Global Collapse-Chapter 689 - 654: The Correct Usage of a Beast Tamer_1
"And what if we find ourselves cornered this time as well?" 007 looked at Chu Changge, waiting for his answer.
"Then be prepared to die at any moment," Chu Changge's gaze swept over them. "Just like the previous versions of ourselves who died here, sacrificing themselves to pave the way for those who would come after. At least it gives them a chance to survive, to leave this place alive.
"We would die, but we would leave behind a path."
If those who came after could indeed survive and leave this place, it would fulfill the wish of those who came before.
"Paving the way for the future, just like previous versions of ourselves who died in this world..." the Fortune-teller repeated his words.
She found it hard to accept. She was *her*. Even if a "Fortune-teller" truly survived and left this world later, that person would no longer be *her*.
Those who had died in this world understood this principle as well.
They knew that even if someone else managed to survive and leave this world later, the survivor would no longer be them.
The dead could not be resurrected. A future self was not truly oneself.
Even so, they still resolutely made sacrifices, painstakingly clearing a rough path for those who would follow.
Even though this path had no visible end, even though this path might never reach a destination.
Still, they stumbled and struggled, leaving their hope behind in this world.
"If we find ourselves in a desperate situation, we can only sacrifice ourselves to serve as a warning for the future versions of ourselves who arrive here," Chu Changge reiterated.
A thoughtful look crossed 007's face. She looked up at the dark sky. "Maybe we will also become path pavers, disappearing somewhere in this world. Perhaps, soon, new versions of us will appear. Like us, they too would feel grateful for the sacrifices of their predecessors.
"Our stories end with our deaths, but Gu Mian should be able to continue on, perhaps filled with sorrow...
"Fortunately, the world is in a constant cycle. There will always be hope for those in the future. Perhaps, one day in the distant future, a future Gu Mian can save the future versions of us. But that will be their story."
As she spoke, she looked at Chu Changge. "You said that if we find ourselves in a desperate situation, we should be prepared for sacrifice. I want to know, what exactly counts as a desperate situation?"
Indeed, from an ordinary person's perspective, their current situation was already desperate.
Entering an instance you can never leave is a truly desperate situation.
"Theoretically speaking, when the Protection Law completely fails, we would already be in a desperate situation," Chu Changge said, adjusting his glasses. "But Gu Mian has also entered this place, and he's looking for us."
With this said, Chu Changge looked at the people in front of him. "Do you believe in him?"
"I do," 007 nodded.
The Fortune-teller also straightened her posture. "I do too."
Even the not-so-bright Xiao Qiao nodded her head in agreement.
"Since you all believe in him, then no matter what situation we find ourselves in, it won't be regarded as desperation. Because we always have hope in our hearts; we believe he can find us.
"So, this time, let's live with hope. Let's not despair over the present, nor place our hopes in some distant future. This time, we must strive to live until the very last moment of our lives."
For a moment, 007 felt as if she had been transported back to one of the nights just before her college entrance exams.
A passionate lecturer stood on the stadium's grand stage, delivering a fiery speech that ignited the students' spirits.
Now, Chu Changge had taken the place of that lecturer. His tone was steady, neither enthusiastic nor impassioned.
Yet, his words gave them the confidence to continue living.
"Let's try our best to survive until the world begins to cycle again... If we still haven't found Gu Mian by then, we can only accept our fate," 007 said, pursing her lips.
The sounding of the alarm signaled the beginning of the world's collapse.
Once the world began to collapse, it would forcibly enter a cycle to prevent its own complete breakdown. Xiao Qiao had once said the alarm would last for several minutes.
In those few minutes, Evil Ghosts would swarm, the world would crumble, and if they still hadn't met Gu Mian by then, only death would await them.
"I don't know how much time we have left until the world collapses..." the Fortune-teller said, anxiously looking at the small stick on the ground.
She used this time to perform divination a few more times; the stick's direction remained unchanged, pointing straight ahead.
Gu Mian was in that direction.
But she didn't know how far he was.
The Fortune-teller looked at the towering building ahead. If we could get to the top of that building, she thought, perhaps we could see Gu Mian in the distance.
Just then, Xiao Qiao, as if sensing something, suddenly said, "It's almost time."
What?
007 turned her head to look at Xiao Qiao.
Xiao Qiao merely let her gaze drift to the distance. "I feel like the alarm is about to sound again."
She had heard the alarm countless times in this world and was naturally sensitive to its impending arrival.
The Fortune-teller looked at Xiao Qiao in astonishment.
"How soon?"
The sounding of the alarm meant their chances of survival were virtually nil.
Xiao Qiao furrowed her brow. Because she was born in this abnormal world, her perception of the outside world wasn't very keen, and she was even more oblivious to the passage of time. "I'm not sure. Maybe ten minutes? Twenty minutes?"
The Fortune-teller couldn't help but curse under her breath. She hadn't expected 'almost time' to mean *this* soon.
If they didn't reunite with Gu Mian within this timeframe, they would be done for.
The Fortune-teller looked down at the stick on the ground, pointing straight ahead.
They had originally intended to wait here for Gu Mian, but it seemed that was no longer an option. They had to move forward immediately.
But now, the four of them were completely penniless. They could no longer use 007's kiddy ride car, and they didn't know how far Gu Mian was.
This short amount of time was probably not enough for them to find Gu Mian.
Knowing this, the group immediately set off, breaking into a run.
Quite a few ghosts were attracted by the sound of their running, but the Protection Law still had some effect and prevented their attacks.
The Fortune-teller said urgently, "What we don't know now is if Gu Mian is also heading in our direction. If he's going the wrong way, we'll only get farther apart. If only we could let him know our location!"
At this moment, she desperately wished she had bought a few bundles of fireworks at the supermarket. If she had fireworks now, couldn't she directly signal their location to Gu Mian? She couldn't be blamed for her lack of foresight; who could have imagined needing to set off fireworks in an instance?
As the Fortune-teller was pacing anxiously, she suddenly thought of 007. "007, what's your occupational skill?"
007 looked at the road, devoid of any living beings. "I only have the most basic skill, Beast Taming. It requires at least one animal."
But in this world, there wasn't even a single living bird, let alone other animals.
But the Fortune-teller's eyes lit up. "I have one!"
007 watched as she produced a huge dog. It was at least one and a half meters long and looked quite spirited.
Before 007 could react in surprise, the Fortune-teller thrust the dog at her. "It's a companion pet for my occupational skill, called the Greedy Mad Dog. It's used for finding things. However, I can only use my skill periodically. I just used it to find something a short while ago, so I can't activate it again right now. But you can!"
The Fortune-teller had once released this dog in the junkyard instance to find a clown mask.
She had never imagined this dog could be useful in other ways.
"You're a Beast Tamer; you can ride it and command it to charge forward." The Fortune-teller's eyes glowed eerily in the darkness. "It runs very fast. You go first. When you find Gu Mian, bring him in this direction."
007 hesitated for half a second, then nodded.
One person riding a dog was already outrageous enough; naturally, all four of them couldn't ride one dog.
Right now, it was most crucial for her to find Gu Mian first and guide him in the correct direction.
The Fortune-teller threw the small stick once more, pointing ahead. "Command it to run in that direction. Gu Mian is over there."
Without further words, 007, worried the dog might not support her weight, decided against riding it. Instead, she grabbed its collar, hoping to use its strength to increase her speed.
She then gave the dog her command.
The Greedy Mad Dog truly shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow.
007 hadn't expected the dog to be so fast; it immediately dragged her to the ground.
But even though she'd fallen, 007 didn't let go.
The others behind saw 007 being dragged forward by the Greedy Mad Dog, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished from sight.
Then, the Fortune-teller's face began to drain of color.
This was the side effect of using the Greedy Mad Dog.
All the stamina consumed by the Greedy Mad Dog was borne by the Fortune-teller. An ordinary person would already find it difficult to endure such a strenuous run, especially since the Greedy Mad Dog was also pulling 007, consuming even more stamina.
The Fortune-teller's face turned pale, and she swayed, unsteady on her feet.
Fortunately, Xiao Qiao was beside her and supported her.
