Dig it out from where? Your stomach?? Black lines ford over Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin’s foreheads as they were rendered utterly speechless by Jin Jiuchi’s nonsensical suggestion.
Not even deigning to give the man a response, Gu Luoxin turned to his leader and asked anxiously, "What should we do, Xiao Shen? The ticket is a lost case now! Do you think we still have ti to search for another?"
"Hey, didn’t you hear ? I said the main reward is in my—"
"No, there’s not much ti left." Shen Nianzu shook his head, his delicate brows furrowing. After a brief contemplation, he seed to have resigned to his fate, although the shadow of disappointnt was still cast over his eyes. "Well, so be it. If we can’t get it, then maybe it’s not for us."
Jin Jiuchi stared at them in a mixture of hurt and disbelief, his chest heaving from the emotional upheaval. H–How could they...?
He could not believe how blatantly they ignored his presence even after he was jumping right in front of their faces. Did they not hear his words just now? He couldn’t still be an invisible ghost, right? To think that he had stated loud and clear that he had the main reward here— inside his very stomach! Sure, he could not ascertain what had beco of the ticket by now – and the whole treasure chest, as a matter of fact – but then again, there’s nothing wrong with trying, was there?
Who knows, perhaps he could really dig out the whole thing intact!
Huffing and puffing, Jin Jiuchi was ready to prove the authenticity of his words and shoved a few fingers down his throat to induce his gag reflex when all of a sudden, a shrill alarm reverberated through the whole forest, shattering its tranquil façade.
RIIIIINNNGG—!
It went on and on without stopping for a whole three minutes, sending a jolt of shock and unease to everyone’s hearts. Even Noir, who was napping soundly under the tree, was forcibly roused awake with a disgruntled look. Similar instances could be spotted all across the forest as players dropped whatever they were doing in lieu of gazing at the indigo sky above.
"W-What is it now?" Gu Luoxin asked nervously, his eyes scanning the surroundings for fear of an unexpected ambush.
Shen Nianzu already had an inkling on what this was about, thus his deanor remained fairly calm. "It’s the last hour of the Cycle," he remarked.
He had once speculated that sothing would definitely occur when the Cycle was nearing its end— whether it was good or bad remained to be seen. Having challenged nurous Cycles before, he knew that there was no way it would progress so smoothly and harmoniously. Perhaps it was related to the Nightmare’s perverted taste, but a big surprise would more often than not await the players just when they began to think that they were safe. Like the sudden appearance of the fourth ghost in the Shishen Apartnt, the final test from the rmaid queen in the City of Atlantis, and so on...
And sure enough, his prediction was accurate.
"Ohoho~" the fake Santa Claus announced his presence with his iconic laughter, followed by a cheerful announcent, "How are you all doing, my good children? It is now 5 AM, just one hour until the end of our fun ti! Sigh, how does ti fly by so fast?"
Players who failed or did not bother counting the ti were caught by surprise. It stood to reason that at this hour, a faint glimr of golden would have appeared on the edge of the horizon, signaling the arrival of dawn. Yet in this Cycle, the colors of the sky had not changed throughout, still pitch-black to the point of suffocation as though the night would stretch on forever.
But then, they were suddenly told that the Cycle would end in an hour?
Relief and joy surfaced on their faces. Alas, before the exhausted players could even savor the good news, the officer continued in a cheerful tone, yet his words sent a rush of chills down their spines. "For that reason, why don’t we liven things up even more? As of now, the final green zone has been decided, so my dear children, please try your best to find your way there!"
No sooner had his last words fell than startled screams rang out in multiple parts of the forest. Within the span of one breath, a few verdant areas beca as red as crimson ink, the color spreading as far as the eyes could see. At the sa ti, the trees morphed into nightmare creatures, their thick and long veins whipping across the air, maliciously launching the first wave of attack on the players!
On the other hand, the SJG trio and Noir couldn’t help but exchange surprised glances. In stark contrast to the chaos rising all around, the land they were standing remained serene, the lush trees swaying lightly with the wind, like a fragnt of nirvana erging amidst the fiery inferno.
Heavens, their temporary hideout camp turned out to be the last Green Zone in this Cycle?
The Divine Oracle had indeed ntioned they would be safe here for a while, but they knew better than to take that weirdo’s words to face value. Who could have guessed that he was really telling the truth?!
It really... made one speechless.
Alas, before they could rejoice in the fact that they might be able to lie down until the end, the fake Santa Claus continued to bombard them with ominous news, "This ti, the forest inhabitants’ attack range will no longer be limited to one area but the whole forest. Isn’t it exciting? Isn’t it fun?! Not only that, I’ve also attached a little sothing on the main rewards so that everyone can spot them easily! Let’s make the most of this last hour, my beloved children! Ohoho, rry Christmas!"
Jin Jiuchi’s focus went off-track sowhere in the middle of the long announcent as he was distracted by sothing else. "Hmm?" He tipped his head to the side, intently gazing at the ground beneath his feet. "Do you feel that? Is it only or is there an earthquake beneath our feet right now?"
When he received no answer in response, he lifted his head in confusion, only to find Shen Nianzu and Gu Luoxin staring at him with utter horror. He could even sense a hint of speechlessness from Noir’s otherwise deaden eyes.
"What?" Jin Jiuchi asked out loud, puzzled.
Why were they staring at him like that? It’s not like he had sprouted out two heads, right? Jin Jiuchi groped around his head to make sure, feeling relieved that his handso face was still intact. But then he ca to realize another thing: rather than his face, the other three seed to be staring at... his stomach?
He looked down following their gazes and—
Oh.
OH HOLY FUCK.
His stomach... his stomach was glowing from within!
Connecting it with the announcent he had fuzzily registered earlier, Jin Jiuchi felt as if a million-watt lightbulb had popped out above his head, causing his entire person to brighten up like a sun. He placed his hands on his hips and laughed out loud smugly, "How is it? I didn’t tell a lie, did I?"
"Told ya the ticket is in my stomach!"
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Mini theater
Shen Nianzu, Gu Luoxin, Noir: speechless.jpg
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A/N: thank you so much everyone for supporting the book in January
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