The System Mistook Me for a Cat-Chapter 216
After Chu Tingwu and her friends completed one playthrough, other players (or viewers) on the internet gradually finished the game as well. However, they preferred to call themselves players because—
"Isn't this just a semi-holographic game that can be played solo?"
It's somewhat similar to the easter eggs in *Flying Birds*, but the players have more autonomy. If they don't want to play with friends, they can still enjoy it alone, and it gives them a sense of control over the current situation, something unique to players.
Someone wrote in their review:
"I'm not deeply familiar with movies. Although I know this one is a classic, the visuals feel a bit dated, so I never watched it. Initially, I didn't have high hopes, thinking it was just about switching perspectives of the characters in the movie—but is this really still a movie? It's completely a short-form game!"
"Let's talk about the gameplay first. It's not overly complicated, but the semi-holographic immersion adds a lot. Every character basically has 1-3 skills, which aren't entirely realistic. For example, the 'unreasonable repair effect' allows you to ignore the surrounding environment and directly achieve success just by using a skill. This actually lowers the difficulty of participating in the game... or should I say, the movie!"
"I never learned some of these skills in real life, and even if I had a guide, I'd still get overwhelmed by the text. But in the game, I can repair cars or climb mountains—things I can't do in reality. Achieving goals in the virtual world that are impossible in real life—that's the essence of gaming!"
"Then, and this is the most important part... I'm genuinely impressed. How did they make the NPCs so lifelike? If I hadn't repeatedly confirmed that I was playing in single-player mode, I would've thought the NPCs were real people acting! Actually, I noticed this back in *Cat House*—the freedom and liveliness of the NPCs in Huan Yu's games are miles ahead of other games. It makes you wonder if they have some special algorithm and have already created a super AI (hmm)."
"However, in *Cat House*, the chances of real people appearing were low, and their reactions were a bit slow. The most lively character was everyone's beloved calico cat... Later updates improved things, but everyone got used to it and didn't notice much of a difference. It wasn't until this new game that I realized something was off (quietly mentioning that our gaming group initially thought Huan Yu was planning to pivot entirely to platforms and stop making games. But since Phoenix Pictures and Huan Yu are collaborating, they switched tracks and released a holographic interactive movie!). And then this movie just completely outshone all the other copycat games. What's going on here?"
This viewer went on a lengthy tangent before realizing they were supposed to be reviewing a movie and quickly wrapped it up:
"By the way [screenshot][screenshot][screenshot], I found quite a few easter eggs in the game. Here's a promotional poster on the wall when getting off the train, here's a video ad that flashes for three seconds before the phone shuts down, and this—why is there a folded flyer among the corpse's belongings? I initially thought it was some important evidence!"
The viewer posted all about the "Antarctic Ski Cup" promotions. Although the protagonists in *Mountain Horror 1* chose mountaineering as their sport, since it's snow-capped mountains, it's reasonable to think of skiing, right?
So the system snuck in quite a few references while converting it to holographic. We're all in the same family, so what's wrong with a little cross-promotion?
If viewers explore deeper, they'll find even more details. For example, if you tear off the Antarctic Cup promotional poster on the wall, you'll find a poster for Wu Voice Group's new drones underneath. Actually, the posters aren't the same size, so a bit of the drone poster peeks out at the bottom.
And if you rummage through the female lead's backpack, you'll find snacks prepared for her dog, Brook, with the "365 Pets" logo on them.
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In short, when you immerse yourself in the reality of the movie, you'll notice that the timeline is quite anachronistic.
But all of this requires users to keep exploring, and it has little to do with Chu Tingwu, whose focus is entirely on high-altitude skiing.
She's actually had experience with night skiing before, which was no less dangerous than her current challenge, and she even got injured... But obviously, the team from White Dove Company is more professional, and they're well-known for sponsoring extreme sports.
While Chu Tingwu was observing, Zhou Qiang was holding a tablet and taking notes nearby, while Shao Lingwu lagged behind, gazing at the vast snowy landscape.
They weren't on the shaded side of Kashgar Mountain, where tourists usually go. Instead, they took a helicopter with other athletes to a relatively flat area in front of a building.
Most athletes don't bring assistants, leaving the miscellaneous tasks to White Dove staff. But Chu Tingwu is young and inexperienced, so it's normal for her to bring her friends along. Thus, Zhou Qiang and Shao Lingwu were treated as assistants and brought along... They would stay in a villa not far from the plain, waiting for good weather.
The timing of many extreme sports events changes due to weather.
Some people prioritize safety and seek out favorable weather conditions, while others chase the thrill or the spectacle... like waiting for a day filled with blizzards, as if pursuing thunder, for a terrifying, apocalyptic experience.
Rex from the team is like that, and he's very grateful to Chu Tingwu—
Because skiing without flair is like not skiing at all. He had imagined skiing down from the mountain peak during a blizzard, but in such conditions, cameras couldn't capture the effect he wanted—until Wu Voice Group's drones were upgraded again.
Zhou Qiang listened with a dark expression.
As a friend, she naturally supports Chu Tingwu's pursuits, but she's also worried about her safety. Being surrounded by people chasing the thrill of extreme sports... makes her wonder if her own perspective is the problem.
However, at night, they sometimes talk about peers who failed. One person ended up permanently disabled after a ski descent, even though they were a professional skier.
Their tone was calm, tinged with a hint of regret. After discussing this, they reminisced about their days on the mountain—bored nights spent lighting bonfires in the snow, cooking half-raw food that nearly sent them to the hospital before skiing, places with no internet where they resorted to ramming sleds into each other on the ice, leaving one guy with a bump on the back of his head.
The stars twinkled in the night sky.
A few more people left during the nights of conversation.
But thinking about tomorrow, which might be a good day for skiing, leaping down with the wind lifting you and leaving the snow spray behind, challenging both nature and yourself—makes the waiting now feel so worthwhile.
Zhou Qiang glanced to her left, where Chu Tingwu sat with her chin resting on her hand, a smile playing on her lips.
She then looked to her right, where Shao Lingwu was absentmindedly stroking his chin, seemingly lost in thought. Yet, his gaze occasionally flickered toward the speaker before drifting to the snowy scenery outside the window, his eyes unusually bright.
Zhou Qiang sighed.
Hugging her cat, Sanwuwu, she thought, maybe I should go back and double-check the accounts.
The next morning, as she pushed open the window, she was greeted by laughter outside. Everyone was using skateboards to carve characters into the snow. It was unclear who had first suggested the idea, but soon everyone had joined in, writing in their native languages.
Beneath the English, German, and Russian words… Chu Tingwu finished the last stroke and stepped back.
The words weren’t some casual graffiti or self-introduction, but rather:
“Enjoy every clear morning.”
A helicopter landed nearby, disrupting the pristine snowscape.
It was time to board.
A staff member from White Dove was also on the plane. When their eyes met Chu Tingwu’s, they hesitated for a moment before offering an encouraging smile.
—Chu Tingwu was the only one wearing a full set of VR streaming equipment. The others were concerned that the gear’s weight might affect their movements.
As the helicopter door opened, Chu Tingwu simultaneously started her live stream.
The snow-capped mountains stretched below, and the helicopter hovered high above.
The viewers who entered the stream were initially disoriented, clicking out of habit, but then they jumped up, scrambling to find their VR gear and diving into their holographic pods.
And then, Chu Tingwu spread her arms and leaped from the helicopter.
Her skis hit the snow, sending up a cloud of powdery flakes. Chunks of snow tumbled down as she came to a halt just half a step away from a cliff with a slope exceeding seventy degrees.
Leaning forward slightly, she prepared to begin her challenge. A few meters away, Louise gave her a hand signal, indicating she would wait for Chu Tingwu to finish her preparations before starting.
Their routes weren’t identical, but they were close.
The VR headset transmitted everything she saw directly to the live stream. Chu Tingwu explained the backstory of why she was here, and some viewers had already guessed—
[I knew it when I saw you at Mount Harriet! You rarely participate in competitions!]
Well… school sports days didn’t count.
So when everyone saw the Antarctic Cup promotion, they suspected that this challenge might just be something Chu Tingwu wanted to try for herself. But if it were just her, it would have been hard to get approval, which was why it had turned into an international competition.
Of course, she would participate as a contestant.
In other competitions, if the boss were a participant, people might question the fairness… but extreme sports were like mathematics—if you couldn’t do it, you simply couldn’t. The boss had no advantage here. Under the harsh tests of nature, everything depended on oneself.
Chu Tingwu smiled. “Yes, but even if it weren’t for the competition, I would still be here.”
She raised her ski pole and pointed ahead, though others felt she wasn’t just pointing at the mountain but at the descent itself.
After exchanging a signal with Louise, Chu Tingwu took the lead and skied down.
A drone took off into the air. The vast, snow-covered land was blanketed in a thick layer of snow, untouched by human footprints. Only when Chu Tingwu and Louise passed did the snow stir, slide, and spray, leaving long trails behind.
Watching the video, the speed was already dizzying, but experiencing it in real-time through VR, the viewers once again felt what it was like to watch Chu Tingwu’s streams—uncertainty! They trusted her skills but were terrified of the unknown ahead. They couldn’t see the path or predict how she would land or take off in the next moment!
But Chu Tingwu was picking up speed.
When encountering different terrains, she should have adjusted her speed to ensure a safe landing, but now she was leaving Louise behind—wild snow descents weren’t about speed; for beginners, safety and stability were more important. Completing the run was enough. But Chu Tingwu seemed to be chasing perfection… no, that wasn’t it!
As she soared into the air, spinning in the wind, catching a glimpse of the helicopter behind her, and for a brief half-second, looking down at the endless expanse of snow below, the viewers heard her laughter.
They thought, when it was over, Chu Tingwu would surely say:
Skiing is fun, isn’t it?
