When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 545: What Have I Done?!

Chapter 545: What Have I Done?!

Had it not been for his current child form, Shen Nianzu swore he would have shaken Jin Jiuchi’s shoulders back and forth to see if he could shake the water off the man’s brain as well.

He wanted to holler right in front of Jin Jiuchi’s face: was it the most important thing right now?! Okay, fine, he admitted it was good to confirm they had indeed obtained the ticket in their grasp, yet at the same time, it also came with two troubling problems.

Firstly, which ticket was it— platinum, golden, or silver? They did not know! Not only did they not have the slightest idea, with Jin Jiuchi’s body glowing brighter than a lighthouse like this, wouldn’t it make him a living target?? Other players with tickets could still hide it somewhere safe while setting up ambushes in the dark, but they could only defend themselves to the best of their ability...

Just what had compelled this silly husky to swallow it?!

Shen Nianzu was so angry that he could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing, but alas, now was not the time to settle accounts with Jin Jiuchi. His pale purple eyes sharpened as he surveyed the surroundings. It wasn’t only Jin Jiuchi who had sensed the faint vibration on the ground, but Shen Nianzu as well. However, he couldn’t seem to pinpoint where it had come from.

It almost sounded like... a swarm of unknown creatures were stomping their way here from all directions.

The mental image caused Shen Nianzu’s scalp to turn numb, his countenance turning grim. How could this be possible? Wasn’t this area supposed to be the last Green Zone, the safest place of the whole Suicide Forest?!

"Be careful," he cautioned, his senses on high alert. "We may be under attack."

The other three needed not to be told twice. They swiftly moved to position, with the four of them standing back to back, covering the whole 360° angle with no dead spot. The tense atmosphere notwithstanding, Jin Jiuchi did not forget to show his concern to his little fragile lover, "Are you sure you can do this, Nian’er? Why don’t you just sit still and look pretty on my arms?" He patted his own muscular biceps, beckoning with a low, tempting voice, "Come up here, I will carry you!"

"Shut it," Shen Nianzu shot him down without even turning around, his expression icy. Right now, being by Jin Jiuchi’s side was the most dangerous place ever. If he still dared to settle in the man’s arms, he would turn into another living target!

Sensing a pitiful gaze directed at him, Shen Nianzu added mercilessly, "Look at your front and focus. You might not even be able to protect yourself later on."

That sentence sounded like a ridicule when it reached Jin Jiuchi’s ears. "Me?" He pointed at his own nose, scoffing incredulously. "Are you talking about me?? How am I—" his words were interrupted halfway by a shrill, harrowing scream from the player who had just reached the Green Zone.

"W–Why... why are they here as well?!"

Before the SJG trio and Noir could ask who ’they’ were, they got the answer the next second when a hint of scarlet peeked out amidst the green leaves. The normal, motionless trees were rudely ’shoved aside’ by the giant scarlet trees, their vines snaking across the grounds like a sea of solid tentacles. Against the backdrop of the pitch-black sky, they were akin to a violent surge of crimson lava, encroaching the boundary of the Green Zone like a legion of army who had received some kind of command. The sight was downright terrifying.

In a state of utter disbelief, Gu Luoxin’s jaws dropped open, and he unknowingly blurted out the same question voiced by the previous player, his expression horror-stricken, "Why are they here?!"

That was indeed a question worth ruminating.

Just why did the nightmare creatures rush all the way here when this was supposed to be the Green Zone? Wasn’t this the same as not giving the players a way to live?!

The unassuming players, who had just rejoiced upon entering the Green Zone, felt a sense of despair welling up in their hearts when they came face-to-face with these highly mobile, gigantic nightmare creatures. Some even closed their eyes, losing their willpower to resist and simply resigning to their miserable fate.

But they waited and waited, the dreaded upon death did not arrive as expected.

Snapping their eyes open, they were dumbfounded to discover that... the scarlet trees were ignoring their presence?!

Oh scratch that— they ignored all players and instead, focused their attacks on Jin Jiuchi alone, their vines whipping around like mad. Shen Nianzu, Gu Luoxin, and Noir, who had become the collateral damage and sustained some minor injuries in mere minutes, could no longer hold back the questions in their hearts:

"What have you done to them?!!"

"What have I done?!" Jin Jiuchi wanted to cry from how wronged he felt. Why were these trees so dead set on chopping him to pieces? He wanted to know that the most, okay?! It’s not like there was a deep enmity between them. He was truly the innocent party here!

Alas, the fact did not change that the nightmare creatures targeted Jin Jiuchi alone. Knock down one, and two more would swiftly replace its position. Tear two apart, and four more would spring up like mushrooms after a rainy day— the number was endless. They were like a group of women gathering in one spot to expose their cheating husband, wishing nothing but to drink his blood and crush his bones into dust.

Jin Jiuchi might be holding up well for now, but he couldn’t possibly maintain this kind of circus-like maneuver for a whole hour even with the aid of energy potions. Just a slight carelessness, and he would die for the second time! Not to mention, there were also shrewd players who wanted to take advantage of his current predicament to steal the glowing reward in his stomach!

After knocking out the second player aiming for Jin Jiuchi, Shen Nianzu flexed his wrist, his eyes grim and severe. "We can’t go on like this."

"What should we do, Xiao Shen?!" Gu Luoxin asked anxiously. "Is there something we can do to help Da Shen? Like, chasing these weird trees away?! Come to think of it, don’t we have that... that scary skull necklace?!" He abruptly recalled in a moment of desperation, blurting out, "We’ve found it inside the red supply box, which means it’s a weapon, right?! Do you think it will be effective against these creatures?!"

Shen Nianzu was caught off guard. Were it not for Gu Luoxin bringing it up now, he would have forgotten about the skull necklace they had kept in their prop storage all this time. Back then, they had no idea what the necklace should be used for, thus they had set it aside for the time being.

Being reminded all of a sudden, Shen Nianzu had a strong hunch that the necklace could help them break this impasse!

He summoned the necklace into his palm, the skull looking as exotic and menacing as ever. This time, unlike the stillness from earlier, a prompt appeared in Shen Nianzu’s mind, causing him to be stunned. Noticing the little boy’s expression turn odd, Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but become nervous as well.

"How is it?" he asked apprehensively while keeping half of his attention on the surroundings, helping to fend off the wild vines once in a while. "I–It can’t help us either?"

"No..." Shen Nianzu closed his palm around the skull pendant, feeling its frigid chill seep into his skin. After a brief hesitation, his eyes turned determined, a cold, calculative smile spreading across his face. "It can."

How exactly the necklace could rescue Jin Jiuchi from this treacherous peril, Shen Nianzu did not elaborate nor did he have any intentions to. Gu Luoxin was a kind and honest person, unlike him. If he learned of the details, Shen Nianzu was afraid this would become a thorn in the young man’s heart for days to come.

That’s why, it was enough for him to do it alone.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Nianzu activated the skull necklace.

Like they had hypothesized earlier, this necklace was indeed a curse item. It could provide the wearer with a boost of strength and temporary immunity to damage, but in exchange, someone else had to suffer the consequences in their place. It was similar to a voodoo or substitution doll. As for what the consequences entailed, it was simply locking the other person’s skill card and props for fifteen minutes. It couldn’t actually be considered long, but at this last hour where every inch of the forest had turned into a Red Zone, it might prove to be fatal.

But oh well, it shouldn’t pose a challenge to a powerful player like him, right?

Suppressing a savage smile, Shen Nianzu shouted out loud, "Da Shen, catch!" He tossed the necklace in midair, sending it soaring in the midst of wriggling vines straight into Jin Jiuchi’s waiting hand. "Quick, wear it around your neck!"

Jin Jiuchi couldn’t help but let out a wolf whistle when he caught a clearer look at the skull necklace, yet this split second of inattention nearly cost him his arm. "Woah!" Swerving sharply to the left, Jin Jiuchi barely dodged the vines’ attack as he put his head through the necklace, cursing angrily, "Why are you so violent? Peace bro, peace! If I’ve done something to offend you, can’t we sit down and talk?! But wait, you have neither legs nor a mouth— hahaha!"

Jin Jiuchi would never know that, had he been a second too late to wear the necklace, the words he blurted out carelessly would have provoked the trees further, fueling their already raging wrath and driving them to a more desperate battle.

Yet as soon as the skull necklace settled firmly around Jin Jiuchi’s neck, the frenzied siege abruptly ceased and the vines twisted around in confusion as though they had lost sight of their target.

Shocked, Jin Jiuchi exclaimed in awe, "Damn, Nian’er, you’re so freaking cool!"

On another part of the forest, the Red Zone.

Shang had been fending off the nightmare creatures with nothing but mere movements from his hand when all of a sudden, the Nightmare’s ominous prompt sounded in his head.

[You have been affected by a curse item.]

[Your skill card and props will be unavailable for the next fifteen minutes.]

Shang’s perpetual gentle smile froze on his face. What...?

He had not reacted yet when the scarlet trees around him, who had been beaten into complete submission, abruptly rose and launched a frantic attack on him as if they had lost their minds. A jolt of shock ran through Shang’s heart. He instinctively moved his hands to defend, yet nothing happened— he could no longer summon his skill card or any of his props.

Only then did the dreadful realization dawned on him.

"Fuc—" the curse barely slipped off his lips when a particularly thick and sharp vine slashed through the air angrily, bringing along a sharp gust of wind, and severed his head from his body.

Thud!

It all happened in a split second, faster than anyone could react. Shang’s lifeless body was sent crashing to the ground due to the momentum, a burst of crimson blood erupting from the stump, while his head flew meters away, still with vivid shock and astonishment reflected on his pale face.

The nightmare creatures froze for a second, seemingly in disbelief that their target had perished so easily. In the next second, they surged forward with twice the fervor and vengeance, intending to crush the warm corpse into mush.

.

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A/N: oops—