When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 322: We Need To Run!

Chapter 322: We Need To Run!

"Da Shen!"

Joy and relief burst out of Shen Nianzu’s heart upon seeing the man he had been searching for, though his expression quickly morphed into one of shock once he noticed Jin Jiuchi’s wretched condition. "What happened to you?!"

In front of him, Jin Jiuchi looked worse for wear as though he had gone through a harrowing ordeal. He clutched his injured arm, while a few bloody gashes could be spotted all over his body, including one across his cheekbones.

Perhaps it was because he had been put under stress for quite some time, there was a hint of exhaustion on his face which Shen Nianzu had never seen before. However, as their eyes met, his face instantly lit up like dark clouds parting for brilliant sunshine. A wide delightful grin stretched across his lips. "Nian’er! You finally made it out! Do you know how long I have been waiting for you? I almost—"

"Cut the crap," Shen Nianzu interrupted sharply, his concern outweighing any patience for pleasantries. "Who is it? Who did this to you?"

He gently reached out to cup Jin Jiuchi’s cheek, brushing the half-dried blood away with his thumb. His heart ached terribly with distress when he sensed how cold Jin Jiuchi’s skin was. He, who had always radiated warmth, now felt freezing under Shen Nianzu’s touch. Fiery rage flared within him. Whoever had inflicted these wounds on Jin Jiuchi, he swore he was going to make them pay a thousand folds!

Alas, instead of answering, Jin Jiuchi threw a glance over his shoulder, the line of his jaws tensing. "Damn it, they’re here again." Without further explanation, he grabbed Shen Nianzu’s hand and dragged him along the corridor. "Nian’er, we need to run!"

"Wait, what’s going on?" Shen Nianzu turned to look behind, but he could see nothing except the dim pathway of the university corridor. His heart thumped ominously, and the chill from Jin Jiuchi’s hand seemed to permeate into his body, filling him with an indescribable sense of unease. "What is it, Da Shen? Who are they?"

"Chrono beasts!"

"...What?" Shen Nianzu was caught utterly off guard. He had heard these creatures from Momoko before, but never had he expected to encounter them so soon. "Chrono beasts are chasing after you? Why?!"

"I don’t know either!" Jin Jiuchi responded with frustration. "They’re saying we broke some kind of rule. How could I know what they’re talking about when I don’t even know the rules here?"

Shen Nianzu’s mind was in turmoil when he heard that. They had broken a rule? When? What rule was it? But he was certain they had never done anything to violate the rules on the brochure! If that was the case, there was only one possibility – was it the rules in ’Echo of the Past’?

Those questions swirled in his head as they sprinted down the seemingly endless corridor, their footsteps resounding like thunder in their ears. Under Jin Jiuchi’s lead, they ran through the labyrinth for quite some time, desperate to shake off their trail. The surroundings blurred into a disorienting haze in his eyes, until at some point, Shen Nianzu spotted an emergency button on the wall, and he skidded to a halt.

"W–Wait...!"

Jin Jiuchi turned back to him with urgency, "What is it, Nian’er? We need to keep moving!"

Panting heavily, Shen Nianzu shook his head. His chest tightened so much that it felt like it was about to burst, and the lack of oxygen was making his head spin. He signaled for Jin Jiuchi to wait for a moment as he struggled to catch his breath. However, before he could suggest they press the emergency button to save them from their current predicament, his earpiece crackled, signaling that someone was trying to contact him.

But instead of a voice, what entered his ear was noisy static like a radio channel searching for a signal. Who could be trying to contact him? Jin Jiuchi was here with him, so it should be... Gu Luoxin? Was he in danger?

"...he... llo ...hear me? Hello?!"

Shen Nianzu’s heart lurched and his eyes widened in shock. He recognized this voice all too well.

Because it was his own voice.

He stood frozen in place. What the hell was going on? Alas, he had not even fully comprehended the situation when the voice continued, sounding as if he was exerting all of his strength to scream into the earpiece. It was a voice full of anxiety and desperation. "Run... the man with you... not Jin Jiuchi...!"

"What is it, Nian’er? Why are you stopping here?" Jin Jiuchi asked him with concern while glancing at the direction where they came from. He urged anxiously, "Nian’er, I can hear them! They’re closing in on us!"

At the same time, the voice on the other end of the earpiece sent a chilling message,

"He... is a... Chrono beast!"

Shen Nianzu felt like his entire body had been plunged into an icy lake, and it was so cold that he couldn’t stop trembling. His teeth chattered faintly as the implications of those words fully sank into his mind. He intended to ask, intended to demand an explanation from the other party, yet his lips refused to open, his throat refused to work. And as though time had run out for them, the communication line abruptly ended and the noisy crackle ceased, leaving behind nothing but a persistent ringing in his ears.

"Nian’er, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?" Jin Jiuchi asked, his voice full of concern.

Shen Nianzu raised his head in a daze and looked at the man before him. He... was not Jin Jiuchi? How? He had looked and sounded exactly like Jin Jiuchi, down to his mannerism, his choice of words, and the way he carried himself. The other Shen Nianzu claimed that this man was not Jin Jiuchi, but how could he know for certain that the one who contacted him was the real Shen Nianzu? What if the other party turned out to be a Chrono beast sent to confuse and mislead him?

Try as he might to refute it, his logical side began to rear its head like a fresh sprout pushing through the muddy ground.

If he was the real Jin Jiuchi, how could his skin be so cold?

If he was the real Jin Jiuchi, why didn’t he hug Shen Nianzu when they reunited again?

And why... did he choose to run away instead of confronting their enemy head-on?

The Jin Jiuchi he knew was someone who would not hesitate to save the NPCs he were indebted to despite knowing how dangerous it was. The Jin Jiuchi he knew was a fearless man who fought tooth and nail with the Nightmare itself.

What were Chrono beasts, when compared to the sovereign of the Nightmare Cycle?