When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 310: Blatant Favoritism

Chapter 310: Blatant Favoritism

The players stared at the motionless marble statue with bated breath, waiting for the answer to come. Even if it acted deaf toward them and unwilling to accept their pleas, surely it would give Grandpa some face, wouldn’t it? After all, he was a Legendary player, the one with the highest rank in the Nightmare Cycle!

Alas, they were bound to be disappointed.

To their dismay, let alone answering, the curvature of the statue’s smile did not even change. It remained utterly motionless, with only the constant stream of water trickling out of the jar in its hands. It was as though the spirit of the guardian that possessed it for a brief moment earlier had now left, leaving nothing behind but an ordinary marble sculpture. The players exchanged incredulous glances, their doubts growing.

"Could it be that our question is beyond the scope of its authority, so it cannot answer us?" one player pondered out loud.

"Or maybe there’s a time limit?" another suggested. "Once we go over the limit, it can’t respond to us anymore."

"That’s right, otherwise how could it ignore Grandpa so blatantly?"

The more they thought about it, the more they were certain that it should be the case. Grandpa also assumed so, and he let out a regretful sigh, shrugging, "Well, I guess we can only try pushing the emergency button to see if we can summon the tour guide." The other players echoed his opinion. They were ready to search for the nearest button, when Ying suddenly spoke up,

"Try asking again."

Her words were directed to none other than Jin Jiuchi, catching the man off guard. "M–Me?" he pointed at his own nose, bewildered.

Shen Nianzu’s gaze turned sharp and vigilant as he subtly moved to block Jin Jiuchi behind him, just like a protective mother hiding his precious cub from the predatory gaze of a hawk. Alas, he had failed to take into account his height which was almost a full head shorter than Jin Jiuchi, meaning that Ying could still catch Jin Jiuchi’s eyes unobstructed.

"Mn," she nodded lightly. "It responded to you earlier, so why don’t you ask again? There’s no harm in trying, right?" She sounded nothing but genuine, as if her sole intention was to offer a suggestion. But for some reason, Shen Nianzu couldn’t bring himself to lower his guard against this woman. Perhaps he had been too influenced by his future self’s warning, or perhaps it was just his instinct talking, but he truly felt as though Ying could snatch Jin Jiuchi away from him if he took his gaze off them for a second.

Jin Jiuchi blinked once and twice before he shifted his gaze to Shen Nianzu, seeking his opinion. "Nian’er...?"

Jin Jiuchi might not realize it, but this dependent gesture of his instantly smoothed the creases between Shen Nianzu’s brows and reduced the hostility in his heart by a whole lot. Shen Nianzu liked how Jin Jiuchi would always turn to him first and foremost, showing how he trusted Shen Nianzu above everyone else. The surging animosity within him, triggered by the presence of another encroaching upon his territory, was quickly appeased, allowing his logical mind to work once more.

His suspicion of Ying’s real purpose notwithstanding, the woman had been nothing but fair, composed, and level-headed. Perhaps this was the reason why his future self could never convict her for certain. Ying indeed had not shown any signs of being an enemy aside from her special attention on Jin Jiuchi which grated on Shen Nianzu’s nerves. He really loathed this state of being left hanging. Maybe he should find a chance to confront her once and for all, he noted in his mind.

After a few seconds of deliberation, Shen Nianzu nodded, "She’s right. There is no harm in trying."

Their exchange did not go unnoticed by the other players, who responded with mocking scoffs. They had long been ticked off by Jin Jiuchi’s lofty demeanor, who did not regard Grandpa with the respect he deserved.

"Heh, do you seriously think the statue will answer just because you ask? Dream on!"

"I know, right? Some people are just too complacent. They think that they are the best, but they never realize that there is always another sky above the sky!"

"Let’s not mention how arrogant he is. What’s his current rank anyway? And what kind of skill card does he have? Can it even compare to Grandpa’s Sword of Heaven?"

"Duh, just listening to you is making me embarrassed. He is a veteran player at most, so how could he be qualified? If we really want to compare, then there can only be the Harbinger of Doom and the Divine Oracle!"

Although they were talking among themselves, any kind of sounds would echo loud and clear in this circular space. It was impossible for them not to notice that, but they went on anyway as though they wanted Jin Jiuchi to hear their criticism. Gu Luoxin tried and tried to endure, but his patience was running thin. These snobbish players, were they even qualified to gossip about Da Shen? What right did they have to badmouth him?! Did they even know that he was JJ, the player who ascended to the leaderboard after his very first Cycle and the owner of the rare and mysterious Joker skill card?!

Gu Luoxin knew that his teammates disliked flaunting their rank, but he could not bear it anymore. Just allow him, this millennial youngster who could stay up all night to fight malicious water armies, to teach them a lesson! He rolled up his sleeves, ready to defend his good brother to death. If push came to shove, he could also let his kingkong out and put these disrespectful players in their place!

Alas, his attempt was swiftly thwarted by Noir, who warned him, "Don’t be reckless."

"But—!" Gu Luoxin was not reconciled, his eyes reddening in agitation. Why should he allow them to yap however they wanted?!

"You can win against one or two of them, but not all." Noir shoved the cruel reality to his face, causing him to choke in anger.

Jin Jiuchi, on the other hand, treated everyone but Shen Nianzu like a mere fart. He regarded Grandpa with the bare minimum of courtesy, let alone others who were not related to him whatsoever. Upon receiving Shen Nianzu’s permission, he rubbed his hands eagerly, turned to the statue and repeated the question Grandpa had asked, "Where is our tour guide? How can we meet them? The rule states that Momoko is not our guide, so she is a liar, right? Liars should be punished. Why don’t you punish her and let her roam around freely instead?"

Hearing his series of questions, the players sneered in disdain, and a few even burst out into mocking laughter. "What the hell is up with that idiotic question?"

But in the next second, they instantly froze because the statue moved! The marble statue, which had not budged in front of a legendary player, actually turned its head and replied to Jin Jiuchi!

"I don’t have any say in Momoko’s punishment. Why don’t you bring it up to Toki? Momoko must have played a trick on him again, causing him to be lost somewhere. Fret not, keep going and you will definitely encounter Toki sooner or later."

A deafening silence hung in the space as the players’ jaws hung open. How... How could it be possible for the statue to respond to Jin Jiuchi alone? Not only that, despite the statue’s usual gentle and melodic voice, they actually detected a hint of indulgence in its tone! Was there something wrong with their ears, or had the world gone completely crazy?!

Hell, this was blatant favoritism!

"Toki?" Jin Jiuchi echoed the foreign name with a pleasantly surprised look. "Is he our tour guide?"

"That’s correct."

A brilliant lightbulb floated above Jin Jiuchi’s head, and he fired off another barrage of questions. "What kind of person is he? What does he look like? His height, his age, his hair and eye color? Speaking of which, do you only offer water here? I’m a little hungry..." he rubbed his stomach, which conveniently let out a muted growl in response.

Shen Nianzu covered his forehead with a palm, feeling exasperated. He did not even need to turn around to know that the other players must be dumbstruck by the unexpected turn of events. No wonder, their three views must have been shattered to pieces.

Meanwhile, Gu Luoxin was so satisfied that he let out a loud ’ha-ha’. With an extremely smug expression, he asked around, "Who? Who’s the one who said that the statue will only respond to our Da Shen in a dream?" As he swept his gaze over, the other players immediately turned their heads away and dodged his eyes out of shame, filling him with immense satisfaction.

This face-slapping was too exciting!

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Mini theater

JJ: Can I have food? *puppy eyes*

Statue boy:

Statue boy: ...let’s pretend to be deaf this time

A/N (30/09/2023): Everyone, I have a very important announcement regarding WBNC’s future updates. Please open the comment section to read it. And I’m very sorry for any inconvenience orz