When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 281: Responsibility of a Leader

Chapter 281: Responsibility of a Leader

With the aid of the bandages prop, Jin Jiuchi once again took his teammates jumping – or to be exact, soaring – straight toward the direction of the roadblocks before rolling on the ground to halt the momentum. Hearing the sudden sound, the zombies in the vicinity instantly snapped their heads up and rushed over, snarling and baring their teeth.

Jin Jiuchi sprang to his feet and faced the horde of approaching zombies, gripping the prop in his hand as though it was a whip. With an exhilarated grin on his face, he remarked, "Nian’er, Xinxin, you guys search! I will keep them away from you!"

Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin exchanged resolute glances and nodded. "We will be back in two minutes. Hang in there, Da Shen!"

Perhaps the Goddess of Luck finally sided with them, they discovered that the truck was not locked. Gu Luoxin swiftly climbed into the vehicle to search its interior, while Shen Nianzu tore off the tarpaulin that covered the cargo bed. The sight that greeted them left him breathless. This truck had clearly been in the midst of delivering military supplies to support the nearby troops, but something had gone awry halfway, leaving most of the cargo untouched. Inside were sealed dry rations, water, medical supplies, clothing, bulletproof vests, and most importantly... weapons!

Shen Nianzu might not have been an expert in firearms, but he couldn’t mistake the rows of cartridges neatly stored in the containers before him. These were undoubtedly the ammunition for the machine gun – the same weapon which had killed Jin Jiuchi last time!

His breath faltered, his complexion blanched and a cloud of despair seemed to settle over his mind. He felt like he had been transported back to that moment less than an hour ago – oh God, not even half an hour had passed yet since then – when Jin Jiuchi’s powerful embrace shielded him from the assault of the flying bullets. The echoing sound of gunfire seemed to reverberate in his ears, and the heavy stench of blood once again filled his nostrils...

"One minute and thirty seconds!"

Gu Luoxin’s urgent report of the time tore him out of the harrowing memory. He gasped, realizing that his whole body was drenched in cold sweat. He shook his head and slapped his cheeks a few times to regain his composure. He could not afford to be paralyzed by fear now. Get a grip of yourself, Shen Nianzu! This time, things will no longer be the same! I will not let any of my teammates die before my eyes again. Ever!

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes. In quick moves, he grabbed the rifle, slung it over his shoulder, and started loading up on ammunition. When he felt like he couldn’t carry more, he hollered at Gu Luoxin, "Come help me, Xinxin!"

Gu Luoxin climbed onto the cargo bed within seconds, and an astonished sound escaped his lips. "Wow, there are so many bullets! This is a machine gun, isn’t it? The one that can fire out automatically?"

Granted, he was the first to die so he did not have the slightest idea that it was this very weapon that had taken both of his teammates’ lives in the previous timeline. However, Shen Nianzu did not have the time to fill him in, so he merely shoved the ammunition container to him. "Carry this." He then noticed that Gu Luoxin’s complexion appeared odd, and his brows furrowed in concern. "What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

"No, no, it’s not like that..." Gu Luoxin effortlessly held the weighty container with one arm and rummaged through his pocket with the other. "I found this, and..." he showed the small item to Shen Nianzu, causing the latter’s eyes to widen in realization because it was none other than the grenade that had killed Gu Luoxin!

Gu Luoxin’s hand trembled visibly and it was apparent that he was upset just by the mere sight of this explosive. Of course, who would not be traumatized after being blown into countless pieces of burnt flesh? Releasing a heavy sigh, Shen Nianzu went to pat his shoulder. "I’m sorry," he apologized out of nowhere, taking Gu Luoxin by surprise.

"No, you—" Gu Luoxin began, but Shen Nianzu cut him off, regret shadowing his features.

"If I had been a little faster," he continued, his voice heavy with remorse. "If I had reacted a little quicker, I could have pulled you into my domain. You, and also Da Shen. I wouldn’t have let the two of you perish before my eyes."

Hearing those heartfelt words, the rims of Gu Luoxin’s eyes reddened in a blink of an eye. He bit his trembling lip and shook his head again and again, unable to bring himself to speak for fear that he would break down in tears.

"I’m the leader and my teammates’ safety should be my responsibility," Shen Nianzu offered him a strained smile. "But I failed to fulfill my duty last time, and for that, I should apologize."

"N–No," Gu Luoxin choked out with much difficulty, his voice thick and nasal. "It’s not... not your fault..."

"Hellooo??" An incredulous shout came from outside, shattering the poignant atmosphere in the air. "Here I am risking my life to buy you two some time, and you dare to spend it talking? Without me?!!"

Shen Nianzu subconsciously glanced at his watch and shoot— they were running out of time! Now was not the time for them to be sentimental! He quickly grabbed another container and beckoned for Gu Luoxin, "Let’s go! This time, we will definitely leave this place alive!"

Gu Luoxin wiped his tears away and nodded, "En!"

From atop the cargo bed, Shen Nianzu called out loudly, "Da Shen, we’re ready to go!"

"Finally!" Jin Jiuchi, who had been eagerly waiting for this command, kicked his feet off the ground and escaped the circle of horrendous zombies who were hungry for his flesh and brain. In just two minutes, he became drenched in blood, and a quick glance at the spot he had vacated revealed a pile of zombies with crushed skulls. He somersaulted in the air before landing on the cargo bed, causing the truck to sway under the impact.

"You guys took so long. I nearly got scratched by those stinky zombies countless times, you know!" Though his mouth was complaining, he looked refreshed all over as if he had just enjoyed an intense and satisfying workout.

Perhaps for him, crushing those zombies’ skulls was akin to playing whack-a-mole?

Shen Nianzu shook the ridiculous thought out of his mind and focused on the matter at hand. "Let’s go!"

To the train station — Chrono Junction Express!