When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 159: A Nest

Chapter 159: A Nest

In the end, as Noir and Jin Jiuchi indulged in the food they found in the kitchen, Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin walked over to check on the bodies. The light had not returned yet, and what little source of illumination came from the kitchen’s ventilator, casting a ghostly blue glow over the lifeless figures.

Gu Luoxin’s knees wobbled just by looking at them. "A–Are they d–d–dead?"

"Don’t know," Noir replied nonchalantly as he savored the pasta with elegance akin to an aristocratic young master. "Ask Lucius. He’s the one who deals with them."

"Ask... who?" For a second, Gu Luoxin thought that he had heard wrong, but Lucius raised its head and let out a sweet meow. It was equivalent to a confirmation. Shock and disbelief coursed through Gu Luoxin’s body. He tried to count the bodies and found at least ten. And the one who defeated them... was a little black cat?!

Shell-shocked, Gu Luoxin turned to face Lucius, and he immediately dropped to his knees before the cat, crying out in a passionate tone, "Little ancestor!" After this, he swore he would give the black cat anything it wanted; food, toy... it was also okay if it wanted to dominate his bed! He, Gu Luoxin, pledged to sleep on the floor if it meant he could make the little ancestor comfortable!

He had to hold onto Lucius’ little fluffy thighs!

Lucius: "...meow?"

Both Noir and Lucius regarded him with an identical deadpan look, tinged with a fleeting amusement that vanished swiftly, replaced with placid calmness.

"They’re dead," Shen Nianzu assessed the bodies and came to that conclusion. He discovered that all of them possessed fins, scales and slimy skin much like the bus officer, proving that they were nightmare creatures. He took off the black latex gloves and tossed them to the trash bin, before making his way to the others. "That’s right, I wanted to ask..." he turned to Gu Luoxin. "What happened after the lights went out earlier? Did they bring you here? Are you injured?"

At the same time, he also tried to check on Jin Jiuchi, who was eating with gusto, and upon finding only a little splatter of blood on his back with no wounds whatsoever, his face turned as dark as the bottom of the pot. "You lied to me?!" He hissed angrily.

"Hmm?" Jin Jiuchi raised his head in surprise, as he chewed on his food. Realizing what Shen Nianzu was talking about, he blinked a few times for good measure and replied innocently, "Oh, that’s the blood of the creature who grabbed me. But Nian’er, I never said I was injured though?"

Shen Nianzu nearly choked on his rage when he heard that. Indeed, Jin Jiuchi had not admitted that he was injured, but he had not denied it either! Instead, he immediately started to act weak and pitiful! What was this if not concealment of the truth? And to top it off, he... he even dared to ask Shen Nianzu to call him Gege! How shameless!

Fuming, Shen Nianzu snatched away the man’s fork and shoved the pasta into his own mouth. When he saw the speechless look on Jin Jiuchi’s face, a sliver of smugness glimmered in his eyes.

Alas, the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment for getting back at Jin Jiuchi only lasted for two seconds when the man suddenly stretched out a hand to wipe the sauce on the corner of his lips. He then brought the finger to his mouth and licked it off. "Sweet," he commented with a chuckle. "I will get angry if others steal my food, but Nian’er is the only exception. Nian’er is free to take everything he wants."

Hearing that, Shen Nianzu was stunned for a second, his cheeks warming up, but he tried to cover it up by exploding in anger. "Your taste buds are fucking broken! How can this pasta taste sweet?!"

Gu Luoxin, who wanted to interject but did not find the chance to: "..."

He could only cry inwardly after being shoved with a mouthful of dog food again. He snuck a discreet glance at Noir and saw that the man was still eating with an indifferent look as though no one else was present. A wave of awe and admiration washed over Gu Luoxin. This... this was the level of nonchalance that only a Great God could achieve! He must take notes and learn more in the future!

When Shen Nianzu finally redirected the conversation back to him, Gu Luoxin cleared his throat and recounted the accident earlier, the fear still lingering in his heart,

"As soon as the lights went out, two people dragged me from behind. They also hit my head and caused me to lose consciousness for a while..." he touched the bump on the back of his head with a grimace. "But fortunately, I woke up quickly! When I came to my senses, I struggled free from their grasp and rushed to the nearest room, which happened to be this restaurant. That’s when I saw the hill of bodies in front of me..." he tugged on his bangs sheepishly.

"Hmm..." Shen Nianzu lowered his eyes in thought. "For now, we can conclude that the nightmare creatures will appear at 10 pm. So far, we have encountered two types— the one in the mirror, and the creatures in the crew areas. But..." he shifted his gaze to the corpses in the kitchen. "Why are there so many nightmare creatures here, in the restaurant? And we haven’t counted the ones outside. It can’t be..."

"W–What?" Gu Luoxin asked, tense.

On the side, Noir suddenly piped in, "A nest."

Shen Nianzu’s face turned grim as he nodded, "That’s right, it seems like we have stumbled upon a nest full of nightmare creatures."

"You mean..." Gu Luoxin gasped in shock. "Everyone here... the crew members are all nightmare creatures?!"

Shen Nianzu added, "Or at least, that’s what they become once the night falls. Tomorrow, they may revert back to ordinary NPCs."

A tense silence descended among the four, with only Jin Jiuchi’s chewing sounds could be heard, dispelling much of the stillness in the air. It grated on Shen Nianzu’s nerves and he snapped at the man in irritation, "Can you stop eating for a while?!"

Extremely wronged, Jin Jiuchi pointed at Noir, "He’s eating too. Why don’t you get angry at him as well?"

"He doesn’t make any noise when he eats!"

"Well, isn’t it because I enjoy my food very much?!"

As the two of them bickered back and forth, Noir said again, seemingly distracted, "Nest."

"Ah, yes!" Gu Luoxin subconsciously replied, his back straightening up. "I–Is there something wrong with that?"

Noir finished his meal and pushed the plate aside. He took out a handkerchief from his inner pocket and gently dabbed on his lips. Every movement of his seemed to exude a unique kind of charm, truly the embodiment of elegance and sophistication. Gu Luoxin found himself unable to take his gaze off and thus he was startled when Noir suddenly raised his eyelids to peer at him with those beautiful jewel-like eyes of his.

"In a nest, shouldn’t there be a clear division of roles? For example..." he trailed off all of a sudden with a pensive look on his face. Then he abruptly stood up, capturing the attention of two bickering men nearby.

Gu Luoxin was flabbergasted, his heart rapidly sinking to the pit of his stomach. "W–What’s wrong?" He scanned the surroundings with utmost vigilance. "Is there an attack?! Are the nightmare creatures heading this way?!"

Without a word, Noir turned and walked away... to the direction of the kitchen. Gu Luoxin watched, dumbfounded, as the man disappeared behind the door only to return shortly after with a plate of meticulously cut fruits. He sat down again in his seat and resumed his sentence, "For example, an ant nest. There are soldiers, foragers, builders, drones..." His voice was languid and unhurried, its deep timbre soothing as if he were reciting a bedtime story.

However, Gu Luoxin could only stare at him, dumbstruck, as his heart continued to tremble from the earlier fright.

Haha, okay... so the Great God only wanted to get some fruits, huh? QAQ

It took Gu Luoxin a while to regain his senses and comprehend what the man had just told him. And as he did, his heart – his poor heart which had gone through so many roller coaster rides today – leapt to his throat again. "So you’re saying that... there is also a division of roles in the nest we are in? The ones who patrol, those who search for food and also..." he inhaled sharply. "...the queen, the one who controls every nightmare creature in this place."

Gu Luoxin shared a glance with Jin Jiuchi and Shen Nianzu, and he knew that they were also thinking of the same thing.

"The Captain?"