When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 294: Let’s Take Turns

Chapter 294: Let’s Take Turns

As soon as Shen Nianzu heard those words, an unilateral decision was made on the spot and they wasted no time to head southeast with Noir leading the way. In order to save time, they stuck to their usual method – Jin Jiuchi carrying Shen Nianzu in his arms while dragging Gu Luoxin behind with the bandage prop.

Previously Gu Luoxin couldn’t care less about this arrangement because they were focused on boarding the train on time, but now...

Why was it so embarrassing to be seen like this?!

He covered his burning face and let out a silent scream as the sentient bandages wrapped securely around his waist, tugging him along as Jin Jiuchi leaped across the roofs.

Jin Jiuchi couldn’t help but take in a lungful of fresh air and enjoyed the caresses of wind on his hair. He beamed at Shen Nianzu, "This city is so beautiful, don’t you think so, Nian’er?"

"Indeed," Shen Nianzu let out a scoff. "It looks breathtaking in daylight, but wait until the night descends. There will be no electricity, no street lamps, no car headlights. We can only rely on the stars and bonfires to illuminate our way. Well, it will not make any difference for you either way." He pinched Jin Jiuchi’s earlobe as though to vent his dissatisfaction.

Jin Jiuchi only blinked his innocent eyes and let Shen Nianzu pinch and knead however he wanted.

The further they ventured from the city center, the more chaotic the scene they encountered. The streets were jam-packed with abandoned and rusty cars, their doors ajar as if their passengers had fled in a hurry. Cracks of varying sizes marred the roads, some so narrow they were almost inconsequential, while others were wide enough for an adult to fall into. The whole city exuded an eerie yet artistically beautiful air.

Had it not been for the information Noir provided and Jin Jiuchi’s ability to leap across roofs, they might not have made it this far and settled only around the city center.

It took them only one hour to travel across the city, and Jin Jiuchi brought his two teammates to land on the ground. He gently placed the jade doll down and raised his head to marvel at the building before him – or to be exact, what remained of it. "Wow..."

This place had likely been a stadium before the apocalypse. Now though, the entire structure had collapsed starting from the underground floors to the upper levels, conveniently offering a semblance of a roof under which they could take shelter. The entrance was so narrow that Jin Jiuchi could only squeeze through it by bending himself low, and it would definitely be a challenge for anyone to attack them.

The sound of bubbling water reached Jin Jiuchi’s ears from within, accompanied by a sharp and pungent smell. He wrinkled his nose and asked, "What the hell is this smell?"

"If this is a natural hot spring, then what you’re smelling right now is probably sulfur. It has a lot of benefits such as relaxing muscles, improving blood circulation, detoxifying, enhancing overall skin condition..." The more Shen Nianzu observed their new basecamp, the more satisfied he was. He could practically hear the hot spring beckoning to him. However, he told himself not to be hasty. They must maintain their vigilance and search the place thoroughly before settling down. He turned to Noir, who was hovering in midair, "Thank you for your invaluable information. We plan to scour through the place and set up the tents before taking any future actions. How about you?"

Noir raised his gaze to the sky and asked out of nowhere, "When will you prepare the food?"

Caught off guard by that sudden question, Shen Nianzu failed to react for a while. "...Huh?"

"When will you prepare the food?" Noir repeated his question, then added, "You’d better hurry. It’s going to rain soon."

The trio instinctively looked up and saw nothing but a vast expanse of clear blue sky. Not a single cloud could be seen, yet Noir had just warned them that it would rain? As inconceivable as it might sound, this was a warning from a top player after all, so Shen Nianzu dared not take it lightly. "We will settle down as soon as we finish inspecting the place."

"Very well," Noir folded his wings and landed on the ground with a thud, indicating that he was going to join the group.

Shen Nianzu took the lead to enter, with Jin Jiuchi close behind him. This left only Gu Luoxin and Noir outside. Gu Luoxin tried to be courteous and gave way to the man, "P–Please go ahead."

However, Noir remained rooted in place and only gazed at him silently, making Gu Luoxin feel so unsettled that he couldn’t even bring himself to meet the man’s emerald eyes. He tugged on his bangs anxiously, cleared his throat and turned toward the entrance, "T–Then, I will go first..." he stuttered. His back grew tense as he heard footsteps behind him shortly after. He was so distraught that he forgot to ask about Lucius’ whereabouts and why the black feline had not appeared ever since.

Stepping through the entrance, what greeted them was a scene of utter chaos. Crumbled walls piled on top of each other, cable lines dangling overhead, and scattered items all over the ground made it a challenging terrain to traverse.

Somehow, Gu Luoxin felt like he had become the character from Mario Bros as he leaped and jumped over the debris. But his adventure led him to an astonishing discovery because in the heart of the crumbling structure lay a hidden gem — a pool of natural hot spring!

"Oh wow..." Gu Luoxin couldn’t hide his amazement as he carefully approached the pool. Following Jin Jiuchi’s lead, he dipped his hand into the water, only to recoil with a yelp at the scorching temperature. "Hot, hot, hot!" His fingertips were turning a rosy shade in a flash, and he blew on them to cool the sting.

Shen Nianzu remarked with a mirthful tone, "Seems like an earthquake in the past caused this building to crumble and created fractures in the Earth’s crust, raising the heated groundwater to the surface. It also explains the cracks we saw on the street outside. If we want to take a dip, it’s best to wait until nightfall when the temperature drops." Seemingly out of nowhere, he produced a stack of talismans, made a circle around the open area and fixed the yellow papers in a few strategic directions. Satisfaction gleamed in his purple eyes when the talismans briefly glowed before dimming again.

"Okay, we should be alerted at once if anyone tries to trespass, be it another player or a nightmare creature."

Next, Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin worked together to build two tents for themselves a distance away from the hot spring. They then scoured the area for combustible items to make a fire. Meanwhile, Jin Jiuchi’s curiosity got the best of him and when Shen Nianzu was not looking, he quickly took a sip out of the hot spring only to spit it out the next second, gagging and retching in disgust. Noir watched everything from the sidelines with a speechless look on his face.

When they finished the preparation, another hour passed by in a blink of an eye. Just as Noir had predicted, the sky outside abruptly darkened and dark clouds rolled in, accompanied by claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. It took no time at all for a light drizzle to fall before it swiftly escalated into a torrential downpour.

"Holy shit..." Gu Luoxin let out an astonished gasp as he peeked outside. "Good thing we acted quickly, or else we’re going to be drenched for sure!" He was clad only in light clothing, and now he began to feel the chill seeping into his skin. He rubbed his arms and shuddered, "Hiss, it becomes so cold all of a sudden. What time do you think it is?"

"I’m not sure either," Shen Nianzu responded as his gaze remained locked on the overcast sky. "When we exited the station earlier, I thought it was still early morning. But now, it looks like night will soon descend. Since it’s not wise for us to move around in this weather, how about we take a dip in the hot spring to warm up?"

Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin’s eyes immediately sparkled with anticipation. They had been waiting for Shen Nianzu to say those words!

Noir, however, did not share the same enthusiasm. "You guys go ahead. I will keep watch."

Actually, Shen Nianzu’s talisman prop had a limited range and they would only alert him once an enemy entered the radar. Now that they were planning to soak in the hot spring, having someone to stand guard was naturally a better solution. Alas, he did not feel right to leave Noir alone outside while the three of them enjoyed themselves. After a second of deliberation, his gaze shifted to Gu Luoxin.

Gu Luoxin’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this and sure enough, he heard Shen Nianzu say,

"Let’s take turns. I will enter with Da Shen first, and Xinxin will go with Noir later. We will prepare our meals after that. How does that sound?"

Gu Luoxin’s jaws instantly dropped to the ground, his eyes widening in disbelief. W–Wait a moment, how did things turn out like this?!

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Mini theater

Shen Nianzu: If they don’t want to reconcile, then I will make them *proud*

Gu Luoxin: *dies*