The three of them imdiately sprung to their feet and scanned the area around them. Because what if... what if the bus officer was the size of a palm this ti? Or perhaps invisible? However, they waited and waited, and no familiar greeting of ’Welco, everyone. Thank you for boarding the bus in ti’ as they had already gotten familiar with now.
Instead, silence settled in, accentuating the stillness in the atmosphere. Only the soft ticking of a clock pervaded the air.
Tick-tick-tick.
It was an ordinary sound, sothing they could hear in everyday’s life. Yet for so reason, the more one focused on it, the more an inexplicable chill seed to creep down their spine.
"No bus officer..." Gu Luoxin mumbled under his breath, beads of sweat sticking to his hairline as he clutched the seat in front of him tighter. "This... has this ever happened before to you, Xiao Shen?" He instinctively sought Shen Nianzu for answers, and Jin Jiuchi also turned to him, curiosity etched on his face.
Shen Nianzu, however, shook his head in response. "I have never encountered anything like this before..."
Right as his words settled in the air, the bus speaker – which had previously proved to be of little to no use – suddenly crackled into life. A cheerful female voice filled the bus, but it was accompanied by a loud buzzing sound akin to a broken radio struggling to find a clear signal. Against the backdrop of the tense silence, the voice felt extrely jarring and out of place. "We will be heading... bzzz bzzz... to Chrono Junction Express now!"
"Is that our bus officer? Is she inside the speaker?!" Jin Jiuchi exclaid in shock as he looked around in search of the speaker before fixing his gaze on the front of the bus.
No one was in the mood to joke around with him right now. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Shen Nianzu shook his head and motioned for him to quiet down, and the trio focused their attention on the speaker.
"Local ti... bzzz bzzz... 8.03 pm! The train will be... bzzz... leaving in twelve... minutes... so make sure to board it... in ti!"
Following those words, the speaker’s ssage ended abruptly and the bus plunged into a dark tunnel. Amidst the pitch black darkness, the sound of the ticking clock seed to have gotten louder as if it was echoing right beside their ears.
Tick-tick-tick.
"What?!" Gu Luoxin’s trembling voice sounded. "T–Twelve minutes?! Is this a ti-limited Cycle?!"
The darkness gradually receded and the scenery before them changed. No longer were they in the middle of the dense forestation. Rows of trees lined up neatly along the cobblestone path, their leaves vibrant and lush green. Soft illumination from street lamps bathed the scene, and wooden benches were strategically placed along the path. A small fountain was built nearby, the faint soothing sound of trickling water drifting into Jin Jiuchi’s ears.
This... was a park?
Without taking his gaze off the scenery outside, Jin Jiuchi inquired, "What do you an by ti-limited?"
Gu Luoxin almost tore his hair out of stress. "Rember my first Cycle I told you about, the one in the tropical rainforest? We had to cross to the other side and get the flag before sunset. If we failed, we wouldn’t get the tickets! It ans there’s a limited ti to accomplish our task. But now it’s clearly worse because my Cycle last ti was a low-level one, while this one is a mid-level!"
The bus glided to a halt and the door slid open with a gentle hiss. Shen Nianzu wasted no ti and made his way to the exit while explaining, "You’re right, this is likely a ti-limited Cycle. It’s 8.05 pm now, so we have ten more minutes until we need to catch the train. I reckon that we will have to find Chrono Junction Express, which should be a train station. We have to proceed quickly, but keep in mind, we must always stay vigilant and never let down our guard. There must be a hidden danger sowhere."
One by one, the trio disembarked from the bus with Jin Jiuchi taking the rear. As soon as his feet touched the ground, a brief vertigo swept over him and he almost fell face-first had he not been holding onto the bus.
Oh.
He could sense it with every fiber of his being, with his incomplete soul that was missing its other half, with the ache and hollowness in his core which was akin to a bottomless pit of void—
A piece of him... a piece of him was here. Sowhere on this Cycle.
Jin Jiuchi’s lips quivered in excitent and he subconsciously turned to Shen Nianzu, ready to spill the beans. However, he saw that both of his teammates were laser-focused on scanning the seemingly peaceful park, their expressions full of caution and vigilance. Though the scene before them was one of tranquility, an undercurrent of tension kept them on edge as though a monster could pop out of nowhere to catch them off guard.
Shen Nianzu summoned his silver needles, Gu Luoxin wrapped his fist with the bandages prop and gripped a dagger with the other, while Jin Jiuchi... sigh, forget it.
Jin Jiuchi finally decided it was best not to distract them right now. He figured he would reveal the news to Shen Nianzu when he was closer to his counterpart. After all, they only had so little ti before they had to catch the train. It would be a sha to fail just because he diverted their attention with his own discovery.
Plus, wouldn’t it be better if he could surprise Shen Nianzu if he suddenly acquired a part of himself without any warning?!
Thinking of Shen Nianzu’s pleasantly surprised look or even an expression full of awe and admiration, Jin Jiuchi ntally thumped his own back for his brilliant decision. Let’s make it a big surprise for Nian’er when the ti cos!
Alas, he couldn’t resist the urge to sniff around, trying to pinpoint the location of that missing part of himself...
Noticing his deanor, Shen Nianzu asked with eyes full of vigilance, "Did you sll sothing, Da Shen?"
Jin Jiuchi crinkled his nose in distaste, unable to hide his discomfort. "Oh, I sll a lot of things, Nian’er. But they are all jumbled up and making dizzy. One thing for sure..." he pointed in the direction of the cobblestone path ahead. "I sense sothing coming our way."
The statent put both Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin on high alert. "Sothing coming our way? What is that?"
"No, not sothing. It should be soone?" Jin Jiuchi rubbed his chin and mused. "But they sll funny, like a... corpse. But not quite a corpse, you know?"
Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin could not, in fact, comprehend what exactly a scent that’s ’not quite a corpse’ was like. However, the re description was enough to set off their alarms, heightening their caution and apprehension.
"I–Is that a nightmare creature?" Gu Luoxin stamred out in nervousness.
Shen Nianzu promptly transford his needle into a long transparent blade and held it in a tight grip. "No matter what it is, we have to move forward. The train station must be nearby, so the first thing we need to do is to leave this place. It’s even better if we can find a map and a vehicle."
The three ventured along with the cobblestone path, taking close note of their surroundings. Shen Nianzu continued to analyze their situation,
"The scope of the Cycle is extensive this ti, and wandering aimlessly will only waste our precious ti. I recall that parks usually have a managent office or sothing similar. Let’s find it first and see if we can obtain a map or car key. Xinxin, keep track of the ti. Da Shen, notice when anything cos up, no matter how trivial or insignificant it is."
"Roger!"
Gu Luoxin reported, his lips a shade paler. "S–Seven minutes left."
Seven minutes, and they still had no idea where the train station was or what kind of danger lay ahead. Could they really make it in ti to catch the train? Gu Luoxin’s heart was bubbling with anxiety and he felt like he was going to throw up his dinner. Gritting his teeth, he could only draw ntal comfort in the presence of his two reliable teammates.
"Nian’er, that creature is approaching," Jin Jiuchi alerted them. "Around five hundred ters from us. Also look over there! Isn’t that the managent office?!"
Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin had to squint their eyes to look into the distance, and true to Jin Jiuchi’s words, a small building with windows stood ahead of them, emitting a soft glow of warm yellow light. Without hesitation, Shen Nianzu made a decision, "Let’s go!"
The three of them broke into a run, the sound of their footsteps echoing against the stone path. As they drew closer to the office, they spotted a car parked behind the building, appearing very inconspicuous against the surroundings.
Their eyes instantly lit up in excitent. It was a huge jackpot!
Perhaps the sight of the car offered a montary comfort, Gu Luoxin’s tension seed to ease as he burst into laughter, his voice lightening the heavy atmosphere. "When you told us about the scent that’s ’not quite a corpse’ earlier, do you know what’s the first thing that cos to my mind, Da Shen?"
"What is it?" Jin Jiuchi asked curiously as he watched Shen Nianzu brandish his blade to break down the door.
Gu Luoxin let out a mocking huff, as though thinking that his theory couldn’t be more unreasonable. "Zombies."
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