Chapter 49: Return Ticket

    Too shocked by the sudden appearance of the ticket, Nian immediately forgot that he was supposed to keep some distance from Jin Jiuchi as he lunged forward to grab Jin Jiuchi’s hand, bringing the palm closer to his eye so he could inspect the ticket better. His eyes ran across the rectangular yellowed paper inscribed with familiar words.

    The Nightmare Bus — One-way Ticket

    From: Shishen Apartment

    To: Jinhua City

    Usage limited to one (1) ticket per passenger.

    Nian’s breath abruptly hitched on his throat. It was the ticket... a genuine return ticket! His gaze then dropped to the very bottom where the date and time was displayed. "6th May, 00.01 AM..." he let out a soft gasp, purple eyes flaring wide in shock.

    The day after tomorrow, right after midnight... it meant that they only needed to spend 26 more hours in this Cycle!

    "You found the ticket..." he whispered in a quivering voice, the corner of his lips curving into a relieved smile.

    Even though he did not show it, all this time he had actually been apprehensive due to the death of the main NPC. It was the first time he had ever encountered something like this and he was not sure whether the ticket would really appear by itself. He had even prepared himself for the worst and was ready to use the life-saving prop he had reserved only for high-level Cycles.

    However, he had overlooked one crucial point.

    This Cycle was an anomaly that held not only one but three nightmare creatures. Though Madam Liu was technically dead during the day, they still had Miss Zhao, the spider Madam Liu and the creature disguised as Zhi. After all, they were the pillars that held up this Cycle, so it was only reasonable that they could grant them tickets!

    He should have known that the Nightmare, albeit ruthless, had always been fair and impartial. It would not leave the players with no way out!

    "Ugh..." Nian was brought out of his trance when Jin Jiuchi suddenly collapsed sideways with a hand covering his face.

    Recalling that he was the one who had found the ticket first, Nian decided to be merciful tonight and asked him in slight concern,

    "What’s wrong?" he paused for a beat before adding, "...Your face, does it hurt?"

    Jin Jiuchi knew how to grab hold of the opportunity when he saw one. "It hurts, of course it hurts!" He parted his fingers to peek at Nian and upon seeing that he had the jade doll’s full attention, he closed his fingers again and continued to act miserable, "My face will definitely get swollen tomorrow! Nian’er has to take responsibility for me!"

    ’Here he goes again,’ Nian rolled his eyes. The memory of complying with Jin Jiuchi’s wishes only to be bitten like a rabid dog was still fresh in his mind and this time he became guarded, "What do you want?"

    Jin Jiuchi immediately sat up with a whoosh and Nian, who did not see it coming, was taken aback when the man’s face hovered in front of him. "Nian’er..." an astonished smile hung over his lips and his silver eyes were sparkling bright as he stared at the jade doll in front of him. "Smile for me again, will you? Like you did just now. You look so beautiful that my heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest..."

    "Y–You..." Nian sputtered out, his face immediately going up in flames. He shoved Jin Jiuchi’s face away and bit out, "Rejected!"

    What the hell was up with this man?! Nian had no idea which one was more terrible, this Jin Jiuchi who could say such misleading words with an innocent look on his face, or the previous Jin Jiuchi who emitted a dangerous yet sinful aura that made his heart pound like a drum. More importantly...

    ’What the hell is wrong with me?’ he pressed the back of his hand to his warm cheek, desperately willing his heart not to be shaken by the man’s thoughtless words.

    "Nian’er, I can hear your heartbeat—"

    "Shut up!"

    Nian closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. Calm down Nian, he told himself. It was totally unlike him to be so affected by someone’s words and actions – one he had known for less than five days at boot! He reckoned that it must be because Jin Jiuchi’s overall appearance was truly his type. Yes, that must be the only reason why. He was not used to being praised by such a fine specimen, and that was why he was feeling flustered!

    Finally finding a reason for his unusual behavior, Nian felt his heartbeat slowing down to an acceptable level. He regarded the sulky Jin Jiuchi with a neutral tone, "Keep your ticket carefully and don’t let anyone find out about it."

    However, Jin Jiuchi surprised him by grabbing his wrist and placing the ticket in his open palm. "For you," he grumbled under his breath, harrumphed and turned his head away, still sullen over the fact that the jade doll was unwilling to take responsibility for him.

    "You..." Nian stared at him with a complicated look. People would kill just to obtain this, but this man gave it to him so easily just like that? "Exactly what is going on in your mind, Yang Rouchuan?" he blurted out the question before his brain could process it.

    Frowning, Jin Jiuchi asked in a matter-of-fact tone, "Don’t you want this?"

    "Yes, but... what about you?"

    Apparently, the silly husky had not thought that far into the future yet. He scratched his head with a blank look, "Um... I will go and ask Miss Zhao for another one?"

    "Foolish..." Nian muttered under his breath, warmth spreading over his heart. How could this man be so foolish? It was both frustrating but also... endearing. Before Jin Jiuchi could get angry, he continued to say, "I’m sure that you will not be able to find her so easily again. We have only 26 hours until the time we have to leave. Tomorrow, I will accompany you to find Zhi."

    "Brother Zhi?" Jin Jiuchi was puzzled. "Nian’er, are you saying that he also has a ticket?"

    "Exactly," Nian nodded. He explained his hypothesis to Jin Jiuchi in a few concise sentences. It was only then that he realized out of the three nightmare creatures, Miss Zhao seemed to be the easiest to deal with. To think that Jin Jiuchi could get through to her first... was it newbie’s luck?

    "Miss Zhao, Madam Liu and Brother Zhi..." Jin Jiuchi counted with his fingers. "That’s three tickets, Nian’er."

    Nian knew what he wanted to say. "But there are four of us," he remarked with a grim look. "It’s exactly what you think. Between Tang Ye and Xinxin, someone is bound to be left behind in this Cycle."