When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 328: Noir’s Black Material

Chapter 328: Noir’s Black Material

"W–We’ve finally made it out!"

Gu Luoxin all but collapsed onto the ground and sprawled like a starfish as soon as he exited the door, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Noir was not any better either as he had to lean against the wall to catch his breath, a trace of exhaustion on his handsome features. Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but sneak a glance at him from below, marveling at how he still looked flawless even at such a horrendous angle.

Clearing his throat, Gu Luoxin shifted his gaze away from the slope of the man’s nose and opted to close his eyes instead, seizing the chance to get a brief respite.

Over the past two days, they had battled their way through the attraction ’Gravity Shift’. It was a terrain that defied logic, a jumble of landscapes that seemed as if they had been forcibly fused together like pieces of mismatched puzzles. One moment they were in a desolate, ruined world, and then after running a few meters, they found themselves on a sandy beach with clear azure waters. They had to navigate through this ever-changing landscape to find their way out.

However, it was not the real challenge in the attraction.

The real challenge came from the unpredictable shifts of gravity. One second, your body felt as heavy as lead as though you were carrying mountains on your shoulders, and the next, you could suddenly float like a balloon.

If it hadn’t been for the coordination of Gu Luoxin’s remarkable flexibility and Noir’s ability to fly, perhaps they would be done for. Even then, Gu Luoxin still felt as if his entire body had been twisted into a pretzel during their ordeal.

Gu Luoxin had the urge to cry as the memories of the hardships flooded his mind, from the time when he inadvertently ate a mouthful of sand, to the time when Noir had to hold onto him so that he would not float away. "The next attractions can’t be this hard, right?"

When Noir gave no response, Gu Luoxin snapped his eyes open and pressed further with desperation of someone whose world was crumbling apart before his eyes, "Right???"

Instead of answering, Noir took a deep breath and straightened up, casting a faint glance at the starfish Gu Luoxin. "Your stamina is too weak."

Gu Luoxin, who had no problem taking down opponents twice his size in a fight, was left momentarily speechless. It was not his stamina that was lacking; Noir was the real monster here! He was the kind of person who could maintain his skill card for two whole days and only rested for a few hours. Exactly what kind of monstrous stamina was needed to achieve such a feat? Both of them were art students, so how could the difference be so huge?!

Alas, there was no way Gu Luoxin would admit it out loud. He had lost count of how many times Noir had mocked him for his clumsiness and laughed at his stupid antics inside the attraction. For Gu Luoxin, the mental strain he endured over these past few days was more taxing than the physical exhaustion!

But fortunately, it was not only Noir who had black materials over the other.

"Heh," a sneer escaped Gu Luoxin’s lips as he murmured pettily under his breath. "I wonder whose wings were stuck in a wire fence for hours, and who managed to lose his way twice despite the landmark being right in front of his eyes?"

This was something Gu Luoxin realized after spending two days in close proximity with the man. First and foremost, Noir was clearly not a Great God at all, but a Great Devil! He took pleasure in poking fun at Gu Luoxin and making things difficult for him just to satisfy his own sadistic tendencies. Yet at the same time, he also would not hesitate to dive into danger to rescue Gu Luoxin, leaving him confused whether he should thank or resent the man.

But one thing for certain: these past two days were enough for Gu Luoxin’s rose-tinted filter to crumble apart. This powerful player was, in fact, a human with his own set of flaws.

Gu Luoxin had come to realize that Noir could be a bit of an airhead sometimes. Sometimes, he would get lost in his own world, plus he was so directionally challenged that it was painful to see.

Noir’s face abruptly darkened at having his black history dug out, and an ominous foreboding permeated Gu Luoxin’s chest, prompting him to yelp and scramble away before the emerald-eyed man could catch him and beat him up.

Fortunately, such a thing did not happen because the next moment, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the corridor, stilling their movements.

"W–Who is it...?" Gu Luoxin whispered and discreetly scooted closer to Noir, his pupils shaking in fright.

"How should I know?" Noir retorted, purely out of spite.

Elongated shadows appeared within their line of sight, followed by a familiar visage that caused Gu Luoxin’s heart to leap with joy. "Da Shen, you’re here!" The one who appeared was indeed his teammate, Jin Jiuchi. Similarly, his face also showed relief when he caught sight of Gu Luoxin and Noir.

"How did you—ohok!" Gu Luoxin began to run toward his teammate, but before he could take more than two steps, Noir caught the back of his collar and pulled him back, almost choking him to death. He coughed and grabbed his neck, glaring at the man with red-rimmed eyes. "W–What was that for?!"

"Xinxin, Noir, you’re here!"

"Stop." Noir commanded when Jin Jiuchi was a few meters away from them, still holding onto Gu Luoxin’s collar to prevent him from going anywhere. His sharp gaze assessed the man before him as though trying to cut him to pieces. "Are you really him?"

"Huh?!" Gu Luoxin was dumbfounded by that question. "What do you mean by that? If... If he’s not Da Shen, then who is he?!"

Noir ignored his protests and continued to address Jin Jiuchi, "You were supposed to enter ’Echo of the Past’ with Nian, and the directions we headed to were the complete opposite of each other. How did you get here at such a coincidental timing, and where’s your teammate?"

Gu Luoxin’s jaws hung slack as realization dawned upon him. That’s right, Jin Jiuchi should have been challenging another attraction with Shen Nianzu right now, so how could he be here, right after they finished with their own? Alas, despite Noir’s suspicion, Gu Luoxin couldn’t bring himself to doubt the identity of the man standing before them. He was really Da Shen ah, Gu Luoxin was certain of it!

"Y–You’re not together with Xiao Shen?" Gu Luoxin asked in a stammer, his brain spinning as he tried to provide an explanation of his own. "Did you two get separated or something?"

Jin Jiuchi wore a thoroughly amused expression. He clicked his tongue and shook his head in amazement, "Damn, Nian’er was spot on. Is he a prophet? How did he predict that something like this would happen?" Facing Noir’s growing distrust and Gu Luoxin’s increasingly dumbfounded face, he raised both hands in a surrendering gesture,

"You’re right, I am not Da Shen, or to be exact, I am not Da Shen of your team." He grinned. "Nice to meet you, Noir and Xinxin from Team 4. I am Da Shen from Team 14, here to guide you to the exit!" He finished with a wink.

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A/N: Gu Luoxin is no longer a timid mouse, he’s a mouse who can bite back! *bare teeth*