When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 495: Black Supply Box

Chapter 495: Black Supply Box

Thanks to Jin Jiuchi’s heaven-defying nose, they found two more supply boxes within the vicinity over the next fifteen minutes – one red and one green.

Inside the red box was a handgun with two full magazines, while the green box contained a package of compressed biscuits, a bottle of mineral water, and a painkiller spray. As the member who contributed the most, Jin Jiuchi was granted the privilege to half of the biscuits, while the other half would be shared between Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin.

As they pressed forward through the forest, the sun took its leisure time to descend toward the horizon, painting the landscape in a warm orange glow. Yet nothing could conceal the ominous and gloomy aura which exuded from the very forest itself.

Dense evergreen trees enveloped them, their thick foliage blocking out much of the sunlight and casting deep shadows upon the forest floor. The rustling of leaves seemed to have grown louder and louder along with the rising wind, resembling hushed whispers in the dimming light. Moss-covered rocks and twisted roots littered the ground before them, demanding them to be cautious with each step they took.

Shen Nianzu had nothing to worry about, though, since he was being carried behind Jin Jiuchi’s back, who couldn’t bear to let his jade doll’s dainty little feet get tired.

The temperature was also steadily dropping, causing Gu Luoxin to rub his arms in a futile attempt to generate warmth. Despite the protective gear he was wearing, a pervasive chill seemed to seep into his bones, chilling him down to the core.

Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but glance around nervously, his senses heightened by the impending darkness. "I– It will be dark soon. The ghosts... they should be appearing at any moment now, right?"

"Maybe," Shen Nianzu replied absentmindedly as he was checking the map. "The one-hour time limit is almost up. We need to find a hiding spot as soon as possible."

"Sshh..." Jin Jiuchi hushed them softly, placing a finger on his lips. His nose twitched as he remarked, "I smell another supply box nearby, but it’s..." with the lack of words to describe it, he could only gesture for Gu Luoxin to follow. Everywhere they turned seemed to look the same, yet Jin Jiuchi’s stride was wide, confident, and purposeful, knowing clearly where he was heading.

"Wait," Jin Jiuchi stopped Gu Luoxin from going further. "There are other players around."

The trio swiftly concealed themselves behind a huge tree trunk. Gu Luoxin asked in a whisper, "Are they after the supply box too?"

No sooner than he said those words, they heard someone exclaim from a distance, "Hey, come here! There’s a supply box. It’s – damn it, it’s black!"

The trio exchanged surprised glances. Black supply box – it was the type they were supposed to discover on their own!

"Who’s gonna open this?"

"If you don’t want to, let me give it a shot!"

Poking their heads out cautiously, the trio noticed three people standing a distance away from the supply box on the forest floor, one woman and two men. They seemed to have hailed from two different teams, as the two men argued who would open the box and claim the contents inside.

In the end, it was the male player of the duo who won the argument, rolling up his sleeves and stalking confidently toward the box, "Beibei, I’m going to open it, so keep an eye on that man in case he tries to attack me from behind!"

The female player named Beibei nodded readily. "Be careful, Brother Hai!"

Brother Hai gave an ’OK’ sign as he stood before the box. Bracing himself, he reached out and pressed on the button, unlocking the box with a soft click.

"Uh-oh," Jin Jiuchi remarked under his breath. "Looks like this is gonna be fun."

Both Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin snapped their heads towards him, their expression a mixture of dread, alarm, and shock. But before any of them could ask what he meant by that, Beibei’s voice pierced the air, echoing amidst the clearing, "What’s inside, Brother Hai?"

At the same time as the lid of the box burst open, Brother Hai whipped around, his expression contorted in horror. "RU—AHHHH!!" he had just taken his first step when a gigantic hairy pincher claw grabbed his arm from behind, immediately tearing it apart from his body as though it was made of soft tofu.

An agonizing scream wrenched out of Brother Hai’s throat as he collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from the stump like a fountain. The severed arm, on the other hand, was immediately snatched by the claw and dragged back into the box. And soon, sickening sounds of chewing could be heard from within.

"B–BROTHER HAI!!" Beibei shrieked in horror.

Meanwhile, the other male player had immediately fled as soon as he sensed something amiss.

"H–Help—"

The creature within seemed dissatisfied with its meager meal. It began to clamber out of the box, allowing the hiding trio to catch its appearance clearly.

It was huge, so huge that it seemed impossible for the creature to be contained within such a small box, yet somehow it managed to slowly squeeze itself out without tearing the metal box to shreds.

It resembled a spider, albeit a hundred times larger than normal, and it possessed pincher claws similar to a crab. Its six beady eyes darted around before honing in on the male player who was bleeding profusely on the ground, and with a speed so fast it was invisible to be caught by naked eyes, it leaped out of the box and landed right above the man with a resounding thud!

"Ah... ah..." extreme fear was reflected in the man’s eyes as he stared up at the creature’s bulging stomach, which was filled with countless small offspring wriggling in the amniotic fluid within. With a sickening whoosh, the creature’s stomach split open, and a deluge of its young rained down on the man! "AHH— HELP... HELP ME!!"

As the newly born spiders began to feast on the man’s flesh and blood, yet another similar creature climbed out of the box, this time larger and more robust. Its form almost towered over the first, each movement exuding a primal savagery that sent shivers down his spine. Its razor-sharp claws clicked against the metal box then the forest floor, leaving faint gouges behind.

It wasn’t only one creature to begin with – but a pair!

And to make matters worse, the behemoth turned its predatory gaze directly toward the trio of SJG, even making eye contact with them! It was clearly a creature with intelligence!

"R–Run..." Shen Nianzu whispered, his complexion blanching.

"RUN!!!" With a hysterical scream, Gu Luoxin turned tail and bolted away in blind panic, as quickly as his feet could carry him. Though he was soon overtaken by Jin Jiuchi whose legs were longer and faster.

"Holy crap!" Jin Jiuchi looked behind his shoulder, but the massive nightmare creature was no longer on the ground, but sailing through the air! It could fly– no, it was capable of making large jumps which could cover a long distance in a short time! The dense canopy of towering conifers did not seem to deter it, as its spindly legs easily allowed it to leap between trees, almost as if it had been possessed by the spirit of a monkey.

Jin Jiuchi blindly patted the jade doll’s butt who was still perched on his back, exclaiming in excitement, "Nian’er, Nian’er, it’s catching up to us!!!"

Gu Luoxin let out a terrified yelp, his soul almost floating out of his body. "It... It can even fly?!! Why can’t we use our skill cards yet?!"

Gritting his teeth, Shen Nianzu retrieved the gun they had found in the supply box, his hands firm and steady as he fired his first shot.

BANG!

He had clearly aimed at the creature, but it dodged! It was fast and agile enough to dodge a bullet despite the size of its body!

"Damn it!" Shen Nianzu cursed under his breath, frustration gnawing on his nerves.

As they raced through the forest, the world around them blurred into a chaotic whirlwind of motion. Shen Nianzu fired two more shots in rapid succession, one missed and the other striking its pincer claw only for the bullet to bounce away, leaving not even a scratch behind. Not only was it unnaturally fast, but its armor was also impenetrable even by bullets!

What kind of shitty creature was this?!

"Keep running!" Shen Nianzu urged, his voice strained with urgency. "It can’t have strayed far from its mate and offspring!"

"Hey!" Jin Jiuchi suddenly chimed in. "Is it just me, or are the leaves turning red???"

Shen Nianzu was startled. He had been too focused on the nightmare creature that he hadn’t paid closer attention to his surroundings. That, coupled with the evening sunset glow, made him overlook the changes that slowly transformed the landscape. It wasn’t until Jin Jiuchi pointed it out that he noticed the once verdant foliage around him slowly took on a bright crimson hue, almost as if they had sucked in blood.

"How do we know when the area will turn red? Will there be a warning beforehand?"

"Let me tell you this: you will definitely know when the time comes."

A chilling realization swept through both Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin like a cold gust of wind.

"The red zone!" they exclaimed in unison.

The red zone had begun to spread!