When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 239: Three Members of SJG

Chapter 239: Three Members of SJG

[Oh my God, a new player? Are newbies so powerful nowadays?!]

[Replying to the commenter upstairs, it’s not a newbie this time. Don’t worry, JJ’s case is abnormal and probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing.]

[*shock* they immediately jumped to rank 87th! What kind of fairy is that?!]

[Wait, Xinxin? Last month, I entered a Cycle in the tropical rainforest and there was a player who introduced herself as Xinxin.]

[Upstairs, spill the tea!]

[Upstairs, spill the tea +1]

[Upstairs, spill the tea +2]

[Upstairs, spill the tea +3]

[Upstairs...]

[Wait, where the fuck did they go? How can they disappear just like that?! Just wait for laozi to hunt you down later!]

[Sorry, sorry, I was in the bathroom just now. Xinxin, huh? She’s a cute girl, very petite and young. Seems like a high school student. I’m not sure if it’s the same person, but... she doesn’t look like someone who can be a top player. Can you imagine it? Our Cycle lasted for 30 hours, and she cried for 30 hours. I can still hear her screams in my ears until now *laughing*]

[...So it’s not her?]

[Wait, but it’s not possible for two identical nicknames to exist in the Nightmare Cycle, right?]

[Who knows? Maybe she’s just pretending to be scared?]

Compared to Shen Nianzu and his organization’s shocking achievements, the talk about Xinxin is few and far in between. That changed in the middle of the night when a new comment appeared, setting the entire thread ablaze.

[The girl with a cyan hair clip? I was in the same Cycle as her once. She looks timid, but her skill card is quite powerful.]

[*shock* Someone, please pinch me! The one who had just commented... is it Jiang Shun? That Jiang Shun from the Immortal Phoenix?!]

[Wuwuwuwu, my male god has finally appeared! God Jiang, where have you been? You haven’t been active in the forum lately! *throw flower* *bite handkerchief*]

[Well, if it’s Jiang Shun from the Immortal Phoenix, then we could probably trust what he’s saying.]

[Goddamnit, so I have really entered the same Cycle as a future top player?!]

[Upstairs, now that I think about it again, that Cycle must have been Xinxin’s first one. No wonder she was so terrified. I even pissed my pants during my first Cycle lol *tears*]

[You don’t say! I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I came across a nightmare creature for the first time!]

[Upstairs, you’re better than me. I literally passed out, and it was a kind Intermediate player who dragged me to safety. Brother, wherever you are now, I owe you my life! *cry* *cry *cry*]

For a while, the conversation took a turn as players chatted and shares jokes about their first experience in the Cycle, until someone quietly chimed in:

[Um, is it only me who thinks that the timing of Xinxin’s rise in ranking is kinda coincidental with Nian and JJ...?]

[...]

[...]

[...!!!!!]

[Holy shit, holy shit, I feel like I’ve just glimpsed upon a huge secret!!]

[Upstairs commenter, you’re not alone! Don’t tell me, the three members of SJG... are Nian, JJ and Xinxin?!]

The forum once again erupted into chaos, and this time it was even more intense as the players who had been squatting in Shen Nianzu’s thread joined in to add fuel to the fire.

[Nian, JJ, and Xinxin?!]

[Mama, all three of them are in the leaderboard! What kind of heavenly combination is this?!]

[No wonder... no wonder SJG is so powerful! Ahhh, I really want to join them! Please... do the three of you lack a leg pendant?! I’m willing to do anything, just take me along with you orz!]

[Wuwuwu, I really want to join SJG too! Will Nian even hold open recruitment? What if he’s only considering players who can make it to the top 100?! *bite handkerchief*]

[Hold on, hold on. Why are you all so certain? It’s not confirmed yet if those three are actually a team, right?]

The thread was flooded with various theories, speculations, and doubts, and the discussion showed no signs of slowing down even as the comment count surpassed five thousand. The more logical players engaged in debate with those firmly convinced that SJG’s members were indeed Nian, JJ, and Xinxin, while melon eaters fanned the flames from the sidelines. At three in the morning, Jiang Shun dropped one more comment before disappearing.

[Aside from Xinxin, JJ was also present in the Cycle I mentioned.]

[!!!]

[!!!]

[Holy shit!]

[Ahhh, God Jiang has spoken. It must be the truth!]

[Geez, your God Jiang is not even in the top 100. Don’t you think it’s ridiculous of you to glorify him to this extent just because he is good-looking?]

[Shut up, you hater! Sooner or later, my male god will make it to the leaderboard too!]

[Ahhh, it’s fixed now! SJG’s members are truly Nian, JJ and Xinxin. No one can tell me otherwise!]

At times, the intuition and observation skills of netizens could rival those of a detective. Shen Nianzu had not even uttered a word yet – hell, he was only minding his own business – but players all across the country had already figured out the identities of his teammates!

Fast forward to seven in the morning, the comment count in those two threads had crossed the ten thousand mark. But the three of them – who were still excited over Shen Nianzu’s skill card evolution and his climb in the ranks – were blissfully unaware that they had been gossiped ten thousand times over.

This went on until Gu Luoxin managed to snap out of his euphoria of having struck gold. As he scrolled down, he noticed a two-digit number where there used to be three digits. In an instant, his eyes flew wide in shock and his brain felt like it was short-circuiting. "Wait... my total rank..."

Jin Jiuchi, who happened to be counting how many people he needed to surpass to be side by side with Shen Nianzu, chimed in with realization, "Oh Xinxin, look at that! You’re ranked 87th this time! Not bad, not bad, it’s just a little worse than me!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Shen Nianzu’s eyes, but it only lasted for a split second before his usual calmness returned. "I knew that you would enter the leaderboard sooner or later. You are more powerful than you think, so believe in yourself."

Their words seemed to float around Gu Luoxin’s head, not quite sinking in yet. He could only stare at the screen in a daze. Never could he have ever foreseen that his name would grace the leaderboard one day. To think that just one month ago, he had still been looking up to them, convinced that he could never bridge the gap to their immense power. But now, players on the forum referred to him as ’Goddess Xinxin’; they admired and envied him, just like how he used to be back then.

"Psst," Jin Jiuchi nudged Shen Nianzu by the elbow. "Why does he look like that? I think the news has broken him."

Shen Nianzu shot him an exasperated look. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Luoxin suddenly threw himself forward and hugged his leg, bawling out loud with tears and snots running down his face. "Big Boss...! Boss, it’s all thanks to you! Wuwuwu, I can’t believe that I am a top player now! Let’s do it! I will enter that Cycle with the two of you! I, Gu Luoxin, will live as your person and die as your ghost!" He sobbed uncontrollably, his words a jumbled mess, "Don’t worry, I–I will definitely not hold you back! Please let me come with you!!!"

Veins throbbed on Shen Nianzu’s forehead as he glanced down at his leg pendant. "Let go first."

"Y–You!" Jin Jiuchi leapt to his feet and pointed an accusatory finger at Gu Luoxin. "I haven’t even hugged Nian’er’s leg yet, and you dare to do it first?! Let go of him!"

"No, I won’t let go even if I die!!"

"Then, go ahead and die now!"

Shen Nianzu closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. Patience, he told himself. Just take it as he was babysitting two big children.

.

.

A/N: Alternate title for this Chapter: The Power of Nosy Netizens

Not everyone mistaking him as a girl *laughing-crying* Anyway, congratulations Xinxin for making it to the leaderboard! *pull confetti* *blow trumphet*

ps: Ying has dropped a masterpiece here. Click the comments on the very last paragraph in this Chapter and show your love there! Geez, I still laughed everytime I saw it ><