When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 319: Echo of the Past (8)

Chapter 319: Echo of the Past (8)

As soon as the hour hand of the clock struck one, Shen Nianzu stepped into the elevator.

By then, the crimson beams had already engulfed half of the city, spreading utter ruin and chaos to the masses. Sirens wailed, despairing screams pierced the sky, mingled with the roars of the gigantic creatures and the relentless gunfire from the troops battling against them. The ground beneath Shen Nianzu’s feet trembled as if protesting the impending catastrophe, and the flickering lights overhead signaled that the electricity would soon be cut off. Yet miraculously, the elevator worked just fine, lifting him to the fourth floor.

As the metal doors slid open, the familiar scene of the pediatric department unfolded before his eyes. Unlike other floors where the wallpaper was pure white, this floor was dominated with a pale blue color adorned with various cute animal illustrations, giving off a childish and innocent air.

However, Shen Nianzu dared not allow himself to be fooled twice by this deceptive façade, especially after what he and Jin Jiuchi had gone through last night.

He tightened his grip on his blade and stepped out of the elevator, looking around to find nary a person in sight. Silence surrounded him. All the sounds outside ceased as though an invisible barrier had severed all connected between this floor and the rest of the world. In a way, what the old man said was right – they had indeed been transported to a different realm.

Shen Nianzu took a decisive turn to the right and walked the path he had taken with Jin Jiuchi last night, as the memories replayed in his mind.

...

"Wait!" Shen Nianzu grabbed Jin Jiuchi’s wrist to stop him in his tracks. He couldn’t allow the man to rush forward recklessly. With a stern expression, he gave a reminder, "Don’t run around as you please. Sure, your other self might be trapped here, but have you forgotten rule number five? You can’t interact with your other self, or else one of you will disappear!"

Jin Jiuchi’s face contorted with frustration, "Screw the rules."

"Da Shen!" Shen Nianzu’s anger flared. Oh how he wished to whack Jin Jiuchi on the head to instill some senses into his stubborn skull. He understood that Jin Jiuchi was not a stickler for rules, but why couldn’t he see that this was all for his own good? In the first place, why was he so obsessed with meeting his other self, anyway? He did not even act this persistent when it came to the other Shen Nianzus!

Groaning, Shen Nianzu massaged his temples and wracked his brain for an alternative. "Let’s do it like this. I will be the one to find the other you, while you... just lead the way for me, okay? I have to make sure that both of you don’t cross paths."

Jin Jiuchi jutted his bottom lip in a sullen pout, but in the end he still relented, "Hmph, fine."

Shen Nianzu breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, so which way should I go?"

Going forward, Shen Nianzu took the lead while Jin Jiuchi remained a few meters behind, and they communicated with each other using the earpiece. As he suspected, this place seemed to be a maze, because whenever they turned, they would encounter endless corridors and empty rooms.

Shen Nianzu found himself wondering. Why the fourth floor? Was there anything significant about this number? Why Honglei Hospital? Or should he ask... why the pediatrics department?

He recalled Momoko’s somewhat childish voice and the eerie laughter of countless children from the victim of the crimson radar. Based on that, it seemed like there was only one common thread between them – the children theme.

Could it be possible that the core NPC in this Cycle was a child?

Somehow, Shen Nianzu felt like he had stepped closer to the truth.

"Nian’er, left."

Jin Jiuchi’s voice came through the earpiece, interrupting his line of thoughts. "Ah, yes." Shen Nianzu looked around before carving another mark on the wall with his blade. Concerned about their progress, he questioned, "We have been walking for almost ten minutes. Are we almost there?"

He waited, but no response came from Jin Jiuchi.

Shen Nianzu’s heart gave a lurch and he tapped on his earpiece anxiously, "Hello, Da Shen? Can you hear me? Say something!"

An unprecedented sense of panic surged through Shen Nianzu as he hurriedly turned and rushed into the direction he had come from. Foolish! Why hadn’t he learned from his future self’s warning? This was the place where Jin Jiuchi went missing, he shouldn’t have left the man all alone no matter what! And now...

"Da Shen!" he called out with desperation, and intense relief washed over him when he finally spotted Jin Jiuchi, who seemed lost in thought as he stared into one of the rooms.

However, that brief sense of relief quickly morphed into pure anger as he stomped forward, "Why didn’t you answer when I call you, damn it! Do you know how—"

"Stop!"

Jin Jiuchi’s sudden shout froze him on his tracks, catching him off guard. "W-What is it?"

What had Jin Jiuchi seen?

Jin Jiuchi’s gaze shifted toward him, and Shen Nianzu was stunned to see the gravity and intense displeasure within. "Nian’er, you said that we’re not allowed to meet our own selves..."

Shen Nianzu’s expression was blank for a second, before realization abruptly hit him like a train wreck. His gaze briefly darted to the door in front of Jin Jiuchi, and he asked with a trembling voice, "D–Did you see me... am I there?"

That was the only possibility Shen Nianzu could think of. The reason why Jin Jiuchi forbade him to go there... must be because another Shen Nianzu was there! Jin Jiuchi’s nod confirmed his doubt, and then he delivered another blow that sent Shen Nianzu’s mind reeling.

"Nian’er, you’re... dead."

Shen Nianzu’s pupils dilated, unable to believe what he was hearing. "...Dead?" he whispered in disbelief.

How? Putting aside this fact, how could there be another Shen Nianzu in this era when he had not triggered a restart yet? That person couldn’t possibly be Shen Nianzu from Team 9, could it? He believed that he was fairly strong. Hell, he was ranked 12th on the leaderboard, meaning that there were only eleven people stronger than him in the entire country!

So who, or what, had caused his death?

"Uh-huh," Jin Jiuchi turned his attention to the room again, and whatever he saw there made him visibly upset. "I’m going to have a little look. Nian’er, you stay here."

That was the only possible method, given how Shen Nianzu must not see his other self or else he would most likely disappear. Nonetheless, he was not rest assured leaving Jin Jiuchi to venture inside alone. "Be careful," he couldn’t help but nag a little. "Don’t lower your guard. Prepare your weapon and your life-saving prop. Report everything you see to me, understand?"

Finally, Jin Jiuchi’s tense countenance melted into one of faint amusement. "What a worrywart," he teased, but seeing the seriousness in Shen Nianzu’s eyes, he finally deigned to give a proper reply, "Alright, alright, I will be super extra careful! Don’t worry, Nian’er. I will return soon."

.

.

Those were the last words Jin Jiuchi had said to him, because soon after he entered the room, his voice ceased to be heard and he gave no response no matter how many times Shen Nianzu called for him.

It was the first time Shen Nianzu learned that silence could be so loud. He stood rooted in the empty corridor, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest. Something was wrong, his instinct cautioned. Something had gone terribly wrong here. With each passing second he spent without Jin Jiuchi’s voice, Shen Nianzu finally threw caution to the wind and charged into the room. However, what he found there defied all logic and reason.

Aside from the two neatly made beds and a scattering of children’s toys strewn across the floor, there was nary a person inside the room.

Jin Jiuchi was gone, so was the dead Shen Nianzu, as if they had been swallowed by the room itself.

The panic he felt at that time was insurmountable. "Da Shen!" His cries echoed off the walls. His frantic gaze swept the surroundings, but the room was only this wide, leaving nowhere for someone as tall as Jin Jiuchi to hide, let alone a dead body. Nonetheless, Shen Nianzu still turned the whole room upside down in search of his teammate and lover.

"Da Shen! Where are you? Da Shen!" His pleas filled the confined space, but they were met with only eerie silence.

After an indefinite amount of time, Shen Nianzu stood in the middle of the room, dazed.

He was forced to accept the cruel reality. Jin Jiuchi had really vanished just like that. Right under his nose. How... how could it be possible? How could someone vanish without a trace in an enclosed space when he had been watching over the door?!

Except...

Shen Nianzu’s gaze shifted towards the window, and he began to make his way there. But at that moment, the hair on his body abruptly stood on its end, and his entire body screamed to warn him of the impending danger. Without even thinking, Shen Nianzu spun on his heels and swung his blade, but...

What happened after that?

He couldn’t remember. His memory faltered, leaving a blank space behind. He could not recall how he made it out of that place and the next thing he knew, he found himself back in the classroom with no recollection whatsoever about the previous events, nor anything about himself or Jin Jiuchi.

Now, he was back to hunt for the truth.

Shen Nianzu’s finger traced the marks he had etched on the wall before, and he exhaled a relieved sigh. Fortunately, the marks were not erased. He retraced the path he had taken until he arrived at a particular room.

It was the room where Jin Jiuchi had gone missing.

.

.

A/N: I hope the switch of timelines doesn’t confuse you QAQ idk I feel like it will deliver a more mysterious feeling if I wrote it that way