The group also understood that they couldn't wait any longer.
Once the Cat-Faced Old Lady finished eating those scattered players, it would be their turn to become her “fresh” food.
Seven people, six who could move.
They had to face over a hundred black cats, dozens of human-headed rat villagers, and an evolving Boss.
Despite the ridiculously massive gap in strength, they had no way out.
Take a step forward, and there might still be a sliver of hope.
Retreat, and they would truly be waiting for death.
Su Ya forced herself to draw up a plan, speaking rapidly and with clear logic:
“Yang Asha, you have great strength. In a moment, charge from the front to catch them off guard and throw the place into chaos first.”
“Uncle Lin, take your cleaver and flank them. Focus on hacking any cats that pounce, and don't let them surround us. If the cat horde attacks, you can use the villagers as shields.”
“Yang Hexuan, find a high vantage point. I don't care if you throw plates, bowls, or anything you can get your hands on—just disrupt the cats' line of sight and cover us.”
“Zhou Hui, Ouyang Qiu, find an opportunity to use the lime to drive the cats away.”
“I'll deal supplementary damage and help Yang Asha get close to the Cat-Faced Old Lady. Does everyone have that?”
“Got it!”
Several of them answered in hushed voices, a fierce, death-defying light igniting in their eyes.
When people were pushed to their absolute limit, watching their own kind being devoured bit by bit, a natural, ruthless resolve would inevitably surface.
Su Ya took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the Cat-Faced Old Lady, who was leisurely licking her claws on the high stage:
“Move!”
Yang Asha was the first to stand, grabbing a table and flipping it over with a loud crash.
Plates, bowls, soup, and water spilled all over the ground, sending broken porcelain shards flying everywhere.
The stray cats at the neighboring tables were startled, their fur standing on end as they jumped up and shrieked.
“Meowww—”
Clatter, clatter—
The young girl didn't stop. Holding the elm doorbolt, she stepped onto the tables and charged forward.
With her class bonuses, her footsteps were fast and steady, much like a wild deer in the mountains. In just a few bounds, she reached the front of the high stage.
“Ha!”
She let out a loud shout, swinging the doorbolt in a wide arc, sweeping it toward several large cats guarding the edge of the stage.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dull thuds rang out one after another.
Two or three cats as large as small dogs were struck, flying backward like tattered sacks and slamming into the pillars, letting out a series of agonizing screeches.
“Meowww!”
“Meow, meow, meow!”
“Meowww!!”
The cat horde instantly erupted.
An uproar of caterwauls echoed across the threshing ground as dozens of black cats stood up simultaneously, arching their backs and bristling their fur as they lunged at Yang Asha.
“Great hit! Me next!”
Yang Hexuan climbed onto a nearby table, grabbing the porcelain plates and bowls and hurling them into the cat horde as if they cost nothing.
A continuous din of shattering porcelain filled the air.
Shards flew in all directions, forcing the cats to scurry for cover.
Lin Jianguo arched his back, his blood pumping as he rushed forward with his cleaver to help.
He didn't stay to fight in one place, striking once and then moving to another, keeping to the periphery of the cat horde to draw pressure away from Yang Asha.
Zhou Hui and Ouyang Qiu clutched their packets of lime. Crouching and using the tables as cover, they grabbed handfuls of lime and threw them into the cats' eyes—
“Asha, watch out!”
Su Ya followed close behind Yang Asha with her shovel head in hand. Whenever a cat tried to sneak up on them from the side, she would swing the shovel at it.
Cat fur and blood splattered everywhere, making her hands incredibly sticky in no time.
Yet, Su Ya put her entire strength into every single strike.
Thud!
Another stray cat was smacked away, reduced to a bloody pulp.
To her surprise, the initial terror in Su Ya's heart had vanished, leaving only a numb, icy calm.
Being soft-hearted meant death.
The old lady was indeed pitiable, but they only wanted to survive.
Being soft-hearted toward cats and enemies was cruel to themselves and their teammates.
The entire birthday feast descended into complete chaos.
Paper dolls were knocked askew, their paper hands shedding flakes with rustling sounds.
Tables were overturned everywhere, and soup spilled across the ground.
The screeches of cats, battle cries, the shattering of porcelain, and the snapping of bones mixed together like a boiling pot of congealed chaos.
The villagers also snapped out of it. Halting their work, they began to squeak and bite back at the cat horde.
They were numerous and felt no pain, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.
“Lime! Quick!”
With the rat horde keeping the cats occupied, Su Ya successfully approached the coffin. With a loud shout, she drove her shovel into the neck of an old cat pouncing on Zhou Hui!
Blood splattered, a few drops even landing near her eyes.
“Die!”
Zhou Hui and Ouyang Qiu seized the opportunity. Rushing to either side of the coffin, they tore open their packets of lime and threw them fiercely at the Cat-Faced Old Lady!
Whoosh—
The white lime powder was like a dense fog, blanketing the Cat-Faced Old Lady from all directions.
“Awooo!”
The Cat-Faced Old Lady shrieked as the lime powder got right in its face:
“Meowww!!!”
An agonizing, voice-cracking screech erupted from the monster's throat.
It abruptly stood up, every single strand of its black fur bristling like a giant hedgehog.
It rubbed at its face with its claws, but the lime had already entered its eye sockets, burning it with unbearable pain.
Its furious roars vibrated through the entire threshing ground, making everyone's ears ring.
Hearing the cry, all the stray cats instantly went wild.
Ignoring all casualties, they charged frantically toward the high stage.
The human-headed rats also squeaked and shrieked, intensifying their attacks.
“It worked!”
Yang Hexuan shouted excitedly.
But in the next second, his smile vanished.
The crazed cat horde was even more terrifying.
They feared neither pain nor death, throwing themselves forward one after another like a black tide.
Lin Hao was torn apart like a tattered rag, scattered here, there, and everywhere...
Yang Asha was forced to retreat repeatedly.
The wounds on Lin Jianguo's body multiplied.
Zhou Hui and Ouyang Qiu were cornered by the cats. Back-to-back, they frantically swung tables and stools around—
Su Ya was also having a hard time. Several deep claw marks had been added to her shoulders, the flesh torn open and raw, making her gasp in pain:
“The lime can only hurt it temporarily; it won't kill it! We can't wait for it to recover!”
She yelled at the top of her lungs, “Asha! Find a chance to attack its body! Go for its eyes! Go for its throat!”
“Understood!”
Yang Asha called back. Bearing the scratches of a cat, she charged to the edge of the stage, swung the doorbolt, and slammed it down toward the Cat-Faced Old Lady's head!
Thud!
A heavy impact rang out.
Although the Cat-Faced Old Lady was blind, her hearing was incredibly sharp. Detecting the wind from the strike, she jerked her head aside.
The doorbolt struck her shoulder.
Her shroud was torn, black fur flew, and blood began to seep out.
But the injury wasn't severe.
“Meowww—”
Hurting, the Cat-Faced Old Lady grew even more furious.
She swept a claw viciously forward, following the sound.
The speed was so fast it left only a black afterimage.
Unable to dodge in time, Yang Asha could only use the doorbolt to block.
Snap!
The doorbolt, crafted from solid elm wood, was actually snapped in two by a single claw strike!
The residual force carried through, the claws slicing across Yang Asha's calf, causing blood to spurt.
【Architect Skill Activated】!
A translucent white light barrier suddenly rose in front of Yang Asha—just in time to block the Cat-Faced Old Lady's next claw strike.
Without a second thought, Su Ya rushed forward, raising her shovel and thrusting the already warped iron blade directly at the old lady's throat!
Clang!
A metallic clash resounded.
Several deep scratches were carved into the shovel, and the recoil sent Su Ya stumbling back, her hands numb.
“Sister Su Ya!”
Yang Asha inside the barrier grew anxious and reached out to pull her back, but Su Ya, filled with a grim determination, lunged even closer to the Cat-Faced Old Lady!
!
!!
“Meowww!”
The Cat-Faced Old Lady opened her mouth and bit down hard. The sound of cracking bones exploded, and everyone thought Su Ya had lost her mind!
But in the next second, Su Ya let out a smug smile. “You fell for it.”
In her other hand, she had somehow acquired another packet of lime powder and two yellow talismans.
—【Yellow Talisman Paper (Quest Item): A yellow talisman drawn by a feng shui master using cinnabar, watermarks, tiger urine, and peach wood ash. It possesses marvelous effects.】
In the next instant, Su Ya fiercely shoved these items right into the Cat-Faced Old Lady's mouth!
The Cat-Faced Old Lady froze instantly.
Following that, a “he-he” choking sound came from her throat, as if she were being strangled by something.
Black smoke billowed from her mouth, nose, and eyes, growing thicker and thicker, carrying a pungent, burnt smell:
“Meow... meowww...”
She let out painful whimpers, her body twitching violently as her claws frantically scratched at her own throat, trying to claw the talismans out.
Yang Asha lunged forward and dragged Su Ya back into the barrier.
The people below the stage breathed a sigh of relief.
The talismans worked!
But before they could celebrate for long, the Cat-Faced Old Lady suddenly stopped twitching.
She slowly raised her head.
In her blood-red eyes, hatred practically overflowed.
The talismans had injured her and dispersed a portion of her resentment, but it was far from enough to kill her. Instead, it had completely enraged her.
“Roar!!!”
A roar that sounded neither cat nor human erupted from her throat.
Her body expanded at a visible rate, her black fur growing wildly, and her claws becoming longer and sharper. The human skin on her face rapidly receded, turning her entirely into a giant black cat.
Only her silhouette still retained a faint trace of human form.
Thud! Thud, thud, thud!!!
A colossal force slammed against the barrier, producing dull thuds.
The light barrier shook violently, spiderwebbed with dense cracks.
It wouldn't even last three minutes!
The surrounding stray cats also closed in, layer upon layer, packing the area like a black tide.
“What do we do? The barrier won't last much longer!” Zhou Hui cried out in a panic from the side.
If Su Ya and Yang Asha died, would they even be able to escape?
Ouyang Qiu certainly did not want to die right now.
If she could live, why die?
Moreover, she had awakened a class. Although she didn't know what the future held, it would surely be a magnificent and mystical adventure.
Her gaze swept under the tables and behind the stage, catching sight of a grayish-black shadow moving in the darkness beside the high stage.
It was very small, like a large rat.
It was peeking around, trying to slip away unnoticed.
It was Huang Facai, who had turned into a human-headed rat.
...
...
...
Thud!
Once the three minutes were up, the barrier shattered on cue.
The Cat-Faced Old Lady's claw swept forward with a gust of blood-scented wind. Yang Asha was the first to lunge out, holding her shovel horizontally to block the blow with all her might.
“Go!”
She let out a loud shout, using all her strength to push Su Ya away.
On the other side, Lin Jianguo and Yang Hexuan had already been overwhelmed by the cat horde.
Just when everyone was in despair, a terrified squeak saved them!
“Squeak!!!”
Zhou Hui and Ouyang Qiu found a sudden burst of strength from somewhere, forcing the human-headed rat close, and Yang Asha immediately gave it a powerful shove!
The slippery human-headed rat flailed and struggled in mid-air, landing with a soft thud right at the giant cat's feet.
Just as he tried to scramble up and run, the giant black cat suddenly froze, lowering its head and leaning in to sniff him.
Its previously explosive rage abruptly subsided.
A complex emotion flashed in its blood-red eyes.
There was venom, hatred, and a very faint, human-like confusion.
The air grew still for a few seconds.
The stray cats halted their attacks, the human-headed rats stopped fleeing, and the players held their breath.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on this pair of “mother and son.”
“Squeak, squeak! Mother, it's me! It's your eldest son!”
Huang Facai shook violently in terror, collapsing to the ground and bowing repeatedly to the Cat-Faced Old Lady, whimpering and begging for mercy.
The Cat-Faced Old Lady stared at him, motionless.
Suddenly, she spoke.
It wasn't a fierce caterwaul, but an old, weak female voice choked with tears.
The voice squeezed out of her throat, halting and disjointed, like an old radio playing on a loop:
“Eldest son...”
Huang Facai froze, raising his head, his eyes filled with sheer terror.
He could understand.
That was his mother's voice.
“Eldest son, Mom is so cold...”
The elderly voice continued, carrying endless grievance and sorrow:
“You locked the door and wouldn't let Mom inside... Mom called out all night, but you wouldn't open it...”
“Eldest son, Mom is so hungry... You took all the rice and flour, Mom had nothing to eat...”
“You said you wanted to do business, to make big money. Mom gave you all her life savings... How could you treat Mom like this...”
Every sentence, every word, was Old Lady Huang's despair before her death.
—It was her begging as she knocked on the door, her agonizing pain as she lay in bed starving to death.
All the stray cats began to wail mournfully, as if providing an accompaniment.
The Cat-Faced Old Lady's body trembled slightly.
Her face shifted repeatedly, turning into a cat's face one moment and the wrinkled face of an old lady the next:
“Eldest son, didn't you use to say that when Mom got old, you would take care of her?”
Old Lady Huang's voice rang out again, slightly gentler, as if coaxing her son when he was a child.
“You said you'd let Mom live in a big house, eat the best foods, and enjoy her golden years...”
“Look, Mom has given you everything you wanted.”
The moment those words fell, the surrounding scene suddenly changed.
The threshing ground vanished.
The continuous banquet, black cats, human-headed rats, and paper dolls all dissipated.
In their place was a magnificent, golden estate.
Green bricks, green tiles, and vermilion gates, with mountains of gold and silver piled high in the courtyard, glittering brilliantly.
Sleek, shiny cars were parked at the entrance. In the courtyard stood plump paper servant boys and girls, smiling and bowing.
The ground beneath Su Ya and the others' feet turned into a smooth cobblestone pathway.
It was all paper offerings—things meant for the dead.
Old Lady Huang wanted to give all these “good things” to her eldest son.
“Eldest son, look.”
The Cat-Faced Old Lady—no, she resembled Old Lady Huang more now.
Most of the cat fur on her face had receded, revealing the old lady's withered face as she gazed gently at Huang Facai on the ground:
“All of these are things you burned for Mom.”
“High-rise mansions, gold, silver, jewelry, cars, servants... they're all yours.”
“Everything you wanted before, Mom is giving to you.”
Her voice was incredibly tender, but it sent shivers down everyone's spines.
The human-headed rat Huang Facai trembled even more violently, shrinking back as much as he could.
“Why aren't you happy, eldest son? You should smile.”
Old Lady Huang tilted her head:
“Didn't you always say that Mom was useless and couldn't give you a good life?”
“Now Mom is capable.”
“Mom can give you everything you want.”
She slowly bent down and reached out her hand toward Huang Facai.
The back of her hand still had cat fur, and her nails were long and sharp.
“Since you always complained that Mom was useless and felt like Mom was a burden to you...”
Her voice grew colder bit by bit, her gentle expression twisting into venomous malice.
“Then Mom will stuff you back into her belly and give birth to you all over again.”
“This time, Mom will make sure you're born with endless wealth and luxury.”
“How about that, eldest son?”
The moment her words fell, the giant cat suddenly opened its mouth.
The mouth opened incredibly wide, to an unnatural angle, like a snake, splitting almost to its ears.
Inside was a pitch-black throat, carrying a heavy, blood-scented stench.
Huang Facai let out a piercing shriek and turned to run.
But it was too late.
Old Lady Huang's hand was as fast as lightning, pinning his head down.
Then, she bit down hard on his neck.
Snap.
The crisp sound of cracking bones.
Huang Facai's screams cut off instantly. His body twitched twice, then went completely still.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Old Lady Huang chewed slowly, her throat swallowing as she gulped down her eldest son's corpse bit by bit.
Blood dripped down the corners of her mouth, staining her shroud red.
Everyone watched this scene, feeling chilled to the bone.
Huang Facai had truly returned to his mother's belly.
After swallowing Huang Facai, the giant black cat slowly stood up and stared at Su Ya and the others.
The stray cats grew restless, circling the high stage.
Su Ya swore she had never wanted to see Huang Facai's other three brothers more.
If she had a chance to start over, she would have cooked those four bastards into a dish and delivered them on the very first day.
Just when everyone thought the Cat-Faced Old Lady would continue her attack, the entire space suddenly shuddered.
Like an earthquake, the world began to spin.
All sounds became muffled and distant.
The caterwauls, the wind, the footsteps—all sounded as if they were filtered through a layer of water.
【The Cat-Faced Old Lady is one-quarter full. The birthday feast has ended.】
【All surviving players will be forcibly teleported out of the Instance.】
【The Instance 《Old Lady Huang's Birthday Celebration》 is officially closed.】
【Current number of surviving players: 10】
【Individual rewards have been distributed.】
【Players Su Ya and Yang Asha have completed one of the hidden quests “Child in the Womb, Dish on the Plate”, obtaining items: Cat Skin (Silver), Ageless Pill Recipe (1/4), Grave Moss * 15, Kitten Egg * 2, Refined Sword (Swordsman Exclusive Weapon) * 1, Vernier Caliper (Architect Exclusive Weapon) * 1】
...
Space warped more and more violently.
The surrounding scene began to fade and blur, like a drawing being haphazardly erased.
Then, everyone plunged into darkness.
...
...
...
...
“It's finally over.”
Outside the Instance, Song Mo stood up and stretched. The Screenwriter rewards kept flashing before her eyes as ink-wash text scrolled continuously.
【Base Rewards: ...】
【Instance Rating Rewards: ...】
【Special Spectator Rewards: ...】
Song Mo's gaze swept across the lines of information, suddenly halting at a certain point:
“Time-limited, location-specific Instances? What is this?”
Floating quietly on the ink-wash text were several materials highlighted in bold.
【La Llorona, the Weeping Woman in White: Limited location, Texas, USA (Time remaining: 23:59:59)】
【The Jersey Devil: Limited location, New Jersey, USA (Time remaining: 12:59:59)】
【Jorogumo: Limited location, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan (Time remaining: 1:59:59)】
【Night Parade of a Hundred Demons: Limited location, Tokyo, Japan (Time remaining: 23:59:59)】
【Krasue: Limited location, Mueang, Thailand (Time remaining: 00:59:59)】
【The Screaming Banshee: Limited location, Ireland-Wales border (Time remaining: 23:59:59)】
【London Subway Ghost: Limited location, Victoria Subway Station, Great Britain (Time remaining: 2:59:59)】
Rate on N.U.
