When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 342: Locked Exit

Chapter 342: Locked Exit

"Y–You crazy bastards!" Shen Nianzu couldn’t hold back a curse as the twins pulled him forward, running and laughing out loud. He almost stumbled over his steps as he glanced back and spotted a horde of people with no faces chasing after them like zombies. And not far behind them was none other than the officer!

"Can you please not act so recklessly?!"

Alas, no matter how furious Shen Nianzu felt, it was already too late. Their pursuers were akin to a surge of relentless tide, steadily closing the distance between them. All of them were adults with legs longer than Shen Nianzu’s total height, after all. Their one step was equivalent to four or five of his.

What lay on the other side of the door was an open space covered by a transparent dome, giving them a view of the gloomy sky outside. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a swath of darkness beyond the dome. It looked like they had found their way out of the hospital, though they were still within the realm of the attraction, which explained why those creatures could still chase after them.

At this point, Shen Nianzu’s short legs were shaking from the adrenaline as he focused on running, yet he still couldn’t manage to put some distance between them. If this continued on, they would surely be caught sooner or later!

Damn this shortie, he shouldn’t have agreed to Noir’s audacious plans in the first place!

"Do something!" He shouted at Noir, who was flying overhead. The man’s wings had shrunk along with his body, but his flying speed had not decreased at all as he scoured the dome for a way out.

Noticing Shen Nianzu’s predicament, his wings unfurled in a sudden stoop as he summoned a familiar golden ring he had used once in the City of Atlantis, slipping it into his thumb. With a wave of his hand, the faceless creatures froze as though restrained by an invisible force. He urged, "Hurry, the exit should be just ahead!"

This was the precious time Noir had bought for them; Shen Nianzu must not miss it!

Gritting his teeth, he ignored the cramp in his leg muscles and pulled the twins forward, keeping his eyes fixed on the path ahead. Alas, in his haste, he failed to notice a rock at his feet and tripped over it, causing him to topple onto the ground while bringing the other two down with him.

He badly scraped his knees and elbows in the process, dirtied his clothes, and even bled a little from the cut on his forehead. He had become a little child, after all. His skin was still very soft and tender, very much susceptible to breaking at the slightest hint of abrasion.

This minor sting was nothing compared to all the injuries he had suffered in the previous Cycles, but his baby brain would not cooperate with him. In an instant, tears sprung up his eyes, his lips wobbled, and a strong urge to cry swiftly overwhelmed his rational mind.

H–He must not cry, he was an adult inside! But... but it hurt so much!

"Oh no!"

"Nian’er!"

The two Jin Jiuchis swiftly pulled him up and patted him down, panicking a little at the sight of blood oozing from the cut on his otherwise fair and smooth forehead. "A–Are you okay?!"

Shen Nianzu sniffled and hastily wiped his tears away. If not for the unfavorable circumstances, he would have cooed at their obvious display of concern towards him. Alas, as things stood, he was more focused on holding his tears back. How embarrassing for him to cry just because of a little fall!

"I’m fine...!" He asserted, puffing up his little chest. He threw a glance over his shoulder and his breath hitched upon seeing that the officer had broken out of Noir’s spell and was currently making his way toward them. Grabbing the two dumplings’ hands, he swiftly dragged them along, his pain forgotten. "We must hurry!"

By now, they had covered more than half the distance, with Noir assisting them from behind by attempting to eliminate the faceless creatures one by one. However, the bruises on Shen Nianzu’s knees made it difficult for him to exert all of his energy, as it kept throbbing and pulsing in pain. Though he endured it all without a word, the two Jin Jiuchis seemed to have an inkling, for they began to pull and drag forward instead of the other way around.

It was then that Shen Nianzu realized he had been the one slowing them down. Now that they did not have to match his running speed anymore, the twins immediately zoomed forward, and they were so fast that Shen Nianzu’s feet did not even touch the ground!

"Nian’er, hang in there!"

"We will definitely send you out of here!"

The familiar red emergency door soon came into view, and Shen Nianzu was so relieved that he almost burst out into tears right there and then. Gasping for breath, he told the twins, "That’s the exit! We have to cross that door!"

"Roger!"

Behind them, the officer let out an enraged roar, but they did not even look back, their eyes locked on the red door. Shen Nianzu and the two Jin Jiuchis barreled straight toward it... only to collide into the hard surface of the door and tumble to the ground in a chaotic tangle of limbs.

Shen Nianzu was in utter disbelief. "Why..."

"What’s wrong?!" Noir demanded from where he was battling against the faceless creatures.

"Ouch!" Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi clutched his head with a grimace, while the black-haired Jin Jiuchi fumed in rage. "This damn door doesn’t want to open!"

A deafening ringing filled Shen Nianzu’s ears, rendering his mind blank for a split second. Why? Why couldn’t the door open?! Was Noir’s hypothesis correct, and they wouldn’t be able to leave so long as they had not completed whatever the attraction had prepared for them?!

Or... could it be because of the twins? Was he not allowed to bring them out with him, and that’s why the exit was locked?!

But if that was really the case, then...

Unleashing another furious roar, the officer threw a punch in Noir’s direction. The attack did not even graze the hem of Noir’s clothes, yet it was as though some kind of invisible force was at play, causing Noir to lose control of his wings and plummet like a meteor, rolling across the ground. Without him on the way, the officer loomed over the three children and barked out a furious yet mocking guffaw, "Don’t think this will end just by mere detention, you rebellious creatures!"

"Ha!" Black-haired Jin Jiuchi stood to his full height – which did not even reach the officer’s waist – and placed himself in front of Shen Nianzu and his twin. "Do you think we will be afraid?"

Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi pushed Shen Nianzu behind him and stood side by side with his brother, huffing defiantly, "Bring it on!"

"No!" Shen Nianzu frantically caught both of their sleeves, attempting to drag them back to no avail. His small shoulders shook with fear, tears welling up in his eyes. It was him who was supposed to protect them, shield them from harm and guard their safety, not the other way around! "Come back here! You will not be able to win against him!"

But the two children did not heed his words.

Throwing Shen Nianzu’s grasp off, they hollered out loud and pounced on the officer with their tiny bodies. Shen Nianzu’s heart twisted in horror as he witnessed how easy and effortless it was for the officer to overpower them. In a matter of moments, he had them on a chokehold, their teeth bared in rebellion as they thrashed around with their short limbs.

The officer clicked his tongue, seemingly impatient. "Little unruly brats..." he tightened his grip bit by bit, causing the twins’ faces to turn blue. "It seems like you’re really eager to court death, huh?"

Something inside Shen Nianzu’s mind snapped as he watched the twins suffer at the officer’s hand. Before he even had the chance to think, he rushed forward while brandishing his transparent blade, which had also shrunk in size, and aimed it directly at the officer’s arms. "Let—them—go!!!"

He raised his blade with both hands and brought it down with all of his strength. Purple electricity danced in the air, crackling like a powerful dance of the mighty waves. Yet as the blade made contact with the officer’s skin, the attacks dissipated harmlessly, leaving no mark on the man. Instead, it was Shen Nianzu who felt as if his wrists were almost dislocated.

Damn it! Had he become so weak that he couldn’t even leave a scratch on the other person, or was the officer just too powerful?!

Still unwilling to give up, Shen Nianzu activated his skill card, intending to drown this person to death within his aquatic abyss. However, he failed to take into account a crucial detail – the effectiveness of the skill card depended on the energy he could harness.

Right now, Shen Nianzu looked worse for wear with cuts and bruises all over his small body. Pain gnawed on him relentlessly, yet he couldn’t even pinpoint the source. This was different from the previous times when he had used a prop to change his appearance. It must be part of the attraction’s power, he reckoned, for he felt his energy dwindling significantly along with his shrinking size. In the end, the domain he summoned was barely enough to cover his own self, let alone reach the twins and snatch them away from the officer.

"No..." Shen Nianzu whispered, despair creeping up into his heart. What should he do? How could he save the twins?

Was there anyone who could rescue them from this imminent peril?

Just as this thought flitted across Shen Nianzu’s mind, the echo of distant waves reached his ears. He immediately perked up at the familiar sound. However, he barely had time to look around before a blinding light engulfed the dome, followed by the deafening crash of shattering glass.

"What is—" The officer’s enraged bellow was abruptly silenced by the whizzing sound of something slicing through the air and the sickening crunch of metal piercing into flesh. Subsequently, the twins crashed to the ground with a resounding thud, hacking their lungs out.

Shen Nianzu immediately scrambled for them. "Jin Jiuchi!" He cried out in concern, his eyes reddening at the horrendous marks around their throats. "Are you two okay?!"

"Nian’er, what..." their voices were raspy as they asked in confusion. "What is going on? Why..."

The three of them stared at the space beside them where the officer had fallen in his own puddle of blood, two metal arrows sticking through his throat. Seeing that, Shen Nianzu’s lips tugged into a relieved smile as he collapsed to the ground, all the tension leaving his body. "He’s here."

"Who?"

As the blinding light faded, Shen Nianzu raised his head to behold the domineering tsunami wave that was heading straight toward the broken dome, looking as if the doomsday had descended upon the realm. A hint of pride bled into his tone as he replied, "My other self."

Shen Nianzu from Team 14 had finally arrived on the scene!