When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 487: Christmas-limited Cycle

Chapter 487: Christmas-limited Cycle

Gu Luoxin stood there, his jaws hanging open in sheer disbelief. Cursed? Did Noir just say that his Joker skill card was... cursed? How??

The question lingered on the tip of Gu Luoxin’s tongue, but he swallowed it back down. If there was one thing he learned after growing up with his workaholic uncle, it was to be sensible and not demand more when it was clear that the other person couldn’t fulfill it. This way, he wouldn’t have to put them in a difficult position.

This time, too, despite Noir’s perpetual deadpan expression, somehow Gu Luoxin could tell that he was reluctant to divulge anything more about his Joker skill card.

And thus Gu Luoxin wouldn’t ask. Because he didn’t want to make things difficult for the emerald-eyed man.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he offered a small grin toward Noir, who appeared taken aback. "That sounds... awful," he commented with a troubled look. "Then I also wish that you never have to activate it, Senior. Oh, that’s right, I learned from Da Shen that his Joker skill card’s trigger depends on his SAN Value, is it like that for you too?"

Upon receiving Noir’s nod, he clapped cheerfully, "Perfect! Senior, you’re such a composed and level-headed player, so I’m certain your SAN value must be quite stable! Do you know Da Shen’s SAN Value?" he snickered, his eyes gleaming in schadenfreude. "It’s so low! Xiao Shen almost has his hair falling out from worrying whether he could keep his sanity throughout the entire Cycle!"

"Oh, look at the time!" He exclaimed, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I’d better head out first. See you again, Senior. Let’s grab a meal sometime after you’re finished with your project, yeah?" He maintained a cheerful mood as he grabbed the plastic bag of food, making his way toward the door.

Yes, this is it, he mentally patted himself on the back in appreciation. Easy and cool. You got this, Xinxin!

But halfway through, Noir’s low voice sounded, halting him in his tracks.

"Xinxin."

Gu Luoxin’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of his nickname, but then he quickly felt silly for overreacting because hadn’t Noir always been addressing him this way since they got to know each other? That’s right, there’s nothing to be excited about!

Keeping a smile plastered on his face, Gu Luoxin turned and inquired, "What is it, Senior?"

"Thank you..." Noir expressed sincerely, and the way those deep emerald eyes remained fixed on him caused Gu Luoxin’s heart to palpitate again as though a swarm of wild butterflies were going rampant within his chest. He heard Noir add, "...for bringing dinner this time. I’d like to treat you in return, but I have to finish this before Christmas or else the Cycle is going to get in my way."

"A–Ah, it’s okay, I understand! Please prioritize your work first, I wouldn’t want to impose!" Gu Luoxin forced out a laugh despite the warmth flooding his cheeks. Had he read too much into this or had Noir just casually promised to have another meal with him again? After Christmas?? Wasn’t it only four days away— hold on...

The messy train of Gu Luoxin’s thoughts screeched to a halt once he grasped the crux of Noir’s sentence. "There will be another Cycle during Christmas?" he asked, stunned.

"Hm?" Noir gave him a slow blink. "You didn’t know?"

Gu Luoxin gaped at him, baffled. O–Of course, he didn’t! How was he supposed to know about this when he had just entered the Nightmare Cycle less than a year ago?!

***

"A... what?" Gu Luoxin dug into his ear, fearing that he had misheard.

On the other side of the screen, Shen Nianzu lounged on the sofa, clad only in a silky satin robe with his hair still damp from the shower he had just taken, elegantly swirling a glass of red wine. Judging from the background, he seemed to be in a luxurious hotel room, or perhaps one of his many vacation houses.

Adorning his neck, where it couldn’t be covered by garment, were splotches of bruises and bite marks, looking so conspicuously glaring against his milky white skin. Gu Luoxin didn’t even need to think with his pinky finger to know who the culprit behind them was.

(He had to suppress a loud squeal when he first saw them because oh God, this was a real life R-rated BL scenario happening right in front of his eyes!)

Taking a small sip of his wine, Shen Nianzu repeated once more, his tone tinged with helplessness, "You heard correctly. Every year, the Nightmare hosts a Christmas-limited Cycle which is open to all players across the country. Of course, the theme every year is different, and I have no idea what it will be this time."

Seated in his dorm room, Gu Luoxin continued to gobble down his food before responding, "I don’t understand. What’s the difference from the usual Cycle?"

"Well, you will see for yourself later," Shen Nianzu replied vaguely.

Before Gu Luoxin could say anything else, an obnoxious voice sounded through the speaker, slightly muffled due to the distance. "Nian’er, who are you talking to in the middle of our date?!"

In the next moment, a large doggy – no, a large body – draped over Shen Nianzu from behind, nuzzling against the back of his nape intimately. The man was still naked down to his torso, his muscular arms encircling Shen Nianzu in a possessive embrace, nearly engulfing the silver-haired man in his broad frame.

All of a sudden, the food before Gu Luoxin lost its appeal, maybe because he’d been force-fed a mouthful of fragrant dog food.

"Hey, dry your hair properly and don’t shake water anywhere!" Shen Nianzu scolded, though his pale purple eyes glimmered with amusement and fondness as he ruffled Jin Jiuchi’s wet hair.

Jin Jiuchi peeked at the screen over Shen Nianzu’s shoulder, only to click his tongue in annoyance at the sight of Gu Luoxin. "Oh, it’s just you."

Veins popped up in Gu Luoxin’s forehead as he gripped his chopsticks tightly, an angry smile twitching on the corner of his lips. "And what’s that supposed to mean, dumbass?" he gritted out.

He still had not forgotten – and he refused to forget! – how Jin Jiuchi had kicked him down by laughing at him at the end of their previous Cycle, when Gu Luoxin was on the verge of dying due to mortification. Unforgivable! This grudge between them would not be settled easily!

But alas, Jin Jiuchi’s attention soon shifted to his jade doll. Peering at Shen Nianzu, he began to act all cutesy while deploying his puppy dog eyes. "What are you two talking about, Nian’er? Is it more interesting than me?"

Rolling his eyes, Gu Luoxin pushed aside his food and hurriedly drank his water before he barfed. Alright, that was enough food for tonight.

"Of course," Shen Nianzu replied callously, earning him an ’ouch’ from Jin Jiuchi. "We’re talking about our next Cycle, and given how it went last year, it should happen sometime during next week."

Just then, the trio’s phone buzzed at the same time.

"Speak of the devil," Shen Nianzu remarked, reaching for his phone.

Gu Luoxin did the same as well, swiftly opening the Nightmare App to check his ticket. And then he was nearly blinded by the bright red and green hues that dominated the screen.

"W–What the hell?!" he choked out.

Who could have guessed that the Nightmare would keep up with the trend! The ticket, which used to be displayed in a basic black and white scheme, now featured festive decorations like gift boxes, Christmas trees and falling snow, giving off an intense vacation vibe.

Though the location was anything but.

Shivers ran down Gu Luoxin’s spine as he scanned the ticket twice to make sure that his eyes were not playing a trick on him. "Our next destination is... the Suicide Forest?"