Global Collapse

Chapter 336 The Spiral Staircase of Love
The area was illuminated by stark white light.

The surrounding environment is completely different from before.

It was no longer the familiar campus, but a messy, abandoned building. Nearly collapsed cardboard boxes were piled up in the corners, the ground was covered with thick dust, and even the stair railings were rusty and almost broken.

Without lights, it would be pitch black here.

Chu Changge's electric light illuminated everyone.

Gu Mian did not see the fat man.

Coco was staring wide-eyed at the direction where the fat man had been standing, her expression one of utter astonishment.

Disappeared.

The fat man disappeared.

It vanished into thin air, without making a sound.

007 hadn't expected anyone to have an accident so quickly. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her breathing became heavier: "Was it done by a ghost?"

Gu Mian did not speak.

Chu Changge shook his head at Gu Mian, holding a flashlight: "I didn't hear any sound, nor did I find any clues."

Gu Mian frowned and walked back into the corridor. She saw that it had changed dramatically; it was no longer a long corridor, but a spacious floor.

It was pitch black.

They seemed to have been transported to another building in an instant.

Chu Changge followed and swept the area with his flashlight: "Nobody's here."

Gu Mian stared at the empty floor for a moment in silence before speaking: "There are three possibilities now. First, the four of us were moved into this building, and Fatty stayed at the school alone. Second, Fatty moved here with us, but he's not nearby. Third, he's dead."

Upon hearing the last assumption, both 007 and Coco felt a chill run down their spines.

“We need to figure out where we are,” Gu Mian said, turning around and walking towards the stairs. “Let’s leave this building and go downstairs.”

007 nodded slightly to Coco and then quickly followed.

Gu Mian was at the front, while Chu Changge brought up the rear with a flashlight to light the way.

The stairs were very steep, and even more dangerous in the dark.

As Gu Mian walked downstairs, she said, "Pull everyone up to prevent them from suddenly disappearing."

Previously, it was the fat guy who was at the back who suddenly disappeared, and now Chu Changge is at the very back.

Gu Mian heard 007 and Coco behind her respond, and then Coco's voice came: "Then I'll hold your clothes?"

These words were spoken to Gu Mian.

Gu Mian remained silent, indicating her agreement.

He quickened his pace down the stairs, but it seemed to be a very tall building, and the stairs turned several times without reaching the bottom.

Just as she was turning the fourth corner, Gu Mian heard Coco, who had been quiet behind her, suddenly shout urgently, "Wait!"

He looked back.

The flashlight beam was still shining, illuminating the surroundings, but there was nothing behind Coco. Looking back, she saw Chu Changge carrying a lantern and looking at her.

007 has disappeared.

Coco looked at the empty space behind her, gritted her teeth and shuddered violently: "Where are we...?"

Gu Mian looked at Chu Changge behind her and asked, but Chu Changge shook his head slightly, indicating that he had not found anything.

Gu Mian frowned again, paused for a few seconds, and then said, "Let's stop for a while."

It is certain that they have been targeted by ghosts, which is why they are disappearing one by one.

But disappearance does not mean death. A ghost can only kill one person per night, but now two of their companions have disappeared.

Coco tightened her grip on Gu Mian's clothes and looked down at the stairs. The stairs spiraled downwards and finally disappeared into the darkness, like a giant beast with its mouth wide open, waiting for its prey to walk into its trap.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead: "If this continues, the three of us will disappear one by one, won't we?"

Gu Mian looked at Coco, who seemed a little flustered: "That's right, but now I have a guess."

"What?" Somewhat nervous, Coco didn't expect Gu Mian to suddenly bring up such a thing, and couldn't help but look at him.

Gu Mian looked down at the staircase disappearing into the darkness: "Everything has its own rules, including now."

"A pattern?" Coco didn't seem to understand.

Gu Mian withdrew her gaze: "Ever since we started going downstairs, people have been disappearing."

Coco understood: "So, your disappearance is related to going downstairs?"

“Very likely, perhaps we can try the other way around.” Gu Mian said, looking up at the top of the stairs. The stairs above were also hidden in darkness. Even though this was the way they had come, looking back, the darkness seemed to conceal unsettling elements.

The three of them were silent for a while. After half a minute, Coco spoke up somewhat uneasily, "Then... shall we try again later?"

“Okay,” Gu Mian nodded, “Turn around.”

Coco was somewhat taken aback by his question: "And what about you?"

“I’ll continue downwards,” Gu Mian said, glancing at Chu Changge. “I’ll go down, and you go up. From the moment we part, I’ll call one of your names every twenty seconds, and you’ll answer. If the sound stops…”

Gu Mian paused for a moment when she said this: "That means I have disappeared. If my voice has not disappeared after ten times, then you should stop and I will go upstairs to find you."

Hearing this, Coco's face paled even more: "Why would you do this?"

Gu Mian reached behind her back and pulled a small flashlight out of her guitar case: "This is the only way to confirm my guess. This is an important clue."

As he spoke, he turned on his flashlight and shone it down the stairs.

The dark staircase below was illuminated, and Coco looked down following the flashlight beam, which seemed to have no end.

At this moment, Chu Changge had already turned to the side. He looked at Gu Mian and did not object to his idea: "Is there anything else you would like to add?"

Coco looked at Chu Changge with some disbelief: "Are you really going to let him go downstairs alone?"

Chu Changge looked at her and nodded slightly: "Remember to answer when I call your name later."

After saying that, he turned around and started walking upstairs.

Coco hesitated only slightly before following closely behind. When she turned back to look at Gu Mian, she only saw a figure descending the stairs.

Gu Mian did not have a watch.

There are no tables in the game store that can be brought into dungeons.

Therefore, he could only rely on his mental calculations to determine the twenty seconds.

He carried a flashlight and slowly descended under the light. Above him, he could hear footsteps growing fainter and fainter; they were the sounds of Chu Changge and Keke.

After climbing the first flight of stairs, Gu Mian stopped. It was time.

He looked up at the sky: "Chu Changge?"

The sound echoed in the stairwell, sending chills down one's spine.

Half a second later, Chu Changge's voice, also echoing, came from the darkness above: "Still here."

Upon hearing the echo, Gu Mian lowered her head again and walked towards the dark staircase.

Coco already knew Chu Changge's real name from the compensation list for the hide-and-seek instance, so Gu Mian didn't need to hide it.

The footsteps above were fading into the distance, almost disappearing.

Twenty seconds later, Gu Mian looked up, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Coco?"

Upon hearing her name called, Coco nervously tilted her head towards the armrest and quickly replied, "I'm here."

Chu Changge, carrying the lantern, did not stop and continued to climb the stairs. In the darkness, his silent figure was somewhat eerie.

Coco was a little uneasy.

After twenty seconds of silence, Gu Mian's voice came from below again, but it was no longer loud, and they were getting further and further apart.

"Chu Changge?" Coco heard Gu Mian calling her name for the third time from below.

Chu Changge responded again and then went upstairs.

"It's getting farther and farther away. I wonder if I'll be able to hear you clearly next time." Coco waited anxiously for the next call.

Another twenty seconds passed.

This new call has arrived as promised—

"cocoa."

Upon hearing her name, Coco instinctively responded.

But as soon as her voice came out of her throat, she realized something was wrong.

The voice... came from right next to his head, and it wasn't Gu Mian's voice.

Right behind, right against the back of the scalp!
Fear instantly spread through my limbs, and the hairs on my back stood on end.

In that terrifying moment, something suddenly occurred to her.

If we keep going downstairs, there will be one less person. But if we go upstairs, there will be... one more person!
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(End of this chapter)