When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 191: Underwater Cave

Chapter 191: Underwater Cave

Looking at the three people and one mermaid who disappeared into the swirling depths of the whirlpool, Noir showed a rare repulsed look on his face.

"Meow~" Lucius’ voice carried a trace of schadenfreude. It had been angry earlier when Noir tossed Gu Luoxin into the sea with nary a hesitation. But now seeing the apparent discomfort on Noir’s face, it felt refreshed all over. It even stood up on its hind paws and patted Noir on his cheek, as though saying, ’See? Karma is a bitch. So are you.’

Noir cast it a furtive glance and snorted, "Do you think I’m the only one who has to get in there? You are not allowed to change into your other form, do you hear me?" Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Lucius’ misbehaving paws in one hand, retracted his wings, and let gravity pull them down into the churning vortex!

"Mrowww!!" Lucius’ fur bristled in fury, but it was already too late.

Splash!

Both of them plunged into the turbulent waters, carried into the looming depths leading into the unknown.

***

So dark. It was the first thought that popped into Shen Nianzu’s mind.

It was the darkest hour before sunrise, with not even a hint of light penetrating the surface. Dragged into the ominous whirlpool, the turbulent currents spun them round and round without mercy, tugging at their limbs from every direction before finally spitting them into a calmer part of the sea. It was like riding a hellish rollercoaster without a safety belt and definite tracks.

Water swarmed Shen Nianzu’s senses, its icy grip tightening around his throat little by little. He was disoriented for a moment but he soon regained his senses, for Jin Jiuchi had never let go of him. The man’s solid and muscular arms wrapped around his waist, and his entire body stuck to him, almost shielding him from head to toe from the underwater pressure. Unexpectedly, it was this warmth that acted as his anchor, keeping his mind from slipping into the darkness and allowing him to stay in the present.

Snapping his eyes open, Shen Nianzu sprang into action at once.

He had been wholly prepared for this kind of situation. First, he took out a large waterproof flashlight and turned it on, illuminating the inky sea with a piercing beam of light. Startled by the sudden glare, the deep sea fishes scattered in panic and left a trail of ripples in their wake.

Shen Nianzu shone the flashlight around and made sure that everyone was unharmed. Then he retrieved another prop. It resembled a round pill, ivory in color, which they ought to keep inside their mouths.

With these pills, they needed not fear being crushed by the water pressure and it would ease their movements as well, ensuring they would not drown during their expedition. One pill cost 300 points and it would only be effective for half an hour. But it posed no problem for Shen Nianzu, this local rich tyrant who had more than enough points to sponsor his team.

Seeing Shen Nianzu putting the pill into his mouth, Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin also followed suit.

Beside them, Ariel shook her head to shake off the dizziness and looked around, exclaiming in pleasant surprise. "I... I recognize this part of the sea! Yes, I have gone through this area before!"

The trio looked at her in surprise, because Ariel’s voice was very different from how it was on land. Or perhaps this was how it was supposed to be. With each word she uttered, the water vibrated, carrying a pleasant and enchanting melody to their ears. No wonder the legend claimed that the merfolk were renowned for their divine voice that could bewitch sailors, so they were not for nothing!

Shen Nianzu, the only one who understood her language, gestured at her, asking, ’Then do you know the way home now?’

As if recalling something, Ariel shuddered in fear, her bright red hair flowing along the waves. "I... I can try to trace my path, but it’s also here that... I was attacked..."

Shen Nianzu was promptly alerted, but before he could inform his two teammates about it, all of a sudden, a muffled sound echoed from the depths of the churning currents and someone was spat out into their midst. It was none other than Noir and Lucius!

The two looked completely dizzy and disoriented, unable to come back to their senses for a while. Especially Lucius, who floated amid the water with its four paws facing upwards, twitching and spasming.

Alarmed, Gu Luoxin quickly cradled it in his arms and patted its body in trepidation. He feared that the black cat would drown, but after a few pats, Lucius opened one eye to peek at him, then leaned closer into his embrace like an aggrieved child seeking comfort. It did not look like it struggled against the water pressure.

So it was okay? Gu Luoxin stared at it blankly.

Shen Nianzu patted his shoulder. With a flick of his hand, he conjured a board out of thin air. Using his finger, he swiftly wrote something on it, and the words came out glowing as if sprinkled with fluorescence, allowing them to communicate underwater. Not only that, the written words could also come alive and serve as signs in case they got lost in the depths. Of course, such a remarkable prop came with an exorbitant price, far beyond the reach of an ordinary player with the likes of Gu Luoxin and Jin Jiuchi.

Such was the power of money that could make the world go round!

Shen Nianzu showed the board to Gu Luoxin, and the words on it conveyed, [It’s a prop, so it doesn’t actually need to breathe.]

Relief coursed through Gu Luoxin’s heart upon knowing that fact. Unbeknownst to him, there was something more that Shen Nianzu did not mention— if he wanted to worry about someone, then he should worry about Noir because right now he looked worse than Lucius. However, Shen Nianzu believed that Noir must have one or two tricks up his sleeve, so he refrained from saying anything. Instead, he warned the others of the danger Ariel had revealed.

The four players grew alert, and under Ariel’s guidance, they cautiously inched forward through the oppressive darkness of the underwater cave that would allegedly lead them to Ariel’s home.

As Shen Nianzu’s flashlight beam flickered, it illuminated the path ahead with a hazy and murky glow, exposing the abyssal sea life that no human had ever ventured to witness before. The underwater cave stretched out before them, its walls adorned with eerie bioluminescent flora that swayed and danced with the waves.

Until all of a sudden, a flash of bright luminescence caught his eyes. In an instant, Ariel’s screams vibrated through the water.

"Ah, that... that’s it! That’s the creature that attacked me!!"

At first, everyone still had no idea what they were looking at, but soon more and more bioluminescence came to light, revealing the presence of a creature unlike anything they had ever seen before— a predator of the deep. Resembling a mix of fish and mythical creature, it possessed an otherworldly beauty that was both captivating and terrifying.

Its body was elongated and streamlined, similar to that of a sleek fish, designed for swift and agile movement through the water. It had a set of translucent fins that extended gracefully from its sides akin to wings, and these fins were the primary source of its luminescence, glowing with a mesmerizing array of colors. The creature’s skin was translucent, giving it an almost ghostly appearance and showing the glowing organs within its body. They created a soft radiant glow that pulsed and danced across its form. The dazzling trails it left in its wake create an almost mystical aura, leaving a shimmering trail of stardust in the dark underwater cave.

Its large, almond shaped eyes narrowed at them with a predatory gaze, while its mouth was adorned with rows of needle-like teeth. It was provoked by these intruders who had trespassed into its territory.

With a burst of speed, the creature lunged toward them, its body cutting through the water with terrifying efficiency!