When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)-Chapter 691: Have To Wake Up

When Shen Nianzu raised his head in a daze, he saw an astonishing phenomena outside his window— the moon streaked across the sky with the speed of a falling star, and along with it, the sun peeked out from the other side of the horizon. The sky was akin to a kaleidoscope of colors, shifting from pitch black to a splash of blue, indigo, pink, and golden.

The morning sun rose in mere minutes.

And when Shen Nianzu lowered his head again...

8.03 AM/ 11th December

His phone battery drained to a mere 7% within the minutes he looked away. "Haha..." another laugh escaped from his lips, numb and disbelieving.

How could such an absurd thing be possible? Was this really happening to him?

Why him, of all people?

Alas, at this moment, Shen Nianzu no longer had the mental strength to ruminate on what the hell was going on. His mind was in utter disarray, and through the chaos, only a single thought remained vivid:

I’m back to the very beginning, which means...

Qing Mo will be knocking soon.

Shen Nianzu’s gaze whipped toward the door, his breathing growing erratic once more.

This time, he didn’t wait until Qing Mo came to wake him up. Scrambling out of the bed, he looked around frantically before settling on the cutter on the table. The blade looked sharp and clean, glinting against the morning sunshine.

Has this always been on my table? Such a thought flashed through Shen Nianzu’s mind in a split second, but it was quickly drowned out by a wave of thrill and joy at the newfound weapon.

He snatched the cutter, gripping it with both hands as if it was a lifeline. As if he could stop the trembling on his body this way.

Through the corner of his eye, Shen Nianzu caught sight of his reflection on the mirror. Messy, uncombed silver hair falling all over his face, ashen complexion and bloodshot eyes, his thin shoulders hunched. Holding onto the cutter, he looked terribly neurotic, like a patient who had escaped from the psychiatric hospital.

Shen Nianzu almost could not recognize himself in the mirror. He had always been someone who loved to take care of his own appearance, unable to bear a single strand of hair out of place; when had he ever looked like such a wreck?

However, appearance was the least of his concern right now.

"Soon, he will be coming soon..." he muttered under his breath, hiding behind the door.

He counted down inside his mind, and as soon as the number reached zero, he yanked the door open— revealing the figure of his life assistant standing right outside!

Qing Mo froze, his hand still raised mid-knock, surprise flashing across his face. But it was quickly replaced by alarm as his gaze swept across Shen Nianzu’s haggard appearance. "Young Master, what is..." the rest of his words petered off into silence.

Slowly, numbly, Qing Mo lowered his eyes.

The cutter in his young master’s hands had sunk deep into his chest, causing a bloom of crimson to spread across the pristine white of his shirt.

He raised his gaze back to Shen Nianzu, sheer disbelief written plainly on his face. "Y-Young Master, you..." a trickle of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.

But Shen Nianzu registered none of his words right now.

All his attention was fixated on the weapon on his grip— the vivid resistance as the blade pierced solid flesh, the shocking warmth of blood gushing out and splattering across his pale hands, hands that had never known hardship or violence.

It’s so real... the thought burrowed into his mind like a poisonous snake, sending tremors through his body. It all feels so real and vivid...

But just as his conviction began to waver, the horrifying experience these past two days flashed through his mind like a silent movie, and his gaze turned fierce once more.

"You’re not Qing Mo..." he forced out in a strained voice, as if he was telling the other person... yet also convincing himself at the same time. "You’re not Qing Mo, you’re not him— die!!!" He pulled out the cutter in one swift movement and stabbed the man—again and again, as if venting all of his fear, anger and frustration—until Qing Mo crumbled to the floor and ceased breathing, his expression still retained the shock and disbelief he felt during his last moments.

Shen Nianzu stood still, breathing unevenly.

Blood splashed all over his face and body, dripping from the tip of his silver strands and his hands. He nearly dropped the cutter due to the warm slippery liquid between his fingers, but he tightened his grip on it, astonishingly so.

"One down..."

He blinked and turned away from Qing Mo’s lifeless body, staggering down the hallway. "There are more... more monsters here... I have to kill them... kill them all..."

Halfway through, he bumped into Madam Shen, who had presumably come to check on them upon hearing the commotion. At the sight of her bloody son, she gasped, her eyes widening in shock and alarm. "Nianzu?! W-What is—"

Her voice abruptly faltered, her concerned look shifting into one of horror, confusion and disbelief.

Shen Nianzu repeated what he had done before, watching coldly as the blade cut into Madam Shen’s stomach. As if it was not enough, he also twisted it, causing a look of pain to appear on her face. "N-Nianzu..."

"Don’t call me by that name, you monster," he hissed. "How dare you wear my mother’s face? HOW DARE YOU!!!"

When Shen Nianzu came to, Madam Shen had also crumbled beneath his feet, with blood soaking the entire hallway. She had died with twice as many stab wounds as Qing Mo. Even her neck was almost severed, revealing the trachea within.

Squelch

Shen Nianzu stepped on the bloody puddle and continued on his way, clutching onto his cutter like a grim reaper wielding his scythe. "One more..." he muttered under his breath. "There’s one more..."

But something unexpected happened when he entered the dining room.

—It was empty.

A violent jolt ran through his heart.

How could this be? Where was the monster wearing his father’s face? Where was he?!

Frantic, Shen Nianzu stepped forward to search, when at the same time, a gush of wind slashed at him from behind. His body reflex kicked in, and he twisted aside just as a wooden chair came crashing down, smashing onto the spot he had been standing a second ago!

Master Shen had put all of his strength into this one throw. The chair shattered on impact, splintering across the floor. Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but shudder when he imagined what would have happened if the chair had hit him. He would have gotten a concussion at the very least, and worst, his skull might have split open, killing him on the spot!

But what stunned him the most wasn’t the force behind this attack, but the tears of anguish on Master Shen’s face.

"How could you..." his voice came out no louder than a whisper, choked with tears. "How could you do that?! That’s your mother and Qing Mo— your mother who gave birth to you!!"

Shen Nianzu froze on the spot. He had never seen his father shed tears in front of him before. Not even once. It had always been his mother who had weak tear ducts, while his father would only frown at most when he was upset.

But now he was crying.

For he saw with his own eyes his son, the apple of his eyes, killing his wife in such a brutal way.

Shen Nianzu’s heart shuddered.

But no sooner had the pain creeped in than he forcibly numbed it, telling himself it was not real. They were not his parents. They were merely monsters wearing his parents’ faces. "How could I...?" he sneered and raised his weapon, charging ahead. "You still dare to ask that?! Do you expect me to sit still and watch you parade around with my father’s face, you monster?!"

"Just die— die, die, die!!!"

Shen Nianzu tackled the other person to the ground, straddled his waist and stabbed him— again and again and again. He kept bringing down the blade in his hand onto the other person’s body as if wishing to tear off this disgusting facade and see for himself what kind of monster was hiding beneath. Distraught by his cries and curses, Shen Nianzu cut off his vocal cord. But the monster was adamant on glaring at him until his last breath, his gaze brimming with resentment and sorrow, so Shen Nianzu gouged out his eyes as well.

He had no idea how much time passed. The body beneath him had become mangled beyond recognition, showing not even a trace of resemblance to the living person.

Only then did he stop, the weapon tumbling out of his grasp with a clutter.

"Haa... haa..." Shen Nianzu tried to catch his breath, but the more he did it, the more the stench of blood seemed to suffuse into his entire body until the very air he exhaled seemed to be laced with the same metallic tang. The whole house was eerily silent, save for the sound of his ragged breathing and the ticking clock.

Yet Shen Nianzu felt the lightest he had ever been for days.

"I-I did it..."

He stumbled to his feet, swaying and staggering, his figure as thin and fragile as a willow branch. A deranged smile broke across his bloodstained face. "I did it! I killed the monster—I killed them!"

That’s right, he had successfully gotten rid of the monsters who donned the guise of his family.

But then—

"Why..."

His voice choked.

"Why am I still here..." he raised his bloody hands, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. "Why am I still in this damned place?! Why haven’t I woken up yet!!"

His distraught cries echoed throughout the silent house before rebounding back at him, chilling him down to the bones.

He stood in this house that had become so familiar to him, but when he swept his gaze over every corner, every piece of furniture, he could feel his childhood memories crumbling one by one. In their place lingered the suffocating metallic tang of blood and the sickening stench of death, unable to be erased no matter what.

The fleeting joy drained away in an instant, and the dread surged back—hundreds of times heavier—weighing down on him until he could no longer stand straight.

"No... no..." he clutched his pounding head, his eyes squeezed shut. "This is not real, none of it is real. It’s just a nightmare, I have to wake up... I have to wake up now..."

But Shen Nianzu didn’t wake up.

When he opened his eyes, he was still inside the nightmare.