章 26: Damn Husky!

Jin Jiuchi could not figure out why Nian looked so horrified, nor did he understand what the jade doll meant by 'difficulty'. But in the spirit of camaraderie, he still let out a gasp and opened his eyes wide in shock. "That's horrible!"

Nian rolled his eyes at him, having seen through his dramatic guise again. However, he could not deny how Jin Jiuchi's silly acts managed to soothe his fear despite the looming horror staring at them from above. Such a strange man Jin Jiuchi was. Clearly, he had never taken anything seriously – except for breakfast, lunch and dinner time, of course – but it was exactly for that reason that he could offer a sense of security for others. It was as if nothing could be bizarre or terrifying enough in his eyes.

Who was he, exactly?

Alas, instead of asking directly, he chose to keep the question for himself. Now was not the time to be curious about another person. He had entered this Cycle with a specific purpose, but now, the sudden appearance of the Nightmare had become a threat that could foil his plans. For that, he had to proceed with utmost vigilance and tried his best to survive.

"Let's go," he told Jin Jiuchi. "The two of them must have been waiting for us."

Jin Jiuchi carefully observed Nian and delighted in the fact that his complexion did not look as horrible anymore. He trotted after the jade doll, asking, "Are we going to tell them, Nian'er?"

Nian pondered seriously for a while, then shook his head. "Knowing the Nightmare is present may only serve to add unnecessary panic. Let's just wait and see first."

Jin Jiuchi chirped happily, "Okay, I will listen to Nian'er~"

Nian's words were spot on. They hurried to the communal shower to see Tang Ye and Xinxin standing nervously in front. When they saw Jin Jiuchi and Nian coming, their eyes lit up. "You scared me…" Tang Ye rubbed his chest and let out a sigh of relief. "What takes you two so long? We thought that something had happened to you!" Beside him, Xinxin nodded with a tense look.

"Sorry, sorry," Jin Jiuchi flashed a grin and winked at Nian. "We're just having a heart-to-heart conversation between brothers. Am I right, Nian'er?"

Nian murmured something inaudible under his breath that sounded awfully like he was cursing Jin Jiuchi's shamelessness before striding into the men's room.

Jin Jiuchi and Tang Ye hurried to follow after him, but in the last moment, Jin Jiuchi's peripheral vision caught sight of Xinxin going into the chamber beside theirs that had the female sign on the wall.

'Huh…' Jin Jiuchi tilted his head, puzzled.

His confusion lasted until he took the stall right beside Nian and saw him holding a basin filled with various bottles of soap and shampoos. Wait… where did it come from? He turned to look at Tang Ye who took the opposite stall and saw that he had a similar basin as well, with only one bottle of shampoo and a bar soap.

He scooted closer to whisper. "Nian'er…"

"What?" Nian placed the basin on the floor and started to undress.

Jin Jiuchi's eyes tracked along the stretch of extremely fair skin that was revealed as Nian took off his shirt and put it into a transparent zipper bag. In the dingy and old communal shower with filthy mold and rust on its four walls, he was practically glowing like an angel who had accidentally fallen into a pit of mud by mistake. Jin Jiuchi was a bit distracted and it took him a few seconds to remember what he wanted to ask.

"That," he pointed at the basin. "Where does it come from? Why do you and Tang Ye have one each? What about me?" he pouted his lips to make himself look extra pitiful.

Nian let out a little sigh, "Sometimes I forget you're a newbie. This is a common prop 'Basic Necessity', the contents will differ depending on the type of Cycle you are in. It is a must-have prop for players and it costs only 20 points. If you can get out of this place alive, you will also be able to buy this."

"Common prop?" Jin Jiuchi's eyes widened in awe. "You mean, it's the same magic trick as Xinxin's chicken toy and your talisman?! Wow… how many props do you have on you, Nian'er?" At that moment, he suddenly recalled the silver needles that could appear and disappear freely between Nian's fingers. Now that he thought about it, it must be a prop as well!

How enviable! He also wanted to own props – lots of them!

Nian tilted his head to glance at Tang Ye who had already pulled the plastic curtain around him with water streaming down from the shower head, then gave Jin Jiuchi a meaningful look. "Not a lot. Most of them are common props."

Oh, oh! Jin Jiuchi understood in an instant. This kind of matter should be kept a secret! He had warned Nian that Tang Ye was not a person who could be trusted, and thus Nian was heeding his words by keeping his guard up around the man!

Jin Jiuchi sent him a wink and mouthed an 'OK'.

But then…

"What about me?" He tugged on his shirt sadly. "I don't have any spare clothes to change into nor do I have soap. Do I have to go without changing until we leave this place?"

Nian shot him a glare full of disgust, appalled that Jin Jiuchi could even entertain such a thought after the amount of running and sweating he had done today. He deliberated over his choices for a while, and with a look as if it physically pained him to do so, he offered another transparent zipper bag for Jin Jiuchi. "Put your dirty clothes there. As for spare clothes… I think I have a few at my disposal. It will be a little tight for you though, so you have to endure it a bit."

Jin Jiuchi's eyes had already brightened up since the moment Nian handed the zipper bag to him, and with each word Nian said, his smile became wider and wider. He looked so happy as if he was going to fly away soon. "Nian'er—" he opened his arms wide to smother the jade doll in a hug.

Except before he could take a step forward, Nian hurriedly held up a palm and shouted, "Stop!"

Jin Jiuchi instantly froze in place still with his arms outstretched, his smile wilting into a sad and mournful look. "Nian'er…" Nian could almost see a pair of folded ears on his head.

'You damn husky!' Nian gritted his teeth angrily. Like hell he was going to let this sneaky wolf touch him all over again! He opened the zipper bag and seethed, "Hurry up and put your clothes in here before I change my mind!"

Alas, he regretted his words one second later when Jin Jiuchi started to strip.