Global Collapse

Gu Mian recognized that this was not Lao Xu's voice from their last phone call.

"Is this the Carnival Wharf office? I'm looking for Lao Xu." Gu Mian deliberately cleared her throat to make her voice sound less distinctive.

The fat man next to him grimaced as he listened; he had never heard Gu Mian speak in such a gentle tone before.

"Old Xu?" The man on the other end hesitated for a moment after hearing the name.

Then Gu Mian heard him raise his voice and shout: "Has anyone seen Old Xu today? Someone called looking for him."

Gu Mian knew he wasn't talking to her, but rather asking someone else on the other end of the phone.

Soon Gu Mian heard another voice from the other end: "Old Xu? I think he was gone the day before yesterday, the day the variety show for the upper class started. He quit that very night."

"He's quitting?" Gu Mian heard the voice on the other end of the phone get louder. "These days, it's really not easy for people like us to find a job, and he just quits like that?"

"Anyway, I've always thought that person was quite mysterious. He came to work at our dock for no apparent reason, and then left for no apparent reason."

Two or three different voices came from over there, seemingly discussing Lao Xu's resignation. As they discussed, the conversation drifted to an acquaintance of Gu Mian.

"If you ask me, it's better for these kinds of inexplicable people to leave as soon as possible. Have you heard? That infamous driving instructor came into this world, hiding his identity. He used an upper-class identity card to forge an upper-class identity and impersonated a staff member of that variety show."

"Huh? No wonder that scary guy suddenly appeared on the variety show. It turns out it was because of Coach Cha. Coach Cha really is that person's spy, right? Wherever he goes, that person follows."

"I heard that this person not only caused a huge scene on the variety show, but also took away all the upper-class audience members with a special item. It seems they were taken to the real world."

"That's terrifying. Luckily, he didn't come here. We need to be careful around that driving instructor. What if he comes to work at our dock under an assumed name again? We need to be more careful about his identity when hiring people in the future."

The last person's words were agreed upon by everyone, and they all nodded in agreement on the other end of the receiver.

Gu Mian seemed to see a group of people nodding silently.

The fat man was desperately trying to suppress his laughter, covering his mouth tightly with both hands, afraid that he would burst out laughing.

Seemingly finally remembering that someone was on the other end of the phone, the person who answered the phone moved closer to the receiver and said to Gu Mian, "Old Xu has resigned. Is there anything you need from him? If he comes back in the future, I can pass on your message to him."

Gu Mian, holding her phone expressionlessly, said, "Tell him I'm looking for him."

“Okay,” the person on the phone readily agreed, then asked, “By the way, what’s your name? I’ll tell Old Xu if I run into him again.”

"Gu Mian".

“Beep, beep, beep—”

Before the word "sleep" could be finished, the other party hung up the phone "impatiently," and the "uh-huhs" of those people could no longer be heard from the receiver, only an endless busy tone.

After hanging up the phone, the fat man finally didn't have to hold back anymore and burst out laughing.

It's ridiculous! After all that work, I haven't gotten any useful information. Gu Mian felt her forehead throbbing.

"Don't be discouraged, doctor," the fat man encouraged Gu Mian. "At least we know that Coach Che was also at the amusement park before, and he even pretended to be a staff member. Speaking of which, could that Nicholas Li San be him?"

"That's most likely the case." Gu Mian thought of Nicholas Li San's previous actions, which were quite in line with Coach Che's image.

"If that's the case, it seems like there's some unspeakable connection between you and him, Doctor." The fat man scratched his head and pondered. "It feels like, in some ways, Coach Che is more useful than a dungeon entry ticket."

The fat man had a bold idea: "If only we could contact Coach Che, Doctor. Wherever you want to go, Coach Che can go there first, and soon you'll be matched with the instance where Coach Che is." Gu Mian had the same feeling; he thought Coach Che's picture could practically be printed on the instance entry ticket.

However, there is a question worth considering.

The last time I saw Coach Che, he wasn't in the Paradise World. At that time, the train that traveled between the seven worlds had already broken down, and NPCs could no longer visit each other's worlds.

When I called Carnival Wharf not long ago, Old Xu said that the train couldn't be repaired for the time being.

How did the driving instructor come to the amusement park from another world?

Are there other passages that allow people to freely travel between the seven worlds? If I ever have the chance to see Coach Che again, I must ask him how he got to the Paradise World.

Given the inexplicable connection between myself and my driving instructor, perhaps the next opportunity to meet him is just around the corner.

Gu Mian felt a little embarrassed because she kept visiting the driving instructor's house but never brought him a gift.

He decided to bring the little toy car that Xiao Hong loved to play with as a token of his appreciation next time he entered the dungeon. Although it had been basically destroyed by Xiao Hong, the original shape of the car was still discernible, which suited the instructor's temperament quite well.

“Sigh,” the fat man suddenly thought of something and said to Gu Mian, “Doctor, you have a wishing system now. Maybe you can make a wish to yourself before entering a dungeon, and wish to enter a dungeon you want to go to.”

It doesn't seem to be of much help, but you can give it a try.

Gu Mian immediately started making a wish, hoping to meet Coach Che in the next instance.

Just as Gu Mian was talking to the fat man, she saw a bright green hat peeking out from outside the gate, as if someone was secretly listening to their conversation.

This iconic building is clearly Mr. Green, no doubt about it.

Ever since he learned that Gu Mian had become the all-powerful wish-granter, Mr. Green would look at Gu Mian with an admiring gaze whenever they met, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

Sometimes, when Gu Mian wasn't paying attention, he would clasp his hands together behind her back and make a solemn wish.

"Send me back, send me back, send me back"—this is the phrase he uses not only when making wishes, but also when talking in his sleep.

He no longer praises the evil god as he did before, and now he believes in Gu Mian.

Mr. Green's behavior infected Xiao Hong, who wasn't very bright to begin with. Xiao Hong followed Mr. Green's example and imitated him, putting her hands together with a devout expression every time she saw Gu Mian.

Unfortunately, Xiao Hong's face was born with flaws; even when she made a devout expression, it still looked quite ferocious.

The two's behavior quickly attracted the attention of others, causing Liu Ruyan to jokingly say every time she saw Gu Mian, "Oh, isn't this our Great Master Gu?"

Gu Mian felt as if she had become some kind of evil cult leader.

He silently watched Mr. Green's hat peeking out from the doorway, then rose and tiptoed to the door. Sure enough, he saw the little green guy standing by the door, hands clasped together, eyes closed, making a devout wish: "Send me back, send me back! I want to become the most famous dungeon host..."

The requirements seem to be more stringent than before.

Although his eyes were closed, Lvsheng instinctively sensed that something was wrong with his surroundings. He felt a sense of oppression coming from all directions, making him somewhat panicked.

He guessed what was going on, stopped his "prayer," and then secretly squinted open one eye, only to see Gu Mian's kind, smiling face. (End of Chapter)