When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 154: Midnight Accidents

Chapter 154: Midnight Accidents

At the same time, in a certain passenger cabin on the fourth floor.

Three players sat cross-legged on the floor, engrossed in a card game. They were none other than the players whom Jin Jiuchi had identified in the reception area. Similarly, they had also searched for the core NPC throughout the night, even pretending to be NPCs themselves and mingling on the dance floor to gather information. Alas, their efforts had been in vain, leaving them frustrated and empty-handed.

The three players were newly ascended Veterans who had joined a certain organization at the same time, and thus they chose to challenge their first mid-level Cycle together, which was rumored to be the land of treasures. Exhausted from their fruitless search, they decided to take a break and replenish their energy by playing cards.

"I think we should give it a break," one of them spoke, breaking the silence. He stretched his body and yawned. "It’s only the first night, so nothing major should have happened. Let’s rest today and continue our search tomorrow. It would be better if someone died tonight. That way, we can quickly learn the death condition."

The other two quickly agreed, as they were also getting exhausted after running around all night.

"It’s ten pm now. Let’s gather again at five am tomorrow?"

"Sure." "Okay, let’s do that."

With the appointment made, they set the cards aside and stood up. Among them, Duan Jie was temporarily staying with an NPC, while his two teammates shared a room. Irritated, he ran his hand through his hair. "I should head back soon. Who knows if what the staff said turns out to be a death condition? But let me use the bathroom first..."

He slipped into the bathroom and intended to finish his business quickly. After emptying his bladder, he washed his hands in the sink, bent down and splashed some water on his face. A wave of frustration swept over him, and he couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. He had hoped that joining an organization would come with certain advantages, but he ended up being paired with two useless players who merely followed his lead without taking any initiative. What shitty luck!

The unsettlingly peaceful Cycle, coupled with his two pig teammates, only worsened Duan Jie’s mood. He straightened up and extended a hand to grab tissue paper to wipe his face, but at that moment, his attention was diverted to his reflection on the mirror.

"Huh?" Duan Jie blinked, and the person in the mirror also blinked. Yet, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that his reflection appeared slightly distorted. "What the hell? Is it the water?" He grabbed a tissue paper to wipe the mirror, inadvertently leaning forward in the process.

Duan Jie was so focused on wiping the mirror that he failed to notice that his reflection was getting closer and closer to the surface, almost as if it was going to climb out.

By the time he realized it, it was already too late.

"Ah—!" His scream lasted only for a split second before it was cut off short.

Startled, the two players outside exchanged a worried glance before rushing to the bathroom, pounding on the door. "Duan Jie, are you alright?!"

For a few seconds, there was no response from within. Just as they were on the verge of kicking the door open, it suddenly swung open, revealing Duan Jie who had an extremely pale complexion.

His two teammates were taken aback. "W–What’s wrong with you?!"

"No..." Duan Jie blinked as though snapping out of his trance, and he let out a sheepish grunt. "I almost slipped just now because I was too sleepy. Scared me to death."

Hearing that, the other two finally breathed a sigh of relief. They urged him, "Now that you’re done, hurry up and return to your room!"

"Okay, fine!" Duan Jie rolled his eyes and strolled to the door, reminding them once again, "Don’t forget our appointment tomorrow!"

His teammates nodded, unaware that Duan Jie’s skin seemed to be covered in a faint glistening sheen akin to sweat, and the space between his fingers were connected by a transparent membrane.

***

As midnight approached, the crowd began to thin out, with half of the passengers opting to return to their cabins. However, there were still those who lingered at the bar. The live performance was still on, with a beautiful female singer taking the stage and serenading the night with a soft ballad. In addition, couples were seen sneaking off to secluded areas of the ship to have some secret fun.

This kind of warm atmosphere was no different than any normal cruise ship, and players who were not careful would be lulled into a false sense of security.

Such was the case for two players walking along the corridor of the ninth floor. On this floor, aside from passenger cabins, there was only a library, card room, and meeting room. Compared to the bustling eighth floor where the bar and lounge were located, the ninth floor felt empty and desolate.

A man in his early-thirties with freckles on his face leaned against the banister, his gaze fixed on the enchanting singer on stage. With a sigh, he mused, "Say, do you think we have a chance with that NPC? After all, they are not real humans, right? We can have some fun and deal with her when we are done. What do you say?"

He turned to his companion, a man of similar age who wore thick glasses. To his disappointment, Glasses Man stuttered nervously in response, "I–It’s not very nice, is it? We are not here to fool around..."

Freckled Man clicked his tongue in annoyance, "I know that. But think about it, we have been searching for the core NPC all night. What’s wrong with having a little fun tonight?"

Seeing Glasses Man hemming and hawing, unable to make up his mind, he quickly lost his patience and shooed the man away, "Go, just go! Don’t spoil my fun!"

True to his words, Freckled Man acted upon his decision. At 12:30 AM, as the singer concluded her performance and bid her audience farewell with a bright smile, she made her way to her room on the ninth floor, humming softly. However, just as she ascended the stairs and turned a corner, someone abruptly covered her mouth from behind, stifling the scream that nearly escaped her lips!

"Haha, got you!" Freckled Man laughed viciously, his breathing turning heavy. Excitement colored his eyes as he held the helpless and squirming NPC in his arms. The more terrified she was, the more ecstatic he became. He could not wait to play with her all night!

His blood surged with anticipation as he dragged her down the desolate hallway, his grip firm on her mouth. It was effortless for him to overpower her feeble struggles. An NPC as weak as her posed no challenge for a Veteran player like him.

Impatient, he barked out to his companion, "Hey, have you opened the room yet?!"

However, no one replied to him.

Frowning, he looked around and could not find Glasses Man anywhere, as the only ones remaining in this space were him and the female NPC. He cursed under his breath, "Useless piece of shit! Did he chicken out in the end? To think that I am generous enough to let him join in on the fun!" Annoyed, he continued pulling the woman, who was growing weaker due to lack of oxygen.

"Whatever," he murmured. "It’s even better now that nobody is here to disturb me."

Freckled Man’s room soon came into view and he quickened his pace, unable to contain his excitement to have his way with this beautiful NPC. Judging from how fearless he was, this was clearly not the first time he had ever attempted something like this. The woman in his arms began to lose her consciousness, making it easier for him to carry her. He marched toward his room, but at that moment, someone suddenly walked out of the adjacent corridor and bumped into him, causing him to stagger.

Freckled Man was about to curse, but upon seeing the tall, robust man with a vicious scar on his cheek, he held himself back and offered a forced smile. "Excuse me..."

He attempted to walk past, but the man blocked his way. The unexpected interference caused anger to stir in his heart, and he snapped harshly, "What do you want? Can’t you see that my companion is feeling unwell?!" He held the woman closer, shamelessly proclaiming himself as her lover. In this place where NPCs and players blended together, as long as one had decent acting skills, it was difficult to distinguish between the two.

However, Scarred Man was unmoved. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the corridor he had come from and asked, "Are you done?"

Freckled Man was stunned. But before he could react, a female voice answered, her voice hoarse. "Yeah..." She walked out of one of the rooms of the adjacent corridor and his eyes widened when he noticed that both her hands and the lower half of her face were smeared with blood!

She brought her fingers to her lips and licked the blood off. Her condescending gaze measured Freckled Man from head to toe, then a look of disgust appeared on her face, "Only this one? Tsk, is there no decent-looking man on this ship?"

Scarred Man remained unfazed by her complaint and simply replied, "Eat what you have been given. Do not be picky."

Thud!

The sound of a body hitting the ground snapped Freckled Man out of his daze. He lowered his gaze to see... his companion, Glasses Man, lying beneath the woman’s feet!

He had fallen sideways to the ground, his glasses broken, and there was a gaping wound on his throat as if someone had torn it open and drained all the blood! Even in death, his expression conveyed the horror and pain he had experienced at his last moments...

Freckled Man trembled. No longer caring about the woman, he dropped her and scrambled to flee from the scene as fast as possible. However, before he could take more than five steps, someone seized him by the collar and pulled him back!

"AH—" His scream was abruptly cut off short when Scarred Man grabbed his neck from behind, lifting him off the ground until his toes were dangling in midair. He let out a choked sound as he grappled to escape from the constraints around his neck. "U...urgh... l–let go..."

His consciousness was fading rapidly. Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he knew that he was in an imminent peril right now. He had to escape... or he would end up just like his companion! With a surge of desperation, he activated his skill card and reached for any life-saving props he had, but much to his horror, they were utterly useless! Neither his prop nor his skill card could be used. How... how was this possible?!

This man... what kind of terrifying ability did he possess?!

Freckled Man was petrified in place, his limbs spasmed wildly, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Just like a helpless chicken awaiting slaughter.

Amidst the suffocating coldness that crawled up his spine, he heard soft and delicate footsteps drawing near. The woman’s voice echoed close to his ear, "Hey, hey, don’t be too rough. You know that the neck is my favorite part, right?"

The last thing Freckled Man felt was the excruciating pain of teeth sinking into the flesh on his neck and tore his throat apart. Then, everything faded into darkness.

Scarred Man looked at the two lifeless bodies on the ground, a frown marring his face. But it was not just two bodies; inside their room lay two more, both young males with vicious bite wounds on their necks, their blood completely drained. If they were all players, it would not be an issue as their bodies would disappear in due time. But one of them was an NPC.

Sooner or later, the corpse would smell bad and draw unwanted attention to them.

"What should we do about the body?" he asked the woman, a hint of displeasure evident in his expression.

Lost in her euphoria after enjoying a sumptuous meal, the woman couldn’t care less about the body. "Are you stupid?" She laughed breezily, yet the disdain in her face was palpable. "We are in the middle of the ocean right now. Just toss him down and nobody will find out."