When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 508: I Choose Dare

Chapter 508: I Choose Dare

The players trapped in this elimination game had had their physique enhanced by the Nightmare to some degree. Not to mention, the whole table just happened to be deathly silent as the male skeleton made his choice, thus Jin Jiuchi’s whisper – which, in Shen Nianzu’s opinion, didn’t seem as much as a whisper than a loud exclamation – immediately reached the players’ ears akin to a sudden bolt of lightning in a midsummer day.

The effect was spontaneous. Panic and restlessness rippled through the crowd, and the less composed players were already crying out in suppressed voices,

"T–The Red Zone? Should we run away now?!"

"Fool! Haven’t you seen what happened to that guy who refused to play the game?!"

"If we leave the table, we will be eliminated and die!"

"Remember the announcement at the start? The whole area is locked right now and we won’t be able to leave until the game ends!"

"What should we do?!"

"Calm down, everyone," Shang attempted to bring the increasingly chaotic situation under control, his tone firm and composed. "There are still twenty one of us here. There must be something we can do if we put our heads together." Perhaps it was his prestige as the leader of the number one organization, or perhaps the flustered players simply needed someone reliable who could point the way for them, but as soon as Shang finished speaking, the tension and restlessness in the air eased almost immediately and the gazes directed to him contained three points admiration, three points pleading, and four points worship.

The plump female player couldn’t help but sneer as she adjusted her glasses. What a joke. She had said similar things beforr, but how did these people respond to her again?

Meanwhile, experienced players like Noir, Ying, and the ninja-look-alike did not display any particular behavior, but their body language and alert eyes showed that they were more than ready should any unexpected problems arise.

Regardless of their differing reactions, it was both surprising and funny how no one doubted the authenticity of Jin Jiuchi’s words. It seemed like, at some unknown point, Jin Jiuchi’s image as a eccentric bigshot had been established without dissent, even to the extent where they could conveniently ignore his outrageous remark about wanting to take the desserts with him.

Had it not been for the impending peril staring at him right in the eye, Shen Nianzu would have shared a good laugh with Jin Jiuchi or even berated him for his gluttony. But alas, with him being the next participant of the game, he was currently under close scrutiny of a bunch of grinning skeletons and couldn’t act as he pleased.

The skeletons were not affected at all by Jin Jiuchi’s words. They cheered and chanted in loud voices, unaware of the change that might take place any moment.

"Dare! Dare! Dare!"

"This time, you must choose dare!"

"Awww come on, where’s the fun in truths? We want to see someone play dare!"

"Dear guest from afar," the Mad Hatter prompted with a cheeky tone. "Are you willing to take on the dare this time to increase the fun?"

Shen Nianzu felt caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, choosing dare meant risking his own survival, but on the other hand, with Mad Hatter putting it out like that, if he still chose the truth, who could say that he wouldn’t enrage the skeletons and be turned into a part of their group within the span of one breath?

Alas, there was simply no room for doubt or hesitation, as the next second he heard someone holler,

"T–The Red Zone! The Red Zone is coming!"

Everyone sensed and heard more than they saw it. The atmosphere shifted in an instant as hushed murmurs and low, eerie cries reverberated through the air. The towering trees around them began to sway and rustle as though an invisible force was gently waking them up from their deep slumber, and the players could even feel a faint vibration coming from the ground beneath their feet!

Shen Nianzu gritted his teeth, his pale purple eyes blazing with determination. It’s now or never at all!

Pushing away Jin Jiuchi’s claws who sought to bring him onto the man’s lap, Shen Nianzu clambered to stand on the chair due to his short stature. "Alright," he grinned, though it looked more like he was baring his teeth as the smile did not reach his eyes at all. "I will choose dare."

Without giving Mad Hatter or the skeletons a chance to fan the flame, he continued, "I will perform a magic trick unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. How about it?"

"Magic trick? I love watching magic tricks!"

"Color me intrigued!

"Hurry up and show us what you can do, little boy!"

The skeletons’ curiosity were piqued due to Shen Nianzu’s exaggerated words laced with a thick sense of mystery, which he had learned from the host of the party himself. And with the current rhythm being held securely in his grasp, Mad Hatter had no choice but to comply, "Alright, buckle up, everyone! A spectacular magic performance will unfold right before your eyes, brought to you by our guest from afar! Speaking of which..." his tone abruptly changed as he flashed Shen Nianzu an unnerving grin. "Mad Hatter is a magician too. It might not be so easy to come up with something I haven’t seen before oh~"

It was a blatant threat implying that there would be consequences if Shen Nianzu failed to impress him, but the exquisite silver-haired boy did not even twitch his eyelids. He remained cold and expressionless as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Nothing special happened for the first few seconds, at least to the players’ perception.

By now, the red zone had crept into the open area where they were gathering. The lush green leaves turned scarlet with a speed visible to naked eyes, accompanied by the sounds of mournful crying and eerie sighs, elevating the tension to the extreme. And in a blink of an eye, a crimson tide surged forward, swallowing the entire area and trapping them within!

A few players could no longer restrain themselves and scrambled out of their seats, fleeing for their lives. While the rest was more focused on Mad Hatter and the skeletons.

"W–Why are they acting like that???"

The skeletons leaned as far back as their creaky chairs allowed, their bony heads tilted upwards and jaws slack in astonishment. Exclamations of awe filled the air: "Wow, this is... fantastic!" "What kind of magic trick is this? It feels so real— oh my goodness, a fish just swam into my eye!" Even Mad Hatter was unresponsive, the ghostly blue flames in his hollow eye sockets seemingly frozen in shock.

From their perspective, they had suddenly found themselves transported into an underwater kingdom, where the vast seafloor stretched endlessly beneath them. Gentle rays of lights filtered in through the crystalline water, illuminating the schools of fish that glided past with a graceful flick of their tails.

For creatures born of shadow and accustomed to darkness, when had they ever seen such a dazzling scene before? The sun was clearly shining on them, yet to their absolute shock, they did not feel any pain at all!

This was simply... miraculous! A stunning and magnificent show of magic!

That’s right, the ’magic trick’ Shen Nianzu was talking about referred to none other than his skill card. He had activated it when he snapped his fingers and dragged the skeletons into the illusion he had weaved just for them. This was all to buy them some time to deal with the red zone!

While the skeletons were thoroughly distracted, he could finally slap Jin Jiuchi’s back who had shamelessly taken advantage of the chaos to stuff as many cakes into his mouth until his cheeks all puffed out like a hamster hoarding its treasure.

Jin Jiuchi almost choked to death from that single slap which contained enough strength to shatter his rib into two, but he desperately pressed down the urge to cough and steadfastly sealed his mouth shut to prevent himself from spitting out his food. Holy hell, Nian’er really did not hold back at all, did he?! What an intense brutal love!

As he lamented inwardly, his hands did not stop moving as he downed a few gulps of tea straight from the teapot before scooping the jade doll into his arms and turning to flee. His muffled shout, which sounded garbled with the cakes still in his mouth, cut above the chaos,

"RUN—!!!"