When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 513: The Game Ends!

Chapter 513: The Game Ends!

"Are we done talking? How much longer do we have to remain here?"

Jin Jiuchi’s lazy voice cut in, instantly dispelling the somewhat somber atmosphere. "If it’s still a while, can I take a little nap here?" Drowsiness was thick in his tone, causing his words to come out more like a slur. He could not even fully open his eyes anymore. He held little Shen Nianzu in his arms as though the latter was a body pillow, his cheek cushioned on Shen Nianzu’s crown, nearly swaying on his feet.

Gu Luoxin gave him a strange look. "Why are you so sleepy? Didn’t you just take a nap before this?"

"Hold on a little longer!" Shen Nianzu pinched the man’s cheeks and pulled hard, earning him a muffled yelp from the other. Ignoring Jin Jiuchi’s aggrieved puppy-dog eyes, Shen Nianzu turned to Gu Luoxin and explained succinctly with an exasperated look, "He ate the Mad Hatter’s concoction."

"You— how?!" The news utterly took Gu Luoxin by surprise, though it swiftly gave way to concern and a hint of panic. "What should we do then?! Will he be okay? Is there an antidote?!"

"Should be fine for now... I guess." Shen Nianzu tried to keep his calm, but when Jin Jiuchi kept nuzzling against him like a big, fluffy dog, he quickly grew irked and used both hands to shove the man’s face away. "Don’t be so clingy, damn it! It’s hot!"

"But I’m sleepyyy~" Jin Jiuchi dragged on his tone like the obnoxious man he was, causing Shen Nianzu’s veins to throb in anger. Whose fault was it in the first place? Had he not been so gluttonous and unbridled, this kind of accident wouldn’t have happened at all! Alas, it was no use crying over spilt milk. Even if lectured this damned husky until his ears fell off, it would do nothing to change the current situation – not that Jin Jiuchi would ever listen to him anyway.

Heavens, he must have committed a great sin in his past life to end up with this man now!

Taking a deep breath, Shen Nianzu attempted to summon every last drop of patience within him. He first comforted Gu Luoxin that yes, everything was still under control and no, Da Shen would not drop dead all of a sudden before whipping around to glare daggers at the main culprit. However, what met him were a pair of soft, droopy and slightly wet eyes and just like that, Shen Nianzu felt his temper vanishing faster than a drop of water engulfed in the scorching desert sand.

Jin Jiuchi’s eyes had always been bright, lively and vivacious – when had they ever looked as open and vulnerable as they were right now?

Forget it, he sighed, stroking Jin Jiuchi’s head with his much smaller hand. This guy was just a little dumb, silly, greedy, childish, clingy and uncontrollable, but it’s not like his nature was bad.

"Don’t fall asleep now," he cautioned while pinching and kneading Jin Jiuchi’s warm earlobes. "I reckon the game will be ending soon even without us interfering."

***

Shen Nianzu’s prediction was spot on as always.

Some players who discovered the invisible barrier surrounding the Red Zone quickly identified what they needed to do to break the status quo. This was an elimination game; as long as enough people died, they would be able to escape!

Rather than defending against the sentient trees and frenzied skeletons, they found it easier and faster to eliminate fellow players. They were just halfway into the Cycle, it wasn’t worthwhile to drain their energy for a prolonged battle when the shortcut was right before their eyes.

For a while, despairing screams, curses, and cries of help tore through the entire Red Zone. Blood spilled across the forest floor, and the weaker ones collapsed one after another, their final expressions still twisted in disbelief and resentment. The chilly wind carried over a thick stench of blood, and the whole scene was akin to Hell on Earth. It was a literal nightmare. Rather than humans with dignity, they were akin to Gu insects thrown in an enclosed space, and the only way to survive was to devour each other until the strongest one emerged, crawling out of the sea of corpses.

Amidst the bloodbath, the SJG Team had moved to the edge of the Red Zone as per Shen Nianzu’s instruction. This way, they would know in an instant when the barrier was lifted.

Thanks to Shen Nianzu’s illusion spell and the drowsy Jin Jiuchi who did not run out to seek trouble, they managed to hide themselves well and avoid direct battles. Nevertheless, the sounds of massacre, the pungent stench of blood, and the cries of help were still a bitter pill to swallow.

Gu Luoxin had gone from covering his ears tightly to crouching down with a dazed look, arms wrapped tightly around himself in a gesture of comfort. His eyes were rimmed red as he muttered, "Will this ever end...?"

His words could mean the current elimination game, but it could also refer to the whole Nightmare Cycle. Until when did they have to brace through one survival instance after another? Until when did they have to live in fear and apprehension, not knowing whether the next day would be their last? Until when would the Nightmare continue its endless torture on them?

It had been years; why hadn’t it let go of them already...?

Shen Nianzu’s jaws clenched tight, his chest feeling stuffy and uncomfortable. He could read the hidden meaning behind Gu Luoxin’s question, but he pretended not to notice and simply answered with, "Soon." He forced his tone to remain light and casual, for he was the leader of SJG. He had to be the mental support for his teammate. Gu Luoxin could feel lost and upset, but he couldn’t. At least not on the surface. "The Nightmare couldn’t possibly lock us in this area for too long anyway."

No sooner had these words left his mouth than a deafening bang erupted in the sky, followed by a burst of fireworks that lit up the night sky like a flash of daylight. The sound was akin to a sudden thunderclap, forcing the players to stop whatever they were doing.

Even Jin Jiuchi was startled awake and nearly jumped to his feet, "Wha— what’s going on??" His face still bore traces of drowsiness. It was apparent that he was not fully awake yet.

"Ohoho~" the familiar nasty laughter of the fake Santa Claus echoed gleefully throughout the crimson forest. Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but shudder, feeling like he had developed a new psychological trauma just by hearing this kind of laughter. "Congratulations to ten good children for emerging victorious!"

"T–Ten?!" Gu Luoxin’s eyes flew wide in sheer disbelief, his voice trembling with horror. Shen Nianzu’s expression sank, his gaze dropping heavily to the ground. From the initial twenty three to ten— it meant that thirteen players had perished in a single elimination game!

The fake Santa Claus’ voice rang out once more, cheerful and wholly unbothered by the death count. "I declare the elimination game ends here! Thank you all for participating in the fun! But alas, at the behest of the furious inhabitants of this area, you will be promptly ejected in three... two..."

"Wha—" Shen Nianzu had a bad feeling about this, but the other party simply did not give them a chance to react.

In the next moment, the trio found their bodies suspended above the ground as though an invisible hand had picked them up by the scruff of their necks, and after some flustered flailing, they were literally, unceremoniously kicked out of the Red Zone!

"AH— omph!" Gu Luoxin’s scream was cut off short as he hit the ground face-first and ended up with a mouthful of soil. Not far from him was Shen Nianzu who skillfully used the momentum to roll over a few times before coming to a stop, looking as cool and suave as the protagonist spy in an action movie. Jin Jiuchi, on the other hand, landed with a loud thump on his stomach and did not move anymore.

"Pah pah...!" Gu Luoxin spat out the soil and grass in his mouth as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

Earlier, everything had happened so fast that he hadn’t had the chance to process it, and it wasn’t until now that he realized they were not far from their previous location – all thanks to Shen Nianzu’s incredible foresight. No wonder their descent felt so short.

The same, however, could not be said for the others.

One by one, players rained down from the sky like dumplings thrown into a boiling pot. Some were flung far in the distance, while others found themselves stuck on the trees. Aside from the three of them, the other seven were Ying, the ninja-look-alike player, Shang, three other players he did not recognize but were drenched in blood all over, and finally...

"S–Senior!" Gu Luoxin blurted out in relief when he caught sight of the other person, who had landed gracefully on his feet just like a feline. Compared to the man, his own fall seemed a whole lot embarrassing and silly. However, Gu Luoxin did not even have the luxury to dwell on it because his attention was soon diverted to the blood trailing down Noir’s arm and dripping from his fingertips.

He let out a sharp gasp, exclaiming in horror, "You’re injured!"