When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 283: Chicken Or Egg?

Chapter 283: Chicken Or Egg?

The three of them stared at each other, struggling to process the bizarre scenario unfolding before them. Exactly what was going on here? The attackers who had eliminated them in the previous timeline turned out to be their very own selves? And the reason for this enmity stemmed from the brutal death they had suffered before? But the one who had started it first was— no, stop thinking, Jin Jiuchi! You were not suited to use your brain. Ever!

Jin Jiuchi held his throbbing head as though it was going to fall off his neck. The urge to simply lie down on the floor, screw everything and sleep was particularly strong right now, and he had to lean against the door behind him so that he did not crumple like a wet tissue paper right here and now. "Wow, I just killed Nian’er and myself..." he let out a mirthless huff, shaking his head. "The previous Cycles have been fun and interesting, but this one... this isn’t not funny at all. I don’t want to kill Nian’er with my own hands..."

He lowered his gaze, feeling sullen for some reason. What kind of merciless boyfriend was he? Should he just chop this arm that had pulled the trigger off?

Jin Jiuchi was seriously contemplating where to chop when his hand was held in another softer and colder one. "It’s not your fault," Shen Nianzu’s voice drifted to his ears and he raised his eyelids to peer at the jade doll with a miserable look, prompting Shen Nianzu to squeeze his hand and reassure him again. "Really, it’s not your fault at all. You didn’t know any better. None of us did."

"But Nian’er," Jin Jiuchi pouted. "What if I end up doing it again next time?"

"Well..." Shen Nianzu was stumped by that question as he was none the wiser.

He didn’t have the slightest idea of the challenges that lay ahead or whether history would repeat itself all over again. However, given the Nightmare’s callous nature and the fact that they were stuck in a time-loop Cycle, he had a hunch that this would not be the last time they would experience something like this. He tried to put himself in Jin Jiuchi’s shoes, imagining how he would feel if the person he killed with zeal turned out to be his dear boyfriend... oh Lord, he would be so upset too. Devastated, even.

Alas, Shen Nianzu had no idea how to comfort the dejected husky, and this was neither the place or time for them to get up to anything funny. Thus he could only hold Jin Jiuchi’s hand tightly to express some comfort.

"Nian’er..." Jin Jiuchi drawled on his words, his chin resting on the crown of Shen Nianzu’s head like a boneless octopus. "You won’t hate me because of this, right?"

In normal circumstances, Shen Nianzu would definitely push him away as this kind of position reminded him too much of the height difference between them – he was not short at all, okay?! – but this time, he generously allowed Jin Jiuchi to cling to him. He scoffed, incredulous at the dramatic thoughts running in the husky’s mind. "How can I hate you for something like this? Remember who’s the one that issued the command in the first place?"

Leaning against the seat, Gu Luoxin, who had been lost in thought, suddenly barked out a laugh, "Oh my God, don’t you think this situation is too absurd? It’s like the age-old question: which comes first, chicken or egg?"

"Of course, it’s chicken," Jin Jiuchi retorted seamlessly. "Without the chicken, how can there be an egg?"

"Ha!" Gu Luoxin made a gun gesture at him, delighted. "Listen to yourself, Da Shen! Chicken hatches from eggs first. Where would chicken come from without the egg?"

"Y–You’re right!" Jin Jiuchi was instantly dumbfounded as this was the first time someone had posed such a difficult question to him. Come to think of it, Gu Luoxin was right. Just like the confusing order of egg or chicken, the incident that had happened to them also could not be discerned clearly which was the beginning or the end. It was just like a full circle, and they had been going round and round without them realizing. All of a sudden, Jin Jiuchi felt like he could start to comprehend what it meant to be trapped in a time loop.

His mind spinning, he couldn’t help but turn to the jade doll whom he believed was the most brilliant in the entire world. "How about you, Nian’er? Do you think chicken comes first, or egg comes first?"

The corner of Shen Nianzu’s lips twitched. How would he know the answer to such a philosophical question? For the lack of answers, he could only make do with, "The answer is not important. What we need to figure out now is what to do if the same situation happens again later."

"Oh!" Jin Jiuchi’s eyes lit up and suggested enthusiastically, "Can’t we just sit down and discuss our plan? Nian’er is already smart to begin with, and now we will have two or even three Nian’ers! We will rule over this Cycle!"

Shen Nianzu rolled his eyes and hit him lightly on the arm. "Can’t you be any more ridiculous?"

Jin Jiuchi felt wronged. Ridiculous? He thought the idea couldn’t be more brilliant! What’s wrong with two or three Shen Nianzus working together? They would bulldoze through this Cycle with no problem at all, okay? Moreover, the idea of having multiple Shen Nianzu hanging out around him was... oh, it would be nothing short of heaven!

"Wait, are we talking about doppelgangers here?" Gu Luoxin chimed in hesitantly. "But I read somewhere that doppelgangers will die if they meet each other..."

"Wait, why?!" Jin Jiuchi was aghast, sounding as if the world was coming to an end in five seconds.

As they chatted and debated, the train had continued its journey, making occasional stops at different platforms. Each time, the doors to a different carriage opened, and a varying number of people entered – sometimes one or two, sometimes groups of three or four. It was clear that they were all players, eyeing each other warily through the glass panels that separated the carriages.

However, none of them dared to venture to another carriage. There must be a reason why different doors would open each time, and they did not want to risk triggering a death condition simply out of sheer curiosity – or so they thought.

That was, until a certain someone decided to break the status quo.

When the connecting door of their carriage was slammed open, the trio was caught by surprise as they had been deep in discussion. In the doorway stood a man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, with gray hair at his temples and deep crow’s feet around his eyes. Despite his age, he possessed a tall and robust frame, looking physically stronger than ninety percent of the players around. What further added to his imposing presence was the massive sword strapped to his back.

"Nice to meet you!" the man greeted them with a wide beam, his eyes curving into crescents. A quick glance behind him showed that he had passed through several carriages before reaching theirs, as all the doors were wide open. "Don’t worry, I mean no harm. I’m just going to pass through, so you’ll have to excuse me..."

When Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin’s eyes landed upon his imposing sword, only one thought came to their minds — Sword of Heaven.

And the player to whom the skill card belonged to was...

"Grandpa Is The Best?!" They exclaimed in unison, astonished.

The man was taken aback for a second before he burst out into a fit of hearty laughter. "Do we know each other?"

Let alone Jin Jiuchi or Gu Luoxin, even Shen Nianzu was shocked. How could they not know him when he was one of the three renowned Legendary players in the entire country? No, more importantly, what was such a high-level player doing in a mid-level Cycle?!

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A/N: oooh we met yet another legendary player! >< in case you forgot, I’ve briefly mentioned this in ch 137 that there are only three legendary players in the country.

On another note, let us congratulate Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi for reaching 1 million popularity *cheers* *pulls confetti* thank you so much everyone for each and every of your support. Next, shall we push Noir and Gu Luoxin? Hehe