Shen Nianzu did not rush into the room right away. Instead, he paused at the door and looked around. He admitted that he had been too flustered and hasty last ti. Jin Jiuchi’s sudden disappearance had hit him like a fierce storm, tossing his composure aside and leaving his mind in turmoil.
In such a state, there was a high chance that he had missed so kind of hidden clues during his rushed search. He refused to believe that Jin Jiuchi could vanish just like that. There must be sothing he had overlooked.
The naplate beside the door was displayed with a bold number ’444’, while the patient na was left blank. However, Shen Nianzu’s keen eyes noticed sothing peculiar. He removed the naplate and ran his fingers across the smooth surface of the paper.
As expected, there was sothing here.
He raised the paper above his head and illuminated it below the lamp, straining his eyes to decipher the faintly written letters. "Mo... moko...?"
He was left stunned afterward. Momoko, wasn’t it their fake tour guide?
This room belonged to her?
Frowning, Shen Nianzu put the naplate back in place and turned his attention back to the room. Through the glass panel, he caught sight of an ordinary room precisely like the one he had seen last night. Nonetheless, Shen Nianzu remained vigilant and summoned his long transparent blade, gripping it tightly in his hand.
The door let out a faint squeak when he slid it open, allowing light to flood into the room.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Nianzu took his first step inside. And in that instant, an indescribable chill rose from the soles of his feet up to his fingertips, sending numbness across his scalp. This was the instinct of a player who had gone through countless dangerous and life-threatening battles in the Cycle.
Eyes – he could feel eyes on him.
It was an unwavering, chilling gaze that stuck to his body and lingered on his skin akin to a cold-blooded serpent. It was similar – or rather the sa – as the sensation he felt seconds before he passed out last night. Still, he maintained his calm and slowly swept his gaze over the surroundings; the beds remained untouched with no creases on the sheets, toys scattered about on the floor just like he rembered, and curtains swaying gently.
There was no one else in this room, yet the feeling of being watched and monitored only grew stronger and stronger.
Amidst the tense silence, the sound of a ticking clock he had overlooked before drifted into his ears.
Tick-tick-tick.
Shen Nianzu got his answer almost imdiately. In this Cycle, there was only one person who had been observing them from the start, at least, as far as he knew. With slow deliberation, he walked deeper into the room and pointed his blade at the round clock mounted on the wall.
"Momoko," he called out.
The small pendulum on the clock ca to an abrupt halt, and the sound of the ticking clock ceased to be heard.
In the next mont...
"Awww, you found !" Momoko’s cheerful voice resonated from the clock, followed by a burst of delighted chuckles. "The two of you are so sharp and observant. Your partner found too! He was even quicker than you, tsk." Her voice sounded sowhat displeased, yet there was no mistaking the trace of excitent within.
Shen Nianzu’s grip on the blade faltered at the ntion of Jin Jiuchi, though he did not show it on his face. He knew that Jin Jiuchi was still alive. But believing it in his heart and getting a confirmation were two different things altogether. He is fine, Shen Nianzu repeated to himself over and over to soothe the restlessness in his veins. All that matters is that he’s alive. I will find him soon.
For now, he had to focus on the problem before him.
Shen Nianzu’s gaze fixed on the still clock, and the questions which had been running amok in his mind began to receive their answers. Could it be possible for soone to vanish into thin air? Yes, it was possible. Because as soon as Momoko was discovered, the ti in this room had co to a standstill. Right now, room 444 in Honglei Hospital was isolated from the outside world.
That was the reason why Shen Nianzu couldn’t find Jin Jiuchi no matter how hard he searched, because the two of them existed in different dinsions. Even if they were in the sa room, they could no longer see or hear each other.
And sure enough, when Shen Nianzu glanced around, the details of the room had changed. One of the beds was covered in light pink sheets and had traces of being slept on, with a few animal plush toys beside the pillows. Shen Nianzu reckoned that it must be Momoko’s bed. The other bed, however, was still pristine and untouched.
Traces of fierce struggle were scattered throughout the room: a broken vase on the floor, fractured walls and ceiling, and shattered windows. No, rather than fighting, it looked more like a certain soone was unleashing his rage and frustration.
"Your partner is a little... violent, you see." Momoko’s words consolidated his doubt. "He turned my room into a complete ss! What a rude and insolent man!"
And finally, on one side of the wall, a chaotic scrawl caught Shen Nianzu’s eyes, written with crimson ink that seed like blood. He knew that handwriting intimately in his heart.
Nian’er, I am here.
Where are you? Fuck, I can’t sense you anymore!
Nian’er, Nian’er, Nian’er, Nian’er...
It’s okay, I will find you. I definitely will!
I’m waiting for you beyond the red door.
As Shen Nianzu read those frantic words, he could almost imagine it – Jin Jiuchi losing his shit after finding out that they had been separated, tearing the room apart while looking for him. He must have felt so lost, furious and desperate, no less than Shen Nianzu himself. And the realization brought a sting to Shen Nianzu’s eyes.
Damn it, how could he have forgotten that this was a labyrinth of ti and space?
Shen Nianzu cursed his own oversight. It seed like not only his mories were being tampered with, but his intelligence as well. Or else how could it take him this long to discover the truth? Alas, now was not the ti for him to beat himself up. He had so many things he wanted to ask, and with Momoko present in the room, was there a more suitable timing?
He was desperate to find and reunite with Jin Jiuchi, but first thing first...
"Who are you? Are you the master of this labyrinth? The one who will issue the task to us?" he inquired, his tone sharp and demanding.
"What are you talking about?" Momoko responded with confusion. If her form were materialized, perhaps she would be tilting her head with an innocent look. "I am Momoko, your tour guide."
"Shut it." Shen Nianzu snapped impatiently, his face darkening, "Everyone knows that you’re not a tour guide, and you still want to keep up your lies?"
Momoko: "..."
"H–How do you know?" This ti, she sounded genuinely shocked. Before Shen Nianzu could give a response, she added, gritting her teeth in anger, "It must be Toki, right? He must be the one who has ratted out!"
Shen Nianzu rcilessly dumped cold water over her head, "You’re thinking too much. We haven’t even seen the shadow of our tour guide. It’s stated clearly on the brochure that we should not trust you. Don’t tell ... you don’t even know that?" He showed a mocking sneer, his deanor was nothing but provoking.
"You... you...!"
Momoko, whose intelligence was insulted, was seething in anger. The clock on the wall trembled, and in the next second, a burst of dazzling light erupted from it. A little girl around the age of five, with chubby cheeks, fair skin, blue hair tied in twin pigtails dashed toward Shen Nianzu, her deep blue eyes blazing with fury. "You must be lying to ! Show the—ahhh!"
A surprised cry escaped her lips when her collar was seized, and her entire body was lifted in midair. Shen Nianzu had a benevolent smile on his face, though his eyes were brimming with murderous intent as he pressed his blade against Momoko’s little neck.
"Gotcha," he spoke in a soft and gentle tone. "Now lead to the red door my partner wrote about, or I will make you regret it."
Momoko shuddered and gulped nervously.
S–Scary... QAQ
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Mini theater:
SN: this one doesn’t seem too bright. En, she can be fooled.
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