Global Collapse

Chapter 281 Where is it?

Gu Mian touched her chin thoughtfully.

His green "doctor" nickname came from a brooch pendant given to him by an evil god.

He originally thought he was the only one who had obtained the pendant that allowed him to change his nickname, but he didn't expect that the nicknames of other people with professions were also in green font.

In other words, as long as you have a profession, you will have that green leaf brooch specially made by the evil god.

Coco, a high school girl, seemed very curious about the green words above Gu Mian's head, staring at the top of his head with wide eyes.

At that moment, Jiuming, a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) boy with a small braid and glasses, also walked over.

He glanced curiously at the guitar bag on Gu Mian's back, then quickly looked away.

This thing was so conspicuous that others also secretly glanced at it, not quite understanding why the doctor would carry such a bulky thing.

Everyone knows this instance isn't called "100,000 Whys".

So no one asks any strange questions like, "Why are you carrying a guitar?" or "Is there really a guitar in the guitar case?"

Bai Qiong was the first to shift her gaze from Gu Mian and look at the figure in the distance.

It was late at night, and the people on the other side were too far away. They had to strain their eyes to see what was happening there. Fortunately, the streetlights overhead were still on, although the light was very dim.

Bai Qiong stretched her neck slightly.

The hideous scar stretched from the center of the collarbone all the way to behind the ear. The uneven skin reflected the light under the dim lamplight, making it look particularly gruesome.

The long-haired boy, Jiuming, instinctively avoided approaching the man who appeared to have been chopped with an axe.

Although he seemed a bit immature, he still had a subconscious tendency to seek advantage and avoid harm. No matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem like a good person, even though he always had a gentle expression on his face...

Manjusaka was also standing not far away. She did not approach. This woman, who liked to sneer while playing with a fruit knife, had been standing at the edge since entering the instance. She did not integrate with them and seemed to be saying, "I disdain to associate with you stupid humans."

Right now, Bai Qiong only has Gu Mian and Keke by her side.

Moreover, Coco, being a high school student, was probably attracted by Gu Mian's bright green head.

Bai Qiong was clearly aware of the estrangement between Jiu Ming and Manzhu Shahua. He gave a pained smile and reached out to cover the hideous scar on his neck, though it was impossible to hide it.

Gu Mian noticed that the fat man's mouth seemed to be opening and closing constantly, as if he was shouting.

But we can't hear anything from here.

The two groups weren't that far apart... Could it be that the transparent barrier was blocking the sound?
Gu Mian frowned as she thought about it.

Without any game rules or role assignments, the ten of them were immediately divided into two groups and their voices were blocked. How were they supposed to play this hide-and-seek game?
Just then, he suddenly heard a loud noise from above, without any warning.

"Heart-Pounding Hide-and-Seek Dungeon: Game Rules"

Gu Mian looked up and saw nothing but the pitch-black sky above her.

The sound was somewhat chaotic, as if it were coming from hundreds of loudspeakers all at once, and it seemed that the entire city was echoing with this chaotic cacophony of loudspeaker noise.

The others also looked up, only to see a dark sky.

The sound continued to ring out.

"Heart-Pounding Hide-and-Seek Dungeon: Game Rules"

"The factions are divided into two groups, with five players selected as 'Hunters' and the remaining units as 'Survivors'."

As soon as the voice came out, the people below erupted in uproar.

The fat man looked up at the sky, an incredulous expression on his face: "So, five are human and five are ghosts?"

He had played many hide-and-seek games since he was a child, but he had never seen such a role allocation before.

Why are there so many "ghosts"?
This is extremely unfair to the players who are playing the "human" role.

Chu Changge stared at the five figures in the distance in silence for a while. Instead of complaining, he analyzed, "There are five people on our side, and five people on their side as well."

Chu Changge was usually very cautious and never mentioned Gu Mian's name in front of other players. If he had to mention it, he would use "doctor" or "he" instead.

The fat man understood: "Does that mean the dungeon will randomly select one group of 'people' from our two groups, and the remaining group will be the 'ghosts'?"

vice versa.

Whether they draw a 'human' or a 'ghost', these two groups will be in opposition.

“That’s right,” Chu Changge nodded, “but there seem to be quite a lot of ghosts…”

The sound from above continued.

"Heart-Pounding Hide-and-Seek Dungeon: Game Rules"

The players are divided into two groups: five are 'Hunters' and the rest are 'Survivors'.

"The following group will be randomly selected to become 'hunters'."

it is as expected.

Chu Changge looked up at the five figures in the distance. The game would randomly select one group from their two groups to be the "ghost"...

The fat man noticed that the other players around him seemed to be holding their breath. They obviously knew the importance of factions in this dungeon, and being the ghost seemed to be slightly safer.
It won't be long before they've already decided who gets to smoke this stuff; it might even have been pre-arranged.

Less than two seconds later, the voice above my head rang out again.

"The Hunter team has been drawn, and its members include 'Doctor,' Nine Lives, Bai Qiong, Manjusaka, and Coco."

It's decided, the ghost is Gu Mian's group.

Chu Changge frowned. So, he and the fat man were the hiders?

Immediately, the other players around them erupted in cheers, seemingly complaining about their luck, or perhaps about something else entirely.

Gu Mian's group breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly finding the idea of ​​being a ghost to be relatively safe.

The sound continued.

"During the game, 'survivors' need to hide, and if they are caught by the 'hunters,' they will be punished."

To truly capture someone, you must grab them with your bare hands. Witnessing them, touching them, or even punching them doesn't count as "catching" them.

Each player will be equipped with a mobile phone, and each player can only communicate with one designated opposing player.

"Now, please select your mobile phone..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a row of five cell phones appeared in front of Gu Mian and the others. These cell phones looked to be from more than ten years ago; they were not touchscreens but button-based.

It's really strange, what's the point of this phone? Is it just to facilitate communication between the two camps?
Nine Lives first tossed his hair in what he thought was a cool gesture, then stepped forward: "Does this game mean that phones can only be used to talk to each other? I don't think they'll obediently tell us their location."

As he spoke, he reached out and casually picked up a phone, then turned on the screen.

The faint light stood out starkly in the dark night. Gu Mian turned her head to look at his lit-up phone screen, where she saw a line of small text in the center: "Peace and Safety 658"

There is also a "Dial" button below.

It seems that "一生平安658" is the nickname of the opposing player, and it appears to be the nickname of a middle-aged man or woman, quite unique...

At this moment, Gu Mian also stepped forward and touched a phone.

Upon opening the screen, three large characters appear in the center: "Ji Bieli" (姬别离).

It sounds like a powerful-sounding man's name.

Meanwhile, Coco, a high school student next to her, also had a cell phone with the words "Chu Changge" clearly displayed on the screen.

Gu Mian paused for a moment, then bent down slightly and spoke to Coco in a tone that sounded like that of a perverted uncle: "Can I see your phone?"

Coco seemed startled by Gu Mian's strange tone. It took her a while to react before she raised her phone and handed it to Gu Mian.

But the moment the phone passed from Coco's hand to Gu Mian's, the name on it changed.

The phone screen remained lit.

So Gu Mian watched helplessly as the three characters "Chu Changge" disappeared from the screen and were replaced by "Ji Bieli".

At this moment, Gu Mian held a phone in each hand, and the screens of both phones were filled with the three characters "Ji Bieli." These three characters seemed to be grinning from ear to ear, mocking him mercilessly.

It seems this one-on-one relationship is between players directly, not mobile devices.

Therefore, regardless of whose phone you use, you can only talk to the player you are facing off against.

Just as Gu Mian was puzzled and the other players were frowning, that thunderous sound surged out from the surrounding darkness once again.

"The current time is 20:55. The game is about to begin. All 'Survivors', please take cover. Five minutes will pass. After five minutes, the 'Hunters' will be able to move freely."

This time, it's an announcement that the game is about to begin.

Right after that sentence was spoken, the person on the other end seemed to be able to move freely.

They scattered in all directions, running faster than mad rabbits.

Only Chu Changge and Fatty remained calm.

Gu Mian saw the fat man over there trying to run towards her, seemingly wanting to have a closer chat with her. However, he only took two steps before crashing headfirst into the invisible glass, and was now hopping around while clutching his nose.

Gu Mian: "..."

Fortunately, the fat man didn't stay foolish for long. After realizing he couldn't catch up, he ran away with Chu Changge.

Now, only Gu Mian and four other ghosts remain on this dark street.

They are confined to a small circle, and can only move around inside for the time being; they have no way to escape.

If a ghost suddenly appeared and killed them, that would be a masterpiece. Gu Mian thought to herself as she returned the phone to Coco and secretly peeked at the other people's phone screens.

Bai Qiong corresponds to Fatty, and Keke corresponds to Chu Changge; these two correspond to Gu Mian's acquaintances.

The number nine corresponds to 'a peaceful life 658', which Gu Mian already knows.

The nickname "Manjusaka" is already taken; it's a very unique name.

His counterpart is a player named 'Ji Bieli', which sounds like a male.

At this moment, Manjusaka, who was holding a fruit knife, suddenly took several steps back. She was already at the edge of the crowd, but now she had retreated to the outside of the crowd.

Manjusaka's ponytail was tied high and swayed in the breeze. She was holding a fruit knife tightly in her hand and staring coldly at the other four people, as if trying to see a flower bloom on their faces.

Gu Mian had seen this kind of character in many TV dramas: a cold, aloof beauty who wouldn't even exchange a word with an ordinary person, but was eventually won over by the male lead's charm.

Unfortunately, the character portrayal in the TV series seems a bit strange in the real world, and she's not exactly a beauty either.

Nine Lives, who also had her hair tied in a ponytail, spoke first: "What are you doing? You're always so jumpy."

Manjusaka remained expressionless: "No dungeon is safe. I've never encountered a dungeon without a vengeful ghost... I think this dungeon must also contain something terrifying..."

But the rules don't mention anything about whether there are ghosts in this instance.

But even a fool would know that this scenario couldn't simply be about making the ten of them happy playing hide-and-seek.

“I believe there must be ghosts in this instance,” she continued, “and the ghosts… are very likely hiding among us.”

A cold wind blew by just the right moment, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

Manjusaka is right.

If you treat the ghost as an outsider in the game of hide-and-seek, then the game loses its meaning.

Furthermore, the rules of this game do not specify what the punishment will be for the 'hunter' if they fail to catch anyone, which means there is a high possibility that there will be no punishment!

Therefore, there is a very high probability that the real ghost will blend in with the 'hunters' who will not be punished, and then take the opportunity to kill other players.

Although what Manjusaka said makes a lot of sense.

but……

Gu Mian suddenly spoke up: "So this instance assigned player nicknames and game IDs to the ghosts?"

Non-friends can only see these two pieces of information. Gu Mian had already looked through everyone else's information. Nicknames and IDs were all present. There shouldn't be such a method in the dungeon.

Manjusaka fell silent, seemingly choked by Gu Mian's words.

Coco frowned in confusion: "We do have nicknames and numbers, ghosts shouldn't have such things... Maybe the ghosts in this instance are hiding among the survivors and taking the opportunity to kill?"

Nine Lives suddenly scoffed: "Of course, the people on the other side aren't stupid either. If they find someone without a nickname and number, they'll naturally become alert. I didn't see them react in any particular way just now."

This is quite strange.

If the ghost isn't hiding among the hunters or the survivors, then where is it?
Manjusaka was silent for a moment, then continued, "You're planning to act as a group, aren't you?"

Bai Qiong frowned: "I want to act as a group, what about you?"

When he frowned, the gruesome scar on his neck seemed to move along with him, making him look terrifying.

Coco nodded quickly: "I also want to be with you."

Nine Lives hesitated for a moment, and even ran his hand through his hair: "I remember that the final evaluation of the dungeon is based on the points. If we gather together, the points will definitely not be very high, and we won't get any rewards."

The hunters' task is to hunt everywhere, not to gather together and cower like turtles.

As Jiuming spoke, he withdrew his hand: "This instance doesn't seem too dangerous for our side, so I've chosen to act alone."

GuGu seems to have seen someone say I update frequently... What's the misunderstanding...?



(End of this chapter)