When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 302: Rain of Crimson Beams

Chapter 302: Rain of Crimson Beams

As the night descended, a thin ethereal veil of fog draped over the cityscape. The air bore a refreshing chill, reminiscent of the downpour earlier, accompanied by the soft symphony of rustling leaves. Once in a while, small insects and animals could be seen scurrying around in hunt for food, their beady eyes scanning the surroundings keenly.

In hindsight, the night following a torrential downpour would usually be cleared of clouds, allowing the moon and stars to grace the streets with their luminous embrace. Yet it was not the case this time. Thick tempestuous clouds rolled ominously on the distant horizon, obscuring any feeble glimmer of light and shrouding the city in profound darkness.

Jin Jiuchi leaned against the wall with his arms as a makeshift pillow, bored out of his mind. To entertain himself, he whistled back and forth with the birds outside, despite not comprehending their languages at all. He just thought it was amusing how these little avian creatures would always respond to his call. Shen Nianzu, on the other hand, snuggled close to his side in search of warmth while polishing his blade as if the deadly weapon was not already lethal enough.

The first warning came when a certain bird, who had been engaged in a heated debate with Jin Jiuchi, abruptly flapped its wings and took flight in a flurry of agitation.

In the far distance, Jin Jiuchi’s glowing eyes caught sight of a few birds scattering in all directions, looking as though... they were running away from the city. As though they had received some kind of premonition. He recalled how Shen Nianzu had once mentioned that animals possessed sharper instinct that could sense impending disaster, and without a warning, he sat upright, causing the jade doll to flail in surprise for having lost his support.

"What was that for?!" Shen Nianzu demanded in annoyance.

Jin Jiuchi, however, had his gaze fixed on the outside world. Something was coming, he could sense it with every fiber of his body! An electrifying sense of anticipation surged within him as he glimpsed upon something amidst the swirling clouds. "Nian’er, Nian’er!" He haphazardly reached out to pat the jade doll, almost smacking him on the face instead. "Look!"

Clicking his tongue, Shen Nianzu swatted the man’s misbehaving paw away and leaned in to peer through the gap. He squinted his eyes, yet he could see nothing but the faint silhouette of distant skyscrapers. "What is it? What have you seen?" he asked, alarmed.

As it turned out, he needed no answer because the next second, a crimson beam pierced through the ominous clouds to land on the ground, casting a haunting bloody hue over the city below. Shen Nianzu’s eyes widened in shock at this astounding spectacle and he only snapped back to his senses once he heard faint screams echoing from the direction of the city center. It must be the other players!

He sprung to his feet and announced with a grave expression, "I will wake up Xinxin and Noir first. We must go and check out the situation."

The four of them soon departed from their basecamp and headed toward the source of the scarlet ray. Gu Luoxin, who had gotten used to being suspended by the bandages prop, couldn’t tear his gaze away from the sky. His jaws hung agape. "W–What the hell is that? It looks like something straight out of a UFO and— Great God!" He cried out in surprise when Noir abruptly ascended with his wings. It was apparent that he intended to determine where the suspicious beam had come from.

"Keep going!" Shen Nianzu issued a firm command, his jaws clenched tight. "Be careful not to enter that crimson radar because we still have no idea what it’s capable of."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Jin Jiuchi continued leaping across rooftops with his highest speed. Alas, the distance between their basecamp and the city center would take around an hour, and before they could even cover half the journey, another beam descended and this time, it was dangerously close to their location!

"Woah woah woah!" Jin Jiuchi instantly skidded to a halt.

The three of them watched with bated breath as the limited area bathed in the strange scarlet glow began to undergo a bizarre transformation. The grass grew taller, swaying back and forth wildly even with the absence of the wind as though they had come alive. The ground hummed and trembled, the cracks along the street widening, then out of nowhere, a gray rodent half the size of a building burst out of the surface, its demeanor ravenous and bloodthirsty!

Gu Luoxin let out a horrified shriek, having recalled his trauma from the Shishen Apartment. "Holy shit, it’s so big ahhh!"

As if the second beam was a harbinger of the night’s calamity, more and more beams rained down from the sky and whenever they shone, the street would pulse to life. Small creatures and insects such as mice, ants, cockroaches, worms, caterpillars, rabbits and so on... all of them underwent grotesque evolution as they swelled in size, revealing their cruel and savage nature. Fierce growls emanated from their throat as they confronted each other. And much to the trio’s surprise, they began to tear and claw at each other!

Shen Nianzu was left breathless as he took in the sight of the city full of frenzied nightmare creatures. "What in the world is going on here...?"

"Should we join them?" Jin Jiuchi gingerly suggested.

Before Shen Nianzu could scold him for making such an absurd suggestion, a blinding golden light suddenly came from the far distance, its brilliance so intense that the trio had to shield their eyes. It was as though a sun had risen from the very ground, suppressing the ominous glow that had engulfed the entire city. Yet upon closer inspection, they found that this radiant sun was composed of countless light swords that formed a full circle, and at its center was none other than Grandpa!

With a simple wave of his hand, those light swords pointed outwards and flew in all directions, piercing the air with a sharp whistle and stabbing right into each and every of the rampaging creatures! There were tens if not hundreds of them, but Grandpa managed to obliterate all of them at once, just by a single gesture of his!

This was a legendary player’s skill card: Sword of Heaven!

The sheer display of power stunned the trio in place, and it was not until now that they vividly sensed the disparity between their skill level.

"Wow..." Jin Jiuchi exclaimed in awe as the blinding golden light blanketed the entire city, toppling over the fierce gigantic creatures all at once like a stack of dominos. His silver orbs sparkled in the mixture of admiration and astonishment. "Cool! Grandpa is so fucking cool!"

"Is this the strength of a legendary player...?" Gu Luoxin murmured in a daze, his breath strangely caught in his throat. "Oh God, he can literally destroy the whole city if he wants!"

Shen Nianzu gazed at the radiant figure intently as a spark of fighting spirit ignited in his heart, morphing into blazing determination within seconds. That was the level he was aiming for. Someday, he also wanted to become that invincible!

However, the problem did not end with Grandpa getting rid of the nightmare creatures. The crimson beams were still there, and the number and frequency only increased with each passing second. If this continued, there would be no secure spot left in the entire city! Shen Nianzu gritted his teeth and decided, "Let’s join Grandpa first!"

Both Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin nodded in agreement, and they pressed on toward the city center. Midway through the journey, Noir showed up and rejoined them, sending a burst of delight over Gu Luoxin’s heart. "Great God, you’re okay!" He exclaimed in relief.

"What have you discovered?" Shen Nianzu asked with palpable tension. Without identifying the root of the trouble, they would not be able to solve it at all. Who knew what would happen if the scarlet glow caught them later?

Alas, Noir’s face only grew increasingly somber upon hearing Shen Nianzu’s question. He shook his head and revealed the grim news, "Nothing. I couldn’t find their origin. They seem to materialize out of thin air in the sky."

Shen Nianzu’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach at this revelation. Was this the challenge posed by the Cycle? How were they supposed to avoid the crimson radar and being turned into one of the frenzied, mindless creatures?!