When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 170: Killing Limitation

Chapter 170: Killing Limitation

Shen Nianzu’s skill type was illusion. No matter how distraught the crew members were, sooner or later they would come to realize that the gigantic wave was not real. There was no way they could have imagined that this was one person’s doing, and thus they would most likely chalk it up to a mirage. Nonetheless, the end result would remain the same— they would once again remember the mermaid’s existence.

Before that happened, they had to find a secure hiding place for her.

Together with Jin Jiuchi in tow, they rushed to the fifth floor and knocked on the door of Gu Luoxin’s room, which was swiftly opened two seconds later.

"How is she?" Shen Nianzu asked as soon as the door was closed behind them. His gaze shifted to the slightly ajar bathroom door where the sound of running water could be heard. "She is not dead, is she?"

Recalling what he had gone through the past five minutes, Gu Luoxin almost broke out into cold sweat again. He wiped his forehead and sighed in relief, "Fortunately, no. But she fainted due to the blood loss. We put her in the bathtub, but..." An awkward expression flashed through his face, but he only coughed and added vaguely, "Well, you should see for yourself."

Jin Jiuchi and Shen Nianzu shared an intrigued glance before they walked to the bathroom.

The space was not large to begin with, as it was designed for only two people. The bathtub alone already occupied one third of the room and could fit one person at most— two, if they stuck closely to each other.

However, Ariel was not an ordinary human. She was a mermaid who had different anatomy. Placed inside the tub, she was like a fish crammed into a box too small. Half of her tail hung outside the tub, the flared ends of her fins quivering in the air. The wound on her tail had stopped bleeding, but it happened to be in a position where her tail had to bend. Just one glance was enough to know how uncomfortable it was for her, and that must be why her brows were furrowed even in an unconscious state. It made her features look all the more delicate and fragile, as though only the quiver of her lashes was enough to evoke distress.

And currently, Noir was crouching beside the bathtub with Lucius in his arms, tugging and observing the translucent fins of the delicate and fragile mermaid with a deadpan face.

The corner of Shen Nianzu’s eye twitched when he saw Lucius pawing at the fins like it would a toy. "Careful," he couldn’t help but warn them, fearing that the core NPC would receive more injuries in their care.

"Especially you," he sharply stopped Jin Jiuchi who wanted to cop a feel as well. His glare intensified when he recalled the hypothesis Gu Luoxin had proposed earlier. He emphasized on each word, "Do not get close."

Jin Jiuchi tutted, having his bubbles burst. "But Nian’er," he tried to appeal. "How can I eat her if I don’t get close?"

Noir’s hand jerked in surprise, and he unintentionally caused a small tear to the mermaid’s fins. Ariel’s brows furrowed deeper, and a muffled cry of pain escaped her lips. Noir rose to his feet and apologized to the unconscious mermaid, "Sorry." Even though he said that, he did not sound apologetic at all.

Jin Jiuchi’s mind instantly drifted to a similar instance he had gone through with the bus officer, and he felt a sense of camaraderie with Noir. He gave the man an understanding look and sighed woefully, "It’s okay, I understand."

Shen Nianzu: "..." What the hell do you understand?!

Head throbbing in pain, Shen Nianzu took a deep breath, only to realize that Gu Luoxin was standing timidly at the door, seemingly wanting to come in but not daring to. "What’s wrong with you?"

"Well..." Gu Luoxin tugged on his bangs nervously. "Isn’t it kinda... inappropriate for us to crowd inside?" After all, the four of them were men, while Ariel was the only woman. Not only that, she was also in the state of undress with only a pair of hard shells covering her nipples. Gu Luoxin had not felt anything when he carried her earlier, but now that they had overcome the crisis, he couldn’t help but feel shy. For Gu ’pure’ Luoxin, this was his first time seeing and touching a woman’s naked body, even if she was an NPC.

But then, he ended up receiving three blank looks from the others. Those eyes were practically saying, ’What is not inappropriate about it?’

Gu Luoxin: "..." My bad, I forgot that I am the only mortal here.

Shen Nianzu redirected his gaze to the gash on the mermaid’s tail, and his brows knitted lightly. "How should we treat this?"

Noir shrugged, indicating that he was none the wiser. He thought for a bit before speaking, "It doesn’t seem like we have to do anything. Compared to earlier, the bleeding has already stopped. In a few hours, it should scab over." In the end, he concluded, "She has excellent healing ability."

Jin Jiuchi couldn’t help but whistle when he heard that, a roguish smirk gracing his lips, "I heard those NPCs out there saying that her blood can cure illnesses and her flesh grants eternal youth. Is that true?"

"Well, anything that comes out of the NPC’s mouth can be a clue, so there’s a high chance that it’s true." Shen Nianzu’s expression was gloomy when he recalled the chaos that had erupted on the upper deck. He warned the three others, "I have discovered a limitation while observing the players earlier. We can only kill five NPCs at a time, and after that our bodies will be paralyzed. So far, I have no idea how long it lasts..."

Alas, in this place where dangers lurked in any corner, being paralyzed was akin to throwing themselves into a burning pan. They would not be able to defend themselves and could only await their tragic fate.

"Xiao Shen, so this is why you asked us to wait earlier?!" Gu Luoxin wore a shocked expression on his face.

"Of course," Shen Nianzu cast him a mildly exasperated glance. "Don’t you think it’s strange? The lowest rank level in this Cycle is Intermediate, and NPCs are no match for us. If we could protect Ariel by simply killing everyone who poses a threat to her, wouldn’t it be too easy? This is not the style of a mid-level Cycle."

Hence, Shen Nianzu boldly guessed that there must be a trap somewhere, which was why he chose to observe first before taking action. And lo and behold, he really found one, albeit he had no idea if it was the only one or there were others yet undiscovered...

"So that’s how it is!" Gu Luoxin nodded, his eyes bright in enlightenment.

Of course, Jin Jiuchi did not forget to spout out rainbow farts to praise the jade doll, "Nian’er is so smart! How can he be so—hmph!" His mouth was promptly clamped by Shen Nianzu, who shot him a seething glare.

"Shut up," he hissed, a flush rising on his cheeks, though it was uncertain whether it was due to anger or something else. "This is basic observation and caution a high-level player should possess. I’m sure Mr. Noir has noticed it too. Right?"

The last question was posed to Noir, who nodded in response. But before the emerald-eyed man could say something, the mermaid Ariel let out a few soft grunts and opened her eyes.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar environment and three human males towering over her, she instantly let out a high-pitched shriek and thrashed around, causing water to splash everywhere. "Who are you?! What do you want to do to me?!"

"For God’s sake, keep it down." Shen Nianzu, who was already irritated to begin with, snapped at her in a not so unpleasant tone. "We will not do anything to you, but the same can’t be said to the people out there. You don’t want your voice to attract them here, do you?"

Presumably recalling what she had endured earlier, Ariel wrapped her arms around herself, shivered and glanced at them timidly. "Y–You won’t hurt me...?"

"No, you have my word," Shen Nianzu’s tone softened a little this time. "We do not wish any harm to come to you. On the contrary, we are here to save you and..." He was about to make up some lies on the spot when he abruptly realized that Noir and Jin Jiuchi were giving him strange and extremely complex gazes. "What? Why are you two looking at me like that?"

"Nian’er, you..." Jin Jiuchi looked intrigued, awed and fascinated at the same time. "You can understand what she’s saying?"

"Huh?" It took Shen Nianzu one full second to register what Jin Jiuchi meant. "You can’t?!"