When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 286: Create a Paradox

Chapter 286: Create a Paradox

"Arrgh!" Gu Luoxin tore at his hair and screamed in frustration. "Why are we back here again?! Does it mean we have to redo everything from scratch?!"

"Leave me alone..." Jin Jiuchi immediately slumped back to his seat and closed his eyes, intending to become one with the bus. His voice was filled with lethargy as he shooed his teammates away. "I don’t want to move anymore. Carry on without me, you two. It’s okay, I know I will be missed."

Shen Nianzu massaged his throbbing temple, amused yet helpless by Jin Jiuchi’s reaction. He could somewhat understand the man. As someone who always sought excitement and thrill, this Cycle must be utterly tedious for him as they had to go through the same thing again and again, and they didn’t even know when they would clash with their own selves again! Nonetheless, this was still not an excuse to be lazy, so he clapped his hands to draw their attention.

"I understand your feelings. Trust me, I’m just as tired of this as you are. That’s why, we must boost our spirits so that we can tackle this Cycle and leave as soon as possible. Also, have you forgotten that all the troubles we went through to board the train were our own doing? We have no enemies from the start, and we can also handle the zombies without a hitch. We can directly make our way to the station without any unnecessary detours."

"Xiao Shen is right!" Gu Luoxin’s eyes lit up in realization. "This time, we won’t have to kill each other anymore, so everything should be easier! Oh, wait a second..." a troubling thought suddenly crossed his mind, making him grow anxious. "This is our fourth timeline, which means... our past selves from the first three timelines will also be here, won’t they?"

"Oooh!" Jin Jiuchi instantly sprang to life like a released rubber band, his silver eyes shimmering in excitement. "We will have four Nian’ers in this timeline? That sounds awesome! Can we gather everyone and have a little snack together before catching the train?"

Shen Nianzu had the strong urge to laugh when he heard those words. He really had no idea what was going on in Jin Jiuchi’s mind. Why was he so obsessed with the idea of having four Shen Nianzus at once? Did it really matter whether there was one or four? Shaking his head, Shen Nianzu finally delivered the devastating news that shattered Jin Jiuchi’s little dog heart, "That’s impossible. Do you not remember what Xinxin said about how doppelgangers will die if they meet each other?"

"T–That’s actually true?!" Gu Luoxin was taken aback.

"Why?!" Jin Jiuchi demanded, on the verge of tears. "What’s wrong with having two or three Nian’ers at the same time? Why can’t my wish come true?!"

Shen Nianzu checked the time and noticed that it was almost the time for their past selves from the third timeline to reach the outer wall of the park. Thus he urged, "Come on, let’s head to the station first. I will explain everything on the way, but remember, we must avoid being seen by our other selves."

One by one, they disembarked from the bus and Shen Nianzu threw a glance at the vehicle’s body, noting that the number had changed once again to ’4’.

They followed the same path they had taken previously. Along the way, the vicinity was clear and the ground was littered with the motionless bodies of zombies, evidently left behind by the trio from the second timeline. As the sounds of battle grew nearer, Shen Nianzu gave a signal for them to stop and they took cover behind some bushes to continue their discussion.

"Let me put it like this to avoid confusion," Shen Nianzu began. "From now on, we will call ourselves Team 4. Our past selves from the first and third timelines will be Team 1 and Team 3, respectively. We will not count Team 2 in because we spent the second timeline discussing our plans. Got it?"

Upon receiving nods of understanding from the other two, Shen Nianzu continued to analyze in a hushed tone, "What Xinxin said is right. We must avoid seeing each other because, whether it’s intentionally or not, one of us will surely disappear. Be patient," he shot a stern glare at Jin Jiuchi when he noticed the man opening his mouth, seemingly about to protest. "I’m getting to the main point."

"To put it simply, Team 2 can exist because everyone in Team 1 has been eliminated, and in the same way, Team 3 exists because Team 2 met the same fate. Right now, we are like four parallel lines running through the same plane. But what happens if these lines suddenly intersect?"

"They will... become one?" Gu Luoxin tilted his head, still puzzled.

"That’s one way to put it, but in fact it’s simply impossible for parallel lines to merge." Shen Nianzu elaborated patiently, "In theory, when we encounter one another, it causes a disturbance in the time and space, hence creating a paradox. Let’s take Jin Jiuchi from Team 4 meeting Jin Jiuchi from Team 3 as an example. This is a paradox. Why? Because Jin Jiuchi from Team 3 should have already perished for the one in Team 4 to exist. Alternatively, Jin Jiuchi from Team 4 shouldn’t have existed yet, as the one in Team 3 is still alive. We exist because our previous selves died. If we meet, there are only two possible outcomes: either we vanish, or our other selves vanish – no in between. Are we clear until here?"

He turned to find both his teammates staring back at him with a dazed look on their faces. It was clear that his words had only entered one ear and exited the other. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of helplessness. "Let’s move first. They have already reached the outer wall."

They snuck around like some kind of thieves, for they not only needed to hide from the zombies but also their own selves. Amid the strained silence, Jin Jiuchi suddenly spoke up, "So..."

"Sssh!" Shen Nianzu attempted to hush him, but it was too late. Nearby zombies had already detected the noise and began to approach them. He shot a glare at Jin Jiuchi, who was looking back at him with harmless and innocent eyes.

Gu Luoxin raised his head and saw the tragic scene of his past self dangling precariously from the end of the bandages, scared out of his wits, while Shen Nianzu was being princess carried like he was supposed to be. Suddenly, everything clicked into place in his mind,

"Wow, the movement of the zombies I observed last time... I thought they were attracted to Team 1, but it’s actually because of us hiding nearby!" He couldn’t help but feel astonished at the revelation. And then, a peculiar idea crossed his mind, causing him to be stumped. "Wait a moment, if back then we were not even aware of Team 4’s existence, then is it possible that right now... there might be a Team 5 or Team 6 lurking around as well?!"

.

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A/N: have I confused you guys yet? *laugh* how many timelines do you think they will need to finish this one Cycle?