When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 173: Let’s Go, Buddy

Chapter 173: Let’s Go, Buddy

Outside the room.

After receiving the urgent notice, the crew was finally alarmed and went to get the master key. One member returned shortly after with a ring of keys in hand. Seeing that, Scarred Man almost could not keep up his anxious act. A little more... just a little more and his plan would succeed!

With that thought in mind, he hastily urged the crew member, "Please open the door soon. I’m very worried about my friend inside. What if the mermaid has harmed him?!"

Just the mention of the alluring creature was enough to make the crew member quicken his pace. Alas, before he could even find the right key, the door swung open, revealing Gu Luoxin’s irritated face.

He perfectly portrayed three parts sleepiness and seven parts annoyance in his expression, making it clear that he had been asleep until now. His act was nearly flawless, if one could ignore the subtle trembling of his legs. He swept his gaze over the crowd before him and demanded angrily, "What’s all this the commotion about? Can’t I have some rest?!"

A stagnant silence hung in the air.

Everyone had thought there was an incident inside, only to discover it was a false alarm. The crew member holding the key spoke awkwardly, gesturing towards Scarred Man, "Excuse me, Sir. We have received a report from your friend here..."

Gu Luoxin finally directed his gaze to the Scarred Man for the first time, and a look of incredulity crossed his face. "My friend? What the hell? Are you pretending to be my friend to break into my room? What kind of lousy security is this? You guys didn’t even verify this person’s identity and believe his claim one-sidedly! What the others said is right, the service on this ship is really horrible! Where is your Captain? I demand to speak with him about how his staff handle things here!"

The crew members instantly recalled the incident this morning where the wealthy young miss had exploded in anger due to the deranged dolphins. They had been chewed out by Captain Rick after that, and thus hearing Gu Luoxin’s words now, they broke out into a cold sweat and quickly tried to placate him, explaining how everything was only a misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, the Scarred Man stood there, stunned. He had not even reacted yet when Gu Luoxin swiftly took control of the situation and painted himself as the innocent victim. He had instantly recognized this player as the one who had taken the mermaid away, but he did not expect the other party to have such a glib tongue that could talk his way out of trouble!

Scarred Man’s face darkened and he quickly reached the end of the patience. Fuming, he forced his way into the room and shoved Gu Luoxin away, causing the latter to stagger and fall to the ground. "Stop lying!" he snarled. "I know you’re hiding the mermaid here!"

His lies could be busted for all he cared. The most important thing was to locate the mermaid first and foremost! He looked around before his gaze zeroed in on the bathroom. He then made his way there despite Gu Luoxin’s furious curses and the desperate yet feeble attempts to hold him back. The corner of his lips curved into a sneer. The more Gu Luoxin acted like this, the more certain he was that they were hiding something!

However, he had rejoiced too soon because when he slammed the bathroom door open, all he was met with was an empty space.

Stumped, he stared at the half-filled bathtub and the wet tiles, knowing that the mermaid had been here moments ago. But where was she now?! He had been keeping an eye on this door and thus he knew that no one had left. He had not given them enough time to react, so where had they hidden the mermaid?!

"The mermaid is not here, Sir," the crew member pointed out in dissatisfaction, thinking that the guest was just making trouble out of nothing and hindering their work.

Hearing the commotion, more and more onlookers gathered outside to peer into the room.

"What is going on here? Why are there so many people?"

"I don’t know. It seems like someone insisted that the mermaid is here, but it turns out to be a fluke."

"He even forced his way to a stranger’s room..."

"Geez, what the hell is his problem?"

The conversation drifted to Scarred Man’s ears, causing his face to flush in the mixture of rage and mortification. He gnashed his teeth, his eyes turning bloodshot. Without a word, he turned around and began tearing the room apart, searching every crook and cranny, not even leaving the wardrobe and the space beneath the bed.

Surely, there was only this much space to hide an adult mermaid. The truth remained solid and slapped him right across the face— the core NPC was really not here.

But how... how could it be possible?!

Not reconciled, his gaze landed on the open window and an idea sparked in his mind. He bellowed angrily, "Did you throw her back to the—" he whipped his head around, intending to catch Gu Luoxin and force the truth out of his mouth with any means necessary, only to see no signs of the player inside the room.

Gu Luoxin was nowhere to be found, as he had already slipped away once he fulfilled his task. Not finding his target, Scarred Man’s bubbling temper instantly exploded like an erupting volcano. "Where is he?!" he raged. "Where the fuck is that player?! Find him! He must be hiding the mermaid somewhere!"

Alas, the credibility of his words had plummeted to rock bottom in the eyes of the crew. Gesturing at the door, they spoke in a polite yet blunt tone, "Sir, we will continue searching for the mermaid. Rest assured, we will provide you with an update. If you could, please return to your room an—ugh!" The man’s words were abruptly cut off as Scarred Man grabbed him by the neck, seething with anger.

"I told you to find him! He is hiding the mermaid!"

Blinded by his fury and dissatisfaction, Scarred Man failed to notice that he had positioned himself right across the hole on the wall, which was connected to the adjacent room. Unbeknownst to him, a silver needle silently pierced through the air and stabbed him right in the arm. He had not even seen that attack coming before he was immobilized in place!

His eyes widened in fluster. W–Why couldn’t he move all of a sudden?!

The crew member struggled out of his chokehold and coughed harshly, stressing, "Sir, please do not resort to violence, or we will be forced to take serious action!"

However, they belatedly realized that the Scarred Man was frozen in place, still with his hand outstretched. The only movement which could be seen on him was his rapid blinking, the rise and fall of his chest, and the droplets of cold sweat trickling down his cheek.

Feeling perplexed, the member inquired, "Sir?" But Scarred Man remained unresponsive.

Whispers grew louder outside the door as the crew members exchanged confused glances. Before they could decide what to do with this guest, all of a sudden two people squeezed their way into the room, apologizing all the way. "Sorry, I’m very sorry. This is our friend," Shen Nianzu offered an apologetic smile to everyone. "He mistook our room number. Please pardon him, he’s a little..." he pointed at his own temple, and everyone ooh-ed in understanding.

"Let’s go, buddy. I’m sorry to keep you waiting." Jin Jiuchi approached the man with a malicious grin and forcibly hauled him out of the room, followed by Shen Nianzu close behind him. Within a blink of an eye, the three people disappeared from sight.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the crew members ushered the spectators back to their rooms and closed the door. "Please do not crowd here. We will continue the inspection. We kindly request your cooperation!"