When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 275: Ominous Black Bus

Chapter 275: Ominous Black Bus

Cycle 4: Chrono Junction Express

***

The day they had to challenge the Cycle soon arrived, and with the uncertainty of what they would face, the trio finally opted for comfortable clothing that was suitable for both running and fighting.

The time indicated on the tickets was 8 pm. When they trudged through the mountainous path, only the dim glow from the street lamps cast a feeble glow upon their route. The transition from summer to autumn was evident in the red and brown hues that now adorned the leaves as they rustled in the breeze. The weather had been getting progressively colder as of late, and Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but rub his hands together for warmth, white mist billowing out of his mouth when he spoke, "It’s... a little scary here, don’t you think so?"

Everywhere he looked, towering trees seemed to blot out the sky. Each step they took would make a noisy crunching sound, and the light that filtered in through the swaying leaves resembled a horde of nightly spirits who had just roused from their slumber. No matter which direction he turned, this was a scene straight out of a horror movie!

If he were here alone, he would have long pissed his pants in fear!

Oh no, what should he do if the next Cycle turned out to be a supernatural type like the Shishen Apartment?!

Just as Gu Luoxin’s question hung in the air, a soft sensation suddenly brushed against the left side of his neck. It felt like a gentle exhale, as if... as if someone was standing right beside him! But there was no one on his left – Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi were both on his right! So what – or to be exact, who was touching him?!!

Colors drained from Gu Luoxin’s face in an instant. His throat locked up and his breathing stuttered. His knees buckled under the weight of fear. Gasping, he managed to stammer through his violently chattering teeth, "X–X–Xiao Shen, c-c-c-could you check if there’s anything on my... on my left...?" His voice was barely above a whisper. He was so terrified that he did not even dare to turn to check, only fixing his gaze on Shen Nianzu with a pleading look.

Shen Nianzu cast a furtive glance at him and clicked his tongue, "Stop scaring him."

W–Who?! Gu Luoxin’s eyes bulged out in horror. Who should stop scaring him?!!

"Ah, Nian’er is no fun," Jin Jiuchi tutted as he withdrew his long arm from around Gu Luoxin. Pinched on his fingers was a single leaflet which he had used to tickle Gu Luoxin’s neck. Flashing a mischievous grin at Gu Luoxin’s dumbfounded face, Jin Jiuchi blew the leaf right before his eyes. "Are you that scared, eh?"

Gu Luoxin: !!!

"Y–Y–You...!" Gu Luoxin’s hackles raised as his fear quickly morphed into fury and indignation. He no longer cared if Jin Jiuchi was the Big Boss’ dog or not. Today, he had to land a punch or two to let Jin Jiuchi know that he must not be underestimated!

He rolled up his sleeve, fuming. Alas, before he could engage Jin Jiuchi in a fight of life and death, the man swiftly turned tail and sought refuge behind Shen Nianzu’s back, feigning an accusing look as he pointed at Gu Luoxin. "Nian’er, he’s going to kill me! I can see the murderous intent in his eyes!"

Shen Nianzu was rendered utterly speechless in the face of their shenanigans. He rubbed his temples with an exasperated look, "Can you guys stop fooling around?"

Gu Luoxin was extremely aggrieved, "I–I am not fooling around! My heart almost stopped because of Da Shen! I nearly died before I got into the bus!"

Shen Nianzu shifted his glare to Jin Jiuchi, who remained unrepentant and instead showed a roguish grin as he argued with a righteous tone, "Ain’t I doing this for Xinxin? Look at him, he’s all tense and nervous. What if the nightmare creature KO him in one slap?"

Gu Luoxin became stunned when he heard that. Now that he thought about it, he had forgotten all about his fear because of Jin Jiuchi angering him. Had the man really done it for him? Really? But why did his sixth sense tell him that it was just a convenient excuse, and Jin Jiuchi had really wanted to see him lose his mind out of fear?

He shot a dubious look at Jin Jiuchi, which the man returned with an honest and open look as though saying, ’Can’t you see how sincere I am?’

Fortunately, before any tension could escalate between the two, Shen Nianzu abruptly halted on his tracks and announced, "The bus is here."

In an instant, Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin threw this little exchange to the back of their minds and turned their attention to the front. There, nestled among the wild bushes, stood a bus with an entirely black exterior. It was so dark that it seemed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding darkness, with only white colored paint that was in stark contrast against its body, bearing the number — 1

Gu Luoxin involuntarily gulped, as the fear that had momentarily subsided came rushing back again. "P–Previously, the buses have always been brightly colored. Why is this one black? It looks so... ominous..."

The bus that had taken them to the Shishen Apartment was bright yellow, the one for the Temple of Anubis had been cream colored, while the journey to Atlantis had been vibrant blue. Gu Luoxin was right when he said that this was unusual. Even Shen Nianzu, who was the most experienced of the three, had not encountered a black bus before.

His brows furrowed in thought, but he soon shook his head. Was this even important? "With so many Cycles, sooner or later, a black colored bus will eventually appear. Let’s not be so superstitious. We should get on board." He took the lead to approach the bus, with Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin trailing closely behind him.

They went through a familiar sequence — step onto the bus, take a seat based on their ticket numbers, and wait.

Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but remind his two teammates, though his gaze was vehemently fixed on Jin Jiuchi. It was apparent that he wished he could drill this point into the disobedient husky’s head who seemed to enjoy defying the rules. "Remember, do not use your skill card casually just because you want to see what it looks like after you upgrade it. Also, do not..." his gaze bore into Jin Jiuchi as he stressed each word with heavy emphasis, "By all means, do not provoke the bus officer."

Jin Jiuchi had a perfect track record when it came to messing with the bus officer, so Shen Nianzu must slap this reminder onto his forehead. Who knew when his shenanigans would come back to bite him on the ass one day?

In response to that, Jin Jiuchi let out a gasp and put on a wounded look as if the whole universe had wronged him. "Nian’er, how can you put it like that? I never did it on purpose, okay?!"

"Yeah, sure..." Shen Nianzu gave him a tight-lipped smile and cracked his knuckles. "If you do it not on purpose again this time, let’s see if I will teach you a lesson or not."

Jin Jiuchi raised an intrigued brow, a faint smile playing on his lips. Shen Nianzu looked so domineering when he was all riled up like this that Jin Jiuchi had the urge to argue back just to see what kind of ’lesson’ the jade doll was going to teach him. Alas, before he could come up with a perfect retort, the bus’ door slid shut with a soft hiss. And the next second, the vehicle began to move.

The trio’s eyes widened in shock. They had gotten used to having the bus all to themselves, because after all it was like that in the previous Cycle, but...

"Wait, where is the bus officer?!"