When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 341: Room 444, Again

Chapter 341: Room 444, Again

The officer, for better words to say, did not even spare Shen Nianzu a glance as though there was nothing weird about a full-fledged adult turning into a tiny child within a week. He merely opened the door, gave the twins a disdainful harrumph and issued a stern warning, "Let’s see if you dare to cause trouble again next time." After that, he swiftly turned and walked away.

In response, the two dumplings extended a hand toward their faces and pulled down the skin beneath one eye, sticking out their tongues in a childish gesture of mockery. Oh they would definitely cause another ruckus again in no time at all.

Tension ebbed away from Shen Nianzu’s body as the officer vanished from sight, and his clenched fists relaxed. Just then, two small hands entered his line of sight, palms up, and he turned his head to find the two Jin Jiuchis on either side of him, gazing at him expectantly.

"Let’s go, Nian’er!"

Over the course of seven days spent in captivity, Shen Nianzu’s physique had regressed to his six or seven-year-old self. But much to his chagrin, he was only half an inch taller than the twins, and at a single glance, they might even pass off as real siblings, with his silver hair the exact same as one of the twins.

Sighing, Shen Nianzu could only resign to his fate and held his hands out to the twins. Hand in hand, they walked out of the narrow room. As they stepped out into the corridor, Shen Nianzu had to squint his eyes at the first sight of the azure blue sky outside the window.

The scene on the entire floor seemed familiar, with people chatting, playing chess and meandering aimlessly. Among the blurred faces, Noir’s prominent features stood out like a sore thumb as he leaned against the wall, waiting for Shen Nianzu.

Shen Nianzu tugged on the twins’ hands and led them there. Upon sensing their presence, Noir turned his head and a blank look crossed his face when he spotted nothing but empty air.

The veins on Shen Nianzu’s forehead began to throb as he gritted out, "Down here." What’s with this height discrimination he was sensing?! Their age did not even differ by much; it was not his fault that he was on the smaller side when he was a child!

Mild surprise flickered in Noir’s emerald eyes once he lowered his head and settled his gaze upon Shen Nianzu. "You are... Nian?"

Shen Nianzu gave him a tight-lipped smile and responded, "Or else?"

Fortunately, Noir chose to remain silent and only nodded in acknowledgement, otherwise Shen Nianzu might have considered the chances of winning if he were to fly into rage and engage Noir in a messy fight right here and now.

He knew that it was not the other person’s fault, but he just couldn’t help himself. This was one of the most pronounced side effects of his regression other than the fragmented memories— volatile emotions.

While Shen Nianzu still retained his exemplary self-control, only he – and perhaps the two Jin Jiuchis due to their uncanny ability to sense his mood – knew the extent of the mood swings he was experiencing. It had become so easy for him to feel happy, sad or angry, almost like his emotional capacity had also regressed to that of a child.

The twins silently squeezed his hands as though sensing his frustration, prompting Shen Nianzu to take a deep breath. That’s right, it was not the time to be petty. The most important thing right now was to leave this place and rejoin his teammates!

"Have you found the exit?" He inquired.

Noir gave another nod, albeit this time a little hesitant. Before Shen Nianzu could question him further, he straightened up and began to lead the way, "Let’s go."

Shen Nianzu and the two Jin Jiuchis trotted behind him as they crossed the lobby and walked down the hallway lined with doors on both sides. The number of faceless people dwindled significantly here, with most of them preferring to hang out with the bustling crowd, leaving only a handful who lingered in front of their doors. They did not pay attention to the four minors passing by, it was as if they did not sense their presence at all.

Noir guided them through a series of twists and turns, the hallways looking almost identical to one another. And honestly, it was impressive how the man managed to remember his way.

"Here it is."

They came to a stop in front of a particular door, and Shen Nianzu’s eyes widened when he saw the room number— 444.

It was the same as Momoko’s room in the previous attraction he had entered.

Sensing his unusual reaction, Noir asked, "What is it?"

However, Shen Nianzu had no idea how to explain it. Was it all a coincidence? Or would they find Momoko again on the other side of the door? Shen Nianzu swallowed. His memory of their previous encounter was incomplete thanks to his physical regression, but from what he could remember, it had been quite unpleasant.

"Have you tried entering it?" Shen Nianzu asked in lieu of a direct answer.

He was taken aback when Noir’s expression soured. The man stepped forward and grasped the door handle, but he made no move to open it. Instead, he turned to Shen Nianzu and jutted his chin, "Look."

Confused, Shen Nianzu turned around and chills ran down his spine when he noticed that all of the people in the hallway, who had once ignored their presence, had stopped whatever they were doing and were now staring straight at them. It was like a scene straight out of a suspense thriller movie. Despite their obscure faces, Shen Nianzu could almost imagine their eyes – hollow and lifeless – fixed upon them.

A palpable silence hung in the air, locking them in an eerie standstill. Even the hustle and bustle from the lobby sounded distant as though they had come from someplace far away.

Noir let out a light exhale and stepped back, letting go of the handle. And in an instant, as though nothing happened at all, those people returned to their previous activities and no longer paid attention to them.

"This is how I know I’ve found the right room," Noir explained with a casual shrug.

Shen Nianzu bit down on his bottom lip, feeling a growing sense of unease. "Does it mean we will be caught for sure when we try to escape? But why? The attraction is not supposed to work like this. Shouldn’t we be able to leave once we figure out the exit?"

Noir mulled over his thoughts and offered his own opinion, "Or maybe, there’s still some kind of task we haven’t completed or a scene we haven’t witnessed, which prevents us from leaving."

It was a logical explanation to their current predicament, and it was also in line with Shen Nianzu’s thoughts. Alas, before he could give a response, the two little Jin Jiuchis, who had remained silent during the conversation, grew impatient and finally decided to take matters into their own tiny hands.

"What is Nian’er waiting for? Don’t you want to know whether we will get caught?" Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi asked with an arched brow.

"If that’s the case..." Black-haired Jin Jiuchi raised his head to regard the door before them.

The two of them let go of his hands and stepped forward. Shen Nianzu, who had a sudden inkling of what they were about to do, was caught completely off guard.

"Wait—!" He tried to stop them, but his arms were too short, and the two Jin Jiuchis were too quick, resulting in him grabbing onto nothing but empty air. With a swift motion, they practically turned into a blur as they shot forward and kicked the door open!

"...we will only find out once we give it a try!"

A piercing alarm blared in the air as the tranquil lighting in the hospital abruptly shifted into an ominous red. Under Shen Nianzu’s dumbfounded stare, the two dumplings’ grins stretched wide in excitement as they offered their hands to him,

"Let’s go, Nian’er!"