When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 292: How Arrogant!

Chapter 292: How Arrogant!

Of course, Jin Jiuchi chose the latter without hesitation. Who would want to sleep in an old and fragile building when he could have the open sky as a canopy and the soft grass as a bed?!

Gu Luoxin, however, begged to differ. "But won’t there be a lot of insects and mosquitoes...?" he asked hesitantly. Just the mere reminder of the huge rat he saw earlier was enough to send chills down his spine. As appealing as the idea of camping in the wilderness sounded, he did not want tiny creatures to crawl into his clothes – or worse ears and nose – when he was sleeping!

"Really?" Jin Jiuchi tried to entice him by dangling the white and plump rabbit before his eyes, much like tempting a hungry wolf with a piece of fragrant meat. "I will let you touch this one, and there are others around too. Are you sure you don’t want to?"

Gu Luoxin glanced back and forth between Jin Jiuchi and the cute bunny, caught in a dilemma. It was apparent that he had forgotten how it almost bit off his fingers earlier.

Helpless, Shen Nianzu finally suggested, "How about this? Let’s search the nearest shopping mall first. We can find sleeping tents and any necessary camping equipment there. Plus, we could also find some food along the way. If Da Shen wants to sleep outside, he can keep watch for the night. As for Xinxin and I, we will sleep inside the tents."

Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm and they nodded eagerly. "Xiao Shen, you’re the best!"

"Yeah, Nian’er is the smartest and always has the best solutions!"

In response to the rainbow farts from his teammates, Shen Nianzu merely scoffed with an amused smile and said, "Let’s get going. Da Shen, this is where your nose comes into play. Can you sense a shopping mall around? Or any place that has edible food?"

"Hehe sure," Jin Jiuchi rubbed his nose and lifted his chin proudly. "Just leave it to me!"

With the assistance of Jin Jiuchi’s heaven-defying nose, they truly found a shopping mall in less than ten minutes. Alas, just like all the other buildings they had come across, the shopping was well on its way to become a lone building amid the wilderness. The trees had overrun the structure and most of the roof had caved in, allowing sunlight to filter through the gaps into the atrium. Thick layers of dust and debris blanketed the entire floor, and they had to put in extra measures so as to avoid shards of glass or other hazards.

"Wow..." Gu Luoxin marveled at the decaying interior, his voice echoing in the space. "So this is what a post-apocalyptic building looks like. I have only ever seen them in movies. How cool!"

Jin Jiuchi sniffed around before pointing at a certain direction. "Nian’er, I can smell some edible food over there!"

"Very well," Shen Nianzu nodded. "Lead the way."

Venturing into the building, they saw that the vines had infiltrated through the cracks and claimed the space as their own. The concrete walls, once solid and imposing, had now succumbed to mold and decay. Smaller insects like rats, ants, and cockroaches had made themselves at home and flourished. The trio made their way to the supermarket on the same floor, where nearly half the shelves had toppled over, scattering the goods all across the floor. It was a scene of utter disarray.

"Haha," Gu Luoxin chuckled dryly. "Seems like this place has seen its fair share of chaos, huh?"

"When the apocalypse struck, people would be desperate to gather food and water above all else," Shen Nianzu explained with a sigh. "Forget about water, I’m sure we will be able to find one or two natural sources out there. For now, let’s focus on searching for canned fruits, dried beans, powdered milk, jerky, smoked meats, honey and similar items like that. They are the ones that can keep us going for a while."

"How do you know so much, Nian’er?" Jin Jiuchi looked at him in awe.

In response, Shen Nianzu only rolled his eyes with a derisive expression. "This is why you must study well instead of using books as your pillow! Now chop-chop, we must not waste anymore time here! Don’t forget to grab a backpack if you find one. And Da Shen, put down the rabbit! Until when will you keep holding it in your arms?!"

"Boo..." Jin Jiuchi tutted as he placed the white rabbit back to the ground, waving it goodbye and allowing it to roam free once more. "It was the one who came to me first, you know."

Watching the hopping rabbit, Gu Luoxin gulped and suggested with caution, "Why don’t we... roast it? That’s how survival works in the movies— wait, why are you two looking at me like that?"

Jin Jiuchi clutched his chest and looked at Gu Luoxin with a horrified look as if the young man had murdered his entire family before claiming the inheritance for himself. "Xinxin, how could you! Rabbits are so adorable, how could you even think of eating them?!"

Gu Luoxin: "..." Said the same man who had literally devoured a living half-fish person.

Shen Nianzu cleared his throat and adjusted his expression, "I don’t think it’s wise to consume wild animals, especially when we have no idea whether there will be side effects or not..."

In other words, he was just a picky eater who considered DIY roasting too unhygienic.

Gu Luoxin: "..." Alright, it seemed like he was the most boorish one here.

And thus, the trio entered the supermarket with Jin Jiuchi taking the lead. The place had clearly been looted some time after the apocalypse, as most food with long shelf lives had long since vanished. However, trust Jin Jiuchi’s nose to be able to pick up supplies even in the most obscure corners, and in the end, the trio actually managed to secure food that would last them for two days if they were frugal.

Shen Nianzu did not want to carry too much for fear that they would attract any unwanted attention. After confirming that they’d had enough, he called off the search. "Okay, I think this should suffice. Let’s head out and see if we can find tents in the stores around here."

They exited the supermarket and coincidentally met Grandpa midway, followed by a bunch of players who revolved around him like stars around the moon. It appeared that everyone, except for the three of them, Noir and Ying, had decided to tag along with the legendary player whenever he went.

"Oh, you guys are quick!" Grandpa waved at them with a warm smile. "Care to join us?"

"We don’t want to trouble you, Grandpa," Shen Nianzu answered politely yet firmly, leaving no room for the other to assume that he was rejecting just for the sake of keeping up appearances. "If chances allow, we can work together in the future. Until then, please excuse us."

Gu Luoxin bowed deeply towards Grandpa, offered a reserved smile to the other players before rushing to catch up with Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi who was utterly unwilling to mingle with the crowd.

"Geez..." one of the players couldn’t help but comment when he noticed the bulging backpack Gu Luoxin and Jin Jiuchi were carrying. "I bet they have hoarded all the food for themselves."

"Yeah, who are they to reject Grandpa’s offer? Isn’t it because they don’t want to share their resources with us?"

The more they grumbled, the more dissatisfied they became.

"Did you see how snobbish the tall and black-haired one is? Let alone giving us a glance, he didn’t even acknowledge Grandpa! Seriously, who does he think he is?"

"How arrogant! Let’s see if they can maintain that attitude when we encounter a nightmare creature later!"

The murmured complaints did not seem like they would cease anytime soon, prompting Grandpa to halt on his tracks. In an instant, all the players also braked and sealed their mouths shut, as they realized that they might have spoken out of turn.

"If you still want to talk behind others’ backs, I will leave you behind, alright?" Grandpa turned around, a sharp smile gracing his lips. "We are all people from the same world, challenging the same Cycle. So why not work together instead of shooting each other down? Don’t you agree?"

Now that he put it like this, what could the others do but play along?

"Yes, yes! Grandpa is absolutely right!"

"Aiyah, isn’t it because I was worried that they might be too greedy and seize everything for themselves? Don’t be angry, Grandpa! I will not speak ill of them anymore!"

"Right, right! Everyone is on the same team here. We should be working together!"

They swiftly took advantage of the situation to butter Grandpa up and painted themselves into one team, though their words did not include the trio at all. Rather than shame or remorse for harboring prejudice towards others, it was more like they were afraid that he would abandon them and go on his own way.

Of course, how could Grandpa not see through their intentions? In the end, he could only sigh wearily inside his heart and bemoaned that some people would always be more superficial and cowardly than others. "Keep up," he instructed as he took the lead to enter the supermarket.