between humans and animals.
This wasn’t an insult.
It was simply an objective observation.
The dark eyed pixel NPC appeared to suffer from moderate cognitive impairment.
Bai Fuling couldn’t imagine any normal NPC looking at another person and sincerely categorizing them as an animal.
Yet Liao Zhiqiu clearly did.
“You bit his pet sparrow because you were hungry. That’s instinct,” Liao Zhiqiu analyzed slowly.
“Chasing after you because of that is emotional. That’s impulsive.”
A brief pause followed.
“Therefore, he was wrong.”
Bai Fuling immediately leaned backward in tactical retreat.
A sense of awe filled his heart.
What the….
He was biased toward animals to this extent?
This was practically the Chief Magistrate of the Animal Kingdom!
After a moment, Bai Fuling suppressed the torrent of internal complaints and redirected the conversation back toward the important matter at hand.
The quest.
“I heard that man say he was looking for you.”
Bai Fuling summarized the important parts of what the tall NPC had told him earlier.
“It sounded like it was your grandfather’s request.”
The instant he finished speaking, a cluster of black scribbles appeared above the dark eyed pixel character’s head.
Then Liao Zhiqiu slowly pulled a knife from his waist.
Bai Fuling’s first thought was:
Wow.
I knew NPC weapons automatically refreshed!
Then a second thought followed.
Why are you drawing a knife?
Do you really hate the idea of going home and inheriting a fortune worth millions that much?
Could opportunities like that be transferred to players instead?
“…Oh.”
Liao Zhiqiu lightly rubbed the blade in his hand.
“So it’s that day again.”
“That day?”
Like an experienced quest player, Bai Fuling instantly seized upon the key phrase hidden inside the NPC’s dialogue and pursued it.
“The cat’s day.”
Liao Zhiqiu said quietly,
“Tomorrow is its birthday.”
What a touching story of a pet owner and their beloved companion.
This sounded like an incredibly wholesome and heartwarming quest.
At least, that’s what Bai Fuling thought.
Combining the information about the grandfather and Liao Zhiqiu’s attitude, it felt suspiciously similar to a beginner quest.
Perhaps something along the lines of:
An old fashioned grandfather opposes excessive pet pampering and the player must help a young owner evade parental supervision in order to celebrate their pet’s birthday.
…
However.
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed inconsistent with the quest description of [The Cat’s Secret].
Bai Fuling reopened the quest panel and took another look.
[[The Cat’s Secret]: One day, the family cat stopped meowing. Grandfather forbade anyone from ever mentioning it again but Liao Zhiqiu still remembers that day and Grandfather has always tried to stop him.]
Bai Fuling reread the text carefully.
Based on his experience with mystery solving quests, he didn’t think this was merely about celebrating a birthday.
The cat stopped meowing…
Was the cat even still alive?
Why was Grandfather so concerned about that day?
Liao Zhiqiu seemed to suffer from moderate or perhaps even severe cognitive impairment.
And in the quest description,
Was the “cat” actually a cat?
Or was it a “cat”?
Thoughts flickered through his mind.
After a brief pause, Bai Fuling asked,
“Is that so? Then happy birthday to your cat. Where are you planning to spend the day?”
Liao Zhiqiu didn’t answer.
Instead, he glanced at Bai Fuling.
“You’re injured.”
After a moment, he added,
“I’ll take you to a clinic later.”
Hey!
The quest arrow is already drawn on the bowstring, so why isn’t it firing?
Do I have to restore my status completely before the story can continue?
Bai Fuling hurriedly waved his hands.
“No need, no need! Just give me a few more cat treats!”
Food was the universal cure all for players.
His HP bar was already almost full. Just a little more recovery and the bleeding status effect would disappear entirely.
“I don’t have any left.”
Liao Zhiqiu replied.
“I’ll bring more for you next time.”
Oh no.
At that moment, Bai Fuling suddenly regretted some of his earlier decisions.
If only he hadn’t tested the cabin window.
If only he hadn’t jumped from a moving vehicle and rolled across the ground.
The reckless fun of the past had now transformed into obstacles blocking future quests.
Fortunately, the next stage of the quest seemed to begin tomorrow.
There was still time to restore his HP without missing anything.
Thus Bai Fuling immediately asked,
“Then where will you be waiting for me tomorrow?”
Liao Zhiqiu didn’t think much of the question.
He assumed Bai Fuling was simply asking where to collect more cat treats.
A faint smile curved his lips.
“Behind the school alley gate.”
“Come in the morning.”
Good.
Bai Fuling let out a sigh of relief.
Confirming the next time and location directly from an NPC meant the quest progression had been successfully recorded.
Only then did he notice something else.
The gray wolf’s running speed had noticeably decreased.
Its blue stamina bar had fallen to roughly one sixth remaining.
The stamina was almost gone!
Well.
Objectively speaking, dragging a trash can full of passengers down a public road was exhausting work.
Bai Fuling found that perfectly understandable.
Rapid stamina consumption was only natural.
Honestly, the game’s mechanics were surprisingly reasonable.
Jumping from buildings, windows and vehicles all cost HP.
Pulling people, pulling carts and hauling loads consumed mount stamina at different rates.
Even players as resourceful as himself couldn’t always find loopholes to exploit.
Fortunately, one of their pursuers had already dropped out.
The ambulance had followed for a while before giving up.
Perhaps it had realized the “patient” looked more energetic than the doctors.
If the chase continued, nobody knew who would end up in the hospital.
Only the van remained.
Relentless.
Persistent.
Still chasing closely behind.
Bai Fuling rotated the camera.
They had reached a bridge spanning a river.
Three seconds.
That was all he needed to think.
If he wanted to escape the van, where should he go next?
The gray wolf’s stamina was nearly depleted.
Continuing to race forward would be the dumbest possible option.
There was no way they could outrun a van.
Therefore, the correct answer was to go upward.
Climb.
If they climbed onto the enormous decorative support pillars of the bridge, the van wouldn’t be able to follow.
At that point, it would simply become a contest of who could climb higher, faster and better.
Bai Fuling felt extremely confident about this.
He had practiced climbing at school before.
Granted, this time he also had to bring Liao Zhiqiu.
But that shouldn’t be a problem.
Worst case scenario, he could wear Liao Zhiqiu as a backpack accessory.
Come to think of it…
Could NPCs even be used as accessories?
And if they could, would it lower Favorability?
His thoughts wandered for a second before snapping back.
He focused completely on the challenge ahead.
Tarzan Mini Game.
Activate!
Grabbing the rope, Bai Fuling steered the gray wolf into a sharp turn toward the bridge supports.
A shrill horn blared.
A cargo truck was speeding toward them.
Huh?
Were the pixel vehicles in RPG games not just background decorations?
Could they actually hit players?
Bai Fuling found the idea fascinating.
Still, he wasn’t willing to test it.
After all, he was transporting another NPC.
Players might not die from being hit.
But what if the NPC did?
The quest would definitely fail automatically.
Thus, drawing upon years of racing game experience, Bai Fuling executed a perfect drift and narrowly avoided the oncoming truck.
Success.
Yet another screech echoed behind him.
Bai Fuling immediately rotated the camera.
Then he saw it.
The pursuing van had smashed through part of the bridge railing.
It flew into the air and plunged into the river below.
Apparently, the driver had tried to mirror Bai Fuling’s sudden turn.
The van hadn’t slowed down.
Then the truck appeared in the opposite lane.
In the resulting panic, the driver swerved and slammed directly into the bridge’s edge.
By the time Bai Fuling completed his maneuver, he had already stopped.
Staring at the sinking vehicle, he blinked in shock.
Wait.
NPCs can get into traffic accidents?
Liao Zhiqiu climbed out of the trash can.
Standing quietly nearby, his expression remained completely unchanged.
He was extraordinarily indifferent toward his own kind.
Even witnessing an accident failed to stir any emotions.
Not to mention that the people involved had been sent by his grandfather.
Thus he merely said,
“Oh.”
Then:
“Let’s go.”
But Bai Fuling didn’t turn around.
Instead, he sprinted toward the broken railing.
Leapt over it.
And jumped straight into the river.
Because under normal circumstances, NPCs weren’t supposed to get into traffic accidents.
Which meant there had to be story content here.
Besides, if he remembered correctly, the tall NPC still carried clues related to the [Sweet Dreams] quest and the hunt for the murderer.
This NPC absolutely could not disappear.
Bai Fuling plunged into the water and immediately guided his pixel character toward the sinking, damaged van.
The front windshield was almost completely shattered.
Inside, Guan Jizhong had fallen into a semi conscious state due to the tremendous impact.
The seatbelt still bound him to his seat.
Blood drifted through the river water.
…Was this how he was going to die?
Guan Jizhong thought hazily.
Perhaps…
Being reunited with his younger sister wouldn’t be so bad.
But he still hadn’t found her killer.
He still hadn’t avenged her.
No.
He couldn’t die yet.
Guan Jizhong tried to struggle.
Yet he lacked even the strength to unfasten his seatbelt.
Pain consumed his entire body.
In the end, all he could do was rely on instinct, desperately holding his breath to keep the freezing river water from flooding his nose and mouth.
It accomplished nothing except delaying death.
Through his fading consciousness, Guan Jizhong vaguely saw a glowing angelic halo.
Warm colored light radiated from it.
Within the dark river, it became the only source of illumination.
…So this really is the end.
He almost laughed.
So angels and heaven actually exist…
Just before consciousness drifted away completely, he saw the figure beneath the halo approach.
The face was beautiful.
Its cheeks carried a soft, slightly adorable fullness.
Even underwater, those dark eyes remained bright and crystal clear.
The tiny fish tail braid beside the left ear floated gently in the current.
Wait.
For perhaps the first time in a long while, Guan Jizhong’s thoughts stalled.
Why did the angel who came to escort him into heaven look exactly like that mysterious lunatic who had been jumping around everywhere earlier?
……
Author’s Note:
Bai Fuling: NPC, you absolutely cannot die yet! I still haven’t finished my quest!
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A little coffee for the person who made these words happen? (｡•́‿•̀｡)
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Escape game freezesChapter 2 · Players aren’t allowed to use the main entranceChapter 3 · Players have created a medical miracle!Chapter 4 · If I hit the NPC more, will the NPC drop gold coins?Chapter 5 · Players earn the title of “bus weirdo”Chapter 6 · Players get a prison experienceChapter 7 · So the red bar isn’t for favorability, it’s for anger!Chapter 8 · The player is a nimble catChapter 9 · The player is a “law-abiding” good studentChapter 10 · Players have no morals and are fearlessChapter 11 · Player: What’s wrong? It’s called “Cai Cai Shui Ling LingChapter 12 · The player is the famous Farmer Detective!Chapter 13 · The player raised a new petChapter 14 · The player is a genius dog-riding boyChapter 15 · The player is a sticky, helpful, and kind comradeChapter 16 · It turns out that players aren’t considered human by NPCsChapter 17 · Players are like angels descending upon my side!Chapter 18 · Player: There’s only one truth!Chapter 19 · Why are players farming at the school?!Chapter 20 · Players came to the cafeteria to buy suppliesChapter 21 · Are NPCs model workers?Chapter 22 · If you’re a gay manChapter 23 · Player: Wheelchairs are a useful mode of transportation!Chapter 24 · So the player is actually part of Cat Returns (?)Chapter 25 · Liao Zhi Qiu, a large pet belonging to the playerChapter 26 · Player: Hello, I picked up this corpse.Chapter 27 · Bai Fuling: Players will never dieChapter 28 · Has the murderer been caught?Chapter 29 · Player: Visiting the mental hospital felt as familiar as coming homeChapter 30 · Players’ Adventure in the Mental Hospital: Round 1Chapter 31 · Player: Kid, fly!Chapter 32 · The player who does good deeds every day is truly a good personChapter 33 · The kitten brought back some local specialtiesChapter 34 · Let this adorable kitten stay forever?Chapter 35 · Players, don’t give up on being human!Chapter 36 · A kitten is just a kitten, isn’t it?Chapter 37 · Players want it, players get itChapter 38 · Angel Player and Unlucky Bear NPCChapter 39 · In short, players choose to throw at NPCsChapter 40 · The player just flew away!Chapter 41 · Player: You need to thoroughly understand the bookChapter 42 · Players love to tease honest NPCs.Chapter 43 · He said he was a little hungry.Chapter 44 · Even if cotton essence mutatesChapter 45 · Pure Love TentaclesChapter 46 · Choose to be a kitten?Chapter 47 · Players’ tears are weaponsChapter 48 · Players do not need to breatheChapter 49 · It’s on fire!Chapter 50 · The player is a top-tier rescue masterChapter 51 · How did the player manage to resurrect after killing themselves?!Chapter 52 · Call the player “Little Cat King”!Chapter 53 · What are the consequences of raising the cat-like alienation