When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)

Jin Jiuchi's eyes flew wide in surprise as his gaze met Nian's in midair. "Nian'er—" what was that creature doing here?! Alas, the rest of Jin Jiuchi's question was stuck in his throat when Nian clamped his mouth shut with a wet hand and gave him a signal to stay silent.

Jin Jiuchi nodded again and again before Nian let him go. The two of them moved to the window and brushed the curtain aside to peek outside. Indeed, it was Zhi who was standing outside their door.

Jin Jiuchi mouthed fiercely, 'What does he want?!'

Nian shrugged for he was none the wiser. His gaze fell onto the clock and saw that only fifteen minutes were left before the curfew. After deliberating over his choices, he finally replied, "What do you want? It's almost ten pm. If there's something you want to talk about, then let's talk tomorrow." He treated the man outside like a player, careful not to let the nightmare creature realize that his cover had been exposed by Jin Jiuchi early on.

Zhi fell silent when he heard that. However, he did not move from the door.

Heavy tension brewed in the air with each passing second. Nian kept his gaze on the nightmare creature as he silently summoned his needles, ready to throw them forward shall the man make a move to break down the door.

But it seemed like his fear was unfounded because in the next moment, Zhi turned away and left.

Jin Jiuchi let go of the breath he was holding and slumped against the window. "Oh God... that surprised me! I thought that we're going to fight so soon!" He showed off his fist and sharp teeth to the jade doll. "Look at me, I'm already prepared!"

"Even if the Nightmare is present, it's still impossible for him to come in," Nian said calmly as if the person who was gripping silver needles a few seconds ago was not him. "First, this is only the third night, we are practically still halfway through the Cycle so it is not possible for the creature to get powerful that soon. It's the fourth night and beyond that we have to worry about. Second, this room is already occupied by another nightmare creature."

"You mean to say," Jin Jiuchi blinked slowly. "Miss Zhao is protecting us?"

Nian cast him a speechless look. He was talking about boundaries and rules, so how did Jin Jiuchi come up with such an absurd theory? A nightmare creature protecting players? He'd better wait for a blizzard in the peak of summer than wishing for that to happen!

He palmed his forehead in exasperation and said, "Forget it." Better not to discuss things with someone with a few loose screws on his head. Turning around, he took off his shoes and climbed on the bed. "Last night, the nightmare creature did not show up, so there is a fifty percent possibility that she will tonight. Let's take a short rest first in case we have to deal with her later."

Jin Jiuchi scratched his head in confusion. What was it? Did he say something wrong? Was it not because Miss Zhao was here that the creature outside could not come in? Still keeping the doubt in his mind, Jin Jiuchi walked to the basin, washed his hands and face carelessly before he locked the door, switched off the light and climbed on the bed.

But Nian was wrong this time.

Miss Zhao still did not appear that night and the two of them slept soundly until morning.

***

They started the fourth day with finishing the biscuits and potato chips from yesterday.

"We have to look for food again," Tang Ye said, desperately trying not to look at Zhi's direction lest his expression would give something away. He squeezed out a smile toward Jin Jiuchi and Nian. "Can we rely on Brother Yang, Little Brother and... B–Brother Zhi again for this? Anyway, there is only little left of the decorating, so Xinxin and I will be able to finish it on our own today. Right, Xinxin?"

Xinxin nodded glumly and rubbed his stomach that was not even half full.

"Leave it to us," Jin Jiuchi told them with a strained smile. The five pieces of biscuits he had eaten earlier was not even enough to fill the gap between his teeth. He was more than eager to explore the building and chomp down the first food he could find.

Tang Ye and Xinxin made their way to the sixth floor to continue their work, leaving Nian, Jin Jiuchi and Zhi again just like yesterday. The only difference was one of them was no longer human. Nian took a deep breath to brace himself and turned to Zhi with an apologetic smile, "Sorry about last night. What do you want to talk about?"

Zhi stared at him expressionless for two seconds, almost making him sweat, before he replied in a gruff voice, "Our deal."

Shock coursed through his entire body, albeit he showed none of it on his face. The deal? Yes, he had made a deal yesterday with Zhi, but how could this nightmare creature know it?! Don't tell him, aside from the camouflaging ability, could he have read all of Zhi's memory when he killed him...?

"What about our deal?" he asked.

Zhi shot Jin Jiuchi a subtle look, but Nian told him impatiently, "It's okay to let him hear. We're a team."

If Jin Jiuchi was not feeling so hungry that he could gnaw on wood, he would have jumped in joy and ran around in circles hearing Nian's sentence. Alas, as of now, he gave no other reaction aside from an amused arc of his lips. Nian cast him a hesitant glance, presumably noticing that Jin Jiuchi's reaction seemed off and muted this morning, but then his attention was quickly drawn away when Zhi said,

"You said that you have deduced the death conditions. You missed one. Yesterday, I was attacked in the kitchen."

This time, Nian was truly caught off guard and it showed on his face. The nightmare creature readily exposed some information to them? Was it to make them lower their guard down?

"You were attacked in the kitchen?"

"Mn," the nightmare creature nodded. "By a dozen rats. They're vicious and bloodthirsty. Be careful." After saying that, he turned away and intended to leave, but Nian hurriedly stopped him.

"Wait!" He exclaimed. "What about the journal?! You promised to let me have a look at it!"

Zhi did not turn around. "It's gone," he said, causing Nian's face to darken. "When those rats attacked me, I was too busy defending myself and the journal was lost in the process. I couldn't find it anywhere after that."

'Liar', Nian almost spat at him. He would have believed it if he had not checked the kitchen last night. There were no traces of fight ever taking place there! Moreover, Zhi's skill card had something to do with flame so if he used it, the burn marks must still linger on the walls and wooden cabinets, but he spotted nothing but a layer of thick dust!

"Then can you just tell me the content?" Nian challenged.