There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

The sunlight sprinkled across the campus path.

Wei Ya stood under a tree, gazing at a cat that had leapt out of a grassy mound not far away, seeking pets from passing students.

The cat's fur was a complex mix of black, white, and yellow, interwoven like colors at a crematorium.

This was an ancient breed of cat that humans were now striving to reproduce, and electronic synthetic cats like this one had been placed in almost every corner of the campus.

Because a professor from the history department said—In ancient schools, many feline animals roamed. They were mysterious and elegant, aloof and proud, but some cats would act coquettishly for food from passing students, and being approached by a cat was a sign of envy among peers.

As a result, the school had introduced many cats.

However, because of their programmed behavior, these cats would meow at anyone they saw.

It has to be said, they were indeed very nice to pet.

Wei Ya stared at the cat for quite a while until she noticed movement behind her and turned around.

Professor Li looked very young, with a gentle and handsome appearance befitting someone in their prime; however, in reality, he was already in his seventies.

Each teacher's profile was available on the school network, and their teaching plans were published online before class started, which helped students choose and sign up for courses.

After discovering that a teammate was closest to her, Wei Ya headed in this direction.

Afterward, the two successfully met in the classroom—the difference was she was a student and the other party was a teacher.

Wei Ya had just looked up Professor Li's information in class. He had been teaching at Huai'an Industrial University for over a decade and had published several papers on ancient history in academic journals. He was a history professor with considerable seniority, who garnered widespread respect from the school and students.

But he also had a trait that students talked about with relish on forums.

The professor had incurable prosopagnosia and was disastrously directionally-challenged, often missing class due to getting lost, with more tardies than even the students.

If you saw him rushing down the campus path, it meant you might be late as well…

If it's on your way, remember to escort the professor to the classroom too—he might just reserve some extra credit for you.

Wei Ya watched the young man approaching, her expression unreadable, while her peripheral vision kept track of the team list in the top right corner, where the distance behind a name was steadily decreasing.

Finally, when they stood face to face, a meter apart, the distance turned to [0km].

Despite the bustling crowd not far away, there were no other people nearby, so it could be almost confirmed that this was her teammate.

"Did you receive the mission?" Wei Ya asked in a hushed tone, tucking her hair behind her ear and subtly scanning her surroundings.

"No," Xu Shuo replied softly, then passed her his electronic tablet.

It displayed the lecture notes from Professor Li's recent class. Wei Ya casually took it and imported the data into her own tablet.

Her actions were fluid, suggesting a familiarity with such technology.

At least more so than Xu Shuo, who still hadn't quite got the hang of it.

Wei Ya lowered her head to fiddle with the tablet, slightly turned so her face was toward the tree trunk, then said, "Without a specific mission, it's difficult to plan our next move. We don't yet know the trigger condition. When you have time, maybe take a walk around the campus."

No sooner had Xu Shuo intended to respond when she added, "Wait, it's too dangerous to chat out in the open in this world. I'll initiate contact with you later."

After she finished speaking, she had already returned the tablet.

Xu Shuo maintained a composed expression, smiling lightly. "Take a look at the materials from these classes and try to understand them yourself. If there's anything unclear, feel free to come and ask me. Remember, the essay on today's battle at the Kerch Strait can't be less than thirty thousand words."

Wei Ya: "......"

The two hadn't interacted for long. After a simple exchange about academics, they went their separate ways.

...

Xu Shuo opened the map on his glasses and strolled around while glancing at his electronic tablet.

Every person in the university had an easy-to-carry electronic tablet, which combined the functions of a computer, textbook, workbook, communication, chat, and other campus features.

The professors usually used their tablets for lesson planning.

Xu Shuo turned on the screen and saw a new app with a cat-shaped icon.

After clicking into it, he was greeted with various photos displaying the myriad of campus cats: a tortoiseshell cat basking in the sun, a blue and white cat climbing a tree, an orange cat snoring away on a bench...

Xu Shuo looked on, lost in thought.

Just then, an abrupt black-framed message popped up, capturing the center of the screen.

[We can use this app for communication from now on, don't worry, it won't leak any information. Just quickly tap on a cat six times to enter the chatroom feature.]

The text only appeared for three seconds before disappearing.

Luckily, Xu Shuo read quickly and then extended his index finger to tentatively tap the photo of the orange cat six times. Read new adventures at empire

After tapping six times and waiting for a moment, a black frame shot out, resembling a common instant messaging app; now, there were only two people in it.

There were no usernames, only cat avatars.

Tortoiseshell Cat: [Let's exchange information now. I am a relative of the Derek Family, third-year Law student, currently in a relationship with Leon, the young master of the Bray Family. These are the basics.]

Orange Cat: [I don't know how to use the things in this world.]

Tortoiseshell Cat: [......]

Their first underground exchange ended again with ellipses.

But since he didn't understand the technology of this world well, there were indeed many inconvenient aspects, and Xu Shuo didn't hide this fact.

Besides, in the eyes of his teammates, he was probably seen as someone who had come along just to freeload off their script!

It wouldn't be too excessive for a newbie not to know, right?

After this, there was no further reply from the other side. Xu Shuo raised his eyebrows, put away his tablet, and looked down at a cat that had snuggled up to his feet.

These electronic simulation cats were not only nice to touch but also didn't shed hair or scratch and bite. Xu Shuo simply stopped, sat down on a nearby bench, and picked up the cat to squeeze it.

The golden gradient cat voluntarily raised its chin, comfortably squinting under his touch and purring with its emperor engine.

Suddenly, Xu Shuo felt like he touched something.

Why did it feel like the cat's belly was a bit bulging, with a somewhat odd feel to the touch – could it be pregnant?

Wait, is it a female cat?

Wait... Is it a real cat?

Xu Shuo lifted the cat's tail for a look – indeed, it was a little female cat. Of course, whether the humans in this world knew that male cats have testicles remained unknown.

After all, in ancient history, most recorded cats were probably neutered...

"Meow~" the golden gradient cat called out.

It opened its mouth wide to reveal two small, pointed teeth, its pink tongue smooth, without papillae, and deep within its throat, there was a faint glow.

Then, a diminutive voice, lowered in tone, emanated from the depths of the cat's throat—

"Jieta, there has been a change in Delta's mission. Please go to assist him in leaving immediately."

Xu Shuo paused.

Had he just happened upon a talking cat, or was this message meant for him?

If it was, who was Delta?

How was he supposed to fetch someone?

Where was this person?

While Xu Shuo was at a complete loss, the name [Yin Banqian] in the team list on the top right corner suddenly turned red!

...