When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 315: Echo of the Past (4)

Chapter 315: Echo of the Past (4)

Nian’s pupils trembled violently and a bead of sweat slid down his temple. He could not tear his gaze away from the victim whose struggle gradually ceased like a fish on the chopping board. The longer he stared, the more familiar that person looked to him as if... as if he was looking at himself.

In that harrowing moment, the first thought that crossed his mind was: have I died?

He vaguely recalled reading somewhere that departed would sometimes remain oblivious of their own death, roaming the world under the illusion of life. Could the same thing be happening to him right now? Had he died from this strange zombie attack and the one standing here was h–his soul?

No, something wasn’t right. If he was in a soul form right now, how could his friend bump right into him? How could he bleed? Nian lifted his hand to examine the bloody abrasions on his palm. Even now, it was still throbbing and pulsing in pain, and he vividly felt that his body was still warm and alive. Thus he crossed off the possibility that he had died.

But then, how could he explain the perplexing scene before him?

Actually, there was a very easy method to confirm the truth. He only needed to go there and check. He did not have to alert the zombie. He could steal a glance at the person’s face, confirm his suspicion and leave.

As the idea took hold in his mind, his body began to take one step forward, then another and another...

Suddenly, he came to an abrupt standstill, unable to take another step. His breathing grew ragged, his palms clammy with sweat. Two forces were clashing fiercely inside his head – one urging him to discover the truth, while the other was filled with trepidation. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that... something huge would happen if he were to see that person. Something that could shatter his views and turn his world upside down.

For a brief moment, he remained rooted in place by this inner conflict, only snapping back to his senses when a faint growl reached his ears. He whipped his head to the side and cursed under his breath. Damn it, Nian! This was not the time to hesitate; the zombies nearby had detected his presence!

Goosebumps prickled along his arms as his eyes locked onto the shadowy figure at the end of the path, dimly illuminated by the street lamp. Despite the lack of light, somehow he could sense that the zombie’s malevolent gaze was fixated on him.

With a muttered curse, Nian pivoted on his heel. He had to run away from here, fast!

He gave one last glance to the cafeteria, only to be stunned when he could no longer see the zombie or the victim who gave him a strange feeling. W–Where had they gone?! He looked at the cafeteria door which was wide open, revealing the shadows of fleeing people. Had the zombie dragged the body away and set its sight on a new prey?!

There was no time to think. The nearby zombies were closing in on him. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself and sprinted toward the glass door, slamming it shut behind him just in the nick of time before the ravenous zombies could follow him inside!

He sharply held his breath when they banged on the door, leaving bloody handprints behind. In such proximity, he could clearly discern their murky eyes, horrifying complexity and a mouth full of blood. He even recognized one of them – it was the person who had sat in front of him in the classroom this morning.

And then, something seemed to have attracted the zombies because they simultaneously snapped their heads to the side, before rushing away with unnatural, jerky motions.

Nian dared not even exhale until the ghastly horde had completely vanished from sight. Only when silence descended did he release a long, quivering breath. However, his fleeting sense of relief did not last for long because he abruptly recalled what had just occurred in this place. He stiffly turned around, finding no one but him in the entire cafeteria. At least, nobody was alive.

Lifeless bodies lay strewn across the floor. They died with their eyes wide open. Horror etched on their features, and gruesome wounds were spotted on their bodies. The pungent stench of death and blood assaulted Nian’s senses, making his stomach churn. He resisted the urge to vomit and turned his gaze to a particular spot. There was no dead body who wore the same clothes as him there. What was left was only a pool of blood and... wait, what was that?

At first, he intended only to cast a cursory glance, but then he ended up noticing something peculiar. After a few seconds of internal struggle, he finally mustered every drop of courage within him to approach. It’s okay, he told himself. He was just going to check something. He would take a quick look and leave as soon as possible!

Perhaps it was the scene of purgatory, Nian felt like the temperature around him was plummeting further, and he couldn’t help but mutter a prayer inside his heart so that these unfortunate souls could rest in peace. He carefully walked around the lifeless bodies, keeping a watchful eye over his surroundings, until he finally arrived at the location which he had seen from outside.

The sheer amount of blood was making him nauseous, but then a sudden realization struck him.

He had assumed that the zombie had dragged the body away, but how come... how come there was no trail left behind? That’s right, the pool of blood was only confined to the small area before him, and it looked completely untouched. If that was the case, how could they disappear just as he took his eyes off for a while?

It couldn’t be...

His breath hitched on his throat and he snapped his head up, looking around in fluster. That person... had they turned into a zombie as well? Could they still be lurking nearby?! He looked around frantically, but he could detect no sign of activity around him. The cafeteria remained eerily quiet save for him and a bunch of corpses.

Nian let out a sigh of relief before shifting his focus to the pool of blood before him, or to be exact the crimson message etched onto the tiled floor.

Nian gulped, his heart thumping for some inexplicable reason. He could almost envision the person who was struggling on the gate of death, desperately marking something on the floor with his bloody fingers. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason why he was so obsessed with a dead man’s last message, but before he could delve deeper into that thought, he tilted his head to read the characters, and his breathing abruptly ceased.

Jin... Jiu...

The third character was incomplete, consisting of only two strokes, but Nian could fill it in his mind.

Jin Jiuchi. It was that person’s dying message.

Nian’s pupils dilated, and just like that, the mental barrier that had been restraining his memories burst apart, flooding his mind with a torrent of images. Staggering, he clutched onto the nearest table for support, his other hand pressed against his throbbing temple. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lips hard enough to bleed, colors draining from his face.

He remembered...

He remembered everything now.

His full name was Shen Nianzu, and this was not a real world, but an attraction in the labyrinth of time and space.

He entered Echo of the Past with Jin Jiuchi five days ago.

They were transported to the past, before the actual apocalypse befell the Cycle. It was evening when they arrived, and both of them agreed to keep a low profile as they conducted an investigation. As it turned out, the labyrinth had ingeniously assigned them false identities as ordinary students and placed them in different departments and dorm rooms. By day, they gathered information in their own department and by night, they snuck out to explore the university grounds.

However, two days passed and they still had no idea what this attraction was supposed to be about, as everything seemed peaceful on the surface. They couldn’t find anything about the core NPC either.

"Do we have to wait until the apocalypse strikes, Nian’er?" Jin Jiuchi had asked him three days ago. "School is so boooring..."

Shen Nianzu had no answer, for he was none the wiser. Eventually, he shook his head and replied with a grim expression, "I don’t know either, but my instinct tells me that it cannot be this simple."

They had no information whatsoever about the true nature of this attraction, nor did they know what kind of challenge they had to face. Shen Nianzu sighed and made a decision, "We have combed through the entire university. Tomorrow, let’s move to Honglei Hospital. Perhaps we might be able to find our answers there."

If worse came to worst, they could always press the emergency button. He had noticed a few scattered across the university, and they might be useful to summon the real tour guide. So were the plans neatly formed in Shen Nianzu’s mind.

However, came the next day, and his premonition turned out to be correct.

He began to lose his memories.