When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 343: Damn Baby Brain!

Chapter 343: Damn Baby Brain!

The massive wave swept through the area and engulfed all the faceless creatures at once, forcibly opening a path for Ying and the other players who had entered the ’Unfinished Universe’. However, the man who had summoned this wave was nowhere to be seen after taking care of the enemies, most likely because of Shen Nianzu’s presence here.

Entering the dome, the players recoiled in shock when they spotted the squirming people on the ground who were struggling for breath.

"What the hell are those creatures?!"

"Oh fuck, where are their faces?"

"Wait, why are there a bunch of kiddos here?!"

Noir had already pulled himself up to his feet and fixed his dislocated shoulder, seemingly with no intention to explain his current appearance. He merely flicked an annoyed glance at the players on the side, who were gossiping and questioning whether he was an NPC or a nightmare creature.

Ying, on the other hand, made her straight way to Shen Nianzu, but she halted in her tracks upon seeing the three of them. Shen Nianzu could literally hear the gears in her head spinning as she made a sweeping glance over the two Jin Jiuchis, who were clapping in awe at the spectacular display of waves that had KO-ed all of their pursuers in one move, before settling on him. "You’re... Nian?"

Shen Nianzu resisted a helpless sigh. "Yes," he affirmed, only to grimace at his own milky and baby voice. "Thank you for saving our lives." It was her arrows that had taken down the officer before he could harm the twins.

"No problem," Ying brushed him off coolly, then her gaze once again shifted to the two Jin Jiuchis. Shen Nianzu knew what she wanted to ask and he braced himself, thinking that it was time for him to confront her about her strange interest in Jin Jiuchi. However, to his surprise, she merely studied them for a few seconds before turning away, "Let’s go. We should continue our journey. I’m sure you’re already aware that your future self is the one who has led us here."

...That’s it? Not even one question?

Ying’s reaction – or rather the lack thereof – puzzled Shen Nianzu to no end. Was it because she had been briefed beforehand by his other self? Damn it, had the two of them already had The Talk™?! Without his knowledge?! The more he thought about it, the more plausible it was. He couldn’t help but curse. When would they be able to regain their full memory?!

Grumbling under his breath, Shen Nianzu tapped the twins on their shoulders to draw their attention, "We should get going."

"Oh, okay!"

Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi automatically took Shen Nianzu’s right hand, while black-haired Jin Jiuchi grabbed his left. Hand in hand, they trailed behind Ying like three baby ducklings, ignoring the blatant stare from the other players.

"Those three..."

"Ahh, they’re so cute! I want to squeeze their cheeks!"

"Hush, don’t act carelessly, what if they turn out to be dangerous?!"

Black lines formed over Shen Nianzu’s forehead as bits and pieces of the conversation drifted to his ears. He chose to ignore it, of course, but the black-haired Jin Jiuchi had no intention of showing the same restraint. He glared daggers at them, daring them to approach and touch either his brother or Shen Nianzu. Meanwhile, silver-haired Jin Jiuchi was too focused on Shen Nianzu to care about what the others were saying. Along the way, he kept asking questions like:

"Nian’er, does your forehead hurt? Should I lick it for you?"

"Nian’er, can you walk? Do you want me to carry you?"

"Nian’er..."

Shen Nianzu puffed up his cheeks and shot him a glare, "I’m perfectly fine, okay?!" Even though his wounds still stung, there was no way he would admit it out loud!

"But..."

"Not buts! I still haven’t settled any accounts with you two yet!" He scowled. "First, you kicked the door open without discussing it with me, and then you attacked the officer. Do you have a death wish or something?!"

Black-haired Jin Jiuchi clicked his tongue and dug into his ear with a displeased look. "It’s not like we’re going to die..."

"You still dare to talk back to me?!" Shen Nianzu squeezed his hand in a death grip, causing the black-haired child to wince.

"Brother is right, Nian’er," silver-haired Jin Jiuchi chimed in. "We will not die. It’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened. He’s all bark and no bites. He will not dare do anything to us."

Just like that, the volcano of anger in Shen Nianzu’s heart, ready to erupt, was instantly extinguished into nothing. He asked in extreme distress, "T–This is not the first time?"

The twins arched a brow and flashed him a cheeky grin, "We have been here for so long. What kind of acts have we not tried before?"

Given their rebellious nature, that made perfect sense, but... but it did not mean that Shen Nianzu felt any less sorrow in their stead! He pressed his lips into thin lines when he caught sight of the horrible bruises around their necks. Jin Jiuchi might have superb healing rate compared to others, but was this really something they should get accustomed to? How many times had this kind of thing happened again and again, enough for them to act so nonchalant and unruffled? Shen Nianzu couldn’t even begin to guess the answer to that, or else he would really die of heartache.

"N–Nian’er!" The two of them instantly panicked when they noticed the tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to fall with a single blink. "Nian’er, d–don’t cry..." they fumbled to raise their sleeves to wipe his tears for him, one eye for each person.

Shen Nianzu protested in a nasal voice, "Get lost, your sleeves are dir—off!"

With both of his hands occupied, he lost the chance to push the two Jin Jiuchis away and could only endure having his face stuffed with their sleeves. Despite their clumsiness, their movements were exceedingly gentle and careful as though they were handling a fragile porcelain, their round eyes full of worry.

Shen Nianzu’s cheeks heated up once the realization caught up to his baby brain.

For the love of God, why had he become such a crybaby? He swore he was not like this when he was still a child. This... this must be the effects of the attraction! Yes, that must be it!

Huffing and puffing, Shen Nianzu continued to lead the twins behind Ying, as they were brought outside the dome. Instead of going through the exit door, they took the path that Ying and the others had entered from. As they stepped outside the dome, dense darkness surrounded them like a wet blanket, but Ying and the other players did not hesitate to walk through it.

"Let’s go," Ying beckoned at them. "Your future self is waiting on the other side."

Shen Nianzu stared at the expanse of void before him, swallowed hard and took his first step. His vision abruptly turned dark, and he could not even see Ying who should have been a few steps ahead of them. The warmth of the hands holding his became a solid anchor as he let the darkness embrace him.

"Don’t worry, Nian’er," silver-haired Jin Jiuchi reassured him, presumably sensing the tension in his body. "We will be with you."

The black-haired Jin Jiuchi squeezed his hand in lieu of words.

Miraculously, Shen Nianzu felt himself calming down, and once again he berated himself for acting so unlike his usual self. Damn this baby brain! He shouldn’t have been afraid of something as trivial as the dark, but here he was. How embarrassing!

Fortunately, the pitch-black darkness acted as a cover for Shen Nianzu’s mini mental breakdown, and by the time a flicker of light appeared in the far distance, he had already regained his composure. Alas, it seemed like he had lowered his guard too soon, for the one waiting for them on the other side was not Shen Nianzu from Team 14, but three other people who couldn’t be more familiar to him.

"Oh my God!" Gu Luoxin let out a high-pitched squeal as he clutched his chest dramatically. "They’re coming out, they’re coming out ahhhh!!"

The two people beside him, however, did not share the same enthusiasm.

Noir from their timeline gave a deadpan stare toward his younger self who wore an uncannily similar expression, while the gaze of Jin Jiuchi from Team 14 immediately zeroed in on the twins, causing them to halt in their tracks as they sensed his presence.

Two sets of people from different timelines had finally come face to face.