Global Collapse-Chapter 593 - 561: Wishing everyone a Happy New Year_1
Hearing this, Gu Mian considered it seriously for a moment before answering a few minutes later, "I don't have friends."
Given Gu Mian's luck, anyone who befriended him rarely survived.
After most of his first batch of friends perished, no one wanted to befriend him anymore.
Chu Changge adjusted his glasses. "The people I mentioned earlier, plus us, make eight. If you bring the disc in, he can barely count as a ninth laborer."
As Chu Changge spoke, he glanced at the Fortune-teller's brother, who was huddled next to Gu Mian.
"But there's a problem now," the Fortune-teller coughed a few times. "This instance's name... er, is 'Princess Mianmian and her Seven Bootlicking Knights.' Is it related to the number of players who can enter the instance?"
She analyzed carefully, "If the number of players is really related to the instance name, then only seven people can enter?"
As the Fortune-teller spoke, she covertly glanced at her brother. She noticed then that this Western-faced man was not a player. This silver-haired man had a gleaming disc in his pocket that kept catching her eye.
He didn't speak, but around his neck hung a device that could produce sound—a special item called a 'Mind Amplifier.'
Occasionally, a voice saying "Sister" would emanate from this special item.
Sometimes, he would shove the disc into Gu Mian's pocket and then crawl into it himself.
At that moment, the Fortune-teller felt both fear and revelation.
She finally understood what that hand, which kept reaching out from Chu Changge's pocket in the Death Pose instance, actually was.
Chu Changge was pondering the Fortune-teller's words. "If there really is a connection, then including Princess Mianmian, a total of eight people can enter."
Whenever Gu Mian heard the title 'Princess Mianmian,' he always felt as if he were being called, making him reflexively look at the speaker.
The Fortune-teller speculated, "What if Princess Mianmian is an NPC?"
Gu Mian felt that the Fortune-teller had made the wrong career choice.
If she went to argue on a construction site, she'd be a master at it.
Mr. Green interjected at the right moment to end the discussion, "That name was probably just a whimsical creation of some NPC. I don't think it has anything to do with the number of people who can enter the instance. I've even seen an instance called 'Massacre' before, and it's not like they crammed ten thousand players into it."
"Anyway, let's just enter our names when we go in and see if we can get in then," Gu Mian said, looking at Fatty. "Do you have Miss 007 on your friends list?"
They planned to bring Miss 007 into the instance, but they needed to notify her beforehand.
You can't just drag people in when they're in the middle of using the toilet or taking a shower.
Fatty started scrolling through his friends list again. "I remember adding her. Let me find her."
Soon, he exclaimed happily, "Found her!"
Then, Gu Mian watched him start typing, "Dear Miss 007, I trust you've been well lately..."
Gu Mian looked away. "As for Liu Ruyan and Keke, Chu Changge, do you have them as friends? Let them know in advance and ask for their opinion."
Liu Ruyan could be notified directly in the group chat, while Keke would need a separate message.
Chu Changge nodded slightly and also opened his game panel. "When do you plan to enter that instance?"
Considering Xiao Qiao's Big Data Search would be usable again in six days, Gu Mian calculated, "We'll enter the instance on August 1st. We're about to head back soon anyway, so we can discuss it with them in detail then."
As Gu Mian spoke, he looked at the Fortune-teller. "Do you want to come with us? Or continue waiting here for your two reliable teammates?"
The Fortune-teller hesitated. "I'll go with you."
Fatty had already sent the message to Miss 007 but hadn't received a reply yet. Finding a moment, he picked up a cup from the table, poured himself some water, and even gave the Fortune-teller a couple of sly chuckles. "Our place isn't far from the college entrance exam center. If you want to look for your teammates who went missing during the exam, it'll be quite convenient."
Speaking of which, Fatty seemed to recall something and asked, "By the way, what are the names of your friends who went to take the college entrance exam?"
The Fortune-teller began, "Liu Xuan..."
She didn't notice that as she spoke the first name, the room suddenly fell silent.
She continued, "Feng Zitao, Wang Longxiang."
CRASH!
It was the sound of Fatty's water cup hitting the floor.
The Fortune-teller jumped in surprise and looked at Fatty.
She saw that he wasn't looking at the fallen water cup at all; instead, he was staring blankly right at her.
The others were doing the same.
Everyone was staring intently at her, making her feel a sense of danger.
The Fortune-teller discreetly stepped back, ready to flee at any moment. "What's wrong with all of you?"
Fatty finally came to his senses. "Actually, we met them during the college entrance exam event..."
Met them? The Fortune-teller was a little surprised. But a thought crossed her mind: if they had merely met them, their reaction to the names wouldn't be this intense.
The Fortune-teller pondered for a moment before voicing the most likely guess, "They didn't rob you, did they?"
Could it be that Gu Mian and the others reacted this way because those three had robbed them?
Fatty pursed his lips. "No, not that... It's just that the Doctor himself met them, back when they were still... moving..."
Still moving?
The Fortune-teller was filled with doubts.
By the time Gu Mian's Spirit Car returned to their residence, it was dusk.
Then, Accompany me next year discovered Gu Mian had brought back another woman.
She stood by the window, watching as the unfamiliar woman alighted from the vehicle, cradling something in her hands.
The newly arrived woman kept her head bowed the entire time, so Accompany me next year couldn't see her face clearly.
Cradling the three school badges, the Fortune-teller felt as if she were dreaming.
Just a short while ago, these three had been her living, breathing teammates. She never imagined that after not seeing them for some time, they would have been flattened into school badges.
The photos on the school badges matched her memory of them, though they appeared a bit younger.
She would occasionally tilt her head, recalling what Gu Mian had told her on the way here.
Gu Mian had said that when he encountered these three, they were already ghosts, each carrying a school badge. Later, Gu Mian had eliminated the 'evil' and conveniently snatched the school badges as well.
That was the gist of it—simple and clear.
But the Fortune-teller could hardly believe that her three teammates could become ghosts.
There had never been a precedent for this!
"They might have been killed by ghosts and then turned into ghosts themselves." A voice spoke from beside her. The Fortune-teller turned her head and saw Gu Mian standing there.
"Or perhaps they triggered something during the event and were assimilated, turning into ghosts. In any case, when I met them, they seemed to have completely forgotten they were ever players," Gu Mian continued.
The Fortune-teller felt a headache coming on. "Your conversation with Coach Che back at the food factory was surprising enough. I didn't expect there to be even more shocking revelations. It seems this game holds many secrets we're unaware of."
She thought for a moment and then asked, "Is Lianhua University far from here? I want to go and see."
"Not far. Less than half an hour by car."
Just as the Fortune-teller was mulling over when to go and investigate, Fatty's voice piped up from nearby, "Doctor, Miss 007 replied to me!"
