Chapter 587: High-Level Cycle

    Cycle 7: House of Evil

    ***

    Early June.

    The day they would challenge the high-level Cycle, House of Evil, was finally here.

    Gu Luoxin had initially despaired upon finding out that their final choice turned out to be this ominous, scary-sounding Cycle. But when he heard Shen Nianzu informing him that there’s a high likelihood they would be able to find the Nightmare’s weakness in this Cycle, he fell silent for a minute before agreeing with gritted teeth.

    Between the three of them, it was Gu Luoxin who wished to defeat the Nightmare the most.

    Of course, it wasn’t due to a noble reason like wishing for world peace; he simply wanted to avenge his good buddy’s death— that’s all. But sometimes, the burning desire for vengeance could become the greatest driving force, eliminating his previous fear and apprehension. He had come a long way since the day he was inexplicably dragged into the Nightmare Cycle. He was no longer a newbie who could only cry and shiver in fear when faced with bizarre and unfamiliar environment.

    So what if the ghosts were scary? At most, he would just scream a little louder and flee a little faster.

    In this aspect, Gu Luoxin was certain he wouldn’t lose to anyone else!

    He hypnotized himself with that sentence again and again in the weeks leading to the d-day, and surprisingly it worked quite well. He didn’t feel much fear upon seeing the familiar bus parked on the secluded path before him, only a tight coil of nervousness, a heady rush of anticipation, and a surge of hot-blooded courage.

    As Gu Luoxin strode forward, he had a magical notion that right now, he looked just like a warrior stepping into the battlefield, his chin held high and chest puffed up, unflinching in the face of life and death battles. In his mind, he gave himself a pat on the back for the strong start.

    Let all the ghosts come! He harrumphed. Who’s afraid of who?!

    The color of the bus changed again this time. At first glance, it looked gray, but upon closer scrutiny, the body gave off a metallic sheen, looking quite elegant and futuristic.

    As expected of a high-level Cycle’s bus, he mused, grasping the ticket tightly in his hand. The level looks different at first glance.

    With a soft hiss, the door slid open and only then did he realize how different the interior was. The rows of ordinary seats had been replaced with single couches, only one per row. The distance between each seat was quite far, and the number could be easily counted with a single sweep of his eyes— exactly five.

    The bus could only accommodate five passengers this time.

    Gu Luoxin’s steps faltered a bit, but he soon recovered, took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and stepped inside boldly. He had prepared himself to be separated from his teammates considering how they were challenging the Cycle solo, but when he didn’t spot Shen Nianzu or Jin Jiuchi inside, he couldn’t help but feel the inevitable disappointment welling up inside his heart.

    Having either of them would be far more reassuring, he thought, disheartened.

    But Gu Luoxin didn’t allow himself to mope around for more than a second and gave his head a good shake. It’s not like they would never meet up inside! On the contrary, Shen Nianzu had devised no less than five back-up plans on how to locate and send secret signals to each other. As long as one of them could be implemented when the time came, everything would turn out breezy.

    Cheer up, Xinxin!

    As Gu Luoxin prepped himself mentally, he snuck a glance at the only passenger in the bus, who occupied the third seat— the so-called middle and safest position.

    The man currently had his head lowered as he played on his phone, his expression aloof and indifferent, seemingly radiating a strong ’don’t want to talk, don’t approach’ aura. But Gu Luoxin couldn’t resist this nagging sense of familiarity the more he looked at the man. He had a good memory and quickly recalled a certain Cycle in the past, blurting out in reflex,

    "God Jiang...?"

    It was the nickname the online fans had always used to refer to Jiang Shun, and Gu Luoxin followed suit because he had once followed Jiang Shun’s gossip everyday.

    Jiang Shun was a rare player who directly used his real name in the Nightmare Cycle, and he posted a lot of aesthetic photos and selfies on his profile, garnering more girlfriend, wife, and boyfriend fans rather than pure skill fans.

    He was like a peacock— arrogant and prideful, always eager to spread his tail to show off how beautiful it was.

    But since his companion perished in the Temple of Anubis – not by any nightmare creatures but under the hands of a fellow player – his temperament seemed to have changed overnight. He no longer brushed up his presence in the app every other day, becoming more taciturn and subdued, only popping up to drop one or two comments on popular threads.

    Gu Luoxin had never expected that the next time they met, it would be in a high-level Cycle.

    He hadn’t had much chance to browse the Nightmare App recently because he was extremely busy with musical theater practice on top of daily classes. As a result, he had no clue where Jiang Shun ranked at the moment, but he reckoned it shouldn’t be lower than him.

    Hearing the familiar address, Jiang Shun was visibly taken aback. He raised his head and squinted his eyes, studying Gu Luoxin for a while, before his eyes widened in realization. "Goddess Xinxin?!"

    "...Cough!" Gu Luoxin nearly choked on his saliva.

    It was one thing to have his online fans worshipped him as such, but to hear someone calling it out loud right in front of his face... oh God, why hadn’t anyone told him it was so embarrassing?! Flushing, Gu Luoxin ducked his head and waved his hand in fluster, "Please— just Xinxin is fine!"

    "Then you can also call me Jiang Shun." He smiled faintly. "It’s been a long time."

    "Yeah," Gu Luoxin replied quietly while thinking that the man really had changed. He used to behave in such a pompous and haughty manner, but now a hint of forbearance and maturity could be detected between his brows. Not only him, but Gu Luoxin had also changed a lot.

    It had only been a little over a year since the Temple of Anubis, yet somehow it felt like an entire lifetime had passed.

    The two of them were neither close acquaintances nor did they have much common ground to talk about. Therefore Gu Luoxin simply offered a polite smile in acknowledgement and, after weighing his choices, chose to sit on the fourth row.

    The moment he sat down, his body sank slightly into the plush cushion. The couch was unexpectedly soft, snug, and velvety, making it very comfortable to lean on.

    As expected of a high-level Cycle’s bus! Gu Luoxin marveled once more. If not for its peculiar interior, Gu Luoxin would have thought he was riding in a limousine!

    In the next five minutes, three more players came onboard— two men and one female. They were all unfamiliar to Gu Luoxin. They completely adapted the air of a bigshot and picked their seats carelessly, settling down without a word of interaction.

    The entire bus plunged into silence.

    Gu Luoxin had wanted to greet everyone at first out of basic courtesy, but upon seeing how they all kept to themselves, he could only bite his lip and stay put. He had forgotten how the majority of bigshots had their own aura and never mingled with each other.

    The five seats were all occupied.

    Soon after, the bus officer stepped in.