Global Collapse-Chapter 536 - 505: Happy Ghost Festival to Everyone_1

Chapter 536: Chapter 505: Happy Ghost Festival to Everyone_1

After breakfast, Gu Mian went to knock on Liu Ruyan’s door for a while, but there was no response. It seemed she wasn’t in the room.

The main door on the first floor, which Gu Mian had kicked open, was still swaying in the wind. If Liu Ruyan had left, she should have seen this precarious door.

The nearby Fatty hesitated and spoke, "Maybe she had an emergency and had to leave."

"What emergency could she possibly have," Gu Mian stared at the door. "Before the game started, she was incredibly idle. Other than flashing fake smiles at people, she didn’t do anything productive."

They didn’t linger for too long at Liu Ruyan’s door. They left the inn and headed for the nearest supermarket.

Driving the Spirit Car wasn’t practical, so Gu Mian chose to walk.

Lianhua City was even more desolate now than it had been six months ago. Wild grass grew rampant along the roadsides, nearly reaching calf-high. The clusters of wrecked cars on the road seemed to have been partially cleared; some had been moved to the sides of the main thoroughfare. Perhaps people had suddenly realized they would never drive on these roads again and gave up midway, clearing only a small stretch of road.

As far as the eye could see, a large pile of wrecked cars lay across the middle of the road, blanketed in thick dust. Gu Mian spotted a heart traced by a finger on one dusty windshield, reminiscent of how children draw on fogged-up glass. However, it was clear this heart had also been drawn a long time ago, as a fresh, thin layer of dust already coated it.

The other two paid no mind to the graffiti. Fatty plucked a blade of grass from the roadside and chewed on it. Ignoring his build, he had the air of a wandering hero from a martial arts epic.

Chu Changge was silently observing their surroundings. About halfway through their walk, Gu Mian heard him remark, "Compared to six months ago, the population here has decreased by at least half. On the way back the night of my college entrance exam, I observed the lighting situation in the residential buildings; very few lights were on."

That was understandable. Now, electricity cards had to be purchased with Game Coins, so people didn’t turn on their lights at night because they were poor.

"I took another look just now," Chu Changge continued. "From the outside, you can only see a small area around the windows. But judging by the amount of dust on the glass and the winter clothes still on the drying racks, most of these people died several months ago."

"I see." Gu Mian instinctively reached for his pocket, only to realize his current outfit had none.

His white lab coat was being washed and hadn’t dried yet. Today, he was wearing a black sweatshirt stitched with many gold sequins—a classic example of Fatty’s aesthetic.

When Gu Mian first saw the sweatshirt, he’d been inwardly reluctant, but after putting it on, it surprisingly suited him.

The chainsaw had been put into Fatty’s inventory. So today, Gu Mian looked like a normal person—a rather handsome one at that.

Therefore, when the NPCs in the supermarket saw this handsome face, their expressions were ones of utter astonishment.

Gu Mian waved as he approached the sales floor. "No need to look so stunned."

Amazed, my foot!

The NPC in a supermarket uniform at the checkout counter instinctively reached for a nearby display, but his hand found only empty space. The sharp-eyed Fatty recalled that display previously held a sign: "Gu Mian and Dogs Not Allowed Inside."

Even though Gu Mian looked normal today, the NPCs recognized him.

With the instances suspended, players had lost their source of Game Coins. Consequently, the supermarket had few customers, leaving only Gu Mian’s group and the salesclerks staring at each other.

The salesclerks clearly didn’t want to see this face, but since Gu Mian and his group had already arrived, they didn’t dare try to drive them out. They could only suppress their inner terror and greet them with smiles.

"W-what can I get for you today?" Gu Mian turned to see a somewhat familiar salesclerk standing before him, though he couldn’t quite place the man.

Fatty whispered a reminder, "He’s the one who sells Spirit Cars! The Spirit Car salesman!"

"Ah." Only then did Gu Mian recall this salesclerk beaming when he’d sold them their first Spirit Car.

So the beaming salesclerk was now working as a greeter, a role that better suited his disposition.

Without inquiring further into the salesclerk’s arduous career journey, Gu Mian stated his purpose, "I want to buy a bed."

The salesclerk instinctively glanced behind Gu Mian but saw no female companion. Still, he asked, just to be sure, "Are you looking for a single or a double bed?"

A single bed, of course.

Perhaps it was Gu Mian’s imagination, but the supermarket seemed remarkably efficient today. Less than ten minutes after they’d entered, the salesclerk had everything arranged. Fatty even managed to roll around on the bed a few times during the process. Gu Mian could take the bed and leave immediately.

However, there was now a problem...

As a piece of furniture, the bed couldn’t be stored in an inventory.

This meant Gu Mian and his companions would have to carry the two-meter-long bed back themselves.

The NPCs, who had helped Gu Mian select the bed, had just breathed a collective sigh of relief when the man suddenly stopped, a troubled expression on his face.

"Is something wrong?" the salesclerk inquired softly.

"I didn’t drive," Gu Mian said. "How about I leave the bed here for now, and I’ll come back with a vehicle next time..."

Before Gu Mian could finish, the salesclerk before him interrupted, a peculiar expression on his face. "That’s alright, we offer home delivery! We can take it back for you."

Gu Mian was surprised. Has the supermarket’s service become this thorough?

Fatty nodded emphatically. "The last time I came to get the Spirit Car repaired, everyone was very helpful. They even directly replaced it with a new one for us!"

Chu Changge’s somber voice drifted over, "I think they just want you to make your purchase and leave quickly."

Ignoring Chu Changge’s words, Gu Mian graciously accepted the free home delivery service.

He bought an assembly-required bed. The NPCs dismantled it into four parts, and eight salesclerks carried the components, following Gu Mian.

Fatty had never seen salesclerks leave the supermarket before; today was a real eye-opener for him.

And Fatty wasn’t the only one whose eyes were opened today...

Ever since exiting the instance, the traumatized Su Xiaocha often found herself listlessly gazing out the window, and today was no exception.

As she gazed blankly out the window, a peculiar procession suddenly entered her field of vision.

She saw three figures approaching from a distance, trailed by a group in tidy uniforms who were carrying something on their shoulders.

She stared in confusion in that direction, only to see the three people were indeed heading her way. After a short while, she suddenly found the man leading them, the one wearing a black sweatshirt studded with gold sequins, somewhat familiar.

It didn’t take her long to recognize that man as Gu Mian. Shortly after recognizing Gu Mian, she also identified the group following them.

Those neat clothes—they were the uniforms of the salesclerks from the game’s supermarket!

Su Xiaocha’s jaw dropped. Her mind went blank for two seconds, and then she started shouting to her friends, "Quick, come look at this!"

"What’s wrong? Did a line of sows jump into a ditch?" Know my thoughts ambled slouchingly to the window, glanced out, and beheld a sight even more bizarre than sows diving into a ditch.

So You Si also started calling out to friends, "Quick, come look!"

Accompany me next year lifted an eyelid to glance at the two. "What now? Did a line of ghosts jump into the sea?" As she spoke, she also walked to the window and peered out.

Thus, when Gu Mian led the salesclerks back to the inn, he found three people gathered at the entrance.