When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 437: Avian Creature?

Chapter 437: Avian Creature?

The person collapsed on the ground was still wearing Vivianne’s dress, but her appearance was no longer human.

The hunch of her back was unnatural, contorting her into a shrimp-like shape, while her once smooth and delicate skin was now full of wrinkles. The most abnormal parts ought to be the lower half of her face which had elongated and hardened to form a sleek, obsidian-black beak, and her nails had grown into razor-sharp talons, glinting menacingly in the dim light. They look like they could easily slice through flesh like a hot knife through tofu.

Shen Nianzu’s jaws dropped in shock and disbelief. Jin Jiuchi’s reaction was even more exaggerated as he circled around Vivianne’s unconscious form like a detective inspecting a dead body.

"Holy shit, look at her face!" He bent down to rap his knuckles on the hard beak before snapping his gaze to Shen Nianzu, astonished, "Nian’er, they’re a real deal!" He then crouched down and picked up one of the long black talons between two fingers, clicking his tongue in disbelief, "Tsk tsk, look at this! She’s been hiding herself all along! No wonder she smells funny to me!"

The numbness in Shen Nianzu’s mind gradually faded away in the midst of Jin Jiuchi’s endless chatter. Sucking in a deep breath, he asked, "How..." shocked by how raspy his voice sounded, he cleared his throat before trying again, "How many people smell funny to you? Is it just her... or everyone in this mansion?"

At first, Shen Nianzu had thought this was a pure role-playing Cycle, but his assumption was shattered by Jin Jiuchi’s encounter with the ghost in the underground passage, and now... another unexpected element mixed in again.

Observing that black beak, talons and the abnormal mound on her back – which he suspected to be wings – Shen Nianzu speculated that she must be some kind of avian creature. A hybrid, perhaps?

Tapping on his chin, Jin Jiuchi dug into his memory with a contemplative hum. "Let’s see, she has been in this residence for so long that the air is tainted with her scent. But it should only be her? I haven’t smelled anything similar from that annoying bitch or any other servants here..."

Shen Nianzu pursed his lips tightly. He had no idea whether he should feel relieved or troubled about this. If Vivianne was the only abnormal member of the family, did it mean that some kind of accident had befallen her or... was this her true identity?

The Cycle became all the more perplexing, making him unsure how he should proceed from now on.

Amidst his contemplation, a faint sound drifted to his ears, catching him off guard. "Ah... ah..." the feeble cry was filled with agony and excruciating torment, accompanied by a faint sizzling sound.

Shen Nianzu snapped his head in the direction of the sound, and his eyes widened in shock when he discovered that the source was none other than the whip itself!

The bizarre and fleshy whip was now twisting and squirming like an agitated worm, emitting shrill and pained cries that sounded eerily human. Met with such a macabre and mind-boggling sight, even Shen Nianzu, who had been through so many Cycles, found himself frozen in place. The fine hair on the back of his neck stood on its end, goosebumps prickling along his arms.

He had merely suspected that the whip looked like a tongue, so how... how could it produce such unsettling sounds?!

Too stunned by the possibilities that crossed his mind, Shen Nianzu failed to react on time when Jin Jiuchi lunged at the whip like a doggy seeing a new chew toy.

"Woah!" He picked up the long whip and squeezed it like a stress ball. "This is actually alive?! Goddamn, we should—"

Halfway through his sentence, the whip let out a particularly gruesome shriek, like the cry of a desperate old man in the throes of death. It quivered violently in Jin Jiuchi’s grasp, and the pinkish color of its body started to blacken as if scorched. Jin Jiuchi’s smile froze on his face when the whip shriveled as though it had been drained of all moisture, turning into a thin and dry object, before crumbling into fine dust that spilled from the gaps between his fingers.

Jin Jiuchi: "..."

Shen Nianzu: "..."

The two of them stared at each other, one confused while the other deadpan.

"I... I didn’t do anything, I swear!" Jin Jiuchi cried out in a haste to defend his innocence. He shook off the remnants of dust from his hands as if trying to rid himself of the evidence. "I just touched it a little bit and it already became like this? Boo, what a weakling!"

The corner of Shen Nianzu’s lips twitched. Trust Jin Jiuchi to bring forth an unexpected accident every single time. Shen Nianzu had become so accustomed to it that he could gloss it over with ease. "... Alright, I know you’re not doing it on purpose. I think..." he glanced at the dust on the floor, the only evidence that the whip had existed just moments before. "...Rather than yourself, it’s more likely because of your wound. It managed to wound you even with the lightest strike, so it might be sucking life energy from the fresh blood to sustain itself."

And hadn’t something like this happened when a player tried to extract Jin Jiuchi’s life force before? In the end, she threw the rock on her own feet and exploded due to the overconsumption. The same misfortune also befell this poor whip, only that it immediately dissipated into dust.

Shen Nianzu’s feelings became extremely complicated. For the first time ever, he felt a hint of sympathy for those who tried to take advantage of this nightmare creature.

"What?" Jin Jiuchi blinked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Shen Nianzu silently shook his head. Rising to his feet, he felt a slight headache upon seeing the mess in the room. "Let’s hope that tonight’s trouble ends here. As for tomorrow..."

"Do you have an idea, Nian’er?" Jin Jiuchi arches a brow, inquiring.

In response, a cold smile graced Shen Nianzu’s lips. "Hmm, let’s see..."

***

The next day.

Vivianne woke up with a gasp, her eyes snapping open. Sweat drenched her whole body, causing the fabric of the nightgown to cling uncomfortably to her skin.

Wait a moment— nightgown?

Mind spinning, she surveyed her surroundings and realized that she was lying in her own bed, in her bedroom. Everything looked as normal as any other day, but... but how could it be?! She clearly remembered summoning Rosie and that crude girl to the drawing room, and then... the water... that’s right, she recalled the fierce tide engulfing the room and the inexplicable abyss beneath her feet. Even the mere recollection of it was enough to send sinister chills down her spine!

The door clicked open with a faint sound, and her daughter, Rosie, poked his head in.

He gasped upon finding her awake. "Mother!" Rushing to the bed, he asked in concern. "Oh thank goodness, you’re finally awake! Are you feeling better now? Can you imagine how surprised I was when you suddenly fainted last night?"

Vivianne’s heart leaped. So last night was truly not a dream! A subtle look appeared on her face as she observed her daughter. "Last night...?" she prompted softly.

Shen Nianzu nodded again and again, his eyes slightly tinged with red. He was displaying his highest acting skills. If Gu Luoxin were here, he would have applauded and given Shen Nianzu a full score. "Do you not remember? You asked to see me, but then you suddenly felt unwell and lost consciousness!"

Vivianne sensed something amiss and hurriedly interjected, "I asked for you? Only you...?"

A hint of confusion flickered in Shen Nianzu’s pale purple eyes. "Yes?" he asked with uncertainty. "Is there any problem, Mother? Do you need me to call the physician to check on you?"

Vivianne’s frown deepened. She didn’t answer his inquiry but stated her own question instead, "What about Cinderella?"

"What about her?" Shen Nianzu responded with disdain. "As soon as the servants finished cleaning up the room, I threw her in there again. Worry not, Mother, Father doesn’t know about any of this. He has actually left early in the morning, asking me to take care of you instead."

But alas, Vivianne did not even have the luxury to feel sad about her husband’s abrupt departure. A sudden vertigo overcame her, and she clutched her head as numerous questions swirled in her mind. She attempted to confirm, "So last night, I asked to see you alone? Without Cinderella? And the whip..."

"Whip?" Shen Nianzu echoed in confusion. "Mother, what are you talking about?"

Vivianne drew in a shaky breath, cold sweat rolling down her back. No, not possible. The memories were still so clear inside her mind, so how could things turn out differently? Straightening up, she demanded in a haste, "Cinderella... call that girl here. Right now!"

Albeit confused, her daughter still went to ask the maid to fetch Cinderella here. A few minutes later, Jin Jiuchi entered the room, gingerly asking, "Mo— Madam, are you looking for me?"

In lieu of an answer, Vivianne immediately dropped her gaze to his leg. A quiet explosion seemed to go off inside her mind when she found it intact and unharmed, without any hint of injuries she had inflicted the night prior!

H–How was this possible?! Could she really be dreaming it all up?!