When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 316: Echo of the Past (5)

Chapter 316: Echo of the Past (5)

The morning of the third day, Shen Nianzu and Jin Jiuchi went to their respective classes like usual in order to blend with the crowd and avoid suspicion. As it was a busy day, Shen Nianzu’s last class did not conclude until the evening. He was gathering his books when a voice called out by the doorway,

"Nian, your boyfriend is here!"

Shen Nianzu raised his head and there Jin Jiuchi was, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and a bag slung over his shoulder. The warm hues of the setting sun fell upon him, casting captivating shadows over his sharp features. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, Jin Jiuchi stood out in his eyes like a vibrant splash of color on an otherwise mundane canvas.

Shen Nianzu’s movement stilled. At that moment, an unbidden thought flitted through his mind. If... if Jin Jiuchi had been a normal human, if there was no Nightmare Cycle in their lives, would their paths have intersected at some point? Could they obtain such an ordinary yet ideal life?

Shen Nianzu was not a fan of indulging in whimsical fantasies, but these past few days were akin to a surreal dream. Aside from conducting an investigation, they lived a normal life just like any ordinary university student. They attended classes, shared meals in the bustling cafeteria, strolled leisurely across the picturesque campus, basking in each other’s company. And at the end of the day, Jin Jiuchi would escort him to his dorm room, clutching his fingers tightly as though the very thought of parting was unbearable.

(In fact, Jin Jiuchi had voiced his protest countless times when he knew that Shen Nianzu would be sharing a room with three stinky male NPCs, but Shen Nianzu brushed him off every single time, claiming that this was for the sake of gathering more information.)

In short, this world was so tranquil and beautiful.

It was a glimpse of the life Shen Nianzu dared not even imagine before.

Shaking his head, he let out a mirthless chuckle. What was he thinking? As beautiful as it was, everything was but a façade. This life did not belong to him and never would. It was the trials and struggles in the Nightmare Cycle that had shaped who he was today and led him to Jin Jiuchi. For that, he would not trade it for anything else.

He grabbed his bag and walked over to the man who had been waiting for him, smiling, "Sorry, did you wait long?"

Instead of a response, Jin Jiuchi stared at him with such an intense gaze as though attempting to delve into the deepest recess of his soul. "...Why are you looking at me like that?" He patted his own cheek. "Is there something on my face?"

Jin Jiuchi looked like he was struggling to say something, which was very unlike him. The Jin Jiuchi he knew was someone who would not hesitate to speak his mind regardless of the time and location. Shen Nianzu was a little taken aback, and a faint inkling surfaced in his mind. He lowered his voice to whisper, "What is it? Have you discovered something about this place?"

Jin Jiuchi stared at him unblinkingly, and the look in his eyes was so strange that it made Shen Nianzu feel uneasy. He grabbed Jin Jiuchi’s wrist and led him away, "Come on, let’s find somewhere else to talk."

They exited the classroom and made their way out of the building, heading toward the dormitory. Along the way, students streamed past them, yet they looked more like mere echoes of the past. No one was paying attention to them, so Shen Nianzu immediately cut to the chase, "Speak, what is it?"

As if he had been waiting for this moment, Jin Jiuchi blurted out, "Nian’er, why didn’t you come? I waited for you all afternoon."

"Huh?" Shen Nianzu blinked in surprise. He had no idea what Jin Jiuchi was talking about. Had they made a promise to meet up? An disconcerting sensation settled in the pit of his stomach, and the base of his skull throbbed in pain. Something was amiss, every cell in his body could feel it. And upon hearing Jin Jiuchi’s words, any remnants of warmth in his chest vanished without a trace, replaced with a chilling dread.

"Nian’er, have you forgotten? We were supposed to meet for lunch and visit Honglei Hospital..." Jin Jiuchi scratched his head with a puzzled look. "Or did I get it wrong?" Rather than himself, he trusted Shen Nianzu’s memory more. There was no way the jade doll could make such a basic error, so it must be him who had mixed up the date or time...

...or so he’d thought.

But before his eyes, Shen Nianzu’s complexion turned ashen, and intense disbelief etched on his delicate features. "...I forgot."

It was the first time they had an inkling of the true challenge they were facing in this attraction.

Clearly, they had made plans just yesterday, but it seemed as if the memory had been erased from Shen Nianzu’s mind. It was not until Jin Jiuchi reminded him that he recollected everything, much like a person who was woken up from a dream.

What would happen if both of them lost their memories at the same time? What if Jin Jiuchi was not here to remind him? In that scenario, he would slowly forget all of his goals and purposes and assimilate into this attraction, becoming yet another ordinary NPC in the Cycle!

Chills ran down Shen Nianzu’s spine at the mere thought of it.

Seeing how horrible his expression was, Jin Jiuchi grasped his freezing hand and rubbed it with his own to dispel the lingering chill, "Are you okay, Nian’er?"

Shen Nianzu gripped Jin Jiuchi’s hand tighter, finding solace in the man’s warmth. He bit his lips and shook his head to clear his mind. Actually, it was better like this. Rather than being anxious and on guard all the time against an unknown threat, he preferred to confront it head-on and solve it from the root.

"I think this is the hidden danger in this attraction. The longer we stay here, the more we will forget," he analyzed.

Jin Jiuchi compressed his lips into thin lines and he became sullen, "Our memories are being tampered with here? Does it mean Nian’er is going to forget me?"

Shen Nianzu was half amused and half exasperated by Jin Jiuchi’s response. Here he was laying down the danger, and that was Jin Jiuchi’s main concern? He scoffed lightly, "Don’t worry, even if I forget everything, I doubt that I will ever forget you."

Those had been Shen Nianzu’s words. He had been so convinced that there was no way he could forget such a unique existence like Jin Jiuchi. But facts proved that he had severely underestimated the malice of this attraction.

Inside the empty cafeteria, Shen Nianzu stared at the bloody characters on the floor, his eyes burning with tears. "I’m sorry... I’m sorry, Jin Jiuchi..."

In the end, I still forget you.

Now he was ninety percent certain that the person who had fallen victim to the zombie was his other self. How many others have appeared here? Were there more aside from this one?

The paradox was at play here – two Shen Nianzus could not exist in the same plane, and if they recognized each other’s presence, one of them was bound to disappear. Shen Nianzu let out a shaky exhale when he realized how peril he had been through. He was fortunate that the one who disappeared was not him, but his other self who had decided to sacrifice himself in order to wake him up.

Moreover, he almost broke the main rule in the labyrinth!

Rule 5: If you encounter someone who looks exactly like you, please leave the area at once and press the nearest emergency button. Do not, by any means, interact with them or you will be stranded in a random rift of time.

In the end, it was his fear and cowardice to confront the truth that had saved him from an impending catastrophe. Should he be happy or not?

Shen Nianzu took a deep breath and shoved these irrelevant thoughts to the back of his mind. What mattered most was that he was still alive. As he lifted his head, the once muddled and disoriented Shen Nianzu was no more, replaced by a skilled fighter whose eyes gleamed with a blazing resolution.

He turned toward the doorway leading to the university building, and a long transparent blade materialized in his palm, crackling with pure purple energy.

Right now, he had only one focus: find Jin Jiuchi and bring him out of here!