Global Collapse-Chapter 418 - 401: Rookie Novice Gu Bong Bong_1

This was a young man.

After the initial shock, he finally directed his gaze towards her. The Adam's apple in his emaciated neck bobbed incessantly, as if he had laid eyes on delectable food. In the dim hole, only his slightly protruding eyes reflected light—a light that had burst forth only after seeing the 'Holy Daughter'.

Gu Mian watched the man roll his protruding Adam's apple a few more times before he finally opened his mouth to ask a question. A line of text appeared at the bottom of the screen.

"Holy Daughter... how did you end up here?"

He hadn't noticed the dark kitchen knife in the Holy Daughter's hand, a knife originally intended for preparing the next day's breakfast.

Gu Mian stared at the screen. Dialogue options would undoubtedly appear in the next second, but he had no intention of glossing this over. His strategy was to eliminate them one by one, dealing first with anyone who was isolated. Coincidentally, there was such a person right in front of him.

So, the instant the line of text appeared at the bottom of the screen, Gu Mian began to furiously click the attack button in the bottom-right corner.

Splattered blood stained the gray dirt walls beside them. The incessantly bobbing Adam's apple was instantly covered in fresh blood. The greedy glint in the eyes fixed on his 'delicacy' dimmed. The man clutched his throat and collapsed, gasping. He failed to make a sound, convulsing on the ground, his eyes wide open in death. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Perhaps he couldn't believe that the 'food', which should have quietly accepted its fate, had actually wielded a kitchen knife and become a butcher.

At this moment, Gu Mian, knife in hand, looked towards the cloth curtain covering the cave entrance. It didn't completely block the light. An orange glow seeped from behind it, suggesting more people were inside.

This man is too young to be the village chief. So, is the village chief still inside? Did the noise I just made alert the people inside?

Gu Mian couldn't hear the game's audio, so he couldn't judge how loud the commotion had been.

Peering through the curtain, Gu Mian couldn't discern the movements of anyone behind it. Perhaps, alerted by the noise, people were already lurking on either side of the entrance, ready to ambush and kill him the moment he pulled the curtain aside.

But he couldn't die, not even once.

A heavy atmosphere instantly filled the quiet cave. Anxiety and restlessness hung in the air, creating an incredibly oppressive feeling.

Xiao Niao, who had gone out, could return at any moment. If she discovered the Holy Daughter was missing from the room, she would immediately become suspicious. The worst-case scenario was that she would notify everyone to gather and rush here to capture the Holy Daughter.

And behind the curtain before him, an unknown number of famished men lurked, hiding near the entrance and waiting for a chance to strike.

Suddenly, Gu Mian felt as if he were back on that traumatic afternoon, on a wide overpass amidst the deafening roar of a twenty-eight-car pile-up. He had been caught in the middle, with death threatening from both front and rear.

The current situation felt quite similar.

But Gu Mian knew he couldn't hesitate any longer. He took a step forward into the tense air and retrieved a lighter from his inventory.

He now had two lighters, one of which he held in his hand.

This was an underground location. The earthen room would be difficult to set ablaze. Although sweet potatoes were typically baked buried in the earth, Gu Mian didn't intend to do anything to this earthen dugout. With a CLICK, he flicked the lighter open and quickly extended his arm. The fingertip-sized flame neared the tattered cloth curtain, and Gu Mian saw a choice appear on the screen.

[Do you want to use one lighter to ignite the 'tattered cloth curtain'?]

He had seen this type of option once before, when he burned down the house. Naturally, he selected the same choice as then.

"Yes."

The thumb-sized flame immediately began to consume it, burning a round hole through the center of the tattered cloth curtain. The ring of fire rapidly expanded outward until the entire curtain was reduced to a large, shriveled pile of ash.

Light poured out from the now unobstructed entrance. Gu Mian, who had already withdrawn his hand, could also see the scene inside.

Two crude, brass-colored candlesticks were nailed to the wall, holding two candles of different colors. The floor was covered with a spread apparently sewn from rags, resembling a quilt; even though similar colors had been chosen, the visual effect was still unappealing. A rather expensive-looking desk stood to the left of the entrance. Farther back was an old, brownish wardrobe, taller than a person. Beside it was a bed made of sponge mats. A small section of the carpet beside the bed bulged, as if something was hidden underneath.

This room was arranged with considerable care—if not for the corners of two dirty old garments poking out from behind the entrance.

Someone was hiding behind each side of the entrance.

Apparently realizing the curtain that concealed them had been burned away, the two individuals behind the entrance kept trying to shrink back. Unfortunately, due to the cave's layout, there wasn't much space to hide behind the entrance.

Those two were probably planning to ambush me the moment I neared the entrance. They didn't expect me to burn the curtain with a lighter. With no time to hide elsewhere, they could only desperately shrink back and pray I hadn't discovered their ploy.

Gu Mian had, of course, seen them. Yet, he feigned ignorance and took another step forward, slowly approaching the entrance.

Just then, a shovel suddenly appeared on the screen. This was the fatal blow, launched by one of the men behind the entrance after long preparation.

Gu Mian, long prepared, swiftly retreated, easily dodging the shovel aimed at his forehead. The man who had swung the shovel came into Gu Mian's view due to the exaggerated motion. Seizing the opportunity, Gu Mian immediately charged forward with the kitchen knife, controlling his character to slash fiercely at the man.