When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 156: Check The Bodies

Chapter 156: Check The Bodies

Jin Jiuchi, with a nose as sharp as a tracking dog, led his two teammates towards the source of the bloody scent. Approaching one am, almost no one could be seen on the cruise ship. The light in the corridor was dim and the silence amplified their hasty footsteps, making the atmosphere tense and somber.

The trio stepped onto the ninth floor when Jin Jiuchi abruptly halted on his tracks. He looked around, his brows furrowing.

Shen Nianzu also looked left and right but did not see anything out of the ordinary. Even then, he still kept his guard up and summoned his silver needles, ready to throw them forward if necessary. "What’s wrong?"

On the other hand, Gu Luoxin’s face was slowly turning pale as he inched closer to his teammates, instinctively seeking comfort. He never realized it before, but... the cruise ship at midnight was so creepy! The long and empty corridor with closed doors on both sides stretched out before him, emitting a gloomy and sinister aura. Who knew what was lurking behind those doors? His imagination continued to run wild and he couldn’t help but think that a ghost would spring up from one of those doors and drag him inside!

"D–D–D–Da Shen, w–why did you stop here?" He spoke through chattering teeth. "There can’t be a... a g–g–ghost around here, right?!" Compared to nightmare creatures which he could fight and retaliate against, Gu Luoxin feared ghosts a thousand times more! His knees felt weak just by the mere thought of encountering one!

Unaware of the young man’s fear, Jin Jiuchi took a deep breath only to scrunch his face in disgust when a mixture of foul odor assailed his senses. He turned to Shen Nianzu and seized the opportunity to look pitiful, "Nian’er, everything here smells so horrible, I feel like puking. I think I need..." his gaze darted briefly to Shen Nianzu’s neck, the meaning behind it apparent.

Hearing that, Shen Nianzu was so speechless that he could only laugh out loud. This crazy pervert... could he act serious for once?! He parted his lips, ready to rebuke, when he noticed the genuine disgust and revulsion in Jin Jiuchi’s eyes which he tried to mask with a miserable look. It seemed like the air on the ship really made him feel uncomfortable.

The words of anger were stuck on the tip of Shen Nianzu’s tongue, unable to be uttered. Before he could second-guess himself, he tugged on Jin Jiuchi’s wrist and when the man bent down, he reached out to the back of Jin Jiuchi’s head and pulled the perverted husky to the crook of his neck, his expression so cold that it rivaled the glacier in Antarctica. "Three seconds. Three..."

"...!" Jin Jiuchi never expected that his pitiful act would work this time. But fortunately, he froze only for a briefest second before regaining his senses. In an instant, he wrapped his arms around Shen Nianzu’s waist and pressed his nose to the crook of Shen Nianzu’s neck, inhaling the sweet and intoxicating fragrance where it was the warmest and thickest.

"...two, one." Shen Nianzu quickly counted down and pushed Jin Jiuchi away. But at the last moment, Jin Jiuchi suddenly tilted his head and chomped down on the side of his neck! Shen Nianzu’s eyes flew wide in anger as he covered his neck, fuming, "Are you a fucking dog?!"

Jin Jiuchi, who felt refreshed and energetic all over, barked happily, "Woof!"

Gu Luoxin: "..." Good, Da Shen was no longer nauseous, but now it was his turn. Was there a fate more miserable than being a million watts light bulb[1]? The only advantage was that his fear had been greatly reduced thanks to this mouthful of dog food.

After getting what he wanted, Jin Jiuchi joyfully elaborated on what he had found, "I don’t know why, but the smell of NPCs in this place is getting stronger. It’s masking the other scents, so it took me a while to realize that the smell of blood doesn’t come from one NPC alone, but also from a few players." He pointed in two different directions. "The scent comes from here and there. Nian’er, which way should we go first?"

One of the directions Jin Jiuchi pointed led deeper into the corridor where the passenger cabins were, while the other led to the balcony.

Shen Nianzu could almost construct the string of accidents that occurred here. Someone – or a group of people – must have attacked the players and also an NPC. He had no idea why they would kill an NPC, but unlike players whose corpses would disappear after some time, the NPC’s body would remain until the end. To get rid of the evidence, they could only throw the NPC to the ocean. At first, he still harbored some suspicion that this could be done by a nightmare creature, but now he knew for certain that the ones who could commit murders and take care of the mess aftermath could only be fellow players.

If it weren’t for Jin Jiuchi’s keen senses, they would have continued to sleep soundly and find the core NPC afterward, unaware of a few murders that had quietly occurred somewhere on the ship.

’How bold,’ Shen Nianzu sneered inwardly. ’It’s only the first night, but some people already can’t wait to find trouble.’

All of a sudden, he recalled the bus officer who warned them not to litter in the ocean, and confusion flickered in his eyes. Players who had reached a mid-level Cycle should have acquired some skills and understood the dangers of this place, so they would not court death so carelessly. Everyone knew that words spoken in the Cycle shouldn’t be taken lightly, even if they came from a bus officer.

Could it be... did those players not receive the same warning as them?

With the doubt in mind, Shen Nianzu finally made a decision, "Let’s forget about the NPC for now. Go to the players first. If we’re not fast, the bodies will disappear soon. I want to check on them."

Jin Jiuchi nodded and took the lead to rush down the corridor. Perhaps the perpetrators still lingered on the balcony, they did not meet anyone on their way... except for an unconscious female NPC.

Shen Nianzu furrowed his brows. Since the location of the accident was near the NPC, he instructed Gu Luoxin to stand guard. "Stay here and keep an eye on the NPC. If you see any suspicious people, immediately call us. If she wakes up, try to find out what she witnessed before losing consciousness. She must be somewhat involved in the incident."

"Roger!" Gu Luoxin straightened up and saluted with a solemn look. "Don’t worry, Xiao Shen. I will definitely guard her well!"

Shen Nianzu nodded and left with Jin Jiuchi. He was not worried that Gu Luoxin would meet with a mishap. Despite his meek and timid appearance, Gu Luoxin was far from weak, and he should be able to hold his own against other players. Besides, they were not far away and could quickly return if needed.

Both of them walked for a few meters before Jin Jiuchi stopped in front of a room. "Here it is," he announced. Looking down, he spotted some blood stains on the floor and let out a surprised sound, "Nian’er, look!"

Shen Nianzu hummed in response, having also noticed the blood. Rather to say that the accident occurred here, it looked more like a splatter from inside. Shadows casted over his glum features, as he could already imagine what kind of gruesome scene he would find in the room. The fact that the scent could attract Jin Jiuchi, who lived four floors below, already proved the amount that had spilled.

As expected, the door was locked, but it posed no problem for Shen Nianzu. He transformed his needle into a long, transparent blade and effortlessly sliced through the metal lock, which fell apart as if he was cutting through tofu.

In the next second, the bloody scene unfolded before their eyes.

"Ugh," Jin Jiuchi pinched his nose and staggered back, hissing. "It smells so damn bad!"

Shen Nianzu also wrinkled his nose in discomfort. He did not step in, however, but opted to stand outside the room to inspect the bodies instead. There were three males in their twenties and thirties who died with a fatal gash on their throats. It did not look like the work of a weapon, but... a human’s teeth. Not only that, it looked like their blood had been sucked dry.

Shen Nianzu’s heart sank lightly. He had some impression of the top 100 players on the leaderboard whose information he had deliberately collected beforehand, and after shifting through his memories, he could already pinpoint the player who could have done something so vicious. As expected, this Cycle could not be underestimated. Aside from the difficulties posed by the task and nightmare creatures, they also had to be cautious against the other players.

Feeling like he had seen enough, Shen Nianzu turned around and said, "Let’s go."

"Hmm?" Jin Jiuchi blinked, surprised. "That’s all?"

Shen Nianzu quirked a brow at him. "Or else?"

"I don’t know..." Jin Jiuchi pondered for a while then shrugged. "Don’t you want to look around or something? You didn’t even enter the room, Nian’er."

"No need," Shen Nianzu replied. "I already know who the culprit is."

Before Jin Jiuchi could even react to that shocking sentence, Gu Luoxin’s flustered voice echoed from down the corridor. "Pssst, Da Shen, Xiao Shen! Someone is coming this way!"

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[1] Light bulb= third wheel. Million watts means that his presence is so bright that he spoils the intimate atmosphere *laugh*