In a swift reaction, Shen Nianzu cast a little illusion spell to conceal their presence.
He placed his index finger on his lips, gesturing for his two teammates to remain silent all the while fixing a stern glare on Jin Jiuchi for extra warning. It was fortunate that Jin Jiuchi didn’t seem intent on making trouble this ti. He let out a huge yawn, tears squeezing out of his eyes, looking so lethargic like he was about to fall asleep at any mont. After a brief period of euphoria, now the concoction brought him a wave of drowsiness.
Gu Luoxin needed not to be told twice. He not only kept his mouth firmly shut but also held his breath at the sa ti.
He followed Shen Nianzu to peer into the direction of the voice and noticed a slightly plump figure desperately fleeing from a... gigantic skeleton?! Gu Luoxin’s eyes flew wide in shock. Holy shit, wasn’t that the Mad Hatter?!
Gu Luoxin recognized him from his tattered top hats and outfit, but the current Mad Hatter appeared nothing like his courteous and gentlemanly self at the tea party.
For starters, he seed to have grown twice the size, looming over the players, his eyes flickering in an eerie scarlet. He chased after the plump female player with a single-minded devotion, not catching her directly but more like a playful cat nudging a terrified mouse with its paw, watching in sadistic satisfaction as the prey was pushed to the brink.
A scream tore out of the female player’s mouth as she brandished nurous props, but none managed to deal real damage on the skeleton. Her situation was getting increasingly dire with each passing second with no solution in sight. She had tried leading the skeleton to another player, using them as bait for her to escape, but this creature actually ignored them and targeted her alone!
Damn it!
Why was she so unlucky to be trapped in this damned area?! Why was she dragged in the Nightmare Cycle in the first place?! Why?!!
It had not been easy for her to get rid of her sister’s shadow and earn genuine affection from his parents. It had not been easy for her to make it this far in the Nightmare Cycle. She had sacrificed so much and even tainted her hands with blood— but so what? She did it all to survive! Was it so wrong to fight for her life?
She was still so young, she had so many things she hadn’t achieved yet. How could it end here, in this forsaken place?!
Unwillingness, despair and resentnt distorted the female player’s features. And it all reached the peak when no one ca to her rescue even after she had been shouting for so long. Not a single one! Curse those cold-blooded players! They all deserved to die, die, die!
After the plump female player and the Mad Hatter vanished from sight, Shen Nianzu stated with nary an expression on his face, "Let’s go. We need to find a suitable place to defend ourselves until the ga ends."
"Okie, dokie." Jin Jiuchi readily turned away with the jade doll in his arms, but Gu Luoxin couldn’t bring himself to act as carefree.
"But..." Uneasiness was written all over his face as his gaze trailed after the direction where the woman had gone.
"Do you want to help her?" Shen Nianzu saw through him at a glance. Then he shook his head with a sigh, his expression full of forbearance and helplessness akin to an elder looking at a naïve child. Alas, such a mature expression looked so comically out of place with his childish and delicate features, making him look twice as cute instead. His milky voice lectured softly, "You’re still so gullible. But oh well, that’s one of your good traits, I guess."
Gu Luoxin blinked, bewildered. Was being gullible considered a rit? Hold on, did Xiao Shen just complint him??
Just as this question crossed his mind, he heard Shen Nianzu add with a serious tone,
"Rember, Xinxin. You can be kind, but not to everyone. Good intentions do not always lead to good outcos, especially in the Nightmare Cycle. What kind of person that player is, I think you already have an answer in your heart. I’m not saying that she deserves to die, but you must learn to be cautious and protect yourself first and foremost. Will she be grateful for your help, or will she turn on you the mont it benefits her? Just think about it. If she could act so cruelly toward her own sister, what would stop her from betraying you, a re stranger?"
Perhaps, what that female player had done to her sister when she was a re five-year-old was driven by so childish impulse and jealousy. Children could be so innocent yet cruel sotis – they deployed the most straightforward ans to achieve their goals even before they fully comprehended what should or should not be done. Maybe there was a point of ti when she laid awake at night, regretting how heartless and vicious her younger self had been. Maybe she had even felt pain, sadness, and guilt.
But everything changed once she was dragged into this place.
Here, teammates betrayed and killed each other without hesitation. Loving couples stabbed their other halves for the faintest chance of survival. Sentints ant nothing in the face of life and death. The weak were preyed on, and the strong were worshipped, despite the fact that they possessed the most vile heart that was.
This was the Nightmare Cycle – a place without law or moral where human nature would be tested at every turn.
After witnessing countless betrayals and horrors, she began to feel that what she did was nothing in comparison.
Look at them. So many people are far worse than and they’re still living their best lives, so why should I trap myself in the past? Everyone is just trying to survive, that’s all, so what I did was perfectly normal!
Over ti, the evil and malice she had buried in the depths of her heart began to stir once more. It sprouted its leaves, its roots digging deeper and deeper until it beca an inseparable part of who she was.
When confronted with the abyss, many would choose to beco the devil to save themselves.
Seeing the thoughtful look on Gu Luoxin’s face, Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but add a few more words, hoping that his kind and gullible teammate would mature a bit,
"Do you know what’s the most difficult thing to do in the Nightmare Cycle?"
"Uhh, to survive?" Gu Luoxin guessed, uncertain.
"Yes and no," Shen Nianzu shook his head with a mirthless smile. "Surviving is hard, but surviving with a clear conscience— that’s the hardest."
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