Chapter 574: 297%

    "We are a team made up of people who have had contact with the Nightmare Cycle, whether directly or indirectly. Our main task is to gather information about the Nightmare. But to the public’s eyes, we are in charge of unusual deaths or accidents, for 85% of them were players who perished in the Nightmare Cycle."

    Saying this, Ying leaned back to her seat and raked her fingers through her short hair, her look pensive.

    "But something strange has been going on lately. In just the past three months, the number of people dragged into the Nightmare Cycle has increased by 297% compared to the previous year. The total is nearly two thousand."

    "Two thousand lives," she repeated, her voice quiet yet heavy. "And they’re not just statistics. Each of them was a living, breathing person— someone’s child, sibling, parent, friend, or lover. It’s terrifying just to think about it."

    "This is why I told you not to blame yourself, Xinxin," she looked at Gu Luoxin right in the eye, making the latter’s heart tremble. "Your friend, Shang Hao... he was one of the many unfortunate victims."

    "Ying-Jie... no, Officer Su—" Gu Luoxin hurriedly corrected himself in a fluster, but Ying waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

    "It’s alright, you can continue to address me like before. We’re all grasshoppers tied to the same string here, what’s this little formality for?"

    When she put it like that, Gu Luoxin could only bite the bullet and continue, "... Ying-jie." His breathing quickened in pace. "What you’re saying, i-is that true?" That Haohao’s death is not my fault? Gu Luoxin swallowed the lump in his throat, unable to bring himself to voice the question aloud. For he felt like he was just too damn shameless and selfish.

    He couldn’t deny the comfort and relief brought by Ying’s words. It was truly reassuring to hear someone say that the blame lay not on him because he simply couldn’t shake off the nagging doubt that Shang Hao had only entered the Nightmare Cycle due to his influence. He truly had no idea how he could live with that, how he could face Shang Hao’s mother from now on. Gu Luoxin felt that he would truly die out of guilt. But on the other hand, this overwhelming relief was also accompanied by a sickening sensation in his gut. His buddy had just died, but in the end, all he could think of was himself.

    How utterly vile and selfish you are, Gu Luoxin, he cursed himself mentally.

    Ying did not have the slightest idea about the turmoil in Gu Luoxin’s mind. Thinking that what she said was too shocking, she replied calmly, "Really. What would I lie to you for?"

    "A 297% increase, that’s almost thrice as many..." Shen Nianzu muttered with a frown, deep in thought. "Do you have any idea what could have brought forth this sudden change?"

    This phenomenon was truly disturbing. Simply keeping a distance from family and loved ones was no longer enough. There was no guarantee that the Nightmare wouldn’t whimsically pull them into the Cycle as well.

    Shen Nianzu felt vaguely uneasy. This unusual change made it seem as if they were completely under the Nightmare’s mercy, like they were no more than ripe vegetables in a field which the farmer could harvest at will.

    Of course, that had always been the case from the start, but this time, the feeling was stronger than ever.

    In his impression, the Nightmare was incomparably powerful, yet it always operated within its own set of rules, hence the existence of death conditions. Players would not meet their demise so long as they didn’t violate the death conditions. That’s the most basic rule in the Nightmare Cycle. And while he didn’t know the parameters or criteria with which they were chosen as players, Shen Nianzu was certain they must exist as well.

    Which was why, when the Nightmare displayed this abrupt change of modus operandi, Shen Nianzu suspected there must be a trigger behind it.

    But much to his disappointment, Ying shook her head. "We’re still trying to figure it out. For that, we even sought the number one player, Harbinger of Doom, and number three, Sword of Heaven. One thing for certain, after I became a Legendary player, I started to get this vague hunch."

    "The Nightmare..." Ying narrowed her eyes, her expression unreadable. "It’s currently bidding its time for something."

    Shen Nianzu’s heart abruptly skipped a beat. He had no idea why, but when he heard those words, the first thing that came to his mind was the message from the Nightmare which had been conveyed by the Divine Oracle.

    It had asked Jin Jiuchi— ’Until when are you going to play around?’

    ***

    The three of them exchanged contact information, and soon after, Ying returned, citing that she needed to report to the Captain.

    Meanwhile, Shen Nianzu walked Gu Luoxin back to his dorm room. Upon their arrival, the silver-haired man hesitated for a second before offering, "Do you want me to stay with you for a while?"

    "No need, Xiao Shen." Gu Luoxin shook his head slowly. "I just need some rest, and after that I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Come to think of it, where is Da Shen? You didn’t bring him with you?" He had been so distraught all this time that it wasn’t until now that he realized he hadn’t seen the man, who could be considered Shen Nianzu’s tail, anywhere.

    Shen Nianzu’s response couldn’t be more casual. "I was afraid he would run around causing trouble, so I left him at the arcade nearby."

    Jin Jiuchi, who had never stepped foot in an arcade before, was now having the time of his life battling a bunch of snotty children and suppressing them with the absolute power of money.

    "..." The corner of Gu Luoxin’s lips twitched, but this time, he simply could not muster a smile on his pale face.

    The two of them soon parted ways.

    Gu Luoxin sluggishly dragged his feet back to his room and threw himself face-down onto the bed with half of his legs hanging down the floor. He stayed motionless like this until his nose felt stuffy from the lack of oxygen, and only then did he tilt his head slightly to take in huge gulps of air.

    He stared blankly into the distance, his gaze vacant. His mind felt noisy yet empty at the same time, sending a faint throbbing sensation on his temple. He had told Shen Nianzu he only needed to rest and he would be fine, but how could it be so easy?

    Recalling Shang Hao, his lips wobbled and his swollen eyes once again brimmed with tears.

    Tap tap tap.

    The soft, rhythmic knock shattered the silence of the room and jolted him back to reality.

    Gu Luoxin listlessly shifted his gaze to the window, only to see a black cat outside with a paw raised, its round emerald eyes blinking at him. Gu Luoxin’s reaction time had slowed considerably in his depressed mood, and it took him a couple of seconds to register what he was seeing.

    "...Lucius?"