Global Collapse-Chapter 427 - 406: Truly Stingy_1

A gale suddenly whipped up in the dark night.

Fatty, who was frantic in the bookstore, shivered in the gusts. "This eerie wind... Has something gone wrong?" He looked outside, feeling as if terrifying monsters were hidden in the night.

Meanwhile, 007, holding a lighter, was investigating the strange material under the floor. The gale had blown away most of the lingering smoke in the room, making the air around her slightly fresher.

007 raised her head and looked worriedly at the doorway. Not long ago, she had seen Gu Mian, covered in blood, pass by her door. I wonder how Gu Mian is now, she thought. This special instance is so difficult…

The book in Chu Changge's hands rustled in the wind. Its yellowed pages flipped wildly, stopping on a blank sheet.

He carefully turned the pages back to their original place before looking out towards the pitch-black doorway. From the direction Gu Mian had headed, he could see heavy smoke and faintly hear mournful screams piercing through the stone walls.

Is it over? Chu Changge wondered, looking out into the night, which now seemed more silent.

Only Gu Mian, the one directly involved, knew best about the changes in the instance. He was now hot on the heels of a group of gaunt individuals. These people, whose eyes had been gleaming with almost unbearable excitement moments before, now found themselves being chased by Gu Mian—a truly undignified situation.

After Gu Mian successfully transformed, the monster that had barely squeezed through the gap merely glanced in his direction, then turned and fled. It left Gu Mian with a view of its retreating back, as if it had seen something utterly terrifying.

Gu Mian pursued them from behind. He noticed that 'he'—his character on the screen—was moving much faster, and a hazy black mist swirled around the display. This seemed related to the Holy Daughter's transformation.

Am I surrounded by black mist? Gu Mian muttered to himself while quickly advancing. Black mist is indeed an essential element for a character's descent into darkness.

"Run! RUN!"

Everyone screamed in terror, dashing desperately towards the outside. Some had already entered the widened crevice, their figures swallowed by the darkness.

But these were, after all, people who usually didn't have enough to eat. Even running as hard as they could, they were barely faster than weak puppies.

Gu Mian caught up with the last few people without much effort. They struggled wildly, their eyes wide in horror, before whimpering and being swallowed by the black mist. At this moment, Gu Mian suddenly remembered the Holy Daughter's deceased parents, brother, and friends. Their reactions at the time of death must have been similar, he thought.

Thinking of this, Gu Mian sighed. This is just like a classic plot where a genius, abused by their sect, strives to become powerful and ends up destroying their entire sect. It's all very dramatic. Maybe it could even be adapted into a prime-time soap opera?

But Gu Mian wasn't interested in adaptations right now. He easily passed through the now widened gap and continued his pursuit.

There were about a dozen remnant Crusaders. A small portion of them had already been swallowed by the black mist, silenced forever. However, the screams of the living continued, so loud that even Gu Mian, back at the save point, could hear their desperate cries.

After passing through the crevice, the first thing Gu Mian saw were the corpses of Curly Hair and the others, sprawled haphazardly on the ground. Beyond them, a group of people fled in panic. Gu Mian excitedly gave chase.

But then he noticed that the computer seemed somewhat unresponsive. A few seconds later, his in-game character completely slipped from his control, as if an AFK mode had been activated. The Holy Daughter in the game began to fight the monsters on her own.

At the same time, he heard something shatter nearby, a sound akin to an eggshell cracking as a chick hatches.

Gu Mian looked up and saw a crack that had appeared overhead. Through it, he could see the dark night sky.

Several miserable screams echoed from a distance, then dissipated in the biting wind. Gu Mian stood up from a pile of grass and looked down at the black book and guitar case at his feet, now shattered into pieces. He had come out. He had transformed from being at the save point into a person again. He had finally entered the game.

Gu Mian felt the cold wind and hugged his shoulders. This better not be a setup, he thought.

First, the player turns the Holy Daughter back into a devil, and then the game throws the player in to be killed by that devil. If this is really what's happening, then this game is truly unbeatable.

Gu Mian mused as he took a few steps on the rugged dirt road. No matter what's happened, I have to check on my companions first.

Fatty had already received a call from 007. In fact, just a few seconds after he heard the screams, his phone rang—it was 007.

"You heard those screams, right?" 007's slightly apprehensive voice came from the phone.

Hearing her heavy tone, Fatty sighed deeply. "This instance is so strange. Even though no one has died so far… this situation is still worrying. I hope Gu Mian has nothing to do with these screams."

The intermittent screams echoed through the night. Listening to these terrifying sounds, Fatty couldn't just blatantly lie to himself anymore. He tugged anxiously at his hair and finally said with conviction, "We have to trust the Doctor."

Chu Changge was closest to Gu Mian's location. Amidst the fading screams, it didn't take Gu Mian long to reach Chu Changge's save point. However, he couldn't see anything in the pitch-black house, nor could he enter. It was deathly quiet inside. After confirming that this save point was still intact, Gu Mian turned and headed for the next one.