When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 522: Not Now, But Someday

Chapter 522: Not Now, But Someday

Gu Luoxin’s sharp intake of breath echoed deafeningly amidst the tense silence.

The scene froze for a timeless moment, and even the howling wind, the cawing cuckoos, and swaying trees ceased their movements as though the entire forest was holding its breath along— until Jin Jiuchi chortled, shattering the increasingly strained atmosphere.

"Disobedient? Is it talking about me – us?" he sneered, his gaze brimming with defiance and contempt. "Who gives it the right to control me?"

Jin Jiuchi quite liked the Cycles he had entered so far and found them utterly fascinating and eye-opening, but the Nightmare? Not so much. For starters, it had always come and left whenever it pleased, spoiling Jin Jiuchi’s fun on every occasion as though its sole purpose was to go against him. Since the very first time he sensed that cryptic gaze landing on him in the Shishen Apartment, he already had an inkling that there was no way he and the Nightmare could be buddy-buddy with each other. And the subsequent events that happened only served to consolidate this vague hunch.

It was a kind of dislike or aversion that was almost instinctual, coming from the very depths of his soul. Which was why upon hearing this message, Jin Jiuchi’s entire person was akin to a bristling beast whose fur was ruffled the wrong way, grouchy and peevish.

On the other hand, Shen Nianzu’s concern touched a deeper level, "What does it mean by that?"

When Shen Nianzu heard the question ’how much longer’, the first thing that popped into his mind was that there’s a time limit.

But a time limit for what...?

If the same question had come from a normal person, it could have two implications— a subtle reminder or a veiled threat. Whichever one it was, it certainly did not bode well for them. Alas, could they really apply normal people’s logic to the Nightmare?

Exactly what did it want to achieve by asking the oracle to deliver this message?

"Who knows?" XXX gave a casual shrug as he leaned back into the tree trunk. "Spare me. It’s scary enough to receive the Nightmare’s will all of a sudden, alright? And if you ask me— no, I can’t communicate with it. I have no idea how those rumors spread, honestly, but this one here is just a humble messenger. Do you even know how tormenting it is to be stuck as a middleman? Ugh!" He held a palm over his forehead and shook his head lamentably, "It’s such a risky and thankless job that no one else can undertake but me!"

At the end of his spiel, he once again burst into a hearty peal of guffaw, presumably realizing how exaggerating and ridiculous he sounded, inviting speechless gazes all around.

Shen Nianzu pursed his lips, his mood turning surly. All the questions he wanted to ask had been answered by the oracle beforehand, leaving him stuck at a dead end. If even the second-ranked player could not provide him with a clear explanation, who else should he turn to? Jin Jiuchi? Ha! Hell would first freeze over before he could wring out a semblance of logic from the husky’s skewed brain!

It was clearly such a simple question, yet here he was going insane trying to decipher it!

As he was stressing over this, a familiar embrace engulfed him as Jin Jiuchi carried him over to his lap. "Don’t be afraid, Nian’er!" he nuzzled his cheek against the jade doll in a reassuring gesture. "I will fight it if it comes and kicks its ass back to where it belongs! I won’t allow it to touch even a strand of your hair. Here, pinky promise!" He held up his pinky finger while stretching his eyes wide as though fearing the jade doll couldn’t see the sincerity shining from them. At this point, Shen Nianzu did not even need to look to know that an imaginary bushy tail must be wagging behind him right now.

The corner of Shen Nianzu’s lips twitched.

Upon realizing that Jin Jiuchi had misunderstood, thinking that the source of his anxiety stemmed from his fear of the Nightmare, he had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Seriously, why was this guy so... dumb and silly? When he gazed into those otherworldly and crystal clear eyes, however, Shen Nianzu found that he couldn’t muster an iota of will to get angry. All that remained was only deep resignation, helplessness, and a smidgen of amusement.

That’s right, what exactly was he worried about? They were going to confront the Nightmare sooner or later anyway, so what’s the use of fretting over it now? They should just cross the bridge when they come to it!

The most important thing they had to focus on right now was level themselves up so that they wouldn’t be left utterly defenseless and vulnerable when the time comes!

"Who says I’m afraid?" Shen Nianzu retorted with a snort. In spite of that, he still extended his own pinky and hooked it with Jin Jiuchi’s, causing the latter to grin from ear to ear.

Faced with such a silly expression from his lover, Shen Nianzu couldn’t resist a smile on the corner of his lips as well.

A loud clapping shattered their moment akin to a sudden thunderclap.

"Wow, what a touching relationship! Sigh, it really makes one feel envious!" The oracle lamented with a shake of his head.

Hearing this coming from a man who had just enjoyed a good fuck in the middle of the dark forest did not sound very credible, if they could be honest. Thus all XXX received were blank looks from the four others – not that he minded! He swiftly composed himself, and the shit-eating grin on his face emerged once more. "Are you sure you can win against the Nightmare?" he questioned with an arched brow, faint amusement lacing his words. His current stance was akin to an elder listening to a bunch of bear children talking about their distant dreams, nodding and agreeing once in a while but never taking them seriously.

Shen Nianzu’s countenance turned icy at the obvious taunt. "Maybe not right now," he stated with conviction, "but someday, we definitely will."

His outer appearance was that of a child, no older than eight or nine, with an exquisitely delicate and almost ethereal beauty. Even his voice sounded so milky and sweet akin to cotton candy. Yet for some inexplicable reason, the domineering aura he exuded managed to make it seem like he could achieve whatever he said— no matter how improbable it sounded. The two other members of SJG were instantly pumped up, their fists clenching and eyes shining with zeal. Nary a trace of fear and apprehension could be detected from their faces, particularly Gu Luoxin, despite the fact that the mere mention of the Nightmare used to strike him with such terror and despair.

Maybe it was Shen Nianzu’s undeniable charisma, or perhaps it was simply because he had absolute faith in his leader.

From the bottom of his heart, he believed that Shen Nianzu would definitely lead them to victory! Kicking the Nightmare’s ass sounded hella cool!

Among the five players, only Noir sat still with a deep, inscrutable look in his emerald eyes, seemingly lost in thought. It was unknown what was running in his mind.

As they conversed, yet another Red Zone emerged in the distance. From this vantage point, it looked as though a bucket of red paint had been splashed violently across a green canvas, staining the landscape with an ominous glow. The looming trees made the players appear so small and vulnerable in comparison, just like a swarm of mice scurrying helplessly and despairingly in a locked cage.

Faint screams pierced the air, mingling with the distant rumble of explosions. Plumes of black smoke rose toward the sky, twisting and curling like evil spirits stretching their claws hungrily.

In tonight’s Cycle, who knew how many low-ranked players would perish here, their struggles written off as mere accidents or suicides in the real world?

Witnessing this scene of destruction, Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but furrow his delicate brows, while the Divine Oracle was once again roaring with laughter.

"What a festive Cycle, don’t you think so?" the oracle jested in a playful tone, inviting yet another round of speechless gazes from others. Only Jin Jiuchi turned his head away with a harrumph, unwilling to engage in any kind of interaction with him.

Shen Nianzu calculated the time and reckoned that it was close to midnight, thus he forcibly tore his gaze away from the Red Zone and turned to the oracle, stating, "If you’re aware that I’ve been searching for you, then you should also know my purpose." His countenance was austere as he delved straight to the point, "I want to know more about the prophecy."

"Prophecy...?" Gu Luoxin repeated with a puzzled look. This was the first time he had heard of this – the same went with Noir whose eyes immediately shifted to the oracle, silently demonstrating his intention to hear more.

"The prophecy, huh..." XXX flashed a knowing smirk as he reiterated in a low voice, "He who appears after two years of stagnation will align the twin stars and affect the entire constellation. Are you talking about this?"