When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 424: Don’t Like The Color

Chapter 424: Don’t Like The Color

Tentatively, Gu Luoxin approached the flamboyant-looking bus and his eyes lit up when he spotted the familiar silhouette of his teammates seated inside. The sight was akin to a soothing balm on his anxious and skittish heart, sending a genuine smile across his face.

"Xiao Shen! Da Shen!" He greeted in a cheerful tone as he stepped onto the bus. "Good morning!"

"Oh hey, you’re finally here!" Jin Jiuchi waved at him.

"Good morning," Shen Nianzu replied with a nod. "How’s your quiz?"

"Hehe of course, everything went well. I studied so hard for it, after all." Gu Luoxin took a seat according to the number on his ticket and inspected the surroundings. He couldn’t help but click his tongue, commenting, "Tsk tsk, look at this bright interior. It’s so different compared to our previous Cycle!"

"Does it mean this Cycle will be easier?" Jin Jiuchi wondered. "Will there be a bus officer this time? I missed seeing them!"

Alarm swept across Shen Nianzu’s features upon hearing that, and he shot Jin Jiuchi a warning glare. "Don’t you dare mess around this time."

"I know, I know!" Jin Jiuchi tutted. "I will be on my best behavior. I will even go out of my way to praise them for doing a good job. Satisfied?"

As the couple bickered with each other, Gu Luoxin’s eyes drifted outside the window, his fingers clenched tight on top of his lap. He swallowed, feeling a blend of anticipation and nervousness in his heart. The departure time was almost here, so why hadn’t Noir appeared yet? Was he running late, by any chance? Or had he boarded another bus since technically they were not in the same organization?

The doors emitted a faint hiss as they swung open, and Gu Luoxin snapped his head there, his eyes bright and hopeful.

But alas, he was bound to be disappointed this time, because the one who had just emerged was not the tall figure he had been waiting for, but the bus officer.

The young woman looked in her early twenties, clad in a pink gown with crimson embellishments. It wasn’t a gown often found in the modern era, however. Instead, it was an outfit seemingly plucked from medieval times, with puffy sleeves, fitted bodice that accentuated her slender waist, and a long skirt that flared out, flowing gracefully with each step she took. Her hair was twisted in an elegant bun on top of her head, held together by a simple hair stick.

Despite her delicate appearance, an unsettling deathly hue tainted her pale complexion, making anyone who stared at her for too long became uncomfortable.

Not only that...

Gu Luoxin’s brows furrowed. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of incongruity when looking at her. As a musical theater student, he’d had his fair share of admiring and studying the costumes worn by performers. It took a while for him to realize that... yes, the gown she was wearing was a size too big on her, causing the hem to drag on the ground incessantly! Furthermore, he had a gut feeling that the pink color of the fabric wasn’t quite natural.

It appeared more like... the color of fresh blood after being washed off.

Gu Luoxin shuddered when that chilling thought crossed his mind. It was unknown whether it was his wild imagination speaking, but he seemed to detect a faint scent of blood emanating from her.

Positioned at the front, she swept her gaze over the trio and parted her bloodless lips to speak, "Welcome, everyone..." her voice was soft and feeble, almost like a whisper of the wind, tinged with a slight breathlessness as if it had taken all her effort to utter them. "Thank you for... making it in time... we will be heading... to Glass Slipper Town... now..."

She paused intermittently in between words, and when she finished speaking, she was already out of breath.

As soon as her last words settled in the air, the driverless bus began to move, and the scenery outside eventually turned into a blur.

"Yo!" Jin Jiuchi kept his promise and offered her a thumbs-up. "Thanks for being here even though you probably want to laze around in bed all day, and oh, your dress looks fabulous!"

Nearby, Shen Nianzu palmed his forehead, somewhat wishing that he could pretend not to know this guy.

"Really...?" She gazed at Jin Jiuchi without blinking. "You... really think so...?"

"Of course!" Jin Jiuchi exclaimed, beaming from ear-to-ear. "I especially like the color! Do you dye it with your own blood, perhaps? It looks so original!"

Gu Luoxin snapped his head to him, shocked and flabbergasted. W–What was this crazy dog saying?! No, wait— the pink color of the bus officer’s gown had truly come from her own blood?!

Much to Gu Luoxin’s surprise, the young lady averted her gaze shyly, and if she still had blood in her body, she might have blushed upon receiving Jin Jiuchi’s peculiar praise!

"This... is my stepsister’s gown..." she spoke slowly while gasping for breath. "I didn’t like the color... so I washed it with my own blood..." she peeked at Jin Jiuchi through her lashes, like a young blossoming maiden seeing the man she adored. "You’re the first one... to praise it... thank you..."

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing," Jin Jiuchi replied humbly while shooting haughty glances at Shen Nianzu as if asking ’how did I do?’

Alas, the silver-haired man pretended not to notice anything and did not even spare him a glance, opting to stare out of the window instead.

Jin Jiuchi: QAQ

"Wait, ’stepsister’?" Gu Luoxin was struck by a sudden realization and turned to the bus officer in shock. "You... could you be Cin—" his words were interrupted when the bus entered the tunnel, plunging the surroundings into pitch-black darkness.

At that moment, Gu Luoxin keenly heard a feeble whisper amidst the hum of the bus engine, "I have decided..."

What?

What had she decided? An odd premonition coursed through Gu Luoxin, but before he could say or do anything, an intense vertigo overcame him, causing him to collapse onto his seat with a grunt. Somewhere behind him echoed Shen Nianzu’s muffled groan, as well as Jin Jiuchi’s alarmed cry, "Nian’er!"

Gu Luoxin felt like he was riding in a rollercoaster with twice the speed. Everything in front of him was spinning with a burst of kaleidoscopic colors, and his vision swam so intensely that he could no longer differentiate east from west. Nausea churned in his stomach, almost making him retch. The overwhelming sensation most likely lasted for only a few short seconds, yet at the same time, it felt like it had gone on for eternity.

W–What was going on?!

Unfortunately, no one could give him the answer. Just before he lost grasp of his consciousness, he heard her final words echoing in the air, spoken with a hint of smile,

"Welcome... to the Glass Slipper Town... I wish you a pleasant stay..."