When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 340: De-aging Process

Chapter 340: De-aging Process

The corner of Shen Nianzu’s lips twitched in disapproval. Why must he match his age with the two dumplings?

It was not like he had not done this before – after all, he had always preferred to disguise himself as a child when challenging the Cycle. However, his previous disguises had been more like those of an eight or nine-year-old. It was the perfect age where he appeared harmless enough to make others lower their guard, and his body nimble enough not to inconvenience him if he needed to fight.

On the other hand, the two Jin Jiuchis seemed no older than five – not counting their real age, of course.

When Shen Nianzu imagined how he would need to fight with those chubby legs and short arms, he couldn’t help but feel like his odds of winning plummet by ninety percent.

Alas, before he could say his piece, something tugged on the corner of his consciousness and the scene before him blurred. He only had time to tell Aqua that he would be withdrawing, when his vision shifted and he found himself under the scrutiny of two pairs of different colored eyes, hovering just above him with the intensity that could melt the sun.

The lighting in the room had been dimmed, causing those eyes to glow in a fascinatingly eerie manner. It was like having two little ghosts floating right by his side.

Shen Nianzu: ...!!!

"Holy—" Shen Nianzu’s body moved on instinct to slap them away, only to be held back by the restraints around his wrists. His pale purple eyes were wide in shock, heart hammering inside his chest. W–What were they doing so close to him? Even though he had been through numerous Cycles and faced countless life-and-death experiences, it did not mean he wouldn’t have a heart attack upon seeing such a sight as soon as he opened his eyes!

Shen Nianzu tried to raise his protest, though his voice sounded feeble and breathless as he demanded, "W–What is it?! What do you two want?!"

If they dared to give a silly answer like wanting to see his sleeping face up close, he would make sure to teach them a lesson!

However, instead of answering, the two dumplings merely tilted their heads and showed a weird smile that sent Shen Nianzu’s heart skipping a beat. "Hehe, Nian’er..."

"What?" Shen Nianzu shot them the fiercest glare he could muster to convey that he was not in the mood for jokes, but then he abruptly backpedaled when he realized that something did not sound right with his voice. "Ah—ah—" he tested his vocal cords, his pupils contracting in shock. Though his voice was not as deep and baritone as the big-sized Jin Jiuchi, there was still a tinge of huskiness to it. But now... it had become much lighter and crisper!

Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi gingerly reached out and poked him on the cheek, giggling, "Nian’er, you’ve become smaller."

So it was not only his imagination!

Sucking in a breath, Shen Nianzu attempted to wriggle out of the handcuffs and noticed that the previously arduous task had lightened due to the fact that his wrists had gotten thinner. Not only that, his clothes also appeared too large on his frame, with the hems of the sleeves covering his fingertips. Shen Nianzu did a mental calculation and estimated that he had become two years younger.

Noir was right; being punished would really accelerate the de-aging process!

If this went on, by the time he was released from this room, he would be the right age to break out of the hospital!

Shen Nianzu slowly released the breath he had been holding and slumped onto the bed, gazing exasperatedly at the two Jin Jiuchis who were enthralled by his transformation. Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi looked absolutely gleeful, while the black-haired Jin Jiuchi observed him with the curiosity of a scientist encountering a new species. Oh Shen Nianzu could very well imagine their reaction if he were to shrink down to their sizes later, and somehow it gave him a headache.

"Have you two seen enough?" He hissed under his breath.

"N-ope," they replied in unison while popping the ’p’, leaving Shen Nianzu utterly helpless on how to deal with his current predicament.

And sure enough, Shen Nianzu’s hunch was spot on.

The two dumplings’ eyes literally did not stray away from him for the next few days. On the third day of the imprisonment, Shen Nianzu discovered that he had transformed back into his teenage self, and he could finally free himself from the cuffs.

Time seemed like an abstract concept within this narrow, windowless room, especially as he realized that he neither felt hunger nor did he have any urge to use the bathroom – he had originally planned to break down the door if he had to search for a nearby bathroom. No way would he finish his business here, not in front of the two tiny Jin Jiuchis!

He assumed that the attraction’s influence was the reason for this particular lack of bodily needs, which was a huge source of comfort. And fortunately, the officer no longer dropped by to make another visit, seemingly as though he had forgotten about their existence.

Shen Nianzu spent his days reading books with the twins and getting to know them better, and while the two of them were asleep, he continued to share his vision with Aqua, who was temporarily staying with Noir. They had been searching for the emergency exit door that would bring them out of the attraction, and things became easier once Noir gained Lucius’ help. Shen Nianzu had no doubt that they would be able to find the way out.

Shen Nianzu and Noir displayed excellent teamwork during this period. Whenever one of them began to forget what they were doing here, the other would promptly give a reminder with the help of the divine props. Shen Nianzu’s situation was a bit easier because he had the twins with him, who never failed to remind him of his mission to rescue them from this abhorrent prison.

Feeling strange that Gu Luoxin’s group had not arrived yet, Shen Nianzu finally took the initiative to contact them on the sixth day. By then, he had regressed to the same age as when he had challenged the Shishen Apartment and Temple of Anubis. It was fortunate that he still had his smaller-sized clothes stored in his prop storage, so he did not have to look silly with the baggy clothes anymore.

"Why aren’t you guys here yet?" he asked, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"Huh?" Gu Luoxin sounded utterly bewildered. "Xiao Shen, what’s wrong with your voice?" In the background, Shen Nianzu could hear Jin Jiuchi yell, "What’s wrong with Nian’er’s voice?!"

Shen Nianzu had the urge to facepalm. That’s right, he had not told his teammates about the bizarre phenomenon in this hospital yet. "It’s not a big deal," he explained briefly with a sigh. "It’s just the effect of the attraction here that makes players regress into their younger selves."

"Oh..." Gu Luoxin drawled on his words and giggled, though he tried to conceal it with a cough. Shen Nianzu’s brows creased when he heard that. He suspected Gu Luoxin was imagining something bad, but before he could call him out, the young man promptly reassured, "Please wait a little longer, Xiao Shen. The labyrinth is so big and complicated, Da Shen almost lost his way a few times!"

"Hey, I didn’t get lost, okay?!" Jin Jiuchi protested. "We just needed to take a few detours!"

Gu Luoxin retorted seamlessly, "Yeah, your detour had us walking in circles for two hours!"

"Wait," Shen Nianzu immediately sat up, alert. "Two hours? How long has it been since you guys exited the last attraction?"

"It’s been almost... four hours?" Gu Luoxin answered hesitantly. "Is something the matter, Xiao Shen?"

Shen Nianzu exhaled lightly. No wonder... he should have known that the flow of time in each attraction would be different. Six days had passed for him, but for Gu Luoxin and others, it had only been mere hours.

"No, nothing," he said in the end, not wanting to cause unnecessary alarm. "Just focus on getting here. Noir and I have also been working to find a way out."

"O–Oh," Gu Luoxin’s voice sounded strained as he responded. A brief silence ensued, and just as Shen Nianzu thought that the line had been cut off, Gu Luoxin asked again, this time his voice barely a whisper as though he did not want anyone to hear. "So, how is it? Great God, he... has he also become a baby?!"

Shen Nianzu recollected the last time he had seen Noir through Aqua’s eyes. The man looked to be around twelve or thirteen, and Shen Nianzu had to bite back the jealousy in his tone as he replied, "Not as young as me, but yeah, he has definitely gotten much younger. And for the record, I have not turned into a baby!"

Gu Luoxin cooed at him, "Okay, okay, you’re not a baby." Shen Nianzu almost bristled; the sheer audacity this person had to treat him like this! But before he could say anything, he was interrupted by Gu Luoxin’s excited squeal. "Oh my God, I can’t wait to see you two. We will be there soon!"

Shen Nianzu dedicated the remaining hours to teach the two Jin Jiuchis that no, just because they were hungry it did not mean they could eat anything they wanted – he was certain that his heart had stopped beating for a few seconds when they attempted to hunt a few rats scampering across the floor – and yes, Shen Nianzu would buy them as much food as they wanted once they escaped this place.

Considering that Gu Luoxin’s group was en route, he figured that it might be wise to inform the twins about their arrival so as to not surprise the two. However, it was he who got taken aback when the twins calmly stated, "We know. We have sensed him. He’s coming here, isn’t he?"

Just like that, the seventh day arrived upon them and Shen Nianzu’s heart began to race as the twins informed him,

"Nian’er, the officer is here again! We can finally leave this place!"

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A/N: Everyone, WBNC’s character pics finally appeared on the front page *crying love* credit goes to Ying, our angel sent to bless us with her beautiful artworks <3<3<3

Which one is your favorite? Hehe, tbh I like Xinxin’s kingkong the most waah *cover face* too bad it’s kinda cut ;-; I will soon post the full versions in both IG and discord server, so please wait for it! ><