Global Collapse-Chapter 612 - 580: Gu Bengbeng Pulls Out the Weeping Willow_1

Gu Mian shared his worries with 007, who responded with a strange expression, "Is there really such a good thing?"

"I didn't enter this instance for the Beast Tamer profession; I came here to find an NPC," Gu Mian said as they approached a tent. "Given the personalities of the previous instances, I think there's a good chance Lu Yi will be smitten by my sublime looks. If that happens, we'll have to leave the instance once the task is completed, and I can forget about finding the person I'm looking for."

007 thought about it and felt Gu Mian had a point. Gu Mian's astonishing destructive power had left many an instance in tears. Now that he was in this one, the instance probably wanted to throw Lu Yi directly at them as soon as possible.

Thinking about this, 007 grew serious. "Then we must be careful. If we meet someone named Lu Yi, let's grab him and beat him up first. We absolutely mustn't let him develop any positive feelings for us."

If any other players were around, they would likely have considered these two to be lunatics. Luckily, only Gu Mian and 007 were in the instance, so their unhinged behavior wouldn't attract questioning glances from others.

"So, what kind of person are you looking for?" 007 asked, her feet sinking into the rain-softened mud and leaving footprints. She was somewhat worried their tracks would be exposed.

Gu Mian replied seriously, "I don't know."

Mr. Green had only heard rumors that there was an important NPC in the Circus Instance. As for their name, characteristics, or identity, he had no clue.

"I guess it's an NPC like the circus ringmaster," Gu Mian said, stroking his chin. "The game's important high-ranking NPCs can't possibly be these Lower Class People…"

007 took out a notebook, flipped it open from the back, and began planning with a ballpoint pen in hand. "So, are we going to kidnap the high-ranking members of the circus one by one and interrogate them?"

Probably influenced by Gu Mian, she unconsciously started to follow his way of thinking whenever they entered an instance together.

"That would be too time-consuming. I have another way." Gu Mian stood before a red and yellow striped circus tent.

The sound of writing came from 007's notebook. Gu Mian glanced at it. Even though it was raining, the writing on its pages wasn't blurred by the water. He saw 007 drawing three circles on a piece of paper, likely a rudimentary map of the area where the circles represented tents. However, the contents of the adjacent page drew more of Gu Mian's attention.

"Are you keeping accounts?" Gu Mian asked, eyeing the page next to the map.

The page was crammed with numbers and calculations. The two lines at the bottom read: "128 + 1,000 = 1,128" and "1,128 - 1,100 = 28".

A few days ago, when Fatty had asked if she wanted to enter the Circus Instance, she had let slip that she was out of money. However, 007 had just received 1,000 Game Coins as compensation from the garbage dump instance. These two lines of calculation must have been her most recent accounts. After receiving 1,000 Game Coins in compensation from the garbage dump instance and then immediately spending 1,100, poor 007 was left with only 28 Game Coins.

007 looked a bit embarrassed. "Yes, I'm keeping accounts."

Gu Mian was very curious about what luxury item she could have bought that cost over a thousand Game Coins.

She explained, "You know I haven't found my mom and dad yet, and there are no fast means of transportation available in the real world. The only Spirit Car driving license instance is also defunct... but fortunately, special transportation-type items can also be found in instances…"

Transportation tools can be found in instances? Gu Mian had never heard of such a thing.

"Another player obtained a special transportation-type item in an instance, and I exchanged everything I owned for it…"

"So you spent one thousand one hundred Game Coins on a vehicle?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"No... the vehicle was something I exchanged for earlier. This one thousand one hundred Game Coins were spent just on fuel."

Gu Mian asked curiously, "Fuel? What kind of vehicle uses such expensive fuel?"

Besides, a vehicle from an instance is most likely a Spirit Car, and she probably can't drive it without a license.

007's expression grew even more embarrassed. "Actually, it can't really be considered a vehicle."

At this point, she lowered her voice. "It's something you see often, in shopping malls and on the streets… It's a children's coin-operated ride. You put in money, and it goes. It's really fast, faster than a regular car, but it just burns through money."

Gu Mian: "..."

Of course, such things were common. They were children's favorite toys; put in a coin, and it would rock while singing, "This heaven-defying cultivation, the sky collapses, the earth shatters, the purple-gold hammer."

It seemed 007 had spent over a thousand Game Coins to relive her childhood.

Although Gu Mian now felt like hearing the song, he didn't unreasonably demand that 007 take out the kiddie ride for him to try.

"Hmm, let's get back to discussing the current situation," Gu Mian said, forcibly steering the conversation back on track. "I want to find an NPC who knows the inside story of this game. Not only do I need to find out who they are, but also where they are. This circus is so large; if we try to tie everyone up and question them one by one, we might not finish even by next year."

Gu Mian was mainly afraid that before he could finish tying everyone up, Lu Yi would suddenly appear and be awestruck by his devastatingly good looks.

"Besides, the NPCs in this world don't seem to realize they're in an instance." Gu Mian remembered that Teacher Slaughter had shown no awareness whatsoever of being in an instance world. The NPCs in this world were different from Mr. Green, Coach Che, and the others.

Ordinary NPCs don't know they are in an instance world, but a high-ranking NPC definitely would.

This fact could be used to identify who the high-ranking NPC is.

Gu Mian touched the mask on his face. "Mr. Green once said that an NPC in this instance buys clown masks at a high price and then throws them into a recycling bin. The clown mask is the only way to enter the Circus Instance. Clearly, this person knows about instances, and it's likely they're the one I'm looking for."

007 stopped writing. "The person you're looking for will definitely react upon seeing the clown masks on our faces, but at the same time, we'll also expose our identities as players."

"In any case, the only method now is to wear our clown masks everywhere and show them to people, observing their reactions." Gu Mian touched his own mask.

007 looked uneasily at the cage behind them. "But as performers, as Lower Class People, I'm afraid we won't have many opportunities to just wander around, will we?"

Gu Mian pondered. "So, we have to perform on stage. The circus is a very popular entertainment show in this world; the higher-ups will definitely be watching. But before that, we should first get a clear understanding of the situation here."

As he spoke, he looked at the circus tent in front of them. The two of them were now standing to the side of the tent, from where they could vaguely see the entrance. Lights were on inside. There were three such tents in the vicinity. Looking further out, there were large trucks and distant white buildings. In the distance stood a three-story, grayish-white, low building that somewhat resembled the circus's office.

"Should we go take a look over there?" 007 asked softly.

Her voice had barely faded when the sound of footsteps reached their ears. The Lower Class People here showed no inclination to move, so the footsteps must have come from someone else. Gu Mian recognized that the sound was coming from the tent entrance. He sidestepped backward slightly to hide, and 007, beside him, also slipped into the darkness.

The footsteps grew clearer, and Gu Mian heard two people exiting the tent.

This was followed by a familiar voice, "Oh, this damn rain! I remember it was a rainy night like this when the accident happened in the restricted zone. That was a truly unpleasant day."