When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 630: Whose Prop?

Chapter 630: Whose Prop?

The atmosphere stilled as soon as Shen Nianzu finished speaking.

The blunt remarks that cleverly mixed threat and persuasion delivered an even stronger impact when combined with this sheer display of manpower. Not to mention the tall and menacing Jin Jiuchi standing behind him like a guard dog. These people were not fools; they could tell the soldiers were particularly respectful toward the man, even though they had no idea who he was.

Alas, fear notwithstanding, it would be far too humiliating to fold just like this without putting up a fight.

The same human, who had spoken earlier, attempted to put on a brave front as he stuttered out, "W-What the hell are you talking about? You just barged in out of nowhere and then expect us to understand your nonsense??"

This time, it wasn’t Shen Nianzu who responded.

"You still don’t understand after all my Nian’er has said?"

Jin Jiuchi stepped out from behind him with his right mechanical palm open, facing the human. A trace of mocking cruelty crossed his expression as he spat out, "Then die, idiot."

With a sharp whistle, a thin beam of light blasted out of Jin Jiuchi’s palm, hurtling straight toward the man. There was no cry of help or scream for mercy—the human didn’t even have the chance to make another peep before his entire body was pulverized to dust. What remained on the spot he had once been sitting on was merely a charred spot with a little soot fluttering in the air.

The soldiers took a few steps away to avoid the soot with nary a change in their expressions, as though they had gotten accustomed to seeing such deranged violence from their master.

The remaining four captives, however, turned as pale as a sheet, their bodies shaking like quails.

A healthy person with complete limbs had been obliterated to dust in a blink of an eye... goddamnit, what kind of psycho had they offended?!

"I-I’ll tell you!"

"Yes, yes, yes, so please...!"

"Mmph-mmh!" The siren, whose mouth was sealed, nodded frantically like chicken pecking rice.

It didn’t take long for all of them to cave in. They even fought to be the first to spill the beans, as though the slightest delay would lead them toward the same miserable ending in Jin Jiuchi’s hands.

"Spare me, please spare me, I was forced!"

"Y-Yes! We didn’t want to do this originally, but he said he could guarantee we would survive until the end!"

"Mmnnnhhh!!"

Shen Nianzu followed their line of sight, settling on one of the humans.

Compared to others, he appeared the most harmless, perhaps because of thin and short stature and his race. He glared vehemently at the ’comrades’ who had betrayed him at the drop of a hat, his cheeks twitching in anger.

Granted, he had only promised their safety and now that they encountered Jin Jiuchi, this killing maniac, how could he expect them to stay loyal?

Shen Nianzu smiled in satisfaction while patting Jin Jiuchi on the back for a job well done. "Alright, you guys, wait outside and take these two away with you. Watch over them carefully. If they escaped, it would be on you." He instructed the soldiers with flair, who only began to move after Jin Jiuchi sharply narrowed his eyes at them.

The siren and garuda widened their eyes in sheer disbelief as they were helplessly dragged out of the room. "Wait, wait—you said... you said you’re going to let us go!!!"

"Mmmh-mnph!!"

"How gullible. Are they really high ranking players?" Shen Nianzu muttered before turning to the thin man, sneering, "I suppose not. That’s the only way you could convince them to put their lives on the line for you, right?"

According to popular beliefs, only three kinds of players would enter high-level Cycles: the strong, the desperate, and the foolish. These three players, Shen Nianzu reckoned, must either be desperate or foolish, hence they’re so easily roped in just by mere promise of protection which amounted to nothing inside the Cycle. That made them the most convenient helper. Real powerful players tended to keep to themselves and trusted no one, let alone doing such a moronic thing that could potentially endanger their own lives.

"Speak," Shen Nianzu ordered coldly. "Who ordered you to do this?"

This thin man did not seem like the sharpest tool in the shed. He looked nothing like the kind of person who could concoct such a devious plan, which led Shen Nianzu to believe there must be another mastermind hidden behind the scene.

But instead of replying, the man’s glare turned even more venomous, as though he wanted to swallow Shen Nianzu whole. "I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying...?" he rasped with a sardonic smile.

"Another fool?" Jin Jiuchi bared his teeth at him while swinging his mechanical arm around. "Do you want to die too?"

"Die..." Strangely, the man showed not even a hint of fear despite the threat of death looming over his neck. Instead, he tossed his head back and burst out into guffaws, laughing so hard that his entire body trembled. "—HAHAHA! Kill me, then! Do you think I would beg under your feet like those pathetic fools?" he spat out each word in unconcealed contempt and arrogance as though those players were way beneath him, without even realizing how precarious his own state was.

Shen Nianzu had seen a lot of such players in the Nightmare Cycle—those who had a taste of power and got drunk on it, those who preyed on the weak only to cower before the strong.

And ironically, this kind of players made up the majority, because in the end, the people they had oppressed would end up doing the same thing as them too.

It was an endlessly evil cycle that was almost impossible to break out from.

Shen Nianzu’s smile grew sweeter, in stark contrast to the thickening frost in his eyes. "It’s okay if you don’t want to speak. But let me guess..." he slowly crouched down, his exquisite purple eyes and bewitching voice made him appear like a mysterious seer who could see through even the hardest shell around a human’s heart. "It’s not like you’re fearless in the face of death, but you must have a foolproof means to escape, right? And the only thing I can think of... is it the free pass? One that allows you to exit this Cycle whenever you want? Hmm, it’s not something anyone can get their hands on. So let me guess again—did someone give it to you in exchange for creating such a ruckus? What’s their purpose? Did they want to ensure everyone who entered this Cycle met their end here?"

With each word Shen Nianzu uttered, the man’s expression shifted drastically, his cheeks twitching more and more. He almost could not maintain his pompous smile. Beads of sweat trickled down his temple. "Y-You..." he tried to speak, yet Shen Nianzu directly cut him off,

"Is it Shang?" Shen Nianzu smiled coldly when the man’s gaze snapped up to him in shock. "It’s him, right?"

"Damn, so you’re his person?!" Jin Jiuchi seized him by the collar and lifted him up until the man’s legs were dangling in the air, his expression twisted into a scowl. He didn’t doubt even for a second that Shen Nianzu had gotten the wrong person—what his jade doll said must be the truth!

"Did he send you here to screw us? How dare he!" He threw a straight punch at the man, sending him tumbling across the floor.

"Don’t beat him to death, Da Shen. I still have something to ask," Shen Nianzu chimed in as Jin Jiuchi went up to grab the man once more.

"Oh..." a wicked smile spread across Jin Jiuchi’s lips as he drawled out, "Don’t beat him to death? Sure, that means I only have to make sure he’s not dead, right?"

"Wait, wait—"

"And don’t let him use the free pass to escape."

"Okie-dokie!" Contrary to Jin Jiuchi’s bright and cheerful tone, the punch he brought down seemed to weigh a ton, causing blood to spurt out from the man’s nose and mouth.

A pig-like shriek tore out of the man’s throat, along with pieces of broken tooth, yet it only served to fuel Jin Jiuchi’s manic excitement. Any attempts of resistance or struggle were simply futile in the face of Jin Jiuchi’s overwhelming strength.

Under Jin Jiuchi’s relentless assault, the man’s screams grew fainter and fainter, and only then did Shen Nianzu step forward and place his delicate hand on Jin Jiuchi’s bloody palm to stop him.

The effect was spontaneous, for Jin Jiuchi immediately froze with his fist in midair as though the jade doll’s gentle touch served as the pause button for him.

Even then, the thin man’s features had become almost unrecognizable. His face was as swollen as a pig, marred with blue and purple bruises, covered in blood all over. His nose was broken, and some of his teeth had been knocked out. He was spamming and wheezing, struggling to breathe in air through his bleeding mouth.

But Shen Nianzu offered him no time to recover from the pain as he directly demanded, "Where’s the prop that allows you to go through the wall? Hand it over."

Each player only had the chance to bring in two props with them into the Cycle. Shen Nianzu didn’t bother with the others as it was impossible for them to sacrifice one precious slot just for this kind of silly and useless prop. But it was different for this man. Aside from the free pass, the other prop he brought in must be beneficial for his mission.

Of course, Shen Nianzu wouldn’t bother with it if the prop’s usage was simply limited to passing through walls—but this one could also mask the user’s presence, which had allowed him to escape from Jin Jiuchi’s radar!

It was practically a prop made to escape from the enemy!

Although it wasn’t as good as a life-saving prop, it could sometimes carve a miraculous way out in desperate situations. Shen Nianzu wanted to give it to his weaker teammate, Gu Luoxin, as an extra insurance.

But the man’s reaction was unexpected, for he appeared genuinely bewildered. "W-What are you talking about?!" he shrieked breathlessly, his words coming out as a lisp. "I... I don’t have such a prop!"

He’s not lying, Shen Nianzu frowned. "Whose is it, then?"

***

Meanwhile, in the garuda territory.

"That young siren prince... were you the one behind his death and the subsequent war that’s happening right now?" Master Grinu questioned somberly. "Don’t bother lying your way out of this. There are eyewitnesses claiming that the culprit has the ability to go through the walls. Nasser doesn’t believe such a ghostly ability exists, but... I’ve seen it."

"It’s your shadow, isn’t it?"

.

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A/N: okay here’s the questions: is the man Shen Nianzu caught truly the one whom Shang has given order to last time? Also the doctor, is he an NPC, a player or...?

Hehehe, like I said, there are a lot of plot twists in this Cycle so prepare yourself ;D