When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 492: Fourteen Hours

Chapter 492: Fourteen Hours

Everyone fell silent when they heard the officer’s words, speechless, although they could more or less guess the truth by his cunning demeanor. The black supply box could either be a trap that condemned players, or where the main rewards could be found— or perhaps both.

To obtain the platinum, golden, or silver tickets, players would have no choice but to take their chances with the mysterious black boxes.

"I’m sure you are already aware of this," the fake Santa Claus continued, his tone jovial yet tinged with underlying menace, "but the map will gradually shrink over time. We will divide the area into red zones and green zones. Currently, the entire map is still considered a green zone, but with each hour, the red zone will expand. So please quickly make your way to the green zone before it’s too late! Any questions?"

Over one-fourth of the players raised their hands, Shen Nianzu included. Jin Jiuchi, mimicking his jade doll’s action, quickly shot up a hand as well.

The bus officer gasped in mock surprise. "And here I thought my explanation was crystal clear! But alas, I shall entertain your inquiries nonetheless." With a mischievous grin, he chose a random player among the crowd. "You there, my good child! What question do you have in mind?"

"How do we know when the area will turn red? Will there be a warning beforehand?" the player’s nervous voice was amplified, echoing loud and clear across the field.

"Good question!" The officer flashed two thumbs-up, though the answer he provided was far from satisfactory. He feigned a troubled sigh, saying, "As much as I’d love to answer you, I don’t want to spoil the fun. Let me tell you this: you will definitely know when the time comes."

He proceeded to choose another player, who asked, "H–How can we select a good landing spot? We don’t have a map of the forest!"

"Aha, now that you remind me!" He snapped his fingers in acknowledgement. "Worry not, my dear child. You will be provided with a starter kit inside the helicopter, which includes the map and the protective gear. You can check them out later! Now, onto the last question..." he swept his gaze over the crowd before pausing at Jin Jiuchi, who was literally bouncing on his feet while eagerly pointing at himself, mouthing ’me, me, me!

The corner of the officer’s lips twitched as he chose Jin Jiuchi, his tone full of resignation for some unknown reason, "Alright, you, my dear enthusiastic child. What would you like to ask?"

"Err..." Jin Jiuchi was stunned now that he unexpectedly got chosen when he had no questions of his own. He could only turn to Shen Nianzu, who helplessly whispered something into his ear. "Oh, oh, what happens if we get the main rewards during the game? Do they automatically become ours, or do we need to do something else? And uh, does the game end when we reach the final green zone?"

"Excellent question!" The officer praised unabashedly, his eyes shining in excitement. "Thank you for bringing this up. You’re absolutely correct! Merely getting your hands on the rewards does not mean you’ve become the owner. So how do you ensure they’re yours in the end?"

With a snap of his fingers, a gigantic digital clock materialized in midair.

"The time is now 16.08 PM. The game will end at six in the morning tomorrow, exactly fourteen hours from now. If you’re still holding onto the tickets when the hour hand of the clock strikes six the next day, you will be the winner, no matter where you are!"

A wave of realization rippled through the crowd as everyone’s face sank to some degrees. They understood now – the tricky part of the game was not to hunt the tickets, but to safeguard them until the end while ensuring their own survival!

Gu Luoxin joined the complaining crowd, groaning in frustration. "Do we really have to aim for the main rewards? They do sound tempting, but..." he tried to appeal to his little leader, but unfortunately, Shen Nianzu seemed lost in thought, his tender exquisite face scrunched up in deep contemplation.

"Alright, let’s not waste any more time!" The fake Santa Claus clapped his hands. "It’s time to get moving! Please make your way to the helicopters in front of you, and have yourselves a merry Christmas~!"

With his final words echoing across the clearing, the holographic figure shattered into countless fragments of twinkling lights that illuminated the sky. At the same time, the helicopters’ rotor blades slowly whirred to life.

"Let’s go go go!" Jin Jiuchi scooped the jade doll into his arms and sprinted toward the helicopter, with Gu Luoxin hot on his trail. All around them, countless players surged ahead like a tide of eager predators closing in on their prey.

The wind whistled past Jin Jiuchi’s ears, ruffling his black hair and his shirt, as he pushed his feet off the ground and took a powerful leap, becoming the first person to enter the cabin. "Aaand... safe!"

The area was spacious, with seats lined up on both sides. Shen Nianzu wasted no time to jump down from Jin Jiuchi’s arms and made a beeline for the corner where identical black backpacks could be seen. He tossed one to Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin each, while keeping one to himself.

While other players scrambled to get theirs, team SJG had already strapped their protective gear on and buckled themselves into their seats, checking the map they found on the backpack.

At the center of the map was a large white triangle which was Mount Fuji, and from its base, a network of trails branched out like arteries, weaving through the dense foliages and crisscrossing the landscape in a complex web of pathways. Rivers and streams were depicted with flowing blue lines, while tiny tents marked camping grounds.

Ding!

A soft chime rang out as the radio broadcast crackled to life. The bus officer’s cheerful voice filled the cabin, announcing, "My dear children, please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We will be taking off now!"

A loud roar thundered in the air as the fleet of helicopters floated up in union, heading toward their destination.

Jin Jiuchi couldn’t suppress the laughter that bubbled up his throat. "Ahhh, I can’t wait to go skydiving~!" He raised his voice to rival the thunderous noise of the motor blades, earning him dirty looks from the other players.

There were thirty or so people in the cabin, but the atmosphere was completely stale as no one tried to thaw the ice. At this moment, forming alliances was the last thing in their minds as everyone was busy scrutinizing the map.

Shen Nianzu was weighing his choices carefully when Gu Luoxin, who was seated on his left, leaned in to whisper, "Psst, Xiao Shen."

"What is it?" Shen Nianzu asked without looking up.

"Just now, while we were running, I overheard..." sensing the unusual hesitation and apprehension in Gu Luoxin’s tone, he finally raised his head to regard the young man. "I heard some players agreeing... they will follow that little girl to jump and get rid of her before the first hour is up."

Little girl? Was he talking about Qian Hui? "Yeah, I figured some people would definitely grab the opportunity," Shen Nianzu replied calmly, causing alarm to cross Gu Luoxin’s features. He couldn’t help but feel a little amused. "So what do you plan to do? It’s not like we’re in the same helicopter, and we don’t even know where she will land."

"I know, but..." Gu Luoxin grumbled, clearly uncomfortable.

Shen Nianzu gently patted him on the head with his tiny, fleshy hand. "There’s a reason why she is the number one. Even with her skill card and props disabled, she may not be vulnerable. Come on, we should focus on our strategy for now." He pointed at a certain area on the map and made a decision,

"We will land around here."