When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 642: Is He Dead?!

Chapter 642: Is He Dead?!

The doctor was the first to step through the threshold while whistling a random tune, his figure soon melting into the darkness.

Gu Luoxin had no choice but to follow with his teeth clenched, one hand still braced against the wall for support, partly to help him navigate through the dark and partly because his knees were still a little weak due to the earlier fright.

It was fortunate that his enhanced physique soon allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim surroundings.

Much to his surprise, instead of entering the building as he had expected, Young Master Ares led them along the narrow cobblestone path on the side of the courtyard, one so well concealed that Gu Luoxin would have completely missed it if he hadn’t been paying close attention. Ares, on the other hand, moved with fluid ease and familiarity as though he had traversed this path countless times before and Gu Luoxin couldn’t shake off the odd sensation gnawing on him the longer he stared at that slender back.

The path before them was too dark and the silence too suffocating, so much that Gu Luoxin couldn’t resist blurting out, "Are you really still alive, Young Master Ares? But how...?" his expression was full of confusion. "I clearly saw you... and also the servants..."

"Ah," Ares tilted his head halfway and offered him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I must have scared you a lot, huh?"

Gu Luoxin waited for the explanation that did not come, unable to suppress the disappointment he was feeling inside. Young Master Ares’ silence clearly indicated that he had no intention to clear Gu Luoxin’s doubt for him, leaving him no choice but to guess the answer all by himself. But no matter how much he thought about it, he simply could not figure out the trick behind this miraculous phenomena.

Unless the young master had the ability to resurrect himself, of course. But that was clearly impossible... right?

As Gu Luoxin mulled over his thoughts, they soon reached their destination.

Entering his view was a small, modest building that would appear shabby otherwise if compared to the servant’s quarters. It was wholly plain and unadorned—almost like a storage room or a small warehouse at most.

Gu Luoxin watched as Ares stepped forward and reached for the door, and after pressing the series of buttons on the electronic panel, it unlocked with a soft click.

At the same time, a belated realization hit Gu Luoxin like a tidal wave.

An electronic lock, six digit password... damn it, wasn’t this the place Jiang Shun had told him about, where he had witnessed the doctor killing a servant in cold blood?! Why didn’t the man tell him the building was located right behind the Master of the Sky’s courtyard?! And more importantly, why did Young Master Ares bring him here?!

Did he... did he want to silence Gu Luoxin here, by any chance?!

"This is my father’s favorite place," Ares spoke up to explain, as if to dispel the anxiety and suspicion that had barely begun to form in Gu Luoxin’s heart. "He has never let anyone in—not his spouse, not his most trusted subordinate, not even his son. That man is severely paranoid, you see. He can’t trust anyone but himself."

Gu Luoxin’s throat tightened with unspoken queries. If that was the case... what about now? What about the doctor’s presence Jiang Shun had spied on last time? How did they manage to breach this place, which Master Grinu had so tightly guarded?

The strange sensation in Gu Luoxin’s chest grew stronger. Some suspicious points—which he had overlooked due to the shock of Ares’ sudden appearance—now became glaringly bold like a ton of bricks hitting Gu Luoxin on the head.

Where was Master Grinu? Okay, he might have been busy gathering the soldiers in preparation for plundering both the land and sea territory, but... was it possible for his personal courtyard to be left so unlit and unattended? Why didn’t even a single servant show up to light up the lanterns?

"Pathetic, isn’t it?" Ares continued with a smiling sigh. "And now he’s going to meet his end in this place he likes the most."

The chilling statement, spoken in such a gentle tone and expression, sent a numbing sensation through Gu Luoxin’s scalp. He couldn’t help but stare at Ares as if this was the first time he had seen the other person, his pale lips trembling involuntarily.

Who was this...?

Who exactly was this person before him? To utter such cruel words in a terrifyingly casual manner, could he really be the young master Gu Luoxin once knew?

Or... was it that he had never really known Ares at all, like the doctor had said?

Ares walked in through the door, and before long, warm golden light spilled out through the gap, as if welcoming the visitors to come in and relax.

And yet, Gu Luoxin didn’t feel the slightest bit of warmth. He had a notion that the small building before him was a Pandora’s box, and stepping in would mean opening the box with his own hands, releasing all the evils that had been trapped inside.

"What’s wrong? Getting cold feet now?" the doctor’s voice suddenly sounded so close, and Gu Luoxin flinched as he realized the man was standing beside him since God-knows-when, a faint mocking snicker curving on his lips as though amused by the pale rigidity he saw on Gu Luoxin’s face. "Look, isn’t this what you want to find out?"

That’s right, wasn’t this the truth he had been seeking all along?

Don’t be a coward now, Gu Luoxin! He slapped himself mentally. It’s not the time to chicken out. Even if you’re scared, do it for your teammates, Noir, and also... for Shang Hao.

Remembering his good buddy’s last moments turned out to be the most effective way. In a flash, Gu Luoxin was reminded all over again of the anger, the frustration, the sadness and the soul-crushing desperation that had driven him to enter this Cycle in the first place.

Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and briskly walked in through the door.

The inside of the building was indeed as narrow as it appeared on the outside. It was just a flat open space with four white walls, not even adorned with a single piece of furniture. The strangest thing was that the floor; the smooth surface was carved with strange totems that radiated a faint scarlet glow—and in the middle of it all was none other than Master Grinu, whom Gu Luoxin had just been wondering about!

Gu Luoxin tensed. Damn it, was this really a trap?!

He had been ready to bolt at the first sign of danger, but then he abruptly paused and did a double take when his eyes caught something amiss.

Master Grinu did not seem to have noticed their presence at all. Although he was sitting on a chair, his head remained bowed as if he was deeply asleep, his wings were slumped powerlessly, and oh God... now that Gu Luoxin looked closer, it wasn’t red-colored garment he was wearing, but blood that had seeped through his clothes! The blood cascaded down his body to flow along the twisting pattern of the totems on the floor, which was also the source of the eerie crimson glow!

Gu Luoxin staggered back a step, his expression aghast with horror, "H-He-He... is he... is he dead?!" he pointed a trembling finger at the deathly pale Master of the Sky.

For the entire floor to be covered in such crimson glow, didn’t that mean that the blood in his entire body had been drained to its last drop?!

And the most terrifying thing was, Ares’ expression remained unchanged as he stood beside the chair, even mildly affectionate as he reached out to stroke the feathers on his father’s wings.

"Not yet, but soon. I can’t have him miss the moment when the legacy he has worked his entire life on crumbles in a single night, can I?" he released a soft chuckle, tinged with a hint of trembling anticipation.