When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 374: Another Choice

Chapter 374: Another Choice

Gasping, he clutched Jin Jiuchi’s face in his palms, his gaze running all over the man’s body to ensure that he was not missing any limbs.

Jin Jiuchi’s breathing remained long and steady as he allowed Shen Nianzu to prod and poke at him. He did not show any signs of waking up. Remembering the presence of the marble in his palm, Shen Nianzu bit his lower lip as he gently pried Jin Jiuchi’s lips open and pushed the marble inside. This should be working, right?

"Xiao Shen!" Gu Luoxin caught up to him, panting. "What’s wrong with him? Is he okay?!"

"Yes..." Shen Nianzu replied hoarsely as he gazed at Jin Jiuchi’s sleeping visage, a shaky smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "He’s okay. He will be okay from now on."

"You two!" Qiuqiu called out to them, her voice tinged with alarm and urgency. "Hurry, the train is leaving soon!"

Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin worked together to haul Jin Jiuchi toward the train, and they bounded inside just in time for the doors to close behind them. Slowly, the train began to move, bringing them away from the labyrinth.

Outside the window, one could see the scene of the sky falling apart. Stars cascaded like rain, more and more ruptures appeared on the sky, releasing countless luminous particles in a dance of ethereal descent. It was an otherworldly panorama that was both haunting and mesmerizing. Soon after, however, the scene vanished and all that remained beyond the window was a familiar stretch of darkness.

After keeping their vigilance up for so long, the five of them did not even dare to relax after they had gotten into the train.

"I–Is it over?" Qiuqiu asked in a small, trembling voice.

"Well," Gu Luoxin swallowed hard. "We have left the labyrinth, so—"

"No," Noir interrupted him. "We have only escaped from the labyrinth. We haven’t selected this train’s destination yet, nor have we found the bus that will bring us back to our world."

Gu Luoxin sucked in a sharp breath. "W–What should we do, Xiao Shen?" He turned to his leader anxiously. "We don’t have to choose between the past and the future anymore, right? What if... what if we make a wrong choice, and we need to go through everything all over again? No, that’s not right, we have already selected the two available options..."

Slowly, Shen Nianzu opened his mouth to speak, "You’re wrong. We still have another choice."

Confusion painted everyone’s faces as Shen Nianzu gestured to the clock on the train. All heads turned, and a hush silence reigned in the air as they took in the displayed time.

8.16 PM

Gu Luoxin’s voice quivered as he remarked, "I–If I recall correctly, the time we first boarded the train..."

"You’re right," Shen Nianzu nodded to confirm his doubt. He was in the same state of disbelief as the others, but he forced himself to remain calm and analyzed the current situation, "It’s precisely the time we boarded the train. We have yet to be forced between two choices. Or in other words, time has stopped in this Cycle."

"We have another choice," Shen Nianzu declared as he shifted his gaze to the speaker, where he knew that the core NPC of this Cycle – or the Ruler of Time – was monitoring them. "And it’s to not make a choice at all. From now on, we don’t have to be stuck in the past or the future; we only need to remain in the present."

Following Shen Nianzu’s resolute words, the scenery outside the windows underwent a magical transformation.

Darkness receded like a cicada shedding off its shell, and they could now see that their train was running on an invisible track, and all around them were countless galaxies that thrived on their own. With every star that fell, one more would rise. With every civilization that collapsed, a new one would emerge.

Destruction was never the end— it was the birth of something new.

"Magnificent..." Master Khronos’ voice echoed in the air, seemingly as if it had come from all directions. "This is why I like watching humans, they always manage to surpass my expectations."

Hearing this, Shen Nianzu’s clenched fists loosened and unknown tension rolled off his body in waves. Only God knew how nervous he was when he made that gamble. He had not only risked his own life, but also everyone’s – Jin Jiuchi included!

"So," he inquired cautiously. "Did I get the answer right?"

Master Khronos chuckled meaningfully in response. "I have even allowed you to take him and my precious tour guide away. What do you think?"

Shen Nianzu’s gaze instinctively turned to Jin Jiuchi, who was still deep in his slumber. He quietly reached out to intertwine their fingers together, relishing in the warmth the man exuded. Meanwhile, Gu Luoxin held baby Toki tighter, who nestled happily in his arms with a loud purr.

Master Khronos added with a tinge of smile in his voice, "I’d give you a hundred points for your answer. Humans often dwell too much on the past and worry too much about the future, and they end up ignoring one crucial thing – the present. They always forget to live in the present."

"What would happen," Ying inquired. "if we’d given the wrong answer?"

"Who knows?" Master Khronos replied airily. "Perhaps you would be trapped here for eternity, where time would no longer move for you?"

His casual response elicited a violent shudder from Gu Luoxin and Qiuqiu.

"Congratulations on passing this Cycle, everyone. I hope that... we will not meet again in the future."

As Master Khronos’ last words hung in the air, a burst of light erupted from the collision of two meteors in the far distance. The shockwaves it produced were enough to render everyone momentarily blind and deaf. They collapsed onto the train floor, covering their ears and eyes with all their might.

It was at that exact moment that Shen Nianzu felt another explosion going off inside his mind, and with a gasp, countless images surged to the forefront of his consciousness.

He saw himself choosing the ’past’ as the destination, going back to the time when the apocalypse had yet to occur, only to lose Jin Jiuchi inside Honglei Hospital. He saw himself losing his mind out of fear and worry as he searched for the man who had disappeared into thin air, before he finally decided to wait so that he could contact the other team. He also saw himself choosing the ’future’ but this time, the events unfolded so starkly different than what he had experienced— he died in the ’Echo of the Past’, got stranded in the ’Dimensional Carousel’ where their team accidentally discovered the hidden egg which was Toki. He saw himself dying again when they finally reached the ’Reflection of Emotions’, where Ying succumbed to her despair and transformed into an overpowering nightmare creature that wiped everyone out. He saw himself in Team 14 who created a comprehensive plan and carried everyone into the end.

He also saw the scene he had always wanted to know— the conversation he’d had with Ying.

"Do you like Da Shen?" He’d asked straightforwardly, only to receive a blank look of confusion.

"Don’t think too much," Ying had replied. "His eyes look similar to my late brother’s, that’s all."

He saw himself dying in regret again and again, only to grit his teeth and stand back up, promising himself that it would be the last. Memories from Team 1 until Team 14— they gradually returned to him and seamlessly clicked into place, allowing him to recall everything, every single torment and hardship, he had endured in this Cycle.

As the echoes in their ears gradually faded, they opened their eyes to find that the train had stopped moving, the doors wide open.

Shen Nianzu noticed that everyone’s appearance had reverted to their real age, and they all looked similarly emotional to some point. Gu Luoxin and Qiuqiu were even sniffling and crying quietly.

It had been too hard.

This Cycle had tortured them too hard, and it was not until now that they comprehended the full extent of their struggles. Despite the heaviness in their chests, they did not linger for too long and swiftly regained their composure.

After all, everything was finally over.

Soon after they managed to calm their turbulent emotions, they stumbled out of the train, dragged their weary bodies across the platform and— there it was, a familiar black bus waiting for them right outside the station.

This time, there was no longer any number marked on the body of the bus, proving that they had really succeeded in breaking the time loop. Everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiuqiu instantly straightened up and bowed to them one by one, "Thank you... thank you so much for all of your help! If we ever challenge the same Cycle again in the future, please allow me to return the favor. You guys literally saved my life this time!"

"Hehe..." A huge grin broke out in Gu Luoxin’s face as he swung baby Toki around, who squealed in glee. "It’s alright, what matters is that everything ends well. Come on guys, let’s board the bus. I can’t wait to return and sleep for three days straight! Geez, after everything we have experienced, it turns out only less than ten minutes have passed?!"

Carrying a light and carefree air, they boarded the bus one after another, with Shen Nianzu trailing behind. He cast one last look at the train station behind him, firmly imprinting the sight into his mind before redirecting his attention forward.

Just then, the arm slung over his shoulders twitched and Jin Jiuchi let out a faint groan.

Shen Nianzu’s heart instantly skipped a beat. "J–Jin Jiuchi...?" He called out in a small voice, somehow afraid to break the delicate atmosphere in the air.

Slowly, Jin Jiuchi raised his head, blinking a few times to shake off the haze in his mind. He looked disoriented like someone who had been asleep for a long, long time. Then he turned to Shen Nianzu, and Shen Nianzu’s breath hitched when he was met with the sight of his different colored eyes. Those captivating and otherworldly eyes reflected nothing but him.

"Nian’er..." Jin Jiuchi’s lips gradually stretched into a brilliant grin as he whispered in a raspy voice. "I’m back."

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Cycle 4: Chrono Junction Express — The End

A/N: finally, 99 Chapters in two whole months! *bawl* I’m so sorry for taking so long to finish this, and thank you so much for still being here with me, everyone! This marks the start of silver JJ and dark JJ being in one body. What kind of JJ will he become? Hehehe, let’s see... one thing for sure, he will become hotter and more cunning

And this huge event calls for a new cover! What do you think of it? In the first cover, it’s JJ who’s being held captive, but now it’s SN’s turn ufufufu

This Cycle turns out darker than I expected, mainly due to JJ’s absence QAQ I missed his silly and goofy self so much throughout the entire Cycle. Again, thank you for reading up until here despite the confusion, gore, angst and... plot holes... ehe *wipe sweat* Plot-wise, this Cycle will remain the heaviest in the book. If you have any questions, just drop it in the comment section and I will try my best to answer!

I promise the next Cycle will be pure crack and comedy cos the chaotic JJ will be back! Let me give you a little hint of the theme - it’s ’fairytale’. I’m sure you will def like it ^^

See you in the next update!