Global Collapse-Chapter 445 - 420: What do you want a bicycle for_1

As she watched people stream through the mall, Xiao Tuwan felt uneasy. It was not yet four o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun still hung in the sky, but she knew that no matter how hot its rays were, it wouldn’t make any difference to their situation.

Mingyue was currently sitting next to Xiao Tuwan, vigilantly observing their surroundings while occasionally checking her phone.

Before the global game began, Xiao Tuwan had been a genuine online game addict—the kind of girl who could stay home all day glued to her phone. However, after the game started and the internet collapsed, she sometimes subconsciously reached for her phone to open a game, only to be disappointed when the network was unavailable.

Later, even the electricity was cut off. When night fell, they could only rely on precious electricity cards for light, and she couldn’t bear to charge her once-beloved phone.

When was the last time I saw a lit phone screen anyway? Xiao Tuwan pondered quietly. She unconsciously glanced at Mingyue’s phone screen and saw that Mingyue was searching for information about the serial murders in neighboring Ziyang City.

People were coming and going. Occasionally, a child passed by, holding a helium balloon.

After browsing the web for a while, Mingyue lowered her voice and began to speak softly to the other two, "I don’t know about the person the ghost killed before. But looking at the descriptions of that serial murder case next door, the murderer killed eight people in two days. The times of death for these eight people, however, were all different. Only three people died together because they huddled together; the others all died a few hours apart."

Caoyuan picked up the thread, "So, you’re saying the ghost can’t teleport? If it wants to kill two people who aren’t in the same place, it has to kill one first and then go find the second?"

Mingyue nodded slightly. "It seems that way. I think we have a better chance of survival if we scatter and run in different directions."

Xiao Tuwan looked at her two companions. "So, the three of us huddling together is quite dangerous. If the ghost comes to kill, it could wipe us out in one swoop."

Mingyue suddenly laughed and shook her head. "Let me ask you, if you were the ghost and wanted to kill the nine players entering the instance, but your actions were limited—you couldn’t teleport or clone yourself—and now the nine players have split into two groups, one with three people and the other with six, which one would you kill first?"

"Of course, I’d kill the group of six first... because they might suddenly split up at any time. You’d have to kill them before they disperse," Xiao Tuwan lifted her head to look at Mingyue as she spoke. "So you’re saying the ghost will kill them first, and we are temporarily safe?"

"Of course," Mingyue put away her phone. "The more players gather together in this instance, the worse it is for them. I think the ghost has already set its sights on that group."

"But those six people don’t seem easy to deal with. When I solve problems, I always finish the easy ones first before tackling the difficult ones," Xiao Tuwan expressed her worries.

"You said yourself that you skip tough problems. In the ghost’s eyes, all players are simple problems. Do you think the ghost can be stumped by the players? Impossible. So, we are safe until they are all dead."

「On the wide road, a worn-out minivan was racing.」

Liu Ruyan’s minivan was already quite old, and it was a real squeeze to fit six people in it, especially since one of them, Fatty, needed room for two. At half-past four, the sun hung in the western sky, and Gu Mian and his group were almost at their destination.

The driver wasn’t Gu Mian, but Liu Ruyan. At this moment, Gu Mian was sitting in the front passenger seat, while Chu Changge, Fatty, and the rest were all in the second and third-row seats.

Gu Mian heard Chu Changge’s voice from the back, "I looked into Ziyang City’s serial murder case earlier. Except for the three victims who died at the same time because they were together, the others all died after certain intervals."

Fatty quickly caught on to Chu Changge’s point, "Which means the ghost can’t teleport or clone itself? So, it would be more advantageous for us to split and run?"

"Exactly," Chu Changge adjusted his glasses. "Theoretically, the farther the nine players are from each other, the fewer people the ghost can kill within two days. So, the ghost should actually prefer players to gather together...

"But let’s put that aside for now. I believe that in front of absolute force, all theories can be invalidated. So right now, we are not the ones in danger."

On hearing this, Fatty hugged his guitar bag tightly.

"So, if we’re safe until all six of them are dead, what happens when they are all dead?" From the bustling mall, Xiao Tuwan looked at Mingyue next to her.

"I can’t calculate when they will die, but since the six of them are together, they would likely be swiftly destroyed if the ghost sets its sights on them. I don’t believe they can survive tonight. However, we should plan ahead," as Mingyue spoke, she glanced over at Caoyuan. "Now that we know scattering is advantageous, I suggest that before the mall closes, each of us find a car and head in different directions. The farther, the better."

"But I can’t drive," Xiao Tuwan looked somewhat anxious. "Could I get a taxi?" Even if she hailed a taxi, the driver would probably not agree to the requirement of "drive straight and don’t stop."

Mingyue shook her head. "We can’t guarantee the driver’s safety. You saw Spirit Pen’s answer as well. In the Ziyang serial murder case, nine people died, but only eight bodies were found. The ghost could have used one of the corpses as a disguise. When escaping, it’s safer to be alone. You can find a bicycle."

"Okay... then how will you two find cars?" Xiao Tuwan asked.

Mingyue gave a slight smile. "I have a car. It’s parked in the underground garage of my apartment complex."

Caoyuan also felt his pocket. "I have one too. I’ve still got the car keys on me."

Caoyuan and Mingyue lived in the same residential complex, very close to each other. They parked in the same garage. The car key had a small metal tag attached, engraved with the parking space number and license plate number. Xiao Tuwan, who initially wanted to hitch a ride with someone, had been rejected. Now she stood on the sidewalk, staring blankly at a row of shared bicycles.

She had agreed with the other two to head west because the road seemed relatively flat there.

Mingyue and Caoyuan had already arrived in the underground garage. The garage was rather gloomy. If not for the necessity to escape, they would never have come to such a creepy place.

Caoyuan hunched his shoulders, comparing the metal tag on the key to find his car. Soon, he recognized the familiar license plate number. At that moment, he suddenly heard urgent footsteps from behind him—footsteps that didn’t belong to either him or Mingyue. They were the footsteps of a third person! But the noise was getting farther and farther away. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He quickly turned around to look. He only saw Mingyue standing behind him, looking in a certain direction. Caoyuan immediately followed her gaze, but the densely packed cars obstructed his view.

"What’s going on?" he asked, his voice tinged with fear. "I heard that noise right behind us just now."

Mingyue retracted her gaze. "There was someone crouching in the gap between nearby cars. They stood up and ran as soon as they saw us."

Without wasting any time, Caoyuan quickly got into his car. "This place is pretty creepy. I don’t dare stay longer. You continue your search; I’ll leave first."

With the sound of the car’s ignition, Mingyue suddenly asked, "Which way are you going? I’ll go a different way."

Caoyuan quickly responded, "Xiao Tuwan is heading west, so I’ll head east. You shouldn’t go east then."

"Alright." Mingyue nodded slowly, watching the car in front of her drive farther and farther away.

Soon, she also got into a car and slowly drove out of the underground garage. It was just after five in the evening, and the sun was starting to set. The three of them scattered, racing off in different directions.