Global Collapse-Chapter 585 - 553: Gu Mian Detector_1
"No wonder he’s been hovering around this place. His office entrance is right here." Gu Mian reached out to touch the door panel visible on the floor.
It was a square hatch embedded in the ground. A sign hung on it, haphazardly inscribed with the word "Office." Beside the sign was a tiny keyhole.
Gu Mian took out the large jumble of keys he had obtained from Coach Che and found the one for the office. He gently inserted it into the keyhole and twisted.
CLICK.
The door opened, revealing a ladder leading downwards.
The Fortune-teller stared, her eyes wide with disbelief.
All day, she had been in a fog. She’d cluelessly met Gu Mian, then, seemingly out of nowhere, he had dragged her off to find this office. Surprisingly, there actually *was* an office in this food factory.
"Alright," Gu Mian looked up at the Fortune-teller. "There’s nothing left for you to do here. You can go now."
His tone carried an air of someone callously casting aside a used tool.
The Fortune-teller glanced at the hatch on the ground. While Gu Mian had been dragging her around looking for the office, the food factory hadn’t issued any food production tasks.
She speculated that the factory operations had been temporarily paused due to Gu Mian’s presence.
But if he entered this blasted office and left her alone out here, the factory might immediately issue a "Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes" task. Then, she and the eggs would be sent along the food processing conveyor belt together!
At this thought, the Fortune-teller put on a display of selfless bravery. "It seems dangerous down there. I’ll go with you!"
She took a few steps forward and crouched near the hatch.
Without a word, Gu Mian threw the gloomy-faced teddy bear down and then jumped into the hatch himself.
The Fortune-teller quickly followed.
When Coach Che arrived, he saw scattered empty shelves and an open hatch in the floor.
The wide-open hatch was eerily quiet, like the calm before a storm.
Below the hatch was a surprisingly normal room, about a hundred square meters, enclosed on all four sides with no windows.
The overhead lights were extremely bright, preventing the windowless room from feeling gloomy.
As soon as Gu Mian landed, he saw shelves lining all four walls. These weren’t for goods, however; they were bookshelves.
The most striking was a row of bright red books titled, "Top Most Popular Products with NPCs."
The Fortune-teller picked up a book and opened it. She read:
"The best-selling product among NPCs is the ’Gu Mian and Dogs Not Allowed’ sign. However, some buyers have reported its effect is negligible, and recent sales have declined.
"Our company is currently striving to develop a new product, tentatively named the ’Gu Mian Detector.’ When worn, if Gu Mian approaches, a red warning will appear around the wearer, enabling early detection of danger. However, this product is still in the experimental phase, and its effectiveness is not yet stable..."
As she read this, she suddenly noticed a cluster of translucent red letters appearing around a nearby desk, somewhat resembling a player’s game interface.
"Warning! Warning!" "Danger Approaching!" "Harmful Substance Detected! Evacuate Immediately!"...
Hmm... just like the book described.
The Fortune-teller closed the book and looked at the large executive chair behind the desk, which had its back to her.
There was someone there; the translucent letters were revolving around that chair.
Gu Mian had already taken a few steps forward and was now turning the executive chair around.
The Fortune-teller fixed her gaze on the person in the chair.
He was short, under 1.5 meters, and very thin. Curled up in the chair, he seemed even smaller. From the back, you couldn’t even tell someone was hidden there.
Her player interface wouldn’t open.
It was an NPC.
The Fortune-teller was rather surprised; she hadn’t expected to find an NPC in this instance.
The NPC looked pale, as if he’d suffered a terrible shock, and was surrounded by red letters urging him to flee.
He seemed to be clutching something.
Gu Mian snatched it away. It was a small object resembling a lighter, but it definitely wasn’t one. An inscription on its side read: "Gu Mian Detector."
Gu Mian: "..."
What in the world is this?
Just then, while Gu Mian was momentarily distracted, the man in the chair tried to jump down and escape. But a hand shot out from above and grabbed him.
Then, Gu Mian’s menacing voice sounded from above his head, "Are you the manager here?"
When Coach Che burst in, this was the scene that greeted him.
The small manager was being held aloft by Gu Mian, his face deathly pale, looking as if he might pass out at any moment.
In a corner, the teddy bear that had come with Gu Mian was stealthily trying to scuttle away.
Coach Che clutched his walkie-talkie, eyeing Gu Mian nervously. "Don’t do anything rash!"
「Meanwhile」
Huai Xin Zhen Yue, still unaware that the ghost chasing him had been freed from its restraints, was crouching behind a tombstone, mulling over Liu Yiji’s words.
"If what he said was true, then splitting up right from the start was a mistake..."
"But I don’t know if this is really the way to survive. Sigh, if only there was a forum where players could exchange instance strategies."
While Huai Xin Zhen Yue was deep in thought, he suddenly noticed something odd about the shadow at his feet.
The sun, sinking in the west, cast long shadows of each tombstone across the ground.
He then noticed that, besides the tombstone’s shadow, another distorted shadow lay at his feet.
This shadow stretched out from behind him. At first glance, it looked like a standing person, but it was bulkier, with a large head from which two ears protruded.
Huai Xin Zhen Yue’s scalp tingled. He slowly turned his head to look.
That terrifying teddy bear was now standing right behind him.
Huai Xin Zhen Yue leaped up and bolted, accidentally kicking a loose tombstone, sending dust flying.
「On the other hand」
Coach Che was sweating profusely as he stared at Gu Mian.
By now, Gu Mian had already pulled out his Saw and was holding it before the diminutive manager. "Were you the one arguing with this hearse driver downstairs earlier?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
When Gu Mian first arrived at the factory gate, he’d heard Coach Che cursing someone out. Presumably, it was this manager.
Hearing this, the manager glared fiercely at Coach Che. "Was it you who told him my office was here? You mutt!"
Coach Che cried out his innocence, "How the hell would I know your office was in such a hidden place?! Besides, he’s the one who caught you, why are you yelling at me?"
"Enough bickering, you two," Gu Mian lifted the manager a little higher, the Saw resting on the man’s shoulder. "Toy Goose Company has branches worldwide and supplies the game supermarket. It must be a very important company. As the manager, you surely know a lot, right?"
The manager, now dripping with cold sweat, stuttered, "W-what... what do you want to know?"
Clutching the book, the Fortune-teller nervously glanced from one to the other.
Why did every encounter with Gu Mian involve him threatening NPCs with a Saw?!
