Chapter 13: Cat and Mouse (5)

The two returned to the inn, now eerily deserted, its silence pressing against the walls.

Su Luo slipped into Shuibei’s room first, her eyes scanning every corner until they landed on something peculiar under the bed: a cat-faced mask, its whiskers stark against the dim light.

In her mind, Su Luo pieced it together.

With this mask, there’d have been no need for cosmetics—no fuss of makeup or its removal.

But Shuibei, blissfully unaware of the need to cleanse her disguise, had paid the ultimate price.

A tragedy, writ large in careless ignorance.

Next, Su Luo ventured into Little Hua’s room, her gaze catching on a small box by the bedside, overlooked in her previous visits.

She lifted the lid to reveal a single black pill, split by a thin yellow line, glinting with ominous promise.

She rummaged through the room, hoping for some clue—an instruction manual, perhaps—but found nothing.

With a sigh, Su Luo pocketed the pill, its purpose a nagging mystery.

Her final stop was the first victim’s room, where, unsurprisingly, a plush toy shaped like an adorable mouse lay nestled on the bed.

A headache pulsed at Su Luo’s temples.

How could a beginner’s dungeon be this brutal?

Three deaths just to clear it?

The truth dawned on her: the dungeon had already laid out the solution, plain as day, if only they’d trusted their instincts.

If, from the start, they’d believed this was a cooperative dungeon and shared their findings—revealed their hidden items—things could’ve been different.

Su Luo could’ve walked away.

Shuibei could’ve donned the mask, freeing up two sets of cosmetics and sparing two lives.

The pill’s purpose remained unclear, but it was likely a key to the dungeon’s puzzle.

As for the mouse plush, Su Luo hadn’t quite cracked its role yet.

She let out a weary sigh, the game’s sinister design sinking in.

It thrived on players’ mistrust, setting traps that preyed on their guarded hearts.

Ji Hei trailed behind her, his silence heavy as he took in the items.

The dungeon’s pitfalls were unavoidable, a cruel setup no one could sidestep.

“Don’t take it too hard,” Ji Hei said, breaking the quiet.

“This game’s built to toy with us. Unless you’re playing with a bunch of naive optimists, who’d be foolish enough to share critical clues?”

Su Luo shook her head.

“I’m not upset. I’m just thinking about how to handle this next time. I wasn’t careful enough. If I’d realized everyone had a hidden item when I found my perfume, we might’ve saved more lives.”

Ji Hei gave her a strange look, one eyebrow quirked.

“What, turning into a saint now?”

Su Luo rolled her eyes, exasperated.

“Saint, my foot. I’m just learning from my mistakes. It’s my first dungeon—I was too careless.”

Relief flickered across Ji Hei’s face, and he chuckled.

“Fair enough. I didn’t see this coming either. Thought we’d sniffed out all the traps already.”

But deep down, Ji Hei knew the truth: he hadn’t cared enough about the others’ fates to notice.

Their search through the inn stretched on, and before they knew it, noon had crept up on them.

Brother Hu strode in, his voice cutting through the stillness.

“Uncle Ai mentioned a feast for today. I’m betting it’s a trap—a real Hongmen Banquet. What’s your plan?”

Su Luo shrugged, her tone steady.

“We’ll meet force with force, flood with earth. Simple as that.”

She paused, then added, “When the time comes, keep Uncle Ai distracted for me.”

The others nodded.

Just then, footsteps echoed, and a voice rang out before its owner appeared.

“What’re you all chatting about? Sounding so lively!”

It was Uncle Ai.

“Oh, just wondering about that feast you promised!” Brother Hu said quickly, forcing a grin.

“Really? Well, come along then—you’re in for a surprise!” Uncle Ai’s laugh boomed, but his smile carried a sinister edge that set Su Luo’s nerves on edge.

They followed him to the dining room, where a bowl of creamy white soup awaited each of them, its rich aroma curling through the air, tempting and dangerous.

It looked divine.

The group swallowed hard, their mouths watering despite themselves.

Uncle Ai beamed, clearly pleased.

“This is a traditional dish of our cat clan, passed down from ancient times. For cats, it grants long life. It’s been ages since we’ve had newcomers, but drink this, and you’ll officially join our Cat Village!”

Su Luo’s mind raced.

Long life for cats—but what about mice?

Joining the village… did that mean they could never leave?

The soup, once inviting, now sent a chill down her spine.

They sat, and Su Luo shot Ji Hei a subtle glance.

He sprang up, all charm and said, “Uncle Ai, we’re so grateful the village is taking us in! You must’ve pulled some strings for us—thank you!”

Brother Hu chimed in, “Yeah, and this precious soup? We’re beyond grateful.”

In that moment, Su Luo deftly slipped a prepared cat hair into her bowl and gasped, “Oh no! There’s cat hair in my soup!”

All eyes turned to the pale strand floating in the creamy broth.

She stood, stamping her foot with theatrical indignation.

“This is filthy! I’m not drinking this!”

With that, she stormed off.

Uncle Ai scrambled to stop her.

“Now, now, little lady, don’t be upset. How about I get you a fresh bowl?”

Su Luo whirled on him, her voice sharp.

“A fresh bowl? If there’s hair in this one, the whole pot’s probably contaminated! This is disgusting—I’m not touching it!”

Uncle Ai, sweating now, stammered, “I could make a new batch, how’s that?”

Su Luo crossed her arms, her tone dripping with disdain.

“Didn’t you say this soup was precious? And now you’re just whipping up another pot like it’s nothing?”

“I… that’s not…” Uncle Ai faltered, but Su Luo cut him off.

“Hmph! Some shady vendors will do anything to scam people.”

Ignoring his darkening expression, she pointed at Ji Hei and Brother Hu.

“I’m not drinking this, and neither are you!”

With that, she stormed upstairs.

Ji Hei shot Uncle Ai an apologetic look, then dragged Brother Hu along to “calm her down.”

In the room, Brother Hu let out a low whistle.

“Bravo! You went full diva back there. You’re like a detective, picking apart every hole in his story. I bet Uncle Ai’s fuming.”

Ji Hei studied Su Luo, as if seeing her anew, but wisely dropped his gaze before she could snap.

“We probably cleared that stage,” he said, serious now.

“Uncle Ai won’t try anything for a bit. Shall we tackle the hidden tasks next?”

Brother Hu’s eyes widened.

“You’re chasing hidden tasks too?”

After their recent teamwork, Su Luo and Ji Hei saw no point in hiding it.

“Yeah,” Su Luo said.

“We’re digging into Cat Village’s secrets.”

Brother Hu hesitated, then pulled a slip of paper from his pocket.

“Found this in my luggage,” he said, handing it over.

They unfolded it to reveal an instruction manual.

It read: “Eat half to enter a false death state. If no one else takes the other half, the user will truly die after ten days. (Swallowing it whole has no effect.) —Cosmos Corp.”

Stunned, they looked up at Brother Hu.

“I searched my luggage top to bottom after finding this,” he said, “but nothing matched the description.”

Su Luo pulled out the box from Little Hua’s room.

Brother Hu gaped.

“That’s…?” Su Luo sighed.

“Found it in her room. Looks like it goes with your manual.”

Brother Hu’s face twisted with regret.

“If I’d known when Little Hua came to my room, I would’ve pressed her for answers before… well, before she was out.”

Su Luo didn’t pry into how he’d outmaneuvered Little Hua—everyone had their secrets, and pushing would only sour things.

Instead, she laid out all their items: the perfume, the protective suit, the cat mask, the pill with its manual, and the mouse plush.

She grabbed a notebook and started jotting down their purposes.

Perfume: Gains NPC favor.  

Protective suit: Passes through the village’s barrier.  

Cat mask: Replaces cosmetics.  

Pill and manual: Induces false death to survive seven days, with major risks.  

Mouse plush: …?

She bit her lip, stumped by the plush.

Ji Hei spoke up, “Three hidden tasks—Cat Village secrets, escaping the village, and clearing hatred. The plush likely ties to the last one. How about we split the items?”

They agreed.

Su Luo claimed the protective suit.

“I’ve got a knack for this one,” she said.

The others nodded—using it to escape the village was tricky, whether worn early or at the barrier itself.

Ji Hei took the perfume and said, “I’m curious about the village’s secrets.”

Brother Hu grabbed the plush and said, “This’ll do for me.”

Ji Hei, in a generous mood, pointed him toward a boy’s house.

“The plush is for kids. They’re less hostile to mice—perfect for winning them over.”

With the loot divided, they split up.

Su Luo hurried to her room, slipped on the protective suit, and activated her skill.

In a blink, she stood before the barrier.

Before anyone could react, she stepped through.

“Dungeon cleared.”