Global Collapse-Chapter 709 - 674: You really dare to think!_1

The amnesiac Evil God was useless.

Gu Mian was considering whether or not to input the name "No. 1" into the Big Data Search.

At this moment, the people up front noticed that Gu Mian and his group weren't keeping up, so they stopped and looked back to wait for them.

Liu Yin, who was standing by the car, had a strange expression. "Where are you all rushing off to?"

"The bathroom," Gu Mian gave a perfunctory reason, put away his Big Data Search, and walked forward.

Hao Laoshi, seeing Chu Changge approach, moved aside fearfully.

Wenqin Tan Jiu glanced toward the rear. "We should get as far away as possible from where the photos were dropped earlier. The farther, the better. I'm thinking, should we split up...?"

When this global game first began, players lacked experience and preferred to huddle together for comfort. After all, many horror films followed the rule that anyone separated from the group was doomed to die.

But as players experienced more and more instances, they discovered that splitting up actually increased their survival rate. If they stuck together and a ghost caught them, an entire group would be wiped out at once. Splitting up could greatly slow down a ghost's killing efficiency and significantly reduce the death toll.

However, there was one drawback to splitting up: players couldn't relay information to each other in a timely manner. Once separated, if a player found a path to survival within the instance, they couldn't quickly share it with the others.

"Do you have phones?" Ningmeng Busuan fumbled in her pockets but found no communication devices.

The others shook their heads too.

"My suggestion is that we form groups of two or three and flee separately," Ningmeng Busuan said after confirming no one else had a mobile phone. "The instance duration is three days, and it's impossible for us to remain highly alert the entire time. In smaller groups, we can take turns resting. If the ghost appears, we can spot it immediately and escape."

"The path to survival in this instance has already been cut off," Yu Ji said. "So, we won't need to communicate about it later. Splitting up is indeed the most advantageous approach."

Wenqin Tan Jiu looked at Gu Mian. "What do you think?"

Although he thought this Doctor was not right in the head, he was still a teammate in this instance, so he had to ask for his opinion.

Gu Mian was just thinking of slipping away to play some forbidden games with a few NPCs; this proposal suited him perfectly.

"The three of us will form a group. You all can decide for yourselves," Gu Mian said, grouping Chu Changge and Xu Xingcheng with himself.

Wenqin Tan Jiu nodded. He had been worried this Doctor would want to team up with him. He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Gu Mian's decision.

In theory, players with professions were very popular, especially professions like Healer.

But Wenqin Tan Jiu felt this Doctor was too unreliable. Teaming up with him meant constantly worrying if he might suddenly go mad and reveal their position. He knew that those who had survived until now all possessed some skills. Some might seem unreliable but could be incredibly powerful. However, this man had too many uncertainties; Wenqin Tan Jiu didn't dare team up with him. In an instance where death was real, he couldn't afford any mistakes.

"Let's team up," Jin Ye Bai said, approaching him. "It's more reassuring to be with someone familiar."

Wenqin Tan Jiu nodded in agreement.

Hao Laoshi also crept over quietly. He didn't dare look at Gu Mian's group, only looking pleadingly at Jin Ye Bai and Wenqin Tan Jiu. "Can I join you? I'm very reliable. I won't shout, I won't act on my own, I'm not curious, and I won't touch things recklessly. I promise I won't hold you back."

This person wasn't the type to cause trouble, unlike that Doctor, Wenqin Tan Jiu thought.

Jin Ye Bai and Wenqin Tan Jiu exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Yu Ji and Ningmeng Busuan had also formed a team.

Ningmeng Busuan looked at the other female player, Su Lian. "Yu Ji and I are teaming up. Do you want to join us?"

Currently, Su Lian was the only one not in a team.

In a horror instance, everyone preferred to be with people they knew. After all, one couldn't know the character or temperament of strangers. They might be good people, or they might be selfish individuals who would push their teammates toward a ghost to save themselves. Normally, players wouldn't proactively invite strangers to join their team.

Yu Ji didn't want to accept a stranger, so she subtly shook her head at Ningmeng Busuan.

But the other two teams were already at capacity.

Ningmeng Busuan thought that if she didn't invite Su Lian, Su Lian would be left all alone.

However, Su Lian shook her head in refusal. "Thank you, but I'm used to being alone. I can manage without a team."

Ningmeng Busuan was somewhat surprised, looking at the rather scholarly and quiet female player before her.

Appearances can be deceiving. Who would have thought such a gentle-looking person was a complete lone wolf?

At this time, Wenqin Tan Jiu looked towards the intersection up ahead. "Let's split up when we reach that intersection. Remember, the farther away from the place where the photos were dropped, the better. The ghost crawled out from there. Don't ever go near that place."

There was still some distance to the intersection, so they quickened their pace.

Just then, Hao Laoshi curiously sidled up to Su Lian and asked, "Don't you need to rest for three consecutive days?"

He then considered that this instance might not even last three days, so he fell silent.

Hao Laoshi recognized Gu Mian. Back in the driver's license instance, Gu Mian hadn't yet obtained the Evil God's brooch, so his nickname hadn't been concealed.

When he saw Gu Mian, he felt somewhat relieved but also a bit scared. Relieved that he might leave the instance earlier, but scared because the fearsome Chu Changge was also here. When they were forming teams, he had actually wanted to team up with Gu Mian. However, he wasn't sure about Gu Mian's personality. Besides, Chu Changge, radiating a peculiar aura, was nearby, which scared Hao Laoshi from taking even a single step closer.

At this moment, Su Lian answered his question, "I can barely hold on for three days."

She was a woman of few words, answering only when asked.

Considering her previous behavior, Hao Laoshi suddenly asked in a strange tone, "Are you socially anxious?"

It really did seem like it. She entered instances by herself, sat far from others after boarding the vehicle, opted to be in her own group during team formation, and wouldn't utter a word unless spoken to. These were all typical symptoms of social anxiety disorder.

Su Lian fell silent, turning her head away without answering the question.

Hao Laoshi had heard of this disorder before, but he hadn't expected someone with social anxiety to remain so true to form, even in a horror instance.

Just as he was about to say something else, he noticed that Chu Changge, who was radiating that peculiar aura, had slowed down at some point and was slowly moving closer.

Hao Laoshi was so startled that he immediately dashed forward.

Then, Wenqin Tan Jiu came up to Gu Mian. He wanted to ask what skills the Doctor profession entailed.

"This is my first time seeing a player with a profession," Wenqin Tan Jiu said. "Do you professionals have any special skills?"

If you came to my place, you could see three players with professions at once, Gu Mian thought, recalling 007 and the Fortune-teller.

"Yes," he replied, snapping out of his reverie. "If you break your leg, coming to me for treatment would shorten your recovery time."

What a lovely analogy, Wenqin Tan Jiu thought. It sounded like the Doctor profession wasn't very useful. In an instance, a ghost wouldn't stop mid-kill to let someone go find a Doctor for treatment.

"Do you have any resurrection skills or something?" Wenqin Tan Jiu asked. He felt it was a bit of a stretch, but he still couldn't help but ask.

Hearing this, Gu Mian looked at the man in front of him. "You sure have a wild imagination."

This is a horror instance, not a fantasy one. Resurrection skills? Does he want me to conjure up some overwhelmingly powerful battle aura next?

Wenqin Tan Jiu laughed awkwardly and walked away.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was around Gu Mian, Hao Laoshi seized the opportunity to approach.

Gu Mian silently observed the person beside him. He'd noticed that people in this instance seemed to enjoy taking turns approaching him.

Hao Laoshi had always known Gu Mian's identity, but he had never considered revealing it to others.

Gu Mian had a rather good impression of this Honest Person.

Hao Laoshi nervously looked back. Seeing Chu Changge wasn't paying attention to him, he then said to Gu Mian, "You two get along well, right?"

Seeing that Gu Mian was unharmed, not murdered by the sly and crafty Chu Changge, Hao Laoshi felt he understood something.

"Yes," Gu Mian said, thinking of the floral-patterned little skirt Chu Changge wore as a child. "He's like my dear little sister."

Hao Laoshi's face twitched, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

"Do you need something?" Gu Mian asked. He knew Hao Laoshi hadn't come over just to ask about his relationship with Chu Changge.

Hearing Gu Mian's question, Hao Laoshi hesitated for a moment before saying, "I know that all the instances you've entered have been obliterated... I just came to ask... Can you destroy this instance as soon as possible? I'm afraid I won't survive if it takes too long. My wife and kids are still waiting for me outside."

As he spoke, he cautiously looked up to observe Gu Mian's expression.

He didn't know much about this Gu Shiwan's personality. Hao Laoshi was a bit scared that Gu Mian might suddenly burst out with a sinister cackle when no one was around, pull out a knife, and stab him to death to silence him—all while muttering something like, "All who know my identity must die!" After all, that Chu Changge was a psycho. "One is influenced by one's company," as they say. This Doctor might not be normal either.

Gu Mian had no idea that in Hao Laoshi's mind, he had become a maniac who let out sinister cackles. He was stroking his chin, considering Hao Laoshi's unreasonable demand.

Are players these days all so bold? This was the first time he'd heard a player make such a demand of him. Breaking an instance wasn't that easy. At least he needed to find the instance's crucial point to resolve the problem from its root. They had just entered the instance and had no clues yet. Asking him to break the instance now was indeed asking too much.